Chapter 345: Test
"Come."
In the courtyard, Zhang Yuan, bare-chested, handed a fired copper rod to Wang Wu: "Hit me with all your strength!"
"Yes, Master!"
Wang Wu took the heavy copper rod with both hands and immediately swung it with all his might towards Zhang Yuan’s waist and abdomen without a moment’s hesitation.
He was well aware of his own strength, which probably couldn’t match even one of Zhang Yuan’s fingers.
Since Zhang Yuan had instructed him,
if he held back, it would undoubtedly be an insult to his master!
Thus, in that blow, Wang Wu used every ounce of his strength.
Bang!
The fired copper rod struck heavily on Zhang Yuan’s left waist, causing a dull collision sound.
This area is where the kidneys are located, one of the body’s vital areas.
But Zhang Yuan stood still after receiving the blow, and dark golden bloodlines suddenly appeared at the point of impact, weaving into a hidden scale armor beneath his skin.
These dark patterns lasted only for a moment before silently disappearing.
But the appearance of these dark scales barely managed to withstand the impact from the copper rod.
Zhang Yuan calmly said, "Again, hit anywhere!"
Wang Wu nodded, then slowly moved behind Zhang Yuan, suddenly swinging the rod towards the back of his head.
Bang!
Another loud thud.
Wang Wu groaned, involuntarily letting go of both hands.
The already bent fired copper rod instantly fell from his hand, striking the stone pavement with a crisp sound.
Wang Wu’s second strike not only failed to shake Zhang Yuan but also left his hands and forearms numb from the recoil, nearly tearing his palms open and drawing blood.
He mournfully said, "Master, forgive my incompetence."
Zhang Yuan shook his head: "It’s not your fault, go bring the Yanling Saber."
Having Wang Wu use a copper rod to hit him wasn’t a form of self-abuse.
It was to test the newly learned "Six Harmonies Qilin Body."
Unfortunately, Wang Wu’s strength is too weak, and the effectiveness of the test using blunt instruments can only be described as unremarkable.
So Zhang Yuan decided to increase the intensity!
Use the Yanling Saber?
Wang Wu couldn’t help but be shocked.
There’s a difference between slashing with sharp weapons and hitting with blunt ones; many horizontal training techniques can block the latter but not the former.
Moreover, the Yanling Saber Zhang Yuan instructed him to take is a Hundred-Forged Weapon obtained through martial merit.
Its sharpness is indisputable.
Despite being somewhat uneasy, Wang Wu dared not go against Zhang Yuan’s intentions.
After taking the Yanling Saber, he hesitated for a moment and then gritted his teeth, slashing towards Zhang Yuan’s right arm.
With this slash, Wang Wu only used seventy percent of his strength.
Clang!
To his amazement, the Hundred-Forged Yanling Saber striking Zhang Yuan’s arm made a sound akin to metal clashing.
Not only did it fail to pierce Zhang Yuan’s skin, but it was also bounced off by a peculiar force.
Zhang Yuan frowned: "Didn’t you have breakfast?"
Wang Wu, fearing, made another full-strength strike without further reservation.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
One slash after another, each targeting Zhang Yuan’s critical points—head, neck, heart, dantian...
As a result, Wang Wu ended up breathless and exhausted, while Zhang Yuan didn’t lose a single hair.
"That’s enough."
Zhang Yuan waved his hand, signaling Wang Wu to cease his futile attacks.
Wang Wu was instantly relieved, wiping away sweat, looking pitiful, wanting to say something but not daring to.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuan smiled and said, "Forget it, train hard and strive to advance to Tier Two soon."
Despite Wang Wu’s rather weak strength, Zhang Yuan did manage to assess some of the power of the Six Harmonies Qilin Body.
As a Qi Entry Realm horizontal cultivation technique, its defensive effects are very strong.
Its greatest feature is the absence of any vulnerabilities, offering comprehensive protection to the practitioner with no weaknesses to exploit.
Moreover, whether the attack is with fists or weapons, the defense is entirely equivalent.
To break through the defense of the Six Harmonies Qilin Body, one must use greater strength to forcefully destroy it!
This is equivalent to armoring Zhang Yuan with an invisible layer of heavy armor.
A heavy armor without any defensive blind spots!
After the test, Zhang Yuan continued his secluded training.
But after just five days of practice, he had to pause his cultivation of the Six Harmonies Qilin Body.
Fan Tai was right; the Six Harmonies Qilin Body is indeed quite a pitfall.
The Qilin Treasure Grass Zhang Yuan took earlier had its medicinal energy fully absorbed.
Then the pace of cultivation abruptly slowed.
Zhang Yuan assessed himself; without the support of heavenly and earthly treasures, relying solely on regular training methods, it would take three to five years to reach the minor achievement realm of the Six Harmonies Qilin Body.
And even this is an optimistic estimate; the future terrain of training is unpredictable.
There’s no way Zhang Yuan would spend so much time entirely on this horizontal cultivation technique!
What’s worse is that even with the appropriate heavenly and earthly treasures for the Six Harmonies Qilin Body, there are conditions for usage.
For instance, Qilin Grass can be taken continuously, aiding well in auxiliary practice of the Six Harmonies Qilin Body.
However, the quality demands must rise constantly.
If Zhang Yuan’s first intake was of 270-year-old, the next time must be 270 years or older; otherwise, the medicinal effect would be greatly reduced, entirely unworthy.
Similar laws apply to other compatible treasure materials!
This means Zhang Yuan not only needs to keep spending but must keep increasing the intensity of spending.
Otherwise, he can forget about swiftly improving this cultivation technique.
The problem is, many precious heavenly and earthly treasures are hard to buy with gold and silver.
Special channels are needed.
And the higher the age of the treasure materials, the rarer they become!
Thinking about it made Zhang Yuan’s scalp tingle.
He first suspected whether he was too reckless, hence stepping into a pit without hesitation.
And he stepped in knowing full well!
After pondering, Zhang Yuan could only suspend his cultivation of the Six Harmonies Qilin Body.
He planned to vent his frustrations and anger by killing a few Wuqi barbarians and asked Wang Wu about recent situations.
Wang Wu informed Zhang Yuan that during his seclusion, the Battle Hall of the Golden Sand Gang moved out in full force, led by three Tier Five experts and utilizing hundreds of warships, successfully reclaiming dozens of Land Islands previously occupied by the Wuqi Tribe.
An unprecedented battle erupted between the two sides, causing significant losses on both ends.
Currently, the power of the Wuqi Tribe has withdrawn from the Golden Sand Gang’s range of influence!
Zhang Yuan didn’t anticipate such massive changes in Golden Sand Island’s situation within just a few days.
Wang Wu further informed him that some martial artists also participated in the recent battles.
But the numbers weren’t large.
As one of the leading forces in the Great Dream Marsh, these martial artists shared the same origin as the Wuqi Tribe, so even the victorious Golden Sand Gang couldn’t afford to be overly optimistic.
Everyone believed the Wuqi Tribe would soon come back.
Once they truly unite with the martial artists.
Then, the lone Golden Sand Gang will undoubtedly face an even more severe situation!