The iron rod struck Ares's muscles, producing an extremely dull thud.
Bang, bang, bang...
The repeated blows caused the bronze-colored skin that had once reflected a lustrous sheen to gradually flush with patches of obvious redness.
Blood began coursing rapidly through his body.
His metabolism also continued to accelerate.
The intense pain kept stimulating Ares's nerves, causing scene after scene to surface in his mind.
They were filled with towering skyscrapers, while the streets teemed with traffic.
Cars sped along the spacious roads as the scene constantly shifted.
Then a hospital called "Guangwei City First Neurosurgery Hospital" appeared, flashing by in an instant.
The next scene.
Ares felt himself lying on a hospital bed, his hands and feet restrained against it.
Then a nurse appeared and replaced his IV bottle with a new one filled with medicine.
The images flashed by rapidly, like slides passing through Ares's mind, finally freezing amid the nurse's scream.
"A patient drank the IV medication!"
"......"
Then came noisy voices and utter chaos.
As his consciousness returned to reality, Ares had no idea how many times he had bent his arm or how many times he had struck his own body with the iron rod.
"Am I Ares... or Li Yang?"
"Father's dying wish was to forge a Famous Sword that surpassed the Twelve Kizuki of the Supreme Great Sword. There is no way my forging skills can surpass Father's."
"I can only seek change. I will definitely forge myself into a Famous Sword!"
"If I can't do it, then I'll forge someone else into a Famous Sword!"
This wasn't the first time images had appeared in his mind.
Whenever something stimulated his brain, he would always experience those incredibly real yet dreamlike sensations.
His ability to endure pain kept improving.
And it wasn't only because of training.
His full pectoral muscles had already turned bright red, and Ares began striking each of his abdominal muscles, every one larger than an ordinary person's thigh, with the iron rod.
All eight of them bulged like enormous rocks.
Under the forceful blows of Ares's swinging iron rod, the muscles of his abdomen began turning red as well.
He tempered his body with such violence and brutality.
It was like repeatedly hammering and forging a piece of steel until it became "tempered steel"!
Inside Skull Castle.
After washing up, Ochoku donned his thick, gleaming golden armor, opened the door, and headed toward Ares's room.
Captain Rocks had entrusted Ares to him, so he had naturally arranged Ares's room close to his own.
He arrived outside Ares's room.
Knock, knock, knock!
The knocking sounded, and Ochoku called out, "Hey, Ares, open the door."
He called several times in succession, but not the slightest sound came from inside.
He pushed the door open forcefully and looked inside. "This guy isn't here?!"
"Did he go out training again first thing in the morning?!!"
That was the only thought that occurred to Ochoku. He immediately hurried toward the training room.
One thunderous boom after another rang out from the enormous training room.
He stared wide-eyed at Ares as he trained. That thick iron rod was almost as thick as his wrist.
One had to know that he himself was four or five meters tall, even slightly taller than Ares.
"He's... not human!!!"
"What a madman!!"
The iron rod struck Ares's body with repeated bangs, accompanied by the howling of the wind.
The sight made Ochoku's heart pound and his scalp tingle.
He had thought Ares's ocean swimming and sailing were already ruthless enough, but compared with the scene before him...
It was like comparing a master to a novice.
"I thought Kaido was already fierce and powerful enough. I never expected someone to be even more abnormal than him. What a monster!"
Ochoku could hardly imagine that if he had to endure this kind of training, he probably wouldn't last even an hour.
He walked up to Ares and asked with a strange expression, "Ares, training like this... doesn't it hurt?!"
"It hurts!"
Ares didn't stop moving at all. He answered Ochoku's question without changing expression.
It hurts??
Ochoku stared at Ares strangely. With that completely unmoving expression, he was telling him it hurt?
If not for the solid clanging sounds, Ochoku would really have thought he was a balloon!
A fake one!
But the sound produced by the impacts told him that this really was an "iron rod." He wondered whether, if Ares kept striking it like this...
The iron rod would eventually be worn down into a "needle."
Ochoku suddenly thought of the banquet the previous night and pursed his lips. "No wonder you can eat so much..."
The banquet from last night was still vivid in his memory.
That guy alone had eaten enough food for over a hundred people!!!
The biggest eater in the Rocks Pirates, without a doubt!
"When are you going to train until?" Ochoku asked from the side.
"When it's time to eat."
Ares's answer made Ochoku feel as though he had asked an incredibly stupid question.
The next second.
Ares asked Ochoku a question instead. "The captain said that battle can temper a person into a sharp Famous Sword. What other methods are there to forge oneself into a Famous Sword?"
The iron rod in his hand shifted to his thigh.
He turned his head toward Ochoku.
Hearing the question, Ochoku froze as well. He reached up and stroked his black beard, which was even longer than Guan Gong's, straight and smooth.
After thinking carefully for a while, he said, "In our Rocks Pirates, if we're talking about the strongest swordsmanship, it naturally belongs to Shiki the Golden Lion."
"But..."
"Are you sure you want to forge yourself into a Famous Sword?"
Ochoku couldn't help getting goosebumps all over. He had never seen such an absurd idea before. Who would forge themselves into a sword?
Could a person and iron really be treated the same way?
The human body was extremely complex. It couldn't be shaped at will like steel.
"Not just a Famous Sword!"
"I also want to forge myself into a Famous Sword that surpasses the Twelve Kizuki of the Supreme Great Sword!!"
Ares's voice rang out with force, brimming with fighting spirit, and the strength in his hand increased another notch.
With a bang, even the air trembled slightly.
Ares's muscles rippled like a calm lake, sending out rings of waves.
The sound exploded in Ochoku's mind, making him suck in a sharp breath. "Tsk..."
"Just watching from the side already hurts like hell."
"I'm leaving. I'll call you when it's time to eat!!"
He hurriedly turned and left. If he kept watching, he felt he might not even be able to eat.
He was almost going to throw up!
After Ochoku left, Ares continued training and muttered to himself, "Shiki the Golden Lion..."
"Will he have some other method to help me temper myself into a Famous Sword that surpasses the Twelve Kizuki of the Supreme Great Sword?!"
"I'll ask him after I finish training!"
The continuous, thunderous bangs continued to ring out through the training room.
Before you continue