Two stones, one in front and one behind, hurtled toward him!

“This Monkey King only possesses brute force; there’s absolutely no finesse in his projectile throwing! With such immense power, probably only a fraction is truly transferred to the stones.” If he were on solid ground, Teng Qingshan could have easily dodged them. But suspended in mid-air without leverage, he could only meet the attack head-on.

Teng Qingshan’s gaze sharpened, and the Samsara Spear in his hand thrust out with lightning speed—

“Boom!” “Boom!”

Both stones shattered, but the shockwave they carried intensified Teng Qingshan’s terrifying downward acceleration.

“Damn it!” Teng Qingshan violently twisted his body, fixing his eyes on the northern cliff face. Alas, the rock wall was at least four or five zhang away, utterly unreachable.

Whoosh!

Plummeting at high speed, the gale roared past him.

Teng Qingshan grew worried: “This Iron Arm Ape Mountain must have protrusions lower down the cliff. But... if I continue like this, without anything to absorb the impact, falling seven or eight hundred meters... even if I survive, I’ll be crippled!” The cliff he jumped from was nearly three thousand meters above the ground. However, at three thousand meters, it was impossible not to encounter any rock face.

After all, the Iron Arm Ape Mountain wasn't sheer rock all the way down; the steepest part was only over a certain stretch.

But just how long was that steep section?

Teng Qingshan had to find a way to bleed off momentum!

Without a way to slow his descent, a fall of three hundred meters would be fine. A straight drop from five hundred meters might only result in serious injury. Seven or eight hundred meters? Crippled if not dead. Any higher, and death would be certain upon impact.

“Even a solid piece of iron dropped from over a thousand meters would deform upon hitting the ground.” Although Teng Qingshan was anxious, he maintained his composure.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Plummeting rapidly, the icy wind shrieked.

“In just a few breaths, I’ve dropped almost three hundred meters.” Anxiety pricked Teng Qingshan, but suddenly, his eyes lit up. Ahead, a thick vine dangled from a cliff face, swaying gently in the wind.

Teng Qingshan lashed out with the Samsara Spear!

Swish! It coiled around the vine. “Thwack!” The vine instantly snapped taut. Given the three-hundred-meter fall plus the impact from the two stones, the vine held for only the blink of an eye before breaking. A section of the vine wrapped around the spear, continuing its descent with Teng Qingshan.

In that fleeting moment, Teng Qingshan hadn't even managed to get close to the cliff wall.

“That instant absorbed eighty percent of the impact force,” Teng Qingshan admitted internally, feeling a slight easing of tension. “If the structure of this Iron Arm Ape Mountain is typical, it shouldn't remain this sheer for six or seven hundred meters continuously.” This thought had barely crossed his mind when Teng Qingshan saw the rock face below jutting out in a massive curve.

Just as he was about to smash into it!

Bang!

Teng Qingshan slammed both feet against the rock outcrop, causing it to explode outward, scattering debris. He tucked and rolled to dissipate the impact, but the momentum carried him right to the edge of the precipice. With a shhhk, Teng Qingshan immediately jammed his right hand into the rock face, securing his body.

“Hah, hah!” Teng Qingshan finally let out a slow breath.

“If it weren’t for that vine just now, I really would be crippled even if I survived,” Teng Qingshan sighed inwardly. His decision-making during this escape was absolutely correct; given the strength of the Golden-Eyed Monkey King, if he hadn't jumped off the cliff, he would likely have been instantly killed had the King caught up!

“I can’t stay here! I’ve probably truly enraged that Monkey King this time. The Golden-Eyed Monkey King might order his subordinates to hunt me down!” Teng Qingshan wasn't sure of the King’s temperament.

But better safe than sorry.

“I can’t linger on this Iron Arm Ape Mountain,” Teng Qingshan glanced around.

The fastest way down was undoubtedly to jump.

Teng Qingshan examined the drop below carefully. Then, he leaped downward abruptly. Every ten zhang of descent, Teng Qingshan would momentarily stop by gripping the cliff face with both hands. Ten zhang stop, ten zhang stop, even when the face recessed, Teng Qingshan could adjust his body to hug the recessed section.

Carefully and swiftly, he slid down this way.

When he was less than a hundred zhang from the bottom, Teng Qingshan simply leaped clear.

“Whoosh!” Large trees rushed toward him.

Crack, crackle! Teng Qingshan stomped down on a large branch, snapping it, and then landed lightly on the ground.

“Ha, I’ve finally escaped this Iron Arm Ape Mountain,” Teng Qingshan felt a surge of joy. “Right, to prevent those Iron Arm Apes from catching up, I should put another hundred li between us first.” Teng Qingshan immediately bolted through the wilderness, his speed far surpassing that when he first entered this savage land.

With two flashes, he vanished deep into the forest.

……

The base of the cliff was shrouded in swirling mist. Seeing the human below shatter both stones he threw, the Golden-Eyed Monkey King roared in fury!

The roar echoed to the heavens.

Yet, even he dared not leap into that bottomless abyss. Unless driven to the absolute limit, no one would choose to jump off a cliff.

“Yaaa!”

“Yaaa-yaaa!” The monkey troop’s lair erupted in clamor; every Iron Arm Ape was clearly agitated.

The other twelve large Iron Arm Apes rushed before the Monkey King, all waiting for the monarch’s command.

“Aaa!” The King grinned and roared once, then swiftly darted alone toward the cave. For the entire troop, the most vital thing was the Vermillion Fruit Wine. One large ape had died, but with time, new large apes would evolve within the troop.

Moments after entering the cave, the Golden-Eyed Monkey King reappeared.

All the Iron Arm Apes watched their King, terrified that the Vermillion Fruit Wine might be gone.

“Yaaa-yaaa~~” The King called out with a grinning expression.

Instantly, the apes cheered, knowing... the Vermillion Fruit Wine remained. After all, Teng Qingshan had only taken one gourd from the entire pit of wine. By sight alone, one could barely tell the difference. The wine was still there... the troop would not pursue Teng Qingshan.

Pursuit was not worth the cost.

These Iron Arm Apes, especially the King, were quite intelligent.

Night had fallen, and a thin crescent moon hung high above, casting hazy moonlight over the boundless wilderness.

Teng Qingshan sat perched on the branch of a thick tree: “I’ve run over a hundred li in one go! The Iron Arm Apes don't know which direction I fled; the possibility of them tracking me down is negligible!” Only then did Teng Qingshan fully relax. He untied his pack and took out the Vermillion Fruit.

“I nearly lost my life just for this single fruit!” Teng Qingshan sighed deeply.

The fruit was brilliant red, much like a crimson apple.

Teng Qingshan would not regret this adventure. To achieve great things, one could not always be timid and cautious. Just like escaping under extreme duress today, Teng Qingshan had gained some insight into how to maintain continuity while increasing the power of his ‘Shadow-Following’ spear technique.

In the face of life and death, it was easiest to reach one's limits, perhaps even surpass them!

“Eat this, and when the Dantian reaches its limit, where Spirit and Qi harmonize, I can break through to the Xiantian realm.” Teng Qingshan took a bite—crunch. It was tender and crisp.

After three consecutive bites, Teng Qingshan consumed the entire Vermillion Fruit.

The moment the fruit entered his body, it transformed into a scalding hot current, flowing through his meridians and finally converging at the Dantian in his abdomen. Teng Qingshan clearly felt his abdomen heating up; the sensation was incredibly pleasant. As the currents merged with his Dantian, the barrier of the Dantian seemed to melt away, expanding continuously!

Tsssss~~~

The Dantian space grew larger. In previous cultivation, it took ages to see even minor increases. Even with potent internal energy methods, reaching Dantian capacity usually took ten years. But after consuming the Vermillion Fruit... the speed of the Dantian’s growth was astonishing!

After about half an hour, the Dantian finally stopped expanding, and the remaining faint currents dissipated.

“In terms of capacity, my Dantian is nearly four times its previous size,” Teng Qingshan sensed the interior. The Dantian, now at its maximum capacity, possessed an oval, egg-like shape. This shape caused the internal energy to begin rotating naturally—vertical spirals, horizontal rotations...

The internal energy vortices became intricately entangled.

And the single point at the center of the Dantian was the nexus of these spirals.

“To reach Xiantian, the Dantian must reach its limit. It must be related to these vortices,” Teng Qingshan marveled inwardly. Previously, internal energy merely gathered in the Dantian without any special movement; it was just a storage unit. But upon reaching its limit, the internal energy was set into motion.

“Let’s try this Vermillion Fruit Wine now, see what it tastes like.”

Teng Qingshan retrieved the gourd, pulled the stopper, and took a small sip.

“Hmm?” Teng Qingshan immediately felt a fiery energy diffuse throughout his body upon swallowing the wine, reaching even the Dantian. That sensation of warmth suffusing his entire body was exquisite. Then, this fiery energy integrated with every part of his being.

A moment later—

Joy bloomed on Teng Qingshan’s face as he looked delightedly at the gourd: “A portion of the Vermillion Fruit Wine’s energy actually fused with the Dantian, helping it expand. But my Dantian has already reached its limit, so it’s ineffective! However... this wine actually enhances physical strength!”

Yes, much like the ‘Black Fire Spirit Root,’ it increased physical power!

Just from that small sip, Teng Qingshan could distinctly sense the increased strength—at least several thousand jin more power.

“No wonder those monstrous beasts desperately tried to drink it; it actually increases physical strength. This Vermillion Fruit Wine must contain other spiritual fruits and ingredients besides the Vermillion Fruit, otherwise, it couldn't be this miraculous,” Teng Qingshan marveled. “But, no matter the spiritual medicine or treasure, the initial effect is always the strongest. The more you drink, the weaker the effect will surely become. Otherwise, the Iron Arm Ape troop wouldn't only have thirteen large apes.”

Teng Qingshan understood clearly that the efficacy of this fruit wine must be limited.

However, it was an unexpected bonus nonetheless.

Taking a deep breath, Teng Qingshan tucked away the gourd and focused his attention on his Dantian.

Intention focused on the Dantian; Spirit merging with Qi!

……

The night was silent, save for the faint sound of the wind.

Teng Qingshan sat calmly, observing his Dantian clearly. Within it, the vortices spun on their own. After only the time it takes to steep a cup of tea, the internal energy at the center of the Dantian began to transform. A large amount of colorless internal energy gathered, and then, at the Dantian’s core, a streak of crimson true essence, like a flame, appeared!

Refining Essence into Qi, Refining Qi into Spirit!

Only when Spirit and Qi harmonize can one step into the Xiantian realm. The emergence of Xiantian True Essence signified a massive leap in Teng Qingshan’s strength!

“Success!” Teng Qingshan opened his eyes. “I’ve finally reached Xiantian.”

Achieving it in the time it took to steep tea showed the profound strength of Teng Qingshan’s ‘Spirit.’

Teng Qingshan gazed south, as if seeing through the void: “The Iron Garment Sect’s previous assassination attempt must hide a huge secret. Now that I have entered Xiantian, these next few days will allow me to completely convert my internal energy into Xiantian True Essence! I’ll travel in the morning and head straight for Silver Horn Mountain. If the Iron Garment Sect wants to kill me, they can’t blame me for ruining their plans.”

Then, Teng Qingshan closed his eyes again, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to refining the Xiantian True Essence.