Chapter 64: Rapid Advancement in Cultivation
Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Rapid Advancement in Cultivation
WHOOSH—
Zhu Ge moved with incredible speed, bursting directly out of the miasma-shrouded area.
However, quite a few Chong Ghosts tried to block his path along the way.
"It seems this Tiger God has been entrenched here for many years. It has no shortage of Chong Ghosts!" Zhu Ge lamented, glancing back at the mountain forest.
As the strongest being in the vicinity of Jianshan Village aside from Mr. Chong, the Tiger God had managed its territory for many years, and its "Believers" were naturally numerous.
If the Tiger God hadn’t wanted to avoid further complications, his escape likely would have been more troublesome.
He only had two wisps of Blood Qi in his body. If all those animals had attacked at once, his Blood Qi consumption would have been too great. He probably wouldn’t have been able to escape once both wisps were depleted.
However, Zhu Ge could also tell that the Tiger God must have been severely injured; otherwise, it wouldn’t have acted in such a manner.
"A paper tiger."
Zhu Ge saw the Tiger God for what it was.
It was thrashed when Mr. Chong was around, and it didn’t dare descend upon Jianshan Village when he was absent. It only reappeared after the Fungus God died, and was then driven away by the Second Realm Yu the Scholar.
And now, even Zhu Ge, who was merely at the Mid-First Realm, could leave the Tiger God helpless against him.
’It bullies the weak and fears the strong, greedy for life and terrified of death!’
But Zhu Ge also knew that the Tiger God surely possessed some secret methods unknown to others.
When the time came, he could use the Tiger God as if it were a normal Second Realm being.
"Since I can’t find Mr. Chong and the Tiger God is seriously injured, I’ll go practice my Martial Dao elsewhere and wait for the Raincoat Fisherman to come back for me..."
Zhu Ge muttered to himself.
Naturally, these words were spoken to the empty air.
After speaking, Zhu Ge went straight around the Tiger God’s mountain forest and continued onward.
When hungry, he hunted and roasted his food; when thirsty, he drank from mountain springs.
For more than ten days, he spent all his time in the mountain forests.
And this journey showed him the dangers that lay outside the settlements of the Human Race.
First Realm Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, and Monsters were everywhere!
Some were mantises that had become demons; Zhu Ge was nearly decapitated when he wasn’t paying attention.
Others were vines that had become spirits, saturated with fresh blood, their roots surrounded by scattered corpses.
There was also a small hill that was actually a Mountain Monster. Although it only had the aura of the First Realm, Zhu Ge didn’t even dare to get close, fearing he would be suppressed like Sun Wukong.
In short, the journey had been a real eye-opener for Zhu Ge.
Meanwhile, his Raging-Eyed Vajra Palm grew more and more proficient, each move connecting harmoniously with the next.
Even his normal palms and fists could now channel Blood Qi, producing astonishing explosive power.
If he were to encounter the bear he’d fought before, he estimated he could kill it with just two palms.
Gradually, however, Zhu Ge also discovered the shortcomings of this martial technique.
It had an excess of brute force but lacked adaptability.
It was suitable for fighting tigers and bears, but not for dealing with the likes of pythons and vines.
If Hua Xiaomei hadn’t used her enchantment earlier, Zhu Ge would have likely ended up as either food for a First Realm giant python or fertilizer for the vines.
This also made Zhu Ge realize that he was missing a suitable weapon!
But given his current circumstances, he had no way of digging a weapon out of the ground, so he could only continue to use his fists and palms as weapons.
RUSTLE—
Bamboo leaves drifted down as Zhu Ge sat cross-legged in a bamboo grove, regulating his breathing and calming his spirit.
It had been a very long time since his soul had last left his body.
But today’s scenery sparked an urge within him to have his soul leave his body and experience the world.
He resisted the urge.
"Brother, there’s definitely a Bamboo Spirit in this grove," Hua Xiaomei warned in Zhu Ge’s mind. "And it might even be at the Second Realm!"
A Second Realm Bamboo Spirit!
Zhu Ge nodded slightly. "Perfect. I feel my Blood Qi is coiled and ready to strike. Both wisps can be agitated further. Perhaps I’ll have a breakthrough."
The First Realm of the Martial Dao is called "Indignation."
Be it fury or hatred, this is the purest and most fundamental source of power for the Martial Dao.
Even a common man’s fury can make blood spill five paces away!
To break through in the Martial Dao, one can only fight!
Yu the Scholar began his studies at ten and only reached the First Realm after a decade of reading. He only reached the Second Realm because of the incident with the Fungus God and some guidance from Zhu Ge.
And Mr. Chong himself was stuck at the Second Realm for decades.
But what about Zhu Ge?
From the Early-First Realm to his current Mid-First Realm on the verge of a breakthrough, it had been just over a month.
Of course, this was partly due to the Great Sun Glaze Body refining his physical strength and generating Blood Qi, as well as the Raging-Eyed Vajra Palm providing him with a martial technique for his constant battles.
But most importantly, Zhu Ge had been holding a simmering rage deep inside him.
All these reasons combined were what led to Zhu Ge’s rapid advancement in the Martial Dao.
Zhu Ge hadn’t wasted a single moment, constantly dedicating himself to honing his Martial Dao.
’The stronger I am, the more likely I am to kill the Raincoat Fisherman!’
’Soon, soon, the one-month mark is approaching...’ The flames in Zhu Ge’s heart burned fiercely.
RUSTLE RUSTLE—
Just as he was thinking, the surrounding bamboo grove suddenly swayed in a rhythmic pattern.
"It’s here!"
Zhu Ge shot to his feet and smashed a roundhouse kick behind him.
BANG!!!!
A bamboo stalk instantly exploded, shattering into splinters that scattered everywhere.
HISSSSSS!!!!!
A horse-shaped bamboo creature with greenish-blue skin stood in the clearing, letting out a roar at Zhu Ge.
The horse-shaped bamboo’s hair was like bamboo leaves, its eyes were emerald green, and it was surrounded by illusory projections of bamboo leaves.
"Horse-shaped?"
Zhu Ge raised an eyebrow.
Demons, spirits, and monsters could all change their forms in the First Realm. Most that gathered near Human Race settlements would take on a human form.
But many Spirit Monsters would take the form of the strongest being in their vicinity.
In this Bamboo Spirit’s eyes, the strongest creature must have been a horse, which was why it had taken on a horse’s shape.
"I happen to need a mount. Let’s see if I can subdue you."
Zhu Ge stomped his right foot and leaped into the air. He gathered power in his right palm, a faint golden light flashing in its center as he struck out at the bamboo horse.
HISSS!!
The bamboo horse reared up, spikes growing from its jade-green bamboo forehooves as it kicked viciously at Zhu Ge’s palm.
"Nice one!"
Zhu Ge’s move didn’t change as he blasted his palm forward. Blood Qi swirled around his hand, forming a golden light that collided with the jade-green bamboo.
BOOM!!!
The collision created a shockwave, and both Zhu Ge and the bamboo horse were pushed back by the recoil.
"Such strength!" Zhu Ge was surprised.
Although the bamboo horse was shaped like a horse, its true body was just a bamboo stalk, yet its power was anything but weak.
But if Zhu Ge was surprised, the bamboo horse on the other side was even more astonished.
HISSSSSS!!!
The bamboo horse opened its mouth and let out a warning-like roar, then turned and fled.
"Scared?" The corners of Zhu Ge’s mouth turned up, and he immediately gave chase. "Don’t run! Be my mount!"
But in less than a minute, Zhu Ge couldn’t even see the bamboo horse’s shadow.
"What a pity."
Zhu Ge scanned his surroundings, but seeing no trace of the bamboo horse, he had to give up. "The time is about right. I should head back and wait for the Raincoat Fisherman to pick me up."
"I wonder how Big Belly Dog and Little Black Egg are doing with their training. If they’ve done well, the Raincoat Fisherman should accept them, right?"
With that, he started sprinting in the direction of Jianshan Village.
However, as he was muttering to himself, a wisp of red resentful energy seeped through the soles of his feet into the ground.
Not long after he left, the same bamboo horse slowly returned to the grove.
But as soon as it re-entered the grove, it seemed to discover something and began to roar nervously at its surroundings.
And a voice appeared in its mind.
"Do not panic. I have come to inform you of an opportunity."
"This month, we have united seventeen Second Realm and thirty-eight First Realm experts to execute the Human Race’s Jingzhe Official."
"That Jingzhe Official has countless Spirit Level treasures. Once he is slain, we will divide the spoils. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?"
"I am a Chong Ghost under the Second Realm Tiger God. You may call me ’Xi’."