Slowly but surely, Xia Fei’s heart became like still water, and the sound, which previously shook his very core, became nothing but a distant distraction.
He had managed to master the temptations of his inner demon, and it was a great achievement!
This was an extraordinary cultivation, where Xia Fei did not use any external Origin Energy and merely used what mental energy he had in him to hold on. When the energy he possessed was used up, a type of inexplicable energy would be tapped from inside him.
His body was clearly at its limit, yet it struggled with this thought of never giving up, and it kept him going. Plenty of warriors had had such an experience before, but it was not easy to harness this sort of energy.
“Don’t give up! Don’t give up!”
This was the only thought left in Xia Fei’s mind, his consciousness empty like an untamed land, and the sounds of temptation were naturally sounding further and further away. He thought nothing else beyond persevering and fighting.
In the blink of an eye, he had already stayed in that dungeon for six days. The trick that Yu Hua taught him had been really effective, as during these six days, Xia Fei had already completed about 90% of the way to becoming a Law Sovereign—nothing more than a short stone’s throw away from making a breakthrough.
Alas, Xia Fei simply could not find a way to cross this final stretch.
Without energy, Xia Fei had indeed made rapid progress by sticking to the exhaustion method at first, but as he got closer and closer to the threshold, the pain of his energy exhaustion began to become apparent.
He knew that he was practically a step away from making the breakthrough, yet he simply lacked even half a drop of energy to push on, so all he could do was stop.
Pushing open the door of the dungeon and stepping out, Xia Fei decided to head outside and look around. He would take a short break so as to alleviate his tense nerves.
Every individual in Crow City was busy cultivating, and no one was willing to waste their time moving about, which was why the great hall was empty and desolate.
Leaving the confines of the castle and arriving at the edge of the swamp, he saw a single crow feeding off the body of a dead frog. It used its beak to split open the frog’s stomach and then ate its prey’s intestines.
Seeing that there was someone around, that crow promptly flapped its wings and flew away. It cursed Xia Fei in its heart for interrupting its meal.
It happened to be daybreak, and thick fog covered the swamp. Xia Fei lit a cigarette and inhaled the strange mixture of the fog and tobacco before he exhaled. He opened his arms and stretched, limbering up his aching body.
His physical fatigue was nothing. What mattered was the dismay he felt over his inability to break through. It was like a heavy rock pressing down on Xia Fei’s heart, making it hard for him to breathe.
“There are still nine days left.” Xia Fei had no idea when Yu Xiaobei had appeared behind him, but the latter softly stated that. “It’s the Decennial Dragon Ascension Conclave… I’m excited just thinking about it.”
Xia Fei pursed his lips. “I still don’t know whether I can make it or not, so I’d rather not mull on it too much.”
Yu Xiaobei continued speaking, not thinking much of what he had just said. “Whether you make it or not has got nothing to do with me. I’m just talking about myself,”
Xia Fei did not mind this comment. He had already seen Yu Xiaobei’s arrogance and selfishness in full display before, how he was only able to see himself in his eyes, but Xia Fei had overlooked a particular aspect of Yu Xiaobei. Aside from his arrogance and selfishness, the man was also very unkind.
“Someone like you shouldn’t have even been given a chance to participate in the Dragon Ascension Conclave. You don’t even understand what it means.” Yu Xiaobei scoffed as he spoke to himself aloud.
Xia Fei flashed him a slight smile. “What else can it be aside from a large group of players in the Law Realm gathering the youths to slaughter one another, crowning the winner as genius favored by the masses, while those who lose can only feel devastated, forever living the rest of their lives in nameless shame.”
Yu Xiaobei looked at Xia Fei in utter disdain. “Sure enough, you have no clue what it entails. The Dragon Ascension Conclave isn’t merely just killing but also other categories of trial as well.”
“Sometimes, I really hate that I was born in this tiny Yu family. Were I in one of the Nine Great Clans, my cultivation would likely see a huge improvement! If I were born among the God Race, I might even be a Law Emperor already, not stagnate as a peak Law Sovereign for two whole years!”
Xia Fei was stunned, “Do you mean to say that you’ve already made it to peak Law Sovereign two years ago?”
Yu Xiaobei had not hit eighteen years of age yet, so he was nothing more than a teenager two years ago! With such a godlike rate of promotion, calling him a talent that had the favor of the gods would not be an exaggeration!
He had never heard of people complaining about their poor upbringing. Yu Xiaobei was born to the Yu family in the Law Realm, yet he still complained. Should Xia Fei not just throw himself into a river and end his life since he was born from the insignificant planet Earth?
A smug smirk appeared across Yu Xiaobei’s face as he proudly said, “That’s right. The Dragon Ascension Conclave has been prepared for talented individuals like yours truly. The entire Law Realm is looking forward to the conclave which will happen in nine days’ time. You simply don’t understand how much of an honor it is, nor do you have the qualification to stand beside a genius like myself! Besides, you’ll be facing against all the geniuses across the entire Law Realm!”
Xia Fei frowned. Not only did Yu Xiaobei’s words fail to make Xia Fei balk at the prospects, it instead instigated the fiercely rebellious heart in him.
‘What dog sh*t genius! He’s just an idiot; it’s no wonder he cultivated himself into such a b*llsh*t corner,’ Xia Fei turned around and stalked off as he complained inwardly.
……
Xia Fei originally wanted to head out for a relaxing stroll, but who knew that he would bump into the hateful Yu Xiaobei and be left speechless by the young man’s arrogance. Xia Fei could feel a bellyful of anger inside him as he returned to the dungeon to resume his cultivation without saying another word.
That second pattern of the Space law slowly formed; at the same time, the energy in his brain region kept being drained without any replenishment, and Xia Fei soon felt the agony of being drained of all energy.
Xia Fei treated his cultivation like a war—a war to the death that took no prisoners!
Gritting his teeth, Xia Fei manipulated the threads of energy in his brain region and continued onward. He completely ignored the fact that he was already well past the limits of his body.
The crux of successfully promoting to a Law Sovereign lay in this one node. He was met with a wall, and getting over it would allow him to see a completely different view.
There were hundreds and thousands of ways forward, with small paths and shortcuts. The only condition he needed was having sufficient persistence and comprehension!
*Gush*
Xia Fei suddenly felt as if he were flying through a galaxy of stars, as a series of bright white lights flashed. His body felt a relaxing wave wash over him as if he had fallen through a spatial passage.
He did not move, yet the flashing lights continued to dart past him!
Level one Law Sovereign, break!
When Xia Fei finally crossed this threshold, his control and use of energy threads from his brain region became a lot easier. That was when Xia Fei understood that the exhaustion method was merely one way to speed up the process of promotion, and excessive usage of it would harm his bodily function, and even his seventh brain region.
Turning palm over, Xia Fei held an Origin Crystal and let plenty of Origin Energy from within be rapidly absorbed. Like parched ground which had been without water for too long, he was out of control upon being nourished by this first drop of moisture!
One!
Two!
Three!
In ten minutes’ time, three Origin Crystals had been completely drained by Xia Fei’s hand.
Furball was staring bewilderedly from the side; the speed at which Xia Fei was absorbing the energy was even greater than his own, and that was insane!
Energy, which came pouring in like a tsunami, filled Xia Fei’s body. There were no words to describe the pleasure he got from this completely renewed control of energy!
It was an experience of great success and without any hindrance!
After making his breakthrough and under the engulfing flood of overwhelming energy, the mysterious pattern of the Space law got fully formed!
With law force surging through his entire body, Xia Fei felt that he could punch a hole right in the sky!
He was brimming with energy!
Xia Fei had made an even crazier decision than merely cultivating in the dungeon; he used the momentum he got from his current state to rush to the second level of Law Sovereign directly!
…
Everything went back to normal following that crazy assault, and twelve days after positioning himself in the dungeon, Xia Fei had not only managed to break through and reach the cultivation of Law Sovereign but also made it to level 2!
This was practically the most insane promotion speed anyone had shown!
“The method you used wasn’t bad; energy exhaustion can reduce the volatility when trying to get past a threshold, and that’s what it means to have a threshold. Meeting strength with strength—if one devotes all their energy toward assailing this threshold, then the resistance will also respond accordingly, becoming stronger along with them. Because the threshold needs to be maintained with energy, when the energy in the seventh brain region reduces, the energy needed for its corresponding defense will have nowhere to go,” Lionheart Emperor Oro explained to Xia Fei.
“When the energy in the seventh brain region reaches a state of exhaustion, it will then compete for energy between the assailer and the threshold. For example, if the total energy you had was about a hundred, you and your threshold would respectively take 50% each, creating an equilibrium, but the moment you used more than 50% of the energy, the equilibrium would tilt in your favor, which of course meant that your threshold would be destroyed in reaction, allowing you to break through!
“Before this, you kept denying yourself Origin Energy for replenishment, so be it your seventh brain region or your physical body, both thirsted greatly for energy, just like a sponge which had been squeezed to the extreme, allowing it to absorb and store water to the maximum capacity. Thus, the moment you succeeded in your breakthrough, Origin Energy flooded you like an overwhelming tide. Your body, hence, began to replenish itself almost at once, and too much energy created an unstoppable inertia of force which directly aided you in reaching level 2!
“That’s the cause and effect which let you make such a leapfrog progress all at one go today. These factors all worked together. You wouldn’t have succeeded in your aim had you failed to meet any one of the conditions,” Oro excitedly said. “I don’t know what kind of relationship you share with that Yu Hua person, but the method of breakthrough that he told you was most definitely tailor-made for you.”
Xia Fei was slightly taken aback, asking skeptically, “Tailor-made for me? Does this mean that he likely didn’t depend on this energy exhaustion method when he attempted to break through?”
Lionheart Emperor Oro smiled. “Everyone’s constitution, cultivation, and control of Origin Energy differ. This method might work for you, but it might not with others!
“First is the tenacity involved; though you’re usually the carefree sort, the resolve you show when in a predicament is definitely first-class, never the sort to give up easily, very similar to those weeds that won’t die even when burned to the ground. Unyielding and stoic, there’s no way Peacock Blue would recognize you as its master if you didn’t have this trait of yours.
“There’s also your superb control toward Origin Energy. It’s of such exquisite subtlety that even I can claim your manipulation of energy as top rate among all the beings I know!”
Xia Fei did not say a word. Oro was a Great Demonlord who had met countless individuals in his life. To gain his recognition was no easy feat, and this proved that Xia Fei’s control over Origin Energy was nothing bad.
Frowning, Lionheart Oro said in a deep voice, “I still don’t understand… Are you really someone from a small planet of the lesser realm?”
“What small planet? It’s called Earth. It has a name,” Xia Fei said, feeling disgruntled.
“That’s strange. If Earthlings have such outstanding bloodlines, then why has the Law Realm not heard of them? How could it be?” Oro muttered to himself.
“You’re saying I have a decent bloodline?” Xia Fei was dubious. The number of people who had had their seventh brain region open on Earth, even within the Alliance itself, was on the lower side, so he could not help but be skeptical about Oro’s claim that he had a decent bloodline.
“Not just decent; it’s outstanding,” Oro insisted. “With such a powerful control of Origin Energy, it would be a great help toward your cultivation. Even if it’s not an S-class bloodline, it’s at least an A.”
Xia Fei was engrossed in listening to Oro, and that was when the mysterious Fiend’s Bloodcry sounded again, causing his hair to stand on end as his heart thumped.
Lionheart Emperor Oro knitted his brows, saying solemnly, ” Is it me or is the sound different from what I heard several days ago?”
