The cave was dark and damp inside, though it started dry.
The deeper he went, the more humid the air became.
*Drip…
drip…*
Feng Hao heard the sound of water.
He rounded a small bend and saw a glowing spiritual herb growing in a pool of stalactite water.
Its stem was like a dragon’s body, branching at the top like a dragon’s head.
Inside the dragon’s mouth was a small bud.
The bud looked like a cluster of flames, waiting to bloom.
It emitted a faint red glow.
The rich medicinal scent came from this small bud.
“Fire Dragon Flower!”
Feng Hao exclaimed, his eyes going wide.
“Tsk tsk.
A Fire Dragon Flower, here of all places.”
Burning Elder floated out of the ring, clicking his tongue as he looked at the flower.
“Pity.
Only a year or two old.
Not mature enough.”
Clearly, Burning Elder had known about it all along.
“Not mature enough?”
Feng Hao looked at him.
“Ordinarily, a Fire Dragon Flower takes a hundred years to bloom.
After blooming, it produces a Fire Dragon Fruit — that’s the real treasure.
Its medicinal effect rivals a king-grade herb.”
Burning Elder explained in detail.
“Rivals a king-grade herb?”
Feng Hao’s eyes nearly popped out.
King-grade herbs were legendary.
They had only appeared a handful of times in the world.
“But it takes a hundred years to mature.”
At the thought, he felt somewhat discouraged.
“Naturally.”
Burning Elder glanced at him, then walked slowly to the pool.
He pulled out the entire Fire Dragon Flower — stem and root — and brought it to his nose.
“The medicinal effect should be roughly sufficient.”
*Swoosh!*
He reached into the water and pulled out a thumb-sized, crystal-clear stone.
“A martial crystal!”
Feng Hao gasped, his breathing quickening.
It was crystalline, flawless, with martial essence flowing within.
What else could it be but a martial crystal?
With that, Burning Elder tossed the martial crystal to Feng Hao and slowly disappeared with the Fire Dragon Flower.
“It really is a martial crystal!”
Catching the small object and feeling its pulsations, Feng Hao’s heart surged with emotion.
He never imagined he could obtain such a treasure so easily.
Thinking about what martial crystals could do, he found it even harder to calm down.
But he also knew that martial crystals could only be used by Martial Masters and above — those who had cultivated martial essence.
Otherwise, absorbing one would cause the body to explode.
He explored the cave a bit more, checked the pool, confirmed there was nothing else, and then left, satisfied.
Dragging the Flame Beast back to the waterfall, he cleaned it, started a fire, skewered the whole thing, and began roasting.
*Crackle!*
Before long, the meat turned golden and emitted a tempting aroma.
Feng Hao couldn’t wait.
He tore off a piece, stuffed it into his mouth, and wolfed it down.
In no time, he had consumed about a quarter of the beast.
*Whoosh.*
He collapsed onto his back, utterly satisfied.
Soon, a warm current spread from his stomach, flowing through his entire body.
It felt wonderful, and his energy was instantly restored.
“What’s going on?”
Feng Hao sat up and stretched his limbs.
It felt incredible.
Eating fish had never produced this effect.
But ever since he had hunted and eaten his first Flame Beast, he had grown to love meat.
The reason was simple — meat made him stronger.
“Who knew eating beast meat could have such effects.”
He shook his head, stood up, tore off his ragged clothes, and walked toward the waterfall.
*Rumble!…*
The twenty-meter-high waterfall crashed down.
The boy’s figure stood like a rock, unshaken.
He extended his arms and began practicing the basic fist technique.
Every move was perfectly executed, unaffected by the weight of the water.
“Can I practice Tiger Movement now?”
The basic fist technique had become easy.
Feng Hao’s mind began to wander.
He steadied himself, withdrew his fists, and slowly lowered his body into the crawling posture beneath the waterfall.
The force on him immediately multiplied several times.
The broad curtain of water hammered his back, turning it bright red.
His whole body shook.
He could barely hold on for a moment before exhaustion set in.
Just as he was about to draw on the medicinal properties of the Divine Farmer’s Canon, a surge of heat flowed through his blood vessels and spread through his body.
His strength returned in an instant.
“There it is again.”
This wasn’t the first time.
Ever since he started eating Flame Beast meat, every time he was on the verge of exhaustion, this strange heat would emerge. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Even Feng Hao himself couldn’t figure it out.
But it was a good thing, so he didn’t dwell on it.
He simply assumed that eating beast meat restored his energy.
With this energy, he wasn’t about to waste it.
Following the first posture of Tiger Movement, his body began to move slowly.
Moving beneath the waterfall was already incredibly difficult.
Doing it with perfect form was even harder.
But with the support of that heat, Feng Hao persevered.
Not until half an hour later, when the heat vanished, did the waterfall sweep him into the pool.
So he climbed back ashore, wolfed down more meat until his stomach was bulging, then walked back into the water.
The more hardship one endured, the greater the reward.
That was the truth.
This was how Feng Hao’s days in the Beast Mountain Range passed.
And with all the hardship came considerable gains.
In half a month, he broke through to sixth-stage Martial Apprentice.
Beneath the waterfall, he could now practice the second posture of Tiger Movement.
As for Flame Beasts, they were easy prey for him now — his daily staple.
As a result, the Flame Beast population in the area was rapidly shrinking.
*Swish…
swish…*
Moving carefully through the jungle, Feng Hao held a sharpened wooden spear and pushed aside the brush, his clear eyes scanning his surroundings.
“There’s a big one up ahead.”
Burning Elder’s voice sounded in Feng Hao’s mind, making him stop.
Whenever a magical beast beyond his strength approached, Burning Elder would warn him — and he was always right.
This was the reason Feng Hao had survived so long.
“What is it?”
Feng Hao took a few steps back.
“That magic bear that chased you last time.”
“The eighth-stage magic bear?”
Feng Hao stopped.
He remembered that bear very well.
Last time, it had chased him a long way.
He had only escaped by diving into the deep pool beneath the waterfall.
“It’s not very fast.”
Back then, Feng Hao was only fifth-stage mid-tier, and the bear couldn’t catch him.
Now, there was even less of a problem.
“Go try it.
Run if you can’t handle it.”
Feng Hao crept forward slowly.
Flame Beasts were getting hard to find.
If he wanted to keep eating meat, he needed a new source.
[END OF CHAPTER 21]