In the endless rain, the water-attribute Dou Qi, usually unseen, was exceptionally abundant. The earth attribute was suppressed deep within the sand, and the fire attribute was nowhere to be found.
However, in this exact situation, Xiao Feng sensed the aura of the fire attribute!
It was not far behind him.
He moved swiftly, crossing several miles in just a dozen breaths to reach the spot.
Beneath his feet, a rich fire-attribute aura was pulsing.
"Green Lotus Core Flame, I've finally found you!"
Xiao Feng did not hesitate. Using the rain as a cover, he mobilized his Dou Qi and blasted downward repeatedly, soon creating a deep, well-like opening. He bolstered his Dou Qi and leaped down, and the opening above was quickly buried by sand and rain.
Finally, after punching through a layer of stone wall at an angle, Xiao Feng saw the Magma Pool beneath him.
Petrifying the falling sand, Xiao Feng moved and landed at the edge of the opening.
First, he checked the food and water in his storage ring, then nodded with satisfaction.
He took off his clothes, took a deep breath, and walked toward the lava.
Compared to the Green Lotus Core Flame, Xiao Feng valued this Magma Pool more. Besides this place, he was also thinking about the underground world of Jia Nan Academy, the lightning pool in the Void Realm... Sensing a life force rapidly approaching within the lava, Xiao Feng smiled inwardly and sent a message via Soul Power, "Little Fellow, don't blame me for being impolite if you come any closer!"
Splash... The lava made a sound like flowing water, and a Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake rose from it. It held its body high, eyes on both heads staring at Xiao Feng simultaneously, its forked tongue flickering.
"Leave this place!"
The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake transmitted such a wave of consciousness.
Xiao Feng shook his head. "I won't disturb you, and you shouldn't disturb me. You should be able to feel that if we fight, you'll definitely be the one to die."
The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake was furious. It danced wildly in the Magma Pool for a while before finally retreating helplessly.
Watching the ripples on the lava gradually fade away, Xiao Feng refocused his gaze beneath his feet. "Even a fourth-tier Demonic Beast can roll around in there; I should be fine, right?"
Thinking this, Xiao Feng slowly dipped his foot into the lava.
Sizzle!!
A needle-like pain struck, and Xiao Feng instantly jumped back.
Looking down, his foot was cooked... He had already anticipated this result when he came. He directly took out a foot-soaking basin, poured the prepared medicinal liquid into it, and set up a small stool—talk about letting the flavor sink in!
This kind of pain from breaking and then rebuilding, rebuilding and then breaking again, was simply unbearable for a human, yet Xiao Feng stayed here for an entire year.
Except for a few trips out when his supply of medicinal herbs ran out, Xiao Feng spent a small portion of his time soaking in the lava, and the rest of the time almost entirely soaking in the washbasin.
In one year, by continuously using fire-element Dou Qi to temper his Physical Body and bones every day, Xiao Feng's Physical Body was now comparable to a fourth-tier Demonic Beast. If his Dou Qi were flowing, he could match a fifth-tier Demonic Beast without even using a Dou Technique.
If he erupted with full power, he wouldn't fear a sixth-tier Demonic Beast!
Of course, this didn't mean he could bathe in the lava.
The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake seemed to be a natural anomaly that didn't fear the aura of lava. Xiao Feng spent a year verifying one truth: he really wasn't as good as a snake.
"Time to go see the Green Lotus Core Flame." Dou Qi surged through Xiao Feng's body as he took a plunge into the Magma Pool.
During this time, he had also tried to find the true location of the Heavenly Flame. He had found it, but actually getting close was still difficult.
Flames covered the entire lotus platform, and the rest of the area was full of tentacles, leaving him with no place to stand.
Today, he decided to face the Heavenly Flame head-on!
After swimming for over two hours, Xiao Feng finally saw the green lotus platform again.
Taking a deep breath, he dodged those tentacles and stopped between the Heavenly Flame and the lotus leaves.
Looking at the flame capable of incinerating everything in the world, Xiao Feng exhaled a long breath and sat down cross-legged directly on the lotus leaf.
Even the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake didn't dare approach this place; it was truly a spot where no one would disturb him.
Finally, Xiao Feng had the time and space to sense all the information within the Legacy.
Why do Body Cultivators fear no enemy?
Because they possess the Great Momentum!
Talk of an unparalleled physique is just the outward manifestation. Because only an unparalleled physique can carry that Momentum, which is heavier than all things!
What is Momentum?
The falling of raindrops is Momentum; a striking punch is Momentum; surging Dou Qi is Momentum; a rising Formation is Momentum; a rushing river is Momentum; a collapsing mountain is Momentum... All things rise according to Momentum and perish because of it. Even with thousands of Daoist methods, one can only follow the Momentum.
What Body Cultivators Cultivate is Momentum!
"Since this Legacy is so powerful, why was it severed?" Xiao Feng had once asked the phantom.
The phantom smiled faintly. "The fact that you can strike with the Momentum of a fast punch shows you possess an equivalent Momentum. Perhaps you can also bear the Momentum of a rushing river, or even the Momentum of overturning mountains and rivers, but how many can bear the Momentum of a collapsing void, a crumbling heaven and earth, and the destruction of all things?"
The more powerful a Legacy is, the easier it is to be severed. Just like the great figures in history books; later generations know their life stories but cannot recreate their glory... Xiao Feng murmured to himself. For a moment, it was as if he understood something, yet also as if he understood nothing at all.
He slowly closed his eyes, recalling the words the phantom had spoken that day.
"Why do we form hand seals when we Cultivate? Why do we form hand seals when releasing certain Dou Techniques? Because only specific movements can form specific Momentum, making the violent Dou Qi more submissive. There is infinite Momentum in this world; we must continuously sense them, let our bodies touch them, and ultimately carry them..."
Xiao Feng activated the Soul Power Cultivation Technique from the Legacy, silently sensing the aura of the Green Lotus Core Flame, using his Soul to imprint the Great Momentum that had taken millions of years of tempering to form!
The scorching waves of fire continuously refined Xiao Feng's Soul. Accompanied by bone-piercing pain, his Soul strength grew slowly, bit by bit.
At the same time, the fire energy from the surroundings continuously surged toward Xiao Feng, sinking into his limbs, bones, and every blood vessel and acupoint.
The fire energy continuously replenished Xiao Feng's energy consumption. This one closing of his eyes lasted for two years.
"So hungry..."
When Xiao Feng reopened his eyes, they were practically glowing green with hunger. He kept pulling food out of his storage ring and stuffing it into his mouth. His lower abdomen was like a furnace; no matter how much he threw in, it never seemed full!
Suddenly, Xiao Feng shifted his gaze to the lotus seat, which was densely packed with lotus seeds.
At this moment, he didn't care about the burning of the Heavenly Flame at all. Xiao Feng reached out directly to dig them up and kept shoveling them into his mouth. In an instant, only a dozen or so of the nearly hundred lotus seeds remained.
The green flames flickered nearby, seemingly cursing Xiao Feng for being a bandit.
Xiao Feng reached out and patted the flames a few times, then let out a satisfied burp with a smile. Looking at his body, which had grown a size larger, and his shredded pants, he wondered, "I wonder how much time has passed... I hope I don't miss the Coming-of-Age Ceremony!"
As he spoke, Xiao Feng moved. His entire being drifted outside the green lotus seat like the wind. Immediately after, his figure flickered through the lava like lightning. In less than ten minutes, he reappeared at the position from two years ago.
"Little Fellow, how much time has passed?"
Xiao Feng asked the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake in the lava while changing his clothes. His Soul Power was now far more robust than before; he could even sense the aura of the Green Lotus from right here.
"Don't know!" the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake responded.
Xiao Feng shook his head with a wry smile. "I really am stupid. How would a snake understand time?"
As his voice fell, Xiao Feng stomped the ground. His body was like a bolt of electric light. With a thunderous boom, he actually crashed through the earth to create a tunnel leading to the surface, appearing directly before the yellow sands.
Whoosh!
A pair of wings manifested from Dou Qi appeared on Xiao Feng's back. With a slight flap, the Dou Qi within a dozen meters of him moved accordingly.
Xiao Feng retracted the wings and landed slowly on the ground. With a tap of his foot, he sped toward Stone Desert City like a streak of wild lightning.
"Old Mister, it's been a long time. How have you been lately?"
Xiao Feng appeared directly in Hai Bodong's shop.
The hand drawing the map trembled, and Hai Bodong slowly raised his eyes. "Just now, I sensed an aura suddenly appear from the east and then rapidly approach Stone Desert City. Could it be you, little brother?"
Xiao Feng laughed heartily. "Old Mister has extraordinary vision; I'm impressed. I'm in a hurry this time and won't disturb you for long. I wonder how long it's been since we last parted?"
Hai Bodong looked at Xiao Feng's ill-fitting clothes and became thoughtful. After a moment of deliberation, he said, "It has been three years."
"Three years already..." Xiao Feng nodded. The timing was still okay; he might even make it back to hear that line about 'Thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west bank.'
"Until next time."
With a wave of his hand, Xiao Feng vanished from before Hai Bodong's eyes.
The old man's brow twitched involuntarily. That movement was even a few points faster than during his Peak... "Master! You've finally finished your seclusion!"
The Great Eagle wandering near the Tagor Desert was very joyful.
Xiao Feng frowned. "Why are you still at the fifth tier?"
"I..." The Great Eagle tilted its head and glanced at Xiao Feng. "Master, can you say something human?"
Xiao Feng glared. "The cultivation method I taught you—the Dou Qi you absorbed in three years should be equivalent to your previous thirty years, right?"
"That may be so, but don't I need to find food during these three years? Don't I need to find a mate?" The Great Eagle also glared. It was already nearly at the Peak of the fifth tier; how could its master not notice?
Xiao Feng slapped his forehead. "I'll give you another half a year. If you still haven't reached the sixth tier, I'll castrate you myself."
The Great Eagle felt a chill between its legs and turned to run, looking like an oversized ground chicken.
"Come back here and take me back first."
"No, time is tight. Master, you can fly yourself."
"I'll give you an extra two months' grace period, deal?"
Only then did the Great Eagle breathe a small sigh of relief.
Carrying Xiao Feng, the Great Eagle first went to the Mercenary Town. When its massive shadow was cast on the ground, the entire town fell into chaos.
Xiao Feng sat on the eagle's back, silently watching below, in no hurry to show himself.
As the Great Eagle circled for the third time, the commotion below ceased, and two figures appeared—it was Tie Shan and Manni. Under their organization, the crowd below instantly became orderly, either seeking cover or readying bows and arrows.
Seeing this, Xiao Feng finally let out a small smile.
He patted the Great Eagle's head. "Go Cultivate on your own."
Then Xiao Feng flipped over and dropped from nearly a hundred meters high.
Boom!
A cloud of dust flew up.
"Hmm, two Dou Lings. Not bad."
Seeing the two of them holding weapons condensed from Dou Qi, Xiao Feng nodded.
Tie Shan and Manni's expressions shifted. Regardless of anything else, the fact that he dared to drop from nearly a hundred meters high relying solely on his Physical Body was enough to make them completely submissive.
The two exchanged a glance and knelt before Xiao Feng together.
"Greetings, Young Master!"
Xiao Feng nodded. "You two can be considered to have passed."
Manni and Tie Shan both gave wry smiles. Crossing a major rank in three years sounded very impressive and Divine Qi, but only they knew the hardship involved. In the final year, seeing that they wouldn't make it in time, they really ate medicinal herbs like meals every day and even slept while soaking in medicinal pools.
After changing into a set of fitting clothes in town, Xiao Feng looked at the two of them. "The strength of a Dou Ling isn't considered very high, but it's enough to barely venture out. I'll give you one month to hand over the affairs here and then leave this place. I don't care what method you use; in three years, I want to see four more Dou Lings."
"This..." Tie Shan and Manni showed hesitation, but it quickly turned into determination. "Yes, Young Master!"
Xiao Feng gave them some further guidance, correcting everything from their Cultivation Techniques to their Dou Techniques once more. The two felt as if they had received a great favor and were almost prostrate with gratitude.
"Is it still the same with Xiao Linger's side?" Xiao Feng asked.
Manni nodded.
"Then never mind her." Xiao Feng took a sip of tea. "You two go and get busy."
"Yes."
Xiao Feng set down his teacup and walked toward the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
After all, she was a girl he had raised; Xiao Feng still felt a bit uneasy.