That dream... could it really be...
If that's truly the case...
In an instant.
Ye Feng suddenly lifted his head and looked into the distance.
About tens of meters away, there stood a massive banyan tree, towering several dozen meters high. Its trunk required four or five people to encircle it, and from afar, it appeared like a giant standing in the night.
"It's that old tree! I remember in the dream, I planted the Spirit Essence Grass in a hollow beneath it and sealed the entrance with soil."
Wait a minute!
Ye Feng suddenly froze.
Because when he took a closer look at the old tree, he was shocked to find that the lush banyan tree from his dream had withered and died, leaving only its shriveled branches standing there.
Unconsciously, Ye Feng walked towards the dead tree, while a piece of knowledge he learned from the Herb Hut surfaced in his mind:
"Spirit Essence Grass, a Grade-One Spirit Medicine, requires no sunlight, absorbs Profound Qi to grow, blooms in ten years, bears fruit in twenty, transforming into a Grade-Three Spirit Medicine, the Spirit Essence Fruit. Once the fruit matures, it will autonomously absorb the surrounding vitality and Profound Energy..."
No, it can't be...
The absurd thought in Ye Feng's mind grew increasingly restless, like an excited little spark igniting every cell.
Step by step, he approached the withered tree, moving to the other side of the trunk. Right in front of him was a half-meter-high tree hollow, covered with a layer of soil that had long since dried in the wind.
Damn it!!
Ye Feng felt his hair stand on end.
There really is a tree hollow here!
And the soil on top is exactly like the one I piled up in the dream!
With a loud crash.
Ye Feng punched through the hard soil outside, his hands trembling as he dug through the broken dirt. Then—
A green light burst forth, and a fragrant medicinal aroma wafted into Ye Feng's nose.
Inside the tree hollow...
There truly was a fist-sized, vibrant, and radiant Spirit Essence Fruit!!
Ye Feng was completely dumbfounded.
He couldn't comprehend what he had experienced; that inexplicable dream was actually real!
He had truly gone back in time, planted a spirit medicine, and now, over twenty years later, it appeared before him.
Could this be another dream?!
Ye Feng pinched his thigh hard, wincing in pain.
This isn't a dream!
There really is a Grade-Three Spirit Medicine, the Spirit Essence Fruit, right in front of him!
Hiss~~
Ye Feng took several deep breaths of the cool mountain breeze to calm himself down.
This is truly unbelievable.
No, this is even more incredible than seeing a ghost!
Ye Feng couldn't explain what was happening before him, but at this moment, the most important thing wasn't to figure out the truth, but the Spirit Essence Fruit right in front of him!
At this moment, Ye Feng's calm and steady nature shone through. He forcefully suppressed the huge question mark in his mind and, instead of rushing towards the Spirit Essence Fruit, carefully harvested the entire plant, including the fruit and roots.
As a Grade-Three Spirit Medicine, the Spirit Essence Fruit has potent medicinal properties, but once separated from the stem and leaves, the Profound Qi within would quickly dissipate. However, if harvested with the roots, this dissipation would be greatly reduced.
Knowledge, it's all about knowledge.
This was the only reward Ye Feng gained from five arduous years in the Herb Hut, allowing him to maximize the use of the Spirit Essence Fruit.
Without any hesitation, after harvesting the Spirit Essence Fruit, Ye Feng quickly found an abandoned cave nearby. After a simple setup, he slipped inside, sat cross-legged, and slowly picked the emerald green fruit from the stem, eating it bite by bite.
As the Spirit Essence Fruit entered his body, Ye Feng instantly felt a surge of abundant Profound Qi rushing through him.
Such rich Profound Qi!
Ye Feng felt as if every pore in his body was being opened by the Profound Qi, so comfortable. This fruit must have absorbed at least fifty years of vitality from the old banyan tree, far surpassing the treasures of the Tianyun Sect.
His eyes welled up with excitement.
Heaven had tormented him for eight years, but it seemed to have finally opened its eyes. Such a surge of Profound Qi was equivalent to the Profound Qi reserves of dozens of Spirit Essence Grasses. My dantian, are you ready for this?!
Rumble!
Ye Feng's dantian boiled over.
The golden Profound Qi roared like a raging sea, washing over the walls with unprecedented momentum. This strange dantian, even if forged from millennia-old steel, finally began to tremble slightly.
This Spirit Essence Fruit, over fifty years old, was truly formidable. The vast Profound Qi within it finally, finally helped Ye Feng break through the most difficult and desperate door of his fate!
Crackling.
A faint sound of breaking echoed.
Ye Feng clearly felt the dantian barrier that had locked him for eight years shatter at this moment.
The golden Profound Qi, rolling like a tide, surged through Ye Feng's body like an unbridled wild horse, roaring and carrying a faint thunderous sound as it charged into the meridians that had awaited for eight years.
Ye Feng let out a deep, low growl.
It hurt!
Every inch of his muscles, every cell, was being baptized by the golden Profound Qi, transforming, reborn from the ashes!
But it felt so good!
So exhilarating!
Eight years, a whole eight years!
Eight years of hard work, eight years of enduring humiliation.
Eight years of cold sneers and mockery, eight years of looking up at the path ahead.
At this moment, he finally broke through the Profound Realm, how could he not be ecstatic!
He tightly closed his eyes, suppressing his trembling body.
He wanted to laugh, tears of joy and excitement uncontrollably rolling down his cheeks.
He wanted to roar to the sky, yet even at the peak of ecstasy, he managed to maintain his composure, guiding the golden Profound Qi through his meridians according to the most orthodox Heart Method of the Tianyun Sect, strengthening his body and enhancing his combat power.
This is Ye Feng!
Eight years of accumulation had made his heart as solid as a rock!
This is Ye Feng!
A single eruption would ultimately lead him to infinite glory!
***
A whole day and night passed.
No one in the Tianyun Sect knew that Ye Feng had experienced his rebirth in the Back Mountain. At this moment, no one would pay attention to a disciple who was about to be expelled for disappearing for a day.
It wasn't until the second night.
Accompanied by a loud and unrestrained howl of joy, a figure emitting a faint golden spiritual light emerged from the cave.
Ye Feng had finally entered the Profound Realm.
At this moment, his dantian was finally connected with all twelve meridians in his body, the golden Profound Qi that had been accumulating for eight years was now circulating calmly within, each cycle making Ye Feng's physical body stronger.
More mysteriously, a pale golden Profound Qi vein extended from Ye Feng's dantian, passing through his right leg, winding around his spleen and stomach, and finally returning to the dantian, forming an independent Profound Qi cycle.
This is the first Profound Vein that a Martial Artist needs to open through cultivation beyond the twelve innate meridians, called the Heroic Vein.
With the Heroic Vein open, the spleen and stomach are strengthened, appetite increases, and strength grows, allowing one to punch with a force of five hundred pounds.
This is the standard Profound Realm cultivation process known to every Martial Artist. After the Heroic Vein, there are five more regular Profound Veins to open. Once all six are opened and converge, a Martial Artist can 'gather Profound Qi, communicate with the Spirit Sea,' achieving 'Six-Vein Spirit Communication,' thereby breaking through to the Spirit Sea realm.
Generally, a Martial Artist newly entering the Profound Realm would need at least one to two months of diligent cultivation to gather Profound Qi and open the Heroic Vein, but Ye Feng had fully opened the Heroic Vein in just one night, such progress was exhilarating.
Standing at the cave entrance, with a thought, Ye Feng mobilized his Profound Qi, and immediately a surge of powerful energy coursed through his body, producing a series of explosive sounds. The sensation of explosive power was simply too thrilling.
I need to test the power of my Profound Qi!
Ye Feng's gaze swept over to a rock at the cave entrance. With a sudden surge of Profound Qi, his fist, as large as a sand pot, suddenly glowed with a golden light, the dazzling brilliance akin to the sun, as if coating Ye Feng's fist with a layer of gold.
With a punch, golden light flashed, and Ye Feng's fist smashed into the massive rock.
With a loud boom.
The black Profound Rock, over two people tall, shattered into pieces under Ye Feng's punch, dust and debris flying everywhere, the terrifying force of the punch far exceeding Ye Feng's original expectations.
My heavens!
Ye Feng was startled himself!
This was merely the most basic martial arts punch for an Outer Disciple, yet Ye Feng had unleashed unimaginable power with it.
"No way!! Can five hundred pounds of force shatter this rock??"
Ye Feng squatted down, incredulously looking at the pile of rubble, then at his fist, the golden light gradually fading, and after a long while, he nodded heavily:
"Impressive! My punch, let alone the One-Vein Profound Realm, even opponents who have opened the second or third vein might find it hard to withstand... The eight years of frustration have finally paid off!"
Ye Feng couldn't figure out the peculiarities within his body, but at this moment, he didn't want to. For someone who had struggled for eight years, breaking through the bottleneck in one go and realizing that he was not only not a waste but had an extraordinary talent beyond others, this feeling was enough to make Ye Feng, a sixteen-year-old boy, incredibly happy.
Hahaha!
Ye Feng finally laughed.
He laughed heartily, feeling utterly liberated!
He didn't yet know how powerful he was after reaching the One-Vein Profound Realm, but soon there would be the perfect opportunity to prove himself.
In his mind, the image of that cold, lofty face from a day ago surfaced, and he couldn't help but touch his face, which had long since healed.
Tianyun Sect, doesn't belong to me?
Ji Fanchen, this slap, I'll repay it tenfold!!
***
Ye Feng returned to the Tianyun Sect at dawn, with only one day left until the Inner Gate Assessment.
Feeling refreshed and clear-minded, Ye Feng's mood was indescribably pleasant, as if even the wind was blowing lightly as he walked, and the heavy corners of his mouth from a few days ago finally lifted slightly.
Even though Ye Feng's temperament far surpassed that of his peers, at this moment, he couldn't help but want to share the good news of his breakthrough with Li Xiang.
However, as Ye Feng walked, a big question mark remained in his mind.
"That dream... could it really be true?"
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan