The inner region of the moon forest was extremely dangerous for any Qi Gates realm cultivators to travels alone. Even some groups can't cross this region safely if they don't have any Qi Foundation Building realm experts protecting them.
There was a waterfall in the boundary between the inner and outer regions of the moon forest.
Currently, a tall figure was bare-chested sitting on a stone under the waterfall cross-legged, and his eyes were closed. He was resembling a sculpture. It seems like he didn't feel any pressure from the heavily falling water. This bare-chested figure was obviously Ace.
It has been three months after Ace has sealed Eva.
Now he has turned thirteen years old and he has somewhat lost his childish look. He looked more matured and handsome especially his pale skin and hollow cheeks with a perfect jawline. With his dark blue eyes in the mix that gives him a lady-killer look.
He was taller than before nearly six feet tall, and his weak skinny body has long become tone. One could even see every muscle on his body clearly, it was as if some divine artist has carved those muscles with extreme care. However, those tone muscles were in no way delicate, on the contrary, they were filled with explosive power like an ancient beast.
Ace open his closed eyelids as he murmured, "Still not enough to build my foundation."
For three months he has been fighting with all the demonic beasts that came in his way and were trying to figure out the perfect time to break through into Heavenly Foundation Building Realm. He even fights with five early Qi foundation building realm demonic beasts but no matter how much he kills, he still has the same feeling as three months before.
Now Ace was trying different methods that were written in all the cultivation-related books that he found in Dulce's storage ring.
One thing that was worth noticing is that his knowledge has grown by leaps and bounds. Whether it was about low-level lands below royal-level or the cultivation realms up to Qi River Core realm, he has all the knowledge that only royalty of a top ten kingdom would possess.
It was all because of Dulce's habit of carrying these informative books in her storage ring. She was extremely talented and she likes to be well informed in any aspect. But now from her habit Ace has profited quite well and he was not ignorant anymore.
"Well if meditation is not enough should I try life and death battle again?" Mutter Ace seriously.
He was doing all this because he has read in one of the books that when a cultivator wasn't ready or his Qi Gates Realm was still shallow he would face situations like Ace. They called it a 'Realm Wall'.
One has to break this 'realm wall' to steps into the next realm and the more powerful one's foundation the more powerful the realm wall be. And clearly Ace has opened nine Heavenly Gates, so his realm wall was not something that any other cultivator has ever imagine before.
If Ace wanted he can still enter the Heavenly Foundation Building realm with EXP easily because his soul was equal to a Qi foundation realm cultivator this 'realm wall' doesn't exist for him at all.
But he didn't dare to do this because he can't put his finger on it but he knew if he enters this realm before he satisfied some kind of condition he would die. This feeling was coming from the Dark Void and he didn't dare to underestimate this Dark Void because it was a part of his body and all his meridians were connected with it.
After three months he was some idea about this Dark Void it was like a second heart but it didn't pump blood but the HD-Qi in his whole-body meridians and with this Dark Void he can control his HD-Qi like never before.
Simply put this 'Dark Void' was like the main heart of his martial cultivation, and Ace has a strange gut feeling that this void has more function than just converting Heavenly Qi in HD-Qi and absorbs other Qi to convert into his own. It was a mystery that he has to solve on his own.
The life and death method was extremely simple and very effective, one has to continuously put one's life in danger, and if the chance comes one could get his chance to break the realm wall in a life and death situation.
Ace was trying this method for three months but he was strong enough to overwhelm any early Qi Foundation demonic beast so he didn't get what he wanted.
Now he was trying mediation and wanted to enlighten himself like the article that was written in a famous book but it was also a lost cause.
So, he was quite annoyed about this situation and wanted to try that life and death method again. It was more effective than this because with this at least his skills kept improving.
Especially his Dual Shadow Sword technique he could feel that he was closer to breaking into the second realm.
He even creates a sword art 'Dual Swords Mirage'after combining all the sword skills that he has collected till now.
Cultivation arts were like skills they have the same levels as skills. But the difference between them was an 'Art' has more than a single move in it and a skill only has a single move. That's why to make it easy for all cultivators to understand a name 'Cultivation Art' was founded. As for who founded it no one knows as long as the cultivation exists 'Cultivation Arts' exist as well.
Besides, Ace possessed a cultivation art from the start and that was Treasure Opening Hands, which has five different variations!
Ace has a top technique related to swords but until now he didn't have any skills related to it so when he starts to read all those skills books he finds out that he can't learn them because of his special Qi. But he soon found out that he can use those stances and move in his own way.
After some difficulties and pondering over his life and death experiences, he creates 'Dual Swords Mirage Art'.
He named it because it was made on the foundation of a warrior-level skill 'Butterfly Mirage Blades' that he found in Dulce's ring. This was the same skill that she used in their fight against him in the start.
Ace was quite impressed by it at that time so he decided to try breaking this sword skill and build a new one with all the supplementary skills that he possessed. To his surprised, he thought that it will be an impossible task to create something like an art, but with his understanding of Dual Shadow Swords, he can easily understand these 'basic swords skills' like they were nothing.
Ace finally understand just how profound this sword technique truly was, with the only understanding of the first realm of this technique he has created a sword art equal to a Low Master Grade Skill, that was only be found in an empire.
The moment he creates this art his understanding of the dual shadow swords reached a new level and he finally found a way to cultivate this technique faster. That was to absorb more knowledge of swords technique or skills and apply that knowledge and used it with dual shadow swords.
If anyone knows that he has created a sword art not a skill then the whole cultivation world would be frightened silly by it because Ace is not even in the Qi foundation realm and he has already achieved a feat like this.
One has to know that all those skills and especially arts are made after many years of hard work and only geniuses among geniuses can create their own skills and arts. And here a thirteen years old has created a sword art in three months even those ancient sects would be willing to fight to the death with each other just to get Ace into their sects.
But alas no one knows and Ace would never reveal his potential or show his prowess carelessly after what has happened.
Ace stands upon the stone and with a high jump, he leaps in the air before landing on dry ground, after dressing up in casual black robes.
His eyes were shining like stars as he watches the inner region of the moon forest. He was hopeful of finding a way to break through there.
"I still have to complete my mission so I can't waste much time in here, Just that it's a real pity that I can't go into the core region of the forest with the time I have left. Maybe I might've found some rare opportunity there. Well, no worries like they say 'If fate is not agreeing what would a mortal do?', Heh" Ace smiled broadly all his worries vanished in thin air.
He was ready for the final junction of his journey, the inner region of the moon forest.