Seclusion

Wang Ji began his secluded training at the Extreme Pavilion from that day on.

Still in A083 Training Room, Wang Ji stayed inside for seven or eight days at a time. The rare occasions he emerged were to accompany Xia Ning and Wang Yan for shopping or meals before returning to his seclusion. Although Xia Ning was still somewhat reserved, she had accepted Wang Ji. After a few outings, the two grew more familiar, and their relationship progressed significantly. At the very least, Xia Ning no longer resisted when he held her hand or kissed her cheek.

A083 Training Room.

"This Iron Will is truly wondrous!" Wang Ji exclaimed.

This Iron Will was indeed a miraculous object, and its grade was likely extremely high—at the very least, it started at the fourth or fifth tier. Wang Ji only discovered many of its marvelous uses through exploration, and there were surely more mysteries yet to be uncovered.

Take this instance alone: Wang Ji engraved the 36-Fold Waves onto one of the facets of the Iron Will and discovered its infinite utility. Since the Iron Will resided within his sea of consciousness, it was one with his mind. It was as if Wang Ji had engraved the manual directly into his own consciousness.

He didn't even need to look it up or actively recall it; he could clearly remember the entire manual. Millions of words were etched into his memory, ready to be recited backward as if by instinct. Under these conditions, contemplating and studying the manual in his mind every day was countless times faster.

It was like holding a thousand-page original manual; flipping through it once would take ten days or half a month. But by contemplating it in his consciousness, he could go through it in half a day, and with greater depth. He didn't have to worry about forgetting the beginning by the time he reached the end. This efficiency was not just ten times better—it was a hundredfold!

Of course, this was only contemplation. Real, hands-on practice still required taking it one step at a time. However, the Iron Will provided a focus effect and slightly enhanced his comprehension, which also boosted the effectiveness of his training several times over.

Thus, Wang Ji contemplated the manual daily. Now, in terms of his understanding of the 36-Fold Waves, he reckoned no one in the world could surpass him. As for the actual physical training of his force, with such profound understanding behind it, his progress was rapid.

"The first fold doesn't increase the force multiplier, but it lays the foundation! Only by building a solid, correct foundation can I proceed to the second fold," Wang Ji muttered to himself. "It's been over 20 days, and I've finally mastered the first fold! It's slower than I imagined!"

"I originally thought I'd reach the second fold within a month. It seems I overestimated myself!"

Wang Ji threw a casual punch. "Boom!" A sonic boom echoed through the air. The casual punch and kick seemed to use no effort at all, as if he were acting on a whim, yet each was comparable to a full-power strike that previously required long periods of charging.

Now, time for the second fold!

"Like this... it needs to be like this! I need to grasp the vibrations of my own body! Everything has waves, everything is a wave! Light is a wave, which is why it can travel so far without decaying. Water ripples are also waves; only by traveling in the form of waves can they be persistent and stackable!"

"Therefore, I must find the waves of my own body!"

"The waves of my body?..." Wang Ji tugged at his hair.

Understanding, enlightenment, exploration...

Day after day passed.

"Boom!" Wang Ji threw a punch, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "That's the feeling!"

This punch didn't seem to be a straight, linear strike; even the sound of the punch carried a lingering, resonant force.

Yes, that was it! Wang Ji threw another punch.

The force traveled like a wave, the two waves resonating within his fist before exploding!

Wang Ji struck the Punch Strength Tester.

Boom! 67,000kg! Due to the residual medicinal effects, Wang Ji's base punch strength had reached 43,000kg over this month of training. This single strike hit 67,000kg—a direct 1.6x multiplier!

"Ha! I've entered the gate! The second layer is mastered! Though it's not pure yet. If the force were pure, it would be a direct 2x multiplier!" Wang Ji was ecstatic. After another half-month of non-stop, grueling training, he had finally grasped the knack.

Once the secret to the force was grasped, integrating it into speed and defense would not be difficult. After all, the path was already laid out.

August 13, Wilderness Zone.

"Swish!" Wang Ji's Heavy Mountain Sword moved like a phantom, like morning mist—light yet pervasive. "This is already Master-level swordsmanship!" Wang Ji realized. There was a hint of artistic conception within it; he was no longer just pursuing accuracy in moves or force, but carrying the unique, ethereal charm of the Mist Sword. He acted as he pleased, combining moves freely and adapting to the situation.

Wang Ji thought: If one day I am no longer constrained by moves at all, and every strike carries that ethereal and illusory quality, where truth and falsehood interweave, would that be the Perfection level?

A mid-level Warlord-grade monster was killed without any ability to resist. The monster's tough skin and bones were easily severed by the Heavy Mountain Sword. This level of sharpness was fully comparable to a Grade 9 weapon.

Wang Ji collected only the most essential materials and continued his search. This was County 0201, where the most powerful monsters were likely only high-level Warlords. It was not easy for Wang Ji to find a monster strong enough to test his sword.

Yes, test his sword.

Wang Ji's force was currently stuck at 1.9x; he had been unable to perfectly fuse the two forces to trigger the explosion. The second fold of the 36-Fold Waves remained incomplete, so he had no choice but to head to the Wilderness Zone to seek a breakthrough.

"Awoo..." A pack of Silver Wolves surrounded Wang Ji. This was likely the strongest monster tribe in this county. There were two high-level Warlords—one male and one female—seven low-to-mid-level Warlords, and forty or fifty soldier-grade Azure Wolves.

"Come on! Let me test my mettle!" Wang Ji said, charging into the monster pack.

"Sshhh..." A high-level Warlord-grade monster didn't expect Wang Ji's sword to be so sharp, and a gash was opened directly on its shoulder armor. However, wolf-type monsters were high-end predators in the Wilderness Zone. Both their speed and strength were often superior to other common monsters.

Thus, the Silver Wolf leader was very agile. After realizing Wang Ji's sword was extremely sharp, it instantly dodged the vast majority of the damage, leaving only a minor wound.

"Awoooo..."

The Warlord-grade monsters stopped clashing head-on, fully utilizing their coordination and speed advantages. For a moment, Wang Ji was actually caught in a flurry.

Wang Ji's current speed and strength, with the 1.9x multiplier, were already at the entry level of the God of War rank. But being besieged by dozens of monster wolves, especially with two top-tier high-level Warlords, he was momentarily pinned down. Although these high-level Warlord Silver Wolves didn't know human footwork, their wild combat instincts, agility, and dodging were in no way inferior to Wang Ji's Micro-level footwork.

"Ah!" Wang Ji let out a roar, unleashing his peak Micro-level footwork to its limit while keeping his spiritual energy scan restricted to a 50-meter radius. In an instant, a flash of inspiration struck, and everything around him was under his control! The pebbles on the ground, the angle and force of the Silver Wolves' pounces, the Azure Wolves blocking his path, and even the wind and dust—all were within Wang Ji's perception.