Silent Mountain Range

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed. Less than a week remained before the trial in Wooden Man Alley.

During this period, Ye Chen practiced horse stance for two hours every morning and evening. He spent all his remaining time strengthening his body and cultivating Martial Arts.

He could now support a three-hundred-jin boulder with one arm. Using both arms, he could easily lift a thousand-jin boulder above his head.

Beyond the leap in physical strength, Ye Chen discovered that once his strength was sufficient, wielding the sword became far more natural. His speed and control surged dramatically. With a casual slash, he could cleave through seven or eight fluttering leaves, pierce a tree as thick as a waist, and leave a four-inch-deep sword scar on a boulder.

"It's time to temper my real combat ability." Ye Chen felt that he had reached his limit. Continuing to train would not bring much improvement. Rather than waste time on that, he might as well gain real combat experience and hone profound techniques for facing enemies. Only then could he bring his own advantages into play one hundred percent.

Yet real combat was not so easy to train for. He was still only an Outer Sect Disciple and could not descend the mountain to roam the martial world, much less engage in life-and-death battles. Inner Sect Disciples might only be one realm higher, but in a true duel, even if your cultivation matched theirs, you would still lose within two or three exchanges. That was the difference between those who had experienced real combat and those who had not.

Fortunately, one did not have to fight humans to achieve the effects of real combat. This world had Demonic Beasts. Demonic Beasts could cultivate actively or passively. Once the Demonic Energy within their bodies grew dense enough, they would mutate and evolve in rank.

Over countless years, the ancients had classified Demonic Beasts by rank. Level One and Level Two Demonic Beasts corresponded to Qi Cultivation Realm martial artists; Level Three and Level Four Demonic Beasts corresponded to True Condensation Realm martial artists; Level Five and Level Six Demonic Beasts corresponded to Primal Origin Realm martial artists. Demonic Beasts above Level Six were exceedingly rare and could only possibly appear in deep mountains and ancient forests.

Fighting Demonic Beasts was no worse than fighting humans. On the contrary, Demonic Beasts often surpassed humans in Momentum. When a ferocious beast that had slaughtered countless animals and humans appeared before you, a single glance could make your scalp go numb, leaving you able to wield only half of your full strength.

Therefore, Ye Chen intended to temper himself in the Silent Mountain Range, where low-level Demonic Beasts often appeared.

Fastening the Fine Steel Sword at his left waist, Ye Chen straightened his clothes and left the courtyard.

On his way down the mountain, Ye Chen watched the Outer Sect Disciples and Inner Sect Disciples passing back and forth and sighed inwardly. No matter who it was, to live better, one needed silver. The Ye Family he belonged to possessed tens of millions in assets. By rights, he should not have been poor, but that was not the case. For example, the Ye Family had over a thousand members. Six or seven hundred of them were merchants who managed the family business, while the remaining four or five hundred devoted themselves wholeheartedly to martial practice and did not earn money at all. Yet to protect their own assets, they needed formidable martial strength, and that strength also required money to support it. The accumulated expense over a year was an astonishing sum. Thus, even his father, the Ye Family Patriarch, possessed only several hundred thousand Taels of Silver in personal assets. As for him, the son, his monthly allowance was one hundred Taels of Silver. Necessary additional expenses could be reimbursed.

What could one hundred taels a month do? It only allowed one to eat a little better and dress a little better; it made little difference elsewhere. He could not afford to use expensive medicinal herbs over the long term to temper his body. Only the core members of a family or Core Disciples of a sect had the means to receive such cultivation.

After descending the mountain and finding the right direction, Ye Chen quickened his pace.

By afternoon, Ye Chen had arrived at the outskirts of the Silent Mountain Range. Level One Demonic Beasts had begun to appear. In such a vicious place, what ordinary Qi Cultivation Realm martial artist would dare enter? Even Ye Chen became cautious, his hand resting on his sword hilt at all times, ready to strike the instant danger arose.

As he traveled onward, Ye Chen did not encounter any particularly high-level Demonic Beasts. The occasional peak Level Two Demonic Beast was merely a Crimson Flame Bird, and it was badly injured. If it had not been flying in the sky, Ye Chen would not have minded crossing blades with it.

After walking for some distance and slaying several Demonic Beasts, Ye Chen suddenly stopped, channeling Internal Energy into both ears.

"There's the sound of fighting!"

The greatest difference between martial artists and ordinary people was the use of Internal Energy. No matter how sharp an ordinary person's five senses were, they had limits. Martial artists, however, could use Internal Energy to heighten their senses. At this moment, Ye Chen could hear substantial movements from a li away through Internal Energy and distinguish their source.

Following the sound, Ye Chen hurried over without a sound.

Ahead lay a dense forest. Human figures could vaguely be seen flickering within it. Beyond that, enormous shadows and beastly roars sent chills through the heart.

When he came within thirty paces of the battlefield, Ye Chen drew in a breath and leaped onto a large tree, taking in everything ahead from above.

In the forest was a chaotic clearing roughly five zhang across. Four or five youths wielding weapons occupied it, surrounding and attacking a massive Demonic Beast. The beast was one zhang long and shaped like a Fierce Tiger, its fur glossy black. Its long blood-red tongue dripped purple fluid, its mouth was full of saw-like teeth, and its curved claws were three chi long and razor-sharp.

It was a peak Level Two Demonic Beast, a Saw-Toothed Poison Beast. Its strength was equivalent to that of a Qi Cultivation Realm Tenth Layer martial artist. Its body carried a potent poison; those struck by it would suffer rotting flesh and required the corresponding antidote to be saved. Otherwise, once the poison attacked the heart, even a True Condensation Realm martial artist would find it difficult to save them. It was an exceedingly troublesome opponent.

After observing for a while, Ye Chen noticed the golden ring insignias on their sleeves, and the name of an unranked sect surfaced in his mind.

Golden Light Sect, a sect near the Flowing Cloud Sect. Its Sect Leader, Li Yu, was a Mid Primal Origin Realm expert skilled with the unusual weapon known as the Life-Taking Golden Ring. In his early years, he had been an Outer Sect Disciple of the Flowing Cloud Sect. Later, he had roamed the martial world alone and was said to have visited countries beyond the Heavenly Wind Kingdom. After returning, he founded the Golden Light Sect, which had five hundred disciples.

The five people besieging the Saw-Toothed Poison Beast were not especially strong, but their coordination was remarkably seamless. They had clearly trained together for a long time and possessed considerable experience working together.

Several Sword Lights struck the Saw-Toothed Poison Beast. The attacker was a girl in red wielding a slender sword, her cultivation roughly at the Qi Cultivation Realm Fifth Layer. Beside her stood a pair of twin brothers using sabers. They were tall and powerfully built, and from time to time they roared as they suppressed the Demonic Beast, using their physical strength to prevent it from advancing.

Though these three fought with all their might, they were not the main force. That role belonged to the other two.

One was a sturdy youth in black. His weapon was the fearsome Azure Dragon Halberd. The two-meter-long weapon looked heavy and weighty. Whenever the Saw-Toothed Poison Beast was about to threaten the others, he would force it back and take the chance to carve a bloody gash across its body.

The one who caught Ye Chen's attention most was the young man in blue. He was around seventeen or eighteen, with a flute tucked at his waist. Though he used no weapon, his offensive power was the strongest. Every casual palm strike carried a shrill black palm wind, battering the Saw-Toothed Poison Beast back again and again.

If Ye Chen had guessed correctly, the young man in blue was clearly a Qi Cultivation Realm Ninth Layer martial artist. He could already mix Internal Energy into his palm wind and wound enemies from afar. Of course, its power was far inferior to releasing True Qi outward; otherwise, the Saw-Toothed Poison Beast would have long since been killed.

Demonic Beasts had always possessed boundless strength, but eventually, even they would become exhausted.

At this moment, the Saw-Toothed Poison Beast, covered in wounds, was already utterly spent. After the poisonous smoke it desperately expelled was scattered by the young man in blue's black palm wind, it turned to flee.

"Where do you think you're going!" The young man in blue's gaze flashed like lightning. His body followed his palm as he struck the Saw-Toothed Poison Beast's side and back with vicious force.

Roar!

The Saw-Toothed Poison Beast let out a mournful howl, its enormous body flying away like a torn sack. Its internal organs were shattered.

"Senior Brother Liu is incredible." Sheathing her slender sword, the girl in red wiped away her sweat and turned to look at the young man in blue with admiration.

The young man in blue replied gently, "What's so incredible about me? In a few years, you'll catch up."

The youth in black holding the Azure Dragon Halberd said, "I'm already at the peak of the Qi Cultivation Realm Seventh Layer. In a few months, I'll catch up to you."

"That's true." The young man in blue did not take it to heart.

The girl in red curled her lips, seemingly displeased by the black-clothed youth's arrogant manner.