Little microscopic traces of metal could be found around the bone now. The same type of metal as the seed in his chest stuck to the surface with lines of incomplete inscription patterns that matched the Fire-lighting Body.

Weak skin burned and charred before turning into dust. Fingers broke and repaired themselves as they grew in thickness a little. Fingernails were shorter but now thicker than before as inklings of a Beast Martial Technique were learned.

Tang Bo and Xiao Mei looked on in shock. Neither one had seen someone' breakthrough so painfully before. Both watched as blue-white lines that followed the nervous system appeared on his body and then receded. Neither cared about what that was. After all, if they needed to know he would tell them at this point.

Without going into the Flame Vortex Core to be grounded down and reformed, he did not receive the information about the refined material offered fully. But he did receive something else. Just needed time to digest it more.

Hours passed as Leroy cultivated. Tang Bo and Xiao Mei ended up getting to know one another as best they could. Tang Bo not giving his name but letting her know he was part of a Noble Family at least.

*Fwish!* A swirl of Qi around the head had Leroy smiling. The feeling of his Flamelighting Dantian completely recovered was great. The Qi flow was much better and the Qi Refining Realm was more compact in a way overall. The Qi gas state that it was in looked more dangerous and harder to look through.

If it was outside one would be able to stand on it without much effort. Slowly Leroy was able to put together when he broke into the Foundation Building Realm, the Qi Pillars he would make would be outstanding and something quite splendid to see.

That is not to say what the Flame Vortex Core would produce wouldn't be but the Flamelighting Dantian just was easier to understand. Most likely to do from the information refined from those he offered into the Flame Vortex.

Spatial Sense at the second level reached over a mile in circumference like a Dome. Combined with Metal Seed which picked up weird Qi flows of those with thick blood, he almost had an active radar grid.

With some fine-tuning, he would be able to use it for mining at the lowest and advance recon at the highest. His mind burned as the Qi Refining V Rank made his thinking much clearer but the flaws in his body were easier to pick out.

The more he improved, the more he understood that physically there was more improvements besides what he thought medically. For cultivators had a much broader scope when definitely making their bodies better.

One thing he did understand from the Flame Vortex Core rising in Rank, is that he had a method to gain benefits if he was still doing Breakthroughs like the Body Tempering Realm higher states. To break into the Body Tempering 10th Realm while gaining no losses such as the routes of the body becoming narrower and resisting Outside Qi in favor of Blood Qi made from within.

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Sometime later-

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Xiao Mei took off to do her task that was assigned around this time. Directed by Leroy to where a few of the others could be from her Noble House. She made sure to be careful as she left the area as it would be really bad to die when going out to save others. Giving Tang Bo a longing look before departing.

Leroy just grinned at the possible young lovers brought about from a desperate life struggle. Teasing him that the mysterious look was working for him. Going over a few plan changes, Tang Bo did not like the sound of some of it but understood a few of the Clear Tang Family members wouldn't survive by the looks of it. Not unless they listened and clung to reason once found.

The information that came in from students who found them was disheartening. Tang Xui had gone missing and this made him very upset overall.

Leroy was heading through the area to hopefully get a drop on a person attacking Jasmine around for the last few minutes. If not for his recent breakthrough he definitely would not have been able to find her location.

Hopefully, if the Champion saves her ass he can get a few rewards to help his cultivation further. Tang Bo ran behind him the moment they were far enough from the makeshift campsite sentries. Happy to be out of the Internal Space at this time really from that brief moment he was in it.

Something about the fresh air tasted even better to him and the conditions of the place Leroy sent him to were a little frightening compared to before. Putting it as he was now more from breaking through he didn't pay attention it was not a treasure that kept him safe but Leroy himself.

"The 6th Rank of the Qi Refining Realm is amazing. I feel so powerful." Tang Bo gave Leroy a masked smile. Despite having a higher cultivation, he still felt he would lose against Leroy in a fight still. But during the fighting, as they traveled the area, he noticed Leroy went for the kill instantly when hunting demonic beasts. 'Is that what I lack? The intent to kill without flinching?'

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"Good, it only gets better from what I hear. We just need to get to higher levels to survive easier." Leroy did not look back as he kept his eyes on the surroundings. They were after all still outnumbered. A true Demon Beast Stampede could still happen, thus he kept whittling numbers down. "Just make sure you keep covered. The element of surprise is the best for now."

"Understood." Tang Bo nodded and focused on getting into a battle mode. "Hmm?"

The two came upon a conflict a few minutes later. Princess Jasmine was fighting against what looked to be a Demonic Bear of sorts. Considering her Specific Beast Martial Arts that was highly unlikely to occur.

Beast Martial Artist gave off a smell that caused Demonic Beast of the same type or affiliation to tread carefully. A Beastial instinct that let one another know it would be dangerous to contend in a fight.

Chu Xue and Victoria came up from a dense pack of trees from the side a few moments later. It was really odd for the timing of the two compared to Leroy who came this way while fighting specifically.

Since each of them spotted the other, there was no reason to pretend. Leroy and Tang Bo moved to provide backup to Princess Jasmine. Something about the Demonic Beast unnerved Leroy.

If one looked to the side one would see two dead teachers and that was quite the thing since the Beast Princess happened to be the principal's student. The blown-out chest cavities from her forceful fists were quite the sight.

"It is an Undead Beast Summons.." Leroy muttered after crossing blows with the Demonic Bear and finding the disturbing Qi. The bear despite its size was not intimidating but its qi was the same as Antilife Qi. It charged forward to rip them all apart with renewed vigor. "Take the time to recover Jasmine, I will deal with this." He signaled for Tang Bo to search the area for anyone else. 'Somebody is moving really fast around us, can't get a good reading with demonic beasts moving about too.'

Tang Bo shot off as he wanted to find the Clear Tang Family members still anyway. Leroy delivered a heel kick to the demonic bear then a flaming hook towards the gut to send it to the side. Ready to try to see the results of some new techniques he learned when his cultivation increased.

The instinctual techniques inside the Flame-lighting Dantian were easier to use but not as powerful as the learned techniques. It was odd since others said it was the opposite for the Demon Beast that took on human form.

*Fwish!* The Champion's entire right arm lit up in blue-white flame. Small traces of electricity flowing through as it sparks every now and then. Something in the air was churning towards Leroy but he had no control over it.

"Bet I can kill you!" Leroy shouted in a blatant taunt loudly. The undead summon continued its charge as it rose up. Leroy jumped over as it tried to tackle him to the ground. His hand raked down its back trying to gauge out its spine or at least the nerves. His fingers spread to cut more of the flesh with his flames when the hide turned to thick in resistance. 'This is just what I need to test my strength!'

The fur on the bear caught fire when he landed. It reared back on its hind legs as it turned around with a brutal downward swipe. Not really moving in patterns of a demonic beast. A bit of a human element to it. With another mighty swipe, it carved a trench into the ground with its paw. Dirt flying all over with rock swatted away.

"I will help!" Chu Xue shouted as he charged forward without thinking. "Woah!" He ducked under a swipe from the bear that focus immediately shifted to him. Moving around to the side, the Life Martial Artist caught that the Qi-powered strike was much weaker than when it struck at Leroy. "Tch!" Frustrated he delivered a blow to the undead beasts' side. His fist was covered in ice a little.

*Bang!* The blow rocked the bear just a bit. But that was not the problem. The special properties of his ice caused the fire to die down a bit. The tainted Antilife Qi that slipped into the attack made it stronger and allowed it to overcome the Qi in the fire by Leroy.

"Boi, which side are you on!" Leroy shouted at him rhetorically. "Go defend Jasmine! She was the target of this thing!" As he took a few steps away, it was time to test the Flame-lighting Martial Arts a little more. "Let's try a flare up!"

*Fwoossshhh!* A torrent of flame shot out of Leroy's outstretched arms. It consumed the bear but didn't look to do much damage. Pouring more qi into the attack, he watched as the lighting kicked up a bit. Another arc traveled down his arms and fed the stream.

"Grrooo!" The bear let out a weird howl. It then charged through the flamethrower jaws wide open. Its eyes flashed oddly when the lightning hit it. The bear was wracked in a small seizure as it tripped into sliding forward. The lighting causes its muscles to spasm out of control.

Unknown to Leroy the lighting just disrupted the communication between the beast and its summoner.

'Neat.' Leroy could feel the drain the lighting caused in a stream. He would need to be mindful of that. "Still need to kill it!" With a lunge, he moved to strike the head. Qi focused on his fingertips almost like a claw.

"Rawwwrr!" The bear gave a roar as met him head-on. Even tackling him and pushing the Champion back briefly. With a surge, it went to maul him with a furry of swipes. "Rawwww!"

Leroy smacked away each swipe trying to cut it's paws apart. For each cut he got in, a large amount of qi was needed to deliver another one. The close proximity allowed the bear to get a lick in as it bit down into his shoulder.

"Grrr!" Giving a painful growl back himself, Leroy felt a type of liquid get into him. He immediately circled his qi to burn it off and started stabbing into the bear to get free with reckless abandon. "Get off me, I am not into this shit!"

Before he could deliver a death blow, trouble reared its head.

"Stay back!" A robed figure had attacked Victoria, Jasmine, and Chu Xue out of nowhere.

A few burn marks let Leroy know the person had run into Tang Bo at least. The way the burn marks blistered showed extreme irritation that a regular Flame Martist could not produce. Unless they had a mutated Dantian or corresponding technique.

"Jasmine, are you ok?" Victoria was sweating a lot after blocking the sneak attack. The Qi in her body was disrupted a little and caused a backlash from her improper blocking. "Junior Brother Chu Xue hurry and heal her!"

The Life Martial Artist was someone conflicted as he was having trouble keeping his Life Qi focused and kept slipping to Antilife Qi. Princess Jasmine was a noble and despite the closeness he felt sometimes with her it didn't change their stations and what she stood for.

This of course was a bad time to think about what Pin Feng and Chan-Yeol told him.