Although Zhou Heng didn't want to sleep, he still forced himself to rest, as he was at a critical period of growing.
After sleeping till dawn, he hurriedly finished his breakfast and began to derive and ponder the Nine Forms Sword Techniques in his mind.
He didn't aim too high, focusing his attention only on the first form of the swordsmanship.
This was a step-by-step process; to practice the second form, one must first master the first. There was no skipping steps, a conclusion he drew after observing the Nine Forms Sword Techniques in his mind countless tis.
From morning until deep into the night, Zhou Heng was engrossed in understanding the first form, continuously smoothing out its profundities. With each execution, he gained new insights and beca more in tune with heaven and earth, with nature itself.
Despite this, he was still unable to execute the first form of the swordsmanship completely.
As the moon reached its zenith, Zhou Heng ceased studying the sword techniques and sat down cross-legged to cultivate the Fierce Sun Jue.
Hum!
At midnight, the Black Broken Sword vibrated on ti, releasing a great amount of free energy. Zhou Heng certainly wasn't shy about absorbing it, sucking it in as greedily as a whale. In half an hour, he had soaked up all the energy, and his cultivation level had risen substantially.
"At this rate, I only need five to six days to reach the peak of the First Layer of Body Refinent!" Zhou Heng couldn't hide the joy on his face.
Although he had not a clue about the Black Broken Sword, that didn't stop him from making conjectures. For the past ten years, the sword had been absorbing the True Yuan Force he cultivated, seemingly constructing a key.
Once enough True Yuan Force was amassed, the key was forged, unlocking the ultra-ability of the Black Broken Sword, passing onto him the mysterious and profound Nine Forms Sword Techniques, and providing him with a large amount of free energy each day.
The past ten years were an exceedingly long test. Had he beco disheartened and given up midway, he would never have witnessed the results he was seeing now!
Fortunately, he had persevered; otherwise, he would have led a futile life, becoming a legitimate waste.
"Plum blossoms bloom most vibrantly amidst harsh winter." After ten years of lying dormant and enduring, Zhou Heng had cultivated imnse patience and forged an incredibly firm will.
He had indeed started ten years later than others, but as long the Black Broken Sword continued to work its miracles, he needed only four months to catch up! After that, his path of cultivation would be countless tis broader than that of others!
"The year-end celebration is in three months. I wonder how many people are waiting to see made a fool of, to be struck from the family records!"
"For so many years, this image of as a good-for-nothing has deepened in people's hearts. Who has ever looked at with any respect?"
"Countless tis I've imagined standing proud in front of everyone one day, using facts to fiercely slap their faces. Now, the opportunity has finally arrived!"
"The year-end celebration will be my mont of astonishnt!"
"Continue studying that mysterious swordsmanship!"
Suddenly, three days had passed, and the Black Broken Sword did not disappoint Zhou Heng. Every midnight, it released a copious amount of free energy, allowing him to smoothly advance his cultivation to the Peak of the First Layer of Body Refinent.
Next, it would be breaking through a minor realm; without crossing this threshold, his cultivation could not advance even an inch.
Relatively, such a breakthrough was easy, all being within the Skin Refinent Realm. With sufficient force, one could break through in one fell swoop without much difficulty. However, breaking through a great realm was very difficult; just the threshold of the Flesh Refinent Realm alone was enough to dishearten ninety percent of martial artists.
In just an hour, Zhou Heng felt lighter all over and had already advanced to the Second Layer of Body Refinent.
"This easy?"
"Although it's easy to break through minor realms, isn't this a bit too effortless?"
After the breakthrough, Zhou Heng didn't feel any increase in strength, which was normal. Advancing through realms only provided space for further improvent. The benefits would be slowly reflected through accumulated cultivation, not instantaneously.
He had nad the mysterious swordsmanship Sky-soaring Nine Forms. Although he spent most of his ti practicing the first form each day, he still hadn't been able to reproduce it successfully despite spending a month trying! Was he too dull or were the Sky-soaring Nine Forms too exquisite?
He couldn't display the Sky-soaring Nine Forms in front of others, so Zhou Heng stopped going to the square. Every day, he would stay in his yard, swinging a wooden sword like a madman from ti to ti.
His absence convinced the Zhou family's younger generation that he knew he couldn't reach the Flesh Refinent Realm before the year's end, so he had given up the struggle and, unsurprisingly, they mocked him.
Naturally, Zhou Heng didn't care about others' opinions. He just lay low quietly, waiting for the day to erge from his cocoon as a butterfly.
Ten days later, he pushed his cultivation to the late stage of the Second Layer of Body Refinent. Just another two or three days and he could reach the peak, ready to break through to the Third Layer of Body Refinent! What excited him more was that he had finally made a breakthrough in practicing the Sky-soaring First Form, managing to execute half of it with difficulty.
Without a sparring partner, Zhou Heng had no way of knowing the power of this half-completed sword form and couldn't just find soone within the Zhou family to spar with at will. He had to practice alone continuously.
"It will take at least half a month before I can fully execute this form!" Zhou Heng couldn't help shaking his head. Just one sword form required a month's ti to execute initially. Was it his own lack of talent, or was the Sky-soaring Nine Forms simply too mysterious?
"If I can't spar with family mbers, then I'll go to the Pingtian Mountain Range to find wild beasts to practice! Only through true life-and-death combat can the usage of sword technique be improved. This is experience, sothing no one can teach!"
"But I must reach the Flesh Refinent Realm first," he said, "otherwise it'll be too dangerous!"
"Calm your mind!"
Zhou Heng stopped thinking about those matters and dedicated himself to rigorous training in swordsmanship; as a result, his cultivation level's advancent beca quite simple—it just required him to spend half an hour each day refining the wandering energies released by the Black Broken Sword.
If others knew that he could match a month of an ordinary person's hard cultivation with just half an hour of practice each day, it would certainly turn anyone green with envy!
After ten years of being scorned, Zhou Heng finally reaped a weighty harvest.
Another two days passed, and he reached the peak of the Second Layer of Body Refinent. In just a little over an hour, he broke through once again, entering the Third Layer of Body Refinent.
Counting the ti, it had been just nineteen days from start to finish!
The speed was astonishing!
Zhou Heng didn't get carried away with pride. Although he was advancing fiercely in his cultivation, his starting point had been too low. Showing off a Third Layer of Body Refinent was hardly anything to be proud of.
According to the laws of the Zhou Family, if one hadn't reached the Flesh Refinent Realm by the age of eighteen, they would be expelled from the family records. This showed just how pathetic Zhou Heng's cultivation level still was, far from eting the bare minimum requirent.
In the blink of an eye, the scorching heat of September was already behind, and the crisp, cool atmosphere of October had also passed halfway. Zhou Heng's cultivation level continued to advance rapidly, having reached the peak of the Third Layer of Body Refinent and now facing his first major challenge since he began his cultivation journey.
The breakthrough into a Great Realm!
Zhou Heng had thought it would take at least ten days, or even longer, since his exceptionally talented father had taken nine whole days. But unexpectedly, he crossed that threshold in just half a day!
He was stunned for a good while before he could accept this fact. Then, looking back, Zhou Heng realized it wasn't without reason.
This was because he had incessantly studied the Sky-soaring Nine Forms over the past month. Even a slight inspiration was like understanding the most profound truth in the world—nothing remained a mystery before his eyes.
The Black Sword was absolutely a treasure of the highest grade!
On the path of Martial Path, the first major hurdle is the accumulation of True Yuan Force. However, rather than a difficulty, it's more about ti consumption. Theoretically, as long as one is willing to spend the ti, they will eventually reach the peak of a certain realm—except for Zhou Heng's unique circumstances where his True Yuan Force would be absorbed.
The second hurdle is naturally the breakthrough into a Great Realm. That is truly life-threatening!
Accumulating True Yuan Force only requires ti, but the breakthrough into a Great Realm requires one's perception. If you don't get it, you just don't get it—you could be stuck there for the rest of your life!
From this perspective, perception is actually more important than diligence!
Therefore, on the path of Martial Path, those who reach the pinnacle are usually geniuses. There are also instances of diligent people reaching high peaks, but they must have encountered great fortunes; otherwise, no amount of hard work would be enough.
Yet the Black Sword had solved both of these issues at once!
The hardship and indignity he endured over the past ten years were not in vain!
It was ti to go to the Pingtian Mountain Range!
A Martial Artist who has not undergone real combat can only ever be at the level of theory. In a life-or-death struggle, they might not even be able to exhibit one-tenth of their power before dying under the enemy's blade.
Experts are not trained, they are made through battle!
Zhou Heng packed his belongings, shouldered an iron sword, and quietly left the Zhou Family. He stepped out of Origin Stone Town and entered the dense forest within the vast Pingtian Mountain Range.
When was the last ti he left Origin Stone Town?
Rembering, Zhou Heng thought back to his childhood when his father had once taken him into the Pingtian Mountain Range to hunt Demon Beasts. But ever since his "condition" that prevented him from cultivating had developed, his father, Zhou Dinghai, started traveling the world in search of Spiritual dicine for him, naturally leaving no ti to accompany him.
Where was his father now? Zhou Heng couldn't help but be overwheld with a strong sense of longing.
The Pingtian Mountain Range was vast; as for how vast, Zhou Heng wasn't sure. All he knew was that not only were there nurous wild beasts in these mountains, but also the existence of Demon Beasts!
Demon Beasts were wild beasts capable of cultivating naturally. They could enhance their own bodies either by absorbing the essence of the sun and the moon or by predating on each other. The energy within their flesh far exceeded that of ordinary beasts, making them a great nourishnt for Martial Artists.
But Demon Beasts were also extrely dangerous. Just as humans were no match for fierce tigers, Martial Artists of the sa realm were no match for Demon Beasts. Zhou Heng wanted to reach the Flesh Refinent Realm before entering the Pingtian Mountain Range to avoid facing Demon Beasts, creatures he couldn't contend with.
Half a day later, he found himself deep in the forest, surrounded by the roar of tigers and the calls of monkeys—a place filled with primitive vitality.
"Roar—" With a bellow, a huge black bear burst out of the bushes and pounced toward Zhou Heng with a swipe of its paw.
Zhou Heng couldn't help but show a look of excitent. With a tallic ring, his sword unsheathed; the Sky-soaring First Form was already flowing through his movents.
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