The blazing sun baked the earth. Even the sprawling Qinglong Mountain Range offered no hint of coolness. Within Thousand Feet Cliff, the waterfall turned exceptionally scalding every noon—whether because of the scorching sunlight or because its waters flowed from the depths of the Qinglong Mountain Range, no one knew.
Underneath the waterfall, Lin Huang swung a heavy, blunt saber. He swayed unsteadily like a toddler, completely unable to control the weapon’s momentum.
On the second day after Lin Huang took him as his master, Xiao Yishan had dug this three-hundred-pound saber out of the dirt. He ordered the boy to stand under the waterfall and swing the blade sixty thousand times with his left hand and thirty thousand times with his right hand every single day.
At first, Lin Huang collapsed from exhaustion in less than an hour. He fared slightly better on the second day. A week later, he barely managed to meet the daily quota, but his Cultivation took a full twelve hours that day, leaving him with absolutely no time to eat or sleep.
"Fourth, your progress is too slow like this. You need to feel and think, understand?" Xiao Yishan chuckled. He was lying on a massive boulder outside the thatched cottage, sipping cheap wine. "You need to feel the source of your strength with every swing and the pulling of your muscles. You must think about how to execute a strike more effortlessly."
At the bottom of Thousand Feet Cliff, Lin Huang nodded in silence and slowly closed his eyes.
That day, Lin Huang only swung his saber ten thousand times in total. The same happened on the second day, and the third... This continued for a full half month. After half a month, his swinging speed suddenly surged. He completed his daily quota of ninety thousand swings in just half a day.
Beneath the waterfall, Lin Huang felt an indescribable sense of exhilaration. The strength within his body surged out like an inexhaustible spring. Every strike he executed was exceptionally steady, seemingly entirely unimpeded by the rushing waterfall.
Afterward, Lin Huang sat cross-legged, placed the massive saber across his lap, formed a Sealing Technique with his hands, and closed his eyes in Cultivation.
Within Lin Huang’s body, thunderous roars echoed and Primordial Qi surged...
A month of swinging the giant saber had caused too much physical strength and Primordial Qi to accumulate inside him. Lin Huang should have achieved a Breaking Realm a week ago, but he had forcibly suppressed it. Now, he could no longer hold it back.
The Martial Technique of the Great Vajra Technique circulated throughout his entire body, emitting the metallic clanging of clashing weapons from within. It felt as though a pair of golden hands cast from molten iron was fiercely hammering his bones and sinews, refining his flesh. With every strike, Lin Huang’s physical body grew fractionally stronger.
At the same time, his Celestial Asura Martial Soul sat cross-legged at the center of his Profound Sea. Its silent stirring caused the Profound Sea to suddenly churn, surging like raging ocean waters. It swept aggressively toward his fourth meridian, determined to smash through the Profound Gate Barrier of the Human Element Fourth Heaven in a single fell swoop.
Meanwhile, in the airspace above Thousand Feet Cliff, dozens of silhouettes suddenly appeared. They descended from the cliff’s peak along iron chains. Outside the thatched cottage, Xiao Yishan watched the climbers. He gently waved his arm, and a mysterious, profound power quietly swept outward...
"Mr. Cui, there is nothing at the bottom of this cliff. Lin Huang has obviously escaped," a Mercenary said. He didn’t see the thatched cottage, the vegetable garden, or the pitch-black old ox, nor did he hear the quacking of ducks.
"All of you, get down there and search every inch thoroughly!" Crazy Cui barked irritably. His mood was at rock bottom.
Three months ago, when Lin Huang fled into Thousand Feet Cliff, he had been ready to give up. The reason was simple: he had never seen anyone emerge alive after descending this cliff. However, Crown Prince Lingyun had yet to see Lin Huang’s corpse.
Thinking of the lethal poison inside his body that could flare up at any moment, Crazy Cui’s expression darkened even further. It was either he killed Lin Huang, or he would be poisoned to death by Crown Prince Lingyun.
SPLASH! SPLASH!
Along the cliff, dozens of men from the Violent Bear Mercenary Corps plunged into the Cold Pool one after another, like dropping stones. Even Crazy Cui personally jumped into the Cold Pool, entering the bottom of the cliff to search for Lin Huang.
"Mr. Cui, there’s really nothing here. The area is only so big; you can see everything at a glance!" a Mercenary complained.
"Open your damn eyes and look at what’s under the waterfall!" Crazy Cui cursed furiously, a sinister and cruel smile forming on his face. Staring at Lin Huang beneath the waterfall, he suddenly felt his life brimming with hope once more. "I gave you three months, and you still didn’t leave. It seems you are destined to die by my hands," he laughed maliciously.
Beneath the waterfall, Lin Huang kept his eyes closed as he underwent his Breaking Realm, completely ignoring Crazy Cui. He was at the critical juncture of his breakthrough and could not afford the slightest distraction. Furthermore, with Xiao Yishan present, nothing would go wrong.
What Lin Huang didn’t know was that Xiao Yishan was gnawing on a chicken drumstick with one hand and holding a cup of aged wine in the other, watching the scene unfold with keen interest. He had absolutely no intention of intervening.
"Mr. Cui, this brat is in the middle of a Breaking Realm!"
"Fetch my Silver Moon Bow. Watch me shoot him full of holes." Crazy Cui had clearly noticed this as well, making no effort to hide his grin. Since Lin Huang was undergoing a Breaking Realm, he was a sitting duck. His death was absolutely certain.
Beneath the waterfall, Lin Huang furrowed his brows slightly. A sudden sense of danger welled up in his heart; it felt as though he had been targeted by something, like a cold, dormant viper waiting to strike.
Crazy Cui drew back the silver bow. A silver arrow pointed straight at Lin Huang, its triangular arrowhead reflecting a sharp, dazzling glint under the sun. Traces of Martial Soul power were injected, causing the silver bow’s radiance to surge. It let out a faint whistling sound as a powerful aura quietly locked onto Lin Huang. It was a Silver Arrow Martial Soul!
Sensing the power of the Martial Soul in the void, Lin Huang had no time to think before he heard a sharp SWISH. The silver arrow left the bowstring, hurtling toward him with a howling gale.
Lin Huang frowned, realizing that Xiao Yishan showed no intention of stepping in.
The loosed arrow was like a venomous snake, a diving falcon, Sword Qi, or a fierce spear. It aimed directly at Lin Huang, rapidly closing the distance as it pierced through the waterfall, flying straight toward the center of his brow. Under the heavy impact of the waterfall, the silver arrow’s trajectory shifted slightly, but it still aimed straight for Lin Huang’s throat.
In an Instant, Lin Huang—still seated cross-legged as steady as a mountain—flipped his palm, raising it in front of his throat. He caught the arrowhead in a vice grip, though a bloody hole was instantly torn through the center of his palm.
Immediately after, Lin Huang sank his mind back into his body to break through his internal Profound Gate. Within his Profound Sea, his Primordial Qi churned like a raging river, surging violently toward the Profound Gate. Like a battering ram, it continuously smashed against the city gates, striking over and over again...
"Let’s see how many of my arrows you can block!" Crazy Cui was visibly taken aback. His anger flared up, and he raised his bow once more—this time with three arrows.
At the bottom of the cliff, Xiao Yishan calmly watched the unfolding scene, his expression completely indifferent.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
The three arrows tore through the air, carving out three distinct trajectories. One aimed for Lin Huang’s brow, one for his throat, and the final one for his chest. In an Instant, the three silver arrows vanished into the waterfall, shooting forward with lethal intent.
"You only have a single pair of hands, yet I have three arrows. Let’s see how you block this!" Crazy Cui sneered, his expression freezing cold.
The moment the arrows plunged into the waterfall, Lin Huang’s figure moved. He remained seated cross-legged on the large stone pedestal, yet he forcefully shifted himself three inches to the side. He narrowly evaded the two arrows aimed at his brow and throat, while the third arrow grazed past his ribs, carving out a bloody groove.
"You do not possess the qualifications to kill me. You’d best run for your life while you can, because once I break through the Profound Gate, it will be your time to die!" Lin Huang had clearly been genuinely infuriated. He stared coldly at Crazy Cui, a thin trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. His sudden movement just now had thrown his internal Primordial Qi into chaos; had he moved even a fraction more, he would likely be facing the dangers of a severe backlash.
"I’ll take those words as your dying breath!" Crazy Cui’s expression turned terrifyingly dark. He realized that he had still underestimated Lin Huang.
With that said, Crazy Cui leveled his bow. Ten arrows were nocked onto the bowstring, neatly lined up side by side. An intensely sharp aura suddenly erupted from the silver bow, far more terrifying than his previous two attacks. In that moment, the void seemed to fall dead silent, save for the whistling hiss of the arrows.
Lin Huang similarly sensed an aura of extreme danger enveloping him, sealing off all avenues of retreat and leaving him nowhere to hide. His Breaking Realm had also reached its absolute most critical juncture. Any large movements now would undoubtedly trigger a severe backlash.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yishan chewed on his chicken drumstick, coldly watching everything unfold like an uninvested bystander...
The next moment, Crazy Cui flicked his fingers against the bowstring. A massive burst of explosive power propelled the arrows off the string, carving perfectly straight wind tunnels through the air. With every flick of Crazy Cui’s fingers, a single arrow shot forth. After ten flicks, the ten arrows formed a single, unbroken straight line, following closely behind one another to execute Lin Huang!
"How interesting!" Xiao Yishan chuckled as he watched the arrows flying through the sky.
Beneath the waterfall, Lin Huang guarded his mind. His internal Primordial Qi surged like a torrent, relentlessly hammering at the Profound Gate. At such a critical moment, he could not afford a single mistake; otherwise, his Primordial Qi would flow backward through his meridians, and he would undoubtedly end up Fallen into the Demon Realm.
In the blink of an eye, the silver arrows pierced the waterfall, arriving like streaks of lightning.
"Break!"
In this moment of life-and-death crisis, Lin Huang gritted his teeth and roared, gathering his internal Primordial Qi and madly slamming it against the Profound Gate Barrier.
Two explosive BOOMS suddenly resounded within his body. One sounded like the metallic clanging of clashing weapons—the sound of his Great Vajra Technique breaking through to the Middle Level Realm. The other echoed like the long ring of an Ancient Bell—the sound of his Primordial Qi shattering the Profound Gate Barrier of his fourth meridian.
He had reached the Middle Level Realm of the Great Vajra Technique and the Human Element Fourth Heaven!
Lin Huang opened his eyes, a brilliant light shooting from his gaze. Staring at the arrows that had already entered the waterfall, he jolted his crossed legs, sending the massive saber resting on his lap flying into the air to block the first two arrows. Then, as the giant saber fell, the next arrows pierced directly toward Lin Huang.
Lin Huang pushed forward with his left palm while reaching for the falling saber with his right hand, standing up simultaneously.
With two sharp SWISHES, the third arrow tore through Lin Huang’s palm, punching a hole straight through it. The fourth arrow followed perfectly through the hole in his palm, instantly piercing his abdomen. The fifth arrow was blocked by Lin Huang pulling his giant saber back to lay flat across his chest.
The subsequent arrows arrived one after another, slamming into the giant saber with a rapid series of CLANGS. The immense impact forced Lin Huang to stumble two paces backward in a sorry state, his back slamming into the cliff wall.
The final arrow was brought down by Lin Huang’s One Slash.
Beneath the waterfall, Lin Huang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He stared coldly at Crazy Cui a short distance away, his eyes exuding a chilling ruthlessness akin to a starving wolf.
"Now, it’s my turn to attack..."
***
Author’s Note: Esteemed readers, since you’re passing by, how about leaving some of your votes behind? Wave your sleeves and add this to your reading list! Leaving a comment would be even more perfect!