18: The body refining realm is perfected, and the foundation is only one step away!

Zhang Wu was indeed a man who kept his promises.

Not long after, he personally brought the Demon Suppression Division's commendation to Li Dong's residence.

This time, the rewards were substantial.

A heavy Storage Pouch was handed to Li Dong, the Spiritual Qi inside almost shining through, a considerable amount, enough for his current stage of Cultivation.

Besides the Spirit Stones, there were also several jade bottles containing basic Medicinal Pills for healing and auxiliary Cultivation; although not high-grade, they were practical.

What Li Dong cared about most was a profound iron token engraved with the characters "One Hundred."

"These are the Demon Suppression Division's Merit Points (contribution points), one hundred points," Lord Zhang explained. "Contribution points are very useful; they can be exchanged for various resources within the outpost, including Cultivation Techniques, weapons, Medicinal Pills, and even some special intelligence and permissions."

"Your Outstanding Contributions (outstanding merit) in slaying a Foundation Establishment Stage Demon Beast this time means these one hundred contribution points are just an initial reward; there may be additional ones later based on the specific circumstances."

Li Dong took the token, feeling its slight weight, and his heart stirred.

These contribution points sounded even more valuable than Spirit Stones.

He solemnly thanked Lord Zhang: "Thank you, Lord Zhang."

Lord Zhang waved his hand, indicating that he should not be so polite.

He looked at Li Dong, his eyes containing a mix of appreciation and solemnity.

After the rewards were handed over, Lord Zhang did not leave immediately; instead, he dismissed those around them.

He gestured for Li Dong to sit down, and his expression became serious.

"Li Dong, regarding the upcoming Demon Suppression Baptism, there are some things I need to make clear to you in advance."

Li Dong's heart tensed, knowing the main topic had arrived.

He immediately sat up straight, listening intently.

"The Demon Suppression Baptism is not a simple energy infusion," Lord Zhang slowly began, his voice low. "It is more like a rigorous test and selection."

"The Baptism process will be divided into several stages; the further along you go, the more violent the energy impact contained in the Baptism pool will be, placing extremely high demands on the Physical Body."

"A slight mishap could lead to severe injury and damage to your Foundation; in serious cases... it could even result in your Physical Body exploding on the spot."

Lord Zhang's tone was calm, but the content he described was terrifying.

"Besides the Physical Body, the Baptism is also a huge test for the will and Soul."

"Amidst the violent energy Impact (impact), various negative emotions and mental illusions will be intertwined. Those with weak wills can easily lose control of their minds and suffer Qi Deviation."

Li Dong nodded silently, committing this information to memory.

It seemed this Demon Suppression Baptism was far more complex and dangerous than he had imagined.

"Of course, risk and Opportunity coexist," Lord Zhang's tone shifted. "The effect of the Baptism varies from person to person. The higher one's talent and the better the compatibility with the Baptism energy, the higher the absorption efficiency, and the greater the benefits received."

"Some people can even Awaken a special talent ability or gain unexpected Opportunities during the Baptism."

"The Land of Baptism itself is also said to hide some secrets, but it also comes with unknown risks."

Lord Zhang's gaze fell on Li Dong, full of meaning.

"With your talent and potential, you will undoubtedly gain great benefits during the Baptism, and you might even Break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm in one go."

"But, precisely because of this..."

Lord Zhang's expression completely darkened, his tone carrying an unprecedented seriousness.

"You must be extremely careful of Zhao Zhen!"

Li Dong's eyes narrowed.

Sure enough, Lord Zhang was also worried about this.

"Zhao Zhen has been operating in the outpost for many years. Although he is not a big shot, he still has some Foundation and connections among some middle and lower-level supervisors."

"This time, you made him suffer such a great loss and lose Face. Given his personality, he will never let it go."

"On the surface, with my public statement and his own initial fault, he wouldn't dare do anything to you."

"But in a relatively closed and unpredictable environment like the Demon Suppression Baptism, he could very well use his connections, through some people responsible for the Baptism process, or exploit loopholes in the rules, to create trouble for you, or even... kill you!"

Lord Zhang's voice was very low, full of warning.

"During the Baptism process, everything will depend on you."

"You must always remain vigilant and carefully observe your surroundings and the actions of the responsible personnel."

"Once you notice anything amiss, or feel a fatal danger, immediately abandon the Baptism; preserving your life is the most important thing!"

"Where there is life, there is hope. As long as you are alive, with your talent, you will have plenty of opportunities to Break through in the future!"

Lord Zhang's words were truly heartfelt.

He not only thought highly of Li Dong but was also genuinely concerned for his safety.

A warm current surged in Li Dong's heart, and he solemnly stood up, bowing deeply to Lord Zhang.

"Thank you, Lord Zhang, for your guidance; this junior will engrave it in his heart!"

Lord Zhang nodded, patting his shoulder: "Go, prepare well, I believe in you."

After seeing Lord Zhang off, Li Dong returned to his room and closed the door.

He was the only one left in the room, and the air seemed to quiet down.

He sat cross-legged, beginning to carefully assess the gains from his trip to Black Wind Ridge.

The biggest gain was undoubtedly slaying that Black Scaled Python in the Foundation Building Initial Stage.

"Ding! Detected that the host has 5000 unused experience points. The experience pool is overflowing; please use them promptly."

The System's notification sound echoed in his mind.

Looking at the almost overflowing experience bar, Li Dong's heart burned with excitement.

Previously, to restore his condition and repair the "Black Scale Armor" fragments, he had already consumed 700 experience points.

Now, he still had a full 5000 points left!

This huge amount of experience was enough to significantly boost his strength again.

He took a deep breath, calming his excited mood.

"System, enhance Cultivation!"

"Experience points are sufficient. Do you wish to consume 1000 experience points to raise your Cultivation to the Body Tempering Realm Sixth Level Peak (Great Perfection)?"

"Yes!"

Li Dong confirmed without hesitation.

Body Tempering Realm Sixth Level, only a step away from Great Perfection.

He urgently needed stronger power to deal with the upcoming Demon Suppression Baptism and Zhao Zhen's potential schemes.

As he confirmed, a torrent of energy, far more vast and pure than during his previous Breakthrough, instantly surged from the System space, pouring into his limbs and bones!

Boom!

Li Dong felt as if a volcano had erupted within him!

His Qi and blood surged and boiled at an unprecedented speed, making a roaring sound like a mighty river.

He immediately focused his mind, fully operating the Mind-Cultivation Technique of the Celestial Pill Secret Technique.

He guided this immense energy, following a specific route, to scour every corner of his Physical Body again and again.

Tendons, bones, skin, membranes!

Under the nourishment and impact of the pure energy, they emitted a dense crackling sound, like popping beans.

Each sound represented a rapid increase in the strength of his Physical Body!

Strength, speed, defense... all physical attributes surged at a visible rate!

His Meridians were widened and reinforced, and the total amount of Spiritual Qi they could contain and circulate also greatly increased.

The entire process lasted for nearly an incense stick's time.

When the last sound of tendons and bones resonating fell, Li Dong suddenly opened his eyes!

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and a powerful, well-rounded aura emanated from him.

Body Tempering Realm Great Perfection!

It was done!

He could clearly feel that the strength of his Physical Body at this moment was more than double what it was at Body Tempering Sixth Level!

Every move contained explosive power.

He even had a feeling that if he were to Face that Black Scaled Python now, perhaps without Fusion skills, he could fight it with just his Physical Body strength and the Heavenly Pill Rifting Demon Seal!

This was the power of Body Tempering Realm Great Perfection!

However, as he felt the surging power within him, he also clearly perceived an invisible but incredibly solid barrier.

This barrier lay between the Body Tempering Realm and the next major Realm.

It was like a natural chasm, blocking his path forward.

Foundation Establishment Realm!

Li Dong understood in his heart that this was the Bottleneck to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

The firmness of this Bottleneck far exceeded his imagination.

He could feel that if he relied solely on diligent Cultivation step by step, breaking through this barrier would likely take an extremely long time, and he might even be unable to Break through in his lifetime.

At this moment, he more deeply understood the importance of the Demon Suppression Baptism.

It was not just an Opportunity to increase his strength, but also a crucial Opportunity to break through this Bottleneck, like a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate, to step into the Foundation Establishment Realm!

No matter what, he must participate in this Demon Suppression Baptism, and he must succeed!

After experiencing the Breakthrough in his Cultivation, Li Dong shifted his attention back to the System panel.

He still had 4000 experience points remaining.

He didn't hesitate and immediately began to strengthen his core skills.

The Heavenly Pill Rifting Demon Seal was his strongest offensive method currently, especially after fusing with the "Ghost Pill Technique" fragments, its power was even more astonishing.

He invested a full 2000 experience points, significantly increasing its proficiency.

The enhanced Heavenly Pill Rifting Demon Seal not only had its power further strengthened, but the speed of forming the seal was faster, and the Spiritual Qi consumption was also slightly reduced.

This meant he could fight for longer.

The remaining 2000 experience points, Li Dong used on the defensive skill Black Scale Armor.

Previously, he had only repaired the fragments, obtaining an Entry-Level Black Scale Armor.

This time, he directly invested experience to also increase its proficiency.

Although it was still some distance from Major Achievement, its defensive power had significantly improved.

After doing all this, Li Dong let out a long sigh of relief.

His strength had further advanced, and his trump cards were also more solid.

Facing the upcoming Demon Suppression Baptism, his confidence grew.

While Li Dong was in seclusion, improving his strength, his younger sister, Li Qingyan, was not idle either.

Greatly inspired by her brother's deeds, and with Lord Zhang secretly providing some basic Cultivation resources out of respect for Li Dong, Li Qingyan's Cultivation progress was also very rapid.

Not long ago, she also successfully Broke through, reaching the Body Refinement Fifth Level of Cultivation!

Although not as Prodigy-like as Li Dong, among her peers, she could be considered to have quite good talent.

With her Body Refinement Fifth Level Cultivation and tenacious will, Li Qingyan also successfully passed the selection for ordinary members of the Demon Suppression Division.

Furthermore, she also obtained an ordinary spot to participate in the Demon Suppression Baptism.

This meant that the brother and sister would participate in this crucial Baptism together.