Still the third watch, still begging for votes, just one short of making the list~~~
*****
He trained until lamp‑lighting time before Yang Kai finally stopped, reluctant to quit. After a long session of punches and kicks, he felt no fatigue; instead, his spirit shone bright and his stamina was abundant. Since obtaining the Proud Bone Golden Body, his strength seemed to have increased markedly—walking twenty li left him unfazed, and carrying a huge sack of rice felt as light as nothing.
Only when practicing the Tempering Body Chapter would he truly feel pressure. Recalling the sensation from this morning’s practice of the Tempering Body Chapter, Yang Kai couldn’t help but shudder; the feeling of heaven and earth pressing down on him was extremely unpleasant.
But pressure brings progress; now that there is no pressure at all, how can he cultivate?
Human potential is forced out, and a martial artist’s growth is the same—step by step, one coerces one’s potential, little by little surpassing one’s limits, and only then does strength increase.
Yet he has thrown so many punches and kicked so many feet, feeling not a hint of fatigue; where would he reach his limit, and how could he coax out his potential?
This is a predicament; Yang Kai also feels a bit gloomy. Obtaining the Proud Bone Golden Body is indeed a great boon, but thanks to its powerful regenerative ability, the basic skills of Lingxiao Pavilion can no longer be trained—does that mean he can only train for half a shichen before sunrise each day?
A full day comprises twelve shichen; if he trains only half a shichen, what is he to do with the remaining time? Sleep with his head covered? That’s absolutely out of the question—Yang Kai dismissed the idea without a second thought.
While absent‑mindedly tending the fire and cooking rice, Yang Kai pondered how to make himself feel pressure. If others learned of this, they’d probably laugh and cry at the same time.
Other martial artists wish for an easier path on the road of cultivation, but Yang Kai now seeks to torment himself.
After thinking it over, he still couldn’t find a good solution. The main reason is that his financial situation lags behind; cultivating the Body Tempering Realm requires many medicinal pills to assist, and besides pills there are other external methods, but all of this boils down to one word—money.
Within Lingxiao Pavilion, money means contribution points, and poor Yang Kai has only twelve points—he has the will but not the means.
Having cooked his rice, Yang Kai gulped down several bowls; there were no side dishes, so he ate it plain, yet he felt satisfied—this was the first full meal he’d had in days.
After eating, Yang Kai didn’t go train; he simply took a bath and lay down on the bed. Continuing to train would be inefficient; it’s better to think of a solution, as the saying goes, ‘sharpening the knife does not delay the woodcutting.’
As he mused, Yang Kai’s heart stirred, and he summoned the Wordless Black Book.
He had roughly figured out the nature of this black book: each page seals something, and once his strength reaches the required level he can call it forth.
The Proud Bone Golden Body he obtained from the first page is the foundation and the source.
The second page contains the Tempering Body Chapter, which is precisely the cultivation method for the Proud Bone Golden Body.
He didn’t know what the third page held, because when he peeked at it last night he could see nothing at all—this surely relates to his current strength.
Now the first and second pages are blank; after studying them for a while he found nothing, but when he absent‑mindedly flipped to the third page, a sudden haze clouded his vision.
Huh? Yang Kai frowned, fixing his gaze on the third page.
In an instant, golden light flickered on the third page; countless golden silhouettes shot out and plunged straight into Yang Kai’s mind. Immediately, the page’s surface slowly revealed a vortex, from which rose an antiquated incense burner.