The Beast Mountain Range was considered a forbidden zone within the Xilan Kingdom.
It contained countless magical beasts, but also countless spiritual herbs.
From time to time, groups of mercenaries would venture into it in search of herbs.
As for the mid-periphery zone, even Martial Masters dared not enter recklessly.
For ordinary people, entering it meant certain death.
*Rumble!…*
A sizeable waterfall cascaded down from over twenty meters high.
The falling water created thousands of splashes — a sight to behold.
“Right here.”
Burning Elder’s voice came from the ring.
“Mm.”
Feng Hao tore off his clothes and walked toward the waterfall.
The moment he approached, a torrent of water crashed down onto him.
His shoulders and back immediately turned bright red from the impact.
Still, he barely endured.
But the closer he got to the center, the greater the pressure.
Before he reached the middle, the current swept him away.
“I refuse to give up!”
Feng Hao climbed back up and charged forward again.
He repeated this process over and over.
Several hours later, he finally managed to stand firm beneath the waterfall.
*Boom!
Boom!
Boom!…*
The torrent never ceased, hammering down on Feng Hao relentlessly.
It shook him violently, making it hard to keep his balance.
Persist.
Feng Hao gritted his teeth.
His feet felt as if they had taken root.
Using every ounce of strength, he barely managed to steady himself.
He didn’t dare relax for a moment.
With a large supply of spiritual herbs to sustain him, Feng Hao wasn’t afraid to expend energy.
Three days passed like this.
Finally, he was able to throw full punches beneath the waterfall.
During those three days, Feng Hao truly experienced the benefits of external pressure.
Even the ordinary basic fist technique had become far more effective than practicing the second posture of Tiger Movement.
When he was hungry, he ate fish.
At first, it was difficult to stomach, but now he could even eat it raw.
All for the sake of replenishing his energy.
After five days, Feng Hao had broken through the fourth-stage barrier and reached the fifth-stage Martial Apprentice level.
His strength had multiplied.
“This still isn’t enough.”
Burning Elder’s voice came from the ring again.
“Without experiencing the edge of life and death, you can’t unlock the potential hidden in your limits.”
And so, another element was added to Feng Hao’s daily training: fighting magical beasts.
The beast that appeared before Feng Hao was a Flame Beast.
Its body was like a leopard’s, its fiery red fur like flames — hence the name.
It had no formal grade, but its strength was roughly equivalent to a sixth-stage Martial Apprentice.
This was the weakest creature in the mid-periphery zone!
Feng Hao crouched slightly, his body rising and falling slowly.
His eyes were sharp.
In terms of presence, he was not inferior to the Flame Beast.
*Growl!*
After circling twice, the Flame Beast locked onto a direction and charged at Feng Hao.
Its stinking breath and sharp claws and fangs were before him in an instant.
*Swish!*
Feng Hao moved.
He wasn’t stupid enough to meet it head-on.
Bracing with both hands, he flipped his entire body through the air and landed behind the Flame Beast.
He lashed out with a leg whip, striking one of its hind legs.
*Thud!*
The full force of a fifth-stage Martial Apprentice exploded forth, sending the Flame Beast stumbling.
By the time it turned around, Feng Hao was already behind it again.
Kick after kick.
The Flame Beast’s speed dropped dramatically.
It stumbled as it ran.
Sensing danger, it let out an unwilling roar and fled deeper into the mountains.
“Think you can run?”
This was going to be his meal for the next few days.
Naturally, Feng Hao wasn’t about to let it escape.
He gave chase in a few bounds.
*Swish!…
Swish!…*
They chased each other along the way.
Every time Feng Hao caught up, he was met with the Flame Beast’s sharp claws and fangs, forcing him to slow down.
“This magical beast seems highly intelligent.”
Feng Hao frowned as he pursued.
Flame Beasts usually fought to the death.
Even when they fled, they weren’t as clever as this one.
Before long, the Flame Beast ducked into a small valley and disappeared.
“Where did it hide?”
Feng Hao stopped at the valley’s edge, carefully scanning everything inside.
It was lush and green.
But he spotted some clues.
Since Burning Elder hadn’t warned him, he believed there were no beasts within that could threaten him.
Nervously on guard, he cautiously walked in.
Following the traces, it wasn’t long before he found a small cave.
After observing it, he was certain this was the Flame Beast’s den.
“Should I go in?”
The cave entrance was narrow.
Once inside, his movements would be restricted.
If the Flame Beast ambushed him, he would almost certainly die.
“Oh?”
Burning Elder’s voice came from the ring, carrying a hint of surprise.
“Tsk tsk.
I didn’t expect to find something this good in a place like this.”
“Something good?”
Feng Hao was taken aback.
“Yes.”
Burning Elder’s translucent form floated out.
His nose twitched slightly.
“Spiritual herbs are divided into three grades: ordinary, rare, and king.
Inside this cave is a rare-grade herb.”
“A rare-grade herb.”
Feng Hao’s eyes lit up.
The Divine Farmer’s Canon had mentioned the grades of spiritual herbs.
Among the types needed to condense the medicine pellet were several hundred rare-grade herbs, each specially marked.
“A rare herb is hard to come by.
I can’t believe I found one here.”
The thought made Feng Hao eager to try.
But as soon as he reached the cave mouth, he stopped.
There was still a Flame Beast inside.
He would have to wait for it to come out.
Feng Hao carefully hid himself.
His eyes didn’t blink as he stared at the cave mouth, waiting for the Flame Beast to emerge.
But the Flame Beast seemed to sense something unusual.
A whole day passed with no movement from inside the cave.
Feng Hao had no choice but to retreat farther away.
Sure enough, after Feng Hao retreated from the valley, the Flame Beast poked its head out of the cave half a day later.
Hiding in the shadows, Feng Hao remained completely still.
After several rounds of this, the Flame Beast finally worked up the courage to leave the cave.
Without any sharp weapons, Feng Hao had made a spear from a sharpened hardwood branch.
As the Flame Beast passed by, he suddenly erupted.
The sharp spearpoint pierced straight through its belly.
The beast collapsed, blood gushing out.
Soon, it was still.
*Whoosh.*
Without a second glance at the dead Flame Beast, Feng Hao hurried into the valley.
He couldn’t wait to see what rare-grade herb was inside the cave.
The moment he entered the cave, the scent of herbs hit him.
His fatigue melted away, and he quickened his pace.
[END OF CHAPTER 20]