During these three months, Chen Feng exhausted every means he could think of to escape the chasm, only to meet with failure each time. Not only were the valley cliffs sheer and treacherous, but over a hundred meters up, a perpetual mass of black cloud floated, attacking anything that crawled past its altitude. After transforming into 'Lei Zhenzi' for the fifth time, Chen Feng finally confirmed: this was absolutely not a path for men to tread!

As to why such a phenomenon occurred, according to Xiaohu, the valley top must have been reinforced by a highly cultivated expert with an inescapable seal—one that allowed entry but forbade exit!

Thinking of this made Chen Feng deeply frustrated. He had originally set out with soaring ambition to conquer the world, only to be trapped in this desolate valley before even stepping foot outside!

However, these three months had certainly not been idle. Chen Feng practiced his cultivation daily without cease. Although he hadn't advanced to a new realm, his Fourth-Tier Fighter cultivation had finally consolidated.

Yet, Xiaohu’s rapid advancement made Chen Feng want to smash his head against a rock. Xiaohu had only been a Fourth-Tier Fighter originally, but after Chen Feng mistakenly consumed the Blazing Fire Nether Fruit and broke through, Xiaohu consecutively leaped two tiers, reaching the cultivation of a Sixth-Tier Fighter! In three months, Chen Feng had never seen the beast practice any spells or techniques; it simply ate, drank, played, and yet had already reached the peak of the Sixth Tier!

Truly, comparing people makes one angry! Oh, wait—comparing humans to beasts makes one furious!

But if a person truly had to compare themselves to a wild beast, it only proved that person had fallen too low. Chen Feng consoled himself for a long time before finally catching his breath.

With Xiaohu advancing to Sixth-Tier Fighter, nearing the level of a low-tier Third-Tier Magical Beast, it automatically grasped several Wind-Attribute Magics, its speed increasing far beyond its previous level.

Chen Feng spent his days trailing Xiaohu through the narrow valley floor. He slowly unfurled the Phantom Crane Step technique; unless Xiaohu used its full power, it struggled to leave him behind.

Xiaohu was a high-tier Wind-Attribute Magical Beast, excelling primarily in speed. For a beast two tiers higher than Chen Feng, its speed was barely superior—a testament to Chen Feng’s monstrous potential.

Every time Xiaohu saw the elongated phantom trailing behind Chen Feng, its heart quaked. Was this the legendary Dou Qi technique of humans? But why was it so terrifyingly potent? If they were of the same cultivation level, never mind defeating him, even escaping from Chen Feng would probably feel like crawling!

Xiaohu now secretly thanked its decisive action in acknowledging Chen Feng as its master. Otherwise, once Chen Feng’s cultivation grew, it, a high-tier Illusionary Demon Beast once hailed as the Tyrant of Magical Beasts, would have no choice but to flee.

Of course, Chen Feng himself remained oblivious to this. In his mind, the foreign world operated on the principle of the strong prevailing. Before, he could trade a couple of solid blows with Xiaohu; now, he couldn't even catch the beast's shadow. He constantly blamed himself for advancing too slowly, wishing to just run into a wall.

If anyone in this world knew that Chen Feng had reached Fourth-Tier Fighter status at the mere age of fourteen, yet still felt his progress was sluggish, they would probably despair of living!

It was demoralizing. The fastest cultivating prodigy on the continent, Dou Mo Feng Li Ao, had only reached the early Fifth Tier at age fourteen!

Reaching the First Tier at fourteen was termed 'Talented.' Reaching the Second Tier was 'Exceptional.' Reaching the Third Tier was 'Genius.' Reaching the Fourth Tier was 'Peak Genius!' Someone like Chen Feng, having reached the Fourth Tier and standing on the cusp of a breakthrough, could only be called a 'Monster'!

However, this 'monster' lacked the self-awareness of his abnormality. Even if Chen Feng knew these facts, he likely wouldn't find it strange; the mental fortitude of two lifetimes, coupled with the nourishment of triple the Heaven and Earth vital energy—if his cultivation speed wasn't faster than everyone else’s, he should just run himself to death.

Chen Feng was currently crouched on a rock, staring eye-to-eye with Xiaohu at the Heavenly Dragon Sun Fruit before them.

Three months had passed; the fruit was on the verge of ripening!

Chen Feng looked up toward the canyon ceiling. The white and black clouds drifted lazily overhead, showing no sign of anomaly whatsoever.

“I say, Xiaohu, this... are you absolutely sure the Heavenly Dragon Sun Fruit will mature today?”

Xiaohu blinked its large eyes. “It should be.”

Chen Feng countered, “I once heard that when any supreme Heavenly Material or Earthly Treasure matures, it causes celestial disturbances—seven-colored clouds, ephemeral fairies appearing, rays of magnificent light, endless wonders. I hear you saying this incredibly rare item is about to ripen, yet there’s not the slightest visible reaction?”

“...” Xiaohu was momentarily choked into silence. After a long pause, it snapped back, “Where did you hear all that nonsensical rubbish! If a Heavenly Material or Earthly Treasure has grown for so many years, everything it needed to absorb, it already has! If it waits until the moment of full maturity for a burst of colorful clouds and whatnot, what use would it have left!”

Chen Feng considered this, realizing it made sense, and ceased his questioning, fixing his gaze on the object that strongly resembled a “small ***,” awaiting its final moment of ripeness.

Chen Feng knew the effect of the Heavenly Dragon Sun Fruit: it provided immense energy to assist in breaking through bottlenecks and facilitating advancement.

Most cultivators, upon becoming Fighters, could advance steadily to the Ninth-Tier Fighter realm. However, reaching the rank of Battle Master was a rarity beyond ten thousand to one. The gap between Battle Master and Fighter was an abyss; ten Ninth-Tier Fighters combined likely wouldn't match a single Battle Master. Many remained stuck at the Ninth Tier for decades without being able to advance further! If Fighters represented the first step in cultivating Dou Qi techniques, then Battle Masters were the second colossal stair! Crossing this threshold elevated one beyond the reach of ordinary mortals!

Looking at the three great martial families of Dragon Mountain Town, only three individuals had managed to reach the Battle Master realm!

This illustrated the sheer chasm between Fighter and Battle Master!

Therefore, countless people dreamed of becoming Battle Masters, and the function of the Heavenly Dragon Sun Fruit was to guarantee that a Ninth-Tier Fighter would reach the Battle Master realm with one hundred percent certainty!

Too monstrous!

Even Chen Feng internally marveled constantly. It was a blessing this item was rare, fruiting only once every few centuries, otherwise, wouldn't Battle Masters swarm the world like cattle?

Three months ago, the Heavenly Dragon Sun Fruit was about thirty centimeters long. Over this period, it gradually shortened, now measuring only seven or eight centimeters, perfectly matching the 'contracted' state of a normal human male. Sometimes Chen Feng doubted; looking at its appearance, who would dare eat it?

The sun gradually sank, casting a dim, yellowish light onto the overhead clouds, making the valley floor seem even darker. Chen Feng rubbed his slightly sore eyes, about to rest and tease Xiaohu about its solemn expression, when he suddenly felt a violent tremor within the vortex of energy in his body. The usually unshakable vortex instantly began to shake violently, its power surging outward along his meridians like a torrent!

“What is happening?” Chen Feng’s expression changed drastically. He willed his consciousness to control the internal vortex, hoping to stabilize it!

“Master, don’t panic! That’s the Heavenly Dragon Sun Fruit about to mature; it’s frantically absorbing the fundamental power of heaven and earth to break through!” Xiaohu’s voice echoed in his mind.

Chen Feng’s face immediately turned grim. He forcibly suppressed the urge to snap off that “little ***,” sat cross-legged, and utilized every ounce of mental focus to control the vortex energy within him.

The vortex energy was the most orthodox fundamental power in the universe, closer to nature than all the spells and Dou Qi in this world. When the Heavenly Dragon Sun Fruit wildly absorbed the primal energy of the cosmos, it was affected the most profoundly. Xiaohu cultivated magic; its magic grew with its spirit, so it remained unaffected and felt nothing.

Chen Feng mobilized all his spirit to suppress the dissipation of the vortex energy, but to no avail.

The vortex energy in his Dantian seemed to have found an outlet, continuously leaking away through his meridians. The Dou Qi content corresponding to his Fourth-Tier cultivation vanished; less than ten minutes later, he was below even Third-Tier levels!

If this continued, not only would his cultivation be lost, but his very life might be forfeit here. Although Chen Feng was secretly furious, his state of mind slowly began to calm, because he understood that under such circumstances, the more anxious one became about the dissipating cultivation, the faster it fled. Only by calming down and slowly exerting control could he alleviate the pressure brought by the Heavenly Dragon Sun Fruit.

Just then, he heard a sharp shriek from Xiaohu. Dozens of different types of magical beasts had silently surrounded them! Each one wore a savage expression, looking ready to fight to the death.

ps: Hehe, seeing the mixed reviews in the comment section, although Lao Ya didn't intend to explain, I still want to say a couple of words so my supporting readers don't lose heart!

Lao Ya conceived this book for over two months; the overall outline is largely set, and barring unforeseen circumstances, Lao Ya will not make major changes. Regarding the doubts raised by fellow readers, here is Lao Ya's explanation:

First, some readers pointed out that this book features too many shadows of Hong Kong comics. In truth, in Lao Ya's design, that accounts for only a very small part; the main moves and skills are all derived from video games... and primarily from The King of Fighters '97 (sweat... no other reason, Lao Ya loves '97 the most, and plays it the best...).

Second, concerning the hierarchy of power and profundity, this book differs slightly from Hong Kong comics, mainly for the convenience of writing the narrative, nothing more... I hope everyone can understand!

Third, regarding whether the protagonist will learn all the skills from The King of Fighters, Lao Ya can say this is absolutely impossible. Lao Ya is not a deity, and the protagonist won't be either. Simply mastering the moves of one character would be enough to dominate this foreign world. If he knew them all, perhaps even he wouldn't know which to use... Moreover, many attributes are incompatible, making it impossible for the protagonist to learn them all! (Hehe, the protagonist will definitely learn a bit of the signature moves of Iori, Kyo, and Orochi...)

Fourth, Lao Ya thanks everyone for their support. We are currently 27th on the new book chart. I hope everyone continues to cast recommendation votes, and let The King of Fighters shine even brighter...