Martial Arts Overlord

Luo Feng smiled bitterly to himself upon noting the others believed his outrageous words. He then turned his attention to Zi Yuan, who was sulking at the side, and asked, "Zi Yuan, what's wrong with you?"

"Ah… Nothing. I still have to get ready for the New Talent Tournament; I should be going." Zi Yuan replied hastily, before turning around and running into the academy.

Watching Zi Yuan's retreating figure, Luo Feng couldn't help but feel puzzled. Why is Zi Yuan acting so strange today?

Xu Mei held back a smile. "It's because of you."

"Me?"

Xu Mei nodded. "Zi Yuan reached the peak of the Seventh Level of the Essence Storage Realm three days ago. She was planning to surprise you when you returned. Who knew you would cultivate so fast and break through half a month ago…"

It seems like that girl is still mulling over what happened that night...

Luo Feng thought back to half a month ago, when Zi Yuan had secretly sought him out for a duel, and couldn't help but shake his head.

The group discussed the upcoming New Talent Tournament for a bit before departing separately.

「 」

After boarding his horse at the stables, Luo Feng returned to his courtyard at once.

For the next half month, besides reporting to Principal Zi Hongyuan about the Demon Sect disciples in Ghost Howl Forest, Luo Feng stayed in his courtyard, focusing all his time on consolidating his cultivation and practicing the Sky Slayer Saber Technique.

Even though he had acquired the Secret Manual, he didn't rush to start practicing the Sky Collapse Fist.

The Sky Collapse Fist was indeed a Profound Level Martial Art. It placed incredibly high demands on one's physique and Yuan Qi. Any slight negligence could easily result in the practitioner being severely injured by their own fist's power.

Sharpening the axe doesn't delay felling the tree. Luo Feng decided to first build a solid foundation, further consolidating his cultivation, before attempting to practice the Sky Collapse Fist.

Early morning. The dew lay thick like frost.

By the courtyard's pond, Luo Feng sat cross-legged. In front of him, a dark red jade bead, burning with purple-black flames, levitated.

This jade bead was the Evil Spirit's inner core that Luo Feng had obtained from deep beneath the Smelting Mountain Range.

The Evil Qi within the Evil Spirit's inner core was even purer than the Earth Core Fire Fiend.

Because it had been refined by the Evil Spirit, the Earth Core Fire Fiend within it carried a trace of Spirituality, making it easier for humans to absorb.

WHOOSH...

The Evil Spirit's inner core hovered about six inches in front of Luo Feng. With each of his breaths, wisps of dark flame split into countless tiny threads and entered his body through his pores.

Under the tempering of the Evil Fire from the Evil Spirit's inner core, Luo Feng's body was rapidly transforming.

These wisps of Evil Fire coursed through his meridians, constantly refining the impurities in his body, ultimately merging into his flesh and blood, strengthening his physique.

While Luo Feng allowed the Evil Fire to temper his physique, he also let his Soul Power merge with the Evil Fire, comprehending the worldly intent it contained.

Time passed, bit by bit...

Only when his entire body—flesh, blood, and meridians—ached faintly, and his muscles grew numb and stiff, did Luo Feng stop absorbing the Evil Fire from the Evil Spirit's inner core.

Looking at the visibly smaller Evil Spirit's inner core, Luo Feng sighed in disappointment. "It's a pity I can't absorb it all at once. Otherwise, my realm could advance further, and I could immediately start practicing the Sky Collapse Fist."

If other Martial Artists knew Luo Feng's thoughts, they would surely call him a madman!

The Evil Spirit's inner core contained extremely pure Earth Core Fire Fiend. Ordinary Martial Artists at the Seventh Level of the Essence Storage Realm wouldn't dare use Earth Core Fire Fiend to temper their bodies.

The physique of a Martial Artist at the Seventh Level of the Essence Storage Realm was not yet strong enough. Using Earth Core Fire Fiend to temper the body and improve cultivation was undoubtedly 'playing with fire!'

Losing control for even an instant could lead to being burned by the Earth Core Fire Fiend, or even suffering irreparable damage to one's soul.

Luo Feng was able to refine so much Earth Core Fire Fiend in one go entirely because of his formidable Soul Power!

Had it been an ordinary Essence Storage Realm Martial Artist, they would have long been reduced to a pile of ashes.

Luo Feng knew he had been too greedy. After regulating his breath for a moment, he put away the Evil Spirit's inner core. He slowly straightened up. With a flick of his finger, a tiger's roar echoed through the courtyard as the Tiger Soul Saber landed in his hand.

SWOOSH!

With a casual swing of the Tiger Soul Saber, the sweeping Saber Qi split the pond before him in two, revealing the mud at its bottom.

Saber Qi parting water!

This was only achievable when one's Saber Technique reached an extremely high level.

Luo Feng sheathed the Tiger Soul Saber and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

SPLASH!

Only then did the parted waters of the pond suddenly merge, sending waves surging up to three meters high!

"I wonder when my Sky Slayer Saber Technique will break through to the sixth level, reaching the state of Slaughter Qi as Sword," Luo Feng murmured, watching the swirling ripples in the pond.

He felt that his Sky Slayer Saber Technique had reached the limit of the fifth level, yet he had been unable to achieve a breakthrough.

「 」

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed since Luo Feng returned to the academy.

Apart from his daily practice of the Sky Slayer Saber Technique, Luo Feng spent all his remaining time using the Earth Core Fire Fiend from the Evil Spirit's inner core to temper his body. In the courtyard, Luo Feng sat cross-legged by the pond, his upper body bare, the Tiger Soul Saber embedded in the ground beside him.

Half a month of cultivation had transformed him, as if he had been completely reborn. His muscles were like steel, containing an incredibly terrifying power.

ZIZZ...

In front of Luo Feng, a mass of dark-red flames burned fiercely. With each breath he took, the flames transformed into thousands of strands, drilling into his body, turning his entire skin crimson, as if it were red-hot iron.

BOOM!

Suddenly, the flames exploded violently, enveloping Luo Feng completely. The intense heatwave instantly evaporated the nearby pond, even turning the mud at its bottom into hard rock!

The surrounding flames did not affect Luo Feng.

In his perception, the world was no longer the same. The burning Earth Core Fire Fiend around him was merely clusters of dazzling Fire Yuan Qi, continuously tempering his flesh and blood, giving him the feeling of being reborn.

When the last trace of Earth Core Fire Fiend burrowed into his body, Luo Feng abruptly opened his eyes.

In that instant, it was as if lightning had pierced the void. A sharp glint flickered in his pupils, like the gleam of a saber, fiercely cutting through the air.

"HOO!"

A breath, like mist and sharp as a sword, spewed from his mouth. It shot out a meter without dispersing, blowing a fist-sized stone several meters away!

Luo Feng slowly stood up. With a slight tremble of his body, a formidable aura surged forth. His previously somewhat slender frame now seemed like an ancient Demon Beast awakened, instilling fear in the hearts of onlookers.

"Finally, I've absorbed all the Earth Core Fire Fiend from the Evil Spirit's inner core!" Luo Feng exclaimed, a hint of joy in his eyes as he gazed at the dried-up pond before him.

After half a month of arduous cultivation, he had finally refined the Evil Spirit's inner core completely.

His current realm was thoroughly consolidated. Although he hadn't broken through yet, he was one step closer to the Eighth Level of the Hell Realm, and his Yuan Qi had increased by thirty percent!

"Advancing from the Seventh Level of the Essence Storage Realm to the Eighth Level of the Hell Realm isn't easy; a breakthrough in the short term is unrealistic. Now that my body has been tempered by the Earth Core Fire Fiend and is twice as strong as before, I should be able to start cultivating the Sky Collapse Fist."

Luo Feng considered this for a moment and decided to start cultivating the Sky Collapse Fist first.

「 」

The sea of clouds churned, and a fierce wind howled.

On a secluded cliff of Purple Spirit Peak, Luo Feng stood bare-handed and proud at the precipice. He was like a precious saber unsheathed; no matter how ferocious the mountain wind, it could not move him an inch. His presence was majestic, as unyielding as a mountain!

Facing the mountain wind, Luo Feng took out the Secret Manual for the Sky Collapse Fist and read its introduction.

The Sky Collapse Fist, a Low-grade Profound Level Martial Art! Cultivators must possess a robust physique, an unrestrained will, an intent as sharp as a saber, and unwavering determination to truly unleash its essence.

The Sky Collapse Fist comprised three levels:

First Level: Breaking Sky Fist!

Second Level: Fist Dominates All Directions!

Third Level: Sky Collapse Earth Splitting!

The third level, Sky Collapse Earth Splitting, requires an extremely strong will and abundant Yuan Qi to unleash its true power.

What a domineering fist technique!

He briefly skimmed through the Sky Collapse Fist. A general impression formed in his mind, and he could faintly perceive its indescribable intent realm.

Luo Feng believed that if he cultivated the Sky Collapse Fist to the third level, he could defeat experts of the Eighth Level of the Hell Realm right now!

Suppressing his excitement, Luo Feng began cultivating according to the Secret Manual.

As days turned into nights, apart from daily nurturing of his Meridian Wheel, Luo Feng dedicated all his remaining time to cultivating the Sky Collapse Fist.

This fist technique was indeed worthy of being a Profound Level Martial Art. Its cultivation difficulty far surpassed that of the Furious Tiger Fist and was even a notch harder than the Sky Slayer Saber Technique. Even with Luo Feng's comprehension ability, he found it somewhat strenuous.

However, as his cultivation deepened, he gradually grasped the essentials.

In the blink of an eye, another five days passed.

Beyond the cliff, the sea of clouds still churned endlessly. Upon the cliff, a black-haired youth stood with awe-inspiring pride.

The youth's figure was somewhat slender, but the gaze revealed from his slightly narrowed eyes was so intense that one dared not meet it directly, its edge as sharp as a saber. Standing there, he exuded a powerful aura, as if he could pierce a hole through the very heavens!

HAH!

As his aura condensed to its peak, the black-haired youth suddenly let out a sharp cry. His voice was like a clap of thunder, and tangible sound waves rippled outwards, traveling several miles before gradually dissipating.

The black-haired youth's gaze, sharp as lightning, pierced the void and locked onto a rocky outcrop ten meters away. His figure suddenly leaped, like a fierce tiger pouncing from a great height, his momentum boundless!

"Breaking Sky Fist!"

Amidst his long cry, the veins on the youth's right fist bulged. His muscles and bones emitted a series of taut, snapping sounds, as if dozens of bows were being drawn simultaneously. His fist fiercely smashed into the rocky outcrop.

BOOM!

The rocky outcrop, over ten meters high and seven to eight meters wide, shook violently. Large cracks spread rapidly like giant pythons, and with a thunderous crash, it collapsed, debris scattering in all directions.

Slowly exhaling, the youth's face lit up with joy as he murmured to himself, "As expected of a Profound Level Martial Art, its power is vastly greater than the Tiger Roar Fist! This punch of mine is enough to kill an ordinary Essence Storage Realm Martial Artist! Even a peak Essence Storage Realm Martial Artist would definitely be severely injured!"

The youth was indeed Luo Feng.

These past few days of secluded cultivation had finally allowed him to cross the initial threshold, cultivating the Sky Collapse Fist to its first level!

To cultivate a Low-grade Profound Level Martial Art to the first level in just five days... if word of this got out, who knows how many people would die of shock.

"There are still ten days until the New Talent Tournament. Continuing to cultivate won't yield much more progress. I might as well go complete this month's academy mission and test the Sky Collapse Fist's power in the process!"

Gazing at the boundless sea of clouds, Luo Feng pondered for a moment, then turned, descended the mountain, and strode towards the academy.