Shi Yan lay sprawled on the ground, his limbs spread wide, staring up at the sky. His face flushed as if it were about to bleed, his chest heaving rapidly as he gasped for air, his body occasionally twitching.
Gazing at the starry sky, Shi Yan felt every cell in his body trembling. With each spasm, his muscles, tendons, bones, and internal organs rhythmically expanded and contracted.
Without using any essence energy, he slowly closed his eyes, savoring the mysterious changes in his exhausted body, feeling the strange tremors in his muscles and bones, the breakdown and reassembly of cells, and the gradual gathering of lost strength.
As a hardcore extreme sports enthusiast, Shi Yan knew that one limit was often just the beginning of the next.
The limits of the human body can be continuously broken, surpassed time and again. The potential of the human body is limitless, without end.
His repeated experiences with extreme sports had taught him that only by breaking limits could significant progress be made.
With his eyes closed and without using any essence energy, he could clearly sense the changes occurring in his muscle cells.
As he focused intently, he quickly realized that the "Undying Martial Spirit" within him had begun to take effect, repairing his body in a way that he couldn't fully comprehend, restructuring his torn muscle tissues, making them tougher and stronger!
Overloading his body with intense gravity training could enhance his explosive power. Only by pushing his muscles to the point of tearing could they become stronger and more robust upon reassembly, with increased mass and improved explosive strength.
As an extreme sports fanatic, Shi Yan was well-versed in the truth that had been proven through repeated practice, knowing exactly what methods could most quickly enhance ** his strength.
Feeling the soreness in his muscle cells and carefully contemplating the effects of the "Undying Martial Spirit," a slight smile slowly crept across Shi Yan's lips. Forcing himself to sit up, he reached into his backpack, took out some food, and began to eat ravenously.
High-intensity exercise consumes a lot of energy, and to recover quickly and gain greater strength, sufficient food is essential!
He devoured pieces of dried meat, which, as soon as they entered his stomach, were rapidly digested and dispersed as nutrients throughout his body.
In no time, he finished off the five-person supply of food in his backpack in one sitting.
As Shi Yan sensed the changes in his body, his smile deepened. After slowly moving his limbs for a while, he finally closed his eyes and began circulating his essence energy through his body.
The moment the essence energy moved, Shi Yan's body trembled slightly.
Just as expected!
The speed at which essence energy flowed through his meridians was definitely three times faster than usual!
After pushing his body to the limit, it had become extremely sensitive, with his meridians exceptionally active. As the essence energy flowed through them, the meridians seemed to absorb faint traces of it, swelling slightly and becoming extraordinarily resilient.
Shi Yan had long suspected that refining the body was as crucial as cultivating essence energy; the two complemented each other.
With a strong enough body, the speed at which essence energy could be gathered would also increase. The stronger the body, the more it would aid in the gathering and utilization of essence energy, and the two hidden "Martial Spirits" within him might even grow stronger.
Today's experiment finally confirmed Shi Yan's hypothesis, and he grinned widely.
...
In a distant thicket.
"Xiao Die, why are you here? You should be resting well. Only with adequate sleep can your Martial Spirit recover quickly," Luo Hao remarked, having sensed Mu Yudie's arrival while dealing with Shi Yan in the gravity field. As Shi Yan lay exhausted, Luo Hao had quietly approached, immediately chiding Mu Yudie.
"I couldn't sleep, so I took a walk and happened to see you two training," Mu Yudie replied with a gentle smile, clearly unafraid of him.
After a pause, her expression turned slightly mischievous. "Uncle Luo, wasn't your approach... a bit too harsh? I remember that when you trained Zhao Xin, you only used a threefold gravity field, and he was already at the second level of the Xiantian realm with a foundation in body cultivation. But for this guy, you started with a fivefold gravity field. What were you thinking?"
Luo Hao smiled wryly, shaking his head with a sigh. "I used the fivefold gravity field from the start because I didn't want him to waste his energy at this stage. I wanted to make him give up right away. Who would have thought... who would have thought this kid was so insane? I was dumbfounded by the end. I wanted to call it off several times, but he wouldn't let me!"
"You mean your plan was to scare him off right from the start so he'd never dare to challenge you again midway?" Mu Yudie rolled her eyes, nearly speechless.
"Exactly." Luo Hao sighed, "You know, maintaining the gravity field consumes a lot of essence energy and requires focus. I didn't want to waste my strength, nor did I want him to be unable to move the next day, which would slow us down. But who could have guessed this kid would turn out to be such a maniac?"
"Uncle Luo, how many laps did you expect him to quit after?"
"Four laps!"
Luo Hao held up four fingers, speaking in a deep voice. "Generally, a martial artist who has just entered the Xiantian realm, without systematic ** training, can only complete four laps under a fivefold gravity field. Five laps would be the limit. I saw how frail he looked and assumed he'd stop after four laps."
"Uh... he completed eleven laps," Mu Yudie's expression turned even more peculiar as she glanced at Shi Yan in the distance. To her surprise, Shi Yan had already resumed his training, sitting there as calm as a mountain. "Ah, he's up and training again!"
"What? He can still move?" Luo Hao was stunned. He looked at Shi Yan from afar, then shook his head with a bitter smile. "Madman. This guy is a madman! Pushing himself like this, he won't be able to move at all tomorrow. With such intense training, he'll find that every part of his body aches tomorrow. I think we'll have to adjust our plans."
"Well, it can't be helped. He's really a reckless guy," Mu Yudie said with a curious smile, shaking her head.
...
Early the next morning, before the sun had risen, the mist was thick.
"Xiao Die, time to get up. We're heading out," Luo Hao called softly under the ancient tree.
"Let me sleep a bit longer," Mu Yudie murmured in a drowsy voice, "Why are we leaving so early today? Didn't we agree that guy wouldn't be able to move today..."
"He's already waiting for you," Luo Hao whispered, still reeling from shock.
Ten minutes earlier, Shi Yan had come over, full of energy, asking for three portions of food.
Right before Luo Hao's eyes, Shi Yan devoured three people's worth of food as if a storm had passed, then patted his stomach and said with satisfaction that they could depart. Luo Hao was so stunned he couldn't speak for a while. He stared at Shi Yan with a look of horror for several minutes before finally muttering, "Freak!"
"That guy's waiting for me?" Mu Yudie murmured, unwillingly rubbing her eyes.
"Yes, and he's more energetic than any of us," Luo Hao replied with a wry smile.
"What?" Mu Yudie suddenly jolted awake, her beautiful eyes glowing as she searched for Shi Yan. When she found him standing tall like a javelin, his eyes bright and spirited, her jaw dropped, and she whispered, "He's really a freak!"
Shi Yan checked his attire one more time, making sure everything was in order, then frowned and said, "Uncle Luo, Miss Mu, what part of me looks like a freak?"
"All of you!" Mu Yudie burst into laughter, suddenly feeling much better.
Her laughter was like the arrival of spring, outshining all the beauty of the dark forest.
Zhao Xin and Hu Long both stared in a daze, momentarily mesmerized, before quickly averting their eyes in embarrassment, not daring to meet Mu Yudie's gaze.
Shi Yan, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes, boldly scrutinizing Mu Yudie's ethereal face. "Miss Mu, if I were a freak, you'd be the first I'd go after. You'd better watch out tonight; I might not be able to control myself. When that happens, make sure you scream loud—I love hearing women scream."
"How dare you!" Di Yalan coldly rebuked.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot there was another beauty. I might have been too focused on one, and that's why you're upset. Don't worry, I'll make sure to find you too. No need to be jealous," Shi Yan said, feigning sudden realization, slapping his forehead in mock regret as if he'd truly forgotten something important.
"Hehe! Hahaha!" Mu Yudie doubled over, laughing uncontrollably on the tree, nearly falling off. She laughed so hard she could hardly breathe, pointing at Shi Yan and saying, "You're really something! How can there be someone as interesting as you, haha..."
Di Yalan was momentarily stunned, then couldn't help but chuckle as well, her expression one of helplessness.
Zhao Xin and Hu Long were utterly bewildered, their expressions as strange as could be.
No matter how hard they tried to be polite and attentive to the two beauties, always careful not to offend them, they rarely received a smile in return.
Yet Shi Yan, who was completely unrestrained and even flirtat