It was just like the old master of the The Benson Family, Samuel Benson. Before inheriting the position of family head, he had never been taught the superior technique “Dragon Elephant Wild Strength” that belonged to the family. But once he was able to cultivate this technique, even though his realm did not advance, his strength was at least three to five times greater than before.

Three days later, the bottleneck of the sixth stage of Martial Refinement was broken through without Evelyn Benson even realizing it. He hadn’t deliberately tried to break through; he simply cultivated according to the “Lihuo Qi” method, and the breakthrough came naturally.

He knew very well that the reason it was so easy was entirely due to the gravity training in that mysterious space.

But what he didn’t know was that part of the reason also came from the golden light in the Tongshen Pagoda that had raised him from the second to the sixth stage of Martial Refinement—the very “divine light particles” that Emperor Ancestor Sullivan had once mentioned.

These “divine light particles” seemed to have been absorbed by Evelyn Benson, but in fact, that was not the case.

On his future path of cultivation, this strange evolutionary light painstakingly gathered by Emperor Ancestor Sullivan would continue to strengthen Evelyn Benson’s physique. After all, even the peak of the ninth stage of Martial Refinement was not enough to meet the physical requirements to open the first floor of the Tongshen Pagoda.

Day and night of arduous cultivation followed. In the days to come, Evelyn Benson threw himself into the “Extreme Gravity Chamber” like a madman—ten times gravity, twelve times gravity, fifteen times gravity...

Chapter 8: New Recruits at Zhenman Fortress

In the blink of an eye, it was already the balmy March of spring. At the edge of the primeval forest outside the The Benson Family’s residence, a gigantic “Purple-Hoofed Black-Horned Rhinoceros,” as large as a small hill, was panting heavily. Two jets of white steam spouted from its nostrils, each as wide as a bowl. Its blood-red, bull-like eyes stared intently ahead, and, driven by rage, it lowered its head and charged forward. Its body, weighing over ten tons, made the ground tremble with every step.

“Good! Come on!”

A shirtless youth with well-defined muscles let out a loud laugh and actually rushed forward to meet the beast head-on.

Judging by his stance, he neither dodged nor avoided, and he held no weapon in his hands. Clearly, he intended to match strength with this fierce beast.

My god! He actually wanted to compete in raw strength with the “Purple-Hoofed Black-Horned Rhinoceros,” a creature renowned for its brute force. If anyone saw this scene, they would surely think the youth was insane. You must know, although this “Purple-Hoofed Black-Horned Rhinoceros” was not a demon beast, it possessed monstrous strength that even some low-tier demon beasts could not rival. One charge could shatter metal and stone; even a massive boulder weighing tens of thousands of pounds would be smashed to pieces by it.

“Boom!”

The giant rhinoceros and the youth collided in an instant. The shocking contest of strength did not end with the youth being sent flying. Amidst the billowing dust, the peerlessly strong Purple-Hoofed Black-Horned Rhinoceros let out a roar, but its massive body actually came to a halt.

What stopped it were the youth’s hands—his hands gripping the rhinoceros’s single horn.

“No wonder this beast is famed for its strength among all fierce creatures. If it had been three days ago, before I broke through to the eighth stage of Martial Refinement—‘Unmatched Divine Strength’—I probably couldn’t have withstood this charge...”

Feeling the surging inner power within him, the youth shouted in a deep voice. His arms suddenly bulged, growing more than twice as thick in an instant.

“Up you go!”

With a sharp cry, the massive Purple-Hoofed Black-Horned Rhinoceros was actually lifted off the ground by the youth gripping its horn.

Boom!

With a single heave and toss, the rhinoceros’s body, weighing over ten tons, was flung sideways, crashing through dozens of towering ancient trees before landing heavily on the ground.

The Purple-Hoofed Black-Horned Rhinoceros struggled to its feet, but the rage in its eyes was gone, replaced by a trace of fear. It turned and fled without hesitation.

The youth threw his head back and shouted in exhilaration, letting the giant beast escape. Then, channeling his inner power, a faint fiery glow rose from the edges of his palms. He struck out with a palm at a nearby ancient tree as thick as five men’s arms joined together.

A charred palm print pierced through the tree as if through paper, and threads of fiery energy spread out. In moments, the entire tree was reduced to ashes. Though there were no visible flames, the heat was no less than that of steel-forging fire.

“It seems this ‘Lihuo Qi’ is not far from reaching perfection. It’s a pity it’s only a third-tier technique...”

The youth was none other than Evelyn Benson. In three months, his status in the The Benson Family had not changed at all—he was still a lowly servant. But his strength had undergone a complete transformation.

Eighth stage of Martial Refinement—Unmatched Divine Strength. This was the result of Evelyn Benson’s frenzied cultivation. Now, even within the entire The Benson Family, his strength could rank among the top thirty.

...

The borderlands of the Great Virtue Dynasty were plagued by barbarian tribes year-round, forcing the dynasty to station heavy troops there. Even the exalted guardian sect of the Great Virtue Dynasty, the Supreme Qingxuan Sect—one of the nine great spiritual veins—would send its alchemy cultivators to garrison the area year-round, showing just how fierce the fighting was on the frontier.

The Blood-Weeping Plains—this vast expanse stretching for thousands of miles—earned its name from the endless battles fought here over the centuries. No fewer than ten million soldiers of the Great Virtue Dynasty and barbarian warriors have died on this plain, their blood staining the land red and turning the green grass crimson.

Here, human life is as cheap as grass. If you want to survive—whether you are from the Great Virtue Dynasty or a barbarian—only strength can keep you alive.

There is a saying in the army of the Great Virtue Dynasty: “Ten years a soldier on the Blood-Weeping Plains, and you’ll become a great general at court.”

Zhenman Fortress—this is the pillar of the borderlands, built by the Great Virtue Dynasty over two centuries with the labor of millions. Since the completion of Zhenman Fortress, no barbarian tribe has ever set foot in the territory of the Great Virtue Dynasty.