Seven Mysterious Spaces: My Rise to Power in the Cultivation World

Zhuang Yu and Wang Yao arrived at the entrance to the Spirit Realm.

The entrance was shrouded in mist, giving it an ethereal and otherworldly appearance.

Zhuang Yu took a deep breath and stepped into the swirling mist.

A pure and powerful spiritual energy surged toward him, invigorating his senses.

He could sense the immense potential contained within this hidden realm.

A smile appeared on his lips.

It is here.

The real opportunity to take off.

But the tranquility was broken by a commotion.

Two figures emerged from the swirling mist, their eyes gleaming with greed.

It was Yang Fei and his follower Zhao Qi.

Yang Fei, a tall and thin cultivator, wore a predatory smile as he greedily eyed Zhuang Yu without any attempt to hide it.

"Yo, yo, yo... Look who's here? Fresh fat meat." He sneered, his eyes fixed on Zhuang Yu's seemingly ordinary but powerful storage bag.

Zhuang Yu's relaxed expression vanished instantly, replaced by a cold calm.

He recognized the greed in Yang Fei's eyes.

He had encountered people like that before—those who thought they could bully the weak at will.

He felt a surge of anger.

Everything he has achieved is through hard work and wisdom.

He wouldn't let these looters steal anything from him.

"Hand over everything you own," Yang Fei demanded arrogantly.

Zhao Qi, a sycophantic scoundrel, echoed his master's words: "Yes, hand it over! You don't want to get hurt, do you?" He puffed out his chest, trying to appear intimidating, but his trembling hands betrayed his fear.

There was tension in the air.

A deep roar echoed through the misty air, making the ground beneath their feet tremble.

A giant black tiger surrounded by flames emerged from the swirling mist, its eyes fixed on the three people.

This is a Black Flame Tiger, known for its ferocity and power, easily rivaling a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator.

Yang Fei's face turned deathly pale.

This was not part of the plan.

"This...this is complicated," Yang Fei stammered, his bravado vanishing in the face of imminent danger.

He glanced nervously at Zhuang Yu, then turned back to look at the approaching beast.

The tiger slowly approached, its burning gaze unwavering.

The situation has escalated from a small robbery into a life-or-death struggle.

“Perhaps,” Zhuang Yu said slowly, a smile appearing on his face, “we can help each other.” He calmly met the Black Flame Tiger’s burning gaze.

“Unless…” He paused, his voice so low it was almost inaudible, “you would rather face it alone?” Yang Fei was taken aback by Zhuang Yu’s words. He hadn’t expected Zhuang Yu to dare to negotiate with him under these circumstances.

He glanced at the approaching Black Flame Tiger, then at the seemingly frail Zhuang Yu, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

Zhao Qi shouted from the side, "What are you afraid of! If we join forces, are we afraid we can't deal with this kid and this beast?"

Zhuang Yu feigned fear, shrinking his neck and cowering behind Yang Fei. He whispered, "Fellow Daoists, this Black Flame Tiger is exceptionally ferocious. Why don't we join forces to repel it first, and then discuss other matters?" His cowardly appearance made Yang Fei and Zhao Qi despise him even more.

"Hmph, you're smart to know what's good for you!" Yang Fei snorted coldly, secretly pleased. This kid was indeed a pushover. He would deal with Black Flame Tiger later.

Zhao Qi burst into unrestrained laughter, pointing at Zhuang Yu and mocking, "Look at your cowardly appearance, it's hilarious!"

Zhuang Yu sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm, continuing to feign fear.

He secretly mobilized his spiritual power, waiting for the best opportunity.

The Black Flame Tiger's footsteps drew closer, its scorching breath washing over the three of them, and the air was thick with the smell of sulfur.

Just as Yang Fei reached out to grab Zhuang Yu, thinking victory was assured, Zhuang Yu suddenly looked up, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

He acted swiftly, unleashing a sharp burst of spiritual energy that shot towards Yang Fei like an arrow.

Caught off guard, Yang Fei was struck in the chest and staggered back a few steps.

"You..." Yang Fei was both shocked and angry. He pointed at Zhuang Yu, but couldn't say a word for a long time.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Qi immediately drew his magical weapon, intending to attack Zhuang Yu.

However, Zhuang Yu was prepared. He quickly made a hand seal, and an earthen wall rose from the ground, trapping Zhao Qi inside.

All of this happened so fast that even the Black Flame Tiger was drawn to the commotion.

It let out a deafening roar, and its massive body pounced towards Zhuang Yu like a black lightning bolt.

"You're courting death!" Yang Fei roared, ignoring his injuries, and unleashed his magic weapon to join the battle.

In an instant, spiritual energy surged, sand and stones flew, and the scene was chaotic.

Zhuang Yu smiled coldly as he faced the Black Flame Tiger's attack.

"The game is only just beginning..." he murmured, a flash of light appearing in his hand...

A flash of light appeared in Zhuang Yu's hand, and a fruit emitting a strange fragrance appeared in his palm.

This is the "Beast Spirit Fruit" he found in the mysterious space, which is specifically designed to counter magical beasts.

Without hesitation, he threw the fruit at the Black Flame Tiger.

The Black Flame Tiger's ferocious attack came to an abrupt halt after it smelled the scent of the Beast Spirit Fruit.

Its enormous nose twitched as it greedily stared at the fruit that arced through the air, its fierce glint replaced by a longing.

It abandoned its attack on Zhuang Yu and instead chased after the beast spirit fruit that emitted an enticing fragrance.

"Fool." Zhuang Yu sneered, and taking advantage of the moment when Black Flame Tiger was distracted, he flashed and appeared in front of Yang Fei like a ghost.

His spiritual energy surged, transforming into a sharp sword aura that pierced straight into Yang Fei's dantian.

Yang Fei was shocked and could only hastily summon a defensive shield.

However, the shield shattered instantly, as if made of paper, before Zhuang Yu's powerful sword energy.

The sword energy struck Yang Fei without any obstruction, sending him flying and crashing heavily to the ground, spitting out blood.

"Cough cough..." Yang Fei struggled to get up, but found that his dantian was damaged and his spiritual power was dissipated, so he was no longer able to fight.

He looked at Zhuang Yu in horror, his eyes filled with resentment and hatred.

"This is the price of your greed." Zhuang Yu looked down at Yang Fei, a cold glint in his eyes.

Seeing Yang Fei's disheveled appearance, he felt a strong sense of accomplishment.

Just then, Wang Yao's image appeared in Zhuang Yu's mind.

That gentle and kind girl, who always silently supports him, is now waiting for his safe return.

He recalled Wang Yao's trust and admiration for him, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart, filling him with strength.

"Yao'er, wait for me, I will definitely bring back more spiritual treasures for you!" Zhuang Yu secretly vowed, his eyes becoming even more determined.

He turned his head and looked at Zhao Qi, who was trapped in the earthen wall, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Next, it's your turn..."

Zhuang Yu turned and walked toward Zhao Qi, who was trapped in the earthen wall, his eyes flashing with cold light.

Zhao Qi pounded on the earthen wall in terror, but couldn't budge it an inch.

"Spare...spare me!" he begged in a trembling voice, his previous arrogance long gone.

Zhuang Yu sneered and ignored Zhao Qi's pleas for mercy.

With a wave of his hand, the earthen wall collapsed instantly, exposing Zhao Qi to him.

Zhao Qi collapsed to the ground, trembling like a lamb to the slaughter.

Zhuang Yu ruthlessly looted all the spiritual items from Zhao Qi's body, then kicked him away, his fate unknown.

After dealing with Zhao Qi, Zhuang Yu's gaze fell on Black Flame Tiger again.

At this moment, the Black Flame Tiger had already swallowed the Beast Spirit Fruit, but instead of becoming docile as Zhuang Yu had expected, it became even more ferocious.

It let out a deafening roar, its eyes burning with fury, and pounced on Zhuang Yu.

"It seems that the Beast Spirit Fruit has little effect on it," Zhuang Yu thought to himself, but his face showed no fear.

He took a deep breath, channeled his spiritual energy to its maximum, and prepared for battle.

The Black Flame Tiger was incredibly fast, arriving in front of Zhuang Yu in the blink of an eye.

It brandished its sharp claws, which were wreathed in scorching flames, and lunged fiercely at Zhuang Yu.

Zhuang Yu dodged the Black Flame Tiger's attack with a swift movement.

The spiritual energy in his hands transformed into sharp sword energies, continuously attacking the Black Flame Tiger.

The Black Flame Tiger has thick skin and tough flesh. Although Zhuang Yu's sword energy could leave some wounds on its body, it could not cause fatal damage.

However, the Black Flame Tiger's attacks became increasingly fierce, and Zhuang Yu gradually felt some strain.

The surrounding spiritual energy fluctuated because of this fierce battle, as if it too was excited about it.

Zhuang Yu knew that this would be a tough battle, but he felt no fear.

He longed for this battle, hoping to improve his strength through it and prepare for breaking through to the late stage of Core Formation.

He looked at the Black Flame Tiger in front of him, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.

"Come on, let me see just how strong you really are!" Zhuang Yu shouted, his spiritual power erupting once more, transforming into a dazzling beam of light that slashed fiercely towards the Black Flame Tiger...

"This is just the beginning..." Zhuang Yu sneered, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes.