To Yang Chen, Zhou Huaiyi's matter was merely an unpleasant interlude. He did not take it to heart. For those who betrayed him, there was no possibility of mercy. Yet Zhou Huaiyi's affair had reminded him of that unhappy memory involving Hua Wanru.
It was precisely because he had recalled Hua Wanru that his thirst for strength grew even more intense.
The stronger Yang Chen became, the more clearly he understood the gap between himself and Hua Wanru. Indeed, Hua Wanru in his previous life had been a genius in her own right. Not only was she extraordinarily gifted, but her wisdom had also crowned an entire region.
With his personal guidance added to that, Hua Wanru's martial cultivation had far surpassed those of her generation. Her strength was simply beyond what the Great Wilderness Hundred Clans could comprehend.
As for himself, there was an even more obvious gap between him and Hua Wanru.
Of course, Yang Chen believed that given time, he would surely use his own effort and methods to narrow that gap until it vanished into thin air.
With that thought, Yang Chen began carefully examining the heavenly treasures Yang Jinhe had given him.
"The Yang Family Patriarch truly is generous. Second Master Yang is still slightly lacking in comparison. If these resources and treasures were used by others, it would indeed be difficult for them to achieve much in a short time. But in my hands, their meaning is entirely different." Yang Chen looked at the resources within the Storage Bag and revealed a satisfied smile.
He was confident that, with these resources, his martial cultivation could break through once more.
"These resources can also provide enough for me to prepare another medicinal bath and temper my physique," Yang Chen thought to himself.
Once that thought arose, Yang Chen immediately acted on it, taking out most of the treasures inside the Storage Bag.
After spending more than half an hour, the medicinal bath was complete!
Yang Chen happily leaped into the medicinal bath.
In the blink of an eye, a day and a night passed.
Yang Chen, seated in the medicinal bath, suddenly opened a pair of bright, spirited eyes.
His body had grown several degrees stronger than before, a sign that his martial cultivation had improved. A smile gradually appeared on Yang Chen's face as he murmured, "Not bad. Although this medicinal bath is still far from the ideal effect I had envisioned, no matter what, I've leaped directly from the Body Refining Realm Fifth Level to the Body Refining Realm Sixth Level!"
That was right. His martial cultivation had shockingly crossed an entire level, advancing from the fifth level to the sixth.
If anyone among the Great Wilderness Hundred Clans learned of such a breakthrough, their jaws would surely drop.
One had to know that the further one advanced in the Body Refining Realm, the more difficult it became to increase one's strength.
Every human body had its limits.
At the beginning of the road toward those limits, progress might be easy. But the further one went, the harder it became.
For someone like Yang Chen to advance from the fifth level to the sixth in a single day—no one would dare believe it if it were spoken aloud.
No member of the Yang family could have imagined that Yang Chen's Body Refining Realm Fifth Level cultivation was already terrifying enough, yet he had entered the Body Refining Realm Sixth Level again in such a short time.
Yang Chen did not dare publicize this matter either. After all, if the Yang family learned that he had still been at the Body Refining Realm Fifth Level just days ago and was now at the Body Refining Realm Sixth Level, it would be far too astonishing.
"These spirit herb resources are still not enough." Yang Chen smiled bitterly to himself. "Though I've entered the Body Refining Realm Sixth Level, all the resources the Yang Family Patriarch gave me have been used up. Fine, then I'll start properly cultivating the Hunyuan Spear Technique."
Since he had chosen the way of the spear, Yang Chen naturally had to become thoroughly familiar with spear techniques.
Thinking of this, Yang Chen swiftly rose, dressed himself, and said, "Mingyue, stop tidying the room. Let's go to the Training Field!"
The Training Field was a place specially meant for Yang family martial artists to cultivate and train.
There, they could let loose to their heart's content without worrying about mishaps.
"Yes, Young Master." Gu Mingyue nodded happily.
The thing she liked most now was following behind Yang Chen.
In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the Training Field.
Beneath the sunlight, the youth poured out sweat.
Yang Chen gripped the spear shaft. His silver spear was like a dragon, and every thrust carried a fierce gust of wind.
"It still feels like something is missing." Yang Chen muttered to himself. "The Hunyuan Spear Technique is divided into four major stages: Kedi, Thunderbolt, Mountainbreaker, and Hunyuan. I've only just begun cultivating it, yet even with my talent, the Kedi stage is already so difficult to comprehend!"
"The Kedi Stance emphasizes one word: speed. So fast that it follows the wind like a shadow; once the spear force is unleashed, it surpasses the speed of the wind and gives birth to afterimages!" Yang Chen thought.
Of course, actually accomplishing it was far, far too difficult.
Gu Mingyue watched Yang Chen carefully cultivate his spear technique from the side. Her large eyes blinked again and again, filled with admiration. Resting her cheeks in her hands, she sat there and carefully gazed at Yang Chen's sharply defined face. Before she knew it, she was fantasizing about her future days with Yang Chen.
The moment she thought of what came afterward, Gu Mingyue's face flushed scarlet. Her mouth went dry, and she flusteredly murmured, "H-how can I think such improper things? How could Young Master possibly be as filthy as I imagined?"
No one knew what was going through the little girl's head. Before long, however, Gu Mingyue heard a chaotic clamor beside her.
"It's Yang Chen!"
"Yang Chen is our Yang family's strongest genius."
"He's practicing spear techniques!"
"I never expected Young Master Yang to have achieved so much and still work this hard. No wonder I couldn't shine at the Coming-of-Age Ceremony. Just this diligence alone makes me feel ashamed of my own inferiority compared to him."
"Enough nonsense. Hurry up and learn from him. Young Master Yang rarely comes to the Training Field to practice. Being able to watch him cultivate here is simply a wonderful opportunity for us to learn. If we can pick up even a little, we'll surely make remarkable progress."
Quite a few youths at the Training Field discovered Yang Chen in the corner and began making a commotion. As if by prior agreement, they gathered around to observe Yang Chen's cultivation. To them, merely watching Yang Chen train like this was perhaps a rare enjoyment.
"What a pity, I cultivate the way of the sword!"
"I cultivate the way of the saber, so I'm different from Young Master Yang!"
"Haha, when my father saw Yang Chen choose the way of the spear, he immediately made me switch to the way of the spear too. Don't stop me—I must properly learn from Brother Yang Chen."
Such scenes were everywhere. Word spread from one to ten, and ten to a hundred. Before long, everyone knew that Yang Chen had come to the Training Field. In the blink of an eye, the Training Field became packed to the brim. Even quite a few young women from clans neighboring the Yang family hurried over in a fluster.
Those young women had no reason to enter the Yang family directly, so they actually chose to climb over the walls.
"Brother, hold me up a little longer. I'll see Yang Chen soon. Ah, I see Yang Chen! Brother, I see him! He looks exactly like the rumors said!"
"Little sister, you have to work harder. There's nothing special between our Mu family and the Yang family except that we live close by—you have the advantage of a terrace near the water getting the moonlight first. If you can get Yang Chen into your hands, then your brother will enjoy blessings for the rest of his life. Ow, little sister, how come you're heavier than before?"
Yang Chen had originally been focused on training, but the whispers around him soon entered his ears. No matter how concentrated he was, it was simply impossible to ignore them.
At this moment, Yang Chen was incomparably embarrassed. He swept his gaze around, only to discover that the Training Field was packed with people. There were even quite a few young women piled up outside the walls, climbing over them. Their large eyes stared straight in his direction as they chattered away, though he had no idea what they were discussing.
Yang Chen merely glanced in that direction, and immediately, those young women's hearts blossomed with joy. Several of them nearly lost their footing and fell over.
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