A secluded forest, outer sect’s rear mountain:
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
A strong wind whistled, making the trees sway and the fallen leaves dance. Amidst this natural symphony, a human silhouette moved swiftly, resembling a ghost.
The air currents followed each step of the ghost, lifting the fallen leaves and creating a mesmerizing spectacle before they gently descended to the ground.
This silhouette suddenly darted out from the trees, rushing toward a large stone about three meters tall. With a surge of his primeval qi, he swung his arm and struck the stone with great force, making his primeval qi explode upon impact.
Cracking noises rang out. A palm print appeared on the rock, more than an inch deep, with tiny fissures spreading out like a spider web.
Chen Fan slowly turned around, exhaling a long breath of air.
The three-meter-tall stone crumbled moments later; it was reduced to rubble, creating a dust cloud several meters high.
Chen Fan's breathing became steady as the surge of primeval qi in his dantian filled him with vitality. He had advanced to the sixth level.
The mental baptism three days ago had shattered the membrane keeping him from the sixth level. Two days ago, Chen Fan spent 300 primeval stones and successfully advanced his cultivation, greatly improving his strength.
Moreover, aside from his cultivation level, his mastery of Ghostly Shadow Steps was also steadily progressing. Now that he had minor mastery of the skill, he could transform into a ghostly blur, moving with unpredictable speed and agility.
Regrettably, the Myriad Elephants Divine Art was still stuck at the third layer, the peak of Strength Refining. He hadn’t advanced to the Bone Tempering realm yet.
He felt that tempering his physique through external forces alone would not be enough to break through this bottleneck. He needed another fortuitous encounter to make further progress.
Although he felt anxious, Chen Fan understood that rushing such matters would be futile. He had to slowly think of a solution.
“I will practice the Thunderclap Sword and the Golden Origin Palm for a bit longer, then go check how Xiaobai is doing.”
Chen Fan looked around because Xiaobai was none other than Qin Yao.
Thunderous cracks reverberated through the forest soon
Chen Fan wielded his sword, its blade flashing like lightning as he executed swift and powerful strikes. The Liao Fan’s Thunderclap Sword unleashed its full potential under Chen Fan's skillful control.
“Infinite Thunderclap!”
Suddenly, Chen Fan swung his arm. Streaks of primeval qi passed through the sword’s blade, condensing into extremely lethal sword light, shooting out. The forest became a blur of sword movements, accompanied by flashes of lightning.
The sound of wind whistling rang throughout the whole forest.
Occasionally, sword qi surged like lightning, and golden light shimmered like a Buddha's radiance.
The Thunderclap Sword and the Golden Origin Palm were both loot Chen Fan obtained from fighting others. They were both upper-dirt tier martial arts with extraordinary power, but practicing them wasn’t easy. Despite his enhanced comprehension ability, Chen Fan had only achieved minor mastery in both skills.
Of course, this was already enough to shock everyone.
The higher the tier of a martial art, the more difficult it was to master. This was an indisputable fact.
In the outer sect, even top disciples like Zhong Li and Chen Changfeng needed about a year to achieve major mastery in upper-dirt tier martial arts techniques, and reaching minor mastery would take them at least six months.
However, Chen Fan had practiced these two martial skills simultaneously for less than a month and had already achieved minor mastery—a feat that showcased his monstrous talent.
After Chen Fan was done practicing, he sat on the ground in the lotus position and took out primeval stones, absorbing them to recover his primeval qi.
Afterward, he went to a nearby river, where he indulged in a refreshing bath and changed into clean attire. He then headed toward Qin Changkong’s residence.
As an outer sect elder, Qin Changkong lived deep in the outer sect, occupying an individual loft that boasted an elegant and comfortable environment far superior to Chen Fan's modest dwelling.
On his way there, Chen Fan encountered several outer sect disciples. When they saw him, they all stopped in place and pointed fingers at him, discussing in whispers.
“That’s him, Chen Fan. I heard he was a martial arts trash just three months ago, but now he's become a sudden genius. His cultivation is at the peak of the fifth level, and he even killed that bully Zhao Hu.”
“I heard he used some unknown methods to kill Liao Feng, then escaped into Qingyang Mountain Range. There, he found some relics by sheer luck and gained tremendous benefits, propelling his progress.”
“Hmm? But I heard he can now cultivate because he was struck by lightning. Not only did he survive, but the lightning strike also opened his dantian.”
“It’s true. I witnessed it myself. Liao Feng tried to snatch his primeval stones, but then he was struck by lightning and was burnt to a crisp. I even went there to see it for myself. I didn’t expect him to receive a blessing from a disaster.”
“That’s nothing much. I’ve read in some ancient records that some lucky people not only survived lightning strikes but also experienced physique tempering and even mutations in their primeval qi consequently.”
“Looks like he's going to make a splash at the Outer Sect Grand Competition. He has a good chance of securing a spot in the top 100 with his cultivation. It's like a salted fish coming back to life.”
“It’s not that easy. Senior Brother Zhong Li has made it clear that he won't go easy on him during the competition. If he’s unlucky, he’ll die at the competition and won’t get to rise to the skies.”
Evidently, Chen Fan had gained fame within the outer sect, although he was already somewhat of a "celebrity" before.
Chen Fan didn’t care about the people pointing fingers at him. He walked past them with his head held high and his steps light, full of vigor, and an extraordinary temperament.
“Tch, what’s he acting so smug for? Didn’t he just get lucky in a disaster? Acting like he’s all that.”
“Isn’t that right? If it weren’t for Elder Qin showing up, Senior Brother Zhong Li would have killed him. I would have liked to see him smug then.”
Some voices rang out, reeking with jealousy. They were jealous of Chen Fan’s good fortune and wished they had experienced such fortuitous encounters instead.
Chen Fan arrived at Qin Changkong’s loft. Suddenly, a monkey’s screeching reached his ears, and a white blur darted out of the loft. It was Xiaobai.
Following Xiaobai, Qin Yao emerged from the loft as well. Seeing Chen Fan standing there, she momentarily froze before she calmly said, “What are you doing here?”
Chen Fan was at a loss for words but blurted, “I came to visit Xiaobai.”
“Kiki?” Xiaobai looked at him doubtfully, asking him if that was true.
However, Chen Fan ignored him; his gaze remained on Qin Yao. After a bit, he asked, “Senior Sister, how are you doing?”
Xiaobai cried out angrily, seemingly calling Chen Fan a big liar. He wasn’t here to see him at all. Then, he jumped into Qin Yao’s arms and sprawled lazily.
Qin Yao cradled Xiaobai, looking around, then said stiffly, “I’m very well.”
“Oh, that’s good then.”
Immediately, the atmosphere sank.
“If there’s nothing else, then you should go back,” Qin Yao said, turned around, and walked into the residence, carrying Xiaobai.
Chen Fan’s gaze dimmed. He turned around and walked two steps, then paused. He suddenly turned around and said, “Senior Sister, I will take responsibility!”
After saying that, his figure flitted, quickly disappearing from sight.
Qin Yao shook. From the dim lighting, one could see a bright smile blooming on her face.