Trial

Zhou Dinghai left the Nine Spirits Sect the very next day, saying he didn't want to owe them any more favors.

Zhou Heng, however, knew that his father was doing this more to keep him from being distracted, so he could pour all his energy into cultivation. After thinking it over, he didn't try to stop him—he didn't want to disappoint his father.

He buried his familial feelings deep in his heart and focused his aim solely on improving his cultivation.

The free-floating energy the Black Broken Sword had been providing him was already starting to decline. He was certain that this energy was what he had cultivated over the past ten years. Therefore, even if he had the same talent as Zhou Dinghai, this energy would likely come to an end once he reached the Ninth Layer of Body Refining.

If he wanted to continue advancing swiftly on the path of cultivation, he would have to find another way.

For example, Gathering Essence Pills, or demon beast meat!

He set his sights on the top ten outer disciples. If he could take their places, he would receive the sect's focused training.

However, challenging the top ten outer disciples wasn't something he could do whenever he wanted. It was only allowed on the first day of each month, and it was currently early February—still more than twenty days away.

Just as he was worrying about this, he received his first training mission since joining the sect: entering the Heaven-Leveling Mountain Range to hunt demon beasts.

Hunting demon beasts served two purposes: one was to train the disciples, and the other was to provide "food" for the sect's outstanding disciples—after all, they couldn't be expected to waste their precious time on hunting, could they?

The hunting squad was led by an inner disciple, with the other members being outer disciples. The group numbered five or six—any more and it would be hard to manage.

Early in the morning, Zhou Heng gathered at the foot of the mountain and met the others in his team.

He didn't know a single one!

But just because he didn't know them didn't mean they didn't know him. In fact, after he single-handedly challenged the four strongest outer disciples, his reputation had spread far and wide, and even many inner disciples had heard his name.

Zhou Heng counted—including himself, there were five outer disciples, all male.

Soon, two figures approached, one in front and one behind. The one in front was a seductive, beautiful woman with a fiery figure. Her full chest trembled with every step, and her willowy waist swayed with an enchanting grace.

It was Han Yulian!

Behind her was a young man just over twenty, tall and slender, with a very handsome face. But his eyes were fixed lecherously on Han Yulian's swaying hips, and he was practically drooling.

"I am the captain of this hunting squad!" Han Yulian said bluntly. Her seductive eyes swept over Zhou Heng, and she was momentarily startled as she recalled the surprise this youth had given her.

"Senior Sister Han, aren't you going to introduce me?" The young man behind her smiled. "Since there are newcomers here, I'll introduce myself. My name is Qi Guangyao, an inner disciple. I volunteered for this mission to lend Senior Sister Han a hand!"

"Hmph, I don't need your help!" Han Yulian's gaze swept over Qi Guangyao, and a look of disgust couldn't help but show in her eyes.

"Senior Sister, this is your first time leading a team, and you've only just broken into the Blood Refining Realm not long ago. I'm just worried about you!" Qi Guangyao's face showed a look of deep affection, openly expressing it without any shame.

—He was younger than Han Yulian, but he had reached the Tenth Layer of Body Refining earlier than she had, so he spoke with the tone of a senior.

"Who asked you to meddle!" Han Yulian showed no gratitude. She waved her hand and said, "Move out!"

She took the lead, with Zhou Heng and the other four following closely behind. Qi Guangyao chuckled and trailed after them at a leisurely pace.

The Nine Spirits Sect was originally located at the foot of the Heaven-Leveling Mountain Range, so they were technically already in the mountains. But to hunt demon beasts, they naturally had to go deeper—the outer areas were unlikely to have any.

Four days later, they had ventured deep into the Heaven-Leveling Mountain Range, far beyond the depth Zhou Heng had ever reached before. The terrain grew steeper and steeper, and terrifying beast roars rang out from time to time, shaking their hearts.

"From here on, demon beasts are rampant. Everyone, be careful. Don't go beyond thirty li—beyond that, Blood Refining Realm demon beasts will appear!" Han Yulian said gravely.

Everyone tensed up. If they encountered a Blood Refining Realm demon beast, even Han Yulian would probably have to flee in panic, let alone look after them!

"Don't worry, with me here, even Blood Refining Realm demon beasts can be slain!" Qi Guangyao's voice rang out from not far away. He had been driven out of the group by Han Yulian, but he shamelessly kept following behind, chiming in every now and then.

He and Han Yulian were both at the Tenth Layer of Body Refining, but he had broken through six months earlier and was now at the peak of the Tenth Layer. However, the higher the martial realm, the harder it was to break through. Going from the Tenth Layer to the Eleventh Layer could easily take three to five years if one was unlucky.

From the Blood Refining Realm onward, the importance of comprehension became fully apparent.

Two experts at the Tenth Layer of Body Refining—that was indeed a strong force. But if they actually encountered a demon beast of the same realm, they would still have no choice but to flee! So naturally, no one took Qi Guangyao's boasting seriously—along the way, he had talked so big it was a wonder the sky hadn't fallen.

Qi Guangyao, however, had no self-awareness. Seeing the faint contempt on everyone's faces, he let out a heavy snort and put his displeasure on full display.

"Let's move. This is your training. Unless you're in mortal danger, I won't intervene!" Han Yulian waved her hand.

Zhou Heng and the other four all nodded.

The team shifted to Zhou Heng taking the lead. Although he was a complete newcomer, his fame from that one battle had earned him the position of vice-captain in the eyes of the other four.

There were indeed many demon beasts here. Before they had gone far, they came to a forested area where a massive wild boar was lying asleep under a large tree, snoring like thunder—it was the sound that had drawn Zhou Heng's group over.

This wild boar was a full six meters long, towering and massive. Its entire body was covered in golden-yellow bristles, and two protruding tusks about a foot long gleamed with a cold, sharp light.

An Eighth Layer of Body Refining demon beast—the Golden-Haired Pig!

Zhou Heng immediately leaped out, activating Flying Cloud Steps as he charged at the demon boar. With a clang, he drew the long sword at his waist and thrust it straight forward.

—He didn't want to trade on Lin Fuxiang's reputation, so the Frost Cold Sword had long been wrapped in cloth and strapped to his back. The sword he was using now was just an ordinary iron blade.

"Too reckless!" Han Yulian was furious. As a leader, her most important duty was to coordinate and make sure every soldier under her command played their part.

But Zhou Heng? He just charged straight in—where was the teamwork in that?

The other four youths, all hot-blooded and impulsive, were stirred by Zhou Heng's move and excitedly rushed out after him.

The Golden-Haired Pig's snoring suddenly stopped. It opened its huge, blood-red eyes.

Swish!

Zhou Heng's sword swung down, but it struck nothing. Despite its bulk, the Golden-Haired Pig was surprisingly fast. It dodged Zhou Heng's attack in an instant and let out a high-pitched squeal as it charged at him.

Flying Cloud Steps!

Zhou Heng's mind was calm, free of joy or sorrow, completely immersed in the sword intent of the Heaven-Soaring Nine Styles. As his eyes opened and closed, two black swords appeared in his pupils, deep and unfathomable.

Every move of the Golden-Haired Pig was completely within his grasp!

This feeling was utterly marvelous, as if he were an emperor in the Ninth Heaven, gazing down upon the mortal world from on high.

Dodge, dodge, weave, weave—Zhou Heng's feet slid across the ground. He had a sense that, with his ability to grasp the overall situation, he could handle this with ease even without the Flying Cloud Steps! Of course, with the Flying Cloud Steps, it made things even easier, allowing him to contend with higher-level enemies.

With Zhou Heng acting as a distraction, the other four could naturally attack to their heart's content. However, given the inherent toughness of the beast, ordinary weapons striking it could barely scratch its skin. Yet, dripping water wears away stone—the four were all at the Bone Refining Realm after all, their strength was genuine, and the accumulated damage was considerable.

The Golden-Haired Pig kept letting out loud cries—it was being hurt!

Zhou Heng seized the opportunity and suddenly thrust his sword!

Pfft, pfft!

He struck twice in quick succession, and two sprays of blood flew through the air.

The Golden-Haired Pig immediately let out a miserable shriek, charging forward abruptly. It didn't hit Zhou Heng but instead rammed its head between two rocks, getting stuck, unable to advance or retreat!

"Well done!" the other four shouted in unison. Zhou Heng's thrust and flick had actually pierced both of the Golden-Haired Pig's eyes! The beast's body was indeed tough, but its eyes, nose, mouth, and anus were still vital weak points!

If Zhou Heng's intention hadn't been to blind the beast, his first strike could have gone deeper, inflicting even greater damage on the Golden-Haired Pig! But then, he wouldn't have had time for the second thrust.

Taking advantage of the Golden-Haired Pig being stuck, the other four rained down blows. The power of the Bone Refining Realm was not to be underestimated, and with all-out attacks, even the Golden-Haired Pig's constitution couldn't hold up, as it continuously let out squeals like a pig being slaughtered.

Bang!

With a heavy crash, the beast, driven by pain, forcibly wrenched itself free from the rocks. Blood streamed endlessly from its eye sockets, making it look even more ferocious and terrifying.

But this was already its last gasp. After a few more moves, it toppled over and fell, becoming Zhou Heng and his team's first prey.

The youths cheered one after another. They had killed Eighth Layer of Body Refining beasts before, but never with such ease!

Han Yulian's red lips twitched a few times, but in the end, she said nothing.

She really wanted to scold Zhou Heng for his complete lack of team cooperation, but the Golden-Haired Pig had been taken down cleanly and efficiently, leaving her unable to find the words to reprimand him.

The team didn't press forward. Instead, they immediately began processing the Golden-Haired Pig's corpse.

The hide could be made into excellent armor, the tusks were extremely sharp weapons, the bones could be used for medicine, and the meat was a top-tier resource for cultivation.

The Nine Spirits Sect had a special medicine that could completely remove the moisture from meat, reducing thousands of pounds of flesh to just a hundred or so pounds, and it was very compact, making it easy to carry.

Zhou Heng couldn't help but sigh. If Lin Fuxiang had brought that kind of medicine back then, the corpse of the Six-Legged Giant-Headed Beast wouldn't have gone to waste.

That woman—what a spendthrift!