Translator: Myuu Editor: Myuu
“Supervisor Wen, I didn’t expect this to be delivered so early. Come, let me do it…”
“Ah, Commandant Yan!” Supervisor Wen greeted Yan Liqiang with enthusiasm. “We are just about done…!”
Yan Liqiang smiled when he saw how cautious the blacksmiths were. He went over and placed his Horned Python Bow down against the door, then walked to the carriage. He picked up a huge metal pole in each hand, instantly unloading two big fellas in one go. He shocked the people around him who were witnessing his strength for the very first time.
As soon as Yan Liqiang came over, he was able to quickly and efficiently unload the few strange metal poles from the carriage in just the blink of an eye.
After an audible gulp, Supervisor Wen’s eyes twitched as he cautiously asked, “Commandant Yan, can you check to see if these are what you want?”
“Yes, they are. Thank you, Supervisor Wen…”
“Glad to hear that. Just look for me if you need anything else in the future, Commandant Yan. Apart from these cultivation tools, if you need any fixtures or fittings in your residence, just let me know. The furniture that the Deer Villa carpenters craft are highly sought after by countless people in the Imperial Capital!”
“Sure, I will keep that in mind!”
“Well then, I shall take my leave now. Commandant Yan must be exhausted from your patrol today. Please retire early!” When Supervisor Wen noticed Yan Liqiang’s lingering gaze on those strange, thick and heavy metal poles, he didn’t make any further comments and tactfully excused himself.
“Take care, Supervisor Wen. I will see you off here!”
“No need, Commandant Yan, no need!”
After watching Supervisor Wen’s carriage disappear into the willow trees, Yan Liqiang opened his courtyard door and moved his custom-made poles inside.
Yan Liqiang was already quite worn out from an entire day of working in the woods. After moving the thick metal poles into the courtyard and briefly testing them out, Yan Liqiang left them alone and went back to do his usual night routine.
……
After finishing his morning regime and breakfast early the next day, Yan Liqiang was bursting with energy. He stood before those thick and heavy metal poles in the courtyard again. After placing all three poles side by side, he connected them together by passing a metal chain through their handles and the designated holes he had left on them. Fastening them on his back, he then retrieved the bow bag with his Horned Python Bow. With heavy footsteps, he left the courtyard and trudged up the mountain.
The three huge metal poles together weighed 1,050 jin in total, exceeding 500 kilograms. Yan Liqiang carried them as though they were part of his clothes and continued on with his daily tasks.
Under such conditions, every step Yan Liqiang took depleted the stamina in his body. The physical challenge of this inhumane training was outrageous enough, let alone talking about cultivating with these three poles on one’s back.
By the time Yan Liqiang arrived at the archery range with the huge metal poles on his back, he was already sweating profusely and panting. Even so, Yan Liqiang still had to straighten up his back, shakily take out his Horned Python Bow, and begin to practice his bowmanship…
In just less than half an hour, the hand that Yan Liqiang was holding the bow with started trembling, followed by his legs. Then his muscles, bones, tendons, meridians, and even the cells in his body were trembling…
Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead into his eyes, irritating them.
Yan Liqiang finally let loose the arrow. His legs beneath him suddenly gave way and he fell to the ground on his bottom…
Since he was carrying a few heavy metal poles on his back, his body unconsciously leaned back when he fell backward. The weight of those thick and heavy metal poles pulled him down onto the ground and flattened the grass around him. He looked like a tortoise flipped on its back in his current pathetic state.
Yan Liqiang gazed at the blue sky and the treetops. After panting heavily for a while, he untied the canteen from his waist and gulped down a few mouthfuls of water. Clenching his teeth again, he flipped over with great difficulty and struggled to get up from the ground…
…
In the afternoon, Yan Liqiang fainted from physical exhaustion for the first time right where he was cultivating. By the time he regained consciousness, more than an hour had passed by and he felt that his palm was little moist. Looking down, he discovered that it was Goldie who was licking his palm.
“I can do it, I can definitely do it…!” After consoling himself, Yan Liqiang continued getting up with great difficulty and began shooting again.
In the past, his arrows would never miss his targets. However, they grew unstable under such extreme conditions today and hitting the targets became increasingly difficult.
It was difficult to shoot and walk at the same time. In the end, even breathing became difficult. As if he was being tortured, the pain on his shoulders and back from being bound by the metal chains grew numb.
…..
On his first day, Yan Liqiang returned to his residence three hours earlier than usual.
Yan Liqiang initially wanted to persist a little longer, but the state of his body told him that if he insisted on returning at the same time as yesterday, then what awaited him would be fainting for the second time. If he passed out again today, he would probably only regain his consciousness if someone rescued him. His body had long been pushed to its limit.
Throughout the entire day, Yan Liqiang’s clothes were repetitively soaked by his own sweat, dried, then soaked by his sweat again. Yan Liqiang didn’t even know how much sweat he had shed.
Under such conditions, the water in his canteen was long gone. Yet he was still extremely thirsty. Even so, Yan Liqiang persisted as he pushed his body to its limits again and again.
The moment he undid his metal chain when he returned to his residence, Yan Liqiang softly plopped down on the ground like a worn out rag. It took him a long time to regain the ability to move again. With unsteady steps, he went over to the sweet water well in his courtyard and weakly tossed the wooden bucket into the well. After exhausting his physical strength, all he had was his feeble hands to pull the rope to lift up half a bucket of water.
The half bucket of water was like a celestial elixir in Yan Liqiang’s eyes. He immediately leaned his head into the bucket and gulped down mouthful after mouthful of water.
The sweet, crystal clear water revitalized Yan Liqiang’s body like rain flowing into arid fields. With the help of this little strength he regained, Yan Liqiang sat beside the water well in a lotus position and he immersed his mind into his dantian.
A significant amount of vital Qi had accumulated in his dantian from his cultivation over the past months. It had formed into a ball of energy about the size of a chicken egg. After slightly hesitating for a moment, Yan Liqiang clenched his teeth and pushed the ball of condensed vital Qi in his dantian with great difficulty. He pushed it through the entrance of the Heavenly Shrine, and finally into the Heavenly Stone housed deep inside.
This was originally a vital step to allow the ‘toy capsule machine’ to continue producing capsules and giving birth to new life forms. The amount of vital Qi required to create new living creatures was massive. With Yan Liqiang’s current cultivation level, he actually didn’t have to do that because the little vital Qi he had was akin to a drop of water in the ocean. However, clinging to his idea of overexerting his body by completely clearing out the vital Qi inside his dantian and embracing the notion of ‘not letting his fertile water flow into other people’s fields’, he pushed the ball of vital Qi condensed through cultivation with great arduousness. He moved it into the Heavenly Stone inside the Heavenly Shrine to store it for the time being, similar to how he would store his savings in a bank.
After doing these things, Yan Liqiang’s body felt as though it was a garbage bag which had just been completely emptied out. Without much energy or strength left, he clenched his teeth and stood up unsteadily. Leaning against a tree near the courtyard wall, he lifted his heavy arms, coordinated his numb body, and started cultivating Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing.
His first few movements were slightly sluggish due to the numbness in his body. Yan Liqiang couldn’t even sense the spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth. Even so, Yan Liqiang still earnestly performed the required movements and breathing exercises for every stance. By the time he reached the Three Forces Qi Channeling First Stance, an unprecedented and immense amount of spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth suddenly poured forth from the crown of Yan Liqiang’s head to the soles of his feet.
The immense amount of energy was so powerful that the moment it bore through Yan Liqiang, he felt as though he was a piece of meat being skewered by a barbeque stick. The spiritual Qi flowing through him came from Heaven and Earth, suspending him in midair. At this moment, Yan Liqiang felt his body expand countless times to the point he could support both Heaven and Earth, before it shrank countless times again, turning into dust and becoming one with the void. He felt as though he was being tossed into a furnace. Endless spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth infiltrated his body through every pore, inflating him like a balloon before it started altering his muscles, tendons, and meridians…
A strange aura of light suddenly rose from Yan Liqiang’s body. In this brilliance, a small bow representing the Fourth Heavenly Layer realm in the art of archery appeared before it was suddenly absorbed into his body again.
Yan Liqiang was indescribably astonished to have actually attained the Fourth Heavenly Layer in the art of archery under such circumstances.
However, that wasn’t all. After the brightness from the breakthrough faded, another aura of light rose from Yan Liqiang’s body again. In this brilliance, there was a gold, antique bell. The golden antique bell immediately turned into a silhouette and was absorbed into Yan Liqiang’s body from the crown of his head. This golden bell indicated that Yan Liqiang’s Iron Head technique from the various body techniques in the Golden Bell Divine Protection Technique’s first layer realm was successful.
Was he dreaming…?
But the surprise was far from over…
In the vacant dantian, the spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth started transforming into strands of vital Qi as they condensed in Yan Liqiang’s dantian… More and more…
