Four AM, Houtian Realm Entry

Sleeping during the day and acting at night had become the standard routine for Cell No. 1.

The three masters had long since fallen asleep, but because Ye Wudao had reached the peak of the Body Tempering Realm, his stomach was growling with hunger again.

After eating a hearty meat-based breakfast, he also fell into a deep sleep.

Ever since he began his journey in the Martial Dao, his diet had consisted almost entirely of meat.

At eight o'clock in the evening, the group of four entered the Rift World once again.

Inside the canyon, Ye Wudao stood on a steep slope, clutching his broadsword, and asked Qin Tianlong beside him, "Great Master, why haven't we seen anyone from the Zhang family today?"

Qin Tianlong replied with a smile, "Did you really think the Zhang family members came here to train?"

"They only came to secure the status of Demon Slayer Guard, so it would be convenient for them to follow the main force to harvest Spirit Rhino Grass in a week's time."

"Part of the reason they were hunting beasts here last night was to adapt to the environment of the Rift World."

"But a much larger part of the reason was for Zhang Jianye to put on a show."

"Everyone knows Zhang Jianye only let the Zhang family disciples enter the Rift World for the sake of the Spirit Rhino Grass, but if they didn't kill a single beast, it would be inevitable that people would start gossiping."

"The Zhang family doesn't care about the points earned from hunting these beasts; they can easily obtain cultivation resources at the Martial Arts Academy, so there is no need for them to take risks here."

"In truth, there aren't many disciples from prestigious families in the entire Rift World, except for those who truly need to practice real combat. Otherwise, ordinary family disciples would never come here to risk their lives."

Ye Wudao pursed his lips and said in a low voice, "Doesn't that go against the Blue Star Federation's philosophy of vigorously developing the Martial Dao?"

"Just as you said, flowers in a greenhouse cannot withstand the storm."

"According to what you're saying, doesn't that mean rogue cultivators like us are the ones supporting these family disciples?"

"We risk our lives in the Rift World, yet we have to hand over half of the resources we obtain to the Martial Arts Academy and these family disciples?"

Qin Tianlong sighed and said, "Sigh! This is the current reality of the Blue Star Federation."

"It's fortunate that the Demon Slayer Guard keeps these families in check; otherwise, they would be even more arrogant."

"However, among those Grandmaster Realm powerhouses in the Demon Slayer Guard, who doesn't have a family behind them?"

"Therefore, everyone just turns a blind eye to these things."

"It is unrealistic to expect all these family disciples to enter the Rift World to hunt beasts."

"I heard a while ago that the Demon Slayer Guard has also recognized the current state of the Blue Star Martial Dao world, and they should be organizing students from the Martial Arts Academy to enter the Rift World for assessments within the next few years."

"The vigorous development of the Martial Dao has only been happening for the last twenty years or so. Ordinary people couldn't touch the Martial Dao in the past, so the Demon Slayer Guard couldn't do anything about these families either."

"After all, the current Martial Dao world is still dominated by these families. It will take time for the Demon Slayer Guard to break this unhealthy cycle of family monopoly."

He glanced at Ye Wudao and said softly, "Alright, go kill some beasts!"

"You will naturally understand these things after you have struggled and fought in the Martial Dao world for a while."

Ye Wudao nodded, leaped forward, and sprinted toward the bottom of the canyon.

His Light Smoke Step had already reached Great Accomplishment. When he executed it now, his body could even briefly hover in mid-air, similar to the light-body techniques seen on television.

Ever since he discovered that his own strength could drive the strengthening of his techniques, all of his Body Tempering martial skills had reached perfection, and his Houtian-level martial skills had reached Great Accomplishment.

His only Xiantian-level martial skill, Overlord Spear, had also reached Small Accomplishment.

In another nine days, all his Houtian-level martial skills would reach perfection.

Holding his broadsword, he charged into the swarm of beasts without a hint of fear.

The twenty-plus martial skills, either perfected or at Great Accomplishment, gave him absolute confidence.

Once he unleashed the Roaming Dragon Step in combination with the Life-Taking Four Blades and the Four Seasons Blade Technique, he did not feel the slightest bit of pressure, even when facing second-tier beasts.

When facing some low-level second-tier beasts, he could even kill them with a single strike.

He also made sure not to seek out the kings among the second-tier beasts; he steered clear of top-tier second-tier beasts like the Earth-Splitting Beast or the Diamond Tiger.

He knew that with his current combat power, he could only contend with mid-level second-tier beasts.

Those top-tier second-tier beasts possessed immense power and massive bodies; he would have to wait until he reached the Houtian Realm and mastered Inch Power before he could handle them.

Not far away, Qin Tianlong killed beasts while keeping an eye on Ye Wudao's movements.

After watching for a while, he couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder. With Ye Wudao's current strength, he feared that even the average Houtian Great Accomplishment practitioner would be no match for him.

With three types of movement techniques and three types of blade techniques working in harmony, he moved through the swarm of second-tier beasts as if there were no one there.

He also noticed that Ye Wudao was deliberately avoiding those top-tier second-tier beasts.

From this alone, one could see that Ye Wudao's perception of danger was far superior to that of an ordinary person.

Moreover, after observing him for a while, he discovered that Ye Wudao showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever.

One had to realize that even he, a Xiantian Realm expert, would experience fatigue if the battle lasted too long, let alone Ye Wudao, who was still in the Body Tempering stage.

This reminded him once again of Ye Wudao's uniqueness: his cultivation techniques were constantly running, and his realm was steadily and slowly rising.

As his realm improved, his physical strength increased along with it, simultaneously repairing any damage or fatigue to his body.

At this moment, Ye Wudao was like a war machine that knew no exhaustion, slaughtering beasts at will amidst the swarm.

Meanwhile, Ye Wudao's performance drew the attention of the others.

The point was that his performance was so dazzling that it was difficult for anyone not to notice him.

"What's this kid's background? How is he so fierce?"

"Is he really at the Houtian Realm at such a young age?"

"Look at his blade technique. Is that the Four Seasons Blade Technique? He must have mastered it to a great extent! There's a hint of the artistic conception of the changing seasons in it."

"Good grief, this kid knows quite a few martial arts! In just this short while, I've seen him use seven or eight different techniques. And none of them are at a low level!"

"Is this a genius disciple from some great family here for training?"

"We're in the Sea City Rift area. There are only a few families in all of Sea City that count for anything, and I, for one, have never seen this kid."

"Could he be from another city?"

Everyone was curious about Ye Wudao's identity.

They couldn't have imagined in their wildest dreams that Ye Wudao was actually a prisoner from the First Prison.

However, Ye Wudao had not worn his prison uniform upon entering the Rift World.

According to Qin Tianlong, prison uniforms were too conspicuous, so it was better not to wear them if possible.

Yet, it seemed that only their Cell No. 1 in the entire First Prison had the privilege of not wearing prison uniforms.

Although prisoners from other cells could change clothes in the vehicles, most of them had no way to obtain civilian attire.

Time ticked away second by second, and by four o'clock in the morning, Ye Wudao suddenly felt something was off with his body.

"Ding!"

Immediately following, the system's notification sounded in his mind.

Ye Wudao realized instantly that he was about to advance to the Houtian Realm.

Without a second thought, he hurriedly retreated from the battlefield and reached the edge of the canyon.

Noticing Ye Wudao's abnormality, Qin Tianlong rushed to his side to stand guard.

Ye Wudao sat cross-legged on the ground, his body trembling slightly as the true energy in his dantian began to spread wildly toward his limbs.

Soon, a realization regarding "force" appeared in his mind.

The so-called Houtian refining of force is divided into four stages: Inch Power at entry level, Hidden Power at minor success, Neutralizing Power at major success, and Penetrating Power at the peak.

Because his cultivation was automated by the technique, he did not need to comprehend how to use these types of force himself.

The system directly instilled the methods for exerting all four types of force into his mind.

In other words, although he was currently only at the entry level of the Houtian Realm, he could already utilize the Penetrating Power of the Houtian Peak.

However, due to the disparity in body strength and power, there was still a difference between him and a true Houtian Peak expert.

As his realm improved, his body underwent another round of cleansing, and a thick layer of black, viscous fluid instantly covered his skin.

After a long while, the changes to his body slowly subsided.

Ye Wudao opened his eyes and tested the strength of his body.

The most obvious sensation was that his body had become much tougher; his muscles were well-defined, and his skin had become much firmer.

His body had completely passed the Body Tempering Realm, and his tendons, bones, skin, and membranes had all reached a certain level of strength.

Cultivation in the Houtian Realm continued to reinforce these tendons, bones, skin, and membranes, allowing them to withstand the four types of force.