CHAPTER 338: CHAPTER 337: THE IDEAL SON-IN-LAW

The night was as still as water, silent and calm.

Luo Feng left the valley, heading straight for Dayang City.

Half an incense stick’s time later, Luo Feng stood beneath the city walls of Dayang City.

PHEW!

With a deep exhale, Luo Feng raised his head to look at the city walls, his heart profoundly shocked.

The walls were built entirely from giant stones three meters high, towering eighty-eight meters into the sky. Armored patrols could be seen on top, expressionless as they walked back and forth. Their heavy footsteps conveyed a menacing aura. Their minimum cultivation was the seventh stage of the Essence storage Realm.

Truly magnificent, worthy of being one of the four major cities of the Flowing Cloud Region!

Feeling a sense of awe, Luo Feng took a deep breath. Seizing an interval between patrols, he employed his Teng Dragon’s Step, transforming into a blur as he leaped over the city walls.

WHOOSH!

The nearby guards only sensed a slight breeze pass by, remaining completely oblivious.

Once inside the city, Luo Feng quickly found an inn. He adjusted his attire and walked in.

"Sir, will you be dining or lodging here?"

Upon seeing Luo Feng, the waiter greeted him with a beaming smile.

Luo Feng took out a silver ingot and tossed it to the waiter. "A room, an upper one."

"Alright!"

The waiter’s face lit up with joy as he took the silver ingot and led Luo Feng upstairs.

"Unless I say otherwise, don’t allow anyone to disturb me."

Upon entering the room, Luo Feng instructed the waiter, then turned and closed the door.

The room was quite tidy. He went to sit by the bed as moonlight shone softly through the window screen, bathing the room in a gentle glow.

He exhaled slowly and pulled out two Yuan Stones from his storage ring.

I hope this will succeed.

Luo Feng looked at the Yuan Stones in his hand and muttered to himself as he slowly closed his eyes.

Given his current cultivation, simultaneously using two Yuan Stones for cultivation was quite risky. However, to save time and break through his cultivation realm as soon as possible, he decided to take the chance.

BOOM!

His consciousness poured into the Yuan Stones as if opening a floodgate. Surging Yuan Qi immediately rushed in, several times more intense than before, causing his meridians and viscera to throb with pain.

Luo Feng didn’t dare to be careless. He focused entirely on guiding the Yuan Qi to circulate through his Meridian Wheels. It flowed from the Dantian, the Hell Realm, to the Heaven Gate Point, the Heavenly Court, forming the Grand Circulation. This continuously nourished the Meridian Wheels and enhanced his cultivation.

Completing the Grand Circulation allowed no errors; otherwise, there was a risk of damaging the Meridian Wheels and severely injuring the Martial Artist.

Luo Feng carefully controlled the Yuan Qi moving within his body, without a hint of negligence.

Time trickled by. Heat swirled above his head, and his clothes were soaked with sweat, but Luo Feng remained entirely oblivious.

VMMMM!

After an unknown length of time, waves of Yuan Qi vibrations, each stronger than the last, radiated from Luo Feng.

All the tables and chairs in the room seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, floating in midair.

Every time Luo Feng completed a Grand Circulation, the furniture would jolt, as if the entire room had become an extension of his body.

WHOOSH...

After a long while, with Luo Feng’s room as the center, the Yuan Qi of heaven and earth suddenly grew agitated, forming a fierce wind that violently swept inside, causing the doors and windows to shake intensely.

"What’s going on!"

"Someone’s having a breakthrough! Judging by this commotion, it might be an expert at the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm!"

Several Martial Artists in the inn felt the disturbances in the Yuan Qi of heaven and earth. While some were bewildered, those with advanced cultivation recognized the phenomenon, their hearts filled with surprise.

In the room, Luo Feng’s skin was red-hot. His clothes, soaked with sweat, were instantly evaporated dry. Intense flows of energy swirled within a three-foot radius around him, his hair dancing in the wind.

This was the moment of truth!

Luo Feng sensed it was the crucial moment; he wore a solemn expression and circulated the Yuan Qi within his body with all his might!

CRACK!

At the same instant, an intense shockwave emanated from his body. The furniture suspended in midair exploded directly into fine powder, and the floor began to show fine cracks.

RUMBLE...

A faint sound of thunder echoed within his body, as surging Yuan Qi battered his meridians like a torrent.

Luo Feng instantly felt a spreading, throbbing pain throughout his body, as if his meridians were about to burst.

This was a critical moment for a Martial Artist’s breakthrough, a true test of endurance.

If one could not endure the pain, the breakthrough might fail, and all efforts would be wasted. Attempting another breakthrough would then be incredibly difficult!

Luo Feng had never lacked determination. Once he decided on something, he never backed down. Naturally, he wouldn’t abandon his breakthrough because of a little pain.

Break for me!

With a silent cry in his heart, the Yuan Qi inside Luo Feng’s body spun wildly. In a single breath, he completed three Grand Circulation cycles—three times more than before!

In the blink of an eye, Luo Feng completed two hundred and ten Grand Circulation cycles.

VMMMM! VMMMM!

Strong fluctuations spread, and the two Meridian Wheels within Luo Feng’s Heaven Gate Point suddenly swelled, doubling in size and illuminating the previously dim Heaven Gate Point with a brilliant radiance.

Luo Feng took a deep breath and opened his eyes. His gaze was like lightning, piercing the void and momentarily illuminating the room.

Finally broke through. I once heard that breaking through in the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm was more difficult than all previous realms combined. I didn’t believe it then, but now I truly understand.

Breaking through from the early to the mid-stage of the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm was the most challenging advancement Luo Feng had ever experienced. He still had Yuan Qi seeds within him; no wonder so many people were trapped in the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm, unable to advance for their entire lives.

Shaking his head, Luo Feng clenched his fists and immediately felt a surging power coursing within him.

Indeed! My cultivation has advanced to the mid-stage of the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm, and my strength has increased at least tenfold! With this level of power, I should be able to defeat even a late-stage Ninth Heavenly Court Realm expert.

Feeling the changes in his strength, Luo Feng’s eyes lit up with a joy that was mingled with some surprise.

In the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm, every breakthrough led to a significant leap in power.

However, generally, a Martial Artist’s strength would only increase three or fourfold when advancing from the early to the mid-stage of the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm.

An increase of five or six times would already be considered genius-level.

Reaching an eightfold increase would deem one an unparalleled genius.

An increase like Luo Feng’s, by more than tenfold, was unheard of.

Luo Feng pondered for a moment, guessing it was related to the eighteen Meridian Wheels within his body, and didn’t dwell on it further.

He glanced out of the window at the bright sunshine.

I wonder how much time has passed.

Luo Feng muttered to himself, stood up, opened the door, and called out, "Waiter!"

A flurry of footsteps sounded, and the waiter hurried up from downstairs, smiling respectfully. "What do you need, sir?"

"How many days have I been staying here?"

"It’s been three days," the waiter replied.

Three days!

Luo Feng was taken aback. His previous realm breakthroughs had usually taken only a single night at most; this time had been so long.

"Sir, because you instructed us not to disturb you without your permission, so..." the waiter said, becoming somewhat nervous as he saw the change in Luo Feng’s expression.

Luo Feng re-entered the room, waving his hand. "I’m not blaming you."

As the waiter followed Luo Feng into the room, his eyes immediately widened in shock.

Every piece of furniture in the room had vanished completely, and the floor was covered in cracks...

"Sir, this..." The waiter stammered, finding it difficult to speak.

Luo Feng turned to see the waiter’s expression and felt a little embarrassed. He hadn’t expected his breakthrough to cause such a huge mess; otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to an inn.

"I’ll compensate for all the damages in full. Bring me some food and wine."

Luo Feng, naturally, wouldn’t shirk responsibility, and his words immediately eased the waiter’s concerns.

"Yes, I’ll go prepare it right away."

The waiter heaved a sigh of relief, feeling deeply grateful towards Luo Feng.

In the past, other Martial Artists had damaged rooms during cultivation. Many of them, relying on their superior strength, had simply left, causing him to be scolded by the Shopkeeper.

Luo Feng tidied up the room briefly and headed downstairs to eat.

The meal was sumptuous, and after cultivating continuously for three days, Luo Feng was ravenous. He immediately began to devour his food.

There were quite a few Martial Artists in the inn, all engaged in lively discussions. Luo Feng, curious whether news of him killing Duanmu Ji had leaked, listened attentively.

"Have you heard? Something major happened outside the city three days ago!"

"What happened? Don’t tell me the Demon Sect showed up."

"Perhaps it really is related to the Demon Sect."

The man’s words were startling, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

"Demon Sect! Nie Hong, are you joking? This is Dayang City, one of the four great cities of the Flowing Cloud Region. Would the Demon Sect dare to come here?"

The Martial Artist named Nie Hong said with a solemn expression, "Don’t be careless! Three nights ago, I was on a mission outside the city with a few of my senior brothers when we sensed a disturbance in the Yuan Qi of heaven and earth. The commotion at that time could only be described as earthshaking! Even my senior brother, a peak expert of the Eighth Hell Realm, didn’t dare act rashly."

That’s related to me...

Hearing Nie Hong’s words, Luo Feng’s gaze flickered, and he listened carefully.

"Yes, I was in the city that night, but I also felt the ground shake. I thought I was imagining it," someone chimed in.

Nie Hong, visibly excited, chuckled. "That was no illusion! It really happened. My senior brothers and I didn’t dare go near at the time. Only after a day did we venture over to check. And do you know what we found?"

"Nie Hong, stop keeping us in suspense! Just tell us."

"In a valley a hundred li west of the city, the landscape was utterly transformed; entire mountain peaks had collapsed. Clearly, powerful experts had fought there. Later, my senior brothers and I discovered a large pit in the valley, containing the corpses of nearly a hundred people! Judging by their skeletal remains, they were at least Eighth Hell Realm experts!"

"A hundred Eighth Hell Realm experts!"

"That’s no small force. In the entire Flowing Cloud Region, only the Six Great Families possess such strength, right?"

Nie Hong shook his head. "Why would people from the Six Great Families come to our Dayang City, and in such numbers? I suspect these people were very likely Demon Sect disciples!"

"Hmm, that’s a good point. Even the Six Great Families wouldn’t casually dispatch so many experts. It seems we’ll have to be careful for a while."

"It’s fortunate someone eliminated these Demon Sect fiends; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

The others nodded in agreement.

News of the Demon Sect’s recent rampant activities was hardly a secret.

Luo Feng, observing their alarmed expressions, found it rather amusing that he was now considered a hero for eliminating Demon Sect fiends.

At this point, Nie Hong waved his hand and said, "Besides that, there’s another major event in Dayang City. I heard that the City Lord’s beloved daughter, Yang Wanyi, has returned. This girl is exceptionally talented. In less than a year after joining Linglong Hall, she has already entered the Spiritual Rotation Realm!"

Yang Wanyi...

Hearing this, Luo Feng’s interest was piqued.

"Yang Wanyi has become a Spiritual Rotation Realm expert? Is it true? She isn’t even seventeen yet, is she? The Spiritual Rotation Realm is the first major threshold for Martial Artists. Unless one possesses exceptional talent, it can take three to five years to break through. Without sufficient talent, they might never become Spiritual Rotation Realm experts in their lifetime."

"I’m not making this up. In three days, the City Lord, Yang Dingtian, will hold a celebratory feast for Yang Wanyi. He has invited heroes from all over. It seems he also wants to use this opportunity to find a suitable son-in-law for Waner."