Chu Tian opened his eyes and looked down.
Nie Yun’s right hand, which he was holding, had moved beneath his lower abdomen.
Her slender fingertips were already under his waistband.
The spot of his anger felt that icy touch.
Nie Yun’s gaze followed Chu Tian’s downward glance.
When Chu Tian looked up again, she also shifted her gaze back.
Seeing his watering eyes, on the verge of tears, Chu Tian jolted and let go of her hand.
He sat up, bending over awkwardly to conceal his aroused brother.
"Yun... Sister Yun..."
"I... I'm sorry!"
Chu Tian was mortified!
Before him stood a widow whose husband had just died.
In his sleep, he had almost forced her to help him...
Nie Yun didn't speak, but handed Chu Tian a grilled scorpion claw.
Then she turned and fled as if escaping.
Watching her retreating figure, and then looking at the food in his hand, Chu Tian gave a wry smile.
He took out a spoon and ate a large bite of the grilled scorpion claw.
And the minced garlic vermicelli melted in his mouth.
He hadn't expected Nie Yun, doing this for the first time, to have grasped the knack so well.
The rich aroma, combined with the spiciness of the chili, was simply heavenly.
In his spiritual space, he still had over two hundred large scorpions.
When he got back, he would let them try some too.
What rock lobster, what king crab, couldn't compare to one ten-thousandth of this deathly giant scorpion.
Chu Tian sat there, feasting.
Soon, he had eaten most of the meat from the scorpion claws.
Patting his slightly full stomach, he stood up.
He saw Old Yang on a nearby sand dune, scanning for something.
Chu Tian walked over and asked, "Old Yang, how long did I sleep?"
"About fifteen minutes!" Old Yang replied, then frowned and said,
"Chu Tian, something's not right."
At his words, Chu Tian instantly expanded his spiritual sense.
Within a radius of five kilometers, including ten meters underground, there was no unusual activity.
"There's no problem, it's very quiet!"
Chu Tian was surprised.
Old Yang, however, said, "It's too quiet! That's what's wrong."
"Yesterday, you had sand worm eggs in your bodies, so the sand worms didn't chase us."
"Today, the sand worms haven't come, and that's a bit strange."
After hearing him, Chu Tian laughed, "Haha... Maybe that move wiped out the sand worms entirely!"
Old Yang shook his head, dismissing his notion.
Chu Tian then intensified his spiritual scan, probing down to over fifty meters underground.
Finding absolutely nothing, he stopped bothering Old Yang and found a spot outside the tent to sleep again.
However, this time he kept his spiritual sense spread out.
Although it wasted spiritual energy, Old Yang's demeanor had made him wary.
The night passed without incident. As the first sun rose, Chu Tian was roused by Old Yang, who had resumed his hellish instructor persona.
Then began his journey of pulling the cart.
Yesterday, he had only moved less than a hundred meters.
Today, after a hasty breakfast, Chu Tian didn't dare to look directly at Nie Yun.
Nie Yun, on the other hand, after he finished eating, asked him, "Xiao... Little Tian, do you have any soft fur, cloth, or similar items?"
Chu Tian, unsure of what she intended to do, shook his head.
However, after a moment's thought, he searched his spiritual space.
He found some puffed cornstarch used as padding in packaging boxes.
"Will this do?" Chu Tian asked, holding it out.
Nie Yun took it, felt it, and nodded.
She asked Chu Tian to take out more.
Then, carrying these items, she went to the rope Chu Tian had used to pull the steel plate yesterday.
Little by little, she began to wrap the puffed cornstarch around the rope.
Seeing her actions, Chu Tian was stunned.
He looked down at the bloodstains on his shoulder, caused by the rope yesterday.
Thinking of this, Chu Tian suddenly remembered his dream last night.
Luo Luo, with a look of concern, was stroking his shoulder.
She had asked him if it hurt.
Then, the scene of him pulling Luo Luo's hand downwards had occurred.
Chu Tian watched Nie Yun's busy back.
Could it be...
Chu Tian shook his head, a look of bewilderment on his face.
"Today's goal is a hundred meters..."
Chu Tian took the rope Nie Yun handed him, shouting to encourage himself.
He even winked at Nie Yun.
But he only received a massive eye-roll from her!
"Damn... no ambition!"
"If you don't walk a thousand meters today, you won't eat tonight!"
Old Yang emerged from behind the tent, carrying a rope.
He bent down and tied it to the iron plate.
Chu Tian thought to himself: Holy crap...
Earlier, when he had wanted to put away the large scorpions from last night, Old Yang hadn't allowed it.
He had also asked for another climbing rope.
So this was what it was for.
Old Yang tied the scorpions up,
and connected them to the iron plate.
It was to increase Chu Tian's load.
And he was told to walk 1000 meters today.
Seriously?
Chu Tian remained silent. He draped the climbing rope, now as thick as his arm due to the wrapping of the puffed cornstarch, over his shoulder.
Indeed, it felt much more comfortable, and he didn't feel the biting pain.
"Ha..."
He exhaled a breath of stale air.
His muscles rippled all over.
He took a step.
The slippery sensation underfoot didn't appear.
Today, instead of trying constantly like yesterday, he took this step and then stopped, recalling the movements carefully.
In the morning, Chu Tian covered twice the distance he had yesterday.
By noon, Old Yang only allowed him to drink a little water.
No food.
Chu Tian grumbled inwardly but said nothing.
When the sun was directly overhead at nine o'clock,
he began to exert himself.
His steps gradually widened, his spiritual soul quieted within his body, observing the operation of all his muscles.
Sitting in the tent, enjoying the cool air, Old Yang
felt the iron plate outside moving and stared with wide eyes at Chu Tian, who was straining outside.
He couldn't help but recall scenes of his own training as a child, by his father.
He had been trained in this seemingly ordinary manner by his father since he was three years old.
But by the age of five, he could only manage to stay in place.
Chu Tian, in just one day, could move slowly, inch by inch.
And today, with added weight, he could gradually stride.
When he had succeeded back then, his father had praised him as a genius of the Yang family for generations.
Compared to Chu Tian now, wasn't he an idiot?
However, he didn't know that the reason Chu Tian could grasp the essentials so quickly
was because he had a cheat.
That was his powerful spiritual energy.
With his spiritual energy, he could constantly observe the operation of his own muscles,
continuously adjusting and trying.
This allowed Chu Tian to master Old Yang's "power techniques" in such a short time.
Old Yang's way of exerting force completely overturned the force-generating methods Chu Tian had learned in his competitive combat classes on Blue Star.
On Blue Star, the emphasis was on having firm footing.
The sequence of force generation was:
using the feet to move the lower legs,
using the lower legs to move the knees,
using the knees to move the thighs.
Once the lower body force generation was complete, the waist served as the axis.
Whether punching or kicking, the force would reach its limit.
Chu Tian had practiced this technique for two lifetimes.
But Old Yang taught him entirely self-generated force.
The idea of needing firm footing to borrow power was, in his words, nonsense.
He spoke of "body synchronization."
Even when off the ground, one could perform any action.
This reminded Chu Tian of cats...
No matter how they fell from a height,
they could always land on their feet.
It should be known that the greatest taboo for a martial artist is to attack in mid-air.
Even though it looked spectacular on television, flying around in the sky,
in a real fight,
if you dared to do so, you would be instantly killed.
Unable to borrow force in the air, you couldn't change your moves.
A single opening, and you'd be done for.
One step... two steps... three steps...
Suddenly, Chu Tian, whose spiritual soul was concentrated within his body,
seemed to see a mysterious light flash through all the muscles in his body.
All the muscles and fascia were covered in a silvery hue.
Tiny specks of starlight were immersed within.
Old Yang, who had been observing Chu Tian, suddenly stood up in the tent.
"Uncle Yang, what's wrong?"
Nie Yun was startled by his sudden movement.
Old Yang's eyes were fixed intently on Chu Tian outside.
By this time, it had already gotten dark.
Chu Tian had completely focused his mind inward, long forgetting about time.
And Old Yang, seeing his state, did not call him to stop.
Just now, Chu Tian's body seemed to have suddenly swelled,
and a faint silver light had flashed.
It only lasted for an instant, and then he returned to normal.
But Old Yang was certain he hadn't seen it wrong.
"How is this possible? He actually achieved 'Starlight Entry'!"