Fifteen minutes passed...

After Zheng-Fu had killed all ten spirit monsters, he quickly collected their soul crystal balls. Then he immediately escaped to find a place to hide and recover his energy.

Phew!!!

"This spot should be safe. Gosh! What the heck is this forest? Why can I sense spirit monsters everywhere? Sigh, if I weren't using illusion spells, they would have chased me from the start. Well! I'd better hurry and recover my energy. Otherwise, if I encounter another advanced Heavenly Golden Core stage spirit monster, I'll surely die!"

Having no other option, Zheng-Fu sought out a large tree, carved a hollow within it, and hid inside to recover his energy.

…………….

Two weeks passed...

YAAAAK!!!

[Traceless Sword Skill]

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Kwaaak!!!

Thud!

"What kind of forest is this!? For the past two weeks, it's been nothing but spirit monsters everywhere. How many have I faced already? This is so exhausting!"

After fully restoring his energy, Zheng-Fu emerged from the hollow of the tree, only to encounter more than a dozen Wooden Fox spirit monsters with energy levels at the initial Heavenly Golden Core stage. He fought and killed them all, but his energy was once again depleted, forcing him to retreat into the tree hollow to recover.

This scenario repeated itself a dozen times before Zheng-Fu managed to escape the area. It cost him ten days of recovery and four more days of battling spirit monsters along the way. However, his energy level had risen to the second level of the Heavenly Golden Core stage.

In addition to his increased energy level, Zheng-Fu's proficiency in sword techniques improved significantly. At this point, he could execute four sword skills faster and more powerfully. He had also resolved most of the existing flaws in the techniques, elevating all four to the initial Immortal level.

"Looks like Hu-Tai-Min deliberately brought me here to fight these spirit monsters. Huh! Just watch! I'll wipe out all the spirit monsters lower in level than me!" Zheng-Fu finally understood why Hu-Tai-Min had previously refused to appear.

Back at the Heavenly Command Sect's main academy...

"Brother Tai-He, Brother Zheng-Fu has been missing for over a month. Shall we go look for him?" Little Chang-Yue asked Tai-He. Both of them had moved to Jiang-Long's residence under Elder Min-Hou's orders to ensure their safety.

"We aren't allowed to go out. If we leave and Master returns to find us gone, he may be uncomfortable. Besides, someone like Master would never be harmed. I believe he's cultivating somewhere right now!" Tai-He, while concerned about Zheng-Fu, had faith that Zheng-Fu was safe and focused on cultivation. He also knew they had to prioritize their own safety.

"Both of you don't have to worry about Junior Brother. He wouldn't risk his life unnecessarily, as he still has things to do. Instead, you should use this time to practice hard and raise your energy levels. When he returns, he'll be proud and at ease," Jiang-Long said as he entered the room where Chang-Yue and Tai-He were sitting.

"Brother Jiang-Long, do you know where Brother Zheng-Fu is?" Chang-Yue asked hopefully after seeing Jiang-Long enter the room.

"I don't know either. All I know is that he's in isolation and will return in the next two months. So, you can rest easy," Jiang-Long also did not know where Zheng-Fu was isolating himself for training. What he did know was the duration of Zheng-Fu's seclusion.

Ah!

"I wish Brother Zheng-Fu would come back quickly. I want to visit Grandpa King, Brother Xiao-He, and Brother Xiao-Lei soon. I miss eating Grandpa's cooking at the bistro," Chang-Yue said sadly, though she tried to remain strong, knowing Zheng-Fu was working to become stronger for her.

"Don't be sad! I'll make your favorite dish for you today!" Tai-He offered, hoping to cheer her up.

Yay!

"Favorite dish! Favorite dish! I love Brother Tai-He's cooking too. Even if it's not Grandpa King's cooking, it's always amazing!" Chang-Yue's sadness turned to joy as she remembered how much she loved Tai-He's cooking.

Back in the spirit monster forest...

[Traceless Sword Skill]

YAAAAK!!!

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Grrr!!!

Crash!!!

Thud!

"Why are you guys so hard to kill, you Bastard Leaf Cats? You're incredibly tough to die! You're good at hiding and evading quickly. I wasted almost all my energy! Damn it! Look, I killed ten of you, but I only got five soul crystal balls!" After Zheng-Fu killed ten Leaf Tiger spirit monsters, he only retrieved five of their soul crystal balls. It was not worth his time and energy to fight them.

Phew!!!

"When will three months be over? In just over a month, I'm already exhausted. If I have to go through this for the entire three months, I'll definitely earn the title 'spirit monster slayer!" Zheng-Fu grumbled as he thought of the remaining time. Every day, he had to fight relentlessly whenever he stepped out of his hiding place. Moreover, each battle drained his energy almost completely.

Everything happening was a result of Hu-Tai-Min secretly luring spirit monsters toward Zheng-Fu. Hu-Tai-Min wanted Zheng-Fu to fight until his energy was nearly depleted daily, as this was the best way to quickly increase Zheng-Fu's strength.

"Don't complain yet, Human! This is just the beginning. Starting tomorrow, the number of spirit monsters I'll lure to you will double!" Hu-Tai-Min, who was beyond the range of Zheng-Fu's senses, muttered with a light smile. He had already planned to bring more spirit monsters to Zheng-Fu.

Another month passed...

Booooooom!!!

The fourth level of the Heavenly Golden Core stage!

After a month of intense battles with spirit monsters, Zheng-Fu's energy level rose by two stages, reaching the fourth level of the Heavenly Golden Core stage. During this time, he had consumed his remaining three Variable Heaven Dew Divine Pills and fifteen out of twenty Purple Heavenly Demon Divine Pills. This rapid consumption contributed to his swift energy progression.

"My energy level is now at the fourth level of the Heavenly Golden Core stage. Those spirit monsters below the advanced Heavenly Golden Core stage are no longer my match. But I still can't fight those at the Heavenly Star Stage. If I encounter them, I'll have to flee. But this is fine. If I can gain two more levels in the remaining month, that would be amazing. Hmm, wouldn't it be good if I ate one whole Rainbow Mushroom and the remaining one I already took a bite from?"

Zheng-Fu was somewhat satisfied with his progress but knew it was not enough to survive in the outside world. He set a goal to gain two more levels before leaving the secret land and contemplated consuming the rest of his Rainbow Mushrooms.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Huh?

Roooaaar!!!

Suddenly, a furious roar echoed, accompanied by latent energy waves. Zheng-Fu recognized it immediately—it was the spirit monster that Hu-Tai-Min had previously led him to escape from.

Thud!

"Hurry, Human! We can't stay here any longer. It followed us all the way here!" At that moment, Hu-Tai-Min appeared in front of Zheng-Fu with a frantic expression and quickly motioned for him to follow.

"Why do we have to run away? Can't you fight it? And what is it exactly?" However, Zheng-Fu became curious and wanted to know what the owner of that roar was and if it was truly so powerful that even Hu-Tai-Min could not defeat it.

"For me, it's like an ant trying to fight a mountain. Facing it directly would mean certain death. As for what it is, I can only tell you that it's the king of this secret land. And it doesn't like humans. Now, stop asking questions and follow me, or you'll never leave this secret land alive!"

Hu-Tai-Min could only explain as much as time allowed, as there was too little time to recount the entire story to Zheng-Fu. Therefore, his explanation was limited to saying that it was stronger and the king of this secret land.

Ah!

"Since you put it that way, I'd be a fool to stay. Let's go! Quickly lead the way!" Although Zheng-Fu wanted to know more, he wasn't stubborn. He knew when to flee and when to fight. This was a time to flee.

"Come on, keep up! We'll run in another direction and circle back to the forest entrance where you first came in. That place is the safest; it's protected by a strong spell curtain, which the king cannot penetrate!" Hu-Tai-Min informed Zheng-Fu about their destination.

Huh?

"Back to the secret land entrance? What about my one month remaining?" Zheng-Fu felt dissatisfied at the thought of leaving. He still had a month to explore and cultivate in the secret land.

"Come on! If you hesitate and refuse, we won't have another chance. Let's escape first, then talk about it later!" Hu-Tai-Min shook his head in frustration but knew there was no time for arguments. Escaping the forest before the king arrived was their top priority.

"All right! Let's escape that bastard first, then discuss it later!"

Sigh!

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