Chapter 134: The Legion of Exotic Beasts (I)

Although the process of opening the meridians was akin to being repeatedly stabbed and drilled with sharp knives—a pain so excruciating that the mere thought of it would make one shudder—the example set by Le Kai kept everyone silent and determined. If their leader could endure such agony without batting an eye, how could they not share some of the burden?

Le Kai’s actions warmed the hearts of his companions. Yet, they were true men, not prone to affectation; they simply etched this gratitude into their souls, never to be forgotten.

Though Le Kai was exhausted to the point of collapse and yearned to sleep for three days and nights, he knew from countless past experiences that this was not the time for rest, but a critical window for advancement. He began to circulate the "Unity Mind Technique," gradually immersing himself in the world of his own consciousness.

The "Flame Stone" radiated an even richer spiritual energy, infused with both fire-attribute true qi and subtle traces of mental energy. Le Kai, like a greedy vortex, frantically absorbed every ounce of power. Two points of origin—the ancestral aperture and the dantian—glowed with distinct light: the dantian in a soft, fiery red, and the ancestral aperture in pure white.

The dantian origin had grown to the size of a soybean, appearing exceptionally dense and heavy. The ancestral aperture was even more exaggerated; it looked like a brilliant night-pearl, nearly the size of a fingertip, rotating rapidly and exerting an attraction several times stronger than the dantian. No matter the source, energy was drawn in through the seven apertures, circulated along the meridians of the Unity Mind Technique, and passed through the ancestral aperture, where pure white mental energy merged into the core. Refined essence then flowed back into the dantian. This cycle was monotonous and dry, yet cultivation was precisely this: the accumulation of long, tedious days, never achieved overnight.

This time, the cultivation felt vastly different. The ancestral aperture origin acted like a woman starved for years, demanding more, endless in its hunger. In the past, it would be fully restored in an hour or two; now, after five hours, it was still ravenously absorbing power.

The pearl-like origin grew increasingly pure, even emitting a hazy, ethereal glow, the two points echoing each other to form a unified whole.

His breathing grew shallow as he slipped into a meditative trance. At this moment, he was devoid of thought, his mind as still as water. Everything happened naturally, as if water were carving its own channel; the hue of the essence grew richer without him even noticing.

Seven hours later, the sky had turned bright, and Le Kai finally opened his eyes.

His crystalline eyes seemed to hold two incredibly clear pools of water, reflecting Li Yan’s beautiful face so sharply that she was momentarily stunned. In all her life, she had never seen such clear, pure eyes—like those of an infant, untainted by the slightest speck of dust, so transparent they could reflect all filth and evil. Within those deep pools, Li Yan saw a shocked version of herself, along with the most beautiful and harmonious scenery in the world.

For a moment, she felt deeply drawn into this world, wishing to stay there forever, until the end of time.

But the next instant, the two great portals slowly closed, and the beauty before her vanished.

Li Yan shivered. Looking at Le Kai, who had closed his eyes once more, she was filled with bewilderment and shock.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Is there a flower on my face?"

The playful, boyish voice rang in her ears, startling even the usually composed Li Yan. She took several quick steps back, a flush rising on her small face, and retorted coyly, "Le Kai, you are too narcissistic! I was just checking on you because you sat there all night and I was worried something might have happened."

Le Kai leaped down from the Flame Stone bed. The clear pools in his eyes now rippled, disturbed by the fluctuations of the real world. Though they lost some of their serenity, they gained a touch of agility.

Having spent the night in cultivation, he felt no need for sleep; his fatigue had vanished into the wind, and his body was brimming with inexhaustible energy.

Walking out of the stone house, the scene before him made him pause.

The ten people were still sitting on stone stools, practicing rather than sleeping. Lan Bo and Wu Meitian sat in a corner, also in a state of meditation. They were practicing a unique dual-cultivation technique; through the consciousness network, they had achieved an interaction that their predecessors could never have imagined.

Le Kai focused his gaze and could see, even without scanning, that their mental strength had made massive strides in just one night. While still not comparable to his own, their progress was astonishing given the traditional focus on the physical body common to the citizens of the War Wolf Empire. Through their synchronized consciousness interaction, they had achieved a level of mutual attunement that typically takes dual-cultivation partners years or even decades. Even their temperaments had begun to align, manifesting externally in what people called the "couple's look."

"Impossible! Could both of them be peerless geniuses?"

Le Kai shook his head in surprise, instantly returning from his pride to reality. It turned out that his own aptitude was, well... just average!

As for the Gun God, because Le Kai had helped him open his meridians, he was now repeating the process of consolidation. He had to wait for the meridians to stabilize completely before attempting the true "Berserk Battle" technique; if he were to circulate that heart-method now, the violent true qi would likely destroy the newly opened meridians.

Though this process was easier than the initial opening, it was far from pleasant; the pain was truly beyond words.

The others, having seen the demonstration, were mobilizing their own true qi to slowly open their meridians. While they understood the method, the actual execution was a different experience entirely. Even these people, who prided themselves on having endured "hellish" training, could not help but change color.

This was true hell!

Time and again, the true qi collided; time and again, they felt the pain of being sliced by knives. They were exhausted and on the verge of tears, yet they gritted their teeth, vowing not to give up.

In this respect, they weren't lying—they truly possessed an iron will.

Le Kai was very satisfied. While everyone’s aptitude and circumstances differed, leading to vastly different ultimate achievements, a powerful will was the fundamental foundation of becoming a powerhouse.

Although only 60 hours had passed since Le Kai’s "Devil Training" plan began, the changes in everyone were obvious. Most importantly, their mindset had shifted, and they had built a foundation of powerful self-confidence.

Everyone believed their potential was limitless; as long as they worked hard, there was nothing they couldn't accomplish. In this state, they naturally practiced even harder.

Le Kai did not disturb them. He said goodbye to Li Yan and went straight out to find King Kong.

King Kong was sitting cross-legged on the mountain peak. Its massive form resembled a statue, facing the gray sun, casting a long shadow that blanketed a patch of the world.

King Kong was extremely sharp. Even though Le Kai approached silently, it opened its eyes suddenly. A fierce gaze swept over, but upon seeing Le Kai, it immediately softened, glowing with a hint of joy. It stood up and strode to Le Kai’s side, and to Le Kai’s astonishment, it bowed just like a human, as if paying its respects.

Le Kai was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. He leaped onto its shoulder and patted it affectionately, saying, "Why so formal? We're family."

Xianxian giggled, "It's thanking its little brother for teaching it how to cultivate! It's making such fast progress; it looks like it will be able to speak soon."

Le Kai added happily, "I'm really looking forward to that day. I wonder what it will sound like when it talks—maybe like thunder?"

King Kong's "Berserk Battle" technique had clearly reached a certain level of mastery; its entire body was filled with a desolate, ancient, and violent aura, more powerful than ever before. If the Le Kai of the past had faced the King Kong of today, he probably wouldn't have dared to even consider fighting it.

With Le Kai on its shoulder, King Kong became excited. It took long strides, broke into a trot, and then leaped, soaring into the sky as if reaching for the clouds. It jumped tens of meters high, tore through the gray sky, and landed with a boom on the mountainside. Repeating this, it quickly disappeared at the foot of the mountain.

Without Li Yan on its shoulder, King Kong’s berserk nature was fully revealed. As it ran, it felt like a heavy machine crushing everything in its path; the earth trembled, and amidst the mist, the excited roars of beasts rose and fell.

It seemed King Kong’s time as an instructor hadn't been in vain. These mutated beasts were incredibly powerful, almost all possessing the strength of Mind-Spirit Unity. If they underwent further training, it wouldn't be impossible for them to reach the level of a warrior.

Le Kai patted King Kong’s shoulder as a reward. King Kong was overjoyed and let out a low roar in the center of the clearing. The sound waves traveled far, and from the distance, a series of beast roars echoed back. Then, the ground shook as if thousands of horses were charging from all directions.

King Kong let out a series of threatening, guttural roars, and the surrounding panting subsided, followed by the sound of thumping as the beasts knelt.

Le Kai focused his mental energy into his eyes and looked, feeling amused. Within a radius of a thousand meters, at least a hundred mutated beasts had gathered. Each one had blood-red eyes and a terrifying, violent aura, yet they respectfully lowered their front legs and knelt before him.

The fact that it could make the mutated beasts so obedient showed King Kong’s prestige.

In the wilderness, where strength is paramount, the cruelest laws of nature prevail. King Kong, with its terrifying strength as a one-star warrior and its "Berserk Battle" technique, had far surpassed these beasts; in their hearts, King Kong was no different from a deity.

There was no need for it to even strike; the terrifying pressure it emitted was enough. Sensing a lethal threat, the mutated beasts had no courage to resist, so they surrendered as obediently as kittens.

Though Le Kai didn't know what King Kong was saying, it looked like it was introducing him—their true boss—to the pack.

It was one thing for the beasts to respect King Kong, but it was another for them to submit to a lowly human. Currently, Le Kai’s mental energy was internalized; although his physical strength was also great, it was clearly not on par with King Kong’s. In the wilderness where strength reigned, the beasts couldn't quite grasp this.

Le Kai smiled slightly, feeling amused. His powerful mental energy suddenly poured out like a tidal wave, enveloping the surrounding area, and a terrifying pressure erupted.