...
Looking at the incomplete fruit within his grasp, more than half missing and its exposed flesh showing signs of withering, Araw unfolded a look of contemplation on his face.
His thoughts were unknown as he silently inspected the fruit—pinching it and squishing it in order to extract some of its juice.
Although only a third was left on the unripe fruit and its essence was noticeably arid, akin to being left unattended to sunlight for a couple of hours, Araw could still smell its refreshing scent...
Evoking his desire from time to time and making him gulp uncontrollably.
Soon, finally unable to control his urges and curiosity, Araw impatiently consumed the fruit in one bite.
Boom!
In an instant, after grinding the fruit into powder with his teeth, the combination of sweetness and bitterness exploded within his mouth, flooding his senses momentarily with their indescribable taste as a refreshing force began to course through his physique...
Plunging his being into an unprecedented state of comfort, while the barrier between the 3rd and the 4th stage of the body tempering realm seems to loosen drastically.
At the same time, an unknown yet cold energy swept through his head, making his mind clearer and his senses elevated to a certain degree, causing some questions troubling him to become clearer—deepening his knowledge regarding them in the process.
Huff~
Furthermore...
To Araw's shock, after he opened his eyes, he could perceive traces of mysterious green thin threads floating within the atmosphere, gracefully gliding around him as they gleamed mysteriously, seemingly carrying profound knowledge as some fragmented truths mysteriously emerged within his mind—giving him an inexpressible comprehension that directly engrained in his consciousness.
Unfortunately, before he could admire their depths, the cold energy coursing through his mind suddenly receded akin to the waves on the shore... before eventually vanishing, reverting his vision to normal and causing the green threads he was seeing to fade as well.
"What is that?!"
With a face filled with confusion and doubts, clearly having no idea regarding what had just occurred... The fire nearby reflected within his eyes, waking him up from reality as he gazed at his physique in shock and disbelief.
Unknowingly, after consuming the incomplete fruit, Araw directly advanced to the 4th stage of the body tempering realm, making him a bona fide middle stage of the body tempering from now on.
If he advanced another 5 small stages—not including the 10th stage of the body tempering realm—Araw could already attempt tackling the Qi Condensation realm, allowing him to wield the ability to manipulate spiritual qi!
Just imagining the scene of him summoning fire with a wave of his hand, Araw couldn't help but tremble in pure excitement.
Moreover, when that time came, he could finally start implementing his plan, allowing him to start earning teaching points!
"However... the coursing of energy within my physique seems to become rougher compared to before. It should be related to the foundation that the book contained."
Considering that he advances quickly in a short amount of time by relying on resources, the instability in his realm is justified.
"I guess I can't rely on external help to advance toward the next stage. Still, advancing to the 4th stage in a single month was worth celebrating."
Smelling the enticing scent coming from the still sizzling meat in front of him, the distraction inside Araw's mind instantly faded, akin to a popping bubble dissipating within the wind...
Following that, a loud rumbling sound originating from his stomach reverberates toward the surroundings.
"Finally..."
Could no longer resist the hunger originating from his existence, Araw immediately dug in, creating gnawing sounds that echoed to the far distance, causing the beasts within the ranch to tremble subconsciously.
atmosphere.
***
Soon, in a blink of an eye, a year passed by.
Within the place seemingly abandoned by time, where no clouds, sun, or moon is hanging above the sky, where only the patches of vibrant grasses were the only noticeable thing to one's naked eye...
The sounds of whistling air and loud explosions of the wind could be faintly heard within the atmosphere.
Beneath, the faint figure of Araw could be seen moving with great complexity and speed, creating a blurry image of himself as he often releases a punch within the atmosphere.
Every time he released a punch, the wind in front of him parted, creating a loud sonic sound that uprooted the grasses nearby...
Creating a huge clearing devoid of life around him in the process.
Noticeably, his appearance and height compared to a year ago also improved to certain degrees, giving him a temperament comparable to a person who is wholly focused on cultivation.
Just staring at his compact muscles and veins, in addition to the aura he was unconsciously releasing, one could already sense the dangerous force he contained... To the point that even a normal Qi condensation realm cultivator would sense inferiority upon seeing him.
HAHAHA!
"Success! I finally reach the 10th stage of the body tempering realm!"
Sensing the raging blood essence inside his body fusing to his muscles, skin, and bones—cleansing them further and increasing their quality—Araw couldn't help but unfold a silly grin on his face. Still unable to believe that he achieved not only the peak stage of the body tempering realm but also went beyond and reached the enigmatic 10th stage!
Compared to the 9th stage, after entering the mysterious 10th stage of the body tempering realm, his overall strength increased by at least three times!
Even if he met a cultivator who focused on one aspect of the body, Araw was confident that he could fight one without being at a disadvantage.
"Furthermore, my meridians, especially my vessels, seem to become larger and tougher after reaching this stage.
"With this, it will be much smoother for my body to absorb the spiritual qi lingering within the atmosphere, increasing my cultivation speed within the Qi condensation realm."
Sigh-
"Regretfully, I needed to wait till my body fully adapted to the changes before I could start absorbing spiritual qi."
Opening his character panel and gazing at his remaining 32 teaching points, Araw couldn't help but unfold a wry smile on his face.
Although he lived frugally for the past year, forcefully refraining from spending, Araw still spent considerable amount of his teaching points to hasten his cultivation speed... Making him feel a rare sense of urgency as he couldn't wait to reach the Qi condensation realm.