Chapter 41: Seven Shadows of Light

“Of course, we want the Spiritual Pulse Cold Spring and spiritual grasses you carry. Hand them over peacefully, and we’ll spare you.”

Cheng Lingyu sneered, “I don’t surrender my belongings to anyone. Try taking them by force—but know this: act, and you’ll bear the consequences.”

“A mere True Martial, Third Level brat dares threaten us? You’ve got a death wish!”

A cultivator lunged, arrogantly aiming a kick at Cheng Lingyu’s head.

Cheng Lingyu’s crimson-wrapped fist erupted, triggering thunderous booms in the void, wild as a dragon.

The punch shattered the True Martial Fourth Realm cultivator’s leg, hurling him back with a bloodcurdling scream.

Cheng Lingyu charged like a beast unleashed, his piercing gaze forcing the others to flinch.

He moved like lightning, fists hammering with the weight of tens of thousands of pounds, shaking the void as winds roared.

“Watch out—this runt’s strong! Agh—!”

Screams echoed through the ferocious beast forest. Though their cultivation levels surpassed Cheng Lingyu’s, their combat power paled in comparison.

All four River Stage cultivators—save the Gathering Lake Stage one—were crippled within moments, left writhing in regret.

The Gathering Lake Stage cultivator, relying on raw cultivation advantage, barely held his ground.

But Cheng Lingyu’s beast-like ferocity, steel-hard body, and razor-sharp instincts overwhelmed his foe. Ten strikes later, the man cursed through gritted teeth, face twisted in terror.

These mediocre cultivators stood no chance against Cheng Lingyu’s monstrous strength.

Ten more blows sent the Gathering Lake Stage cultivator crashing down, howling in pain.

Cheng Lingyu shattered all five attackers’ legs, looted their pills, spiritual grasses, and a high-grade sea-crossing artifact, then left them helpless.

“You brat—we’ll make you pay!”

“Save your threats for the beasts,” Cheng Lingyu retorted.

Soon, ferocious beasts descended, devouring the crippled cultivators as screams filled the woods.

Returning to the central area, Cheng Lingyu handed Qu Wei sixty spiritual grasses.

“That’s ten extra.”

“Consider it thanks. I gathered fifty-six, but five True Martial Realm fools ambushed me and donated twenty-four more. I’ve gained much here, while you’ve received little—I felt obliged.”

Qu Wei chuckled, “You’ve given me over a hundred grasses, that bracelet, and the finger bone. We’ve profited plenty by your side.”

Cheng Lingyu grinned. “Call it fate. We’re friends.”

Jin Miaoyi nodded. “Well said! Friends.”

Miao Sanxu and Fang Zhuqing echoed the sentiment, sealing their successful alliance.

“When will you leave?” Qu Wei asked.

Cheng Lingyu replied, “Many covet the Spiritual Pulse Cold Spring. Departing now invites trouble. I’ll cultivate here until reaching the River Stage.”

Jin Miaoyi frowned. “How long?”

“Ten days, perhaps.”

Cheng Lingyu had ample resources, and advancing to the River Stage was only a matter of time.

Qu Wei said, “Ten days is too long. We can stay at most six or seven days. Focus on your cultivation for now, and we’ll decide later.”

After agreeing, Cheng Lingyu devoted himself to cultivation, aiming to break through to the River Stage.

This stage emphasized refining the physical body and expanding meridian capacity. His Thousand Layers of Snow excelled in this, surpassing all other techniques.

Cheng Lingyu first took ten beast pills and ten spiritual grasses, then began cultivating.

Advancing from the True Martial, Third Level – Wave Stage to the River Stage required accumulating true essence, forcibly expanding meridians, stabilizing them, and further refinement.

Without sufficient resources, progressing to the River Stage would be slow and arduous—a fact Cheng Lingyu understood well.

True essence surged, meridians stretched, repeating until the body reached its limit.

Though seemingly straightforward, this process demanded immense willpower and relentless endurance.

While Cheng Lingyu cultivated, Qu Wei attempted to fuse the finger bone into her left ring finger, struggling due to her low cultivation level.

After a day and night, Cheng Lingyu absorbed the potency of the beast pills and spiritual grasses, reaching the peak of the Wave Stage and advancing toward the River Stage.

He then consumed a monster core and a low-grade spiritual herb, launching a full assault.

Thousand Layers of Snow operated at full power, stretching his true essence and forcibly expanding his meridians.

Two days and nights later, the monster core and herb’s energy were nearly absorbed.

His meridians had tripled in capacity, meeting Thousand Layers of Snow’s minimum standard. Unsatisfied, he took another monster core and low-grade herb, pressing further.

Another two days passed, expanding his meridians fivefold—a superior level.

Cheng Lingyu was stunned. Two monster cores, two low-grade herbs, ten beast pills, and ten spiritual grasses hadn’t reached his limit. His body’s demands were staggering.

Now only two monster cores, two low-grade herbs, and the mid-grade Seven-Leaf Butterfly remained.

Gritting his teeth, Cheng Lingyu swallowed both cores and the Seven-Leaf Butterfly for his final push.

Five days later, Qu Wei awoke to find Cheng Lingyu still cultivating, surprising everyone.

“We should leave him a message. His sea-crossing artifact will let him return safely.”

Jin Miaoyi, Qu Wei, Miao Sanxu, and Fang Zhuqing waited another day before leaving a message and departing.

Cheng Lingyu was at a critical juncture. The mid-grade herb’s potency dwarfed low-grade herbs, containing the complete Seven-Leaf Butterfly’s Da Dao Imprint.

Having studied the Mirage Blade Slash and parts of the imprint, Cheng Lingyu now grasped the Seven-Leaf Butterfly’s ultimate skill—Seven Butterfly Shadows.

The mid-grade herb and two cores unleashed violent energy, skyrocketing his meridian capacity to eightfold, then tenfold, shattering his physical limits again.

Though satisfied, breaking into the River Stage had taken ten full days.

His meridians now maximally expanded and refined, but true essence capacity only tripled against a tenfold meridian increase.

Consuming one mid-grade herb, two low-grade herbs, four cores, ten pills, and ten grasses, his true essence reached thirty percent capacity—yet his overall strength multiplied tenfold.

Instead of departing immediately, Cheng Lingyu slept to consolidate his gains.

Three days later, he awoke with thirty-five percent true essence—a remarkable leap.

He now carried an air of poised elegance, his mesmerizing eyes gleaming with wise confidence. Their depth marked the early stage of Magic Eyes, Second Realm of Locking the Soul and Fixing the Spirit.

“Nearly two months. Time to return.”

Soaring gracefully, he flew seaward.

Summoning a magical boat, he sailed back to shore.

Storing the artifact, he hurried toward Shiyang Town, determined to cure his father’s illness.

He retained two low-grade herbs for his father, planning to combine them with Spiritual Pulse Cold Spring to eradicate the illness. Additional spiritual grasses would aid his father’s recovery and future growth, freeing them from the Cheng family.

…

Since Cheng Lingyu’s departure, Cheng Yun’s life had worsened.

Cheng Zhaojun and Cheng Zhaohua’s defeat by Cheng Lingyu enraged their father Cheng Feng, who now targeted Cheng Yun.

During Cheng Lingyu’s two months on Green Island, Cheng Feng harassed and assaulted Cheng Yun repeatedly.

Once stronger than Cheng Feng, Cheng Yun’s cultivation had decayed to True Martial Fifth Level – Gathering Lake Stage after his injury. Cheng Feng, at True Martial Sixth Level – Meeting the Sea Stage’s late phase, dominated him.

Though Cheng Yun endured, Cheng Feng’s constant provocations and attacks infuriated him.

Family head Cheng Feng ignored the injustice, clearly favoring his namesake and seeking to expel Cheng Yun.

Cheng Yun stayed, waiting for his son’s return, hiding his resentment through reclusion and restraint.