Life at the academy was exceedingly monotonous. Aside from cultivation, Huangfu Ji basically did nothing else.
Within the Royal Academy, whether students or teachers, nearly everyone saw a youth covered in weights and carrying a log every day.
Huangfu Ji did this almost every day. Whenever he was not cultivating, he trained himself this way—going from the mountain top to the foot, then from the foot back to the top. It could be said that he tortured himself every day.
At first, some students imitated Huangfu Ji and trained this way as well, but they gave up after only a few days.
There was no other reason. This method was simply too grueling.
At this point, Huangfu Ji was practically no longer human in their eyes. He was a monster—a monster who tortured himself every day.
Summer passed into autumn, and autumn gave way to winter, yet Huangfu Ji persisted without fail.
In truth, there were many times when he lay alone in bed, feeling the burning pain throughout his body, and more than once he wanted to give up. But he quickly dismissed the thought each time.
He was the Grand Duke Qingyang, and the Huangfu Family's four-hundred-year foundation rested upon his shoulders. Furthermore, Cheng Yao and the others had placed all their hopes on him. If he truly stayed here according to Xue Ye's wishes, not only would the Huangfu Family's four-hundred-year foundation be lost, but he would also become a lackey of the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial family, while Cheng Yao and the others would truly defect to Yuan Hao.
His efforts were not in vain either. This method, which could practically be called self-torture, strengthened his physique, and his power continued to grow. Though he had never fought, he was confident that among all the Royal