...That massive hand had been terrifying beyond words.

Although he suspected that massive hand was man-made...

...he couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease...

...’Can a person, through cultivation, truly reach that stage?’

But now, he firmly believed...

They could!

Because upon reaching Huajin, he had already begun to faintly touch upon the Extraordinary.

Waves of a cool sensation coursed through his brain... something he had never experienced before.

That coolness calmed his heart, clarified his mind, and made his thoughts clearer than ever before.

This was proof enough that the body—this existence that belonged to him, yet about which he had previously known nothing—was an unimaginable Divine Treasure!

It held too many unknowns and mysteries, waiting for him to discover and excavate!

He slowly exhaled a long breath and looked at the area around his body...

The waterfall was still crashing down.

But ever since Breaking Through, a ring of Force had naturally begun to circulate beneath his skin, shattering any external force that touched him.

’...Was this the power that had deflected the Poisonous Thorns aimed at Chen Shanhe?’

’...Body Protection... Qi Force?’

He thought subconsciously.

He looked at his hands, and after a moment, a smile appeared on his face. With a single movement, he leaped out of the waterfall.

The moment he moved, he felt another difference... His Qi Blood was contained, Force enveloped him, and his body felt much lighter and more agile.

It was as if with that single move, the Force throughout his body was assisting him, making his movements even lighter!

His eyes lit up...

’My current speed and strength should far surpass what they were before.’

’Twelve thousand jin...’

He closed his eyes to sense his condition and came to a precise understanding of his current strength limit!

Twelve thousand jin...

Qin Fang sucked in a sharp breath.

’Ten thousand jin of monstrous strength with just a shake of the shoulders?!’

’What kind of steel-and-iron frame would be needed to support such immense power?’

...Without even realizing it, he had become a monster he couldn’t have even dared to imagine before!

"Woof woof woof..."

Xile ran over, barking happily at him, its tail wagging furiously.

Qin Fang looked at the big dog, which was almost as big as he was, and smiled, patting its head...

The Body Protection Qi would activate on its own, but with a mere thought, Qin Fang could naturally prevent it from harming Xile.

Xile stuck out its enormous tongue to lick his hand, and a wave of relief and joy washed over Qin Fang’s heart...

’I’ve finally broken through to Huajin, three or four months earlier than I expected.’

It had only been a little over a month since his master and the others had left!

’...If Master and the others knew about this progress, they’d probably be shocked, right?’

’The key was that I comprehended the True Intent of the Mental Pile, and I also ate a Treasure Fish... That Treasure Fish was far more effective than the Bee Meat.’

This single Treasure Fish was equivalent to the combined energy of several hundred Giant Bees.

In fact, it seemed to be even more than that.

’What exactly is a Treasure Fish?’

Qin Fang couldn’t help but ponder this question again.

He just felt that... such a creature simply shouldn’t be a product of nature!

...Then again.

The Treasure Fish was mysterious, but compared to the Cold Cave and the Treasure Plant in the cavern, weren’t they even more incredible?

...He really couldn’t use conventional wisdom from his past to judge the beings of this World.

’The Extraordinary aspects of this World have probably only revealed the tip of the iceberg... But there’s no rush. I have the panel. As long as I don’t die, I’ll have the chance to climb to the very top, one step at a time...’

’Perhaps one day, I’ll also become one of those terrifying beings who can trigger a natural disaster with a casual palm strike?’

He thought with anticipation in his eyes.

The panel was his greatest trump card.

His master had failed his first attempt at Breaking Through to Huajin.

And yet, he had succeeded on his first try!

Besides his own solid foundation, the more important reason was likely his Golden Finger.

As long as proficiency increased, it would never fade!

He zoned out again for a long while before letting out a soft breath, finally calming the excitement of his promotion to Huajin.

’Next, I should head to the Prefecture City to find Master and the others... I wonder if Senior Sister is really in trouble in the Prefecture City...’

Although they had only met once, his Senior Sister had left a deep impression on him. Furthermore, she was his master’s only daughter. Qin Fang was constantly worried about her safety.

But before that...

There were a few things to take care of.

First.

’I need to check the Cold Cave again... With my current Physique, I wonder if I can make it past sixty meters? Can I get the things Master mentioned were further in?’

Qin Fang thought of the Cold Cave.

’Also... the Treasure Plant. Maybe I can try for that too?’

’It’s just that those Giant Bees are still a bit terrifying...’

He could kill Giant Bees quite easily now, but only if... there were just a few of them.

If there were too many Giant Bees, he’d be a goner too!

He hadn’t forgotten those horrifying Poisonous Thorns.

Although he had consumed a lot of that mysterious liquid and had likely developed some resistance to poison, the physical damage from those ten-centimeter-plus Poisonous Thorns alone was enough to put him in a world of hurt!

...But he had to find a way to try.

’Then there’s Chen Shanhe...’

Qin Fang’s eyes narrowed, his gaze growing cold.

Setting aside whether he could obtain the Treasure Plant for now, the Cold Cave definitely still had immense potential to be explored. It would be trouble if Chen Shanhe discovered this treasure trove.

What’s more...

’Xu Ran’s death was anything but normal. The fact that Chen Shanhe has been looking for me is probably... related to it.’

A cold light appeared in Qin Fang’s eyes.

He had been a refugee, after all.

He had seen...

...people who ate other people!

He hadn’t thought deeply about it at the time, but as he’d occasionally recalled it while practicing his Standing Pile these past two days, the more he thought, the more wrong it felt.

After Xu Ran’s death, the man was so overcome with grief that he coughed up blood and nearly dropped a Realm?

How could a Huajin practitioner’s body be that fragile?

And for a disciple he had taken on less than half a year ago, even if he had high hopes for him, how deep could their bond be? Deep enough to make him cough up blood from grief?

Add to that the known fact that after he obtained the Treasure Fish, the man had been searching for him relentlessly...

The conclusion was self-evident.

...Xu Ran was most likely killed by Chen Shanhe.

The motive...

...was the Treasure Fish inside him!

The Treasure Fish itself would be gone, so what would be left?

Xu Ran himself!

He either drank Xu Ran’s blood or simply ate him whole... and he even gained some benefit from it!

That’s why he attempted Breaking Through.

But he failed.

Failing at Breaking Through would naturally cause injury.

That was most likely the reason he had coughed up blood.

Now, he had discovered a second person who had eaten a Treasure Fish.

...So it was understandable why he was relentlessly pursuing him.

He wanted to eat him!

The killing intent in Qin Fang’s eyes grew stronger.

’He wants to eat me?’

But suddenly.

Qin Fang froze.

’Wait, no...’

’He’s already at the Huajin Realm... so what is he trying to Break Through to?’

’The breakthrough he’s attempting...’

’...is for what realm?’

His expression gradually went blank. Then, his pupils began to dilate, and his heart began to race...