Chapter 210: Breakthrough (Part 2)

Boom! The ground shook violently, causing Melon, who was watching from the side, to change expression drastically. It couldn’t continue—if it went on any longer, the cave might really collapse. He cursed inwardly, wondering how much longer Rod, that bastard, intended to go on.

At that moment, dark energy swirled around Rod, darkness rolling everywhere as the demonic aura in the cave howled as it gathered toward him. The magical beast across from him groaned in pain—the power grew stronger with each impact. A few more collisions, and it would likely become the first god-tier magical beast to die from such force, becoming a laughingstock for millennia.

“Boom! Boom! Boom…” Three consecutive collisions, each more intense and rapid than the last. The magical beast finally couldn’t hold on anymore and collapsed to the ground, its face filled with terror. It truly couldn’t take it anymore.

It closed its eyes, groaning in despair, waiting for the next collision to send it to its doom. Yet strangely, everything stopped. Looking around, he saw that the madman had suddenly become calm, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, cultivating!

Elements from all directions rushed into his body—more than one type. He seemed stunned, his eyes wide with disbelief.

“If you don’t want to die, follow me!” Melon suddenly appeared beside the magical beast and shouted at it in a low voice.

This scared the beast greatly; it almost jumped up. But after recognizing Melon, it quickly nodded and followed him away from that terrifying place. It seemed the kid was about to achieve a breakthrough—there was no need for it to continue serving as a punching bag. It was a relief.

Outside the mountain, the magical beast panted heavily. Melon looked thoughtful and excited—success! It had indeed succeeded. This kid really had talent!

Howls of pain echoed one after another. He wanted to curse loudly but froze mid-air, his mouth wide open, unable to speak.

The magical beast no longer resembled itself—its body covered in wounds, bleeding profusely. It was significantly larger than when he first brought it here, clearly swollen. There was no blood dripping from its body, nor any sign of suffering. Seeing this, Melon coughed awkwardly, retreating his intended words. “Ahem… Well, not bad. Good job this time. Rest well!”

“Don’t ask me to do this again. I’d rather die!” With a pained expression, the magical beast looked into the distance, speaking in a sobbing voice, as if it had suffered countless hardships—truly pitiful.

He truly hated those two guys— an old pervert and a young pervert. He thought about migrating to another place to live, staying far away from this sad place and never seeing those two perverts again. He also needed to hide what had happened well; otherwise, if others found out, they would laugh at him, and he wouldn’t have a place to stay here anymore.
“Don’t be too sad. You did well this time. Well, you can live a good life from now on. As long as I’m here, no one can bully you!” Perhaps feeling some guilt, Melon rubbed his head and said firmly.
“Really?” he asked in disbelief.
“Really!”
Upon confirmation, the monster’s face was filled with flattering expressions. It seemed to throw aside its previous dissatisfaction and even abandon its idea of migrating. This promise was more effective and better than anything else. He could live a good life without being bullied. Though it seemed like a simple sentence, it provided the most direct guarantee for his life.
Who was this person in front of him? He knew. What did this person represent? He also knew—it was the king of this forest, the top existence in the entire Dark Source. As long as he said such things, even the four major families wouldn’t dare do anything to him. Of course, he wasn’t stupid enough to confront those four families.
Suddenly, he felt extremely happy, his face full of joy. The pain in his body seemed to be forgotten as he was overjoyed. If not for his injuries, he would have been jumping for joy.
“Alright, go and heal. What I said counts. Of course, if you’re willing to be our mount and go with us, you’ll get even more benefits!” With a sly smile, Melon continued, causing the monster to step back two steps.
Such an expression made the monster’s heart race with anxiety. He had been tricked into coming here by this guy before, told to help him teach a younger one. But it was unclear who ended up teaching whom. Could he trust him easily now?
However, the condition offered by this guy was very tempting—more benefits. What kind of benefits? He felt some anticipation. “What do I have to do? Is it dangerous?”
“Nothing much. Just go on a trip. I’ll go too. What are you afraid of? They can’t kill you in front of me, can they? Don’t worry!” Melon said confidently, patting his chest.
“Really?”
“Really!” With a serious and earnest expression, Melon assured him.
“What benefits?”

“It won’t be much of a difference. I won’t let you down—just relax! At the very least, I’ll give you a little ‘Great King’ to call your own. How about that?” Melon continued to tempt him.
“Hmm, I can consider it!” The magical beast nodded seriously and muttered.
“I can also help you transform. Your strength should have long reached the standard for transformation. Are you hesitating because you’re not confident? I can give you a Transformation Grass to help you—how about that?” Melon threw out a huge temptation, offering a bright future.
This time, the magical beast was truly tempted. Sure enough, he raised his eyebrows and almost jumped up in excitement: “Okay, deal!” Who wouldn’t want to transform? Getting rid of the mindset of a magical beast was secondary; the main advantage was the chance to explore the outside world. Moreover, transformation allowed one to shed their magical beast traits and gain human traits, speeding up cultivation by several times. The magical beast’s natural talent for cultivation was hardly impressive—otherwise, why would it take anywhere from a hundred to a thousand years to reach the divine level? It was obvious to anyone with eyes to see.
“Alright, it’s settled. I’ll help you transform after that kid makes his breakthrough. We’ll set off in a couple of days!” With a sly smile, Melon said contentedly.
Seeing this, the magical beast felt extremely guilty. He wondered if he’d been tricked again, but thinking of the Transformation Grass, he agreed. With it, even if he had to kill, burn, or fight, it would all be worth it.
……
His combat energy surged around him, flowing at speeds many times faster than usual. His life force surged as his body continued to be healed by demonic energy!
After countless cycles, Rod finally grasped that sense of breakthrough. His face lit up with joy, and he pushed all his combat energy forward in one go.
Boom… In the next moment, it was as if the universe exploded, leaving Rod dizzy. External elements churned into a massive vortex that rushed toward his body. The overwhelming energy completely tore through his already tattered clothes, revealing his muscular frame.
It took a while before Rod recovered. Checking inside his body, he saw that his combat energy had been further refined. There was also a barely visible line added to his combat energy core, which had grown larger—now about the size of a thumb and a half.
The dark mist around him grew thicker, filling his dantian and rendering everything completely dark and indistinct.

Mid-level Divine Tier – after a month of hard work, Rod finally reached this level! At this moment, elements and magical energy from the outside rushed into his body, replenishing the energy he lacked. The path was now open; everything else would follow naturally. Once fully replenished, he would have achieved Mid-level Divine Tier.

Filled with excitement, Rod waited anxiously, activating his combat energy, making it circulate over and over again. The speed of this circulation had increased several times compared to before, something he had never seen before. A faster circulation meant greater speed and more powerful attacks, as the output speed of combat energy had increased.

For example, what used to take fifteen minutes to pour with a bottle now only took seven. Naturally, the speed and power of the flow increased. In short, the output speed of combat energy was directly proportional to one’s strength.

“Alright, come with me; I’ll take you through the transformation!” Melon also sensed what was happening inside. He suddenly felt a massive surge of energy erupt, causing the world around to fade in color. For a brief moment, an overwhelming pressure prevailed, but it disappeared just as quickly. He knew it was the aura inadvertently released by Rod during his breakthrough. Since everything had succeeded, all that was needed now was time to recover. He too should prepare to set off.

Inside the cave, at this moment, Rod couldn’t feel any impact from his equipment. Perhaps the amount of elements pouring in during the breakthrough was so immense that it exceeded the capacity of his equipment to restrict them. Feeling his true strength, he was overjoyed! The difference between mid-level and beginner level was truly enormous!

He couldn’t help but marvel. If forced to compare, mid-level strength was like that of a fierce tiger, while beginner level strength was like that of a little rabbit – they were not even on the same level.

After what seemed like an eternity, Rod finally felt that the outside world had calmed down, and his strength had returned to its peak. Once he stopped, that restrictive feeling returned, causing him great discomfort. After enjoying such a great feeling, he was now thrown back to his original state.

Getting up and moving around, he saw a shocked expression on his face once again, followed by a silly grin as if he had found some treasure. To his surprise, he discovered that his physique had also reached the fifth level, having been forcibly elevated by one tier.

The fifth layer of physical body – this is something only those at the godly level can achieve. Has he reached it now? Rod was somewhat incredulous, yet it was a fact right before his eyes that he couldn’t doubt. Instantly, he was overjoyed, blessed with double good fortune – wealth and honor!
Indeed, his character had truly blossomed. Full of joy, Rod moved his limbs, feeling the creaking sounds from the friction of his joints, which brought him great satisfaction.