To understand the limits of individual strength in this world of gods and demons, there are many ways to categorize it, but the most common method is to distinguish power levels according to the amount of magical energy. In terms of magical energy, the system is divided into three ranks: Heaven, Earth, and Human. Those ordinary cultivators in the mortal world, who know a few tricks, do not even qualify for the lowest rank. For a cultivator, entering the ranks is a major event, because after entering, not only does one’s lifespan increase greatly, but it also truly means that you have touched the threshold of cultivation. In fact, among those in the mortal world who pursue immortality, so-called becoming an immortal and gaining some supernatural powers mostly refers to entering the initial stage of the Human rank. Such people are already called immortals. As for Henry Clark, his current strength is roughly at the peak of the Human rank. What he needs to do now is to strive for a breakthrough during this period and enter the Earth rank.

As for the monkey, his strength should now be at the peak of the Earth rank, just a step away from breaking through to become a Heaven-rank expert.

This is the hardest barrier of all.

In fact, advancing from the Human rank to the Earth rank is a step-by-step process, but breaking through from the Earth rank to the Heaven rank is extremely difficult. The difficulty of this is no less than becoming an immortal or a Buddha. Most immortals, for their entire lives, remain at the peak of the Earth rank and find it hard to take another step upward.

Even within the Heaven rank, there are different levels: Lesser Heaven, Secondary Heaven, True Heaven, and Supreme Heaven.

With each advancement, the difference in strength is vast. Even in this world of gods and demons, those who can reach the Heaven rank are extremely rare. In these times, if your strength reaches the peak of the Earth rank, you can basically do whatever you want.

The monkey is just such a character, and Henry Clark is now desperately trying to seize this relatively peaceful period to step into the threshold of the Earth rank.

So, he locked himself inside the magic formation, swallowed a pill left by Thomas Reed, entered meditation, and cultivated the Lihuo Profound Art and the Nine-Tier Celestial Immortal Technique.

It is said that a day in the mountains is a thousand years in the world, and so it is with cultivation. Henry Clark practiced bitterly in the cave, unaware of how quickly time was passing, his mind focused solely on transcending the Human rank and stepping into the Earth rank. When he finally succeeded, he was suddenly shocked to discover that more than ten years had passed.

This gave him quite a fright. Indeed, more than ten years—what does that even mean? Could it be that the monkey has already been pressed under Five Elements Mountain?

He was worried. If that was really the case, then his whole plan would be ruined. Things like Mr. Franklin’s golden elixir and Martha Washington’s peaches of immortality would all be lost.

It turned out that this guy was up to his old tricks, trying to muddle through as before. You see, the monkey’s luck was at its peak right now. Before he encountered Abraham Lincoln, not only did he eat Martha Washington’s peaches of immortality, but he also devoured all the spiritual pills painstakingly refined by Benjamin Franklin in the Doushuai Palace of the Tragic Heaven. Whether Mr. Franklin did this intentionally or not is unclear, but it’s obvious that this was the luckiest and most glorious period for the monkey. As for Henry Clark, he intended to use the monkey’s luck to boost his own strength.

Stepping out from the magic formation, Henry Clark was anxious. As soon as he exited the cave, he heard the sounds of fighting.

“Could it be that the monkey has already caused havoc in Heaven Palace?” Henry Clark’s heart tightened. With a flicker, he whipped up a demonic wind and flew straight toward the Water Curtain Cave. After all, at this time, the demonic aura on Mount Huaguo was soaring to the sky, so his own tiny demonic aura probably wouldn’t attract much attention.

When he arrived at the entrance of the Water Curtain Cave, Henry Clark used his old trick again, casting an invisibility spell and hiding in the shadows to observe carefully. He saw the monkey fiercely fighting with a young boy.

“John Adams?!” Seeing the boy’s appearance, Henry Clark was startled, then amused. This was John Adams, the real John Adams. Look at him—who knows how many thousands of years old he is, yet he still looks like a child, pretending to be young. Henry Clark found it quite funny.

Seeing the monkey and John Adams fighting, Henry Clark relaxed. Why? Because he remembered that this fight between John Adams and the monkey happened the first time the monkey rebelled against Heaven, which meant that at this point, the monkey was not yet the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, or at least not officially. The havoc in Heaven Palace hadn’t happened yet.

Thinking of this, he calmed down and watched the fight between the monkey and John Adams. Both were not to be trifled with. Not to mention the monkey, just John Adams alone was a notorious troublemaker during the late Shang dynasty and the Investiture of the Gods period. When he was just a few years old, he went into the sea and pulled out the tendons of the Dragon King’s son, then caused havoc in the Dragon Palace, stirring up endless trouble—a complete violent maniac. As for the monkey, he was an uncivilized thug, wielding a thug’s club in his hand.

You see, in the world, unless the difference in level is too great and there’s no suspense, for guys like the monkey and John Adams who are evenly matched, the only way to determine who’s stronger is the simplest one: fighting.

And for fighting, you need something else—techniques.