Chapter Six: Entering the Mountains Together

As soon as Yi Tian’s avatar began cultivating, he sensed faint traces of fire elemental energy, as well as other elemental forces, passing through his acupoints—trembling, being absorbed, and refined. The True Qi of blazing fire gradually alleviated his body’s weakness. Yet, even so, this pace of cultivation merely allowed him to maintain his current state.

At that moment, the circulation path of the Blazing Fire Technique spontaneously surfaced in his mind, as if a star map was suspended above him. The meridians and acupoints across his body appeared one by one, and the blazing fire True Qi coursed through them. Every acupoint the True Qi passed through began to tremble, absorbing the elemental energy around them like black holes, then assimilating and refining it as the fire energy circulated.

Yi Tian felt as if he had become a mere observer. Every secret of the Blazing Fire Technique, every change within this avatar, became utterly clear to him. So that’s how it is! In this instant, Yi Tian’s understanding of the Blazing Fire Technique reached an unparalleled height, giving him an elevated, all-encompassing perspective.

Having seen through all the mysteries of the Blazing Fire Technique, its circulation path now seemed exceedingly simple to him. Moreover, with a single glance, he could spot five flawed points within the trajectory where the technique’s operation became obstructed. So the Blazing Fire Technique still had shortcomings! If these could be adjusted, the cultivation speed would increase dramatically.

This thought arose in Yi Tian’s mind and could no longer be suppressed. There should be no problem with giving it a try! He recalled that this was merely his avatar—even if he were to lose control, it would not affect him much. If his attempt succeeded, his cultivation speed would soar.

Unable to restrain himself, Yi Tian’s avatar began to make slight adjustments to the circulation path of the Blazing Fire Technique. As he operated the technique, he altered the route of the True Qi at the first flawed point, guiding it along a tiny, alternate meridian. Instantly, he felt the flow of True Qi accelerate by ten percent. The increased speed enabled his acupoints and meridians to draw in external energy even faster.

Encouraged by this success, Yi Tian corrected all five flaws in the technique’s trajectory. Once he had perfected these five points, the new Blazing Fire Technique’s cultivation speed tripled. He absorbed energy so rapidly that even the movement of elemental forces around him stirred the air, causing gentle breezes to swirl nearby.

With the five flaws amended, his cultivation speed was now on par with other mid-grade human-rank techniques, if not exceeding many of them. Beyond these five points, Yi Tian could also see other areas in the Blazing Fire Technique that could be further optimized.

However, these optimizations would require repeated experimentation to find the best solutions. Yi Tian’s consciousness quickly returned to his main body. The aura of his avatar shifted, and it soon reverted to its original form as a lump of Star Clay. He reshaped the Star Clay into a stone ring and wore it on his hand. When transformed into stone, the Star Clay consumed minimal energy and could be sustained for a long time.

Returning to his main body, Yi Tian began cultivating the improved Blazing Fire Technique. As expected, his cultivation speed was now several times faster than before, as if he had boarded an express train—it was exhilarating.

By the next day, his progress had accelerated even more. The ever-present solar fire energy allowed him to condense True Qi at a much faster rate—only partial refinement was needed. Thus, during the intense sunlight of the day, his cultivation speed reached five times that of a lower-grade human-rank technique, nearly rivaling the top-grade techniques.

However, due to the nature of the Blazing Fire Technique, most of the True Qi was integrated into his body, tempering it like a furnace refining gold. The effect on his physique far surpassed that of other techniques, which only provided limited or localized reinforcement.

As a result, although Yi Tian’s training speed could rival those cultivating top-grade techniques, the rate at which he produced True Qi was actually somewhat inferior to practitioners of mid-grade techniques. Nevertheless, the improved Blazing Fire Technique ensured that his progress was not slower than others, and his physical foundation became incomparably solid.

This comprehensive bodily refinement led to one consequence: Yi Tian’s appetite grew enormously. While the True Qi of blazing fire could temper his body, the cells themselves required vast amounts of energy to recover. The fierce, violent energy of fire could not provide this; instead, it continually tempered and purified his cells but could not replenish their energy. Only True Qi that was moderate, balanced, or full of vitality could do so. For this reason, martial artists generally consumed great quantities of beast meat and other foods rich in vital energy.

With his newfound appetite, the household’s food supplies were nearly depleted. Yi Tian had no choice but to pause his training and prepare to hunt; otherwise, he simply could not meet his needs.

Two months after the ancestral rites, Yi Tian picked up the second bow left behind by his father—the Blood Pattern Bow—slung his quiver across his back, and prepared to go hunting in the mountains. This time, he planned to venture a hundred miles deep into the Fulong Mountains.

The Fulong Mountains were the greatest range across this land, spanning dozens of nations and stretching for hundreds of thousands of miles. The first thousand miles from the edge formed only the outermost periphery, where fierce beasts roamed in herds, and few truly dangerous creatures could be found. But venturing deeper into the mountains, the risks multiplied—vicious monsters were everywhere, and even the mightiest chieftains of the Yi tribe would not dare take a single step further.

Previously, Yi Tian had only hunted near the tribe’s settlement, on the very edge of the Fulong Mountains, preying on ordinary wildlife whose flesh held little energy. Now, with his increased appetite, such meat was no longer effective; even consuming three or five animals a day could barely meet his basic needs.

Therefore, this time his goal was the fierce beasts of the mountain’s outskirts.

“Be careful, Tian’er. Don’t try to be brave if you encounter any danger!” Su Yue’e, seeing him off, could not hide her worries, admonishing him with heartfelt concern.

“Brother, you’re the best!” Yi Xiaolong cheered him on.

“Go for it, brother!” Little Yi Xiaoting, her adorable face puffed up, raised a tiny fist in support—a gesture she had learned from Yi Tian himself.

Feeling the warmth of his family’s affection, Yi Tian said to the twins, “You must behave while I’m away. Mother, don’t worry—my strength is far greater than before; surely you can rest easy now?”

Hearing this, Su Yue’e recalled Yi Tian’s recent changes. Not long ago, he had even lifted the fifteen-hundred-pound millstone in the yard, which left her both shocked and proud, easing her anxieties.

Bidding his family farewell, Yi Tian set off down the mountain. Suddenly, three figures dressed for hunting appeared ahead—Yi Feng, Yi Shan, and Yi Li.

“You all…” Yi Tian felt a surge of emotion. He had only mentioned his plan in passing the day before, yet now here they were, outfitted for a hunt, clearly wanting to accompany him.

Yi Feng spoke up first, “My appetite has grown lately, and food at home is running low. Since you’re heading into the mountains, let’s go together—fend for ourselves, and let those mountain beasts taste the might of my Gale Tiger Technique!”

Yi Shan, tongue-tied as ever, muttered for a while before finally managing only a stubborn look that said, “If you don’t take me, I’ll make a fuss.”

Yi Li, in his usual cold manner, said, “Let’s go. No need for a bunch of men to get sentimental.”

Yi Tian felt a bit exasperated at Yi Li’s words—he hadn’t even started being sentimental, how did Yi Li know? Yi Feng shot Yi Li a resentful look, thinking this guy really didn’t understand sentiment.

And so, the four of them set off into the mountains together.