Purple Sun Garden.

Luo Feng stepped on starlight and came to the center of the courtyard.

"To sit in here and boil while cultivating... this really is something else."

Looking at the Yin Heavy Water constantly bubbling, Luo Feng smiled faintly, opened the jade box, and inside the fifty to sixty jade bottles gleamed under the moonlight.

Buzz!

His palm trembled slightly, and all the wooden stoppers on the jade bottles popped open. Streams of milky-white liquid shot out from the bottles, looking like mercury in the moonlight, crystal bright and dazzling, then poured into the Yin Heavy Water.

In an instant, the milky-white liquid dispersed into the Yin Heavy Water. The originally pitch-black, inky Yin Heavy Water now had countless light specks floating within it, like a starry night sky, radiantly brilliant.

"I hope this time I can smoothly break through the realm."

Seeing that the Yuan Spirit Liquid had almost completely melted, Luo Feng took a light breath, took off his clothes, circulated his Yuan Qi through one Grand Circulation, lightly tapped his foot, and leaped into the pool, splashing up a wave of water.

Gululu...

As soon as he entered the medicinal liquid, a cold yin aura immediately spread through Luo Feng’s whole body, and this yin chill was extremely strange—once it entered his body, it instantly turned incomparably scorching.

"So hot!"

The alternation between cold and heat magnified all sensation countless times. Luo Feng only felt as if countless flames were drilling into every pore of his body. For a moment he couldn’t help gritting his teeth, and the awakened Four Spirit Rotations in his body all started to stir restlessly.

Luo Feng understood that this scorching aura was the medicinal power of the Yuan Spirit Liquid. At once he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to operate Divine Dragon Nine Changes.

As soon as Yuan Qi circulated, Luo Feng immediately felt the difference.

Yuan Qi running a Grand Circulation inside his body was much easier than before. Almost every time he completed one Grand Circulation, his cultivation seemed to grow by a thread.

"The Yuan Spirit Liquid really does assist Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artists in breaking through!"

Feeling the influence of the Yuan Spirit Liquid’s medicinal power on his cultivation, a trace of delight flashed in Luo Feng’s eyes.

In this way, he should be able to greatly shorten the time needed to break through. Now there were less than ten days left before the hunting tournament ended; he did not have much time to waste here.

Just as he was about to continue cultivating, Luo Feng’s heart stirred, and he suddenly recalled what Yang Wanyi had said earlier when introducing the Yuan Spirit Liquid.

"The higher the temperature, the faster a Martial Artist absorbs the medicinal power of the Yuan Spirit Liquid..."

Thinking it over, Luo Feng immediately took Emperor Yan’s Sky-breaking Saber out of the Washing Dragon Ring.

With a glance at the blade on which red light flowed, he directly plunged the saber into the water.

Gulu... gulu... gulu...

Emperor Yan’s Sky-breaking Saber was a fifth-grade Spirit Weapon, within it was the soul essence of a Red Flame Emperor Lion, containing an extremely terrifying Fire Yuan power. The instant it entered the Yin Heavy Water, it erupted with a scorching, overbearing aura.

In moments, the entire pool began to bubble with bowl-sized blisters and was completely boiling.

"So scalding!"

Luo Feng drew in a deep breath. Yin Heavy Water was much harder to boil than ordinary water, and now, burned by Yang Wanyi’s Golden Flame Yuan Fire plus Emperor Yan’s Sky-breaking Saber, it was brought fully to a boil. He felt as if every pore of his body was being roasted by fire, stinging to the extreme.

To put a person in boiling water to cook—that was a pain beyond imagining!

Moreover, this was not ordinary water, but Yin Heavy Water from a thousand meters underground, several times more scalding than normal water when boiling.

If not for Luo Feng’s extraordinary talent and the fact that he had already cultivated Spirit and Flesh Unity, giving him a body far stronger than ordinary people, any other Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artist would have been injured instantly.

Of course, ordinary people would never dare to cultivate in such a tyrannical way.

Although Luo Feng’s body was powerful, the pain of boiling water on his flesh was not diminished in the slightest. In just a moment, his entire skin was as if burned by fire, his face flushed red, and the thick veins on his forehead bulged out.

"Exhilarating!"

Clenching his teeth, Luo Feng threw his head back and let out a long howl.

This howl was forced out as he endured the burning on his body, containing all of his Jing Qi Shen. A column of air shot straight into the sky; the sound wave blasted the clouds above until they scattered.

The Dayang Commerce Alliance guards sealing off Purple Sun Garden nearby felt their eardrums ache as if pricked by needles when they heard the howl. Looking up, they happened to see that surge of Jing Qi piercing the sky. All of them were shaken, speculating what kind of cultivation technique Luo Feng was training in to be so tyrannical.

After the long howl, Luo Feng’s spirit felt slightly relieved. He immediately focused his mind and began to run Divine Dragon Nine Changes.

Under the extreme pain, Luo Feng’s spirit instead became unprecedentedly condensed, like a handful of spotless white snow without the slightest blemish.

Roar!

Once he began circulating Divine Dragon Nine Changes, resonant dragon roars immediately echoed within his body, as if countless flying dragons were truly roaming within him and roaring. The awakened Four Spirit Rotations spun rapidly, and the Yuan Qi entering his body was instantly transformed into origin Yuan Qi without the slightest obstruction.

As the stars shifted, a day passed.

Luo Feng opened his eyes. Although the Yin Heavy Water in the pool was still boiling violently, there was no change at all in his expression. Instead, his gaze was blazing bright. From the pores of his body one could see faint strands of dark-red clotted blood, and his skin had become even more crystalline, like uncut jade, tinged with a faint red.

"What an unexpected surprise—who would have thought that tempering the body in boiling Yin Heavy Water with Yuan Spirit Liquid would have such miraculous effects!"

Clenching his fist, Luo Feng’s eyes were full of astonishment.

He felt that his flesh and blood had become even more refined; the impure dregs in his body had been expelled seven or eight-tenths by this bout of cultivation, like fine steel that had been forged thousands of times. He could clearly feel that his physique had strengthened by quite a bit.

"Let’s test it."

Raising his eyes, Luo Feng’s figure flickered, and he appeared by the pond in the courtyard, throwing out a simple, straightforward punch.

Bang!

There was no explosive sound as he had imagined. The air in front of Luo Feng distorted violently, then let out a muffled bang. On the surface of the pond, a massive fist imprint appeared in an instant, reaching all the way to the bottom. Even the ground beneath was blasted into a deep pit.

Strangely, the water flow around the fist imprint remained completely unchanged, not even a ripple appearing. A fish swimming along reached the torn edge of the water surface and, caught unawares, dropped straight into the pit below.

Crash!

After two breaths, the water surface suddenly closed together, producing an astonishing explosive sound. The ground trembled heavily.

"So strong. My speed and strength have both increased several times over. Now, even without Yuan Qi, Martial Artists of the same realm probably can’t withstand a single punch from me. As for a peak Seventh Layer Spiritual Rotation Realm expert, I should be able to defeat him within ten punches."

Looking at the water level that had dropped by three feet, even Luo Feng himself was taken aback.

This punch hadn’t used the slightest bit of Yuan Qi, yet its power was enough to sever water. In the past, he definitely couldn’t have achieved this.

Luo Feng even suspected that his Refining Body Realm had already surpassed "Spirit and Flesh Unity," only he had never understood Tempering Body very deeply, so for the moment he couldn’t judge.

"This time I truly stumbled into it by accident. I never thought cultivating with boiling Yin Heavy Water plus Yuan Spirit Liquid would have such extraordinary Tempering Body effects. I wonder if anyone has discovered this before."

Luo Feng muttered to himself, then shook his head again.

Leaving aside whether anyone would even think of this method, even if they did, they probably wouldn’t dare to use it for Tempering Body. After all, with his soul strength and physique, he had almost been unable to endure it just now.

After a moment, Luo Feng calmed his excitement and muttered, "With the Refining Body Realm breakthrough, my chances of defeating that Elder Qi have gone up by another notch. But if my realm doesn’t break through, it’s still impossible."

Elder Qi was a Martial Artist at mid-stage of the eighth layer of the Spiritual Rotation Realm, and not just any ordinary eighth-layer Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artist. That transformation technique of his still left Luo Feng feeling lingering dread even now. This man was definitely not an opponent that could be easily defeated.

In this day of cultivation, Luo Feng had already touched upon the bottleneck of breakthrough, but he always felt he was missing something, unable to take that final step and shatter that barrier.

In his previous breakthroughs, Luo Feng had never encountered any major obstacles; it usually came naturally like water flowing into a channel. But this time the difficulty exceeded his expectations.

It was no surprise. Ever since he had accepted Elder Huang’s original Yuan Qi, his cultivation had surged wildly. In less than half a month, his cultivation had risen from the sixth layer of the Spiritual Rotation Realm to late seventh layer. This bottleneck should be the result of that.

"This bottleneck is a test, and also an opportunity. As long as I step over this threshold, my cultivation in the future will definitely go smoothly with the wind at my back."

Looking at the churning Yin Heavy Water, a faint smile appeared on Luo Feng’s face. Not only was he not discouraged, he was instead even more excited.

To a Martial Artist, a bottleneck was like a deep chasm on a flat plain. If you couldn’t cross it, you would be trapped in place forever; but once you crossed it, it was smooth, open country as far as the eye could see. It was just that most Martial Artists could not get across.

Just as he was about to continue cultivating, Luo Feng suddenly stopped and took out the high-grade Yuan Stone he had obtained from Shock Mountain Marquis.

The Yuan Stone was about the size of an egg, angular, milky-white like jade, its surface shining with a faint white radiance.

He had always suspected whether he himself could cultivate using a third-grade Yuan Stone. This was the perfect chance to test it.

Swoosh!

With a thought, Luo Feng flashed into the boiling Yin Heavy Water, sitting cross-legged and suspended within it, his expression unchanged.

"If this works, I’ll definitely be able to break through the bottleneck and step into the peak of the seventh layer of the Spiritual Rotation Realm in one stroke!"

Gripping the third-grade Yuan Stone, Luo Feng took a deep breath and sent his consciousness into it.

Rumble...

Like floodwaters bursting through a sluice gate, the instant Luo Feng’s consciousness entered the third-grade Yuan Stone, a vast, boundless surge of Yuan Qi followed his meridians and poured into him, utterly unstoppable.

This Yuan Qi was completely different from that in a second-grade Yuan Stone. It was like boiling hot oil, as if it would erupt into roaring flames at any moment.

Luo Feng’s body trembled slightly, his face flushed purple-red, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. Everywhere the Yuan Qi passed burned with searing pain, as if his meridians would burst at any moment.

This feeling was as if he had returned to that moment when Elder Huang had forcibly poured original Yuan Qi into his body.

Fortunately, he had just experienced the torment of boiling water pouring over his body, tempering his spirit. This little pain was simply not enough to shake his will.

"So overbearing. No wonder Martial Artists at the Spiritual Rotation Realm can’t use third-grade Yuan Stones to cultivate. It’s not just that the meridians can’t withstand it—it’s also a tempering of the Martial Artist’s spirit."

The thought flashed past, and Luo Feng did not dare be distracted. He immediately focused his mind and circulated Divine Dragon Nine Changes, using the same method he had used to refine Elder Huang’s original Yuan Qi, to fully refine the Yuan Qi from the third-grade Yuan Stone that had entered his body.

Roar, roar, roar...

Clear dragon roars echoed one after another within Luo Feng’s body. At this moment, his face was purple-red, his body swelling like a leather ball. The air currents around him spun rapidly, turning the Yin Heavy Water into a massive whirlpool.

If someone had been there at this time, they would have clearly heard distinct sounds of flowing water coming from within Luo Feng, like the rise and fall of tides, surging and immense.

Time flew by.

Another day passed.

Buzz!

On the second evening, the water whirlpool suddenly trembled slightly. A transparent ripple spread out from Luo Feng’s body. The bamboo grove outside the courtyard, which had been still, suddenly rustled wildly, bamboo leaves scattering through the air.

"There it is again."

In the distance, one of the Dayang Mansion guards saw the swaying bamboo and spoke with complete nonchalance.

In the past two days, strange phenomena had been constantly arising within the courtyard. From their initial astonishment, they had now gotten completely used to it.

Another man sighed. "I really don’t know what Cultivation Technique Young Master Luo Feng is training in. I’ve seen Elder Qian cultivate before, and there was never this much commotion."

"It’s definitely some peerless divine art. Young Master Luo Feng defeated Qian Shaofeng—that was a genuine leapfrogging challenge. How could the Cultivation Technique he practices be simple? I’d say it’s at least a top-grade Profound Level technique, maybe even a low-grade Earth Level technique..."

"Shut up!"

Beside them, a middle-aged man with a face full of tangled whiskers shot the two speaking guards a glance.

"Miss entrusted us with the task of guarding Young Master Luo Feng. That is our honor. Young Master Luo Feng is the one in Miss’s heart, and even more so the benefactor of our Dayang Commerce Alliance. If it weren’t for Young Master Luo Feng defeating Qian Shaofeng, would you two be strutting around so proudly these past two days?"

The two guards’ faces stiffened slightly.

Previously, the Heavenly Position Commerce Alliance had been the number one alliance, and Big Market City was under their control. As guards of the Dayang Commerce Alliance, they had often been on the receiving end of contempt from the Heavenly Position Commerce Alliance’s people.

This time the Dayang Commerce Alliance had suddenly risen to prominence and become the number one alliance. In these past few days, they had certainly basked in the limelight; even their strides were bigger than before. Everyone up and down the Dayang Commerce Alliance took pride in Luo Feng.

The guard captain ordered, "Keep a close watch on the surroundings. Don’t let so much as a fly get in. If anything goes wrong this time, I’ll deal with you first."

"Yes!"

Inside the courtyard.

The Yin Heavy Water calmed down, and Luo Feng’s swollen body completely subsided. He opened his eyes, which were brighter than ever before.

Standing up, Luo Feng felt the changes in his body. On his face, dyed gold by the evening sun, there was unconcealed joy and excitement.

"I did it!"

The Yuan Qi contained in the third-grade Yuan Stone was even purer than he had imagined, and even easier to refine into original Yuan Qi. Coupled with Yuan Spirit liquid, in less than a day his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, breaking through the bottleneck in one stroke, leaping from late seventh layer of the Spiritual Rotation Realm to the peak of the seventh layer.

And it didn’t stop there. His cultivation had already reached the extreme limit of the seventh-layer peak of the Spiritual Rotation Realm. He had hopes of stepping into the eighth layer in the near future!

Swoosh!

With a flick of his hand, Emperor Yan’s Sky-breaking Saber shot out from within the Yin Heavy Water and into his grip.

"Slash!"

Grasping Emperor Yan’s Sky-breaking Saber, Luo Feng suddenly leaped into the air. While he was still in midair, the saber had already left its sheath. In the void there was only a faint, almost inaudible sound, followed by a flash of white light like lightning, appearing and vanishing in an instant. The air in front of him split apart like a sheet of paper.

A thousand meters away, a bamboo leaf that had been blown into the air was cleaved into two halves from the middle.

Landing smoothly, Luo Feng slid the saber back into its scabbard and mused:

"As my cultivation rises, the power of Spring Breeze-as-Heart-Wills Saber Technique has grown even more terrifying, but I still can’t achieve a completely soundless strike. No matter. There’s still time. I’ll train for another day and consolidate all my Martial Arts, then act tomorrow night."

Luo Feng knew very clearly that this operation would be incomparably dangerous. The slightest carelessness would mean a matter of life and death, so he had to be thoroughly prepared.