“I can only wait for a month, but during this month, I must seize the opportunity to advance my cultivation further.”
Meng Hao carefully placed the copper mirror into his storage bag. He knew that the mirror's extraordinary properties must absolutely never be revealed to outsiders; otherwise, not only would he be unable to keep it, but he would also face the disaster of being silenced to keep the secret.
Looking down at his body, he saw he was covered in filth. Previously, caught up in his excitement, he had ignored the grime, but now that his mind had calmed down quite a bit, he walked out to the river beside his cave residence to wash himself clean.
By the time he returned to his cave residence, dawn was already breaking. Meng Hao took out the Qi Condensation Manual and studied it carefully for a long time.
“At the second level of Qi Condensation, one can perform immortal arts. Next is the fifth level of Qi Condensation, where one can learn the Wind Walking technique, an immortal magic that allows a person to practically fly.”
Meng Hao closed his eyes, filled with anticipation for the flight of the fifth level of Qi Condensation. After a long while, he suddenly opened his eyes, raising his right hand and forming a loose fist facing upward.
In that instant, he immediately felt the temperature in the cave residence rise significantly. A few sparks even appeared on his right hand. To Meng Hao, who still maintained the mindset of a mortal, this sight immediately filled him with excitement, but the sudden shift in his emotions caused the sparks to dissipate.
Meng Hao hurriedly calmed his mind and circulated his cultivation base. However, by noon, despite casting it dozens of times, only sparks would appear, refusing to condense, and the spiritual energy in his body dissipated completely with each attempt.
“This Fire Snake Art is indeed somewhat difficult to cast.”
Meng Hao frowned, but his character was resilient. He did not lose his temper; instead, after meditating to recover, he tried again.
Night fell and dawn broke again. For two consecutive days, Meng Hao experimented, but failed time after time. This left him looking weary, his spiritual energy repeatedly dispersing and requiring him to meditate again and again to recover, but the determination in his eyes only grew stronger.
“I refuse to believe I can't cast this Fire Snake Art!”
Meng Hao gritted his teeth, slapped his storage bag with his right hand, and the demonic core instantly appeared in his palm.
Meng Hao knew that if he swallowed this core, as long as the mirror truly possessed miraculous properties and he had enough spirit stones, the only thing he would lack in the future was an object to replicate.
“I can't worry about that now. At worst, I'll just head back into the wild mountains to find another demonic beast.”
After a moment of hesitation, Meng Hao decisively popped the demonic core into his mouth and closed his eyes to meditate. The spiritual energy within his body erupted with a rumble, surging furiously through his entire body.
Time slowly passed. It was not until after noon that Meng Hao opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them. Although his cultivation base was still at the second level of Qi Condensation, it had advanced significantly.
“I estimate that if I can get three to five more of these, I should be able to reach the third level of Qi Condensation.”
While Meng Hao felt some regret, he also realized that the further one advanced in cultivation, the more difficult it became. This only made him look forward to the copper mirror's miraculous properties even more. He raised his right hand and made a grasping motion toward the empty air.
With this grasp, numerous sparks instantly appeared, condensing in Meng Hao's hand to form a fire snake only about the size of a finger, which radiated a scorching heat. At that same moment, Meng Hao discovered that nearly thirty percent of the spiritual energy in his body had been drained.
His face was pale, but his eyes shone brightly, and a smile played at the corners of his lips. Leaping out of his cave dwelling, he waved his right hand, sending the fire snake flying out to land on a massive tree.
With a loud *whoosh*, the great tree instantly burst into flames and was reduced to ashes in moments.
"I need to find an opportunity to show this off in front of the little fatty and make him green with envy."
At this moment, Meng Hao's heart swelled with grand ambition, and he let out a long laugh.
Time flew by, and more than half a month passed. During this time, apart from venturing into the wild mountains to search for demonic beasts, Meng Hao spent his time practicing the Fire Snake Art. His level of dedication even surpassed his past academic studies. Gradually, he became more proficient with the Fire Snake Art, reducing the time needed to gather spiritual energy before casting, though it still took a few breaths to fully condense.
Meanwhile, he had also secretly tried using the copper mirror on other sect members, but the mirror showed no reaction whatsoever. After several attempts with the same result, he gradually realized that the copper mirror only worked on furry beasts. Although it was a pity, he knew he was being overly optimistic.
However, during these past two weeks, Meng Hao had not encountered any demonic beasts in the wild mountains, causing his cultivation to stagnate somewhat. Fortunately, every time he practiced the Fire Snake Art, his cultivation base would drain completely and then recover, growing slightly stronger each time. However, this method was too risky to use in the wild mountains; Meng Hao only dared to do it within the safety of his cave dwelling.
"There are less than ten days left until the day of pill distribution. I need to venture deeper into the further wild mountains."
Making up his mind, Meng Hao set off early the next morning, rushing toward a stretch of wild mountains he had never explored before.
By the time night fell, Meng Hao had taken very few breaks and crossed countless mountain ranges. Finally, at the foot of a black mountain, he spotted a bear-like demonic beast.
Thanks to the Fire Snake Art and the formidable power of the copper mirror, the beast was subjected to nine consecutive explosions. Before its miserable shrieks could even fade, it collapsed in a pool of blood, dead.
After retrieving its inner core, Meng Hao was about to enter the black mountain when the hairs on his body suddenly stood on end. Not far ahead, he saw five demonic beasts with the heads of elephants and the bodies of tigers, staring coldly at him.
With the copper mirror, dealing with a single demonic beast was easy enough, but facing five at once was a feat Meng Hao knew he could not manage. He slowly backed away, his right hand gripping the copper mirror tightly.
Right then, a roar that shook the wild mountains erupted from the dark forests of the black mountain, transforming into a shockwave of air that rolled out in all directions. Meng Hao's face paled. Without a moment's hesitation, he retreated at top speed, fleeing the area without looking back.
Fortunately, the five demonic beasts did not pursue him, their figures melting back into the mountain and disappearing from sight.
"That roar felt just like the shout of Martial Uncle Shangguan I heard before. There must be plenty of demonic beasts in this black mountain, including some powerful demons."
Meng Hao cast a quick glance back at the black mountain. The more he looked at it, the more he felt the immense danger lurking within.
Ten days flew by. Using the black mountain as a boundary, Meng Hao explored many other mountain ranges during this time, but never encountered another demonic beast. Filled with regret, he treasured the bear demon's inner core in his holding bag even more, refraining from consuming it.
When the day of pill distribution arrived, the tolling of the bell echoed around. Meng Hao left his cave dwelling and stepped into the Outer Sect. A month ago, when he had last left, his cultivation base was at the first level of Qi Condensation; now, he was already at the second level. Although there was still some distance to the third level, Meng Hao thought that if the copper mirror's effects were real, his future cultivation would surely soar.
With a heart full of anxiety and anticipation, Meng Hao once again stood on the pill distribution square. Some of the surrounding fellow disciples looked toward him, clearly recognizing him.
Meng Hao's actions a month ago had caused quite a stir in the Outer Sect. However, his cultivation base was low after all, and with a month having passed, that shock had faded significantly.
This time, the pill distribution was not presided over by Shangguan Xiu, but by a middle-aged man instead. What was handed out was still a Spirit Condensation Pill and half a spirit stone, with no extra pills thrown out.
Putting the pill and the spirit stone into his storage bag, the moment the pillars of light around the square dissipated, Meng Hao retreated rapidly without hesitation. Sweeping his gaze around, he immediately saw many fellow disciples being blocked by nearby cultivators, clearly unable to keep their pills and spirit stones.
Perhaps Elder Sister Xu's influence on Meng Hao's behalf still lingered, and because Meng Hao retreated so quickly, only a few people cast cold glances at him, but none came forward to demand his pill and stone.