Seeing that the misunderstanding had been cleared up, Wang Hao got up to take his leave, because Qing Ran's eyes, which contained both murderous intent and a hint of resentment, were really hard for him to bear.
After returning to his actual residence, Wang Hao put aside his distracting thoughts, took out a pound of spiritual meat from his storage ring, and began to consume it.
Spiritual flesh, which condenses the essence of spiritual energy and blood energy within the body of a savage beast, offers countless benefits to martial artists, increasing strength, strengthening bones and flesh, and enhancing qi and blood.
Wang Hao planned to break through to the late stage of the Profound Realm first, since these spiritual fleshes were of too low a grade. If he used them for cultivation, he would probably finish them before he could break through to the peak of the mid-stage of Qi Refining.
Generally speaking, a martial artist in the mid-stage of the Profound Realm who wants to break through to the late stage can do so within half a month by consuming ten catties of spiritual flesh and diligently cultivating.
However, Wang Hao has far more meridians than the average martial artist. To break through, he would probably need to refine all fifty jin of spiritual flesh he possesses.
These were all collected by Wang Hao and Shi Mengqi from the Li family members. If they were to sell these spiritual fleshes, they could earn a considerable amount of merit points.
While cultivating, Wang Hao also selected a boxing technique called "Taizu Dragon Elephant Fist". With slight modifications, this boxing technique can be used not only with true qi but also with spiritual qi.
The "Taizu Dragon Elephant Fist" consists of thirteen punches. With Wang Hao's current level of cultivation, he can only use the first four punches: Spirit Elephant Earth Splitting, Dragon Soaring in the Sky, Dragon Elephant Flowing Light, and Golden Dragon Giant.
These first four punches were comparable to top-tier Xuan-level martial arts and top-tier Dao techniques. If Wang Hao hadn't had memories from his previous life, he wouldn't have been able to alter the operational path of the technique.
It is precisely because he possesses memories of his past life that he has no shortage of cultivation techniques and martial arts skills, but he still needs to work hard to find cultivation resources.
Wang Hao quickly mastered the first three punches, but the fourth punch, the Golden Dragon Giant, proved to be more difficult.
Wang Hao stepped into the courtyard, took a step forward, bent his body slightly, and made his hands look like they were clenched into fists or claws.
"Bang! Bang!"
His palms kept striking out at an extremely fast speed, leaving fist imprints in all directions.
Time flies. Wang Hao has been in seclusion in his residence for seven days and can now unleash the fourth punch, "Golden Dragon Giant Elephant," with great fluency.
With a single punch, true energy surged forth.
From within the fist imprint, the sounds of dragons roaring and elephants howling emanated.
However, there is still a considerable distance to go before the "Golden Dragon Giant Elephant" technique is fully mastered.
If he could cultivate to perfection, once he unleashed his fist imprint, Wang Hao's body would transform into two shadows. One shadow would unleash a dragon fist, and the other would unleash an elephant palm, instantly doubling the power of the attack.
Although he has not yet mastered the fourth punch of the Taizu Dragon Elephant Fist, his cultivation has broken through and reached the late stage of the Profound Realm.
The reason Wang Hao prioritized improving his martial arts cultivation was to practice the "Taizu Dragon Elephant Fist," since martial arts breakthroughs are relatively simpler compared to cultivation.
If some martial artists stuck in the Profound Realm knew about his idea, they would probably be so angry they'd vomit blood. It's true what they say, comparisons are odious.
Next, Wang Hao plans to improve his cultivation. Once he breaks through to the peak of the mid-stage of Qi Refining, he will be able to defeat Li Leyao without any fear.
But just then, his brow twitched. He saw the gate not far away be cleaved open by a sword, and Qingran's figure appeared. He locked his killing intent on Wang Hao and thrust his sword directly at him.
It should be noted that Qingran is a Xuan Ran (a high-ranking cultivator) and a top expert capable of fighting against Earth Realm and some ordinary Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.
Her thrust was enough to instantly kill a martial artist at the Great Perfection of the Profound Realm, and even a cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Realm would find it difficult to withstand.
If Wang Hao had broken through to the peak of the mid-stage Qi Refining realm, he could have put up a fight, but now, without revealing his martial arts cultivation, it would be difficult to withstand him.
So Wang Hao glanced at Yan Qin, who was not far away, and she nodded knowingly.
"Whoosh!"
Yan Qin transformed into a petite and beautiful afterimage, rushed in front of Wang Hao, and used her two slender fingers to pinch the tip of Qing Ran's sword, saying, "Sister Ran, calm down. Wang Hao is the top freshman. If you kill him, you will definitely be severely punished by the academy."
"Yan Qin, get out of the way! He's seen me naked! This lecherous scoundrel must die!"
Qingran twisted her five fingers, and the sword blade turned, emitting a rotating sword aura that shook Yan Qin's two fingers away. Then, she unleashed a five-meter-long sword aura.
Seeing this, in order to prevent Wang Hao from revealing that she had switched the house number, Yan Qin had no choice but to draw her sword and block Qing Ran's attack once again.
"Are you determined to stop me?"
Qingran's expression gradually turned cold. He thrust out nine swords in succession, and nine sword shadows appeared in the air at the same time, stabbing towards Wang Hao's nine vital points.
The sword technique she used brought up a gust of wind. As the sword was thrust out, a storm vortex with a diameter of seven meters automatically formed around her, and wind blades flew out from the vortex.
"call out!"
One of the wind blades flew past Wang Hao's armpit and struck the pillar, leaving a two-inch-deep sword mark.
Wang Hao stood on the steps, watching Yan Qin and Qing Ran fighting below. He carefully observed their swordsmanship and pondered the flaws and weaknesses in their moves.
Both of them were quite powerful, with their true strength already reaching the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Realm. Even Wang Hao had misjudged them before, not expecting that there were so many geniuses on Tianxing.
Yan Qin's cultivation technique must be related to extreme cold. Every move she made exuded this coldness, and even the surrounding air was filled with tiny white snowflakes.
"Yan Qin, if you try to stop me again, don't blame me for being impolite." Qing Ran's swordsmanship became faster and faster. The technique she cultivated was the Gale Technique, and her speed advantage gradually became apparent.
Yan Qin said, "Sister Ran, don't be impulsive. This kid has made a duel with Li Leyao. In twenty days, he will be going to the life-or-death arena for a duel to the death."
Qingran said in surprise, "What did you say? Li Leyao is a master at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining. Although he is not a Xuan Ranking expert, he is still a mid-to-high-level expert. Wang Hao might be able to defeat him if he cultivates for another year or two, but if he fights him on the life-and-death arena now, he will surely die."
“That’s right! So, you don’t even need to kill him. Li Leyao can take his life in twenty days.” Yan Qin said with a smile.
Qingran stared at Wang Hao, then sheathed her sword and said, "Then I'll let you live for another twenty days. If you can defeat Li Leyao, I can spare your life. If you fail, even if you don't die, I will kill you with my own hands."
After saying this, Qingran walked forward, wisps of spiritual energy appearing under her feet. With each step, she could cover three zhang (approximately 10 meters), leaving only a series of afterimages.
"Are you really confident you can defeat Li Leyao?" Yan Qin finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Qing Ran leave.
Wang Hao didn't answer, but said, "I've hit a bottleneck in my cultivation. Do you have time to spar with me?"
"Okay." Yan Qin readily agreed. She carried a faint fragrance and transformed into a fragrant breeze, flying to the center of the courtyard. She stood there straight and even beckoned to Wang Hao with her finger.
Wang Hao stood ten feet away from Yan Qin, took a step forward with his left foot, his hands were like palms and claws, and every bone and muscle in his body was tensed.
He then took a step forward and suddenly rushed out.
"Golden Dragon and Giant Elephant!"
Wang Hao's arms emitted a sound like dragons roaring and elephants howling. His fists were fierce and powerful, unleashing all his strength as he struck Yan Qin without holding back.
A surge of powerful spiritual energy erupted from between her fists, forming an invisible gust of wind that made Yan Qin's robes flutter loudly.
This punch startled Yan Qin slightly. She hadn't expected that Wang Hao's strength would improve so much in just a few days.
"Bang bang bang!"
Yan Qin's speed was also very fast. A series of shadows shot out, repelling Wang Hao.
However, Wang Hao stepped forward again, and their fight stirred up a series of waves in the nearby pool, which continued unabated.
After a moment, Wang Hao slowly stopped, and the surging spiritual energy within his body gradually calmed down.
Yan Qin stared intently at Wang Hao and said, "Your fist technique is quite powerful, almost without any flaws!"
Wang Hao was covered in sweat and laughed, "My fist technique is not yet fully mastered!"
"Not yet mastered? You're quite something, kid. This kind of fist technique is extremely rare even in Tianxing." Yan Qin said with some surprise.
Wang Hao exhaled a breath of hot air and teased, "You look like you're only in your teens, why do you always act like a little adult?"
"What? I'm already twenty-five, okay? It's just that I haven't grown up because of the cultivation technique I practiced." As she spoke, she puffed out her proud breasts.
Wang Hao glanced at her in surprise. After chatting for a while and seeing Yan Qin off, Wang Hao resumed his cultivation. This time, he took out two spirit stones and began to absorb the spiritual energy inside.
The spiritual energy in the War King's Palace was considered quite abundant by other cultivators, but in Wang Hao's eyes, it was far from sufficient and not nearly as rich as the spiritual energy in the spirit stones.
In the time that followed, Wang Hao spent his time practicing and sparring with Yan Qin. His cultivation level steadily improved, and he also honed his "Taizu Dragon Elephant Fist" in an effort to achieve mastery of the fist technique before the final battle.
Half a month later, Wang Hao came again. Although Yan Qin was still sleepy, Wang Hao still pulled her up to be his sparring partner. However, after only a few moves, she was secretly alarmed.
Because Wang Hao has improved too quickly.
"Golden Dragon and Giant Elephant".
After a hundred moves, the spiritual energy in Wang Hao's body surged rapidly through his meridians. The stone slab beneath his feet and fingers cracked open with a shattering sound, and his body soared into the air.
In Yan Qin's view, Wang Hao had actually split into two, becoming two people. One figure unleashed a dragon fist, while the other unleashed an elephant paw, attacking from two directions.
Yan Qin's expression changed slightly. She channeled her spiritual energy into her index finger and pointed it out, striking the fist of the figure on the left and knocking him back.
Suddenly, Wang Hao from the right attacked, throwing a punch at her chest.
Yan Qin bent her slender waist, leaned back, supported herself with her hands, raised one of her thin legs, and kicked at Wang Hao's wrist on the right.
Suddenly, Wang Hao on both sides merged into one, and threw out both fists at the same time.
Yan Qin gathered her spiritual energy and suddenly unleashed a palm strike.
"Bang!"
Wang Hao stood firmly in place, while Yan Qin was sent flying backward, sliding five zhang before her legs sank to steady her retreat.
She stared at Wang Hao in shock and said, "Was that the full power of the 'Golden Dragon Giant Elephant' just now?"
Wang Hao chuckled and asked, "What do you think of the power of this punch, Senior Sister?"
"Not bad, comparable to top-tier Dao techniques. With your current strength, you have at least a 70% chance of defeating Feng Zhi and Li Leyao."
Yan Qin originally helped Wang Hao only to ensure his survival in the upcoming duel, but she never expected that after more than half a month, he would have the strength to defeat Li Leyao.
Moreover, she could see that Wang Hao's cultivation was on the verge of a breakthrough. Once he broke through to the peak of the mid-stage Qi Refining Realm, Li Leyao would have almost no chance of winning.
"Thank you for your sparring with me during this time, Senior Sister." Wang Hao cupped his hands in thanks.
Yan Qin smiled slightly and said, "It's nothing. I just don't want you to embarrass the War King's Palace."
Even so, she was still incredibly surprised. She had witnessed Wang Hao's growth step by step, and it was simply unbelievable.
After bidding farewell to Yan Qin, Wang Hao returned to the Yellow Number One, holding the spirit stone, and began his attempt to break through to the peak of the mid-stage Qi Refining Realm. If he could avoid revealing his martial arts cultivation, he was willing to keep his strength hidden.
There are too many experts here in Tianxing. Before you have the strength to fight against a Heavenly Realm expert, it's best not to be too high-profile. After all, once someone discovers that your cultivation technique is complete, you will definitely be captured.
"Tomorrow is the day of my battle with Li Leyao, so let's relax tonight." Wang Hao stood up, and the space within a few meters radius emitted the sound of sword energy, as if invisible swords were flying in the air.
Although he has not yet comprehended the second sword technique in the wordless sword manual, his sword intent has already broken through from the peak of "Sword Follows the Heart" to the initial stage of "Sword Heart Clarity". At this moment, Wang Hao's temperament has changed significantly, just like a young sword god.
The reason he was able to reach such a high level of swordsmanship at the Qi Refining stage was entirely due to his memories from his previous life. It wasn't difficult to recover them; the difficulty lay in not having enough spiritual energy and time.
The next morning, Wang Hao arrived as promised, at the outside of the life-or-death arena. Han Yue, Yan Bing, Li Bo, Yan Qin, and Qing Ran were all there, surrounded by onlookers.
Li Leyao's eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing in his pupils. Standing on the life-and-death arena, he could see that Wang Hao had changed a lot since a month ago.
"Be careful." Han Yue, Li Bo, and Yan Bing all looked worried.
Many students who had been in seclusion emerged and rushed towards the arena of life and death. They were professionals at watching the spectacle, but the chances of seeing a life-or-death duel were very small and rarely seen.
The duel on the life-or-death stage is particularly noteworthy because one of the participants is this year's top freshman, possessing exceptional talent.
Everyone was very curious: if such a talented student were to be defeated on the life-or-death stage, would the student's elders intervene?
And this matter did indeed reach the ears of the elders of the West Courtyard.
Elder Xie, who had a good impression of Wang Hao, frowned deeply upon hearing the news and muttered to himself, "Why didn't this little fellow tell me about this? Why did he insist on going to the life-and-death arena to duel with Li Leyao? With his cultivation level, can he possibly defeat him?"
Elder Xie was aware of the feud between Wang Hao and Li Leyao. He had originally thought that if Wang Hao took the initiative to tell him about the matter and ask for his help, he would definitely help Wang Hao resolve this conflict.
However, a month passed and Wang Hao did not come to see him. He assumed that Wang Hao had already told the other elders about it, so he did not ask any further questions.
Only when the news arrived did Elder Xie realize that the situation had escalated to such a dire degree.
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