In the dark, damp dungeon, the air was thick with the smell of mold and rust. Moss covered the walls, and water slowly dripped from cracks in the ceiling, making a "tick, tock" sound, as if counting the passage of time.
In a corner of the dungeon, a dim oil lamp flickered weakly, barely illuminating the cramped space.
Bare-chested, Toji tirelessly tempered his body in the dungeon, doing push-ups.
Old and new scars crisscrossed his small, thin body. Sweat ran down his back and pooled into a small puddle on the floor.
His breathing was heavy and rapid. Each breath seemed to take all his strength, but he gritted his teeth and kept going.
A heavy iron bed weighed down his back. It was covered in rust, and its edges were as sharp as blades; one careless move would cut his skin.
The bed's weight almost crushed Toji, but he continued to support himself on one hand. The muscles in his arm were taut as drawn bowstrings, and his veins bulged as if they might burst at any moment.
"5014... 5015..."
With each push-up, his body trembled slightly. Sweat slid down his forehead and dripped onto the floor, splashing into tiny droplets.
His arm ached so badly that it had almost gone numb, but he still didn't stop.
Toji had spent seven days in the dungeon. With an ample supply of food and water every day, his strength had gradually returned, and his mental state had improved considerably.
He was no longer as weak and close to death as he had been when he first arrived.
And Toji would never waste a single moment he could spend getting stronger.
Every day, after eating and drinking his fill, he tempered his body in the dungeon.
Just like he was doing now.
Toji's body had already broken through its limits between life and death twice, so ordinary training methods did little to improve it. That was why, even for push-ups, he had hoisted the iron bed onto his back, despite its being far too large and heavy for his build.
"5016... 5017..."
This was his way of cultivating.
Others meditated, while he tempered his body.
If one had to put it into words, one was spell cultivation, while Toji was taking the path of body cultivation.
If he could take the path of body cultivation and set foot on the road to godhood, all the better.
That goddamn Tang San watching from the heavens would never fucking imagine that someone could attain godhood this way.
If you wanted to become a god through the usual channels, Tang San was watching from up there. You wouldn't be his dog, but still wanted to become a god?
Dream on.
That was what happened to Huo Yuhao.
"5018... 5019..."
The iron bed weighed so heavily on his spine that it creaked and groaned, as if it might snap at any moment.
Toji's face was as pale as paper, and he had bitten his lips bloody, but he still didn't stop.
His body had reached its limit, but his will was like a sharp knife, forcibly pushing that limit back bit by bit.
If... if he could seize this chance and break through the limits between life and death a third time, his cultivation would be equivalent to that of a three-ring Soul Elder.
So Toji continued pushing himself, heedless of his life.
Unfortunately, Toji wasn't very lucky.
The dungeon door opened again. When the hook-nosed middle-aged man saw Toji training, and in such a reckless manner at that, he immediately stopped him.
It was like being just about to enjoy releasing a month's worth of constipated shit all at once, only for someone to suddenly push open the bathroom door and a crowd to gather and watch you take a dump, forcing you to stop halfway through.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
One of the people beside the middle-aged man immediately put the iron bed back in its place...
Toji saw him use his Martial Soul. He had five Soul Rings: white, yellow, yellow, yellow, and purple.
A Soul King with one ten-year ring, three hundred-year rings, and one thousand-year ring...
Though his Soul Rings were somewhat lacking, he was still a Soul King, and Toji was definitely no match for him at present.
Toji took it all in, then raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
"Who told you to push yourself so hard?" the middle-aged man said, somewhat displeased.
Over the past seven days, he had introduced himself as Liang Wu and told Toji to just call him boss. This was also because Liang Wu was very pleased with Toji's performance.
He had discovered that not only was this child's physique far beyond that of ordinary people, but his mind was also frighteningly mature.
Although Toji appeared obedient and well-behaved on the surface, Liang Wu could sense something unfathomable hidden in the child's eyes.
Liang Wu didn't care, though. In his eyes, Toji was only a nine-year-old child; no matter how clever he was, he couldn't escape the palm of his hand.
But now, Toji was training so recklessly that it bordered on self-harm, and that made Liang Wu's expression darken.
"Boss." Toji looked up at the stern-faced Liang Wu. "This is how I get stronger. The harder I train, the stronger I get. It's something I discovered during my Martial Soul Awakening when I was six."
"You get stronger just by exercising?" Liang Wu frowned deeply, his little head filled with great confusion. "What kind of special Martial Soul is that? You were born without Soul Power, yet you can strengthen your body?"
It was the first time he had heard of such a way to grow stronger.
Ordinary people could indeed improve their combat ability through training, but the improvement was rather limited. No matter how strong they became, they couldn't match some one-ring or two-ring Soul Masters.
No matter how much you trained, you couldn't match a single Soul Skill from a Soul Master.
Still, Liang Wu asked another question:
"Is there a limit to how much you can improve?"
"I don't know. I haven't tested whether there's a limit yet, but I can beat a Soul Elder to death." Toji blinked, continuing to reveal his value to Liang Wu, then went on, "As long as I'm given time to train and nutritious food, I can keep improving. When my mom and dad were still alive, that's how they raised me."
Liang Wu pondered for a while after hearing this, then said:
"Do you still have any strength left?"
"Yes." Toji nodded.
"Good. Follow me." With his hands behind his back, Liang Wu turned and walked out.
Toji hurriedly followed obediently behind Liang Wu, looking around curiously.
He discovered that the dungeon where he was being held was quite large, and quite a few adults were imprisoned there as well.
Of course, the most outrageous thing was that, as Toji passed a two-person prison cell, he heard sounds of "mm, mm, ah, ah" coming from inside.
The corner of Toji's mouth twitched.
They can get it on even in this godforsaken place?
How filthy must that be?
Even so, listening to it still made Toji's heart itch a little. It was like being hard at work while the coworker next to you was watching AV with the sound playing out loud.
Those sounds were enticing enough to make one unable to resist taking a few extra looks.
Liang Wu paid Toji no mind and continued leading him out of the dungeon. Outside, the dungeon was connected to a vast Soul Fighting arena.
It gave Toji a sense of déjà vu, like the colosseums he had seen on Earth.
Liang Wu looked at him and said gravely:
"Next, it's time for your job."
"The official match begins in three days, and now I want to see just how capable you are."
"I'll release a Ten-Year Soul Beast for a Soul Fighting duel with you. If you can't kill it and survive, then you die."
"If you can kill it with the most dazzling performance, I'll give you three Gold Soul Coins and extra food for dinner tonight-the most lavish, nutritious food there is. Whatever you need, just ask!"