Hey GUYS! It's been a long time I know. A lot of stuff has happened and it hasn't been very pleasant. I got sick for a whole straight week and I had to catch up on school work and tests. I was finally, with all the strength I could muster, complete this chapter. I hope you enjoy!
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Feng Yun had no idea of the events that had transpired when he had returned to his camp. The matters of the eagles had long since left his mind. However, he still remained slightly worried for that noble divine beast that was the mate of the Green Fanged Eagle to come and hunt him down. Of course, he had sufficient cover if the beast ever did try to investigate the killer. He was twelve years old and at the third level of the Xiantian Realm. This sort of strength would normally never be able to match up to the Green Fanged Eagle, whose cultivation was at the sixth level. Naturally, Feng Yun had methods and martial arts that could upgrade his strength to face opponents that were three levels higher than him but others did not know that. Hence, he held an advantage. Not only that, he had only told a select few about his adventure into the woods. Even the ones that knew would not even stop to think whether Feng Yun had been the culprit. He had a good alibi. He still had a bad feeling however, that eventually, the beast would find out about him and try to kill him.
Shaking his head and clearing it of the matter, he returned to camp. Upon reaching there, it was already evening and the many mercenaries had already went to dine. The atmosphere was filled with the shouts and noisy laughter of men celebrating together. Campfires had been lit up and the smell of roasting meat wafted over to every tent in the vicinity, drawing people closer until a large number of them had arrived. Feng Yun himself wasn't hungry however. He had just fought and his blood still boiled from the fight he had engaged in mere moments ago. Instead of joining the others to go eat, he sat down in his tent and cultivated silently, reflecting on the experiences and strength he gained from the recent fight. He spent quite a long time thinking and made significant progress towards the cultivation of his sword techniques. Even though he possessed an amount of combat experience from his previous life that many would be envious of, it was still not enough. He could not use the laws of his previous world to define this one. There were many things in this world that defied common sense, beings that defied common sense! Therefore, it was better to forge new combat experiences. Only by doing so would he upgrade his techniques to a higher level.
After reflecting for a while, Feng Yun exited his cultivation session and moved to find Xia Qing. He assumed that she would still be cultivating and attempting to break through to the third level of the Xiantian Realm as she was having trouble previously. Sure enough, she was there exactly as she was when Feng Yun had left. Her brows were crunched together and a slight frown emerged on her face. It seems that she was struggling a bit with the process. Feng Yun knew he shouldn't disturb her cultivation session so abruptly else it would cause harm to her body. Instead, he decided to emit Yuan Energy fluctuations from his body in a vibrant manner such that Xia Qing would notice it of her own accord and release herself.
WOOSH WOOSH!
The energy unceasingly flew out of his palms and enveloped her body, offering a warm yet strong aura. Xia Qing's eyes flickered slightly, her body seemingly having noticed the change that was happening around her. After a minute, the Yuan energy that she was circulating through her dantian came to a gradual stop and her beautiful eyes flew open. She looked around and saw the handsome young boy who was her childhood friend right in front of her. Her eyes revealed surprise and confusion. She could tell that the matter that Feng Yun wished to disclose to her was important else he would not have interrupted her cultivation. After all, she was at a critical point in her cultivation where she could break through to the third layer of the Xiantian Realm. This chance would pass soon if she didn't take it. If not, it may take even more time to break through. She gazed at him expectantly waiting for him to speak. He smiled and said,
"Xia Qing, you appear to be having trouble breaking through to the third layer."
"Indeed, I just can't seem to generate enough Yuan Energy for the condensation in my dantian to occur. Does you disturbing me have anything to do with that by any chance?" Her eyelids flickered incessantly as if expecting a positive answer.
"Your eyes are spot on. When I went hunting in the wilderness earlier a few hours ago, I has a fortuitous encounter. I met with a Green Fanged Eagle!" Feng Yun smiled brightly with satisfaction. Xia Qing was shocked. She too knew the significance of a Green Fanged Eagle as well.
"A Green Fanged Eagle? Was this a matured Green Fanged Eagle?"
"Yes it was, but I managed to kill it after exhausting a lot of effort. I even obtained the blood of the eagle as well!" Feng Yun took out one of the vials from his Manual and showed it to Xia Qing's whose eyes were bright once more out of the realization.
"Feng Yun, this is...this is incredible. You managed to defeat that famous beast? Furthermore, you even found it. I have read that it is extremely rare!"
"Yes yes, it was a lucky encounter. I have brought this vial of blood to you so you can have a higher chance of making a breakthrough. I too can most likely break through to the fourth layer as I have an extra vial." He handed the vial to Xia Qing, who gazed at it in her hands with an astonished expression. She turned to Feng Yun and thanked him sincerely for the gift. He merely waved it off and said that it was a trivial matter.
"After all, we are companions to each other. How can I not take care of you as well?" Feng Yun then left the scene to go cultivate the blood himself. He truly wished to see what sort of capabilities the blood possessed. Entering his tent once more, he sat down in a meditative posture, circulating the Yuan Energy through his entire body, providing a warm and refreshing sensation. After a few minutes of settling in to the cultivation session, he took out a second vial filled with the blood of the eagle. He held it in front of his head, pondering the step for using the blood to enhance his cultivation.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"Hmm, I believe the book said that warriors back then would take the blood and pour some water to dilute the taste as well as make it easier to consume." Feng Yun grasped a pitcher of water that was lying near him and carefully poured a few trickles of clear water into the vial. The water fused with the blood, making the original blood red color start to lighten up a bit. He then carefully raised the vial to his lips and downed the contents in one gulp.
GURU GURU GURU!
The entire vial was empty after a few seconds and Feng Yun placed the vial down. He licked his lips with an estranged expression on his face. Evidently, he had found the taste a bit weird and hard to ascertain. He forgot abut the taste after remembering that he had only a limited time to fully absorb the effects of the Green Fanged Eagle's blood. He seated himself into a meditative posture and once more circulated the Yuan Energy through the bridge between his dantian and meridians. This time however, the feeling was much different. He felt a slight tinge of pain run through his muscles as his body began to undergo a change. He was filled with endless vigor and his heart rate increased rapidly. He gained a slight green tinge to his skin color and the amount of Yuan Energy accumulation grew over time. It felt very good and gave him a calming feeling. He could feel his muscles growing in strength and his body being cleansed of impurities.
Soon, his dantian had become full and the Yuan Energy pumped into his veins, filling it to the brim. he had accumulated enough energy to break through. Feng Yun crunched his eyebrows together so that he could concentrate better for this was the point which required the most focus and control. He spiraled the energy into a vortex within his dantian and waited until it absorbed everything. Then, with utmost precision, he gently released the energy outside of his body, becoming much more powerful by the second. Faint distortions in the atmosphere could be felt as an incredibly strong Yuan Energy assaulted the air. The assaulting wave was like a terrifying wave that would not calm down. However, the wave did indeed gradually calm down after it lost its fuel. Feng Yun stood up and clenched his fists with satisfaction present on his face.
Xiantian Realm Fourth Layer!
He felt much more powerful than he had before. His strength had made a qualitative leap. The Green Fanged Eagle's blood had transformed his body such that he had more Yuan Energy reserves than most cultivators at his level. Furthermore, he felt extremely pure and clean. His body was untainted and contained no scars, his skin appearing to be as smooth as silk. His body had no impurities in its system and he was extremely healthy. This transformation could only be described as...shocking! The Green Fanged Eagle's blood had truly done wonders for his cultivation. Walking out of the tent, he surveyed his surroundings and found an extremely large boulder that likely weighed up to half a ton. Feng Yun leaped up to it and decided to test his strength against it. The boulder had a lot of mass and would take some effort for any other cultivator besides Feng Yun himself at the fourth layer.
He drew his hand back and charged rich and thick Yuan Energy into it. The palm gave off waves of power and could not be underestimated. When he had charged a sufficient amount, he thrust it at the boulder, fingertip first and collided with the rock's heavy surface. One would expect Feng Yun to be clutching his hand at the moment from the sheer force that the boulder contains but on the contrary, the opposite happened. The boulder shook for a few moments from the impact, its massive volume attempting to resist but they were futile. The surface of the rock began to crack slowly and soon, five long cuts extended themselves around the boulder, splitting through it like butter. The five individual pieces all fell to the ground, making large holes as they hit. Feng Yun's hand was not even the slightest bit injured. Rather, it still glowed with that holy white aura. Nodding with satisfaction at his new power, he left the area and headed over to check on how Xia Qing was doing.
When he arrived there at her tent, he noticed that the same aura that had appeared around himself, was appearing on Xia Qing, except to a lesser extent. Evidently, she had managed to make a breakthrough as well. She opened her eyes and smiled when her gaze landed on Feng Yun. Xia Qing stood up and strode over to Feng Yun, exclaiming in happiness.
"Feng Yun, I managed to make the breakthrough!"
"I see that. Great work. Coincidentally, I managed to make my breakthrough as well."
"Oh really. Damn it, the gap is getting bigger and bigger." She muttered softly to herself and seemed to be pouting. Feng Yun fortunately hadn't heard it and moved on.
"Have you experienced the benefits of the Green Fanged Eagle's blood yet?"
"Oh, not yet! I should try it." Xia Qing stood up from her earlier position and stretched her sore limbs, tired from the constant position she had been trapped in for the last couple days. She threw a fist in midair and was shocked to see that there was a large boom that accompanied the fist. The punch was clean and full of great technique. Feng Yun found himself nodding in approval. For Xia Qing, the effects of the eagle blood were about the same as Feng Yun's. Only, since Feng Yun's cultivation base was higher, the blood assisted hi to a larger extent. Xia Qing reeled back with wide eyes.
"Oh my god, the effects are amazing. My muscles are much stronger and my skin is a lot tougher! Even my punches come with more power." She seemed very excited about the new adjustment.
"Yeah, it is quite amazing isn't it. With this, both of us are more than qualified to pass the cultivation test of the Holy Continental Academy entrance exams."
Xia Qing nodded her head as realization dawned upon her. Anticipation was present on her face.
"Now that we have broken through our respective layers, it is best we rest for a bit. We will be continuing the journey soon." Feng Yun left with those final words and went back to his tent. He was quite satisfied with the outcome that had come of ingesting the blood of the Green Fanged Eagle. His strength had upgraded another level. He wasn't in a rush to get to the next layer of the Xiantian Realm so quickly. He would rather just wait and consolidate his power more before cultivating.