In the first half of the month, as Qin Luo gradually became acquainted with Ming Qi, she finally received his guidance, taking the first step in her cultivation.
Body Refining, the most basic, first level of the Acquired Realm. However, the training methods Ming Qi gave her were the same as Ming Qi's own: simple and brutal, boring and repetitive, without a trace of innovation. Instead, they simply strengthened the body through continuous and extreme training.
However, Qin Luo showed no sign of tiring of Ming Qi's simple and brutal training methods. Instead, she persevered constantly to fulfill every one of Ming Qi's requirements.
Acquired Realm Refining is not something that can be achieved overnight, let alone Ming Qi's brutal training methods, which relentlessly and brutally pushed the body to its limits. This is certainly not something that can be accomplished in a short period of time.
However, after two weeks of observation, Ming Qi was surprised to discover that Qin Luo's talent was even greater than his own. Just two weeks of extreme training had already unleashed her potential, and she was poised to enter the realm of the second level of acquired understanding.
Everyone instinctively strives to coordinate movements, let alone Qin Luo, who had already developed strength.
However, when Qin Luo tried to master full-body coordination, Ming Qi ruthlessly forced her to continue with her crude and crude training methods.
"At least a year has passed since you passed the golden stage of physical training. A towering building begins from the ground, but without a solid foundation, you'll never reach the pinnacle."
Ming Qi said so.
Qin Luo had no intention of disobeying Ming Qi's almost inhumane training methods. Whenever Ming Qi suggested it, she would follow her instructions without hesitation.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another month had passed. Beneath the bleak autumn wind, the long, cold winter quietly arrived.
Just two months later, tragic news reached Tianshui Village, located very close to the Soul-Breaking Cliff. Another young girl had disappeared in the middle of the night!
"I'll go."
Upon hearing this news, Ming Qi stepped forward.
During the two months he'd lived in Tianshui Village, Ming Qi had lived a peaceful life thanks to Qin Luo's special care. With Qin Luo's explanations, the villagers' wariness and hostility toward him had lessened considerably. Ming Qi felt it was time to repay the villagers.
He had no idea how powerful the demonic cultivators lurked at the Soul-Breaking Cliff. Fortunately, Meng Ling had awakened from her slumber after recuperating during this period. Her status as a congenitally powerful cultivator could still hold her own if necessary.
Qin Luo didn't say much. For Ming Qi, this was a promise.
A man's promises were most important. Ming Qi was going to keep them, and Qin Luo wouldn't stop him.
"Be careful on your journey."
Qin Luo seemed to be about to say something, but Ming Qi knew what she was about to say and immediately reached out to stop her.
"Don't worry, I'm confident of victory."
Ming Qi reassured Qin Luo and strode out of his courtyard.
Numerous villagers from Tianshui Village had gathered outside the gate. They all knew that the young man was heading to the Soul-Breaking Cliff today to rid the people of this evil.
Looking at these villagers, whose eyes were filled with anticipation, yet also a touch of fear, Ming Qi simply smiled gently. He didn't need to say anything to them. All he wanted was to slay the demonic cultivator and restore peace to their lives.
As for the future, Ming Qi would wander the world, while they would keep to their own ways, seemingly never to cross paths again.
"Young man, can you defeat the evil demon?"
Approaching the village entrance, Fang Bo, who had previously stopped Ming Qi from entering, approached Ming Qi and asked.
In the villagers' view, a terrifying demon dwelled on the Soul-Breaking Cliff, a demon that specialized in killing young girls.
At this moment, Ming Qi was like a warrior carrying the villagers' hopes and expectations to slay the evil demon at Soul-Breaking Cliff.
"I will," Ming Qi replied simply, a smile on his face as he walked out of Tianshui Village.
After leaving Tianshui Village, Ming Qi immediately commanded the leaves of the Divine Tree to soar, heading towards Soul-Breaking Cliff, north of Tianshui Village.
Watching the shadow on the horizon completely vanish, Qin Luo's gaze withered, a little bewildered. She glanced at Fang Bo standing beside her and asked, "Fang Bo, will he come back?"
A hint of worry crossed Fang Bo's weathered face, but he seemed reluctant to lie. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Our Tianshui Village, alas, is so small..."
After leaving Tianshui Village, Ming Qi continued at full speed.
It was mid-morning, and the sun hung in the sky, a slightly cold ray that cast a bleak, almost bleak, shimmering light across the mountains.
The journey was less than a hundred miles, and with the leaves of the Divine Tree as his guide, Ming Qi could already see the distant Soul-Breaking Cliff, shrouded in mist and cloud, before noon.
This solitary cliff, abruptly standing between the rolling hills, looked quite unusual. Furthermore, the entire cliff was shrouded in a thin layer of mist, giving it a truly eerie feeling from afar.
Mist rising from the plain must indicate the presence of a magic formation.
Ming Qi could immediately tell that a magic formation had been set up on the cliff. While not particularly sophisticated, it was more than enough to deceive even mortals.
Ming Qi had already reached the ninth level of the Acquired Realm. Although he didn't know how to set up a formation, he wouldn't be caught in such a small formation.
Surveying the terrain around the cliff from a distance, Ming Qi urged the leaves of the Divine Tree to carefully float towards it.
The Soul-Breaking Cliff was at least a thousand meters high, its slope curving almost 90 degrees. The mountain was a jagged, forested landscape, and swarms of black bats lurked in its dark corners.
The sight of these enormous bats with scarlet eyes sent a cold sweat through Ming Qi's heart.
These bats were a unique species that specialized in feeding on blood, often called vampire bats.
Luckily, it was daytime, and most bats were dormant. As long as Ming Qi didn't provoke them, he wouldn't attract a swarm of bats.
Surrounding the dormant swarm of vampire bats, Ming Qi finally landed on the Soul-Breaking Cliff.
Vegetation was sparse throughout the entire Soul-Breaking Cliff. Although the clifftop was quite vast, aside from countless sharp, sword-like boulders, it was difficult to find any larger plants.
However, despite the relatively wide view from the summit, Ming Qi didn't rush in.
The clifftop, like the surrounding area, was covered in a faint layer of gray mist, a distinctly unnatural sight.
Concerned that the gray mist might contain a deadly poison, Ming Qi had already secretly mobilized the mysterious power of the Supreme Mountain and Sea Map to protect his meridian points before entering the fog, preventing any silent poisoning.
As he studied the Supreme Mountain and Sea Map, Ming Qi discovered that his control and application of the map had matured considerably, allowing him to manipulate many things with his spiritual sense, achieving a state of unfettered control.
Slowly stepping into the gray mist-shrouded stone forest, Ming Qi closely observed the surroundings.
The stone forest was unusually silent, not even a single insect chirping, clearly due to the influence of the gray mist formation.
However, protected by the Supreme Mountain and Sea Map, Ming Qi could clearly see through the hazy gray mist. The fog, which was originally intended to obscure vision and create illusions, had no effect on Ming Qi's judgment.
After walking for a while, however, Ming Qi discovered that he was still somewhat affected by the gray mist.
In reality, the summit of Soul-Breaking Cliff isn't very large. Even more peculiar, from the front, it appears to be a single, abrupt cliff. However, standing atop it, Ming Qi could vaguely discern a narrow ridge winding its way towards the mountains beyond.
Ming Qi hadn't noticed this during his earlier observations around Soul-Breaking Cliff.
This seemed to be a hidden secret, Ming Qi thought, as he began cautiously moving towards the ridge.
There was no one on the clifftop, nor any semblance of habitation.
Reaching the ridge, Ming Qi stopped and carefully surveyed its direction.
Although the ridge was narrow, it stretched endlessly, appearing somewhat man-made. However, to achieve this, one must possess exceptional strength; it clearly wasn't the work of a hidden demonic cultivator.
Although there was no obvious path along the ridge, there were clearly footholds, indicating that this ridge was the only path to another location.
Such a path naturally presented no challenge to Ming Qi. His acquired foundation was practically incomparably strong, his coordination and flexibility were beyond imagination.
However, just as Ming Qi was about to step onto the ridge, he saw a gray figure swiftly leaping towards him from the other side.
Ming Qi retracted his recently released leg, took a few steps back, and fixed his gaze on the gray figure.
The gray figure's leaping speed wasn't particularly fast, but at his current speed, Ming Qi felt confident he could easily catch up.
Swish, swish, swish!
After several consecutive leaps, the gray figure had already crossed halfway across the ridge.
The gray figure continued to advance, seemingly intent on stopping Ming Qi at this end of the ridge.
Hmm?
At this moment, Ming Qi had a strange feeling.
The gray figure's presence was devoid of any spiritual energy, and his aura was identical to that of an ordinary person, as if he were just an ordinary mortal, uninitiated in spiritual cultivation.
"Who are you? What are you doing on my Soul-Breaking Cliff?"
The gray figure shouted loudly as it stomped towards him.
He seemed to be running low on energy. Could he truly be an ordinary mortal?
Ming Qi was filled with doubts, but he didn't intend to answer the gray figure's question.
The girl's disappearance must have been caused by someone from the Soul-Breaking Cliff. The appearance of such an ordinary mortal, with no cultivation at all, was truly beyond Ming Qi's expectations.
Finally, after a few ups and downs, the gray figure arrived before Ming Qi.
He was a young man of modest stature, seemingly in his twenties or thirties. He wore a plain gray cloak with the hood slung over his back. His hair was tied up in a mortal-like style. His eyes were dim, his face was a little thin, and he had a small mustache on his chin.
A seemingly ordinary young man.
The gray-robed young man didn't mind Ming Qi's silence. After a quick look, he calmly stepped aside and said, "Since you're a guest, please follow me to meet my ancestor."
"Ancestor?"
Ming Qi's heart skipped a beat. It seemed the ancestor he was referring to must be the culprit behind the girl's murder.
"Okay."
Ming Qi responded, heading for the ridge.
As Ming Qi passed by, a sly look flashed in the gray-robed young man's eyes. His gray robe fluttered without a breeze. He then abruptly stepped forward, extending his right hand like lightning. His five fingers formed claws, and five strands of black energy emanated from his fingertips.
Those sharp fingers, like blades, stabbed directly into Ming Qi's waist!