Hurricane Cave Body Tempering

But such strength was still far from enough.

Her enemy, that count of the Heavenly Soul Empire, was only a Soul Emperor himself, but as a count, he surely had quite a few retainers under his command. Perhaps some of them were even Soul Saint-level experts.

So... she still had a long, long way to go before she could take revenge with her own hands.

Zhang Lexuan took a deep breath, changed into her robes, and pushed open the door. She happened to run into Ye An, who had just returned from the sect master's hall.

"Did Xiao An just come back from training?"

"No, I went to see Teacher." Ye An paused, but ultimately chose not to hide it. "Teacher said that in seven days, he'll let me enter Hurricane Cave to temper my body. As for these seven days... the training intensity will be doubled."

Zhang Lexuan stared into his eyes for several seconds. There was no impulsiveness or bravado in them, only a calmness and determination that left her speechless.

She thought seriously for a moment, then suddenly let out a long breath. "Then seven days from now, I'll go with you."

"What?"

"Seven days from now, I'll go to Hurricane Cave with you. During these seven days, I'll complete my third medicinal bath as soon as possible."

Meeting Zhang Lexuan's clear dark eyes, Ye An curled his lips slightly and nodded.

As he looked at Ye An and Zhang Lexuan standing before him, Du Busi's gaze shifted between them several times, and he nodded to himself.

He did not waste any more words and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Zhang Lexuan took Ye An's hand of her own accord and followed behind Du Busi.

The entrance to Hurricane Cave lay beneath a cliff in the middle of the valley. The opening was not large, only wide and tall enough for two people to walk side by side.

From the outside, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary cave. Yet when they were still thirty zhang from the entrance, Ye An felt a gust of fierce wind.

Even at that level, the wind made Ye An and Zhang Lexuan's clothes flap wildly. Small pebbles rolled across the ground as well, producing a dense pattering sound.

When they were ten zhang from the cave entrance, Du Busi stopped and turned to look at the two of them.

"From here on, the wind strength doubles with every step forward. The astral winds inside Hurricane Cave differ from ordinary wind. They contain extremely chaotic heaven and earth energy. As the winds invade your bones and meridians, those energies will temper your bodies through the combined effects of external and internal force."

As he spoke, Du Busi's gaze paused briefly on Ye An. "If you regret it now, it is not too late."

Ye An said nothing. He merely stepped forward.

Zhang Lexuan followed closely behind.

Du Busi's mouth twitched twice at the sight, but a faint smile appeared on his face. "This old man will enter Hurricane Cave with you. If you cannot hold on, I will take you out. Do not force yourselves."

"Especially you, Ye An."

Ye An nodded firmly.

Soon, Ye An and Zhang Lexuan braced themselves against the violent wind and trudged with difficulty to the entrance of Hurricane Cave.

At first, with Du Busi's towering body blocking the wind before him, Ye An did not feel much. But when Du Busi stepped aside and allowed the astral wind to sweep over him, Ye An's expression changed instantly.

No wonder Du Busi had said Hurricane Cave could continuously temper the body until it reached its limit and triggered the second awakening of the Body Martial Soul.

Even at the entrance, the powerful wind nearly made him lose his footing, tilting his body backward against his will. Had he not reacted immediately and dug his feet firmly into the ground, he would have been flung away by the astral wind in an instant.

Yet even harder to endure were the astral winds themselves, which scraped across his exposed skin like countless wind blades and brought waves of indescribable piercing pain.

At the same time, Ye An sensed the heaven and earth energy Du Busi had mentioned within the wind.

Those violent energies surged into his body with the astral winds, crashing wildly through his meridians. It felt as if countless red-hot steel needles were piercing his blood vessels at once, causing unbearable agony.

Beside him, Zhang Lexuan's face had also gone slightly pale.

But Zhang Lexuan had already obtained two Century Soul Rings, and her physical condition was far superior to Ye An's.

Though she felt the same piercing pain, it was not enough to make her retreat. Under Du Busi's somewhat astonished gaze, Zhang Lexuan actually took a step forward and entered the cave.

Her step was somewhat unsteady, but she had truly crossed inside.

Zhang Lexuan's expression changed abruptly.

Though there was only one step between outside the entrance and inside Hurricane Cave, the difference that single step made was immense.

The wind seemed to have doubled in strength, and the pain across her body became increasingly distinct.

Zhang Lexuan held her breath, doing her best to avoid being affected by the terrifying astral wind.

After adapting for a moment, Zhang Lexuan attempted another step forward.

Then came the second step, then the third.

Zhang Lexuan stopped. Her judgment was calm: if she went any farther, her body might not be able to endure it. Staying here was the best choice.

Du Busi nodded at the sight, his voice sounding again. "Once you find your limit, sit down cross-legged here. Calm your mind, focus your spirit, circulate your soul power, and wholeheartedly sense the heaven and earth energy within the wind."

Hearing this, Zhang Lexuan did not hesitate in the slightest. She sat down cross-legged and closed her eyes.

At that moment, Ye An gritted his teeth and finally took a step forward, crossing the line at the entrance and entering Hurricane Cave.

The instant Ye An stepped inside, he felt a violent force slam into him head-on.

His breathing hitched slightly.

The piercing pain he had felt outside suddenly magnified several times over. The astral winds seemed to gain substance, turning into countless tiny blades that frantically sliced across every inch of his exposed skin. Even more terrifying was the heaven and earth energy carried within the wind—violent and chaotic, flooding into his body through his pores like a burst dam and rampaging through his meridians.

Ye An let out a muffled groan. His legs trembled violently, and he nearly fell to his knees.

"Stand firm."

Du Busi's voice came from behind him, calm and without the slightest ripple.

Although he was surprised that Ye An had truly stepped from outside the entrance into Hurricane Cave, he remained composed.

What came next was the true crux of the matter.

If Ye An could not endure this pain, he had to take him out before the astral winds caused damage to his body.

Ye An panted violently, every breath accompanied by a searing pain in his chest. Yet at that moment, he could clearly feel the beating of his heart within his chest growing louder and louder.

The howling astral winds and his heartbeat seemed to... resonate with each other!?