Chapter Sixteen: Breaking Through to the Fourth Realm of Martial Arts

At this point, you must be wondering why there are so many wandering spirits and so much yin energy in the Land of Death, and yet Lin Yanghao is still able to train there, and Feng Batian can actually live in such a place, right?

It was not long ago that Feng Batian finally explained this mystery to Lin Yanghao: "You must be curious as to why I can live in the Land of Death unharmed, am I right? In truth, all of this comes down to an ordeal I experienced years ago in a secret place.

I remember, after I broke through to the peak of the Martial Artist’s Eighth Heaven, no matter how I cultivated, I could not make a single step forward. My master told me I had reached a bottleneck in my cultivation, and that I needed to temper myself through trials to have any hope of breaking through. So I set off to train, and, together with a few friends, we decided to head to a secret site in the Southwestern Mountains.

Legend had it that this secret place was once the remains of a vast martial training ground built by a Martial Emperor. After that Martial Emperor perished, the training ground was swiftly abandoned. No one knows how much time passed, but eventually, all sorts of spectral beasts and monsters began to haunt the place, though no one truly understood why. Thus, it quickly became known as a forbidden ground.

Over time, more and more people ventured to this secret site for training. That was one of the reasons we chose it. Another, was that when these spectral beasts were slain, they would sometimes drop a white crystal. Investigation revealed that this crystal had properties similar to a Qi-Gathering Stone, though its energy was only about one-twentieth as strong. Since these crystals came from ghosts, people called them Ghost Cores.

As for the monsters, they would sometimes drop Monster Cores when killed. Unlike Ghost Cores, Monster Cores were a deep, vivid red, and could not be used directly for cultivation. However, when added to medicinal pills in alchemy, Monster Cores could greatly enhance the effectiveness of the medicine.

Both Ghost Cores and Monster Cores fetched a good price on the market, so training there not only strengthened us but also provided valuable resources. This was why most people chose to go there.

During our training on the outskirts of the secret site, we discovered many small yellow flowers growing there. We noticed that wherever these flowers grew, no ghosts or monsters dared to approach. After repeated tests, we found that as long as we carried these flowers with us, the ghosts would not attack or come near. When we returned and searched every record we could find, we discovered that nothing like these flowers had ever been documented. Since each bore three leaves, we decided to name them the Trileaf Demonbane Bloom.

This is the secret of how I can live in the Land of Death unscathed. I have planted Trileaf Demonbane Blooms all around my house, so my home is the only safe haven in the entire Land of Death.

These flowers are exceedingly difficult to cultivate. I tried to plant them elsewhere many times, but not a single one survived—only here, in the Land of Death, did they thrive. Thus, I concluded that the Trileaf Demonbane Bloom needs to feed on yin energy to grow. This made me realize: the Trileaf Demonbane and the spectral creatures restrain and balance each other. This is the law of survival in this world—everything restrains something else, and there is always something that can hold another in check.”

After hearing all this, Lin Yanghao finally understood how Feng Batian managed to survive in the Land of Death.

By the bank of an unnamed stream, a girl as beautiful as a fairy and a dark-skinned, sturdy, and rather handsome youth were walking shoulder to shoulder, strolling together by the water.

It was, of course, Lin Yanghao and Feng Shihan. Since Lin Yanghao had come to the Land of Death, his relationship with Feng Shihan had grown closer by the day. They had become intimate confidants, sharing everything with one another. Aside from the time Lin Yanghao spent cultivating, he was almost always by Feng Shihan’s side.

He learned from her that she had lived in the Land of Death for as long as she could remember, never having seen her parents or the outside world. She told him that she had asked Feng Batian about her parents many times, but he always carefully concealed the truth. After being refused again and again, she eventually stopped asking.

Lin Yanghao told her many wondrous tales about the outside world, filling her with boundless longing and dreams. This, of course, brought the two of them ever closer. And naturally, the fact that Lin Yanghao was the only young man she had ever met apart from her grandfather played a part.

“Shihan, I’ve finally broken through to the first level of martial mastery! Ha! Who would have thought that I, Lin Yanghao, would one day become a true martial artist? I just don’t know what the future holds…” Lin Yanghao said, a hint of sadness in his voice—he was thinking of old Grandfather Lin, and his sigh was for him.

“I believe you can do it. Someday, you’ll be as strong as Grandpa, maybe even reach heights we can’t imagine,” Feng Shihan encouraged him earnestly. She had no idea his sigh was for Grandfather Lin; she only thought he doubted himself.

“Don’t worry, Shihan, I’m fine. I have confidence in myself.” Seeing the concern and anxiety on her face, Lin Yanghao felt a gentle warmth in his heart. Secretly, he vowed to cherish and protect this pitiful, endearing girl from that day forward.

“Mm…”

Time flowed swiftly like water, and months passed without notice.

“Grandpa Feng, I’ve finally broken through to the Fourth Heaven of martial mastery today!” Lin Yanghao’s face was full of pride at breaking through so quickly; even he was amazed at his own progress.

“What are you so excited about? The Fourth Heaven is just the beginning on the martial path. When I was your age, I broke through to the Fifth Heaven in a single month.” Feng Batian, seeing Lin Yanghao’s pride and swelling confidence, deliberately tried to deflate him. Sometimes a little setback is the best motivator.

“Ah?” Lin Yanghao was momentarily stunned, but quickly came to terms with it. From his observations, Feng Batian must have come from a great family, or at least a powerful one. With so many resources, how could he not advance quickly? Even a pig would soar with such support!