Martial Arts Overlord

Luo Feng sensed that the Yuan Qi beneath the snow wall was incredibly pure and unimaginably profound! Although the Yuan Qi on Yunlan Peak was already quite pure, it was simply incomparable to what lay beneath the snow wall. If the Yuan Qi around Yunlan Peak was a small river, then beneath the snow wall, it was like a vast ocean of Yuan Qi!

What on earth is going on? Luo Feng was astonished. Just then, He Qin's light and melodious voice drifted up from below.

"Luo Feng, come down quickly."

WOOSH!

Ten Qi Dragons materialized around Luo Feng. With a tap of his foot on the snow, he soared down the snow wall like a bird. After gliding for tens of breaths, Luo Feng landed on the ground.

Outside the mountain, the sky was clear and vast. Inside the Snow Valley, however, dense fog, like cotton candy, drifted about, making it impossible to see more than ten steps ahead.

This is Yuan Qi! Luo Feng was astounded. This was no ordinary mist; it was a dense fog formed from Yuan Qi. To be able to see Yuan Qi with the naked eye, it had to be concentrated to an incredible degree!

He Qin stood a few steps away. Turning to see Luo Feng's astonished expression, she smiled and asked, "What do you think of this place?"

Luo Feng, sensing the pure Yuan Qi all around, exclaimed in amazement, "What a marvelous Cave Sky Paradise for cultivation! Just standing here, I can feel Yuan Qi flowing into my body. Cultivating here would surely allow one to achieve twice the results with half the effort. I never imagined Yunlan Peak harbored such a treasure!"

"I stumbled upon this place by chance while practicing my Light Martial Arts. You're the second person to know about it."

He Qin stood quietly to the side, her bright eyes gazing elsewhere. As if sensing a deeper meaning in her own words, a faint blush crept onto her jade-smooth, snow-white cheeks.

Luo Feng, still in awe of the valley, didn't catch the hidden meaning in He Qin's words and simply nodded. No wonder I'd never heard of such a place on Yunlan Peak, he thought. It's located in an extremely cold and remote area, making it very difficult to find.

"Why is the Yuan Qi here so incredibly dense?" Luo Feng asked, puzzled.

"We'll find out when we reach the center of the valley," He Qin said, walking ahead with Luo Feng following closely.

The snow at the valley's entrance was several feet deep, yet the center was pleasantly warm and entirely free of snow. A patch of verdant green could be faintly seen through the mist.

Luo Feng quickened his pace, and upon drawing closer, he took a deep breath. "Rain Heart Grass! So that's why!"

In the center of the Snow Valley, vast patches of Rain Heart Grass thrived.

Rain Heart Grass possessed the spiritual effect of gathering ambient Yuan Qi. With thousands of these plants here, it was no wonder the valley was filled with such dense Yuan Qi.

He Qin, standing nearby, explained, "The Yuan Qi here is hundreds, even thousands, of times denser than outside. You're practicing the Condensation Yuan Technique, which requires a vast amount of Yuan Qi. This place is perfect for your cultivation."

Luo Feng nodded.

As soon as he had entered the valley, he felt a stirring anticipation within him. The Yuan Qi seemed to be actively pressing into his body. Even before he began to cultivate, his speed of refining Yuan Qi was already several times faster than usual.

"He Qin, thank you," Luo Feng said, looking at her with gratitude. Most people would never share such a Cave Sky Paradise with others.

He Qin arched her fine eyebrows. "Alright. If you truly want to thank me, then break through to your next realm as soon as possible. I'll head back now and come check on you in a few days."

She bid him farewell immediately, worried that if she delayed any longer, the faint insight she had gained into Grand Momentum might vanish.

Watching He Qin's retreating figure, Luo Feng smiled to himself. He hadn't expected that offering a few casual pointers would yield such a significant reward.

Turning, Luo Feng walked to the center of the Snow Valley and sat down cross-legged. The Yuan Qi here is so rich, he thought, it should be enough for me to break through my bottleneck!

Luo Feng took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and immersed his spiritual sense into his Dantian, beginning to absorb the surrounding Yuan Qi.

HUM!

A peculiar ripple emanated from his body, spreading outwards.

Instantly, the Yuan Qi fog in the Snow Valley converged on Luo Feng. Myriad strands of it drilled into his body through every pore.

In a flash, Luo Feng felt a vast torrent of Yuan Qi surging into him. He hastily focused his mind and began to refine it with all his might.

The incredibly dense Yuan Qi in the surroundings, as if it had found an outlet, continuously surged towards Luo Feng.

Within the entire Snow Valley, a massive vortex of Yuan Qi gradually formed, with Luo Feng at its epicenter.

His absorption rate for Yuan Qi grew increasingly faster. Soon, Luo Feng felt his meridians could no longer contain it, and he hurriedly began to integrate the refined Yuan Qi into the various Meridian Wheels of his body.

As time went on, Luo Feng could clearly feel his cultivation bottleneck gradually loosening. A breakthrough felt possible at any moment!

The Yuan Qi throughout the Snow Valley surged violently, forming fierce gales that howled as the very elements seemed to churn and shift.

He Qin had just climbed out of the Snow Valley and was about to return to the academy when she suddenly sensed something. She stopped and turned her head to look down into the valley.

Such a huge commotion! she thought. It seems like he's stirred all the Yuan Qi in the entire valley!

She sensed the Yuan Qi within the Snow Valley surging frantically, converging towards a single point. Astonishment flashed in her beautiful eyes. "It's like myriad rivers flowing into the sea! How can his meridians withstand such a powerful torrent of Yuan Qi in such a short time?!"

He Qin recovered from her shock only after a moment. She cast another deep look down into the valley. Deciding against investigating further, she turned and sped towards the academy. These top students all had their own secrets. Prying too deeply into the affairs of others would only breed animosity.

「A moment later, He Qin arrived back at the academy.」 As she was about to return to her own courtyard, she encountered a group of young men and women in green uniforms. Among them was a young man whose profound aura was in no way inferior to He Qin's; he too was an expert at the early eighth level of the Hell Realm!

This young man was tall and strikingly handsome, with a noble temperament and a faint, untamable arrogance about him, clearly marking him as no ordinary individual.

He Qin's gaze fell upon the young man leading the group. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she walked past them expressionlessly.

The handsome young man also spotted He Qin. He approached her with a warm smile, asking with apparent concern, "Junior Sister Qin, where have you been? I've searched the entire academy for you."

He Qin shook her head coolly. "Where I go is none of your concern. What brings you to Yunlan Peak?"

Rebuffed, the young man's face stiffened for a moment, but he quickly recovered his composure, replying enthusiastically, "I've come on behalf of my academy to invite the Four Stellar Talents of the Flowing Cloud Region to be our guests in Red Maple Lead. Junior Sister Qin, it's been a year, and you've grown even more beautiful."

He Qin completely ignored his latter remark, though the former piqued her interest.

It wasn't just the four major academies that competed; there was also rivalry among the twelve regions of the Canglang Dynasty.

The handsome young man was a student of Ivy School from Red Maple Lead, and no ordinary one at that. He was 'Smiling Fox' Qin Huan, one of Ivy School's four top experts. With cultivation at the early eighth level of the Hell Realm, his strength was formidable and unfathomable. His abilities were comparable to the Four Stellar Talents, and he was a renowned expert in Red Maple Lead.

Seeing Qin Huan still staring at her, He Qin felt a wave of revulsion and couldn't help but think of Luo Feng. Luo Feng's gaze, unlike his, isn't repulsive, she mused.

"You can return to Red Maple Lead. We won't be going," He Qin said coldly, shaking her head and turning to leave.

She surmised that this so-called invitation for the Four Stellar Talents to visit Red Maple Lead was merely a pretext for them to spar with Red Maple Lead's students and determine which region's disciples were superior. There was a considerable disparity in strength between Flowing Cloud Region and Red Maple Lead. In previous years, all four academies had declined such invitations, and He Qin guessed this year would be no different.

Qin Huan, however, just smiled faintly, a triumphant look on his face. "I'm afraid that won't be possible this time. Dean Zhou has already agreed to your attendance. Purple Sun School has also given the same reply."

"The Dean agreed?" He Qin paused, her steps faltering slightly.

"That's right. Junior Sister Qin, I'll be staying at Tianlan School for ten days. If you have any cultivation questions, feel free to find me anytime. I'd be more than happy to discuss them with you."

A smile played on Qin Huan's lips as he looked at He Qin, his eyes glinting with a strange light.

He Qin's delicate brows knitted together. Qin Huan's condescending tone irked her greatly.

He was an expert at the early eighth level of the Hell Realm, but so was she. If they were to fight, the victor was far from certain. Yet, his tone implied her defeat was a foregone conclusion.

"Hmph, a frog at the bottom of a well," He Qin snorted coldly and turned to leave, unwilling to say another word.

Watching He Qin's retreating back, Qin Huan's expression instantly turned ugly. He slammed a fist into a nearby boulder, blasting a large hole through it without using even a trace of Yuan Qi.

"Senior Brother Qin, are you interested in Senior Sister He Qin?" a voice piped up nearby.

Qin Huan spun around, fixing the speaker with a cold stare. "Don't stick your nose into things that don't concern you! Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The speaker was a tall sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth with narrow eyes that glinted coldly. It was Xiao Yu, who had a previous altercation with Luo Feng.

Fear flickered across Xiao Yu's face as he hurriedly said, "Senior Brother Qin, you misunderstand. You are heroic and extraordinary. For Senior Sister He Qin to gain your favor is a blessing accumulated from her past lives. How could I dare to meddle?"

This flattery clearly pleased Qin Huan, as his expression softened somewhat. "Then what is it you wanted to say?"

Xiao Yu's eyes gleamed. "Does Senior Brother Qin know of a person named Luo Feng?"

"I've heard the name. He was supposedly a nobody who suddenly comprehended Grand Momentum and became the foremost of this year's Four Stellar Talents. This matter has already spread like wildfire throughout the martial world; I've even heard of it in Red Maple Lead. What does he have to do with this?"

Xiao Yu lowered his voice. "Senior Brother Qin, you only know one part of it, not the other. Luo Feng saved Senior Sister He Qin's life during the Stellar Talents Contest. They've been seen together quite frequently recently."

"Is that true?" Qin Huan's expression darkened.

Xiao Yu nodded. "Absolutely certain! I just saw Senior Sister He Qin leaving the academy with Luo Feng. Luo Feng not only saved her life but is also a genius who comprehended Grand Momentum. Senior Sister He Qin, who normally never smiles or talks much with anyone, treats Luo Feng with special regard..."

Hearing this, Qin Huan recalled the traces of snow on He Qin's shoes earlier; she had most likely been out with Luo Feng.

Thinking of He Qin's cold demeanor towards him just moments ago, Qin Huan was overcome with jealousy and rage, his fists clenching so tightly they audibly cracked.

He had first met He Qin the previous year when he came to Flowing Cloud Region to observe the Stellar Talent Contest.

Though he had dallied with countless women, he had never encountered a girl like He Qin, whose temperament was as pure and noble as a secluded orchid in an empty valley. He was instantly captivated, swearing then and there that he would make her his!