Chapter 57: Revisiting Black Mountain-Starting Out with a River of the Underworld(Baili Little Crow)

"The Wildwood Trial truly requires thorough preparation..."

Back in his cave dwelling, Lin Hao sat cross-legged on his meditation mat. A contemplative gleam flickered in his eyes as he murmured to himself, "With my current strength, and the Heaven's Execution at my side, I could even contend with cultivators at the sixth layer of Qi Condensation."

"Perhaps, I might even catch them off guard and slay them outright."

"But I must not reveal my strength lightly..."

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Lin Hao continued to ponder, "With two monster cores, I should be able to break through to the fourth layer of Qi Condensation. With Senior Brother Mingchen's reputation, I doubt anyone in the trial would dare make things difficult for me."

"What I truly need to consider is how to achieve a high ranking in the trial. After all, the rewards are truly enticing."

"However, during the trial, the elders will surely come to know each disciple's true strength. If that happens, I wonder if anyone will harbor ill intentions toward me..."

After much deliberation, a sharp light gradually surfaced in the depths of Lin Hao's eyes. As the air of contemplation lingered on his features, he spoke softly, almost like a monk chanting an incantation:

"I cannot continue like this..."

"At the very least, Heaven's Execution must not be exposed..."

"I must use it with utmost caution. Unless absolutely necessary, I must not use it at all..."

Having made up his mind, Lin Hao wasted no time. With a wave of his hand, he patted the storage pouch at his waist. A blood-red, pill-shaped elixir appeared in his palm and was promptly swallowed.

Without hesitation, Lin Hao felt a warm current surge within, spiritual energy rapidly spreading and being absorbed by the spiritual vortex in his body.

Gradually, as time passed, Lin Hao's spiritual vortex grew ever stronger.

Time flowed by; in what seemed like the blink of an eye, an hour had passed. Lin Hao had already refined most of the white tiger demon core from the third layer of Qi Condensation. After a brief pause, he did not hesitate—he patted his storage pouch again and retrieved a black pill radiating formidable spiritual energy, swallowing it straight away.

"This..."

Sensing the overwhelming surge of spiritual energy flooding his body, Lin Hao's pupils contracted sharply! Waves of shock rose within his heart.

The monster core of the fourth layer of Qi Condensation was vastly more potent than that of the third layer!

Without delay, Lin Hao focused his will and frantically urged his spiritual vortex to absorb as much energy as possible.

Boom...

Before long, as rumbling echoed within him, beads of sweat began to appear on Lin Hao’s brow. He realized just how difficult it was to break through this bottleneck!

Though he could sense the threshold, each time he tried to condense more spiritual energy and charge through, a pain like his body being torn apart would arise. This agony, unprecedented in its intensity, enveloped him completely.

"I refuse to believe I can't break through today!"

A look of fierce determination flashed in his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he took out all the remaining spirit stones from his pouch. Fueled by this resolve, he gathered a torrent of spiritual energy within himself and crashed it against the threshold once more!

Boom...

Time slipped by. Sweat rolled down Lin Hao’s forehead, soaking his back and drenching his clothes.

Another hour passed.

At last!

With a thunderous roar within, an unprecedented brilliance shone from the depths of Lin Hao’s eyes! A cold light flickered in his gaze, and a powerful aura erupted from his body, surging like a tidal wave.

The fourth layer of Qi Condensation—breakthrough!

At the moment of breakthrough, the wound at Lin Hao’s waist healed rapidly before his very eyes. At the same time, his spiritual vortex began to dissolve, transforming into a trickling stream that coursed swiftly through his body.

Though it seemed a slow process, all of this happened in a flash. From the moment Lin Hao opened his eyes to the completion of his breakthrough, only a few breaths had passed!

And it was in those few breaths that an unprecedented, formidable light shone in Lin Hao’s eyes.

He discovered that the difference between the third and fourth layers of Qi Condensation was immense!

Previously, with his spiritual energy fully charged, he could only cast the Fire Serpent Art three times before being completely drained and left defenseless.

But now, at the fourth layer, he could wield it over a dozen times!

In other words, with his current strength, even without Heaven’s Execution, if he were to face that black bear again, he could easily slay it!

Not only was the spiritual energy of the fourth layer more abundant, but it was also far more refined. This not only amplified his spells’ power but also greatly expanded their effective range.

Time passed by; several hours slipped away.

After breaking through, Lin Hao continued to circulate his spiritual energy, absorbing the ambient energy of heaven and earth to solidify the density within his body.

After some time, he gradually calmed his breath. As he examined the spiritual stream within, he noticed a faint crimson thread running through it.

"Could it be the physical strength I gained earlier...?"

As soon as this thought arose, Lin Hao shook his head. The crimson thread did not contain the blood energy he expected, but rather exuded a faint, fierce demonic aura.

"A side effect of consuming monster cores, perhaps..."

He paused, some speculations forming in his heart. However, though the demonic aura existed, it was slowly being absorbed and digested by his body.

In all likelihood, it would soon vanish entirely.

Seeing this, Lin Hao smiled and shook his head, deciding to ignore it.

With another wave of his hand, he produced the complete scroll of Qi Condensation Techniques and began to practice the spells recorded within.

At the fourth layer, he could now learn the Azure Cauldron Transformation, the most advanced technique available to outer sect disciples of the Azure Luo Sect.

Lin Hao knew his aptitude might be lacking, but as far as talent went, no one in the Azure Luo Sect could match him.

Having made up his mind, he set about his cultivation with unwavering dedication.

Time flowed on. As Lin Hao rehearsed the technique again and again in his mind, a faint buzzing filled his consciousness. A contemplative gleam flickered in his eyes, and as spiritual energy swelled around him, it quickly condensed before him into a small, azure cauldron radiating a terrifying aura.

"This cauldron can slay cultivators of the fifth layer!"

Feeling the immense power emanating from the small cauldron before him, Lin Hao’s pupils contracted, shock surging through him like a tidal wave.

Such a spell was invaluable to him now. Though he could only cast it twice with his current reserves, with Heaven’s Execution in hand, he could easily slay even a fifth-layer cultivator by catching them off guard!

After a moment, Lin Hao took a deep breath, gradually calming his excitement. He realized that to outsiders, he would still appear weak at the third layer, allowing him to gain a great advantage with this technique.

At the very least, in battle, this spell would be a lifesaver.

"Has an entire night passed already...?"

As dawn’s faint light crept in, Lin Hao noticed the sky growing brighter outside. He muttered to himself, "Since the Wildwood Trial is imminent and spirit stones are hard to come by, I should procure some monster cores as preparation."

"This time, I’ll target beasts at the third or fourth layer of Qi Condensation. It shouldn’t be too dangerous."

"The only thing to watch for is not to expose Heaven’s Execution..."

Having settled on his plan, Lin Hao’s eyes flashed with determination. He left his cave, greeted Bai Li, and sped off toward Black Mountain.

Though Black Mountain was dangerous, the Azure Luo Sect was impoverished; many disciples, driven by necessity, risked their lives there to hunt monsters.

On his way, Lin Hao encountered several others heading in the same direction. After exchanging glances, they all avoided contact, unwilling to be entangled in each other’s affairs.

It was the same for everyone; the lack of camaraderie in the Azure Luo Sect forced them to act alone.

No one wanted to risk being betrayed after slaying a monster and having their spoils stolen.

Lin Hao felt helpless about this, but he pressed on. Before long, he entered the shadowy realm of Black Mountain.

Surveying the dark forest ahead, he chose a familiar path and ventured deeper.

Though Black Mountain was perilous at night, it was somewhat safer by day.

Intent on exploring the depths, Lin Hao hoped to find a fifth-layer monster core—an invaluable asset in times of crisis.

As he advanced, the dense trees flew past. Soon, Lin Hao’s enhanced senses, sharpened since his breakthrough, picked up a faint snoring sound.

Listening carefully, he discerned it was the snore of a tiger beast!

"Let’s hope it’s worth the trouble..."

A smile played at his lips, a cold gleam flickering in his eyes as he followed the sound.

Pushing through the dense woods and over the terrain, Lin Hao soon spotted a giant white tiger.

This beast was about three meters long, and the aura it exuded was that of the fifth layer of Qi Condensation!

In fact, Lin Hao sensed it was close to breaking through to the sixth layer—not a beast an ordinary fifth-layer could compare to.

"Azure Cauldron Transformation..."

After a quick scan of the surroundings to ensure there was no danger, Lin Hao’s eyes flashed coldly. A faint spiritual energy swirled around him, and in an instant, a small, azure cauldron materialized before him.

"Die!"

Without hesitation, the moment the cauldron formed, Lin Hao’s eyes flashed with icy resolve as he directed it straight at the tiger’s head.

The cauldron, as if alive, surged with power and crashed down upon the tiger's skull.

At that very moment, Lin Hao’s Heaven’s Execution transformed into a dagger in his hand. With a glint of cold intent, he followed closely behind the cauldron, charging at the white tiger.

"Roar!!!"

The beast suddenly raised its head, its eyes flashing with ferocity as it let out a deafening roar. The azure cauldron was already upon it.

Boom!

With a heavy thud, the cauldron struck the tiger’s head and exploded in a burst of power, splitting its hide and savaging its eyes.

Roaring in agony, the tiger leapt up, blindly crashing about in pain.

"Die!"

Now, with no turning back, knowing that the tiger’s cries would soon attract others, Lin Hao wasted no time. The dagger in his hand gleamed as he darted forward, slipping under the beast and slashing a massive wound across its neck.

Blood spattered his clothes, but Lin Hao kept moving. Forming a seal, he unleashed the Fire Serpent Art, striking the tiger as he rolled away to safety.

The tiger, now ablaze, convulsed wildly and thrashed among the trees.

"Heaven’s Execution!"

With a chilling shout, Lin Hao activated Heaven’s Execution. The blood-marked weapon dissolved into liquid, then reformed into a long blade.

With a flash and a cold gleam, Lin Hao stepped forward, closed the distance, and brought the blade down hard on the tiger's head.

With a sickening sound, the blade sliced cleanly through, severing the entire head in an instant, blood spraying in all directions.

Knowing others would soon be drawn by the commotion, Lin Hao transformed Heaven’s Execution back into a dagger, quickly extracted the monster core, and slipped away without delay.

The harvest was substantial. Killing a fifth-layer beast was no easy feat, but with Heaven’s Execution, it became possible. Without it, his cultivation would be fraught with hardship, not to mention slaying such a powerful beast.

"It’s a shame about the meat... It might have been useful for strengthening my body."

Regret flickered in his eyes as he sped away, lamenting the lost opportunity. Had he not eaten black bear meat the previous night and gained considerable strength, slaying the fifth-layer white tiger today would have left him gravely wounded—it would not have been so simple.

But the circumstances allowed no alternative.

With that thought, Lin Hao set aside his regrets, and continued his search in the depths of Black Mountain.