Chapter 9: The Devouring Cultivation**
**Azure Dragon Academy – Supreme Prodigy Residence**
The "Supreme Prodigy" quarters were not merely a room; they were a private spiritual sanctuary. Located on a secluded floating island connected to the main campus by a bridge of clouds, the residence featured a small spirit spring, automatic formation arrays for defense, and air so thick with spiritual energy that breathing it felt like drinking pure nectar.
But Chen Feng didn't care about the luxury. He cared about the silence.
He sat cross-legged in the center of the meditation hall, facing the spirit spring. The water rippled gently, emitting a soft blue glow. Lin Yue had gone to her own Core Disciple quarters to stabilize her connection with the *Star Heart*, leaving him alone.
"Finally," Chen Feng whispered, closing his eyes. "Time to test the limits of this new toy."
In his mind, the interface of **The Void Scripture** unfolded. It wasn't just a book anymore; it was a living map of energy pathways within his body, integrated perfectly with his **Void Flame System**.
**[System Notification]**
**[Technique Active: The Void Scripture (Level 1)]**
**[Current Effect: Absorption Rate +500%]**
**[Special Ability Available: 'Energy Devour' – Can absorb ambient spiritual energy or enemy attacks.]**
"Let's see how fast I can break through," Chen Feng muttered.
He began to cultivate.
Normally, a cultivator at *Qi Gathering Level 1* would need to meditate for weeks to gather enough energy to reach Level 2. They would pull thin strands of energy from the air, filter them through their meridians, and store them in their dantian drop by drop.
Chen Feng did not do this.
He activated **The Void Scripture**.
Suddenly, the air around him distorted. A vortex of black wind formed above his head. The spiritual energy in the room didn't just flow toward him; it *rushed*. The blue mist from the spirit spring was sucked into his pores like water into a dry sponge.
*Swirl. Swirl. Swirl.*
The entire residence shook. The formation arrays flickered wildly, struggling to contain the sudden vacuum of energy. Outside, the trees bent as if caught in a hurricane, though there was no wind.
Inside Chen Feng's body, the energy was brutal. It slammed against his meridians, but instead of damaging them, the *Void Flame* coated the walls, reinforcing them and instantly refining the raw energy into pure, dense void power.
**[Absorbing... 10 units... 50 units... 100 units...]**
**[Dantian Capacity: 80%... 90%... 95%...]**
"More," Chen Feng gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down his face. His skin began to glow with a faint purple hue. "I need more!"
He pushed the technique harder. The vortex expanded beyond the room, pulling energy from the entire floating island. Birds fled the trees. The spirit spring's water level dropped visibly as its essence was drained.
**[Warning: Local Spiritual Energy Depleted.]**
**[Suggestion: Switch to 'Ambient Devour' mode.]**
Chen Feng didn't hesitate. He reached out with his senses, grabbing onto the residual energy lingering in the atmosphere, the heat from the sun, even the faint life force of the grass outside. Everything became fuel.
*Crack.*
A sound echoed inside his chest. The barrier between Level 1 and Level 2 shattered.
**[Breakthrough Successful!]**
**[Current Cultivation: Qi Gathering Level 2]**
**[Current Cultivation: Qi Gathering Level 3]**
**[Current Cultivation: Qi Gathering Level 4...]**
He didn't stop. The momentum was too great. The Void Scripture was a monster that demanded constant feeding.
**[Level 5...]**
**[Level 6...]**
Outside the residence, alarms began to blare.
"Spiritual Energy Anomaly detected in Sector 7!"
"The Supreme Prodigy's island is draining the grid!"
"Send elders! Something is wrong!"
But inside, Chen Feng was in a trance. He saw the universe as streams of data and energy. He saw the flaws in the world's fabric. And he saw how to tear them open.
**[Level 8...]**
**[Level 9...]**
Finally, with a roar that shook the foundations of the floating island, he hit the peak of Qi Gathering.
**[Qi Gathering Level 9 (Peak) Reached!]**
**[Next Stage: Foundation Establishment. Warning: Requires massive amount of concentrated energy and a 'Dao Seed'.]**
Chen Feng opened his eyes.
They were no longer human. For a split second, they were two swirling black holes, infinite and terrifying. Then, the light faded, returning to normal dark brown.
He exhaled, and a plume of black smoke shot from his mouth, dissolving the stone floor beneath him.
"Incredible," he whispered, clenching his fist. The air crackled with electricity around his knuckles. "In one night, I advanced eight levels. What would take others ten years, I did in six hours."
He stood up, feeling lighter, stronger, faster. His senses expanded miles beyond the academy. He could hear the heartbeat of a deer in the forest below. He could smell the fear radiating from the students gathering at the bridge.
"Speaking of fear..."
He sensed a large group approaching. Leading them was a familiar, arrogant spiritual signature.
*Long Ao.*
Chen Feng smirked. "Right on time."
---
**The Bridge of Clouds**
A crowd of over three hundred disciples had gathered at the entrance to Chen Feng's island. Elders stood at the back, observing with grave expressions. In the center, floating on a platform of water, was Long Ao.
His robes were torn, his face pale, but his eyes burned with humiliation and rage. Beside him stood an older man with a stern face—**Elder Liu**, one of the academy's top instructors and Long Ao's uncle.
"Chen Feng!" Long Ao shouted, his voice amplified by spiritual energy. "Come out, you thief! You stole the Forbidden Scripture and drained the island's energy! Come out and face justice!"
The crowd murmured nervously.
*"Did he really steal it?"*
*"The energy drain was insane. Is he a demon?"*
*"Look at Elder Liu. He looks ready to kill."*
Elder Liu stepped forward, his presence overwhelming (*Nascent Soul Level*). "Chen Feng! By academy rules, stealing a Heavenly Grade technique is punishable by execution. Surrender now, and we might spare your life. Resist, and we will erase your soul."
Silence fell as everyone waited for the boy to appear.
Suddenly, the gates of the residence creaked open.
Chen Feng walked out slowly. He looked calm, refreshed, and dangerously relaxed. He wore simple black robes that seemed to absorb the sunlight.
"Execution?" Chen Feng repeated, stopping at the edge of the bridge. He looked at Elder Liu, then at Long Ao. "Bold words for someone whose nephew I defeated yesterday."
Long Ao trembled with rage. "You cheated! That technique isn't yours! Give it back!"
"The book chose me," Chen Feng said simply. "It crumbled to dust the moment I absorbed it. There is nothing to give back. Unless..." He smiled coldly. "...you want me to extract it from your corpse?"
"You insolent brat!" Elder Liu roared. His hand shot out, forming a massive golden palm made of solid energy. "*Golden Palm of Judgment!*"
The palm slammed down toward Chen Feng, carrying the weight of a mountain. The crowd screamed and scattered.
"Uncle, crush him!" Long Ao yelled.
Chen Feng didn't move. He just raised one hand, palm open.
"**Void Scripture: Devour.**"
The massive golden palm hit his small hand... and stopped.
Then, it began to shrink.
The golden energy swirled violently, being sucked into Chen Feng's palm like water down a drain. Within seconds, the entire attack vanished, leaving only a faint golden glow in Chen Feng's eyes.
The crowd went silent. Absolute silence.
Elder Liu's eyes bulged. "You... you absorbed my Nascent Soul attack? Impossible! You are only Qi Gathering!"
"I told you," Chen Feng said, flexing his fingers as the stolen golden energy danced around them. "Levels are just numbers. Your energy tastes... rich."
He took a step forward. The pressure he emitted suddenly spiked, matching Elder Liu's for a brief second before vanishing.
"Now," Chen Feng said, his voice dropping an octave, becoming deadly serious. "You accused me of theft. You threatened my life. You invaded my home."
He looked directly at Long Ao.
"I challenge you," Chen Feng announced loudly. "A formal duel. Three days from now, at the Grand Arena. If I win, you apologize publicly, surrender all your family's resources to me, and leave the academy. If you win... I will leave forever and return the 'essence' of the technique."
Long Ao hesitated. He looked at his uncle.
Elder Liu frowned. A public duel was sacred ground. Refusing would make them look cowardly. Accepting meant risking everything against a monster who could eat attacks.
But Long Ao's pride blinded him.
"Accept!" Long Ao screamed. "In three days, I will tear you apart! I'll use the *Azure Dragon Ultimate Technique*! You won't be able to devour that!"
"Good," Chen Feng smiled. "I'm looking forward to tasting a dragon."
He turned his back on them. "Prepare yourself, Long Ao. Because in three days, the Azure Dragon won't just lose. It will be extinct."
Chen Feng walked back into his residence and slammed the gates shut.
The crowd erupted into chaos.
*"Did you hear that? He challenged a Level 5 Foundation Establishment while being Level 9 Qi Gathering!"*
*"He's crazy!"*
*"Or maybe... he's actually going to win?"*
Elder Liu watched the closed gates, a chill running down his spine.
"That boy..." he whispered. "He's not just a genius. He's a calamity."
---
**Inside the Residence**
Chen Feng leaned against the door, exhaling slowly.
*That was risky,* he admitted to himself. *Elder Liu could have killed me if he went all out. But I needed the pressure. I needed the excuse to push my cultivation further.*
He looked at his hands, where the golden energy was still swirling.
**[System Notification]**
**[Energy Absorbed: 5,000 Units (High Quality)]**
**[Progress to Foundation Establishment: 15%]**
**[New Quest Generated: Win the Duel against Long Ao]**
**[Reward: Unlock 'Void Domain' & 500 Void Points]**
"Three days," Chen Feng muttered, walking toward the spirit spring which was slowly refilling. "Enough time to master the next layer of the Void Scripture."
He sat down again, closing his eyes.
"Let the countdown begin."
---
**To be continued...**