Duncan felt as if his dantain was exploding when the nineteenth strand of qi mingled with the already present 18 strands in his dantain.
After diligently cultivating for another hour with the aid of the spirit stone, Duncan finally reached the necessary accumulation to break through to the next level. While the effects of the Qi Gathering pill had faded away midway, Duncan was able to break through with the help of the spirit stone in his hand.
A qi vortex formed atop his head and sucked in as much qi as possible from the surroundings the moment Duncan felt an explosion happening in his dantain. This new vortex had increased in size a little compared to the last breakthrough, thus sucking in more qi.
The spirit stone in Duncan's hands crumbled into dust as the vortex sucked the remaining qi present in the stone. However, Duncan didn't notice this. His concentration was currently focused on operating the <Slaughter Demon Sutra> to the utmost speed it was possible.
There was an urgency in his heart and Duncan always listened to his gut feelings. The nineteen qi strands in Duncan's dantain exploded out of their location and once more ravaged Duncan's body.
Having already experienced this phenomenon once, Duncan wasn't surprised by the happenings. He remained unfazed as he circulated his cultivation technique. As the qi strands ravaged his body, Duncan noticed the areas they covered this time were much more comprehensive than the first time.
Duncan once more experienced the feeling of being remade and cleansed of the filth that was inhibiting his body. As his body was once more cleansed of the filth that he had accumulated, Duncan felt much more lighter and energetic than he had been for the past few days.
Unbeknownst to Duncan, the ravaging of the qi and their enrichment of Duncan's vitality had an added benefit to him this time. When those qi strands attacked and remade the areas where Duncan's previous injuries were present, they drove out the greenish aura that was inhabiting those wounds and preventing them from healing completely.
As a result, Duncan's wounds also started healing at an accelerated rate. Duncan, who had his eyes closed, felt this change in his body and was surprised a little. Still, he didn't break his concentration. He focused on circulating his cultivation technique to the utmost and drawing in more qi from the surroundings.
*****
As Duncan was immersed in his breakthrough, the cannibals searching for him started noticing the change of qi in the air around them. While the ones at the lower level of strength didn't notice this change, that wasn't the same with the ones at the higher level.
They felt the qi in the air being sucked toward a particular direction and turned their gazes in that direction. They didn't know it was Duncan who was creating this phenomenon. But it didn't matter to them, to be honest.
As the cannibals were more akin to beasts, they had an innate urge to check out what was causing such a commotion. The instincts in them were telling them to head in that direction, lest they miss out on a good opportunity.
It was well known among the cultivation community that beasts were very sensitive to the movement of qi in their surroundings. As the level of cultivators increases, they too will begin to notice the changes easily.
In fact, when a natural treasure is born, the beasts are drawn towards it because of their qi sensitivity. To birth a natural treasure, a large amount of qi is needed. As the treasure starts sucking in qi to enable its birth, the beasts will feel it and gravitate toward it.
This process can be both instantaneous and gradual. The differentiation didn't matter much for the beasts in general. They gravitated towards areas saturated with qi in general.
That is the reason cultivators normally use formations to hide qi activity in their locality if they cultivated in wild areas. It was done in order to not alert beasts and other beings which were sensitive to the qi movements.
Duncan, who was new to cultivation, didn't realize this and was committing yet another basic mistake due to his inexperience.
While Duncan was oblivious to his plight, several strong cannibals were beginning to gravitate toward his location.
*****
Duncan opened his eyes with a bright smile on his face.
He had done it. He has finally broken through the third level of the Qi Condensation realm. It had taken him some time, but he had done it at last.
Even the filthy stench that was emanating from his body didn't deter him from being happy. He knew that his current power was inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. But, he was just happy to know that he was much stronger than he was a few hours ago.
He now had to confidence to take on the mob of cannibals if he encountered them again. The reason for his shameful state earlier was that he ran into cannibals that were similar to his power level and got bogged down, allowing the rest to mob him.
Now that he had increased his power, he could easily tackle them if he wanted. Looking down at his robe, Duncan let out a helpless smile. He had just cleaned this robe a few days ago of these filthy extracts from his body. And now, it was once more contaminated with filth.
And this time, there wasn't a water source near that was readily available for him to clean his clothes.
Letting out a helpless chuckle, Duncan got up and dusted himself off. Most of the filth that had settled on his clothes fell off, but the stench refused to go. Duncan also noted that there were small green vines running through his clothes near his injured areas.
"I guess this is the reason that my wounds refused to heal fast, mmm," Duncan muttered to himself in curiosity. "What is this? Is this some kind of poison? Are the nails and teeth of these cannibals poisonous?"
Duncan didn't know the answers to his question. But, he inwardly made a decision to stay alert to the possibility of being poisoned via injury. It would be a bummer if he survived this place only to end up getting poisoned because he wasn't careful or took medication on time.
"Looks like I need to watch out for these things when I engage them the next time. I now have two options, either to head out and search for the exit or to cultivate a bit more and search later," Duncan muttered to himself looking at his surroundings.
"I still have some time to search for the exit. However, if I ran into someone stronger and got once more held up, it would be undesirable. The last time I had been a little overconfident, I shouldn't make the same mistake again," Duncan reasoned.
"There is still more than two days before the deadline. With the increase in my cultivation, I could search more areas and be a little faster in my search as well. So, it would be better if I cultivate a bit more and stabilized my level before heading out. No one has found this spot so far, I guess it would do for now," Duncan determined and once more sat down to cultivate.
"I think I will use these spirit stones to accelerate my cultivation speed. I have no time to waste. The stronger I can get, the easier it will be for me to survive and escape this place," Duncan spoke to himself looking at the spirit stones in his possession.
"As much I need them to live in the sect, it wouldn't make much sense if I died here because of lacking strength. I have already come across increasingly strong opponents two times. I can't always rely on luck or escape from the situation. I need to prepare myself for the possibility of facing even stronger opponents. There is nothing more to think about this," Duncan said with a flash of determination shining through his eyes.
Duncan once more started cultivating holding a spirit stone in his hand.
*****
Meanwhile, a long distance away from the Grasslands…
A range of mountains that almost pierced through the clouds stood tall and proud. These mountains were serene and had an almost holy vibe to them. The qi in these mountains was richer than anywhere else in the Dragon Scale Continent.
Countless cultivators flocked towards these mountains in the hopes of being permitted to live here, not just for the abundance of qi these mountains posed. It was because they knew that being allowed to live here meant that their life had undergone a dramatic change and they will soon transform from a chicken into a phoenix.
It was because this mountain range was the location of the Seven Clouds Sect.
Seven Clouds Sect was one of the premier sects that can be found in the Dragon Scale Continent. It had countless smaller sects that paid homage to them and reigned supreme throughout the continent.
Since no one apart from the members of the Seven Clouds Sect was allowed to be in this area, being allowed to live here meant that one was accepted into the Seven Clouds Sect.
It was the dream of several youths who were cultivating all over the continent.
But, the Seven Clouds Sect rarely opened their gates to recruit disciples directly. They usually searched for promising candidates and offered these candidates discipleship in their sect.
Geniuses from lower-tier and mid-tier sects yearned to be recruited by the Seven Clouds Sect. After all, the Seven Clouds Sect was one of the strongest existences in the entire continent.
They boasted a rich history, had a lot of top-tier cultivation techniques, and occupied a large number of resources. Being a disciple of the sect allowed these geniuses access to this huge treasure load.
That was the reason geniuses all over the continent salivated at the thought of joining the sect.
Usually, the mountain range where the Seven Clouds Sect was located was serene and had a peaceful atmosphere. After all, who would dare to cause a commotion in this area and offend one of the strongest sects on the continent?
But today, this mountain range was anything but peaceful.
Thunder cracked and the air was filled with heavy pressure. The clouds hanging above the mountain range were dark and menacing. Bolts of lightning slammed into one particular peak causing the earth to rumble and the air to crackle.
*****
A/N: Hey folks!
Make sure to add this book to your collection and vote with your power stones to show your appreciation for this work.
You can also check out my other book [Booking Glory] and see if it is to your liking.
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