The Dragon Ridge Mountain Range, stretching across the world, was majestic and grand.
It was said that this mountain range traversed the entire Eastern Desolate Continent.
For Jun Wuxie, this mountain range held a painful memory.
Half a year ago, in front of this mountain range, his section of spinal bone was brutally taken by Xiao Tianming of the Xiao Clan, and his Mysterious Divine Meridians of Chaos were extracted.
It was also here, after losing his Bloodline, that his heart was pierced by his clan cousin, Xiao Xu.
And it was this mountain range that swallowed his father's life!
This was the beginning of his suffering, and the turning point of his life.
He stood quietly for a long time, took out a map to examine it, then chose a direction, and his agile figure moved through the forest like a leopard.
Flame Valley was located within a fiery mountain in front of the Dragon Ridge Mountain Range.
This volcanic area, with its perpetually hot magma, had an unusually high temperature and was home to many Flame Vicious Beasts that thrived in high heat.
Jun Wuxie entered the mountain, enduring the rolling heatwaves, and delved deeper along the route on the map.
Before long, he encountered a Vicious Beast that resembled a wild boar but had a row of fiery bone spurs on its back.
It was a Flame Beast.
A Second-tier Vicious Beast!
Roar!
The Flame Beast roared and charged towards Jun Wuxie the moment it saw him, its bone spurs on its back blazing fiercely, bringing with them a wave of high-temperature heat.
Jun Wuxie condensed his Physical Body Blood Qi into his fists and met the charge head-on, and a fierce battle instantly erupted.
After dozens of rounds, he was inwardly astonished.
He had initially thought it was just an Elementary Second-tier Flame Beast, but it turned out to be an Intermediate Second-tier, its Realm equivalent to a Martial Artist at the sixth transformation of the Innate Realm.
If an ordinary Innate Realm Martial Artist at the sixth transformation encountered it, they probably wouldn't last three rounds, but Vicious Beasts were different.
In the end, relying on his Spirit Rank strength Physical Body and super strong sustained combat ability, he exhausted the Flame Beast's True Qi and broke its sharp claws, then found an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
"No wonder so many mercenary groups perished in Flame Mountain; I just came in and encountered such an Intermediate Second-tier Vicious Beast!"
Jun Wuxie was a bit tired, gasping for breath as he looked at the Flame Beast lying on the ground. There was a fist-sized hole in its skull, which was the fatal blow he had dealt.
"No, if I continue to go deeper like this, I'm afraid I'll die under the claws of other Flame Vicious Beasts before I even see the Flame Python..."
He was in a bit of a predicament. He only had a mere thirty First Spirit Pills, far from enough resources for a Breakthrough.
There was no way to improve his Realm now!
As he thought, he used a dagger to cut open the Flame Beast's corpse and extract the beast core inside.
Vicious Beasts above the Second-tier all had beast cores, which condensed most of the Vicious Beast's energy.
This beast core was the size of a pigeon egg, entirely fiery red, and very hot, almost scalding to the touch.
"It should fetch a good price, at least around a thousand gold, right?"
beast cores could be used for Alchemy, and the Three Great Merchant Guilds in the city purchased them year-round.
"This kind of beast core, you can directly use as a Cultivation resource; its effect is a hundred times stronger than a First Spirit Pill. You actually want to sell it?"
"Senior? Isn't this only for Alchemy?"
When Jun Wuxie heard the Mysterious Woman's words, his heart couldn't help but fill with joy. The beast core had such an effect?
However, he also wanted to say that he was poor, truly too poor, so poor that his clothes were full of patches.
"For others, yes, but not for you," the Mysterious Woman said. "You Cultivate the Primordial Golden Body Art. Have you forgotten its characteristics? This beast core, coupled with those thirty First Spirit Pills, can allow you to assault the Extreme Realm."
"Hmm? Extreme Realm, what is the Extreme Realm?"
Jun Wuxie looked bewildered; it was the first time he had heard of the Extreme Realm.
The Acquired Realm primarily focused on Body Refining. Upon reaching the Peak of the tenth transformation, the next was the Innate Realm, with at most a so-called Half-step Innate Realm in between. What kind of Realm was this Extreme Realm?
The Mysterious Woman said faintly, "Ten transformations are the Peak, but not the end. Some exceptionally talented individuals can reach the Peak and transcend, stepping into the Extreme Realm Domain. Each major Realm gains an additional special minor Realm compared to others, doubling their strength."
"This Extreme Realm can double one's strength?"
Jun Wuxie found it hard to believe; was the Extreme Realm that terrifying?
"Indeed. Your Extreme Realm is even more special, with three minor Realms: Extreme Realm, Extreme Realm Minor Perfection, and Extreme Realm Great Perfection, which can increase your Physical Body strength threefold. Ordinary people Cultivate ten minor Realms in one major Realm, while both outstanding talents and peerless geniuses can only Cultivate eleven. You are different; you need to Cultivate thirteen. This is a characteristic of the Primordial Golden Body Art; otherwise, you will not be able to Breakthrough to the next Realm."
Jun Wuxie was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly found a hidden, relatively safe place and entered the Eternal Life Shrine.
"Senior, how do I Cultivate the Extreme Realm?"
"Refine the beast core, consume all the Spirit Pills, and use the Primordial Golden Body Art to convert them into Physical Body Blood Essence. Then enter the Weapon Tomb to undergo Soldier's Intent tempering, and you will have a chance to step into the Extreme Realm Domain."
Weapon Tomb... it was simply a nightmare. His mouth twitched, and he said, "Is there no other method?"
"No."
"Alright."
Jun Wuxie gritted his teeth, directly swallowed all thirty First Spirit Pills, and then began to refine the beast core.
Vast Spiritual Qi and beast core energy entered his body, surging like a great river, causing immense pain in his Meridians. He quickly circulated the Primordial Golden Body Art.
The Spiritual Qi and energy within his body began to transform, alleviating the pressure on his Physical Body. The resulting Blood Essence was crystal clear, dispersing throughout his limbs and bones, strengthening his Physical Body.
"Enter the Weapon Tomb."
Upon hearing this, Jun Wuxie directly rushed in.
In an instant, the Soldier's Intent of ten thousand weapons attacked, and he found it unbearable, the pain bone-deep.
Boom!
The Dao of the Cauldron pressed him down like a mountain, continuously hammering his body.
The tearing and penetrating sensation of Sword Intent and Soldier's Intent, the hammering of the Dao of the Cauldron, and the Soul-shaking resonance of the Dao of the Bell made him wish he were dead.
"Maintain your will, stay conscious, and continuously circulate the Primordial Golden Body Art, otherwise you will shatter and die."
The Mysterious Woman reminded him at the right time.
"I..."
Jun Wuxie was in so much pain he wanted to curse.
This kind of suffering was truly unbearable; he felt his will about to collapse, almost fainting.
He was dazed and confused, but each time his will was about to break, Little Yue Yao's tear-streaked face would appear in his mind, giving him a jolt and making him clear-headed again.
He couldn't die!
He had to endure!
If he died, what would Yue Yao do?
He didn't know how long passed, but he only felt a 'boom' sound, and then he felt his body undergo a tremendous change, instantly Breakthroughing the Acquired Perfection and stepping into a wondrous Domain.
The Blood Qi within his body suddenly surged, becoming more than twice as vigorous as before, and every inch of his flesh and blood was filled with explosive power.
The ten thousand weapons in the Weapon Tomb became silent, no longer releasing Soldier's Intent.
"How do you feel?"
The Mysterious Woman asked.
"I feel... like I want to die!"
Jun Wuxie grimaced, climbing to his feet, his body still feeling a strong sense of pain.
He was covered in blood, looking very miserable, but he loved the feeling of being full of power at this moment.
He stepped onto the stone platform that tested Physical Body strength.
Prehistoric characters appeared on the crystal stele.
Physical Body Strength: Spirit Rank One Star Low Grade!
"My body is now a Spirit Weapon! And, my comprehension of Soldier's Intent seems to have deepened a bit!"
"Every time you undergo the tempering of Soldier's Intent, a certain amount of Soldier's Intent Qi will remain in your body. This will be of great help to you in comprehending Soldier's Intent in the early stages."
"Senior, do you think I can defeat a Third-tier Flame Python now?"
"You should ask if your physique can satisfy its hunger in one meal."
Jun Wuxie was speechless. Couldn't she be a little more tactful?
He actually knew he couldn't defeat the Flame Python; he just wanted the Mysterious Woman to provide some help, but he didn't want to say it directly.
"Solve the difficulties you face yourself; I will not help you."
The Mysterious Woman seemed to have seen through his thoughts and stopped paying attention to him after speaking.
"I still have to rely on myself. If I can't win by force, I can only outwit it."
Jun Wuxie pondered for a moment, intending to first check the situation in the Flame Valley before figuring out how to deal with the Flame Python. He then left the Eternal Life Shrine.