Yu Tianming stood before the black iron pillar and took a deep breath.
He did not rush to throw a punch, instead sensing the Bloodline Power surging through his body.
Ever since his birth, his physical strength had kept increasing. This had become even more pronounced after he awakened his Valstrax Martial Soul. The might of Ultimate Strength was far beyond what ordinary people could compare to!
"Kid, quit dawdling!" Tie Zhan's rough voice rang out. "Let me see just what a genius of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan can do!"
Yu Tianming opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. He raised his hand and drove a punch forward, the wind from his fist howling.
The first punch, seventy percent strength.
Boom!
The instant his fist met the black iron pillar, a deep, thunderous crash erupted, making the surrounding students' eardrums ache.
The black iron pillar shuddered violently, swaying more than eight inches, and only slowly settled after nearly ten seconds.
At the sight, Tie Zhan's eyes visibly lit up. Raising his eyebrows, he said, "That strength ranks among the best even at the Soul Ancestor level, but you were clearly holding back."
An uproar immediately swept through the training grounds.
"He's this strong without even using his full strength?"
Yu Feng's eyes widened. "Tianming is an absolute monster!"
Dugu Yan's eyes shone with wonder. "Is this Tianming's true strength? As expected of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's young master."
Before, Dugu Yan had thought Yu Tianheng was already quite impressive, his strength slightly greater than hers.
Only after witnessing Yu Tianming's strength did she understand what a true monster was. The gap between these brothers was anything but small!
"This kid really is getting more and more freakish." Yu Tianheng shook his head with a wry smile.
Yu Tianheng had long known that his younger brother possessed astonishing talent, but his parents and grandfather had not wanted to undermine his confidence and had never told him exactly how strong Yu Tianming was. Only now did he truly understand.
Tie Zhan took a deep breath, suppressing his shock, and said gravely:
"For the second punch, use your full strength!"
"All right."
For his second punch, Yu Tianming held nothing back.
His spine arched like a great dragon, his entire body's strength flowing through him section by section before finally gathering at his fist-
Bang-!
The deep crash of this punch sounded like thunder. The black iron pillar swayed wildly, its movement exceeding an inch!
Even more astonishingly, the vibrations lasted more than ten seconds before gradually subsiding.
Some students involuntarily stepped back, as though cowed by this strength. Even Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and the others did the same.
Tie Zhan's expression changed completely.
"Soul King level... this is definitely Soul King-level physical strength!"
Tie Zhan's eyes shone with startling intensity, as though he had discovered a priceless treasure. "How old are you? Six! This is nothing short of a miracle!"
Yu Tianming shook his slightly numb fist and smiled. "Teacher, do you still want a third punch?"
A brilliant gleam flashed through Tie Zhan's eyes. "Of course! Don't hold anything back this time. Apart from Soul Power, you can use any means you have. Let me see where your limits lie!"
Yu Tianming took a deep breath. This time, he did not rush to punch.
A crimson glow appeared over his body, and the Dragon Energy within him began to surge. His blood roared through his veins like mighty rivers.
"Is this... the precursor to Dragon Transformation?"
Tie Zhan exclaimed in surprise, "They say ordinary Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Masters begin Dragon Transformation at rank thirty. This is far too early!"
Under everyone's shocked gazes, fine patterns of bright silver dragon scales faintly appeared on Yu Tianming's right arm.
Although they vanished in an instant, that trace of terrifying draconic might was unmistakably real.
"Third punch!"
With a low shout, Yu Tianming drove his fist toward the black iron pillar with the force of overwhelming thunder.
Boom-!
Amid the deafening crash, the black iron pillar actually bent slightly under his punch!
It swayed more than two feet, and the vibrations lasted a full half minute.
Even more astonishingly, a shallow fist imprint had been left on the pillar's surface!
The entire training ground fell deathly silent.
Tie Zhan's eyes widened. Only after a long moment did he come back to his senses. "...That punch almost reached the pinnacle of the Soul King level! And..."
He strode forward and ran his hand over the fist imprint on the black iron pillar. "You actually left a mark on black iron. That means you don't just have great strength-your bones are extraordinarily hard, too!"
Yu Tianming also looked at his fist with some surprise. "So my strength has already reached this level?"
"That seemed to be Dragon Transformation of my right arm just now, but only its beginnings..."
Dragon Transformation was a very special secret technique. Normally, only Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Masters could use it.
When a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul mutated, this innate secret technique was difficult to retain, even if the mutation was beneficial.
Yu Tianming had originally worried about whether he would be able to use Dragon Transformation in the future.
Now it seemed that worry had been unnecessary!
Not only could he use Dragon Transformation,
but his talent in this regard was also exceptional. With his Soul Power at only rank sixteen, he already showed the beginnings of Dragon Transformation. Presumably, he would be able to transform his right arm by the Soul Grandmaster level at the latest!
"Hahaha!"
Tie Zhan suddenly burst into laughter. "Good! Good! Good! As expected of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's young master! This trip was well worth it!"
He strode over to Yu Tianming and slapped a palm-fan-sized hand heavily onto his shoulder.
"Starting today, I'll personally teach you to temper your body! I'll pass on every body-tempering technique I've learned throughout my life!"
Yu Tianming paused briefly, then smiled. "Thank you for your kindness, Teacher Tie Zhan."
Although he did not know what Teacher Tie Zhan's body-tempering techniques were, the man's physique far surpassed that of Soul Masters at the same level. Presumably, there was something to them.
Afterward.
Tie Zhan told the others to go aside and practice actual combat, choosing their own partners for one-on-one matches.
Yu Tianming, meanwhile, was called aside by him.
Tie Zhan brought Yu Tianming to a corner of the training grounds and sat cross-legged.
His rugged face was especially solemn now.
"Tianming, do you know why my physique far surpasses that of Soul Masters at the same level?" Tie Zhan asked gravely.
Yu Tianming shook his head. "Please teach me, Teacher."
Tie Zhan extended his large, callused hand. A layer of bronze metallic luster suddenly appeared on his palm. "Because of the body-tempering technique I cultivate-the Indestructible Vajra Body."
"The Indestructible Vajra Body?"
A hint of interest flashed through Yu Tianming's eyes.
Tie Zhan nodded, the bronze glow on his arm gradually deepening. "This cultivation method centers on tempering the body. It doesn't rely on reinforcement from Soul Power, but purely on honing the body through external forces to make breakthroughs."
"It's difficult to cultivate. Unless your innate physical strength far exceeds that of ordinary people, even entering the basic Copper Skin Realm is difficult."
"Compared to cultivating Soul Power, improving the body is harder and often takes longer, so it isn't popular among Soul Masters."
"Apart from my late master, I'm the only person in this world cultivating the Indestructible Vajra Body."
"But..."
As he spoke, Tie Zhan abruptly clenched his fist, and an explosive crack actually rang through the air. "I've always firmly believed that the body is the foundation, and the path of the flesh has boundless potential!"
"The Indestructible Vajra Body has three realms: Copper Skin, Iron Bone, and Golden Body."
"I've now reached greater mastery of Iron Bone. A casual punch carries Soul Emperor-level strength, and when I unleash my full power, I can fight a Soul Saint!"
Hearing this, Yu Tianming's eyes burned brightly. "Then the Golden Body realm..."
"With the Golden Body, the flesh becomes saintly, and a human's strength rivals a savage dragon." A look of longing flashed through Tie Zhan's eyes. "But even my master never attained it. No one has reached that realm yet."
He suddenly looked straight at Yu Tianming and said excitedly, "But you're different!"
"Your talent for the physical body is unmatched. If you cultivate the Iron Bone Art, you could very well become the first person to reach the Golden Body realm!"