"The Path to Rank 4: Challenges and Family Dynamics"

"Where Buys?" Huang Xiaolong Listens to His Younger Sister's Joyful Call

Huang Xiaolong listened to his younger sister Huang Min happily exclaiming and shook his head with a smile. He knew that Spirit Devouring Purple Monkey, a rare Spirit Beast in this world, couldn't be bought with money.

"Squeak squeak squeak!" The Spirit Devouring Purple Monkey, seeing Huang Min trying to touch its little monkey, suddenly made angry squeaking sounds and tried to scare her away.

Startled by the monkey's reaction, Huang Min's eyes filled with anger as she stared at the Spirit Devouring Purple Monkey, resulting in a staring contest between the two.

After a while, Huang Xiaolong finally managed to convince his younger sister Huang Min to leave and watched her go. He let out a sigh of relief.

Returning to his room, Huang Xiaolong made Spirit Devouring Purple Monkey jump down from his shoulder and took out a cold jade bed from his Asura Ring. He sat cross-legged on the bed, ready to practice the first layer of the Asura Arts.

Not long after starting to cultivate the Asura Arts, it seemed as though Yin Cold Qi from the Nine Nether Hell descended from the void. Huang Xiaolong's Double-Headed Snake Martial Spirit was continuously swallowed by the Yin Cold Qi, flowing into his meridians.

As the Yin Cold Qi entered his body, Huang Xiaolong couldn't help but tremble, feeling as though he had plunged into an icy abyss. Surprised, he defended his mind and focused on refining the Yin Cold Qi by diligently practicing his cultivation technique.

The Yin Cold Qi slowly flowed through Huang Xiaolong's meridians, causing his blood to feel almost frozen with each step it took. Clenching his teeth, Huang Xiaolong continued to cultivate the first layer of the Asura Arts, repeatedly refining the Yin Cold Qi. Eventually, the Yin Cold Qi was transformed into pure Battle Qi.

To Huang Xiaolong's surprise, within half an hour, the Battle Qi in his body had unexpectedly grown stronger by a point, surpassing the effects of his previous practice with the Profound Azure Cultivation technique by tenfold.

This discovery brought joy to Huang Xiaolong's heart. "It seems that the manual was right. Although it's difficult to refine the Nine Nether Qi, the benefits are enormous!"

The manual he found in the Asura Arts stated that by practicing the Asura Arts, one could absorb the Nine Nether Qi from the void to strengthen their body. The Yin Cold Qi he refined was most likely the Nine Nether Qi.

The Nine Nether Qi was the highest quality spiritual energy in the world. The higher the spiritual energy, the better the body could be tempered, resulting in stronger Battle Qi after transformation. This was the difference between high-level and low-level cultivation techniques. Higher-grade cultivation techniques could absorb higher-quality spiritual energy, leading to stronger Battle Qi. In the Martial Spirit World, practitioners who cultivated high-level Earth Rank techniques often had the ability to challenge practitioners of higher-level Xuan Rank techniques.

One month quickly passed, during which Huang Xiaolong focused solely on his practice. This month was different from before; instead of practicing the Profound Azure Cultivation technique of his family, he now practiced the Asura Arts. In addition to the Asura Arts, Huang Xiaolong also diligently practiced the Body Metamorphose Scripture.

With the progress he made in the Asura Arts, Huang Xiaolong's cultivation speed increased. After one month in the mountain valley, he had reached the peak of Rank 2 Late Stage and was on the verge of breaking through to Rank 3.

On a serene night with a shining silver moon, Huang Xiaolong sat cross-legged on the cold jade bed. The Nine Nether Qi descended from the void as his Double-Headed Snake Martial Spirit opened its mouths and devoured it.

The surging Battle Qi flowed through Huang Xiaolong's meridians, resembling turbulent waves in the sea. This sensation was similar to when he broke through from Rank 1 Late Stage to Rank 2, but breaking through the Rank 3 barrier was more challenging and resistant. Nevertheless, Huang Xiaolong persisted, repeatedly attacking the Rank 3 barrier with his Battle Qi, until finally, a small gap appeared.

Sensing the less crowded Rank 3 barrier and the small gap, Huang Xiaolong felt elated. He intensified his Battle Qi's impact, causing the gap to widen further. Finally, a faint sound resonated loudly from within Huang Xiaolong's body.

The Battle Qi rushed into the third layer of meridians like a flood, marking his breakthrough to Rank 3. Huang Xiaolong opened his eyes, unable to conceal his excitement. Breaking through to Rank 3 meant that Rank 4 was within reach.

"If I can reach Rank 4, I can practice battle skills and my Martial Spirit will transform. By then, I will have a Life Source Spirit Skill!" Huang Xiaolong thought to himself.

When he was seven years old, his Martial Spirit had awakened, but it had only been in its original state. When he reached Rank 4 in Battle Qi cultivation, his Martial Spirit would undergo a transformation. The transformed Martial Spirit would become stronger and grant him a Life Source Spirit Skill, a unique skill possessed by Martial Spirit Masters.

The rank of one's Martial Spirit determined their strength and future achievements, but the cultivation technique they practiced was also crucial.

Time passed, and soon a month had gone by. During this time, Huang Xiaolong focused solely on practicing. The only difference from before was that instead of the Profound Azure Cultivation technique, he now practiced the Asura Arts. Huang Xiaolong also made sure to continue practicing the Body Metamorphose Scripture.

After reaching Rank 3, Huang Xiaolong's progress became faster. When he returned from the mountain valley after one month, he was on the verge of breaking through to Rank 3 Peak and could break through to Rank 4 at any moment.

Under the enchanting moonlight, Huang Xiaolong sat cross-legged on the cold jade bed. The Nine Nether Qi descended from the void, and his Double-Headed Snake Martial Spirit opened its mouths, ready to devour it.

The powerful Battle Qi surged through Huang Xiaolong's meridians, creating a turbulent flow. Breaking through the Rank 3 barrier was thicker and more resistant compared to breaking through from Rank 2, but Huang Xiaolong didn't give up. He continuously stimulated his meridians with Battle Qi, attacking the Rank 3 barrier. After an unknown amount of time, a small gap appeared in the barrier.

Feeling the less crowded barrier and the small gap, Huang Xiaolong felt a surge of happiness. He intensified the impact of his Battle Qi, widening the gap further until a faint but resounding sound echoed loudly from within his body.

The Battle Qi flooded into the third layer of meridians, signifying his breakthrough to Rank 3. Huang Xiaolong opened his eyes, unable to conceal his joy. Rank 3 had been surpassed, and Rank 4 was now within reach!

"If I can reach Rank 4, I'll be able to practice battle skills and my Martial Spirit will undergo a transformation. At that time, I'll have a Life Source Spirit Skill," Huang Xiaolong thought to himself.

When his Martial Spirit awakened at the age of seven, it was in its original state. However, once he reached Rank 4 in Battle Qi cultivation, his Martial Spirit would undergo a transformation. This transformation would make his Martial Spirit stronger and grant him a Life Source Spirit Skill, a unique skill possessed by Martial Spirit Masters.

Rank 4 was a watershed moment. Those with low-level Martial Spirits, such as Level 1, 2, or 3, would find it extremely difficult to break through to Rank 4 without a fortuitous encounter. As a result, those with low-level Martial Spirits would never have a Life Source Spirit Skill because they couldn't break through to Rank 4 and transform their Martial Spirit.

Huang Xiaolong got up from the cold jade bed and left the room. The moonlight was somewhat dim, but he swiftly flew out of Huang Family Manor, guided by the starlight. He arrived at the back of the mountain and activated the Asura Arts. His eyes gradually turned blood-red, and his black hair stood on end, turning white. Dark black slaughtering energy circulated around his body.

This was the effect of practicing the Asura Arts and possessing the Asura Body. However, Huang Xiaolong was currently only in the initial stage. According to the manual, once he fully cultivated the Asura Arts, he would truly become an incarnation of Asura.

After activating the Asura Body, Huang Xiaolong's figure flickered like a group of dark clouds under the moonlight. He swung his hands, and with a palm strike, he shattered the trunk of a large tree that could be encircled by several people. The palm strike contained a chilling power that broke through the air, sealing the tree trunk. The power then passed through the trunk, leaving imprints on the second, third, and even the fourth tree trunks.

Four tree trunks bore the imprints of his palm strike.

Huang Xiaolong looked at the palm imprints on the four tree trunks and nodded with satisfaction. After reaching Rank 3 and combining it with the Nine Nether Battle Qi, the destructive power of his gentle palm had increased about threefold compared to before. With his current strength, he could easily kill a Rank 3 Late Stage powerhouse.

Of course, after reaching Rank 3, the Nine Nether Battle Qi also strengthened Huang Xiaolong's physical body, making it more solid and robust.

After practicing the Body Metamorphose Scripture at the back of the mountain, Huang Xiaolong returned to Huang Family Manor as the sky grew darker. Upon returning, he was summoned to the eastern palace by his father, Huang Peng.

"Father, mother, did you call for me?" Huang Xiaolong asked as he entered the eastern palace and took a seat.

Huang Peng and Su Yan had complex expressions, hesitating before speaking.

"Huang Wei advanced to Rank 1 yesterday," Huang Peng finally said.

Huang Xiaolong understood the reason his parents had called for him. They were concerned about the upcoming year-end Martial Spirit Congress.

However, it was less than two months away, and Huang Wei had unexpectedly advanced to Rank 1. This was too quick! Even with a Level 10 Martial Spirit like the Three Eyes Black Tiger, it shouldn't be possible to reach Rank 1 so quickly.

"Your grandfather spent a large sum of money at the county city auction to buy 1,000 Years Gathering Heart Grass," Huang Peng added.

"1,000 Years Gathering Heart Grass!" Huang Xiaolong was startled and then sneered. No wonder Huang Wei had advanced to Rank 1 in less than two months. It turned out that Grandfather Huang Qide had spared no expense to buy the 1,000 Years Gathering Heart Grass.

The Gathering Heart Grass was a precious spiritual herb. Even a single stalk could increase a person's cultivation speed. The higher the age of the Gathering Heart Grass, the greater the effect it had on cultivation. The 1,000 Years Gathering Heart Grass was extremely rare and valuable.