Training

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With one sword strike, it was as though heaven and earth revolved together, carrying an endless, overwhelming momentum!

The Black Bear's movements immediately slowed, as if time itself had suddenly stopped!

Yet Zhou Heng's movements did not slow in the slightest. He swept his sword toward the Black Bear's neck, the blade trembling faintly as though it whistled some wondrous melody—like the chant of the Great Dao, deafening and enlightening.

Too marvelous!

This was completely different from when he practiced on his own!

With a single sweep of his sword, the enormous bear head immediately flew skyward. After tracing a high arc through the air, it slapped onto the ground and rolled seven or eight meters before coming to a stop.

Killed with one strike!

Though this Black Bear was not a demonic beast, an adult bear possessed incomparably immense strength. Even the fierce tigers of the mountains dared not contend with it. Yet before Zhou Heng, it had not the slightest ability to resist, as fragile as an infant.

These Heaven-Soaring Nine Styles were truly too powerful!

Zhou Heng felt that he had imitated eighty percent of the First Form of Heaven-Soaring, but that was merely its form. As for grasping its essence, who knew how much time that would require? Yet even with only eighty percent of its form, he had slain the Black Bear in a single stroke.

Still, that strike... had consumed more than thirty percent of his True Essence Power!

Sure enough, the Black Sword loved eating True Essence Power, and so did the sword technique it bestowed! However, its power was also incomparably formidable!

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Zhou Heng used his sword to cut open the Black Bear's body and dug out its gallbladder. Then he chopped off a bear paw, found a small stream to wash it clean, built a fire, and set the paw over it to roast.

Before long, the fragrant bear paw was ready. Zhou Heng wolfed it down and revealed a satisfied smile.

Although the Zhou Family ruled Raw Stone Town, Raw Stone Town was not wealthy. Thus, the Zhou Family's status as a great clan was not quite worthy of the name. Their living conditions were naturally better than those of ordinary people, but not by much.

Of course, as one of the Lineage's six great elders, Zhou Dinghai received generous treatment from the Lineage. His monthly allowance amounted to five hundred taels of silver, but because he had to "treat Zhou Heng's illness," that money was basically spent on medicinal herbs.

Thus, although Zhou Heng bore the title of young master, he had always lived a meager life. He had only eaten something as fine as bear paw in childhood; ever since his "illness" began, he had never tasted it again.

His appetite was not small, but the bear paw was even more substantial. Just one had filled his stomach to bursting. Though he still wanted more, he could hardly gorge himself sick out of greed!

There was still some time before midnight, so Zhou Heng lay atop a clean boulder and recalled the scene of slaying the Black Bear with one sword strike. Comparing it with the First Form of Heaven-Soaring in his mind, he used his fingers as a sword and practiced the movements again and again, deepening his understanding.

Each time he compared and recalled, he gained a new insight. Especially in that instant when blood sprayed through the air, he felt an indescribable tremor, as if his thoughts had suddenly broadened enough to encompass an entire world!

"A sword is a weapon of slaughter. It must taste blood!"

"That is why, although I practiced for a month before this, all of my understanding combined could not compare to today's one strike!"

"Sure enough, actual combat is the most effective way to improve myself!"

Again and again, Zhou Heng refined his understanding of the First Form of Heaven-Soaring. Whenever he gained a new insight, his mind would rumble violently, as though heaven and earth resonated and the Great Dao answered in harmony. The sensation was indescribably pleasant.

Only at midnight did he stop. Buzz—the Black Broken Sword trembled lightly and released a massive amount of wandering energy.

"Hmm?"

Zhou Heng was slightly stunned. He abruptly discovered that the energy released by the Black Broken Sword this time was far greater than before!

What was going on?

Could it be... because he had entered the Flesh Refining Realm?

Zhou Heng guessed inwardly, but he did not forget to circulate the Blazing Sun Art. He continuously absorbed and refined the wandering energy, transforming it into his own True Essence Power and storing it bit by bit within his muscle cells.

The Twelfth Layer of Body Refining was a process from outside to inside. True Essence Power was stored separately in the skin, muscles, bones, and blood, eventually illuminating the entire body. With one punch, hundreds of millions of cells would erupt with True Essence Power at once, shattering stone and splitting gold with boundless might!

More than half an hour later, Zhou Heng had absorbed every last trace of wandering energy within his body.

"Compared to before, the energy released by the Black Sword this time increased by half!" Excitement appeared on his face. "Unless this lord has gone mad, it can be concluded that as my cultivation rises, the energy released by the Black Sword will increase as well!"

"If that is the case, then I can reach the peak of the Fourth Layer of Body Refining within ten days!"

Zhou Heng burst into laughter, his heart filled with incomparable joy, yet there was no one with whom he could share it.

"The Black Sword is of great importance. It would be improper to tell anyone. It should remain my secret alone! Once Father returns, I will teach him the Heaven-Soaring Nine Styles!"

"However, even though the sword art has merged with me, I still cannot fully grasp even its form after so long. Can I truly pass it on to Father?"

Setting aside the doubts in his heart, he found a wide crevice between rocks and crawled inside to hide. His excited nerves gradually calmed, and he soon drifted into dreamland.

After one night had passed, he washed by the stream, roasted another bear paw and ate it, then continued deeper into the mountains and forests in search of fierce beasts to hone his skills.

One day, two days, three days—the time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, the final day of October had passed as well.

Zhou Heng sat cross-legged inside a cave with his eyes tightly shut. Resolve shone upon his handsome face. More than ten days of bloody battles had stripped away some of a youth's bashfulness and added a measure of steadiness.

He had reached the peak of the Fourth Layer of Body Refining and was breaking through to the Fifth Layer of Body Refining!

Boom!

After the True Essence Power within his body surged, Zhou Heng let out a long howl and sprang violently to his feet.

Fifth Layer of Body Refining!

He laughed heartily. In merely a little over a month, he had leapt from the early First Layer of Body Refining to the Fifth Layer of Body Refining. Who would believe that? Who would dare believe it?

"Since no one in that home is happy to see me anyway, and Father will most likely return during the New Year, I might as well go back then and stun everyone with a single brilliant display at the celebration!"

"Though Father has never said it, I know he has placed great expectations on me! This time, I will not disappoint him again!"

Zhou Heng walked out of the cave and looked down at the lush, dense forest below. Mountain winds swept past, making ten thousand trees sway. Boundless pride suddenly rose in his heart. With a clang, his longsword left its sheath, and he fiercely swung out one profound and mysterious sword shadow after another.

"I have basically grasped the form of the First Form of Heaven-Soaring. Now, I must comprehend the intent within it!"

"Keep fighting!"

"I still haven't encountered a single demonic beast. Such aberrant creatures truly are exceedingly rare!"

Zhou Heng pushed off with his feet, and his entire body immediately shot forward.

As his realm improved, both his strength and speed had increased greatly. Every leap carried him nearly ten meters, like a sharp arrow tearing through the air with incredible speed.

Near dusk, Zhou Heng entered a stretch of woods. An open clearing suddenly appeared ahead. Though it was only about ten meters across, it was so abrupt that Zhou Heng could not help stopping.

Buzz—the Black Broken Sword within his Dantian trembled lightly, its tip pointing toward the center of the clearing.

Zhou Heng froze. This lord only trembled at midnight, releasing energy. No matter how he contacted it with his consciousness at other times, it never reacted. Why had it suddenly moved now?

He turned his gaze toward the clearing. The blackish-yellow earth and the scattered leaves held nothing unusual. At the center of the clearing stood a half-man-tall stone, but he could detect nothing strange about it either.

Zhou Heng did not lack an adventurous spirit. He could not help taking several steps forward toward the stone.

An indescribable sense of danger suddenly enveloped his body. Zhou Heng immediately stopped, the sword already drawn in his hand held across his chest.

"Hiss!"

A low growl sounded. A head suddenly emerged from behind the stone, entirely golden-yellow, its two enormous eyes taking up nearly half its face. The mouth that emerged next was a picture of savage ferocity.

Its pale white teeth were sharp and keen, its two fangs nearly an inch long. A long tongue flickered in and out, blood trailing from it like a crimson ribbon!

Bang! The beast leapt onto the stone, revealing a sleek, powerful body like that of a leopard. White and yellow fur interwove across its body, while three tails grew from its rear and swayed ceaselessly.

Three-Tailed Wolf Eagle!

A name suddenly surfaced in Zhou Heng's mind—demonic beast!

This demonic beast was not easy to provoke! Once grown, it would possess the strength of the Flesh Refining Realm. Combined with its brute force, far beyond that of humans, it could raise its combat power by one or two minor realms!

Why were demonic beasts so terrifying, so that martial artists of the same realm could not defeat them? It was precisely because demonic beasts not only cultivated True Essence Power, but also possessed immensely terrifying brute strength!

"Hiss—" The Three-Tailed Wolf Eagle growled again, its gaze fixed tightly on Zhou Heng as fierce light radiated from its eyes. It did not attack immediately because it had yet to gauge Zhou Heng's strength.

Demonic beasts possessed a degree of intelligence!

Zhou Heng knew that if he took even one step back now, the Three-Tailed Wolf Eagle would immediately launch an attack like thunder and torrential rain.

A demonic beast of the Flesh Refining Realm!

A blazing battle intent rose in Zhou Heng's heart. All the prey he had slain before had been ordinary wild beasts. They were fierce enough, but far too weak; not one had survived even a single sword strike from him.

Without pressure, there was no drive. Even now, he had not completely mastered the form of the First Form of Heaven-Soaring. What he lacked was true bloody battle—the tremor of hovering between life and death!

Fight!

Zhou Heng extended his longsword and assumed an attacking stance.

The Three-Tailed Wolf Eagle, which had been observing Zhou Heng, was immediately enraged by this provocative gesture. It released an angry roar, drove off with all four limbs, and its muscular body shot toward Zhou Heng like lightning.

Zhou Heng slid his feet and dodged to the left, barely avoiding the Three-Tailed Wolf Eagle's attack.

At that moment, the Three-Tailed Wolf Eagle's three tails suddenly moved in unison. Its body, having missed its target, made an incomparably bizarre turn in midair and pounced at Zhou Heng again!

Clang!

Zhou Heng swung his sword, chopping head-on into the claw the Three-Tailed Wolf Eagle had swept out. Swish—a spray of blood burst forth!

He staggered back seven steps in succession. Looking down, he saw a wound across his lower abdomen! Though he had raised his sword to block in time, the Three-Tailed Wolf Eagle had still injured him!

A demonic beast's strength was indeed formidable!