Chapter Thirty-One: Diligent Cultivation

Thud, thud, thud.

Heavy footsteps pounded against the ground, as if the earth itself were struck by a mighty drum. Each resounding beat reverberated in the ears, shook the heart, and lingered endlessly in the air. Gradually, the cadence of these sounds quickened and intensified, as though some colossal beast had begun to unleash its power in a charge.

Suddenly, the noise emanating from the valley ceased abruptly.

In its place came the labored breaths of a young man—Luo Tian.

"This bull form is truly exhausting!"

Leaning forward, Luo Tian braced his hands against his knees, gasping for breath. It was clear that, though the recent body cultivation session had not lasted long, it had left him thoroughly drained.

The blue energy upon his body faded ever more into dullness, its glow diminishing, but Luo Tian felt no dissatisfaction. On the contrary, his heart brimmed with joy.

Two months had passed, during which Luo Tian had been in a state of exhilaration and tension. Aside from time spent on missions or necessary returns to the mountain for handoffs, most of his days were devoted to this secluded valley. The energy within its cave was so dense that it would be a true crime not to make full use of it.

To waste such a treasure was nothing short of a transgression.

In these two months, Luo Tian’s energy cultivation had reached the latter stage of the sixth transformation. As for his mastery of body cultivation secrets, he had, building upon the forms of the tiger and the ape, also grasped the horse, snake, and bull forms.

Though all were terrestrial beasts, each demanded something different of the body. Thus, after two months of training, Luo Tian felt his strength had soared, his heart filled with elation.

Yet, he could not help but sigh at how, the further one advanced, the more time-consuming cultivation became. In ten days, he had managed three leaps, from the first transformation of the Qi Condensation Realm to the fourth, but the following two months had only yielded two more levels.

The stronger he became, the slower his progress.

Luo Tian recovered his stamina quickly. He straightened, pressed a hand to his brow, feeling a slight headache.

If other outer disciples knew of such complaints, outrage would ensue. Most measured their advancement in years, while Luo Tian had climbed six levels in just a few dozen days—yet still grumbled about slowing progress. It was as if he stomped on their faces and ground his heel.

This was more than excessive—it was downright outrageous.

After a brief rest, Luo Tian judged his condition restored. He immediately resumed his body cultivation, choosing this time to train in the horse form.

Two months of relentless practice had greatly improved Luo Tian’s physical strength, both in endurance and recovery. Certainly, the body cultivation secrets played a role, but his own dedication was equally crucial.

Old strength spent, new strength born.

The human body is like an immense treasure trove; no matter how deeply one digs, new layers of wealth are discovered—not money, but something far more precious.

With a bitter smile, Luo Tian practiced the galloping horse, grumbling to himself. These secret arts were indeed grueling—not just the pain of sweat-drenched exertion, but even the postures were exhausting.

Fortunately, with time and observation, Luo Tian had become quite familiar with these beasts, making thoughtful adjustments to his training. Otherwise, like many outer disciples who merely imitated the forms, he would have suffered far more.

Truthfully, among the outer disciples, only those from the Four Great Families paid serious attention to body cultivation and invested significant effort in learning and training it. The rest—children of wealthy families from the outside—focused mainly on energy cultivation, lacking the resources and time to devote to body arts.

It was understandable. Though they trained together within the sect, their paths differed. For these children of commoners, the goal was to advance their strength and eventually leave. If they spent too much youth on body cultivation, they risked missing their window for advancement, leaving untapped potential as age caught up with them.

The descendants of the Four Great Families had a different fate. Even if they failed to progress further, most would hold posts within the mountain or be dispatched by the Divine Sun Sect to the outside world to manage affairs.

Luo Tian, lost in thought, was caught off guard—a sudden crash as his head struck the cliff ahead.

Training the horse form naturally increased his speed. A moment’s lapse in attention, and he paid the price.

“Hiss—”

Even with the body cultivation secrets protecting him, Luo Tian was far from having a skull of steel. The impact, truth be told, was quite painful.

Hmph!

Blue energy surged through his body, and he struck the cliff with a fist—his forearm sank halfway into the rock.

He withdrew his arm, massaging his fist in frustration. With several thousand pounds of force, surely he could break anything!

At the sixth level of the Qi Condensation Realm, an ordinary outer disciple could muster six or seven thousand pounds of strength—already a human-shaped beast to common eyes. Yet Luo Tian’s open meridians gave him a growing advantage, and the body cultivation arts further enhanced his power. At full force, he could reach eight thousand pounds or more, and in peak condition, nearly ten thousand.

This brought him close to the inner disciples, those in the Meridian Flow Realm.

Of course, a cultivator’s strength was not merely a matter of brute force. Even a late-stage Qi Condensation disciple possessed mid-grade human-tier techniques and cultivation methods, allowing them to touch the faintest edge of elemental power. In true combat, their destructive power might well surpass Luo Tian’s.

Soon, the Eastern District Tournament would arrive. Luo Tian planned to exchange for a mid-grade human-tier cultivation method, and—if a suitable one appeared—a technique as well.

Luo Tian had little passion for combat, but if he wished to rapidly advance his Divine Sight and turn all peers into beloved junior brothers and sisters, reputation and strength were indispensable. Who knew how long it would take to achieve that without them?

Once Senior Brother Luo succeeded and gained fame, wouldn’t contribution points flood into his identity token?

Feeling pleased with his plans, Luo Tian set off on the road back to the mountain.

Along the path leading from the sect to Purple Sun Mountain, he saw a procession of travelers, winding like a serpent along the mountain road.

Most were robust young men, bare-chested, some not even wearing shirts, their muscular bodies glistening with sweat. Beads rolled down their bronzed skin.

Some carried burdens alone, while others pushed or pulled large carts, laden with fresh meat and various foodstuffs.

Luo Tian watched in puzzlement, unsure of their purpose.

“Senior Brother Luo, what are you looking at?” came a familiar voice.