Chapter 0005: Awakening

Hehe. Nan'er smiled brightly, completely unconcerned about the dirt on her face. She extended the hand she had hidden behind her back and said, "Young Master, look what I've gathered. This is the highest grade of the low-level spiritual herb, 'Blood Mushroom.' With it, Young Master might just be able to break through to the fifth stage."

Ye Chen felt that the cell was slowly enlarging, causing a strange sensation of swelling throughout his entire body. He hurriedly turned his attention inward and saw that the cell had become visible to the naked eye, now about the size of a sesame seed. Spiritual energy continued to flow into it, as if the energy from the mysterious mark was inexhaustible and limitless.

For a month, Ye Chen has been cultivating in the back mountain and has not gone out even once

At this moment, the mysterious mark on Ye Chen's chest radiated beams of gray and pearly white light. Centered around him, the air within a radius of one hundred meters was accelerating in its flow, and countless tiny green light points could be faintly seen converging towards his chest, as if being drawn in.

He relentlessly pushes his physical limits every day, engaging in a training regimen that is nearly brutal, far beyond what an ordinary person could endure. Each session leaves him feeling as if his body is about to fall apart, drenched in sweat. Within a ten-mile radius of the back mountain, traces of Ye Chen can be seen everywhere, whether he is running with weights, climbing, practicing weighted punches, or jumping. Aside from eating and sleeping, he is constantly training.

Such a cultivation speed has far surpassed that of ordinary individuals. In the secular world, without high-grade spiritual herbs, even spending a tremendous amount of money can only procure low-grade superior herbs, at best. If a first-tier inferior spiritual herb were to appear in the secular realm, then all major families, including the royal family, would fight tooth and nail to seize it

It has been a full ten days since he broke through to the fourth stage of physical body. During this time, he has been continuously exhausting his physical strength. The mark on his chest remains unchanged; whenever he feels fatigued, spiritual energy surges forth. However, the amount has clearly decreased significantly. In the secular world, spiritual energy is sparse, and without spiritual veins, the energy within a hundred miles has almost been completely absorbed by the mark on Ye Chen's chest. Without effective replenishment, the mysterious mark can no longer provide him with energy as it used to.

"Hmm, Nan'er won't tell anyone, not a single person." Nan'er raised her small face, tears still glistening in her eyes, but Ye Chen saw determination in those pitifully large eyes.

"Who! Step forward!" Ye Chen shouted coldly, his voice like the frigid winds of midwinter, causing Nan'er, who was hiding at a distance and had become dazed, to shudder all over. Her legs went weak, and she nearly fell to the ground.

"Nan'er, how did you end up like this?" Ye Chen reached out to wipe the dirt off her face, his tone slightly reproachful, "You look like a little beggar. What on earth have you been doing?"

Currently, Ye Chen's physical body is difficult to injure with blunt instruments. Although he is also at the fourth stage of physical cultivation, he is far stronger than ordinary practitioners of the same rank. His strength is even more terrifying, possessing the power of three headstrong beasts.

I... I... Young Master... it is I... Nan'er was frightened, having never seen her Young Master display such a cold demeanor

The mark on his chest alternated between icy cold and fiery heat, placing Ye Chen in a state of extreme discomfort, as if caught between two extremes. His body also experienced a sensation of swelling, yet within that cellular particle, Ye Chen sensed a powerful force, as if a fierce beast lay dormant within.

Silly girl, I am still the same as before, what are you afraid of?" Ye Chen gently patted Nan Er's head and said mysteriously, "What you just saw must not be told to anyone, this is a secret between us.

"Young Master, Nan'er has something good to give you." With one hand behind her back and the other wiping her face, Ye Chen finally noticed that the little girl was covered in dirt, and her clothes were also quite filthy

Under a large tree approximately two hundred meters away from Ye Chen, Nan Er stared wide-eyed at the myriad green light dots surrounding Ye Chen within a radius of one hundred meters, her heart racing in astonishment.

In the span of twenty days, after undergoing numerous refinements of spiritual energy, his skin completely transformed into a bronze color, tough as copper. With the awakening of two cellular particles, and after further augmenting the strength of two savage beasts, the powerful life force surged, refining his skin to the strongest stage of the physical body. The life force then proceeded to refine his muscles, breaking through the third stage and entering the fourth stage of muscle refinement.

Drink

Ye Chen was running at a moderate pace, playfully teasing Nan Er, and he felt very happy, as if his state of mind had transformed into that of a teenager in his teens

After a quarter of an hour, the spiritual energy that penetrated into the cellular particles was at least dozens of times greater than that which had just refined the skin, and each cellular particle resembled a bottomless pit, forever unfillable

Ye Chen suddenly opened his eyes, let out a soft shout, and leaped into the air. He threw a punch, and the air around his fist surged, creating a powerful wind. With a loud bang, his fist struck a tree trunk as thick as a bowl.

The cell finally exploded, bursting open in an instant, releasing a powerful surge of vital energy that merged into Ye Chen's body. The blood energy circulated throughout his entire being, automatically refining his physical form, especially his skin, which began to faintly radiate a layer of luster

With a loud crack, a large tree fell in response, splintering into wood chips at the point where it was struck by Ye Chen, reduced to debris

In the past, stone stumps were used, but ever since the awakening of a cellular particle that granted the power of a beast, the stone stumps have been honorably retired. Those heavy black iron weights have come into play. From the beginning, Ye Chen ran while carrying one iron weight and punching, to now running with five iron weights, bearing nearly 2,000 pounds of weight

Let's go back for lunch. Ye Chen playfully scratched Nan Er's nose and then turned to run away

However, Ye Chen is currently troubled by the issue of cultivation. Ever since he advanced to the fourth stage, the speed of his cultivation has noticeably decreased. His body seems like a bottomless pit, requiring spiritual energy that is dozens or even hundreds of times more than that of an ordinary cultivator. This amount is exceedingly terrifying; were it not for the mysterious mark on his chest, he would likely never reach the pinnacle of the ninth stage in his lifetime.

"Nan'er?" Ye Chen turned around, his expression instantly softening, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes. He strode over and helped Nan'er, who was unsteadily leaning against the tree trunk, to her feet. "How did you get here?"

If an ordinary person possessed you, perhaps they would not even consider the issue of insufficient spiritual energy supply. Ye Chen murmured as he stroked the mark on his chest: Only someone with my unique qualities is like an insatiable abyss. You are so mysterious, yet even the spiritual energy absorbed from heaven and earth cannot meet the amount I require. It seems I need to find a way to obtain some first-grade spiritual herbs; otherwise, it will take at least a few more months to break through to the fifth stage, and beyond the fifth stage, I have no idea how long it will take to break through again.

"Nan'er, is there something good happening? I can see how excited you are," Ye Chen said with a smile, watching Nan'er run closer.

His entire body felt a tightness akin to that of book covers, becoming tough and solid. Ye Chen looked at his arms; his skin was no longer as fair, having darkened considerably, but there was no doubt that it had become much more resilient.

A quarter of an hour later, suddenly, a muffled sound erupted from within Ye Chen, as if something had exploded. This sound startled Nan'er, who was hiding at a distance and watching secretly, causing her to tremble all over. She thought something had happened to Ye Chen, and her little face turned pale as a sheet, yet she did not dare to disturb the young master who was in the midst of his cultivation.

The strength of a barbaric beast should be comparable to that of a practitioner at the fifth stage of physical cultivation! Ye Chen muttered to himself, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes, If I were to face Ye Qing again, I wonder who would emerge victorious!

It was noon, and the sun was blazing high in the sky, yet there was not a single bead of sweat on Ye Chen's face. Although his eyes were closed, a hint of excitement could be seen on his face, as he finally discovered the uniqueness of his physique, a fact that even his somewhat foolish nature found difficult to suppress

The awakening of a single cell is equivalent to the strength of a savage beast. How many cells are there in a human body? Ye Chen himself found it hard to imagine. If all the cells in his body were to awaken, how many savage beasts' worth of strength would he possess? Hundreds of millions? Would he still be human?

After entering the fourth stage of physical refinement, Ye Chen's physique became significantly stronger, resembling that of a fourteen-year-old boy

Ye Chen felt as if he had transformed into a savage beast, possessing the strength of such a creature. After the cell exploded, it returned to its original form, returning to its usual size. However, its color had changed to gold.

It is merely a thought; awakening a single cellular particle requires such an abundance of natural spiritual energy. In the future, the amount of spiritual energy needed to awaken each cellular particle will likely increase, possibly in a progressive manner. Therefore, awakening all the cells in the *Diagram* for Ye Chen feels too distant and unreal.

The young master is surrounded by an abundance of spiritual energy! Nan'er thought to herself, gripping her hands tightly, her knuckles turning white, murmuring: "Who says the young master is useless? The young master is the most formidable! Nan'er's young master must be the most powerful man in the world!"

In the secular world, it is considered quite remarkable for a disciple from a prominent family to break through from the third stage to the fourth stage within a year, provided they have the support of spiritual herbs. A speed like that of Ye Chen has almost never been seen in the secular realm.

The open space of one hundred square meters is covered with Ye Chen's footprints, varying in depth; the deepest reaches three inches. Over the course of this month, Ye Chen has forcefully advanced from the third stage of physical body to the fourth stage.

Section Three of the Flesh! Ye Chen felt somewhat unreal. He had initially thought that he would need to undergo several rounds of spiritual energy refinement before breaking through to the third stage. However, after the awakening of that cellular particle, the powerful blood energy refined his flesh, enhancing his skin and allowing him to directly enter the third stage of skin refinement.

At this moment, Ye Chen was unaware of Nan Er's arrival. The mark on his chest continued to transmit spiritual energy, and the cell particle within him that absorbed this energy had grown nearly the size of a fingertip, resembling a fierce beast on the verge of awakening completely. Ye Chen felt that the cell particle had expanded to its limit, almost ready to burst.

"Young Master, wait for me..." Nan'er immediately chased after him

Young Master, Young Master

"The master asked me to call you for dinner..." Nan'er spoke softly, not daring to look into Ye Chen's eyes, and said weakly, "Young master, I was so scared by how you looked just now."

Just as Ye Chen was deep in thought, Nan'er, with her petite figure, appeared in the forest, resembling a joyful butterfly, swiftly making her way towards Ye Chen, her face filled with excitement