Chapter 16: Body Tempering Layer 5

Could it be... that this book really won’t make it onto the new book rankings? Recommendation tickets are so scarce~~~

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This discovery excited Yangx Kai. He had cultivated in Lingxiao Pavilion for three years, only reaching the Third Level of Body Tempering. Yet, after obtaining the Wordless Black Book, he had broken through to the fourth level on the very next day. Now, a mere two days later, he was about to break through again. This Cultivation speed was terrifying even to Yangx Kai himself.

Practicing the Body Tempering Chapter consumed a massive amount of energy. Yangx Kai rested for a good while before gradually recovering. He ate the remaining rice balls and then set off to continue his journey of searching for herbs.

Yesterday, he had searched all the places in his memory where herbs should exist; today, he had to try his luck. Fortunately, the value of these Mortal-Level herbs was truly not high. Not everyone who saw them would pick them, so he still managed to harvest some. Throughout the entire day, Yangx Kai found seven or eight more herbs, and even discovered two stalks of the Three-Leaf Soul Flower. With this, he had finally gathered the necessary herbs for his Cultivation, although the quantity was somewhat pitiful.

Time slipped by quickly. When night fell, Yangx Kai was still wandering through the forest. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to rest; he was simply starving. He had originally hoped to hunt some wild game today, but unexpectedly, he hadn’t even come across a single rabbit. All he found were a few wild berries the size of fingernails. They were incredibly sour, making his Yar ache, and after swallowing them, he only felt even hungrier.

He thought to himself, "If I had known, I would have made more rice balls to bring along. I really regret it! In the middle of nowhere like this, where am I supposed to find food?"

Just as he was at his wit’s end from hunger, Yangx Kai suddenly noticed a faint flicker of firelight coming from the forest ahead. His spirits immediately lifted, and he hurried toward it. Anyone who dared to light a fire in the wilderness was either an inexperienced fool or a fearless veteran. The people Yangx Kai encountered this time belonged to the latter category.

He had barely approached the campfire when an angry shout rang out in his direction.

"Who’s there?"

At the same time, Yangx Kai felt his skin crawl, a chill running down his spine. Looking closely, he saw two figures by the fire, one tall and one short. Both were staring at him with extreme vigilance. The taller figure was a muscular man holding a bow. An arrow was nocked and drawn to the full, its tip pointed straight at him. Next to the man stood a boy, roughly eleven or twelve years old. Despite his young age, the boy’s eyes were exceptionally bright. Not only did he show no signs of fear, but he also seemed somewhat eager to fight. The boy also held a bow, though it was much smaller and likely lacked significant power.

Even though he was being targeted by two fully drawn bows, Yangx Kai felt no anger. When traveling abroad, one could never be too careful. Their reaction was completely understandable.

"Don’t be nervous. I’m just here in the mountains to gather herbs," Yangx Kai quickly called out.

Hearing this, the two males, one large and one small, carefully sized him up. The muscular man slowly lowered his bow and patted the boy to signal him to relax. He then let out a laugh.

"I thought the fire had attracted some Fierce Beast. It was just a false alarm."

"Sorry about that," Yangx Kai replied with an awkward smile.

The muscular man was quite straightforward. He waved his hand. "Come over here. The night wind is cold, and making a living out here isn’t easy for anyone."

Yangx Kai thanked him before walking over and sitting by the fire. The muscular man continued to observe Yangx Kai. Seeing his skin-and-bones appearance, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.

Now that they were sitting together, it was only natural to converse. Through their idle chat, Yangx Kai learned that they were a father and son who lived at the foot of the mountain and made a living by hunting. While their lives weren’t wealthy, they managed to keep themselves fed and clothed. Furthermore, although the boy looked young, he was a veteran of the hunting grounds. Having followed his father in and out of Black Wind Mountain many times, his experience surviving in the forest was far richer than Yangx Kai’s.

Yangx Kai also introduced himself. Upon learning that he was actually a Disciple of Lingxiao Pavilion, the strong man was slightly taken aback. The boy grew even more curious, his dark, bright eyes constantly darting over Yangx Kai.

"My boy here originally wanted to practice martial arts too, but his aptitude wasn’t good enough, so he was sent back," the man explained. "Because of that, he practically worships you martial artists."

These words made Yangx Kai recall his own experiences over the past three years. He couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of empathy as he reached out and patted the child’s head.

Just as they were talking, Yangx Kai’s stomach growled embarrassingly. The boy paused for a moment before suddenly smiling. He then took out a portion of dry rations from his pack and handed it to Yangx Kai.

Yangx Kai was touched, but he didn’t reach out to take it. Instead, he looked at the burly man.

"Eat it," the man smiled. "From the looks of it, you haven’t had much to eat today."

Yangx Kai didn’t decline any further. He accepted the rations and wolfed them down. After chatting for a little while longer, the three of them went to sleep around the campfire. Yangx Kai didn’t dare to sleep too deeply, maintaining a light slumber. He was ready to eliminate any danger that might approach, as a way to repay the father and son’s kindness.

However, the entire night passed without incident.

When morning arrived, Yangx Kai quietly left before the hunter and his son woke up. Before departing, he left behind two herbs as a token of gratitude for last night’s meal. If crushed, these two herbs had decent healing properties. Since the father and son spent all year roaming the mountains and forests, they would inevitably find a use for them.

As purple Qi filled the eastern sky, Yangx Kai practiced the Body Tempering Chapter for half an hour. Just as he finished his routine and inhaled a breath of purple Qi, the Meridians in his body suddenly jolted violently. A warm sensation spread throughout his entire body. Qi Sensing erupted, surging endlessly within his Meridians.

Fifth Level of Body Tempering Realm! His feeling from yesterday had been completely correct; he was indeed about to advance. Today, after cultivating for half an hour, he had truly broken through in one fell swoop.

Yangx Kai was overjoyed, his anticipation for the Proud Bone Golden Body Technique growing stronger by the minute. Calculating the time, he realized he had only obtained the Proud Bone Golden Form a few short days ago, yet he had already broken through twice. This Cultivation speed was simply unparalleled. And this was under the condition that his time for Cultivation was limited. He wondered just how fast he would progress if he could cultivate constantly.

Yangx Kai found himself clicking his tongue in amazement at the thought. However, the Body Tempering Realm was, after all, only the foundational stage for a martial artist. Naturally, it was faster to cultivate. In the future, as his Realm increased, his rate of advancement would likely begin to slow down.

After resting for a while, Yangx Kai continued his search for herbs. He harvested quite a lot that day, gathering over a dozen herbs. He even managed to catch a fat rabbit, sparing himself from the worry of going hungry.

On his third day in the mountains, Yangx Kai ventured a bit deeper into Black Wind Mountain, nearly reaching the thirty-mile limit of the outer periphery. Having come this far, he didn’t dare go any deeper. With his current strength, if he were to encounter any Fierce Beasts or birds of prey, he would only be able to flee for his life. If things went poorly, he might even end up as their food.

Despite not going too deep, today’s harvest was much larger than the previous two days. He had found over twenty herbs. Counting what he had gathered over the first two days, he had found nearly forty herbs during this expedition into the mountains. However, the quantities of the two specific types he needed were still very low.

Finding forty herbs in three days, even if they were all Mortal-Level Lower Grade, was no small harvest. Bringing them back to the Sect to exchange for Contribution Points would yield a good amount. However, this heavily delayed his Cultivation time, meaning the losses outweighed the gains.