Cultivation

Finally, after one thousand five hundred thrusts, his entire body was drenched in sweat. His right arm felt as if it no longer belonged to him, and the five fingers of his right hand were completely numb and devoid of sensation. In the end, he relied entirely on sheer willpower to reach that one thousand five hundredth thrust.

"Water," Dongbo Xueying rasped.

"Master, water." The servant nearby, who had been watching in a daze, hurriedly offered a drink.

Dongbo Xueying reached out with his left hand, took the large cup, and drained it in one breath.

Immediately, he began practicing the Flame Three-Stage Method!

When practicing the battle-qi technique, his muscles and bones itched all over. This time, the sensation was most intense in his right arm and hand. Clearly, the mysterious power of heaven and earth was constantly drilling into his right arm and hand; the more exhausted he was... the better the effect of the battle-qi cultivation! Of course, one could not push the body to the point of collapse. If an ordinary person were to push themselves as desperately as Dongbo Xueying, their hands would likely be ruined within ten days, but he had access to expensive medicinal baths every day! The cost of this medicine over a year would be enough to bankrupt an average noble!

After practicing for three full cycles, the absorption of the power from heaven and earth became very faint, so he stopped. By this time, his left hand and arm were no longer tired at all, though his right hand still felt somewhat sore.

"Time to start practicing with the left hand."

"Come." Dongbo Xueying's eyes were bright as he stared at the alchemy dummy in front of him. He gripped the spear shaft loosely with his right hand, grabbed the end of the spear with his left, and thrust it out violently!

"Tong San, have you seen Xueying?"

"I haven't."

Zong Ling and Tong San were somewhat surprised and puzzled. It was nearly time for lunch, so why hadn't they seen Xueying? With Dongbo Lie and his wife having just been taken away, they were very worried about him.

"Where is the young master?" Zong Ling and Tong San asked a maid.

The maid replied quickly, "Master has been at the training grounds since this morning."

"Still at the training grounds? It's almost noon," Tong San said, astonished. "Usually, Xueying only trains for an hour or two in the morning. It's been nearly six hours since dawn."

Zong Ling said nothing, quickly heading toward the training grounds.

As they approached, they could hear the continuous "Thump!" "Thump!" "Thump!" sounds coming from inside—low and powerful. Zong Ling and Tong San exchanged a glance before pushing open the courtyard gate.

"This..." Zong Ling and Tong San were both stunned.

The youth, whose skin was flushed red all over, was holding a long spear with both hands, repeatedly exerting force to lash out at the alchemy dummy.

Engaging his waist, he swung the spear with fury!

Once, twice, three times... the same move repeated incessantly. The spear carved through the air to build momentum, reaching its maximum speed and most violent power the moment it struck the alchemy dummy.

The youth's skin was flushed red, and steam was rising from his body—the result of the heat radiating from his skin.

"His blood and qi are surging to this extent?" Zong Ling was shocked.

"Xueying, rest! Take a break, are you crazy?" Tong San grew anxious. He had never seen Dongbo Xueying this diligent before, and training his spearwork to this degree was pushing his body to its absolute limit.

"A little longer! It's not over yet," Dongbo Xueying said.

"Don't worry, Xueying takes a medicinal bath every day; his body won't break down. Let him vent," Zong Ling thought, though he was deeply worried. He wasn't afraid of the training causing physical injury, as the daily medicinal baths could easily nourish and repair the body. What he feared was that Xueying's state of mind would change drastically. He had watched Xueying grow up and didn't want his personality to become twisted.

Dongbo Xueying turned to look at his two uncles and smiled. "Uncle Zong, Uncle Tong, don't worry, I'm fine." He wasn't venting; he was following a plan he had devised for himself after studying the spear technique manual of a Transcendent Knight.

Without sufficient diligence, how could one become a powerhouse relying solely on a manual?

Another quarter of an hour passed.

Dongbo Xueying practiced the Flame Three-Stage Method twice more, and only then did his morning training conclude!

After lunch and spending a little time with his younger brother, he picked up his long spear and began training again.

"Hah!"

Exerting force with both hands simultaneously, he thrust the spear out. All the strength in his body was channeled through his arms into the spear, making its power significantly more ferocious!

The spear struck the alchemy dummy again and again, landing with extreme precision on the marked red points: the face, the throat, and the chest.

This was the fourth stage of Dongbo Xueying's spear training plan—two-handed thrusts!

After two thousand two-handed spear thrusts and practicing the battle-qi technique, he moved on.

"Archery practice," Dongbo Xueying commanded.

"Yes, Master." Ten servants stood ten meters away, each holding a bow. The arrowheads had been removed, leaving only the shafts. They looked at each other, hesitant. In the past, Dongbo Xueying's father had always been his sparring partner for blocking practice, but now he was being shot at directly... If he failed to block, the arrows would hit him. Even without arrowheads, it would be extremely painful, and it wouldn't be unusual for his skin to break and bleed.

The servants were quite worried.

"Quickly, follow my previous orders," Dongbo Xueying commanded, and the servants had no choice but to obey.

Whoosh.

First, a single arrow flew toward him. Dongbo Xueying, holding his spear, immediately moved to block, reaching forward to intercept and deflect the arrow.

One at a time.

Although the distance was only ten meters, the servants had not cultivated battle-qi. While the arrows were fast, Dongbo Xueying still had time to intercept them, executing the 'block,' 'parry,' and 'deflect' moves of his spear technique with great proficiency.

Then, two arrows were fired simultaneously. Dongbo Xueying clearly struggled; he was hit three or four times out of every ten. His skin began to show red and purple bruises, and occasionally, the skin would break, but Dongbo Xueying didn't care about these minor injuries at all.

The Heart-Intent Spear Technique was the source of all techniques and could be considered the most fundamental spear art of the entire Xia Clan. If one only practiced the forms over and over, it would be nothing more than a flashy display. One had to break down the moves of the spear technique and practice them repeatedly to allow ordinary moves to achieve astonishing power.

The spear technique training consisted of six stages: left-handed thrusts, right-handed thrusts, sweeping and chopping, two-handed thrusts, parrying, and free-form attacks. Between these, he incorporated Dou Qi cultivation methods to alleviate physical fatigue; otherwise, such high-intensity training would be impossible to sustain.

A single day of cultivation lasted a full twelve hours!

After finishing his exercises, he would soak in a medicinal bath. Only through these baths could his body avoid collapse, instead recovering and growing stronger under the strain of his training. His physique, particularly the sinews, bones, and muscles of his arms and palms, was undergoing a constant metamorphosis.

The evenings were reserved for rest: eating dinner with his younger brother, playing with him, reading a few books, and then going to sleep.

******

It might have seemed exhausting, but in reality, it was no different from commoners working hard all day; once accustomed to it, it felt perfectly normal. Dongbo Xueying could even feel his spear techniques steadily improving and his body growing stronger, so rather than feeling fatigued, he found himself enjoying it more and more.

He would even wear a smile while practicing his spear, occasionally pausing to frown in deep thought, clearly fully immersed in the mysteries of his craft. This allowed Dongbo Xueying's spear techniques to improve at an astonishing rate.

Two years later, in the dead of winter.

Heavy snow was falling.

A heroic-looking youth was wielding a black spear, practicing his thrusts. Nearby, a servant held a shield wrapped in thick animal hides and cotton padding; though it looked bulky, without these layers to dissipate the force, the servants would never have been able to withstand the impact.

The servant dodged left and right, but Dongbo Xueying suddenly struck out. The spear moved like a swimming dragon, rotating as it thrust forward with a sharp whistle, instantly slamming into the shield. The servant felt a jolt run through his entire body from the force transmitted through the shield. And this was just a thrust; the power behind his sweeping and chopping strikes was even more ferocious.

"Master, I just can't dodge it," the sturdy manservant said with a bitter face.

"If you manage to dodge even once, there's a silver coin for you. You all should practice well," Dongbo Xueying said. The other servants nearby looked on with envy; a single silver coin was worth a month's wages. In the beginning, servants had occasionally managed to dodge, and Dongbo Xueying had handed out hundreds of silver coins, but lately, earning one had become nearly impossible.

My spear technique hasn't improved for a few days now. This rigid, explosive force has reached a bottleneck, Dongbo Xueying muttered to himself. According to the secret manual of the Mystic Ice Knight, should I start practicing how to 'retract'?

This force must be capable of both release and retraction!

Suddenly—

"Master, Master, it's bad, it's bad!" A maidservant rushed into the training grounds, looking panicked.

Dongbo Xueying's heart skipped a beat at her cries, and he immediately asked, "What happened?"

"It's Lord Zong Ling. Lord Zong Ling has been severely injured," the maidservant said hurriedly. "He's covered in blood."

"Uncle Zong!"

Dongbo Xueying was shocked. For the past two years, Uncle Zong had been handling all the trivial matters of the territory, which had allowed him to remain completely immersed in his spear training without distraction. "Where is Uncle Zong now?"

"He is at his own residence, and Commander Tong is there as well," the maidservant replied.

Dongbo Xueying dropped his spear and immediately sprinted toward Uncle Zong's residence.