Flaming Rock Fist

Su Zhao's muscular upper body was bare, his toned muscles having grown even firmer and more powerful through half a month of intense training.

His gaze was sharp and his breathing steady. Even when facing the Magic Beast, his footwork did not falter in the slightest.

The Crimson Flame Tiger let out an angry roar and pounced. Its enormous body surged forward, its sharp claws carrying scorching waves of air as they swept toward Su Zhao's chest with a piercing howl that tore through the air.

That claw strike carried astonishing force. If it hit him head-on, it would be enough to smash a massive boulder to pieces!

Su Zhao's eyes narrowed. Rather than retreating, he advanced, stomping hard against the ground and shooting forward like an arrow. The muscles in his right arm tensed as a layer of crimson flame instantly covered his fist. Facing the incoming tiger claw, he twisted aside. The sharp wind from the claws grazed past his chest, leaving three faint white marks on his skin. His physique, tempered by the Fire Spirit Body, had long surpassed those of the same rank. Ordinary attacks could not break his defenses at all!

Seizing that fleeting opening, Su Zhao threw a punch!

His fist, wrapped in crimson flames, smashed hard into the Crimson Flame Tiger's flank with a muffled bang.

"Roar!!"

The Crimson Flame Tiger recoiled in pain, its huge body staggering half a step from the punch. But a Magic Beast's body was equally tough, and the blow did not inflict any fatal injury.

It swung its thick tail, sweeping it across like a burning iron whip. Su Zhao tapped the ground with his toes and leaped high into the air, narrowly dodging the sweep while throwing both fists downward.

"Flaming Rock Fist!"

The crimson flames around his fists surged, and two blazing fireballs crashed down like meteors onto the Crimson Flame Tiger's back, exploding with a boom!

Sparks scattered everywhere as the Crimson Flame Tiger released a pained roar. A large patch of fur on its back had been scorched black.

The Crimson Flame Tiger was thoroughly enraged. Its eyes turned blood-red, and it opened its massive jaws to spew forth a blazing pillar of fire that swept toward Su Zhao in midair!

The corners of Su Zhao's lips curled up slightly.

He possessed the Fire Spirit Body, the master of all flames. This little bit of beast fire was nothing more than child's play before him. Not only did he not dodge, he charged directly into the pillar of flame. Crimson fire flowed over his body, yet it did not harm him in the slightest. Instead, it was devoured and absorbed by the origin flames around him, becoming his own strength!

The Crimson Flame Tiger froze.

In that instant of hesitation, Su Zhao had already closed in before it.

He clenched his right fist again. Crimson flames gathered and compressed around its edge, then compressed further, until the flames became as solid as molten lava and radiated a heart-palpitating heat.

He fixed his gaze on the spot on the Crimson Flame Tiger's chest where its defenses had weakened after being burned, then threw a ferocious punch!

"Explode!"

His fist smashed into the Crimson Flame Tiger's chest, and the fire energy condensed to its limit burst into its body, detonating violently near its heart!

Bang!

A dull explosion sounded from inside the Crimson Flame Tiger's body.

Its eyes widened abruptly, and its body convulsed violently. Then, its enormous frame crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. It did not make another sound.

Whew...

Su Zhao stood before the Crimson Flame Tiger's corpse, breathing slightly heavily, but he soon steadied himself.

A black figure appeared soundlessly at his side. Su You respectfully offered him a clean towel. "Young Master, your Flaming Rock Fist has improved greatly. That punch just now, driving the flames into the enemy's body before detonating them, has already reached the minor mastery stage."

Su Zhao took the towel and wiped the sweat from his face, laughing heartily. "Haha, Su You, I have you to thank for that. Who would have thought that someone who cultivates wind-attributed Dou Qi would have collected a fire-attributed Dou Technique like this? And it's even high-grade Profound rank."

Su You lowered his head slightly, his tone as respectful as ever. "This was something I obtained by chance in the past. Being able to put it to use for Young Master is this subordinate's honor."

Although Su You was a guard awarded by the system, the system had given him complete memories and a full life history. He remembered his past experiences, as well as how he had obtained this Dou Technique. Of course, none of that affected his absolute loyalty to Su Zhao.

"What a training maniac."

Little Doctor's voice came from the side, carrying a hint of teasing.

She was sitting atop a thick tree branch, her fair little legs dangling and swinging in the air. She held a fruit she had picked from who knew where, taking small bites from it. Her light-purple hair draped over her shoulders, gleaming softly beneath the sunlight.

"Aren't you afraid you'll wear out your body training like this?"

Su Zhao looked up at her and smiled. "My physique is special. This much training can't hurt me."

He rolled his wrist, feeling the abundant power coursing through his body.

For the past half month, he had spent nearly every day like this: battling Magic Beasts during the day to temper his combat experience, then cultivating the Red Flame Art at night to raise his cultivation.

In half a month, he had already devoured the beast fire of a fourth-rank fire-attributed Magic Beast. His cultivation had risen from a four-star Dou Practitioner to a seven-star Dou Practitioner, an astonishing rate of progress.

"While raising your realm, you can't forget to strengthen your physique and real combat ability. Otherwise, no matter how high your realm is, you'll only be able to deal with weaklings. Against truly powerful opponents, you'll be completely outmatched."

"If I, Su Zhao, am going to be someone, then I'll be invincible among those of the same rank, with unrivaled combat power. How could I ever slack off in cultivation?"

"Yes, yes, yes."

Little Doctor rolled her eyes, jumped down from the branch, and clapped her hands.

"You want to become one of the continent's strongest. You've said that so many times these past few days. Come on, come on. You promised to go east with me today to look for poisonous herbs, so don't even think about backing out."

Su Zhao smiled and, after several leaps, landed in a clear little lake nearby.

The lake water was icy cold, washing away all the sweat and dirt on his body. He let out a comfortable sigh, quickly cleaned himself up, then leaped ashore and took out a clean robe from his storage ring to put on. Su You had found that storage ring a few days ago while hunting Magic Beasts, inside a Magic Beast's cave dwelling. Though it was only the most ordinary kind, it was more than enough for carrying daily necessities.

"Let's go."

The three of them headed east along a path through the dense forest. Thick fallen leaves and moss lay beneath their feet, soft and silent when stepped upon.

Sunlight filtered through the layered canopy, casting mottled patches of light and shadow across the ground.

Su Zhao walked in front with light steps. Looking back at Little Doctor following closely behind, he could not help teasing her. "Your cultivation has improved pretty quickly. Nine stages of Dou Qi in half a month. If other people found out about that speed, wouldn't they die of envy?"

Little Doctor tilted her head, her light-purple hair swaying gently with the motion. As she pushed aside the branches and leaves blocking the path, she casually said, "Don't you have the Calamity Poison Body too? Why don't I see you consuming poison to improve your cultivation?"

Su Zhao rubbed his nose. "As for me... my situation is special. I have a feeling that I can control the poison body another way, but the prerequisite is that I can't absorb too many toxins at this stage. You understand."