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Wang Li's soul power circulated throughout his body. He fixed his eyes on a large tree. Steeling his heart, he closed his eyes and crashed into it.
Bang!
Following a muffled sound, Wang Li was thrown back, staggering. He shook his hands, baring his teeth and grimacing. He had just crashed into the tree with his arms crossed in front of his chest—now his arms were bruised and throbbing.
However, after his soul power circulated, the burning pain was immediately alleviated.
But Wang Li didn't stop. Without waiting for his arms to return to normal, he crashed into the tree again, this time with his shoulder.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
…
Wang Li crashed again and again, counting in his heart. Relying on his body's ability to slowly recover, he was treating his body with brutal disregard.
By the end of the session, there wasn't a single uninjured spot on his body. It was either bruised or scraped—bloody and battered all over.
"Huff… Huff… Huff…"
Lying on the Blue Silver Grass hillside, Wang Li gasped for breath. Perhaps it was related to crashing into the tree just now, but not only did the surface of his body ache terribly, even his lungs felt like they were burning.
Although crashing into a tree looked simple, it actually mobilized his whole body. From the way he exerted force to the combination of soul power and flesh, Wang Li's body was constantly adapting through this continuous, harsh refinement.
Moreover, under the soothing effect of his soul power, the damaged parts of his body were rapidly regenerating. Muscle tissue activated, beginning to heal, becoming thicker and stronger. Subcutaneous fat felt like it was being constantly burned and forged, impurities discharged bit by bit. The surface of his skin was covered with large and small scabs, with new granulation tissue growing, adhering, and healing…
All of this was constantly happening. Of course, the current Wang Li wasn't yet able to fully perceive all the changes occurring in his body. He could only see that his injuries were recovering.
"Spirit skills aren't something that can be created just by thinking about them," Wang Li thought. "If I want to create my own Spirit Skill, it's best to start from my own strengths. Let's see if I can develop something similar to an 'Iron Body' or 'Golden Bell Shield' effect with my Vitality and Tenacity!"
Lying on the Blue Silver Grass hillside, Wang Li frowned and said to himself:
"Being resistant to beatings is good, but I can't just keep getting beaten. I also have to find a way to improve my speed and agility. Even if I can't surpass an agility-type Soul Master, I can't let them easily catch me."
"In the future, I'll try injecting soul power into my legs. I'll see if I can control it to erupt, thereby propelling my speed. I'll start little by little. As long as I don't blow up my legs, I can wait to recover and try again many times."
"I have the characteristic of Vitality, so I must use it fully. It can't just be used to restore my own injuries. Is it my soul power that has a healing effect, or is my soul power able to stimulate the body's self-healing ability…?"
Wang Li still had doubts, but his eyes were unusually bright. If he wanted to improve his strength, he needed to thoroughly understand himself, truly control himself, and completely unleash his own potential.
The panel was a tool—it was static. But people were alive. Just as he had effectively gained a meditation technique for free from the panel, he could also try to develop more things on his own.
Unknowingly, he had been lying there until nearly dusk. Feeling that his injuries had mostly recovered, Wang Li got up, picked up his school uniform, and walked down the mountain while putting it on.
Now Wang Li looked a little battered, but in reality, it was just his appearance. Internally, there were basically no major problems. No bones were broken, and no organs were injured, so he was fine.
However, what he didn't notice was that in the place where he had just been lying, the Blue Silver Grass that had been crushed by him—after absorbing the blood that dripped from his body—was now glowing with a different kind of vitality, swaying and growing upwards.
As for Wang Li, after returning to Nuoding Academy, he first went to the cafeteria for a big meal and then returned to the dormitory.
Tang San had not returned from blacksmithing, and Xiao Wu had not returned from shopping either. Most of the others were there.
Wang Li greeted everyone upon his return. Wang Sheng suddenly asked seriously:
"Wang Li, were you bullied?"
Wang Li waved his hand. "Don't worry, no one bullied me. I just went to the Back Mountain to train. My martial soul can't improve my combat ability much, but I can train my body to improve my combat ability."
Wang Sheng understood. Then he said with a sly smile:
"That's right. How strong can Blue Silver Grass become even after absorbing a Soul Ring? Unlike my War Tiger Martial Soul—as long as I absorb a Soul Ring, I can become a powerful Soul Master. And I'm about to break through to level 10 soon."
Wang Li had already broken through to level 10, but had he told anyone?
No.
To Wang Sheng, Wang Li seemed sincere, but in reality, he was being very noncommittal. He said:
"Your Martial Soul is the War Tiger, the king of beasts. My Martial Soul is just the most common Blue Silver Grass. You can become stronger easily, so naturally, I have to work twice as hard."
After glossing over the matter of going to the Back Mountain to train, Wang Li fetched some clean water and briefly washed his body, washing away the dust and dirt.
He didn't tear off the scabs, intending to wait for them to fall off on their own. Only one afternoon had passed, so he would have to wait at least one more night for the wounds inside to completely heal.
Returning to his bed, Wang Li didn't cultivate. Instead, he went to sleep early. He needed to get enough rest so he could continue training tomorrow.
The next day!
It was another fairly peaceful day. After spending a fulfilling but tedious morning in class, Wang Li went to the Back Mountain again in the afternoon. He found that familiar hillside covered with Blue Silver Grass.
Taking off his school uniform and stretching his limbs slightly—after only crashing into trees for a day yesterday—Wang Li planned to change things up today.
Finding a wide-open spot, he mobilized soul power to his legs. What followed would test Wang Li's control over his soul power. He circulated Soul Power to fit the soles of his feet, compressing it, compressing it, and compressing it again…
Leaning forward, he assumed a running posture.
Bang!
Wang Li flew directly into the air. With a painful cry, he fell heavily to the ground and rolled several times.
The pain made Wang Li bare his teeth and grimace. Taking off his shoes, he saw his calves were red—he didn't know how many capillaries had burst. His soles were bloody. The soul power he had compressed had exploded uncontrollably, resulting in his current state.
Fortunately, his soul power was relatively gentle and also had a healing effect. Now his soles felt cool and no longer as painful. They were beginning to heal on their own.
Sighing, Wang Li said:
"Creating a movement-type Spirit Skill for myself is probably much more difficult than practicing an 'Iron Body' technique by crashing into trees. It seems that my Martial Soul talents—Vitality and Tenacity—have actually helped me a lot in other ways."
After resting for more than 10 minutes, Wang Li stood up again. Not wearing shoes, he stood barefoot on the ground, mobilizing soul power to his legs and circulating it to fit the soles of his feet.
Before learning to walk, you can't learn to fly. Therefore, Wang Li no longer insisted on compressing his soul power. Instead, he focused more on controlling his soul power, taking it little by little. He had plenty of opportunities to try—and fail—repeatedly.
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