That afternoon, Xing Yi arrived home drowsy. He struggled to keep his eyes open and groaned in despair when he realised, he still had one more thing to do. Taking a few trips down to the river, he filled up a large wooden tub with water.

Then, grabbing a handful of various spiritual herbs from his herb cabinet, he tossed them inside the bath. Then, Xing Yi stripped down and hopped inside.

A herbal bath. Using spiritual herbs to nourish exhausted muscles and meridians, it healed and strengthened the body. To create this herbal bath, the ingredients required were worth one spirit stone. With just a few uses, there would be no noticeable results. But with regular use over a long period of time, the results would be extraordinary.

That was thirty spirit stones a month but with how much Xing Yi was currently making from pill refining, it was nothing to worry about.

Xing Yi had stumbled upon this strengthening technique early on when he voraciously read the books in the library to transcend his earthly cultivation. He didn’t find the answers he was looking for but found some that he didn’t know he wanted.

The book he had borrowed after recovering at Small Leaf Valley was the Eight Primordial Herbal Baths. Described within the book were eight baths that would help strengthen the body, each successive herbal bath being stronger than the last.

The last herbal bath was meant for even mid to late Nascent Soul level cultivators.

This strengthening technique wasn’t necessarily an earthly cultivation and could be used by both paths. However, as the strength of the baths increased, so did the cost. Just a single bath of the 5th level herbal bath would set him back over one-hundred spirit stones.

For something that needed to be used over a long period of time to see results, it wasn’t very cost effective.

But it was said by the author of the book that if they successfully cultivated a physique using all eight herbal baths at the appropriate cultivation stage, they would be able to punch a hole in the heavens and withstand heavenly tribulation in their sleep.

In the future, Xing Yi didn’t truly see himself using all eight herbal baths to increase his physique. But, if he happened to have enough wealth to splurge, he wouldn’t bat an eye.

Xing Yi exited the bath after half an hour, noticing that the bath’s efficacy had immediately declined in the last few minutes. After he dressed himself back up, he noticed that the originally green liquid had turned a dull grey. And it was starting to stink really bad.

Picking up the cauldron with ease, he tipped its content into the Black Cauldron, allowing it to recover overnight.

About three months ago, Xing Yi had been having these herbal baths everyday and noticed that his strength was skyrocketing.

Cleansing his impurities was like relieving a weight off his shoulders. While strengthening his body using the herbal bath made his body stronger. It was a two-way increase in the strength of his physique.

Major changes were being made on a weekly basis.

Peeking under his robes, he spied abs. His arms had started filling out his robes, and he noticed the connection between his mind and muscles had become closer and closer.

He went to bed only moments after his head hit his pillow.

The next day, Xing Yi went about his day as he usually did.

He refined a few pills, cultivated in closed-off meditation, and poured over the notes in his books. However, when it was just past midday, he made his way over to Que Zhi’s residence, to train with him once again.

The path he took was quite secluded as he lived on the edge of the sect and was out of the way as Que Zhi also lived in a place far out of the way.

Most of the sect lived near the centre of the sect and in a place like his home, he would see no one for many days unless he travelled further into the mountain range. It also acted as a decent warmup before his training since he ran all the way there.

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It didn’t take too long either. It only took him fifteen minutes to get there.

However, it was as he was running down a certain stretch of the forest path that three figures appeared from bushes at the sides.

They all looked very young. They were all the same height as him and still had baby fat on their face. They were probably the same age as Xing Yi, maybe even younger. From the looks of it, they were disciples that had entered the sect at the start of the new years a few months ago.

At most, they would be at the 2nd layer of Vessel Cleansing.

“Is this him?”

“Of course it’s him!”

“Shut up, who told you to speak?”

“Sorry-“

“Stop blabbering, he’s looking at us.”

“Hmph, idiot.”

The three argued amongst themselves before one of them came forward and crossed his arms. He looked at Xing Yi menacingly.

“Hand over everything you got and we’ll leave you with just a light beating,” The young boy smirked.

Xing Yi froze up for a moment, but his many months of extended meditation and yesterday’s training came back to him and reassured him.

This is really happening, Xing Yi thought.

He had been under the radar for the long time and had existed as just a rumour for a long time but with his public beating, some of the other disciples would come looking for trouble.

Plain old extortion, stealing, and beating other disciples was not allowed, but if one happened to offend another cultivator or was caught somewhere that a supervisor, teacher, or elder were, then it would be overlooked.

And Xing Yi didn’t have any more time to react when the three came over in tandem, smiling and laughing.

“Oh look, he’s scared!” One of them said with a mocking smile.

Xing Yi didn’t deny it. He was scared.

But, as Xing Yi took in a deep breath and remembered how much stronger he had grown, he made the resolution to right back.

His body shaking, and his eyes wide open, he assumed the first form of the Flying Baboon Style, ‘Flying Baboon Gouges the Eye’.

His legs split into a lunge and his shoulders and arms raised up in a weird hunch, adrenaline coursed through his body and his heart thumped through his chest as the start of the fight came closer.

Obviously, the three had underestimated him as they didn’t bring out any of their spiritual armaments and thought their fists and qigong were enough.

The one leading at the front walked over casually, as if he was stealing from a baby and lunged forward with a uniform, straight punch.

Now!

Kicking the front leading cultivator’s face with Flying Baboon Gouges the Eye, his foot flexed, it connected and caused the young man to fly several meters to the side. His face was bloodied and the bones on the side of his face had been broken.

For a moment, the young cultivator laid there limp on the ground, seemingly unconscious. The other two cultivators were shocked and could only stand still, unable to believe what they had seen.

Not missing this critical chance, Xing Yi bound forward with Southern Dragon Whips Its Tail, crossing the gap in a single step. The cultivator summoned a flying sword from his storage pouch. Not having enough time to clasp his hands together, he formed a one-handed gesture.

His silver sword swung through the air, threatening to kill.

Xing Yi, with his quick reflexes, narrowly dodged the sword to the side and used Flying Baboon Grabs the Peach, his arm reaching forward like lightning. He grabbed onto the young man’s wrist and with Southern Dragon Greets the Sun, they rose into the air.

The other young boy’s face was pale.

“What are you doing!” The young boy shouted as he flailed around, punching Xing Yi in the face and chest.

As the sword was redirected back into the air to follow Xing Yi and try to cut him again, Xing Yi kicked back in a circular motion with Flying Baboon Gouges the Eye, sending the sword flying backwards.

Southern Dragon Dives Into The Ocean.

Xing Yi and the young boy, left without any more options, were brought back to the ground with a slam. Xing Yi landed on top of the other boy and with a leading punch that caused him to recoil and spit blood.

But he wasn’t done. The third boy had a face of horror. He stepped back while screaming at the top of his lungs. “I-It’s a monster! He’s possessed by a demon!”

Xing Yi stood there, standing over the unconscious bodies of the two cultivators. He didn’t continue as the third showed him no aggression but this changed as the third swept his arm to the side, causing the earth to protrude from the ground and strike Xing Yi in the side.

Xing Yi coughed air as he rolled several meters away. It was a sharp pain, but it was nothing he couldn’t overcome.

Using Southern Dragon Whips Its Tail to close the gap again, the third boy summoned several sharp balls of earth and sent them whizzing forward. Xing Yi dodged the first with a nimble step. For the second, he was hit square in the shoulder, but was left unscathed due to his tough, resistant skin.

The third he dodged once more. But the fourth and fifth hit him in the face and leg.

He almost stumbled on the fifth but had closed the gap by then and used his forward momentum in a Flying Baboon Gouges the Eye. Right before his foot hit the cultivator, he summoned a thick armour of earth that protected his body.

But Xing Yi was stronger. The earth crumbled away like gravel, and he sent him flying away just like he had done with the first boy. He too was knocked unconscious.

As Xing Yi stood, gasping for air and his rapidly circulating qi and heart slowed down, he looked around in amazement at what he had done. Despite the potential trouble he could get in for this, he couldn’t help but smile.

Even if they were but tiny rats that had attempted to bite off his skin, he was proud of himself.

Throughout his long journey of pain, he had finally found salvation. He wasn’t the weak one anymore. He wasn’t just a helpless ant at the mercy of the world, but a hidden dragon that possessed frightening strength.

He wanted to live in this moment for as long as he could.

But first, he had to run.