Sarira!

"This Golden Bell Shield was truly harder than the Boyhood Art. To train it to the tenth stage, Refining Qi into Gang, and reach the same realm as the Boyhood Art, I'm afraid I'll still need to spend another two or three years cultivating bitterly!"

Tang Jie scratched his head in some distress. He was still far from satisfied with the speed of his progress.

But there was nothing he could do. Cultivating internal power was simply like this—it required accumulation over many years. It was impossible to suddenly gain enlightenment and become a first-rate or even top-tier expert in an instant.

Fortunately, Tang Jie was still young. Sooner or later, if he continued cultivating, he would reach an even higher realm!

The sky was just beginning to brighten. Although snow was still falling outside, Tang Jie took his Iron Cutting Saber and began practicing saber techniques in the courtyard.

If one went even a day without practicing a skill, it would grow rusty. Tang Jie had made a habit of practicing his saber for half an hour to an hour every day!

"Practicing your kung fu again so early?" By the time Tang Jie finished his saber practice, the sky had brightened. Du Jue had gotten up and was preparing to go down the mountain to fetch water. Seeing Tang Jie in the courtyard, he was no longer surprised.

For the past year, Tang Jie had devoted himself to martial arts every day. His diligence had even shocked Du Jue, who was himself a martial arts fanatic. He finally understood why Tang Jie possessed such profound cultivation despite his young age. It was not only because his talent was astonishing—he had also shed far more sweat and exerted far more effort than ordinary people!

"Martial Uncle Du Jue, I'd like to ask you for a favor. My Golden Bell Shield has reached the seventh stage, and I'm about to begin external tempering. Could you spare an hour every day to practice with me?" Tang Jie said to Du Jue.

Once the Golden Bell Shield reached the seventh stage, one could begin external tempering—that was, using weapons such as staffs to strike the body heavily, training its ability to rebound and withstand attacks. When the rebound force could be controlled as naturally as one's own hands, automatically activating whenever one received a heavy blow, the training would be considered complete.

The process would be extremely painful. Without tremendous determination, no one could persist through it!

"All right... Y-you just said what? Your Golden Bell Shield has reached the seventh stage?"

Du Jue had originally meant to agree, but he immediately reacted and spoke in disbelief.

Du Jue knew that Tang Jie's talent was extraordinary, and that he would certainly progress through the Golden Bell Shield much faster than ordinary people. But according to Du Jue's estimation, even if Tang Jie's talent far surpassed his own, reaching the third or fourth stage of the Golden Bell Shield in a year should already have been the limit.

Yet Tang Jie was now saying that he had trained the Golden Bell Shield to the seventh stage?

Even though Du Jue knew Tang Jie was not someone who would lie, he still found it impossible to believe!

But whether it was true or not would be clear after one test!

"Take this!"

Du Jue shouted. His burly body lunged toward Tang Jie. He activated the power of the seventh-stage Golden Bell Shield, and pale-golden true qi flowed across his fist. He thrust it straight at Tang Jie's chest. The fist tore through the air, and if an ordinary first-rate martial artist dared to take such a heavy punch with his body, his bones would be shattered on the spot.

"Come on!"

Brilliant light burst from Tang Jie's eyes. Instead of being startled, he was delighted.

"Golden Bell Shield: Seventh Stage!"

Golden Bell true qi instantly circulated through Tang Jie's entire body, covering his skin and muscles in a layer of pale gold. He neither dodged nor evaded, taking Du Jue's heavy punch head-on!

"Clang!"

Du Jue's fist, carrying the force of a thousand jun, slammed into Tang Jie's chest. Yet at that moment, it erupted with a sonorous metallic crash, as though it were not two flesh-and-blood bodies colliding, but two enormous bells striking each other!

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

As fist collided with chest, a rebound force rippled from within Tang Jie's body. It could violently break the attacker's arm and bones.

Fortunately, Du Jue was familiar with the characteristics of the Golden Bell Shield. A Golden Bell Force likewise surged from his fist, canceling out the force transmitted from Tang Jie. It seemed as though visible golden ripples spread through the air!

The two men stood still. Du Jue stared at Tang Jie, dumbstruck. "Y-you really trained the Golden Bell Shield to the seventh stage?"

There was actually no need to ask. Du Jue had already experienced it personally. This was indeed the seventh-stage Golden Bell Shield—there was absolutely no faking it!

Du Jue's face was filled with a bitter smile. Comparing people was enough to infuriate one to death. He had begun cultivating the Golden Bell Shield when he was only a few years old, yet he had not reached the seventh stage until he was twenty-three. Tang Jie, however, had reached this level after cultivating for merely one year?

"What was that sound?"

At that moment, Tang Tianhao had been awakened by the sound resembling two Golden Bells colliding. He pushed open the door and hurriedly asked what had happened.

Du Jue glanced back at Tang Tianhao. "Your son's cultivation aptitude is truly extraordinary. I've never heard of anything like it!"

Tang Tianhao was stunned, then said somewhat proudly, "Of course. People can't all be judged by the same standard!"

"Good lad, I'll practice external tempering with you today!"

Du Jue patted Tang Jie on the shoulder and smiled.

"Good. Thank you, Martial Uncle!"

Tang Jie's eyes lit up. External tempering required someone else's help to strike the body with a staff, training its resistance to blows and the rebound force of the Golden Bell Shield. With a martial artist like Du Jue practicing with him, the results would certainly be twice as effective with half the effort!

Not long afterward, in the courtyard, Tang Jie stood motionless in a horse stance, his sturdy upper body bare and covered in dense muscle. Du Jue was likewise shirtless, each muscle bulging like an iron knot. He held a wooden staff thicker than a baby's arm and repeatedly brought it down heavily on every part of Tang Jie's body.

"Thud, thud, thud!"

One dull impact after another rang out through the courtyard without end.

Tang Tianhao watched from the side with some heartache, but he also knew that this was an indispensable part of training the seventh stage of the Golden Bell Shield.

Even with Tang Jie's physique, after an hour of external tempering, every part of his body was bruised, one patch green and another purple.

Only Tang Jie, with his profound power and seventh-stage Golden Bell Shield, could endure it. If an ordinary person were repeatedly struck with such a thick wooden staff, their internal organs and bones would surely be battered to pieces!

"Hiss..."

When Tang Jie moved, the pain throughout his body made him suck in a breath of cold air.

Seeing this, Du Jue smiled. "We'll have to continue tomorrow."

"Mm, I can still hold out." Tang Jie bared his teeth in a grin. An ordinary person would need ten days or half a month to recover from these injuries, but with Tang Jie's cultivation, one night was enough for him to heal completely.

A strange light flashed through Du Jue's eyes. "Perhaps... giving that thing to him is the best choice."

Night fell. Tang Jie cultivated and recuperated in his room.

"Senior Brother Du Jue, did you need something from me?"

In Du Jue's room, Tang Tianhao sat down beside the table and looked at Du Jue in confusion.

Du Jue had called him to his room not long ago, so he must have had something to discuss.

Du Jue said nothing. Instead, he took a small jade box from a nearby chest, walked over to the table, and set it down.

"Open it and take a look," Du Jue said.

Tang Tianhao nodded slightly, still wondering what the small box contained. He opened it, and a golden radiance poured out, illuminating the entire room. Tang Tianhao was startled.

After quite some time, the light in the box gradually faded. Tang Tianhao rubbed his eyes and looked carefully, only to see an oval object resting inside.

The object was golden, a circle smaller than an egg. Golden light flowed across its entire surface, and it radiated an air of nobility and sanctity that made it impossible to look away after even a single glance!

Tang Tianhao stared at the golden oval object, an incredulous expression appearing in his eyes. Shock left him stammering. "Th-this... this is a Sarira!"