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It had been three days since Bai Tianlong's breakthrough.
In that short span, his days had followed an almost ritualistic rhythm — mornings spent cultivating the Five-Elemental Sword Technique, afternoons devoted to the Five-Elemental Body Refining Technique. The balance was delicate; as an early Qi Condensation cultivator, his body could only endure one to two hours of body refinement per day before his meridians began to ache from strain.
Even so, his progress was nothing short of astonishing.
Three days in, he had already reached the Entry Level of the Five Elements Body Refining Technique — something that would take most cultivators weeks, even months, of grueling effort. Bai Tianlong knew exactly why.
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The secret lay in the feedback loop between himself and his contracted beasts.
Little Yan, the newly contracted Rosegold Flame Lion cub, had spent these three days tearing through demon beast meat with the voracity of a wildfire, its tiny maw occasionally biting into thunder and fire attribute spiritual stones that crackled with elemental power. The cub's thunder–fire dual mutation drank in the energy greedily, its growth visible even to the naked eye.
White Fang, his autonomous soul avatar, had been no less active. The Poison Water Dragon Boa had slithered through its hunting grounds, consuming poisonous plants and absorbing water attribute spiritual stones to enrich its elemental qi. Bai Tianlong had even given it a small portion of mixed dragon blood and dragon meat from the Bai clan's hidden stores. While it wasn't blood essence, the richness of draconic energy still nurtured White Fang's body.
Truth be told, Bai Tianlong didn't have to feed such resources to White Fang. Its E-rank Devouring Evolution talent would ensure its steady advancement regardless. But White Fang was his avatar, a split of his own consciousness. When White Fang ate something, Bai Tianlong tasted it too, and when White Fang's cultivation surged, the feedback ran straight into his own meridians.
The result was a continuous loop — the beasts grew stronger, their feedback boosting his cultivation; his strengthened body and qi circulation in turn improved their point growth and recovery.
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On the third evening, as Bai Tianlong wiped sweat from his brow after completing another cycle of body refinement, he allowed himself a moment to reflect.
"Proficiency…" he muttered, recalling the terms his master had once used.
In this world, techniques weren't just divided by rank and grade — they were also measured by proficiency:
Entry Level – Equal to the first layer of Qi Condensation Realm.
Minor Accomplishment – Equal to the third layer or the peak of early Qi Condensation Realm.
Major Accomplishment – Equal to fourth layer mid-stage.
Peak Major Accomplishment – Equal to sixth layer Qi Condensation Realm.
Expert – Equal to seventh layer Qi Condensation Realm.
Peak Expert – Barely equal to ninth layer Qi Condensation Realm.
Perfect – Equal to a lower-grade early stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Anything beyond Perfect was unknown to him.
He had once asked his master about higher stages, only to receive a dismissive reply:
"Reach perfection first before talking about such things."
Bai Tianlong exhaled slowly, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. That was his master's way — dangling curiosity in front of him, then shutting the door with a single sentence.
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Still, he couldn't deny it: with the speed he was advancing, perfection no longer felt like a distant dream. And deep down, he knew… it wasn't just talent. It was the beasts at his side, the bond they shared, and the shared path of cultivation that pushed them forward together.
The entry level of Five Elements Body Refining was just the first step.
From here, the real climb began.
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[ 9th Dimension]
Far away in the lofty expanse of the 9th Dimension, a massive figure covered in shimmering bronze hide and radiating the aura of an ancient beast strode into the sprawling territory of the Demon Bull Clan.
This was Niu Tian, the Divine Bull — a being whose name shook the heavens of countless realms.
It had taken him nearly a month of formal visits, persistent negotiations, and even swallowing his pride to plead with several ancient elders of the clan before they finally relented. Today, he emerged from the council hall carrying something far more valuable than gold or spirit treasures — four living bull calves.
Each calf's eyes gleamed with the faint luster of bloodline pride, though their current strength was deceptively low. The strongest among them had only the body of a robust wild beast, while the rest were even weaker — untouched by the cultivation path.
Yet Niu Tian knew their worth. These weren't ordinary demon calves. They were Divine Tempest Bulls — a rare, high-grade bloodline that began at the very bottom of the cultivation ladder but carried within them the potential to evolve across multiple life stages… and, given great fortune, possibly reach the 9th Layer of the Dao Bridge itself.
All four shared the same peculiar dual affinity: Earth and Wind. It was this dual element that granted them the ability to fight both on the ground and in the skies, their horns summoning gales and their hooves shaking the earth.
Compared to the Stone Monkey that WuLin had obtained, these calves might seem lacking in immediate power. But Niu Tian knew better — their starting point was low only to hide the terrifying heights they could one day reach.
As he left the clan's sacred grounds, the four calves followed behind him in obedient formation. His plan was already set. He would drop three of them off in the Immortal Realm,before descending himself into the Mortal Realm to personally deliver the fourth.
It had been a long time since Niu Tian set foot in the mortal lands — far too long. His heavy hooves struck the clouds like drums of war as he rumbled to himself:
"The little ones will need these… and the mortal realm will need me soon enough."
With that, the Divine Bull tore through the sky, his massive form becoming a streak of gold and bronze as he set his course. The Mortal Realm awaited.
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