Upon entering the Great Wilderness, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth changed abruptly.
It was no longer as gentle and tranquil as in the mortal world. Instead, it carried a wild, vast, and untamed primal aura. Towering trees blocked out the sky, ancient vines obscured the view, and fierce roars of beasts rang out from the distance now and then, making one's heart tighten.
Yun Ce brought Qin Yu and Xiao Hei with him, but did not head straight into the heart of the Great Wilderness. Instead, they started from the outskirts of the Green Lotus Mountain Range and proceeded gradually, honing their skills along the way.
The deeper they went, the more powerful the demonic beasts they encountered became.
At first, they faced only ferocious beasts that fought on instinct. Later came monsters whose intelligence had begun to awaken and who could use innate abilities. Some demonic beasts could even take human form and speak, and their every movement held power no weaker than that of a Golden Core expert. The danger was a hundred times greater than in the mortal world.
Qin Yu fought his way forward, and his physical body, spiritual power, and battle instincts all improved rapidly.
Yun Ce watched and nodded repeatedly—but that was never all he cared about.
That day, the three reached a wasteland strewn with rocks.
The howling wind swept across the wasteland, which was filled with a murderous atmosphere.
Awooo—!
A desolate, piercing wolf howl rang out from every direction, one after another, instantly enveloping the entire wilderness.
In the next moment, countless green shapes darted out from among the rocks and grass. Their fur was like green satin, their limbs swift and powerful, and their eyes savage and bloodthirsty. Faint wisps of wind-attribute spiritual energy curled around them.
A pack of Gale Wolves!
There were hundreds, even thousands of them. Every wolf had reached the Xiantian level, while the alpha had attained the level of a demon king. Its aura was terrifying, far surpassing the peak of the mortal world.
Qin Yu immediately gripped his weapon. Scarlet fire spiritual power stirred around him, and he was about to attack when Yun Ce raised a hand to stop him.
"Wait."
Yun Ce's voice was calm, but carried an unquestionable authority.
Qin Yu paused and lowered his weapon. "Master?"
Yun Ce looked at the densely packed pack of Gale Wolves ahead, his gaze profound. He spoke slowly:
"Yu'er, your cultivation is now at the Xiantian Great Perfection. Your physical body, spiritual power, and combat strength are unmatched in the mortal world. But your greatest weakness isn't strength—it's your training in the speed aspect of the Heaven-Reaching Chart. You must combine fast and slow to truly take that next step."
At the mention of the Heaven-Reaching Chart, Qin Yu's expression turned serious.
He knew the technique was unfathomably mysterious, yet he had never managed to touch its ultimate essence.
Yun Ce sighed inwardly, his thoughts churning:
Until Qin Yu cultivated the Heaven-Reaching Chart to perfection, the teleportation array could not be triggered to send him to Lei Wei's Thunder Mountain Residence, where he would obtain the true Stellar Transformations technique.
And only once Qin Yu truly embarked on the path of Stellar Transformations could he activate the system's reward—
It would raise Yun Ce's cultivation by two major realms directly. When Qin Yu reached the Golden Core stage, Yun Ce would break through as well, advancing to the Void-Piercing Realm! He had been stuck at the Nascent Soul stage for far too long. With his talent alone, he could no longer make further progress through cultivation.
The Void-Piercing Realm!
It was a supreme realm above the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages. Across the entire Hidden Dragon Continent—and even the outer reaches of the Great Wilderness—one who reached it could be considered invincible.
Even someone as composed and indifferent as Yun Ce couldn't help feeling a surge of uncontrollable excitement deep down at the thought.
Suppressing his mounting emotions, he looked at Qin Yu and spoke solemnly:
"The ultimate essence of the Heaven-Reaching Chart lies neither in quiet cultivation nor in sudden enlightenment. It emerges in bloody battles, between life and death, in desperate situations.
"These Gale Wolves are just right in number, cultivation, and ferocity."
"Qin Yu."
Yun Ce stepped back and gave his order calmly.
"You will face them alone in this battle. Xiao Hei and I will stand by, but we won't step in.
"Use the Gale Wolves' blood and bones to temper your body and hone your will. Remember, the most important thing is to train your speed. Draw out the last of the Heaven-Reaching Chart's potential within you, and carefully comprehend how to combine fast and slow."
Qin Yu's heart shuddered, then blazing fighting spirit ignited in his eyes.
He understood: his master was forcing him to break through by putting him in a life-or-death battle!
"Yes, Master! I understand!"
Qin Yu strode forward, and scarlet fire spiritual power erupted with a roar. Flames surged around him, making him look like a little fire god as he faced the entire pack of Gale Wolves.
The alpha threw back its head and howled, its fierce might towering.
At its signal, the pack sprang into action. Green blurs of wind swept toward him, their fangs and claws glinting with deadly cold light beneath the sun.
A desperate, bloody battle between one man and a pack of wolves had begun.
Yun Ce stood behind them with his hands clasped behind his back, calmly watching the battlefield, though he was already filled with anticipation—
He very much wanted to see what brilliance Qin Yu's Heaven-Reaching Chart technique would unleash at the edge of life and death.
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