Seeing the girl soar into the sky and disappear in the distance, Liu Xing exhaled a breath of relief. His heart still thumped wildly, like galloping horses. This was the effect of his excitement and nervousness.

He was excited because he was actually strong. Really strong. That Lightning Cloak technique was just a Base Grade technique meant to make the user move faster, but not so fast that he looked like lightning. The book said the technique could increase the user's maximum speed by five times. However, after his gun absorbed the technique and Liu Xing retrieved it, the Lightning Cloak became faster, stronger, and more efficient.

Moving with that technique was surreal. The world didn’t move slower; everything was a blur. But his brain could process the blurriness, making him feel like he was moving in a dark room while knowing everything inside it.

Despite his excitement about his strength, he felt mixed about his decision to let her go.

Liu Xing now lived in a xianxia world. Some said it was a dog-eat-dog world where only the strong and ruthless reigned. He was actually afraid that girl would bear enmity towards him and cause trouble in the future. Yet, Liu Xing couldn't kill people indiscriminately. He only wanted his cave back and hoped the girl would understand and forget about him.

"Still, that girl is really strong," he mused.

Compared to the disciples in last year's tournament, her scale of attack was bigger. Liu Xing was pretty sure that girl didn’t unleash her full capability. She probably underestimated him and lost before she got a chance to be serious.

"But still, I'm stronger than her!" he exclaimed.

Glancing at the gun in his left hand, he started to smile. "If you were a woman, I would marry you!"

Liu Xing put the matter of the girl to the back of his mind and walked toward his personal cave.

As he walked, he started to plan his immediate actions. His main priority now was to break through to Lock Opening sixth stage. To do that, he needed to go somewhere with abundant spirit beasts, but to ensure his next expedition went smoothly, he needed to train a bit more.

Moving his broken little desk into the cave, Liu Xing starts making decisions. First, he needed to train more with his new technique. While the effect of Lightning Cloak was already amazing, Liu Xing felt the technique could still be improved. This was his first time using it, and he actually relied on the gun so the technique didn’t blow up. He needed to train until he could use the Lightning Cloak without the gun's help. At that stage, Liu Xing was pretty sure the technique would become stronger after being absorbed by the gun.

He also needed to test his Explosion Fist technique, assess its power as a normal technique, and then assess its power with the gun. Ideally, he wanted to master this technique, but considering the backlash, Liu Xing would be happy if he could use it without blowing up his fist.

"Then and only then, I can go hunting spirit beasts."

Liu Xing nodded while putting a chest full of clothes inside. He didn't think it would take much time. Perhaps a month, maybe two months.

After putting all his belongings in the cave, Liu Xing came outside again. His lawn was now a mess, with grass covered in ice. Some had already melted, creating mud in the clearing in front of his cave.

He wanted to start training again, and while a training ground or the nearby forest was a more ideal place, Liu Xing was afraid someone would come and steal his cave again. That's why he took off his shoes and robe, standing only in his pants, feet sunk deep in the mud, and started to train right here and right now.

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As he adjusted his state of mind, he instantly smiled and his heart full of anticipation.

Trying new techniques was always exciting!

He cycled his qi according to the instructions of the Lightning Cloak Technique and started feeling tingles in all his body parts. The first time he failed to activate the technique, and so the second time, but he didn't stop and continued to train.

Day or night, he didn’t slack. He enjoyed using the technique. Even when he sometimes stumbled and fell, his face sinking into the mud, he would only get up and continue training with a smile.

Liu Xing remembered the last time he enjoyed something was when he trained day and night to prepare for an interview in Japan. At that time, Nui, Mamat, and Joni would check on him, sometimes bringing food, sometimes just to mess around.

While they weren't here, his gun, a gift from Nui, was here, and that was enough. Even if they were separated across universes, they were still friends.

And like that, two months passed by.

***

In the valley below the mountain, there's a river. This river is wide and deep, but the current is lazy, making it the perfect place to wash yourself. On the side of the river, there's a boulder the size of a hut. This boulder isn't supposed to be here, but Liu Xing dug it up from underground and carried it to this spot for his final training session.

Standing almost five hundred meters from the boulder, Liu Xing held his gun with his left hand, aiming at the giant rock that, when he squinted, looked like an elephant. He inhaled deeply and relaxed his mind. It had been two months, and Liu Xing was eager to hunt again.

"Alright, let's do it."

Liu Xing cycled his qi in a unique rhythm and activated the technique. Nothing changed visibly, not even his gun, but Liu Xing knew his Exploding Fist Lightning Variation technique was now settled inside the gun as a bullet.

Focusing his mind, Liu Xing aimed at the boulder in the distance. He relaxed his feet and shoulders, then pulled the trigger with full confidence. He heard a low hushing sound and saw a lightning bullet shoot from his gun. It traveled the five hundred meters instantly and hit the boulder dead center. Instantly, the sound of explosion reverberated and the boulder exploded into smithereens. One or two palm-sized chunks flew around, hitting trees and splashing into the water. The rest became a cloud of dust, spreading slowly like a lazy mist.

"Not bad, and that isn't even its full power."

Liu Xing could control the power of the Exploding Fist technique. When he used the technique manually with the same amount of qi, the explosion was pathetic, like a firecracker, but inside his gun, that firecracker became a full-blown TNT. He didn’t dare use the full power, afraid of the destruction it would cause.

Liu Xing felt proud of his progress. Almost two months ago, he was just a normal cultivator, but now he was probably one of the strongest in the outer sect.

Ending his training, Liu Xing started to walk to the sect. Now he was ready to hunt again, and he already knew the perfect place: a forest called Dragon Skull Forest.

As he walked, his stomach suddenly rumbled, making him stop. His destination was the Mission Hall, but since his stomach needed filling, he decided to stop by the Eating Hall.

The walk was uneventful, and soon he found himself in the spacious cafeteria. Since it was morning, the place was full of people. Some ate silently, but others talked, gossiped, and challenged each other loudly.

Liu Xing chose one of the lonely tables in the corner of the room, eating porridge made from spiritual rice that helped disciples cultivate. His eyes focused on his porridge, but his ears tried to digest the information around him.

Not far from where he sat, a group of disciples talked about interesting developments in the sect. Liu Xing seemed to remember some of their faces, which meant they were old disciples like him.

"This year's new disciples are abnormal, I tell you!"

"Yeah, I heard one of them is now at Lock Opening sixth stage, while two months ago he was just a measly third stage. His growth is absurd."

One of them snorted. "Even if they are geniuses, I, Lei Peng, will beat all of them black and blue like an elephant stomping worms!"

"What are you talking about? You're the least impressive among us. Only at Lock Opening fifth stage after years of cultivation."

"Watch your mouth! When I become an inner disciple, I'll make sure you're barred from becoming an inner disciple!"

"Alright, brother Lei Peng, we're sorry," said one of them, rolling their eyes.

They seemed quite close, and Liu Xing chose this group to eavesdrop.