Devour!
Keep devouring!
Ling Xiao fed all the martial arts he’d learned, except for “Soaring Cloud Steps,” into the “Bull Demon Technique.”
Then, he watched as the experience for “Bull Demon Technique” shot up rapidly.
Breakthrough to the first layer!
Breakthrough to the second layer!
Breakthrough to the third layer!
Finally, it stopped at the seventh layer!
But by this point, the name of “Bull Demon Technique” had undergone a subtle change, shifting from “Bull Demon Technique” to “Bull Demon Technique: Condensed煞 (Sha).”
Not only had the name changed, but the description text had evolved too.
“…‘Bull Demon Technique: Condensed Sha’: An enhanced version of the ‘Bull Demon Technique’ after fusion and breakthrough. It encompasses the full secrets of internal cultivation, movement techniques, martial skills, and secret arts. Invincible below the Sixth Stage of Martial Veins, and still capable of dominating below the Ninth Stage!”
“Cultivation Requirements: Peak Third Stage Martial Vein cultivation, abundant true qi, unwavering will, and a robust body capable of withstanding the infusion of sha qi.”
“By cultivating this technique, one can generate gang qi. Continuous real combat is required to refine it, and advancing its realm still relies on devouring more techniques!”
“This technique can produce intense sha qi, which integrates into attacks. While it doesn’t cause physical harm, it can intimidate opponents, giving you a mental edge from the start.”
Reading this, Ling Xiao couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.
Forget everything else—just the fact that it could generate gang qi was enough to drive him wild.
And beyond that, it didn’t just produce gang qi—it could condense sha qi, delivering a double blow to enemies both physically and mentally.
That was brutal.
In other words, even if he couldn’t break through to the Fourth Stage of Martial Veins anytime soon, with “Bull Demon Technique: Condensed Sha” alone, he could hold his own against Fourth Stage martial artists.
He’d thought devouring would only raise its level, not trigger such a fundamental transformation.
The “Bull Demon Technique” was already an extraordinary skill. It had been classified as an intermediate martial art, but in truth, it was far superior to that.
Now, after this fusion and upgrade, it might even surpass advanced martial arts, approaching—or perhaps already reaching—the level of top-tier martial arts.
If that was the case, didn’t that mean techniques he’d learned before, like “Red Sun Technique” and “Hundred-Step Flying Sword Technique,” could also approach or reach top-tier martial art levels when executed through “Bull Demon Technique: Condensed Sha”?
“Mortal Martial Arts?”
Just as Ling Xiao was thrilled about obtaining a top-tier martial art, new text suddenly appeared on the Mountain and River Diagram.
“Top-tier martial arts are the pinnacle of secular martial arts, but above the top-tier lies the Mortal realm!”
“Clear all nine martial veins to reach the Ninth Stage of Martial Veins. Yet beyond the Ninth Stage’s great perfection, there exists the Mortal realm—nine levels of Mortality, a whole new stage for martial artists!”
This was something Ling Xiao currently had no right to know, so seeing these words on the Mountain and River Diagram shocked him deeply.
He’d always thought the Ninth Stage of Martial Veins was the peak for martial artists.
He’d always thought top-tier martial arts were the best there could be.
But now, it seemed there was a Mortal realm above the Ninth Stage.
And above top-tier martial arts, there were Mortal martial arts.
The Mortal realm?
Mortal martial arts?
What kind of realm, what kind of martial arts were those?
The stronger he grew, the broader Ling Xiao realised his perspective was becoming. Before, he’d been confined to the Ling family, maybe Tianfeng City at most.
The strongest masters he’d encountered were probably just people from the four major families.
But now, he suddenly understood he’d been a frog at the bottom of a well, staring up at a tiny patch of sky.
Looks like he still had a long way to go!
…
Inside the training room, day and night blurred together. With no windows, it was lit by luminous pearls.
So Ling Xiao had no idea what was happening outside. He’d brought dry rations and told Grandpa Hong Qi not to disturb him.
Because he was going into seclusion.
He wanted to comprehend gang qi. If he could, he’d be invincible below the Third Stage of Martial Veins.
And against Fourth Stage martial artists, he’d at least have a fighting chance, narrowing the gap significantly.
But comprehending gang qi—how could that be easy?
The Mountain and River Martial Soul could refine his cultivation methods, but it couldn’t help him achieve sudden enlightenment.
A lot of things depended on that flash of insight.
That’s why so many martial artists talked about comprehension.
He didn’t know about other places, but in Tianfeng City, with countless martial artists, even just within the Ling family, there were over a thousand at the peak of the Third Stage of Martial Veins. Add in the other three major families and smaller clans, and the total probably exceeded ten thousand.
Yet among so many peak Third Stage martial artists, very few could break through to the Fourth Stage, transform true qi into gang qi, and condense it.
Most spent their entire lives stuck at the peak of the Third Stage, never grasping gang qi—a common tale.
That’s why, among peak Third Stage martial artists, geniuses like Ling Tieshou, Ling Feng, Ling Yixue, and Li Xingyun were held in such high regard.
Their comprehension was sharp, and their youth gave them a huge chance of breaking through.
Even so, the shortest time any of them had lingered at this stage was a few months, the longest stretching into years, without success.
Ling Xiao wanting to break through in a few hours was a bit too dismissive of how hard it was to turn true qi into gang qi.
He had a good habit: when something wasn’t working, he wouldn’t stubbornly dig himself into a hole.
Instead, he’d approach it from another angle.
The “Bull Demon Technique” had evolved into “Bull Demon Technique: Condensed Sha.” So couldn’t “Soaring Cloud Steps” evolve too?
If “Soaring Cloud Steps” advanced, might it open up more possibilities for condensing gang qi?
With that thought, he didn’t hesitate.
He started cultivating the remaining intermediate movement techniques from his arsenal.
Since he planned to stay in seclusion until the day before the annual competition, if he couldn’t condense gang qi, boosting “Soaring Cloud Steps” would still enhance his combat ability.
Passion was crucial for a martial artist.
But so was staying cool-headed.
An hour later, his “Soaring Cloud Steps” broke through again, reaching the Third Step Heaven.
He tried condensing gang qi. Still a failure, but he felt a flicker of insight.
So he kept pushing “Soaring Cloud Steps” higher.
Two hours later, “Soaring Cloud Steps” hit the Fourth Step Heaven.
He tried condensing gang qi again. It failed once more, but during the process, he clearly noticed a strand of true qi in his body reaching the level of gang qi.
It just couldn’t stabilise.
This showed his strength was still lacking.
But it also confirmed that advancing “Soaring Cloud Steps” did help with condensing gang qi.
Keep going!
He wasn’t about to give up. Back when his strength had stagnated at the First Stage of Martial Veins, he hadn’t quit.
Now, with his power rising this fast, there was no way he’d throw in the towel.
Three hours later, “Soaring Cloud Steps” broke through again to the Fifth Step Heaven.
Four hours later, it reached the Sixth Step Heaven.
At that moment, the “Soaring Cloud Steps” displayed in the Mountain and River Diagram finally underwent a qualitative leap.
Its name changed to “Soaring Cloud Steps: Transforming Jiao.”
And naturally, its description changed too.
