2: Chapter 2: Ninth Level of Fighting Spirit

"Ah..."

In a small courtyard, a woman lay on a bamboo chair, gently stroking her heavily swollen belly, a glimmer of maternal radiance flickering in her beautiful eyes.

Suddenly, her brows furrowed slightly, and she let out a pained groan.

"Wife, what's wrong? Is your stomach hurting?"

The honest man rushed over, his eyes fixed anxiously on the suffering woman, fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.

His right hand moved as fast as lightning, resting on her wrist to check her pulse...

"Oh no, wife, you're going into premature labor..." The honest man's expression changed drastically.

In any era, premature labor before the full term is extremely dangerous; if even the slightest mistake occurs, the result could be the death of both mother and child.

As a physician, the honest man understood this clearly.

He quickly scooped his wife into his arms and gently placed her on the bed, where blood soon stained the sheets red.

He brought over hot water; as a physician, delivering the baby was not a problem.

"Ah... my stomach, it hurts, it hurts so much..." The beautiful woman was covered in sweat, her body trembling incessantly.

The honest man channeled his Dou Qi and placed his hands on her heavily swollen belly to alleviate the pain...

"Wife, you are going to miscarry..." the honest man said anxiously.

"Husband, save the child, I can be sacrificed..."

In the beautiful woman's weak voice, there was an unyielding determination.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to save either of you!" the honest man muttered, already panicked as he watched his wife going through the miscarriage.

A family in crisis, mother and child linked by life; family happiness should have been complete, but fate always insists on adding flaws.

As he spoke, the beautiful woman, despite being an ordinary person, summoned a power bordering on the miraculous in that moment of peril to save her child...

The baby cried out, his voice loud and clear...

In the end, the child was saved—a baby boy, named Yun Tian.

"Wife, you are the strongest woman your husband has ever seen!" The honest man looked at the woman who had lost her life, his eyes filled with tears.

Central Plains, Northern Region, Cangyun Town.

In this life, Hun Tiandi's father was a small-time physician in Cangyun Town who knew some medical arts.

He had a very good reputation in the town, treating injured mercenaries and townspeople, but his aptitude for cultivation was not good.

After years of bitter cultivation, his cultivation level was only a five-star Dou Master.

Therefore, he relied on a meager income to support himself and Hun Tiandi...

Among the largest crowds were naturally the mercenaries who licked blood from the edges of their blades; they gathered in groups at street corners, leering wantonly at passing seductive women and whistling teasingly.

Which tavern had the strongest liquor without added water, where the most ferocious magical beasts were...

On the bluestone street of the town, a middle-aged man drenched in sweat ran quickly, as if he were delivering a message.

In the blink of an eye, twelve years passed.

The baby from back then had grown into a twelve-year-old young man, in a spacious and bright house.

Hun Tiandi sat cross-legged, his features delicate and handsome, wearing a green shirt, his eyes carrying a hint of spirit.

Hu!

He formed a strange hand seal with both hands, and wisps of thin, milky-white energy flowed from the air into his body through his pores.

The energy circulated, nourishing his muscles and bones, his young face flickering with a faint glow.

Accompanied by the surging energy, Hun Tiandi changed his hand seal; a muffled grunt suddenly came from within his body, and his aura surged violently.

It became extremely sharp.

Lowering his palms, he withdrew his energy, and Hun Tiandi slowly opened his eyes, revealing a pair of eyes like stars.

"Dou Zhi Qi, Ninth Stage!"

Hun Tiandi gently clenched his fist, feeling the power within his body, and whispered to himself.

Starting cultivation at five, it took seven years to go from the first stage of Dou Zhi Qi to the ninth; this was due to Hun Tiandi's exceptionally strong innate aptitude.

Over these seven years, he had constantly polished his Dou Zhi Qi, nourished his bones, and tempered his meridians.

His constitution was naturally gifted, with all meridians connected; by constantly polishing his Dou Qi, it had become pure, refined, and incomparably dense.

This was the reason he had reached the ninth stage of Dou Zhi Qi in seven years; his speed was far faster than anyone else's.

His muscles and bones were strong, and every punch he threw contained surging power.

Just in terms of physical body, even a strong person at the Dou Master level might not have bones as solid as his.

Dong dong...

"Yun Tian, has your father had an accident?"

Suddenly, a knocking sound came from the front door. Hun Tiandi frowned slightly; who was coming to ask for help?

He stood up and walked out, an anxious voice falling upon his ears.

"Uncle Li, what happened?" Hun Tiandi looked at the middle-aged man, who was covered in sweat, and forced a smile.

This person was Uncle Li, his neighbor, who often helped his family.

"Yun Tian, your father went into the Tianmu Mountain Range to gather herbs and stumbled upon a blood lotus essence. He was injured by an Earth Demon Bear, barely managed to save his life, and then ran into people from the Sky Wolf Mercenary Group on the way back."

"After learning that your father had found a high-level herb, the blood lotus essence, they attacked him to seize it, injuring your father and leaving him in critical condition. Come with me quickly; if we are late, it will be too late."

Uncle Li said anxiously, briefly explaining the situation.

"What? Uncle Li, let's go!"

Upon hearing this, Hun Tiandi's delicate face turned icy, and a trace of killing intent flashed across his bright eyes.

He followed Uncle Li and ran toward the outskirts of Cangyun Town.

A quarter of an hour later, Hun Tiandi finally arrived at the edge of the Tianmu Mountain Range. Father Yun was lying on the ground, his breath faint, his face ashen.

Three neighbors stood nearby, looking at each other while taking care of him.

"Yun Tian, you're here!" the old man said with a sorrowful face, looking at the running Hun Tiandi.

"Father, how are you?" Hun Tiandi knelt on the ground, his eyes filled with tears.

Looking at his blood-covered body, a knife wound on his chest deep enough to see the bone, one could vaguely see his internal organs pulsating.

His face turned ashen; Hun Tiandi channeled his Dou Zhi Qi and placed it over his chest to sustain his life.

"Tian'er, I'm afraid my time is running out. Take care of yourself in the future."

"Do not seek revenge. Live a good life. Father can finally go down and reunite with your mother."

Father Yun seemed to be experiencing a final burst of energy; his ashen face showed a glimmer of spirit.

As his voice fell, the flame of Father Yun's life was completely extinguished.

"Father..." Hun Tiandi knelt on the ground, his eyes filled with tears, crying out in sorrow.

"Yun Tian, right? Your father stole a blood lotus essence that our Sky Wolf Mercenary Group had discovered long ago. It wasn't mature at the time, so we hadn't picked it..."

"Who would have thought the old thing would be so lacking in martial virtue? Ending up like this, he has no one to blame but himself."

The one who spoke was a rather handsome-looking young man with triangular eyes, eyes as cold and sinister as a poisonous snake, and thin lips, giving an impression of meanness.

This youth was the young leader of the Sky Wolf Mercenary Group, Tian Gang, who, despite his young age, had cultivated to the strength of an eight-star Dou Practitioner.

This was simply because he relied on the fact that his father was the leader of the Sky Wolf Mercenary Group.

Usually, he ran rampant in Cangyun Town, committing all kinds of evil.

"What is your name?"

Upon hearing this, Hun Tiandi stood up, turned his head, and looked calmly at Tian Gang, his gaze burning.

The rage in his heart rushed straight to his crown, wanting to burn the nine heavens, but he restrained it...

"What? You still want to take revenge on this young leader? Boy, I don't mind telling you, my name is Tian Gang."

Tian Gang felt unnerved by Hun Tiandi's gaze and felt a chill in his heart just as Hun Tiandi spoke.

"Young Leader, why don't we just slaughter this kid?"

The guard beside Tian Gang said coldly, disliking Hun Tiandi's gaze.

"Young Leader, Yun Tian's father saved many people in Cangyun Town. Killing the child of a lifesaver is perhaps inappropriate!"

"If word gets out, Young Leader, that you bullied a ten-year-old child, it might damage the reputation of the Sky Wolf Mercenary Group."

Uncle Li said calmly, pulling Yun Tian behind him.

"Hmph, boy, this young master is in a good mood today, so I'll let you go!" Tian Gang pondered for a moment and said coldly.

He took a group of his mercenary subordinates and left the Tianmu Mountain Range.

"Yun Tian, please accept my condolences!"

"Don't go head-to-head with Tian Gang; you are no match for him, and your father wouldn't want you to seek revenge."

Uncle Li stepped forward, placed his palm on Hun Tiandi's shoulder, and patted it comfortingly.

"You need to arrange your father's funeral; we old neighbors can help!"

Uncle Li said with a sorrowful face; Father Yun was his close friend.

"Thank you, Uncle Li," Hun Tiandi said softly.

With the help of the others, Father Yun's body was cremated, and his ashes were buried together with Mother Yun's.

After arranging all of this, the sky had already dimmed.

Hun Tiandi took two hundred gold coins from Father Yun's storage ring, handed them to Uncle Li, and asked him to take these neighbors out for a meal.

Uncle Li tried to refuse repeatedly, but eventually accepted them helplessly.