Chapter 14

Excitement!

Unparalleled excitement!

He seemed to see a broad road leading to the peak slowly unfolding before him!

A few hours later.

The massive octopus had been completely digested and absorbed by Ning Chuan.

He could feel that the internal energy in his body had soared again!

In his dantian, that pure internal energy had gathered into a small warm current, endless and inexhaustible.

"According to the realm division of human martial artists, I am now... roughly at the cultivation of the Fifth Grade of Postnatal, right?"

Ning Chuan felt the full internal energy in his body, full of surprise and satisfaction.

In just one day, he had broken through five grades!

If those martial artists in the Jianghu who had practiced for decades knew about this cultivation speed, their jaws would probably drop!

However, after his internal energy reached the Fifth Grade of Postnatal, Ning Chuan also felt a hint of abnormality.

Although the internal energy in his dantian was still full, he faintly felt that his physical body seemed unable to withstand such rapid internal energy growth.

A slight swelling pain came from his meridians.

"It seems that internal energy rising too fast also puts a heavy load on the physical body."

Ning Chuan understood in his heart.

The reason why human martial artists cultivate internal energy step by step, besides being limited by aptitude, is also because they need time to polish their physical body and let the body gradually adapt to the growth of internal energy.

Although he was a beast, naturally powerful, he was not without limits.

"Haste makes waste; it seems I need a few days to calm the surging internal energy in my body, properly temper my physical body, and let it match my internal energy cultivation before I can continue to grow rapidly."

Although he couldn't crazily improve his internal energy as before for the time being, Ning Chuan’s strength had still been greatly improved.

The internal energy of the Fifth Grade of Postnatal, combined with his snake body, which had grown another half a meter to about six and a half meters, made his comprehensive combat power much stronger than before.

This trip to the sea could be described as a full harvest!

Ning Chuan nodded with satisfaction.

He operated the Snake Breath Technique to restrain the internal energy fluctuations that were somewhat difficult to control due to his soaring strength, as well as his increasingly fierce aura.

Subsequently, he swung his massive snake body and swam toward Taohuadao.

By the side of Taohuadao.

The sun was setting, and the golden afterglow sprinkled on the sea, sparkling.

Huang Rong stood alone on a reef, her small figure appearing somewhat thin.

She kept gazing toward the surface of the sea, her eyes filled with longing, her delicate face etched with worry and anticipation.

It had been more than half a day since Ning Chuan left.

Although Ning Chuan said he would come back, her heart was still uneasy.

Just as the sun was about to sink completely below the horizon, a familiar black figure finally emerged slowly from the distant seawater.

"Brother Chuan!"

Huang Rong saw the massive black snake shadow, immediately overjoyed, waving her arms excitedly, calling out loudly.

The crisp and pleasant voice came from afar with the sea breeze.

Ning Chuan heard Huang Rong’s joyful call and looked at her leaping figure; in his cold snake pupils, a hint of warmth could not help but flash.

In this strange world, having such a little girl who treated him sincerely was not bad.

In the following days, Ning Chuan lived a regular and fulfilling cultivation life.

He maintained a certain frequency, going out to sea to hunt powerful sea fish and sea beasts, and using the Devour Enhancement talent to quickly improve his internal energy.

And when his internal energy grew to a certain extent and his body became overloaded, he would stop, spend a few days consolidating his internal energy, and at the same time use the characteristics of the Black Water Profound Snake Art and the energy brought by devouring flesh and blood to temper and strengthen his snake body.

In this way, his internal energy cultivation and physical strength were steadily improving at an astonishing speed.

In just half a month.

Ning Chuan’s internal energy cultivation soared all the way, successfully breaking through to the peak of the First Grade of Postnatal!

It was only one step away from the mysterious Innate realm!

His snake body had also grown more than a meter in this half month of constant strengthening, reaching an astonishing length of seven and a half meters!

The pitch-black scales flashed with a deep luster, full of explosive power.

Every gesture carried a heart-palpitating pressure.

On this day, Ning Chuan returned from hunting at sea as usual.

Just after returning to the side of Taohuadao, he saw Huang Rong running towards him excitedly, her little face full of excited smiles.

"Brother Chuan! Brother Chuan! Tell you some good news!"

Huang Rong ran to Ning Chuan, somewhat out of breath, but the excitement in her tone could not be hidden:

"Senior Brother and Fourth Senior Brother are back!"

The Senior Brother she spoke of was naturally the first disciple of Taohuadao, Qu Qu Lingfeng, and the Fourth Senior Brother was Lu Lu Chengfeng.

Huang Rong continued: "They heard about you saving me, and they are all very grateful to you, saying they want to thank you properly!"

Ning Chuan was slightly stunned upon hearing this.

Qu Qu Lingfeng and Lu Lu Chengfeng were back?

He still had some impression of these disciples of Huang Huang Yaoshi.

Except for the treacherous and later defecting Chen Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Mei Chaofeng, the other four—Qu Qu Lingfeng, Lu Lu Chengfeng, Wu Wu Mianfeng, and Feng Feng Mofeng—although different in personality, were mostly decent in character and quite doting on Huang Rong.

Especially the Senior Brother Qu Qu Lingfeng, who was talented and loyal to Huang Huang Yaoshi, but unfortunately had a rough fate later on.

Now that they were back, and specifically to thank him for saving Huang Rong, it wouldn't hurt to have some contact.

Perhaps he could even learn some of Taohuadao’s martial arts essence from them, or even just learn some cultivation insights, which would be of great benefit to him.

Thinking of this, Ning Chuan nodded at Huang Rong, indicating his agreement.

Seeing Ning Chuan agree, Huang Rong was even happier, pulling on his scales and walking toward the area where the disciples lived, her little mouth chattering about how Senior Brother and the others must have brought back many fun things from this trip to the sea, and maybe even some novel Wu Gong manuals.

Soon, Ning Chuan saw the six disciples under Huang Huang Yaoshi in a relatively spacious courtyard.

There were several peach trees planted in the courtyard; although it was not the flowering season, the branches and leaves were lush and green.

Several stone tables and stools were placed casually, showing a bit of leisure and elegance.

The air was permeated with a faint scent of vegetation and a trace of medicinal herb smell, likely left by the disciples processing medicinal materials daily.

Chen Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Mei Chaofeng were also among them.

Seeing Ning Chuan’s massive and majestic snake body, a hint of imperceptible displeasure and wariness still flashed in their eyes.

Especially Ning Chuan’s increasingly deep snake pupils, which carried a faint pressure, made them feel inexplicably heart-palpitating, as if all their dark thoughts were invisible in front of this giant snake.

But on the surface, they didn't show anything unusual, just standing silently to the side, their expressions somewhat distant, forming a sharp contrast with the enthusiasm of the other four.

As for the other four, it was their first time being in such close contact with Ning Chuan.

When they saw this giant snake, over seven meters long, pitch-black as ink, with scales flashing with a cold metallic luster in the sun, they all showed undisguised shock.

They could clearly feel the powerful aura emanating from Ning Chuan—a pure pressure originating from the life level, making these Jianghu experts who considered themselves not weak feel heart-pounding.

Even though they were well-informed and had encountered many strange things in the Jianghu, and even some so-called monster legends, such a miraculous and oppressive giant snake was unheard of and unseen.

That fierce aura of a high-level predator emanating from Ning Chuan made them instinctively feel a bit nervous, and some even had sweaty palms.

"Wow! Rong'er, is this the... Snake Brother you mentioned who saved you?"

"Truly extraordinary! The momentum is amazing!"

A young man who looked relatively honest and had a sturdy build spoke first in exclamation, his eyes wide open, curiously sizing up Ning Chuan, seemingly wanting to see every detail of Ning Chuan clearly.

He should be the fifth, Wu Wu Mianfeng, whose personality was relatively straightforward and was the sturdiest among the disciples.

Beside him, a young man with a slightly thin face but very lively eyes also curiously sized up Ning Chuan, his gaze full of inquiry and a hint of awe.

This was the sixth, Feng Feng Mofeng, whose mind seemed more delicate and who was skilled in miscellaneous studies, and it was said he also dabbled in mechanisms and formations.

As for the two standing at the very front, their temperament was more stable, clearly having a higher status among the disciples, and they were the disciples Huang Huang Yaoshi valued most.

One had a slender figure, a scholarly face, a hint of heroism between his brows, and his eyes were restrained—this was Taohuadao’s first disciple, Qu Qu Lingfeng.

He carried a scholarly air but did not lack the capability and sharpness of a martial artist, and his every gesture had a certain bearing.

The other had a resolute expression, bright eyes, and stood straight, appearing quite capable and decisive—this was the fourth disciple, Lu Lu Chengfeng.

He seemed relatively serious and did not laugh much, but deep in his eyes was a sense of righteousness, making people feel they could trust him.