Half an hour later, Lu Ming practiced for about another five minutes before he could no longer hold on and withdrew from the Iron Stake Area.
"Whew~" He panted slightly, his hot blood surging and sweat streaming down, yet a faint delight rose in his heart.
Sure enough, his training time had increased a little.
If this continued, he should be able to reach an hour in around ten days. That would be double the time—not bad at all.
His gaze swept across the Grand Martial Arts Arena. Many people were already sparring!
Lu Ming silently thought that this way, everyone's strength would improve. Did he still have a chance to seize a Red Token?
His gaze stretched toward the Iron-Scaled Python Demon at the deepest part of the Iron Stake Area. Several Red Tokens were faintly embedded in its body.
If he could obtain one Red Token, he could receive one-tenth of the Demon Meat!
Looking at the Iron-Scaled Python Demon, which still radiated a terrifying aura even in death, a trace of burning eagerness surfaced in Lu Ming's heart.
With such a powerful body, just how potent would the nourishing medicinal power of its Demon Meat be?
It would surely far surpass Qi-Enhancing Pills!
If he could obtain Demon Meat, then he would have hope of breaking through to Major Completion of Flesh Refining before the Grand Examination.
Otherwise, with his cultivation aptitude and less than a month and a half remaining, there was no way he could reach that realm.
Then, after the Grand Examination, he would be in some danger when facing Shen Changfeng!
"If I use the Godly Movement Divine Ability, I can rush farther ahead. But my body's endurance is limited. With my current physique, I can at most reach Chen Feng and Feng Qingzhu's level.
"If I can train in the Iron Stake Area for a full three hours every day, then even if I fail to obtain Demon Meat, I will still have a certain chance of breaking through to Major Completion of Flesh Refining."
Lu Ming looked at the rows of neatly arranged Iron Stakes ahead and silently pondered.
Unfortunately, he had now offended Shen Changfeng. Even Feng Qingzhu was unwilling to shelter him.
He had already used up today's opportunity. Since he had no chance to enter the Iron Stake Area again to cultivate, Lu Ming could only leave reluctantly.
Just as he was about to walk out of the Grand Martial Arts Arena, someone suddenly stopped him.
"You have Qi-Enhancing Pills?"
Lu Ming looked over. This person possessed a valiant bearing and stunning beauty, though her expression was somewhat aloof. It was Feng Qingzhu.
Lu Ming's heart stirred. "I do indeed have some. What guidance does Senior Sister have?"
Feng Qingzhu fell silent for a moment before saying, "Give me twenty Qi-Enhancing Pills, and I can shelter you."
Lu Ming's face darkened. Twenty pills? She was opening her mouth like a lion!
He only had thirty Qi-Enhancing Pills in total. Once they were used up, there would be no more.
However, if he could cultivate in the Iron Stake Area for three hours every day, he could strive to advance to Flesh Refining within twenty days.
By then, with stronger adaptability to divine abilities and the momentum boost from Godly Movement, he would have a chance to seize a portion of Demon Meat, which could replace Qi-Enhancing Pills in assisting his cultivation.
He immediately said, "Qi-Enhancing Pills are precious cultivation medicine. I need them myself too. Where would I get that many? I can't give you twenty."
Feng Qingzhu said, "The cultivation boost from the Iron Stake Area far exceeds twenty Qi-Enhancing Pills."
Lu Ming countered, "It is still uncertain just how strong the cultivation boost from the Iron Stake Area is. Besides, once someone takes the Red Tokens, they may be divided up, and then this cultivation environment will be gone..."
In the end, Lu Ming only agreed to give ten Qi-Enhancing Pills, and he also insisted that their guidance sparring could not stop.
After all, sparring could temper his martial will, improve his resistance to the Iron-Scaled Python Demon's aura, allow him to advance farther into the Iron Stake Area, and increase his real-combat experience. It was still very useful.
Upon hearing this, Feng Qingzhu pursed her lips slightly. After hesitating for a moment, she reluctantly accepted.
Lu Ming immediately returned to his own courtyard and fetched ten Qi-Enhancing Pills.
The two went to Wei Jinlin to register the protection quota. One hand recorded the registration, while the other handed over the pills.
The transaction was completed smoothly.
Lu Ming stepped into the Iron Stake Area once more. Feeling that familiar oppressive aura, his heart surged with excitement.
This way, he could cultivate in the Iron Stake Area for three hours every day!
Compared to half an hour or one hour, the improvement in effect was immense.
Yet, seeing Feng Qingzhu nearby holding a bottle of ten Qi-Enhancing Pills, her eyes faintly gleaming, Lu Ming felt puzzled.
As the daughter of the Green Bamboo Gang's leader, one of the "two gangs, three halls, and three great families," and with rather good martial talent herself, Feng Qingzhu should not have lacked precious cultivation medicine.
Previously, although Feng Qingzhu had been willing to spar with him, she had looked as though she would never possibly shelter him.
Unexpectedly, the moment she heard that he had Qi-Enhancing Pills, she agreed to shelter him for merely ten pills.
Feeling the Iron-Scaled Python Demon's pressure grow increasingly stronger as he went deeper into the Iron Stake Area, Lu Ming suppressed his stray thoughts and focused on cultivation.
[Evolving Acupoint Divine Ability...]
Over the following days, Lu Ming cultivated Cloud-Piercing Finger for three hours each day at the Grand Martial Arts Arena, then another two hours after returning to his small courtyard, and finally practiced Nine Palaces Palm for one hour.
He could clearly feel that his cultivation was growing faster than before. His qi and blood gradually strengthened, and every morning when he woke, his qi and blood brimmed with vigor, his spirit full and his energy abundant.
His Acupoint experience steadily increased. After seven days, it had reached 4,392 points, nearing half of the 10,000 experience points required.
What excited him even more was that today was the day his Palm Dao experience reached one hundred!
Night had fallen. Inside a large courtyard of the Military Service Bureau, Lu Ming was still cultivating bitterly within the Stone Tablet Nine Palace Stakes.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After finishing the final set of Nine Palaces Palm, he emerged from the other end of the Nine Palaces Stakes. His entire body was exhausted, while his qi and blood boiled.
[Evolving Palm Dao Divine Ability (100/100)...] [Evolution complete!] [Obtained Palm Dao Divine Ability: Mountain-Pushing.] [Mountain-Pushing]: Born with divine strength; one palm pushes mountains aside! [Palm Dao Divine Ability]: Mountain-Pushing (Initial Completion).
It had finally succeeded!
Lu Ming was delighted. Every time he obtained a divine ability, he gained a powerful capability. This was the moment he anticipated most.
"Mountain-Pushing?" Lu Ming's eyes lit up when he saw the Palm Dao Divine Ability that had evolved.
Mountain-Pushing meant being able to shove even mountains aside.
This divine ability was quite powerful. Perhaps it was even stronger than the Leg Dao Divine Ability, Earth-Splitting.
However, after carefully sensing the power of the Mountain-Pushing Divine Ability within his body, Lu Ming understood. Like the Earth-Splitting Divine Ability, this divine ability was affected by his cultivation and strength.
With his current Major Completion Skin Refining cultivation, he could only push aside a mountain roughly five zhang tall. This number was the same as the range of ground that Earth-Splitting could control.
"Five zhang... that's only a dozen or so meters. So small—could it be a fake mountain?" Lu Ming shook his head slightly.
All he could say was that the future held promise!
"Wait!" Lu Ming suddenly stared at the Nine Palaces Stakes beside him, astonishment rising in his heart.
He felt a faint stir in his palms, as though he could push the Puppet Stakes.
Could it be that the Mountain-Pushing Divine Ability could do more than merely "push mountains"?
That was very possible. How could a divine ability be such an inconvenient thing? If it could push mountains, why could it not push Puppet Stakes?
Even with the Earth-Splitting Divine Ability, he felt that if he continually practiced using it, eventually advancing it from Initial Completion to Minor Completion, and even Major Completion, it could probably be used to injure people, rather than merely split the earth.
He would know by trying.
A thought flashed through Lu Ming's mind, and he immediately strode excitedly toward a Puppet Stake, thrusting out a palm!
He had thought of an application for the Mountain-Pushing Divine Ability.
Now, it depended on whether he could push the Puppet Stake away. If he could, then his progress in advancing through the Iron Stake Area would leap forward by a huge margin, greatly increasing his chances of seizing a Red Token!
Lu Ming's eyes shone faintly as his palm struck the Puppet Stake and the power of the divine ability descended.
Divine ability, Mountain-Pushing!
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