The human body has its own self-preservation mechanisms. When experiencing excessive pain, a person will pass out, or their senses will grow numb to alleviate the suffering. To ensure his Cultivation Technique could continue to operate smoothly, Zhaang Ye was now desperately marshaling his Willpower, struggling to keep himself from fainting, fighting to prevent his senses from going numb.

Although Zhaang Ye’s actions allowed the Qi Refining Technique to continue running, the pain he endured came in waves, each higher and stronger than the last, with no end in sight!

Beads of sweat oozed from his body, more and more, until they flowed down him like a small stream.

The pain was like a monstrous flood, tightly encircling Zhaang Ye’s will, threatening to submerge it at any moment. But within this terrifying agony, Zhaang Ye’s Willpower grew ever more focused, ever more solid. This will, condensed to its absolute limit, was like the fire in a Pill Furnace, tempering his True Qi again and again amidst the immense suffering.

CRACK—

Zhaang Ye suddenly felt his body shatter. Instead of alarm, he felt a surge of joy, knowing he had finally broken through the 4th Layer and entered the 5th Layer of the Qi Refining Technique.

After entering the 5th Layer, Zhaang Ye stopped his Cultivation. He knew this Qi Refining Technique was far too tyrannical; if he continued cultivating, even if his will could endure the pain, his body could not. Everything had its limits. Pain that was too intense would cause extreme damage to the body.

He would have to wait until his Dragon Elephant Skill reached the Sixth Layer, or his Cultivation reached the Martial Arts Seventh Layer, before he could cultivate the Sixth and Seventh Layers.

Inspecting the True Qi inside him, Zhaang Ye found that after being repeatedly tempered, it had finally undergone a Transformation, becoming slightly purer. As his True Qi purified, Zhaang Ye also felt his internal organs become a bit clearer, and his entire aura seemed to grow more limpid.

Noticing this change, Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but feel a secret excitement. ’This Qi Refining Technique might be incredibly painful to practice,’ he thought, ’but it’s all worth it.’

For the time that followed, Zhaang Ye switched to cultivating the Dragon Elephant Skill.

His Dragon Elephant Skill had just entered the Mid-stage Fifth Layer, and Zhaang Ye planned to use this rare opportunity to properly consolidate his progress.

Just as Zhaang Ye was cultivating with his eyes closed, a faint figure suddenly appeared outside the small wooden cabin. This cabin was the Fourth Hall Master’s place of Cultivation, with layers of Arrays set up both inside and out. But in this person’s eyes, these Arrays were nonexistent. Treading with a profound Footwork Technique, he bypassed the many layers in just under an Hour and appeared inside the cabin.

If Zhaang Ye had seen this person, he would have recognized him as the Third Hall Master of the True Hall. His figure was illusory, as if both real and unreal. Standing inside the wooden cabin, even Zhaang Ye could not perceive his presence.

The Third Hall Master looked at the cultivating Zhaang Ye. With a flash of his eyes, a strand of white light, fine as a hair and seemingly both real and unreal, suddenly shot out from his gaze. It crossed a distance of more than ten feet and vanished into Zhaang Ye’s body.

This wisp of white light was a strand of Innate True Qi that the Third Hall Master had painstakingly cultivated. This strand of Innate True Qi contained the Third Hall Master’s comprehension of the Martial Dao and the True Dao, and possessed an incredible Divine Power. The Third Hall Master had shot out this strand of Innate True Qi precisely to observe the Ancient Elephant Power within Zhaang Ye’s body.

Innate True Qi possessed all sorts of Profound Mysteries, so much so that even an expert at the Peak of the Martial Arts Ninth Layer couldn’t sense it. Therefore, the Third Hall Master wasn’t afraid that this strand of Innate True Qi would startle Zhaang Ye. He confidently began to probe the Ancient Elephant Power within Zhaang Ye’s body through it.

The strand of Innate True Qi circulated within Zhaang Ye’s body for a long time. Suddenly, the Third Hall Master let out a soft "Hm?" An expression of mixed excitement and surprise appeared on his face. He murmured, "What formidable Ancient Elephant Power! I wanted to use this strand of Innate True Qi to probe the Profound Mysteries of the Ancient Elephant Power. I never expected that the Ancient Elephant Power could actively devour my Innate True Qi!"

As the Third Hall Master spoke, he closed his eyes, silently contemplating the Profound Mysteries of the Ancient Elephant Power.

After an Hour had passed like this, the Third Hall Master felt that the Devouring Power of the Ancient Elephant Power was growing increasingly intense. It had actually devoured five percent of the strand of Innate True Qi he had sent into Zhaang Ye’s body.

Although his Innate True Qi was being devoured, the Third Hall Master didn’t mind. His own Innate True Qi was like a vast ocean; this single strand was a mere drop in the bucket to him. Even if it were completely devoured, it would be nothing. As long as he could comprehend the Profound Mysteries of the Ancient Elephant Power, he would be happy to have even more of his Innate True Qi devoured.

Three Hours later, the Third Hall Master opened his eyes, a hint of joy in his gaze. He murmured, "The Ancient Elephant Power is truly profound beyond compare! The Ancient Elephant Power in Zhaang Ye’s body isn’t complete, but I’ve still benefited quite a bit from it! Heh heh, when I return, I’ll enter seclusion to contemplate this for a while, and then I’ll come back to observe Zhaang Ye again!"

As he spoke, his gaze flickered, and the strand of Innate True Qi he had sent into Zhaang Ye’s body suddenly flew back out. When this strand of Innate True Qi had entered Zhaang Ye’s body, it had been a full three feet long. But now, upon its return, it was only a little over two feet and three inches. In just the past few Hours, more than six inches of Innate True Qi had been devoured by the Ancient Elephant Power, vanishing inside Zhaang Ye’s body.

"This kid’s Ancient Elephant Power is truly marvelous! It can even devour my Innate True Qi. Hmm, I contemplated your Ancient Elephant Power, and you devoured a wisp of my Innate True Qi. I suppose that makes us even." The Third Hall Master chuckled softly, and his figure suddenly vanished from within the wooden cabin, his destination unknown.

After the Third Hall Master left, Zhaang Ye’s eyelids twitched slightly, and the corner of his mouth curled into a faint smile.

Just now, the Third Hall Master had assumed that Zhaang Ye was completely unaware of his actions in probing the Ancient Elephant Power. In reality, the moment that strand of Innate True Qi entered his body, Zhaang Ye had detected it.

As it turned out, after merging with his past life’s memories and comprehending the ultimate principle, "Can you keep the body and spirit together in embrace without allowing them to separate? Can you concentrate your Qi and achieve softness, becoming like a newborn babe?", his Soul Power had become far stronger than that of an ordinary Martial Artist. Back in Three Rivers Town, when the Zhou Family Elder, Zhou Dayuan, had used the Celestial Vision and Earthly Hearing Technique to search for him, Zhaang Ye had sensed it. In the past year or two, Zhaang Ye’s Cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds. Having just cultivated the Qi Refining Technique, his Soul Power was now even stronger and more sensitive.

Under these circumstances, the moment the Third Hall Master’s strand of Innate True Qi entered his body, Zhaang Ye had detected it.

This strand of the Third Hall Master’s Innate True Qi contained his personal understanding of the Martial Dao and the True Dao and had all sorts of wonderful uses. Although its Profound Mysteries couldn’t compare to the Ancient Elephant Power, it was still quite extraordinary.

While the Third Hall Master was secretly probing the Ancient Elephant Power in his body, Zhaang Ye was also secretly observing the Third Hall Master’s strand of Innate True Qi.

Zhaang Ye was afraid of alerting the Third Hall Master, so he had been observing the strand of Innate True Qi in silence. But just as the Third Hall Master used the Innate True Qi to probe the Ancient Elephant Power, the Ancient Elephant Power began to operate on its own, launching an encirclement against that very strand of Innate True Qi.

This strand of the Third Hall Master’s Innate True Qi had been tempered a thousand times. It contained his Spiritual Qi and his understanding of the Martial Dao and the True Dao. In its flexibility, it was like a steel wire; in its hardness, it was like a boulder.

But the Ancient Elephant Power in Zhaang Ye’s body was incomparably profound. When it operated, it actually used a mysterious method to devour the Third Hall Master’s Innate True Qi bit by bit, converting it into Elephant Power.

Zhaang Ye knew that the Innate True Qi of a True Dao Expert was of immense benefit to a Martial Artist like him. Seeing that the Third Hall Master had not grown suspicious, he grew bold and secretly urged his Elephant Power to devour the Third Hall Master’s Innate True Qi. From this act of devouring, Zhaang Ye’s gains were enormous—he had devoured a full twenty percent of the Third Hall Master’s strand of Innate True Qi!

To the Third Hall Master, this strand of Innate True Qi was nothing much. But for Zhaang Ye, the rewards were huge.

Zhaang Ye felt that after devouring this strand of Innate True Qi, his Dragon Elephant Power had actually grown a little stronger. It circulated within his body as smoothly as a pearl, an incredibly pleasant feeling. Another reward was that Zhaang Ye sensed that the Third Hall Master’s strand of Innate True Qi secretly contained insights into the Martial Dao. These martial insights were exceptionally profound. Zhaang Ye briefly compared them with his own understanding of the Martial Dao and immediately felt that he had benefited greatly. Some questions for which he previously had no answers were now suddenly solved! 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

’Excellent! I can’t believe I’d reap such a reward! When a True Dao Expert normally uses their Innate True Qi, it’s always brimming with killing intent and destructive power. But now, in order to probe my Ancient Elephant Power, the Third Hall Master removed all of its offensive properties, letting me pick up a huge bargain. This is truly wonderful!’ Zhaang Ye silently organized the martial insights in his mind, feeling both shocked and delighted.

The Third Hall Master was a genuine True Dao Expert. The insights and comprehension of a True Dao Expert far surpassed that of an ordinary Martial Artist. Their every wisp of understanding was obtained through long years of Cultivation and included many things that could only be understood, not spoken. Having obtained a trace of the Third Hall Master’s martial insights, Zhaang Ye’s understanding of the Martial Dao immediately rose to a new level!

Just as Zhaang Ye was quietly contemplating the Third Hall Master’s martial insights, another faint figure appeared outside the wooden cabin without any warning. This person was none other than the Second Hall Master of the True Hall.

The Second Hall Master glanced at Zhaang Ye inside the cabin, a trace of excitement in his eyes. He let out a low, sly chuckle and said, "Old Fourth, oh, Old Fourth, even though you snatched Zhaang Ye and made him your disciple, no matter what, this old man won’t pass up the chance to see his Ancient Elephant Power. Heh heh, your trip will take you at least half a month to return from. This old man will take advantage of this time to properly contemplate the Ancient Elephant Power!"

As he spoke, the Second Hall Master trod upon a profound Footwork Technique, skillfully bypassing the layers of Arrays outside, and quickly entered the wooden cabin.

Seeing Zhaang Ye sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, the Second Hall Master’s eyes revealed a hint of excitement. With a flick of his hand, a faint strand of Innate True Qi suddenly flew from his finger and entered Zhaang Ye’s body. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)