Eternal Heavenly Emperor

Twelve days.

Under immense pressure, Chu Hao unleashed his terrifying potential, managing to open up his third meridian in just twelve days.

—If the Water Moon Fairy knew about this, she would be shocked to the point of her eyes popping out.

Chu Hao did not realize just how astonishing his progress was; he simply sighed in relief, glad that he no longer had to go hungry.

He approached the Seven Flower Fruit again, crouching down to pick the herb.

"No!"

"Oh!"

"Damn it!"

Even though they had seen Chu Hao pick the first Seven Flower Fruit twelve days ago and knew that the second Spirit Fruit would hardly escape Chu Hao's "clutches," seeing it with their own eyes still made them scream in anguish.

They all harbored a sliver of hope, thinking as long as the second Seven Flower Fruit wasn't picked, they still had a chance.

But now, that sliver of hope was gone.

Just twelve days to open another meridian?

Impossible, completely impossible.

It must be that this kid had run out of food and had to leave this place, so he had no choice but to pick the Seven Flower Fruit.

Damn it, they knew that once the Seven Flower Fruit was picked, its medicinal strength would start to diminish, and even storing it in a Mustard Seed Ring would be futile—unless one possessed treasures like the Snow Jade Box. Such treasures were beyond even the Sects, let alone minor disciples like them.

Such a waste, too much of a waste.

They must get rid of this damned kid.

The people who witnessed this scene were grinding their teeth in rage, yet they did not consider that, if placed in the same situation, they would have done the exact same thing.

People, they tend to think and blame from their own perspectives.

Chu Hao couldn't see their expressions, let alone care about them even if he did. He moved aside and consumed the second Seven Flower Fruit.

Buzz, a great transformation began within his body again.

It was truly miraculous. Chu Hao hadn't sensed any powerful energy from the Seven Flower Fruit, but two hours after the fruit's medicinal power circulated in his body, it forcibly expanded his third Proper Vein completely.

He thought about it for a while and then put the issue aside. After all, there were plenty of mysteries in this world, and one more wouldn't make much difference.

Third Tier Peak.

Chu Hao smiled. Now, he was nearly halfway through on the path of a martial master. In the next four months, he could at least advance by two minor realms, reaching either the fifth-tier peak or the Sixth Tier early stage. Facing Pang Yi, he certainly could win—even now he felt confident about fighting him.

It was time to leave.

Chu Hao knew that the scene of him picking the two Seven Flower Fruits must have been seen by many. Some might even think he had not yet consumed the second fruit, so an attack was likely the moment he showed up.

Fighting, he wasn't afraid. But such fights were meaningless, what were they fighting him for?

Moreover, he was confident in himself, but there were people like Jin Yunlin, who were Eighth Tier Peaks with astounding innate talents. Chu Hao would not fear battling someone of the same realm, but Third Tier against Eighth Tier was certainly a death-seek.

He planned to leave quietly, believing that Zhao Huan and the others wouldn't foolishly wait for him and would guess that he would leave on his own.

It took some effort, but Chu Hao reached the western corner of the medicine field. Ahead was a broken fence, but that was hardly an obstacle. He easily climbed over it, walked a distance away, looked back with a smile, and continued on.

—Those inside, take your time searching.

He definitely couldn't go back to the Black Jade Pool again, so he decided to leave the mountain and head back to the Yunliu Sect.

After several hours of travel, the sky darkened, and Chu Hao hunted a ferocious beast. Today, he finally ate to his heart's content without worrying about food consumption.

Full and satisfied, he rested at the base of a tree. Now that he had Star Force protecting his body, he had a strong resistance to both heat and cold; the mountain's fluctuating temperature had no effect on him.

The mountains were by no means a safe place, and Chu Hao heightened his vigilance, ready to wake at the slightest rustling.

In the middle of the night, he suddenly felt uneasy and immediately opened his eyes.

He saw a white figure float towards him, light and graceful like a cloud.

Water Moon Fairy.

"You really did run out here," the Water Moon Fairy said.

Chu Hao was surprised and asked, "How did you know?"

"My Qinghua Sect has a secret technique of Qi resonance that can sense the aura of specific individuals within a short distance. Since I didn't sense your presence, it was clear you had left the medicine field," the Water Moon Fairy explained.

So there was such a secret technique.

Chu Hao said, "So, you found me using that technique?"

"Exactly," the Water Moon Fairy nodded. Without it, locating one specific person in such an immense forest would have been incredibly difficult. But sensing someone's presence greatly reduces the difficulty.

Of course, one could easily conceal their tracks in the forest, so that was why she only managed to find Chu Hao's location now.

Chu Hao suddenly realized, this woman must have noted his aura right after their first encounter, but back then he was utterly ordinary, so why would she do such a thing? It could only mean that this woman's intentions were not pure, and she subconsciously regarded anyone as a competitor.

"It must be tough falling in love with me at first sight and searching for so long. Unfortunately, I don't feel the same, so let's just forget it," Chu Hao shrugged.

"Stop with the slick words and hand over the Seven Flower Fruit," the Water Moon Fairy said disinterestedly, showing a deeply scheming nature.

Chu Hao smiled and said, "I ate it." These were the stark truth.

"Hmph, who are you trying to fool?" the Water Moon Fairy sneered, "You just ate a Seven Flower Fruit twelve days ago. Do you think you could have opened up another meridian in just twelve days?"

Huh?

Chu Hao was taken aback. Was opening a meridian in twelve days really that difficult? He thought that if his cultivation technique were a bit higher, like at the Earth Level or even Heaven Level, he would need only ten or even eight days to accomplish it.

Qinghua Sect?

One of the Upper Three Counties, the Qinghua Sect of Luoshui Sect?

No mistake, the Qinghua Sect was a Second Rank sect. No other sect would dare to use the same name.

A disciple of such a prestigious Second Rank sect must have a decent cultivation technique, and if it wasn't at the Heaven Level it should at least be at the Earth Level. Yet she was adamant that it was impossible to open up a meridian in twelve days.

This must be the truth.

What did this imply?

His physique was too powerful. It compensated for the deficiencies in his cultivation technique and even surpassed disciples of a Second Rank sect.

Of course, the Water Moon Fairy wasn't likely one of the strongest disciples of the Qinghua Sect. Otherwise, despite being no younger than Jin Yunlin, her cultivation was inferior, which seemed improbable.

"Hmph, seeing you're at a loss, you must be confused?" When the Water Moon Fairy saw Chu Hao stupefied, she thought he was caught in his lie and was feeling guilty.

Chu Hao snapped back, realizing he even more couldn't tell the truth now.

First, both Seven Flower Fruits had been consumed by him, and if the Water Moon Fairy knew, she would surely go mad. Second, his freakish physique would easily arouse jealousy among "mediocre people" who might try to get rid of him while he was still weak.

He laughed heartily and said, "It's really a woman who admires me so much, remembering everything about me so clearly. But we really aren't suitable; you should give up on that idea."

"Damn it." The Water Moon Fairy was infuriated. With a metallic ring, the long sword on her back was drawn, shining like autumn water and exuding a chilling aura. She pointed her sword at Chu Hao, "For the last time, hand over the Seven Flower Fruit, or I'll cut you down."

"Hitting is love, and scolding is affection. You love me so much that you want to kill me; ah, I really am a man of deep sins," Chu Hao sighed, fueling her rage further.

"You're asking for death." The Water Moon Fairy took a step forward, and her long sword thrust forward, buzzing as multiple sword blooms suddenly appeared, rolling towards Chu Hao.

Chu Hao slapped his left hand on the sheath, and with a clang, the Red Shadow Sword also leapt out of its scabbard. He grasped it with his right hand to block the attack.

Ding, ding, ding, ding.

In the midst of a series of sharp sounds, Chu Hao continually retreated, his power completely not at the same level as his opponent's.

"At the peak of Three Meridians?" The Water Moon Fairy slightly eased her attack, displaying a look of disdain, "I thought you were strong, but you're merely at the peak of Three Meridians. I am at the late stage of Six Meridians, you are no match for me, hand over the Seven Flower Fruit now."

She clearly held the upper hand but repeatedly demanded the Seven Flower Fruit from Chu Hao. She feared that pressing Chu Hao too hard might lead him to destroy it.

"Ah, I told you we're not suitable, you're already after my possessions and we're not even married. Such a fiery bride, I really do not want!" Chu Hao continued to ramble.

"Disaster comes from the mouth." The Water Moon Fairy, finally exploding in anger, swung her sword again.

Despite his opponent's far greater strength and solid Star Force that was by no means weaker than his, it was unwise for Chu Hao to clash with such a strong opponent. He moved his feet and deployed the Sky Stepping Technique, swiftly shifting his form to dodge each attack.

For the moment, he had no plans to retreat. The opponent was at the late stage of Six Meridians, a realm even higher than Zhao Huan, a rare adversary.

Even if he couldn't win, he could feel the oppression of a high-tier martial master. This would prepare him to face core disciples like Cao Jingwen in the future.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Chu Hao returned the strikes with his Red Shadow Sword. For those attacks he couldn't dodge, he defended with his sword, but each clash sent a numbness through his right hand. Fortunately, his left hand was also trained, and he switched the sword to his left hand whenever the right got too numb.

Despite the Water Moon Fairy dominating the scene, she frustratingly couldn't turn her advantage into a victory. She found her opponent slippery like an eel—each time she nearly trapped him, he managed to slip through a crack.

Initially, she did not take it seriously, but after a while, she was shocked. This guy was too dreadful.

Only at the peak of Three Meridians.

Despite being more than two meridians below in cultivation, he could hold on for such a long time against her.

Theoretically, a difference of one meridian is an insurmountable gap—super geniuses can indeed defeat opponents one meridian higher, but that's assuming the opponent is mediocre.

Was she mediocre?

Being accepted as a disciple by the Qinghua Sect, how could she possibly be mediocre!

Then this guy was truly terrifying.

Despite being more than two meridians below, he managed to fight without losing, holding on for so long. If he reached the peak of Four Meridians, wouldn't he be able to fight her on equal footing, or even defeat her?

Winning against a higher-tier opponent isn't unusual, but what's rare is that the defeated opponent is also a genius.

The Water Moon Fairy's killing intent surged uncontrollably.