"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, the Thunder Beast moved and dove straight into Chu Feng's heart. Chu Feng felt no pain—only a shudder running through his body, as if every inch of him had gone numb.
But even so, Chu Feng could clearly sense that the blue Thunder Beast was disintegrating within his heart, splitting into countless tiny threads of blue lightning that flowed out through his blood vessels and rapidly claimed every drop of his blood, merging into it.
At that moment, Chu Feng could feel that his entire body—his Dantian included—was undergoing a cataclysmic transformation. His eyes grew sharper; he could now see clearly even in pitch darkness. His hearing grew keener; he could pick up the faintest rustle of wind outside.
His body was stronger, his power greater. Every part of him had fundamentally changed.
He could feel it—the Mystic Force that permeated his surroundings, that filled the heavens and the earth. That was right. Chu Feng had broken through, successfully stepping into the Xuan Wu Realm. But it was far from over.
Right now, the seven Thunder Beasts within his Dantian were also undergoing metamorphosis. The Mystic Force they had devoured was being converted into an entirely new power that fused into Chu Feng's body. Under this transformation, his cultivation continued to climb.
First stage, second stage, third stage—Chu Feng broke through to the third stage of the Xuan Wu Realm in a single leap, leaping straight from the ninth stage of Yuan Martial to become a cultivator at the third stage of Xuan Martial.
"I did it! I did it! Egg, did you see that? I did it!!" Chu Feng was wild with joy, a look of unprecedented ecstasy erupting across a face that had only moments ago been clouded with worry.
"Haha, impressive! Even stronger than expected—you jumped straight to the third stage of Xuan Martial. Right now, kid, you don't need to borrow my power anymore. You can dominate the Xuan Wu Realm on your own."
Egg was equally radiant with joy. That exquisite face wore a sweet smile that could have captivated the entire world—unfortunately, no one would ever get to see that breathtaking grin from this peerless beauty.
"Haha, I'd say my power right now might even surpass the times I borrowed yours, Egg."
Chu Feng grinned, and then a golden lightning gleam surged into his eyes. The moment the golden light appeared, every bone in his body creaked and his muscles swelled. His aura shot from the third stage of Xuan Martial straight to the fourth.
Immediately after, Chu Feng willed it again, and within those golden-lit eyes, a blue lightning gleam appeared alongside. The moment the blue lightning surfaced, the golden gleam voluntarily contracted into a tiny golden lightning serpent that intertwined with the blue, forming a pattern woven from blue and gold lightning.
The pattern settled over his pupils—invisible to a casual glance, but if anyone noticed, it would leave them utterly stunned. For that was no simple design. It looked more like two colossal beasts of heaven-defying power, slumbering within Chu Feng's pupils.
Most importantly, once this pattern took shape, Chu Feng's aura surged yet again—from the fourth stage of Xuan Martial into the fifth.
"Another breakthrough? Incredible! It seems you've obtained an entirely new power, kid. Breaking through two stages in one go means your true cultivation isn't the third stage of Xuan Martial—it's the fifth!"
Sensing the changes in Chu Feng's body, Egg was genuinely shocked. She hadn't expected that after reaching the Xuan Wu Realm, Chu Feng would truly gain an entirely new power, enabling him to break through two consecutive stages.
"The fifth stage of Xuan Martial—still far too weak compared to Jiang Wushang. After all, this level of cultivation is nowhere near enough to rival the Heaven Martial Realm."
Chu Feng was quite satisfied with the power he had obtained from the Divine Thunder, but the moment he thought of Jiang Wushang, he felt he still fell far short. He had to keep pushing. At the very least, among his generation, he was not yet the strongest.
"It's only natural that Jiang Wushang is powerful. The Jiang Dynasty is the overlord of the Nine Provinces Continent—the foundation accumulated over thousands of years is beyond what you can imagine. Jiang Wushang is a rare genius, and within the Jiang Dynasty, he is no doubt an outstanding existence."
"Someone like that receives the finest nurturing from birth. Once he began cultivating, he not only had dedicated instructors but also enjoyed the highest-quality resources. There was nothing he wanted that he couldn't have. So his current achievements are entirely to be expected."
"But you're different. Although you started cultivating at ten, before you turned fifteen, you made virtually no progress. Why was that?"
"Because your body is special, but you had absolutely no resources suited for cultivating such a body. That's where you fell behind him—from the very starting line, you were already a great distance behind."
"However, you went from the second stage of Spirit Martial to the third stage of Xuan Martial in just over a year, and every resource you needed, you earned through your own efforts. That is the difference between you and him. You rely on yourself; he relies on his entire clan." As Egg said this, her face was filled with pride—pride in Chu Feng.
"Heh, Egg, thanks for the comfort. But honestly, there's no need to worry. I've always had this confidence. One day, I will leave the Nine Provinces Continent. I will take the stage of the world. Because I still need to find my parents. I still need to find my clan."
"I will uncover who sealed you inside my body. And no matter who that person is, I will find a way to make them break your seal and restore your freedom." Chu Feng smiled as he spoke.
Hearing these words, Egg felt a pang in her heart and fell silent...
"Actually, compared to Jiang Wushang, I'm more curious about her—what level she's reached by now. After all, she possesses the Heaven-Given Divine Body."
Chu Feng's thoughts drifted to a year ago, when he had encountered the purple-clad girl at the Bai Hu Manor. Like Jiang Wushang, she was younger than Chu Feng, yet her strength had been truly terrifying.
A year ago, she had already been that formidable. Now, after another year, Chu Feng had no idea how far she might have grown. After all, what she possessed was the same body as the owner of the Imperial Tomb within Qingzhou—the Heaven-Given Divine Body.
*Knock, knock, knock.* "Brother Chu Feng!"
Just then, a knocking and a shout came from beyond the palace doors. Chu Feng recognized the voice as Gu Bo's.
He hurriedly opened the doors and realized that night had already fallen. Without his noticing, an enormous amount of time had passed.
Gu Bo was standing right outside, and upon seeing Chu Feng, he smiled: "Brother Chu Feng, let's head out! The Alliance Marriage Assembly is about to start—don't miss the best part."
"Also, Big Brother Xu Zhongyu from our Spirit World Guild has arrived. He'd like to meet you."