Heavenly Rebellion: The Human Race's Rise to Prominence-Chapter 33: First Steps

A few days passed as Feng stayed in the Blackwood Ruler's den.

At first, the Blackwood Ruler only spent a few hours each day with him, demonstrating the stances of the Blackwood Dominance Art, however obviously the Ruler had other things to do than just teaching him and eventually he just left Feng to his own devices.

These demonstrations provided Feng's system with valuable insights, helping it understand how to cultivate the technique properly.

Feng watched closely, especially when the Blackwood Ruler absorbed spiritual energy into its body, strengthening itself.

He paid particular attention to its claws, noting that they seemed to be the most durable part of its body.

SLASH!

A massive claw-shaped energy attack tore through the air with a piercing sound, slamming into a boulder nearly twenty feet wide by the river.

The strike left a jagged, smoking gash across its surface before splitting it almost in two.

Fragments of stone crumbled and fell into the rushing water below, creating ripples that spread far downstream.

Feng stumbled back slightly, his chest heaving as he tried to steady his breathing.

His arms felt heavy, a faint ache radiating from his fingertips all the way to his shoulders.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, his hand trembling slightly as he lowered it.

"What the hell..." Feng murmured, staring at the destruction he had caused.

A surge of pride flickered in his chest, but it was quickly tempered by disbelief.

"It's incredible. I tried imitating the claws of a wolf in my earlier attacks, and it seems to have worked.

But for someone at the fifth level of Qi Condensation to unleash this kind of strength... it's almost absurd, isn't it?"

He turned his gaze toward his hands, now glowing faintly with darksilver spiritual energy.

His "claws," sharp and glimmering, still hummed with residual power from the attack.

He flexed his fingers experimentally, watching the ethereal claws extend and retract like they were part of him.

"Even so," Feng thought aloud, "this level of strength still feels... a bit unfair?."

He clenched his fists, trying to focus. "

The power of the Blackwood Dominance Art isn't just about raw destruction.

That strike—strong as it was—lacked control. I can't rely on sheer force alone, it has to be precise.

"Hey system, is this kind of strength normal for someone at the Fifth Level of Qi Condensation?

I'm pretty sure that attack was just barely at the level of someone at Seventh level of Qi Condensation right?" Feng asked the system

[Responding to host: A suitable cultivation technique for your Heaven's Pact is essential to becoming strong.]

Feng looked down at his "claws."

They were just his fingernails, but now all ten were as sharp and sturdy as daggers, glowing faintly with dark-silver spiritual energy.

More importantly, he could extend or retract them at will, making them resemble actual claws.

"Looks like I've finally grasped the basics of Wolfbane," Feng said with a grin.

He retracted his claws, making them look like ordinary fingernails again.

"But Ruler's Howl... that's on a whole different level.

How am I supposed to destroy things with just the sound of a howl?

More importantly, the essence of the Blackwood Dominance Art seems to center around one thing: Dominance."

Testing his progress, Feng turned his focus to his physical body.

With a burst of speed, he dashed forward, moving faster than anyone at the fifth level of Qi Condensation should be capable of.

He punched a nearby tree, snapping it clean in half without using any spiritual energy.

Turning to a large boulder, Feng crouched and lifted it with some effort.

The massive rock, weighing at least 200 kilograms, rose above his head. A satisfied grin spread across his face.

"Hey, System, how strong am I compared to others in Qi Condensation?" he asked.

[Responding to host: Based on your physical strength and your cultivation base, you are equivalent to someone at the seventh level of Qi Condensation.]

"Seventh level, huh?" Feng mused. "How long until I can face someone at the ninth level?"

[Responding to host: Once you achieve the second level of the Blackwood Ruler Physique, your battle prowess will rival someone half a step into Foundation Establishment.]

"Half a step into Foundation Establishment..." Feng's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"That's insane. But how long will it even take to reach that point?

Right now, it feels like my spiritual energy and my body are being held back by some kind of seal," he thought, furrowing his brows.

[Responding to host: This is because the host's control over spiritual energy is still insufficient. Once the host reaches the seventh level of Qi Condensation, he can begin training in the second level of the Blackwood Ruler Physique.]

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"Hmm, does that mean even if I keep focusing on strengthening my claws, my physical body can only reach the strength of someone at the seventh level of Qi Condensation because of this bottleneck?" Feng asked.

[Affirmative.]

"That makes sense," Feng thought, nodding slightly. Even so, compared to his previous self, his current strength was already worlds apart.

If he had a body this strong back then, combined with the sharpness of his claws, those past chases wouldn't have been nearly as difficult.

In fact, he had the very strange feeling that if he met up with Yuta again, he wouldn't be as injured as before.

"The seventh level, huh..." Feng muttered, his thoughts lingering on why it was considered a bottleneck.

Why was it so difficult to break through that barrier?

He shook his head and dismissed the thought. "No point worrying about that now. I'm still at the fifth level.

For now, my focus should be on perfecting the first stage of the Blackwood Ruler Physique and getting a solid grasp of the Blackwood Dominance Art."

Feng crossed his legs and sat down.

Closing his eyes, he began to absorb spiritual energy from the surroundings.

He directed the flow toward his claws, channeling it with precision.

Bit by bit, he felt them grow sharper and more powerful, a faint darksilver glow forming around them.

Feng also started to think about the core of the Blackwood Dominance Art, what does it mean to be "Dominant?