Testing, Part 1

One week later.

In front of the Chen Xiang Temple.

From the foot of the mountain to the gate of the Daoist Temple, there are two soldiers guarding the stone steps on both sides at regular intervals.

Inside the gate of the Daoist Temple, in the Backyard.

Zhang Rongfang was shirtless as several burly men, each wielding a log, struck him forcefully on the chest, abdomen, and back.

Amidst the loud banging and crashing sounds.

Occasionally, medicinal oil and sweat would splatter from his body.

Zhang Rongfang stood in the center with his eyes closed, his long hair tied up, and his muscles were noticeably different from before.

If his skin was bronze before, now his entire body has turned faintly pale.

It's not the kind of white that comes from not being exposed to sunlight for a long time, but a soft white similar to ivory.

At this moment, he let the men beat him mercilessly, while he closed his eyes and stared at the Attribute Panel in his field of vision.

In the Attribute Panel.

A new martial art has already taken shape and emerged.

'Iron Shirt - Three Layers (Beginner)'

I've accumulated another three Free Attribute Points.

As for Iron Shirt, a common martial art with only six levels, Zhang Rongfang still remembered that martial arts of this level could be upgraded by three stages plus Breaking Limits.

Just like when he first practiced the Great Dao Sect 'Yue Type Talisman.

Of course, Iron Shirt doesn't have any Breaking Limit Skill or Limit State; it's just a crude six-layer system that increases resistance to attacks.

In reality, this is similar to the Yue Type Talisman Art. It might be slightly stronger than the Yue Type Talisman, but the difference is limited.

"Alright, that's enough. You may all leave," Zhang Rongfang suddenly said.

"Yes." Upon hearing this, the strongmen who had been invited wiped the sweat from their faces, put down the log, bowed, and left.

The gate was closed quickly.

Zhang Rongfang stood alone in the courtyard.

"Chen Han, you go out and keep watch around here too," he continued.

"Yes," Chen Han replied, and quickly opened the door and left.

Once everyone was completely alone, Zhang Rongfang turned his attention to the Iron Shirt Hard Skill.

Swish.

The three attribute points were instantly added to the Iron Shirt skill.

The text following the skill level changed rapidly. It started at the third level of beginner, then progressed to mastery, then to perfection, and finally regressed by a small amount of attribute.

At the same time, a large number of martial arts memories flooded into my mind.

Zhang Rongfang was already very familiar with this series of procedures.

His muscles rustled rapidly, making subtle sounds, like the gurgling of mud being stirred.

His physique also became more robust, and his muscles began to transform from large blocks to smaller, denser muscles.

On the surface, he doesn't seem to have changed much.

But in just a few seconds, the strength of his physical body reached the level of the third level of Iron Shirt.

This means that his physical defense is equivalent to that of a master of the Iron Shirt Third Grade at the third level of perfection.

Breaking through the limit again means that his current body will be upgraded to a higher grade.

By then, he will be no less formidable than Han Shisan was back then. In fact, he might even be stronger than Han Shisan.

And this is just the beginning. After all, from the time he started practicing until now, it has only been a short time, which is about fifty of his life points, enough to sustain this kind of cultivation. For an ordinary genius, the Ninth Grade would probably be the limit.

If one continues to practice martial arts to Breaking Limits, one will definitely die from a ruptured heart.

"That's it. Quietly and patiently, I'll grow stronger. At my pace, I might reach a level unimaginable to ordinary people in just one year."

Zhang Rongfang was satisfied.

Slowly opening his eyes, he felt his body strength Further Progress.

Next, I need to find the Main Herb the Golden Toad Skill while simultaneously increasing my health and practicing the Hard Skill.

After reading the Secret Cache records, I learned that even grandmasters were easily defeated and seriously injured when struck by the Spirit Thread.

From that moment on, Zhang Rongfang fully realized that his original martial arts path was wrong! Or rather, it was not suitable for him!

For him, both Hard Skill and agility are indispensable.

Hard Skill can increase the margin for error, preventing you from being crippled by a single blow.

Body movement techniques can help avoid the weaknesses and vital points of Hard Skill, and prevent potential predicaments.

The combination of both should be the most survivable martial arts approach.

Therefore, he is now preparing to switch his focus to mastering Hard Skill.

Since the martial arts of the Great Dao Sect were being monitored, they were put on hold and secretly worked to improve their Hard Skill.

Once you've mastered the Hard Skill to the extreme without restraint, you can use the Civilian Skill of the Great Dao Sect as a cover to conceal your truly formidable Hard Skill.

This is the future he wants.

After finishing his practice, Zhang Rongfang casually found an excuse to send Chen Han away, and then quickly headed deep into Huang Jing Mountain.

With his current perception and movement skills, he could easily shake off the two people from the Snow Rainbow Pavilion behind him.

Of course, after being confused and unable to find him twice in a row, the two men realized that Zhang Rongfang was deliberately being wary of them.

After reporting the situation back to headquarters, the two men simply gave up on trying to outwit Zhang Rongfang and stayed near Chen Xiang Temple, no longer following him.

I simply record Zhang Rongfang's daily travels and routines.

At this time, deep in Huang Jing Mountain.

A crucial test finally began after Zhang Rongfang's arrival.

A clearing piled high with large rocks.

A clear stream flows gently between the rocks, and the area is surrounded by forests on all sides, with tall trees casting their shade on one side, covering half of the area.

"Brother Ying, are you really sure you want to do this this time?" Zhang Yunqi frowned slightly, looking at the two people standing on the two rocks.

The person on the right is Zhang Rongfang, who is dressed in black and has a tall and burly build.

The other person was the skilled bodyguard of Princess Yongxiang, whom they had captured earlier.

This person was also a woman, and Hu Xi People.

She was tall and slender, with long, dark red hair cascading over her shoulders and long, shapely legs.

But by this time, the initial neatness and elegance were long gone. This had been the case for so long during the period of the Rebel Sect.

She has to undergo all sorts of strange and unusual research tests every day.

If it weren't for her extremely strong regenerative Spirit Vein, she would probably have already perished and collapsed.

By this point, she had given up hope of surviving and leaving the country.

At this moment, she was only wearing a simple gray cloth dress, which covered her sensitive areas and gave her a last bit of dignity; there was nothing else on her.

"Brother Yun Qi, don't worry. This is a good time to test the effects of the All Under Heaven Blade."

"This will also give me a chance to personally test just how difficult it is to kill Spirit Vein," Zhang Rongfang.

"To be honest, I've never actually killed Spirit Vein all by myself from beginning to end. This is the first time."

He glanced at the Spirit Vein female guard opposite him. This woman, Melissa, had already been ravaged beyond recognition by the hatred of the Rebel Sect.

He experienced every possible way to die.

"Can we begin?" Melissa asked blankly.

"Of course, you can attack me at any time." Zhang Rongfang looked at the other party with pity.

"Unable to live, unable to die"—that's probably the state the other person is in right now.

With a loud thud, Melissa clenched her right fist and punched Zhang Rongfang squarely in the chest, creating a whooshing sound.

She possesses Internal Method Spirit Vein, and her speed and power surpass those of ordinary External Medicine practitioners.

If it were any other External Medicine, they certainly wouldn't dare to fight it head-on.

But... Bang! Zhang Rongfang raised one hand and perfectly caught the punch.

The collision of their hands, a simple impact of force, caused his body to sway slightly.

"Not bad." Zhang Rongfang smiled slightly and immediately stopped suppressing his physical abilities.

The All Under Heaven Blade and the single-handed Eagle Claw simultaneously pounced and pressed down on the opponent like a raging storm.

The sharp cry of an eagle and the whistling of blades cutting through the air mingled together, piercing the eardrums.

Melissa, not to be outdone, seemed determined to unleash all the pent-up anger she had been holding back for so long.

She offered no defense, only relentless attack, attack, and more attack.

Puff puff puff.

The two moved back and forth on the large rock, without dodging or avoiding, always clashing head-on.

Melissa is Spirit Vein with naturally high physical defense.

Zhang Rongfang, on the other hand, had just begun practicing Hard Skill and was now using this opportunity to put them into practice.

With a sudden thud, Zhang Rongfang, who had the advantage in strength, actually managed to repel his opponent with one hand.

With his other hand, he wielded the All Under Heaven Blade, slashing diagonally downwards.

"Kill!" Just then, Melissa opened her eyes, her veins bulged, and her muscles became visible all over her body.

It had clearly entered Limit State.

At the same time, Zhang Rongfang also released his restraint. His blood vessels bulged and turned red, entering Limit State.

Pfft! He was a step faster.

The All Under Heaven Blade swept past the obstruction and slashed fiercely at Melissa's throat.

Blood burst open, Silver Spirit Thread surged beneath the skin at the wound site.

With a thud, Melissa fell heavily to the ground, face down, clutching her throat and slowly fell silent.

Without dodging or avoiding, the two clashed head-on, and the outcome was decided in an instant.

Melissa, in her Internal Method stage, was being directly suppressed by Zhang Rongfang at this time.

Whether it's strength or speed.

With a soft sigh, Zhang Rongfang looked at Melissa on the ground.

The opponent was completely reckless and courting death. Otherwise, the battle wouldn't have ended so quickly.

After all, an Internal Method Spirit Vein shouldn't collapse so quickly under normal circumstances.

Fortunately, Zhang Rongfang stood still and waited for the other party to recover.

Ten minutes later, Melissa's wounds healed, her breathing returned, and she slowly supported herself up from the ground.

"Kill!!" she roared, lunging at Zhang Rongfang once more.

Unfortunately, after waiting in comfort, she was revived, but only managed to take five more steps before being struck squarely in the chest, shattering her sternum and internal organs, and dying.

Bang! Zhang Rongfang slowly withdrew his hand. This time, he didn't even bother to activate the Limit State and directly stacked the Heavy Mountain.

He stacked it three times, given his current speed and power.

Melissa couldn't stop her at all.

With just one move, his arms were knocked aside to block, and he was struck squarely in the chest.

After killing Melissa again, Zhang Rongfang remained standing in the same spot, beginning to count the number of deaths.

Ten minutes later.

Melissa, her face contorted with rage, leaped to her feet and lunged at Zhang Rongfang.

*Thud! All Under Heaven Blade struck his forehead again. The immense force forced the dull blade into his head, killing him instantly once more.

Time passed again and again.

Zhang Rongfang's speed also increased. Almost as soon as Melissa revived, she was instantly killed by him.

He was already faster and stronger than his opponent.

Seizing the opportunity presented by Melissa's newly recovered state and her unprepared stance, he suddenly launched an attack.

Almost all of them were fatal with a single blow.

Time keeps passing.

Twenty times.

Thirty times.

Fifty times, sixty times... seventy times. Sweat beaded on Zhang Rongfang's forehead. Even for him, using the Triple Heavy Mountain and Limit State so many times in a short period of time was a feat.

If it weren't for his life points being far higher than ordinary people, he would probably have collapsed from exhaustion by now.

Only then did he realize why the Rebel Sect needed so many people to cooperate in killing Spirit Vein.