Day after day, month after month.
Under the hellish training of Hall Master Qin—that madman Qin—Ye Long was no longer the person he used to be.
For the past three months, he had been forced to run five kilometers every morning with a ten-kilogram armor strapped to his back, and when he finished, he had to stand on wooden piles with his exhausted body.
To put it nicely, it trained focus and balance. To put it bluntly, it was pure torture!
Even more infuriating was Qin Feng's aggressive and biting sarcasm:
"I damn well mean to work you bastards to death! If you don't want to stay, get lost! I never feed freeloaders here!"
Yet, despite everyone grinding their teeth in hatred, not a single person chose to quit.
After all, in the current Cultivation Mainland, sweating was always better than bleeding.
What the others found hardest to accept was that Ye Long's temperament proved far more resilient. Through this transformation, his physique had also grown immensely robust, granting him far greater endurance.
At first, the high-intensity training seemed standard enough—he would collapse to the ground in utter exhaustion every single time. But after a while, he miraculously managed to hold out until the very end.
To the others, such rapid progress was a devastating blow.
Of course, this did not mean Ye Long's cultivation had caught up to theirs; rather, after a single night of rest, he would come back full of vigor and vitality.
At this, everyone remained utterly baffled.
In Ye Long's own words: "I'm just naturally gifted, what can I do?"
By now, he had finally crossed the initial threshold of a martial practitioner.
The Qi-Opening Stage!
In contrast, everyone else was hovering around the Circulation Stage and the Meridian Opening Stage!
As for Ye Long's initial opening of his apertures, his hearing had become remarkably acute.
At the slightest rustle within a radius of fifty meters, he would be the first to be alerted.
His vision had also sharpened immensely. Even when standing upright, he could clearly see the movement trails of ants on the ground.
His sense of smell, touch, and taste had all grown sharper... One could say his five senses had undergone a comprehensive upgrade.
That night, purely by chance, he finally learned about the realm levels of the Cultivation World.
Qin Feng's words still echoed in his ears.
"The cultivation world is vast and boundless. If you want to grow stronger, you must step out into it! When you reach the Golden Core stage, you will realize how insignificant the human race truly is. Under this boundless starry sky, the strong remain forever strong... Oh right, perhaps you don't know the tiers of cultivation yet. Let me tell you..."
"Qi-Opening... Circulation... Meridian Opening... Xiantian... Blood Condensation... Foundation Establishment... The seven realms of the Golden Core, and even transcending mortality to enter the Dao!"
......
Whenever he recalled these mythological concepts, Ye Long would feel an inexplicable surge of agitation.
The Great Dao of the Golden Core was so unfamiliar, yet felt so strangely familiar.
In his past life, he had read countless xianxia novels, and now the possibility of living them out was real. To say he wasn't excited would be a lie.
Today marked a brand-new page.
After finishing a series of drills, he hurriedly dragged his exhausted body over to sit cross-legged in the sunlight, feeling the changes in every single inch of his body, inside and out.
You must know that the scorching sun is supremely yang and rigid—the nemesis of ordinary evil spirits and specters, and also the absolute best opportunity for a cultivator to hone their five senses.
As that burning sensation seeped through his skin and into his body, his pores automatically dilated, guiding the wave of heat into his internal organs.
The terrifying heat felt as though it could roast a person alive. Not only was his entire body burning, but his blood felt as if it were boiling over an open flame.
As this incredible sensation washed over him, Ye Long could not help but feel that the mysteries of the human body were truly unfathomable, far more wondrous and extraordinary than even the revolving stars of the cosmos.
He sat quietly for a long time, until the sensations of his five senses completely faded, before finally opening his eyes.
"Gulp... Gulp..."
As fresh spring water slid down his throat, he finally cooled off.
The feeling was wondrous, utterly beyond description...
It was just like being warm in winter and cool in summer, so intoxicating he could not pull himself away.
His body temperature plummeted abruptly, and the innate sense of hunger forced him to eat to replenish what he had expended.
"You brat, moving so slow, do you not want to eat?"
Seeing Ye Long arrive fashionably late, Qin Feng's expression turned especially dark.
Ye Long: "No, I don't!"
Amidst his roar, he knew he was in the wrong; even though he was cursing inwardly, he dared not show too much of it.
You could say that when living under someone else's roof, one must learn to bow their head.
And speaking of which, below the Xiantian realm, their appetites were as terrifying as a bottomless abyss.
The group made quick work of the food, wiping the entire dining table clean in the blink of an eye.
After the span of an incense stick, Ye Long and the others appeared in the courtyard, full of energy and vigor.
Qin Feng swept his gaze across them and declared in a ringing voice:
"Today's training targets the physique, but before we begin, I have something to say..."
Before his voice had even faded, Qin Feng continued at a leisurely pace:
"In this world, you must remember that the human race possesses a fragile physique, lacking the natural endowments of Monster Beasts. So what should we do? Well, the heavens are fair; they gave us the ability to think, and thus cultivation secret arts came into being!"
As soon as those words fell, the eyes of the onlookers inevitably grew blazing hot.
For each and every one of them saw that a manual had unexpectedly appeared before them!
They looked just like men gazing at a gorgeous, stark-naked beauty swaying right in front of them, sending their blood rushing to their heads.
At that moment, needless to say, Ye Long was even worse.
He was already trembling uncontrollably with excitement, his eyes bloodshot from sheer agitation.
Yet before they could revel in their excitement for even a moment, Qin Feng poured a bucket of cold water right over them, saying coldly:
"You now have ten breaths to find a sparring partner. If you can't find one, it doesn't matter—I can personally help you out..."
Hearing this, Ye Long's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly looked around...
Who could he find?
He could only watch helplessly as he stood alone, fluttering miserably in the wind.
Because his build was too small, who on earth would be willing to team up with him?
For a moment, he could not help but curse inwardly:
"This is definitely premeditated, absolutely on purpose!"
Seeing that everyone else had chosen their opponents and started brawling, Qin Feng wore a thinly veiled, sinister expression as he offered repeated words of praise:
"Very good, kid, you're very brave. Then let's begin..."
With that, Qin Feng completely ignored Ye Long's furious glare and walked over in a swaggering manner.
Hearing such a casual and contemptuous remark, Ye Long's eyes had already turned completely bloodshot.
Facing this demonic hall master, he had firmly adopted the attitude of "you hit me ten times, I'll definitely hit you back once."
"Bang, bang, bang..."
Yet the result was self-evident.
Not only were Ye Long's attacks utterly devoid of any structure, but he also received a comprehensive beating all over his body from Qin Feng.
Being bruised and battered was the least of it.
What was most terrifying was that his internal organs had been shaken, and blood gushed from his nose—he was already injured both inside and out.
At this point, Ye Long collapsed flat on the ground, his only remaining defiance a pair of fiercely glaring eyes.
In contrast, Qin Feng felt immensely gratified, as if he was thoroughly enjoying it.
Then, catching sight of Ye Long's furious glare, Qin Feng suddenly barked:
"What are you glaring at? Hurry up and comprehend the Blue Stone Force! If you miss the prime window, do you want me to beat you to a pulp again?!"
Hearing this, Ye Long scrambled to his feet, scanning the mental cultivation technique of the Blue Stone Force.
"To practice this art, one must first break the body; external and internal alike, both must suffer. Blood flows from the nose, reaching the blood-throat; dual cultivation of inside and out, achieving miraculous mastery. Skin grows hard as stone—the Blue Stone Force!"
Having opened his apertures, a sudden flash of comprehension struck him.
He could clearly make out the wonders of the Blue Stone Force, and he began to slowly feel his way through it.
Shortly after, an indescribable, formless wave of heat coursed through his entire body. Though he could not look inside himself, he keenly sensed that a mysterious change was taking place within.
"This is... internal force!"
He quickly calmed his mind and began to practice according to the Blue Stone Force.
After the warm current completed one full circulation, the strength in his limbs and bones slowly began to recover.
Wherever the airflow passed, it left a sensation of numbness and a bizarre itch.
Ye Long almost groaned out loud in agitation.
Possessing the soul power of someone who had lived two lives, he found that he could actually guide the airflow to travel up and down at will!
Little did he know, Ye Long was about to scream out in shock once again!
For... he was actually able to inwardly visualize the full panorama of his own internal organs.
As the airflow completed a minor circulation, his entire spirit and vitality grew exceptionally robust.
Circulation Stage!
"This is definitely the Circulation Stage!"
At this very moment, Ye Long felt as if he were floating up into the clouds, soaring freely beyond the nine heavens.
Yet, deep within, his heart trembled violently!
"The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name."