Rapid Advancement

The primeval wilderness was even more terrifying than a primordial jungle.

Swamps covered in fallen leaves yet bottomless in depth, black venomous ants the size of a palm, each weighing ten pounds with a strength of four jun, giant wolf spiders as large as a human head with silk as strong as iron that could sever a thousand-pound boulder in an instant, and wasps the size of millstones with stingers like arrows, unfailing within fifty zhang.

Unlike the tranquil rear mountains of the Bloodstone Tribe, stepping into the primeval wilderness was like stepping into a natural graveyard. Long-fanged wolves as large as lions, saber-toothed tigers clad in green scales, towering black bears standing over three zhang tall—these creatures were relics from an age even more ancient than the Great Technological Era. Their blood was thick, their ferocity boundless, and yet they were merely the lowest-tiered wild beasts. This land was a hunting ground where blood was spilled at every moment, where morality was irrelevant—only survival and strength mattered.

Ten li deep into the wilderness, a black-furred wolf with sword-like fangs tore into a limping one-horned elk, the scent of blood thick in the air. Its entire face was dyed crimson, its scarlet eyes filled with madness—this was a feast.

Suddenly, a black shadow shot through the air like an arrow, carrying the stench of blood and a sharp whistling in the wind. The black wolf barely had time to react before half its body was swallowed whole. A massive, barrel-thick body, covered in black scales, coiled around in an instant.

A black-scaled python, at least seven to eight zhang long, its enormous head hideous and covered in blue mottles, cold cyan eyes gleaming with an eerie light. In the next instant, its muscular body tightened, its immense blood energy surging like a raging river. With a sickening crunch, the black wolf was snapped in half, blood gushing like a fountain. Devouring the warm, gushing blood, the python let out a deep, satisfied growl, its taut scales relaxing, its serpent eyes narrowing slightly.

At that moment, a faint cyan streak of light tore through the air with a sharp whistling—a long cyan arrow. It struck just as the black-scaled python sensed danger, piercing directly through its left eye and exiting through the right. Instantly, a mixture of crimson blood and white pulp splattered in all directions.

The python howled in agony, its body thrashing like a colossal whip. Trees as thick as several men together were snapped in half, while even larger trees trembled violently, their trunks splitting open with wounds as large as millstones.

After a quarter of an incense stick's time, the black-scaled python finally collapsed. Within a radius of over ten zhang, the land was in ruins—earth churned up, revealing clear spring water, which quickly turned crimson with blood.

Moments later, from the depths of the wilderness, Xiao Yi emerged, his hand gripping the Azure Cloud Bow, his expression calm. Such bloodshed had become routine in the past half-month. This black-scaled python, with blood energy comparable to a human warrior who had opened fifteen heavenly meridians, still could not escape death beneath his arrows. His archery had improved significantly—within one hundred and fifty zhang, he never missed.

Without hesitation, Xiao Yi sat cross-legged beside the python's corpse and began visualizing the Barbaric Elephant Diagram. Immediately, in his mind, a towering blue-scaled barbaric elephant emerged, exuding an ancient and vast aura. It roared, its four massive legs stamping down like heavenly pillars. In Xiao Yi's consciousness, it was as if he could hear the tremors of the earth, like the beating of celestial war drums—immense and awe-inspiring.

Beside him, the python's blood essence surged like a hundred rivers converging, flowing into Xiao Yi's body through his nose, mouth, and every pore. Yet, before he could fully absorb and refine it, the stone mirror at his chest hummed, instantly devouring the python's purest blood essence.

Compared to a human warrior who had opened fifteen heavenly meridians, the black-scaled python had similar strength, but its massive body contained ten times the blood energy of a human. A few moments later, the stone mirror regurgitated a refined stream of blood essence, as thick as a thumb. Xiao Yi willed it into a pigeon egg-sized sphere of pure blood energy beside the stone mirror. Instantly, the sphere expanded to the size of a chicken egg, its essence untainted, flawless. This was the accumulation of Xiao Yi's efforts over the past half-month. Each day, after hunting enough blood meat to sustain the tribe, he used the excess to temper and absorb blood energy, preparing to break through to the next heavenly meridian in one decisive move.

Half a month later, the sphere of blood energy at Xiao Yi's chest had grown to the size of a fist, pulsating with an overwhelming presence.

On this day, atop the rear mountain peak, Xiao Yi sat cross-legged. After a month of accumulation, aside from supplying the tribe, he had slain a total of three hundred lower-tier wild beasts, the strongest of which possessed a strength of twenty jun. Yet, under his ever-advancing archery skills, none survived.

A month of slaughter, a month of refining battle techniques—Xiao Yi had undergone a transformation. It was not merely physical but spiritual. Perhaps due to the influence of his future self, his entire demeanor had become more composed, his presence more restrained, like a sealed furnace unmoved by storms or lightning.

Slowly closing his eyes, in an instant, the image of a colossal barbaric elephant materialized in his mind. After a month of cultivation, Xiao Yi no longer needed deliberate visualization—the Barbaric Elephant Diagram had already been deeply engraved within him. Its form and essence had subtly merged with his physical being, and faintly, his spear techniques had gained a newfound sense of dominance and vastness. Even the most basic spear thrusts now carried an overwhelming momentum, grand and boundless.

At this moment, Xiao Yi's entire body surged with energy, his blood and qi roaring like an untamed river. The one hundred and eight heavenly meridians trembled, resembling celestial pathways connecting his limbs and converging at the crown of his head. Among them, two meridians stood out, thick and vibrant like towering vines linking heaven and earth, glowing with a translucent azure light. With a mere thought, pure battle energy rushed forth from these two meridians, enveloping the swirling mass of blood and qi.

A savage elephant bellowed—a sound akin to a dragon's cry or the crashing of ocean waves. In that instant, Xiao Yi felt an illusion creep into his mind, as if the phantom of the barbaric elephant within him had solidified ever so slightly. A mysterious tremor spread through his body, sending ripples across his very soul.

Like a flood breaking through a dam, battle energy surged forth, unstoppable as a rainbow streaking across the sky. It carried immense vitality, shattering the barrier of the third heavenly meridian. The rolling tides of blood and qi swiftly transformed into refined battle energy, each strand crystalline, like the purest jade or flawless amber. A faint azure glow radiated from Xiao Yi's body as his bones and sinews resonated in harmony. Beads of foul-smelling impurities seeped from his pores, but the surging battle energy instantly incinerated them into nothingness.

He had broken through!

Xiao Yi's eyes gleamed with sharp brilliance. It had taken him an entire month to open his third heavenly meridian. For the human race, the further one advanced, the more difficult it became to unlock these meridians. In the Bloodstone Tribe, ordinary clansmen took about fifteen days to achieve this feat, while those with exceptional physiques, like Shi Lei, could accomplish it in as little as five or six days.

"And this is with me pushing myself to the brink of death every day, relentlessly hunting wild beasts. In the Bloodstone Tribe, breaking through the fourth meridian typically requires a month, but for me, it might take two months or even longer to accumulate enough refined qi and blood. However, thanks to the tempering of the Stone Mirror, the energy I've gathered is sufficient for an ordinary tribesman to unlock three or four meridians consecutively. Yet, for me, opening just one meridian increases my strength by five jun, equivalent to them unlocking five meridians. The Barbaric Elephant Force Technique is a top-tier martial art, surpassing even the Bloodstone Tribe's renowned Skyfire Battle Technique. I can't even begin to fathom the true power of a real barbaric elephant. If only Elder Shi had obtained more than just the Blood Refinement Scroll."

Standing atop the mountain peak, Xiao Yi gazed down at the Bloodstone Tribe below. The land stretched endlessly, a vast and ancient wilderness where mountains layered upon one another, and primeval forests loomed in the distance. A fleeting sense of dissonance filled his heart. Was this truly real? Nearly two months had passed, and though he had grown accustomed to life in the tribe, his longing for his family had only deepened. No matter how far his cultivation progressed, this feeling never faded.

After a few breaths, Xiao Yi's gaze steadied. He closed his eyes, focusing on the transformations within his body. Beyond the increase in raw power, every muscle and sinew brimmed with vitality. His mind felt sharper, his spirit more resolute.

"Three meridians unlocked, my strength has reached fifteen jun. My archery has advanced to the Minor Accomplishment stage of the Wind-Breaking Realm, ensuring perfect accuracy within two hundred zhang. However, due to my current strength limitations, I cannot yet reach the Great Accomplishment stage of three hundred zhang. To ascend from the Wind-Breaking Realm to the Sound-Splitting Realm, my range must extend to five hundred zhang, and my combat techniques must reach the Weightless Mastery stage. Over the past month, my Future Self training has greatly honed my archery and spear techniques, yet my foundation remains insufficient for an instant breakthrough. I still lack a true understanding of what 'Weightless Mastery' means. Still, at this moment, my overall combat strength should place me in the mid-tier among the tribe's warriors. Perhaps not at the peak, but my archery skill alone ranks me among the best. Elder Shi once said that even some squad leaders in the tribe have yet to step into the Sound-Splitting Realm."

Xiao Yi had a firm grasp of his own combat prowess. Though he remained dissatisfied, if the warriors of the Bloodstone Tribe learned of his progress, they would be utterly astounded. In just one month, he had risen from an ordinary mortal to possessing fifteen jun of strength and mastering archery at the Wind-Breaking Realm. Even the tribe's former chief, Shi Zhixuan, had never progressed at such an astonishing pace.

The Bloodstone Tribe.

The evening sun burned like fire, wisps of smoke curling into the sky as the aroma of roasted meat permeated the air. The dark green stone walls, weathered by hundreds—perhaps thousands—of years, had been polished smooth, bearing faint black stains—dried blood that had long since fused with the stone itself.

"Xiao Yi, you're back." A gate guard greeted him with a smile.

Every day at sunrise, Xiao Yi would depart, only to return at dusk with large hauls of bloodied prey. Over the past month, he had grown familiar with these warriors who stood watch over the tribe. They respected his diligence—though he was an outsider, he was unyielding, willing to endure hardship, and fearless in the hunt. The sheer amount of blood-rich meat he brought back daily even left them somewhat shaken.

For an ordinary warrior, securing enough blood meat for a single day's sustenance was a difficult task. Yet, day after day, these guards saw Xiao Yi return, his body drenched in blood, exuding an overwhelming scent of slaughter.

As he walked through the village, elders greeted him warmly, while children kept their distance, instinctively wary of the thick stench of blood that clung to him. This change was inevitable, yet Xiao Yi neither rejoiced nor lamented it. His expression remained calm. Everything he had today, he had earned with his own hands.