Chapter 9: Six Months of Hard Training

With the daily exposure to wind and sun, a touch of calmness has also appeared on Ye Chen's originally youthful face

The day gradually brightened.

Although the grade of this herb is not particularly high, it is still quite good. Today is a lucky day! In the past few days, I might not have found a single one, but today I found a herb for nourishing qi and blood in just a little over half an hour, so I will use it for body refinement

Ye Chen grasped the rock with one hand while carefully plucking a small black grass from the cliff with the other, revealing a look of joy

In the morning, Ye Chen searched for medicinal herbs in the mountains. By the afternoon, he practiced the third and fourth moves of the intermediate level of the "Tiger Leap Blade Technique" in an open area of the mountain ridge. In the evening, he refined his physical body

Li Cang's brows furrowed even tighter

I am gathering herbs of around the fourth grade in the hundreds of miles surrounding the northern foothills, for body refinement training. As long as I exercise some caution, the dangers are not significant

Among the two hundred students in the upper academy of Beilu Academy, those whose strength has reached the sixth level of body refinement are likely no more than forty to fifty people

On the left cliff, a small dark-colored grass sways in the wind, basking in the sunlight and nourished by the dew

Try to avoid areas where there are traces of ferocious beasts. As a martial artist at the fifth level of body refinement, safety is not a major concern.

After three months of arduous training in the deep mountains, I finally reached the sixth level of body refinement just in time for the academy's assessment.

The chief instructor of the upper academy, Li Cang, frowned upon hearing this and consulted the records. He vaguely recalled that this disciple had only been promoted from the lower academy to the upper academy two months ago, and their strength should be quite weak. Entering the mountains at such an early stage seemed rather risky.

Such force can easily split stones and break tablets

He is not optimistic about Ye Chen's future. Many impoverished youths seem to progress quickly in their early training, but later they fade into obscurity like everyone else

Ye Chen pondered silently

The warrior has reached the sixth level of the Body Refinement Stage, with vital energy and blood surging throughout the body, and the intensity of the vital energy in all the meridians has reached its peak. At this level, it is no longer possible to enhance further.

Many herbal gatherers are willing to risk their lives to enter the northern foothills to collect medicinal herbs. Once they obtain rare herbs, they sell them to large trading companies, earning a substantial amount of gold and silver, sufficient to cover their living expenses for several years

It has been three months since entering the mountains... Time really flies! There are only a little more than ten days left until the graduation assessment of the academy

Ye Chen did not intend to do this

There are not many wild beasts on the outskirts of the mountains

Common students from Beilu Academy often form groups to ascend the mountain for training

Ye Chen said

The Beilu Mountain Range is the largest and longest mountain range within the territory of the Wu Kingdom, stretching for thousands of miles. The mountains overlap, and the area is rich in resources, particularly known for its abundant medicinal herbs. Within a hundred miles of the outer perimeter of this mountain range, one can find herbs of approximately third-grade quality, along with a small number of wild beasts.

Thank you, General Coach

As soon as dawn broke, Ye Chentian turned over and got up. With each passing day, he would mark a horizontal line on the handle of his knife, counting the days he had spent in the Northern Lush Mountains

Several months have passed in the blink of an eye

Have you learned the intermediate martial arts skills so quickly

Ye Chen pressed his body tightly against the cliff, searching around him, when suddenly his eyes brightened.

Drink

As summer approaches, the weather gradually becomes hot

Bang

Li Cang had little interest in Ye Chen. The upper academy of Beilu Academy had more than 200 disciples, and he would not spend any effort on an obscure disciple whose name he could not even remember

The wealthy are well-educated and skilled in martial arts. The offspring of noble families, supported by their families' superior herbal resources, generally do not encounter such issues. However, as a commoner, lacking the financial means to purchase quality herbs, one can only take the risk of venturing into the mountains to gather medicinal plants

He arrived at a clean stone wall, sat cross-legged, washed the rhizomes of the Ziwucao in clear water, placed them in his mouth, and chewed slowly and carefully, absorbing every drop of the black juice.

Ye Chen glanced at his scraped knuckles, feeling a surge of excitement in his heart

If one ventures into the deep mountains, it is possible to find higher-grade and rarer herbs; however, the level of danger significantly increases, as one may encounter extremely ferocious wild beasts

Master Li, the disciple wishes to go to Beilu Mountain for cultivation

It is largely for the convenience of the students of the academy to enter the mountains for herbal gathering

The first national academy of Wu, Beilu Academy, is established at the foot of this mountain range for a reason

Ye Chen, wielding a blunt steel knife, strode away from the Beilu Mountain Range, heading towards the Beilu Academy located a hundred miles away

He is not doubting that Ye Chen is talking nonsense

The herb known as "Ziwu grass" measures only four inches in length, approximately classified as a fourth-grade medicinal herb, and can be used to stimulate the richness of the vital energy and blood in the bone marrow

His physical cultivation is steadily and gradually improving. His martial arts techniques are becoming more refined day by day

Ye Chen was pleasantly surprised

Since you are capable of executing the Tiger Leap Double Slash, you should possess a strength of between 800 and 1,000 pounds, sufficient to slay a giant tiger. While searching for herbs on the outskirts of Beilu Mountain, do not venture into the deep mountains. In the deep mountains, tigers and wolves are numerous, and you cannot handle them alone

This treacherous place is one that even herbalists are unwilling to venture into

Are you going up the mountain

In the mid-stage of body refinement, the most important factor is the intensity of vital energy and blood. The stronger the martial artist, the higher the intensity of their vital energy and blood.

After Ye Chen consumed it, he quickly felt a surge of hot energy rising within his abdomen. This energy flowed through countless meridians, spreading to every bone in his body. Moments later, every part of his skeletal structure was continuously generating new vital energy and blood.

He has been in this northern mountain range for nearly three months. Although he bathes in the streams and keeps himself clean and fresh, his clothes are quite tattered in several places. The blade of his steel knife has become dull and worn, with not a few stains of beast blood.

A deep fist imprint appeared on the solid rock face, with cracks spreading outwards in lines, and the area within a foot radius at the center of the rock had been shattered into countless fragments. Such power could not be achieved without a force of six hundred pounds.

Yes, I have already mastered the intermediate technique of the "Tiger Leap Sword Technique," the Tiger Leap Double Slash, which is sufficient for self-defense. However, I lack herbal medicine for body refinement, and my physical cultivation has stagnated. I wish to enter the mountains to gather herbs for my training

In the northern foothills of the mountains, there is no worry about food and shelter. Ye Chen often hunts wild rabbits and pheasants, roasting them over an open fire. At night, he searches for caves in the rocky hills, laying down grass to sleep comfortably while holding a knife.

In just two short months, Ye Chen has developed a mid-level sword technique, which signifies that he has been undergoing extremely intense training. Furthermore, it implies that if Ye Chen does not promptly use high-quality herbs to refine his body and treat the internal injuries accumulated in his meridians during the training process, his physical constitution is likely to be ruined.

Indeed, only students from the upper academy who have reached the fourth level or above in body refinement dare to venture up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs, and with good fortune, they may succeed in their harvest. Students from the lower academy, who are between the first and third levels of body refinement, possess only a rudimentary understanding of martial arts and are too weak in strength; if they were to enter the mountain, they would merely serve as food for the ferocious tigers and wolves, and thus are not permitted to enter the mountain.

After finishing the roasted wild rabbit meat from last night, Ye Chen began to search for herbs in the mountains, cliffs, and steep, perilous places. Common areas had long been scoured countless times by other herbalists, leaving only the treacherous locations with herbs remaining

As the chief instructor of the upper academy, Li Cang would certainly be aware of the serious consequences.

This herb, known as Ziwucao, is an exceptionally potent tonic for nourishing qi and blood

Ye Chen placed the grass into the medicine basket, pushed off forcefully with his toes against the rock wall, and with a leap, soared up to the towering cliff above.

Ye Chen felt a surge of heat throughout his body, a violent force yearning to be unleashed

On this day, when Ye Chen finished his training, he approached a burly middle-aged man and performed a respectful salute.

After three months, I have finally progressed from approximately the fifth and a half level of the Body Refinement Stage to the sixth level of the Body Refinement Stage

He suddenly swung a heavy fist, a lightning-fast punch, striking against a protruding solid rock on the nearby cliff

The intense vital energy seems to be burning within the body

After Ye Chen received the consent of Coach Li, he returned with a backpack full of pancakes and provisions. He purchased a cheap, brand-new steel knife from the weapons shop at the academy, then left Beilu Academy and entered the Beilu Mountain Range along the rugged paths in the mountains

It is time to return and participate in the assessment and evaluation of the academy

I remember that six months ago, the chief instructor of the lower house, Shi Geng, shattered a stone pillar measuring one foot thick and ten feet high with his "Shadowless Leg." Although my current strength is not as profound as that of Chief Instructor Shi, my power is already on par with his!

Ye Chen spent two hours absorbing the medicinal power, and he experienced such a strong sensation that the vital energy and blood within every bone in his body reached a saturated threshold.