Chapter 2149: Physical Breakthrough

"Let's go take a look at where the Zi Zhen fruits grow!"

Having subdued the beast, Zhang Xuan didn't immediately demand its blood. Instead, he spoke. The Armored Beast led the way.

It was the same cave where the beast had been drinking earlier. Upon reaching it and stepping inside, they indeed found several small trees growing in the deepest part. The rock above had been hollowed out, allowing starlight to shine down onto the leaves, where a series of vibrant red fruits hung, looking ripe and succulent. Around the trees, an intricate formation had been set up, making it almost impossible to pass unless one's cultivation greatly surpassed that of the Armored Beast. The entire cave contained no other plants besides these few trees.

Without needing the beast to guide him, Zhang Xuan approached. With a stomp of his foot, the formation ceased its operation, and he stepped through. The Armored Beast shivered. To halt a formation's operation with a mere stomp—this ability was unimaginable. This master, though seemingly young, possessed extraordinary skills in every aspect.

Zhang Xuan casually picked a Zi Zhen fruit and examined it closely. It was about the size of an apple and emitted a rich spiritual energy. Absorbing it into the body gave a sensation of pulsing muscles. He generated a sword qi at his fingertip and lightly grazed it across the back of his hand, creating a cut from which blood flowed. He then squeezed the fruit, letting its juice drip onto the wound. In a moment, the wound healed perfectly."Just as I thought..." Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. This Zi Zhen fruit not only strengthened a cultivator's physical body but, more importantly, possessed an extremely powerful healing ability for injuries. No wonder the creature before him had unparalleled defense; by constantly consuming this fruit, its muscles were continuously damaged and regenerated, leading to prolonged super-recovery, which naturally made it increasingly powerful. In fact, it had a similar effect to his Heaven's Path Divine Art refining muscles.

"Master, is there a way to solve my hardened meridians problem?" Seeing his smiling face, the Armored Beast looked over with a hint of concern. This was its lair; it had searched for other plants countless times. If there were truly a treasure that could soften its meridians, it would have seen it long ago and wouldn't be completely unaware."It can be solved!" Zhang Xuan turned his head."Then..." The Armored Beast was puzzled."When you consumed these Zi Zhen fruits, did you ever eat their pits?" Zhang Xuan smiled faintly."The pits... they can't be eaten, can they?" The Armored Beast was stunned. The fruit itself was sweet and highly beneficial to the body, but the pit... it had never heard of it being edible!"Just try it!" With a flick of his finger, the fruit in his hand immediately flew towards the beast.The Armored Beast, puzzled, peeled open the flesh, revealing the pit inside. It was hard and dry, like an apricot kernel. Tossing it into its mouth, it immediately tasted an overwhelming bitterness."It's very bitter..." The Armored Beast shook its head."I know it's bitter. Try absorbing the spiritual energy emanating from the pit into your body!" Zhang Xuan instructed. The pits contained the seeds of the Zi Zhen fruit tree and also a rich spiritual energy.Despite its confusion, the Armored Beast nodded, closed its eyes, and absorbed the bitter spiritual energy into its meridians. As it entered its body, the previously stone-hard meridians indeed began to soften."This..." The Armored Beast's eyes reddened. Over the years of its cultivation, while its physical body became increasingly robust, its agility had significantly decreased, making it almost impossible to break through to the Heavenly God realm, so it had given up hope. It never imagined... that the fundamental solution to these issues lay in... these bitter pits, which it had never eaten! If it had known it was so simple, why would it have acknowledged a master...? How much better freedom would be...

"The fruit flesh hardens the meridians, and the pit can restore them. For every action, there is a reaction; this is the fairness of the Heavenly Dao!" Zhang Xuan nodded. While explaining to the beast, deep down, he gained a profound understanding of the Heavenly Dao. Heaven and Earth are divided into Yin and Yang, day and night, the five elements of mutual generation and restraint, and all natural things... As long as one substance appears, there will inevitably be another substance that corresponds to it. Nothing can transcend this. Even emotions, where there is love, there is hate; where there is joy, there is sadness... all are opposing, all are fair.

"Yes!" The Armored Beast, only half understanding, swayed its body and went to a corner of the cave. There, a pile of leftover fruit pits had accumulated; it had originally intended to find a place to plant them and cultivate more Zi Zhen fruit trees. Now, realizing their marvelous use, it said no more. It opened its mouth wide and swallowed them all.*Crunch! Crunch!*The incredibly hard pits were nothing to it; they were swallowed in a moment. The bitter spiritual energy instantly erupted, flowing along its meridians and into its body. In an instant, its hardened meridians softened anew, and vigorous divine power surged within its body, its aura growing stronger and stronger.

"Let me help you!" Seeing that it was about to attempt a breakthrough to the Heavenly God realm, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. Dozens of silver needles immediately appeared at his fingertips, imbued with Heaven's Path True Qi, and swiftly flew out.*Thump! Thump!*They embedded themselves into many of the Armored Beast's acupoints. Its aura circulated, and in the blink of an eye, the previously obstructed bottlenecks were shattered.*Boom!*Wherever the divine power flowed, the Heavenly God realm was suddenly achieved.

"Excellent..." Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. He flicked his finger again, and five bottles of Divine Essence Pills immediately flew over; fifty pills rained down like drops. Although the beast had accumulated enough to break through to the Heavenly God realm, it still required a significant amount of spiritual energy. The spiritual energy in this place was diminished, and absorbing it naturally would take who knew how long. He couldn't afford the delay, so he could only lend a hand! Since it had already submitted, it wasn't a waste.The Armored Beast's eyes showed excitement, surprised that its master had given so many pills at once. It opened its mouth wide and swallowed them directly, and countless spiritual energies surged throughout its body.*Boom, boom, boom!*It felt as if bombs were exploding inside its body, creating a series of muffled sounds. In a moment, its entire body, covered in dark scales, turned a deep, jet-black color, like black jade.Knowing that the breakthrough was now a certainty, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. This creature's success meant he now had a Heavenly God realm expert by his side, one with unparalleled defense, likely among the few who could be defeated at the same level. One could say... in Dusklight City, there was no longer any need to fear anyone.

After breaking through, Zhang Xuan successively gave it a few more bottles of Divine Essence Pills. After nearly two hours, the Armored Beast finally completely stabilized its cultivation. It shimmered gently, transforming back into its previous youthful human form, and knelt on the ground."Thank you, Master, for your benevolence..." When it had previously acknowledged him as master, it felt coerced and quite unwilling. Now, that emotion vanished completely, replaced by a sense of gratitude and fortune.

"No need to be polite. Give me some blood; I need to enhance my physical strength!" Zhang Xuan said.The Armored Beast said no more. With a thought, it reverted to its original form. It lightly tore its hoof, and blood flowed out.Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan gently grasped, and his divine power surged. The blood transformed into mist, pouring into his body through his pores. At the same moment, with a light tap, a Zi Zhen fruit from a nearby tree flew down, also turning into juice, covering his entire body. He had already spent the past two hours devising and perfecting the method for refining his physical body.As the blood essence combined with the fruit juice flowed into his body, Zhang Xuan's already immensely powerful divine physique underwent another transformation. Like his previous golden body, it became even more robust and solidified, his muscles incredibly dense and pure, akin to divine artifacts.*Boom, boom, boom!*His muscles repeatedly broke down and regenerated, constantly splitting and growing.

"Physical breakthrough is even harder than True Qi breakthrough..." Seeing its master refining his body, the Armored Beast stood guard, fearful of any unforeseen circumstances. Physical refinement involved destruction and regeneration; even with healing elixirs, it wasn't easy. Not to mention itself, which had endured countless hardships and sufferings for its so-called unparalleled defense. It had taken decades of painstaking effort to reach its current realm. Its master, however, possessed only the physique of a Low-tier God. Even with unparalleled talent, it would surely take several years to succeed!With these thoughts, it couldn't help but look at the young man before it. The dense blood mist and fruit juice had already been completely absorbed. The young man's body alternated between red and white. In a blink of an eye, it transformed into a golden hue, then returned to normal.Exhaling, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes. His pupils seemed to turn golden, flashing with a brief light before reverting to their normal appearance.

"Master, are you... not cultivating anymore?" Seeing the young man stop after only cultivating for about ten breaths, the Armored Beast couldn't help but be stunned."I'm finished cultivating..." Zhang Xuan nodded."Finished cultivating?" The Armored Beast blinked, its face full of confusion. "What do you mean?" It was exceptionally talented and had spent decades hardening its physical body. What did its master mean by "finished cultivating"? Did he mean he was just taking a break?

"Try attacking me..." Instead of answering, Zhang Xuan looked at his beast pet, eager to test it.After a brief pause, the Armored Beast nodded. "Alright!" It extended a hoof and lightly flicked it forward. Fearing its master couldn't withstand it, it used only one percent of its strength.The moment its hoof met Zhang Xuan's fist, it immediately felt an immense crushing force. Its entire body stiffened. This power was overwhelming and vast, like a tidal wave; if it didn't use its full strength, it might be crushed into a pulp on the spot. Without daring to hesitate any longer, it immediately increased its power!Five percent!Ten percent!Fifteen percent!Fifty percent!In the blink of an eye, it had used half of its physical strength.Its body swayed, and the Armored Beast was sent flying backward, slamming heavily into the wall, sending rubble scattering."Master..." It looked over, full of disbelief, feeling as though it was going insane. It had seen its master's strength before, primarily his powerful swordsmanship. When did his fist power become so formidable? Although it had only used half its strength, being directly sent flying and feeling like it almost suffocated... such a punch, even an ordinary Low-tier Heavenly God might not be able to withstand it!In just over ten breaths, from a Low-tier God to possessing brute strength comparable to a Low-tier Heavenly God, spanning three major cultivation realms... Was he really not feigning, but had truly just acquired this through cultivation?While still filled with doubt, it saw that the young man opposite him was not only devoid of pride but was instead full of dejection and loss."Sigh, my cultivation speed is indeed too slow... Is my talent really inadequate?""Slow? Inadequate talent?" The Armored Beast swayed, almost in tears. In just over ten breaths, his strength had gone directly from a Low-tier God to comparable to a Low-tier Heavenly God—three major realms...Slow...Was he serious, or just intentionally showing off?