Chapter 404: Chapter 144: A New Status Shakes the Whole Gang; Breakthrough to the Third Heaven of the Spirit Awakening Realm

BOOM!

A dull, heavy sound exploded as his fist slammed solidly into the hard Profound Iron Giant Stone.

The giant stone shook violently, a clear fist print, about half an inch deep, now emblazoned on its surface.

A small patch of web-like cracks spread out from the center of the fist print.

Chu Fan retracted his fist. He looked at his knuckles, then at the print, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

His strength had indeed increased significantly, but he wasn’t satisfied with this level of enhancement.

The improvement was within his expectations, perhaps even a little less than he’d hoped.

Every breakthrough to a new Heaven in the Spirit Awakening Realm was incredibly difficult and should bring a massive boost. Yet, the power of the Third Heaven of the Spirit Awakening Realm didn’t seem sufficient to qualitatively crush someone at the Second Heaven.

With a shift in his thoughts, the nature of the surging Primordial Qi within Chu Fan’s body abruptly changed.

A bone-chilling, soul-freezing aura began to gather in his right palm.

The surrounding temperature instantly plummeted, and fine white ice crystals actually condensed in the air, rustling as they fell.

"Extreme Night Cold Prison Hand!"

Instead of striking the stone directly, Chu Fan aimed at another Profound Iron Giant Stone of the same size nearby and pressed his palm forward through the air!

CHII—!

There was no deafening explosion, only a subtle sound, like ice freezing over and all life falling silent.

A visible stream of gray-white cold, wrapped in a heart-palpitating Yellow Springs Death Qi, swept over the Profound Iron Giant Stone like a breath from the Nine Hells.

The next moment, a horrifying scene unfolded.

The surface of the giant stone, enveloped by the cold current, was covered at an astonishing speed by a thick, opaque layer of eerie blue ice.

This ice wasn’t just on the surface; the terrifying Extreme Cold Qi and Yellow Springs Death Qi seemed to penetrate everything, seeping directly inside!

CRACK... K-CRACKLE...

Faint, dense cracking sounds came from within the giant stone.

A few breaths later, the entire surface of the Profound Iron Giant Stone was covered in a crisscrossing web of cracks, with eerie blue ice crystals peeking out from within.

Then, with a muffled rumble, the Profound Iron Giant Stone—durable enough to withstand an attack from a Divine Power Realm Martial Artist—crumbled as if it had been weathered for millions of years, shattering into a pile of frost-covered rubble of various sizes!

The fractured surfaces were as smooth as a mirror, yet they radiated a dense, deathly stillness.

Seeing this, a flash of pleasant surprise finally appeared in Chu Fan’s eyes.

’Just as I thought!’

’The increase in the quantity and quality of my Primordial Qi is a huge boost for Martial Arts like the Extreme Night Cold Prison Hand, which rely on special elemental power! The Extreme Cold Qi is harsher, and the Yellow Springs Death Qi is purer and more domineering. When combined, they produce a dual destructive effect, something like an "implosion" and "decay"!’

’However...’

Chu Fan calmly assessed the situation. ’Relying solely on the projected Cold Qi and Death Qi from this palm strike to shatter the incredibly solid Protective Primordial Qi of an Acupoint Realm Martial Artist... I’m probably not there yet.’

Chu Fan recalled the woman from Medicine King Valley he had met in the forest.

’To break through her Protective Primordial Qi with a single palm strike, I’d probably need to reach the Fourth or even Fifth Heaven of the Spirit Awakening Realm, when my Primordial Qi is more condensed and powerful. Even then, it would still be difficult to kill her in a single blow. After all, she’s in the Acupoint Realm... a level of existence that surpasses even the Fifth Level of the Divine Power Realm! The Primordial Qi of a being at that level is as vast as the sea. Compared to that, I’m still too weak.’

GULP.

A distinct sound of someone swallowing came from nearby.

Chu Fan turned to see Zhao Tianxing, who had returned at some point, standing not far away with a food box in his hand, dumbfounded.

His eyes were glued to the pile of rubble, which was still emitting wisps of Cold Qi, his face a mask of shock and disbelief.

He had been here for eight days and knew better than anyone how hard these Profound Iron Stones were.

Although these giant stones weren’t pure Profound Iron, their hardness far surpassed the "Wolong Qinggang Rock" used by the Seven Stars Gang in Cyan Yang Ancient City.

With his Bone Tempering Realm cultivation, even if he furiously hammered away at these Profound Iron Giant Stones, he could barely leave a crack.

He never imagined Chu Fan was already strong enough to shatter a Profound Iron Giant Stone with a single palm strike from a distance!

"Chu... Chu Fan... you-you’re just too..." Zhao Tianxing opened his mouth, but for a moment, he couldn’t find the right words. "When will I ever be as strong as you?"

Before coming to Qing Province, he had sworn to catch up to Chu Fan. But now, it seemed he couldn’t catch up even if he spurred his horse to a gallop.

Seeing his expression, Chu Fan smiled, dissipated the residual Cold Qi in his palm, and walked over to take the food box. He clapped him on the shoulder and said, "Don’t look like that. Train hard, and you’ll become this strong too, or even stronger. You have to walk the path one step at a time and eat your meal one bite at a time."

Hearing this, Zhao Tianxing nodded emphatically, the shock in his eyes gradually replaced by determination.

He looked at Chu Fan and clenched his fists tightly. "I understand! I won’t fall too far behind!"

"I’m going back to my archery practice!"

Chu Fan opened the food box and ate heartily while watching Zhao Tianxing practice his archery.

After finishing the food, he rested for a moment before walking to the center of the Martial Arts Arena and drawing the Long Saber from his waist with a CLANG.

Among the three main Saber Techniques he currently mastered, both the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber and the Nine Blood Soul Blades had already broken their limits once, granting him powerful Traits.

Only his Seven-Star Bead Slash was still at the Perfection Realm, having not yet broken its limit.

[Skill: Seven-Star Bead Slash (Perfection) Progress: (145/2500) (Trait: None)]

The greatest characteristic of this Saber Technique was a single word: "fast."

As his Experience Points accumulated and his base stats improved, the speed at which he could execute this Saber Technique also grew faster and faster.

He was very much looking forward to what kind of powerful Trait this speed-focused Saber Technique would produce once it broke its limit.

At that point, when the Traits of the three Saber Techniques were stacked with the Traits from his Firewood Splitting Saber Technique—which had already broken its limit many times and had a profound foundation—the power of his saber arts would surely take a qualitative leap!

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

With a flick of his wrist, Chu Fan’s Long Saber transformed into streaks of cold light, slashing back and forth across the Martial Arts Arena.

[Seven-Star Bead Slash Experience Points +3]

The Step Technique he used was still the basic one that accompanied the Seven-Star Bead Slash.

However, because it was enhanced by powerful Traits from his limit-broken Firewood Splitting Saber Technique—such as Light as a Feather, Wave Riding and Wind Chasing, and Fleeting Shadows—this already fast Saber Technique appeared even more unpredictable and mysterious when executed.

His figure flickered like an autumn leaf in the wind. As the blade flashed, the man followed the saber, and the saber enhanced the man’s momentum.

He left a trail of elusive residual images across the Martial Arts Arena, creating an indescribable sense of grace and sharpness.

Not far away, Li Qingxue watched Chu Fan execute the Seven-Star Bead Slash, and was instantly mesmerized.

She had always known that Chu Fan’s talent in the way of the saber was heaven-defying.

’But how many days has it been, really, since Chu Fan started practicing the Seven-Star Bead Slash? And yet, his mastery of this Saber Technique has already left me far, far behind...’