Ye Ningze pondered in his heart, "Currently, my body can withstand about thirteen repetitions of the Heavenly Yuan Body Tempering technique. Beyond that number, continuing to use this tempering method would cause damage to my body."
With that thought, Ye Ningze washed his body again and then went to the kitchen to start cooking.
It had to be said that this Heavenly Yuan Body Tempering technique consumed a great deal of energy. Ye Ningze's cultivation level was not high; he was far from reaching the "drumming" realm.
It was rumored that individuals with extremely high cultivation levels could achieve such incredible feats. They did not need to eat, subsisting solely on the spiritual energy absorbed from heaven and earth.
However, such matters were still too distant for the current Ye Ningze, and he did not dwell on them.
After preparing a large meal for himself, Ye Ningze picked up Ye Yuhan and brought her home.
It was already time for school to end, and the streets had not been peaceful lately. It was said that several small demonic beasts had burrowed into the city through tunnels, causing trouble. Ye Ningze was worried about letting his sister, Ye Yuhan, go out alone.
After bringing Ye Yuhan home, the siblings happily enjoyed a hearty meal.
For the next month, Ye Ningze diligently practiced the Heavenly Yuan Body Tempering technique to refine his body every day.
After a month, Ye Ningze could already fluently perform eighteen repetitions of the Heavenly Yuan Body Tempering technique in one go!
One evening, Ye Ningze sat cross-legged in his room. He felt the spiritual energy within him becoming increasingly refined, his muscles more robust, and his bones stronger.
"I wonder if I have reached the Martial Warrior realm now."
Ye Ningze thought to himself.
In this small base called Qingcheng, having one martial warrior in the family was akin to the family achieving great prosperity.
The standard for judging whether a person had reached the martial warrior realm was whether their strength reached four hundred jin!
This judgment method was also extremely simple: as long as one could lift a boulder weighing four hundred jin, it proved that their strength had reached the martial warrior realm!
After finishing his daily training, Ye Ningze pondered in his room: "If I remember correctly, the school's training ground has a boulder weighing four hundred jin. I should be able to test myself with it."
Thus, Ye Ningze walked out of his room and headed towards the training ground.
Seeing that no one was around, Ye Ningze took a deep breath and looked at the four-hundred-jin boulder before him.
"Come on, I will definitely become a martial warrior!"
"I will definitely change my ordinary life!"
Chanting these words silently in his heart, Ye Ningze clenched his fists tightly and walked up to the boulder. He took a deep breath, squatted down, extended his arms to embrace the boulder, and then exerted all his strength.
Bang!
As Ye Ningze exerted his full power, a muffled sound erupted from his arms. Then, his legs pushed forward fiercely, trying to lift the boulder.
Hah!
Ye Ningze roared, his legs pushing off the ground. He lunged forward, then suddenly turned, wrapping his arms around the boulder's shoulders and twisting with all his might.
With a crisp cracking sound, the incredibly heavy boulder was actually moved by Ye Ningze for about a meter.
"Hahahaha, I succeeded! I've finally reached the martial warrior realm!"
Ye Ningze stood up, laughing, his heart filled with excitement.
However, Ye Ningze quickly calmed down. To truly stand out, being a mere martial warrior was not enough; he needed to become even stronger!
Ye Ningze pondered, planning to leave the academy and return home to cultivate.
After all, he could now practice the Heavenly Yuan Body Tempering technique eighteen times a day. If he practiced within the academy, it would be difficult not to be noticed by others. And if that happened, his extraordinary talent would be revealed.
That would make things complicated.
On the way home, a voice called out, "Ye Ningze, wait a moment."
Ye Ningze turned and saw Lin Haitao calling him, so he stopped and asked, "What is it, Lin Haitao?"
Lin Haitao approached with a mysterious air and asked, "Ye Ningze, you've become a martial apprentice, haven't you?"
Ye Ningze nodded, "Of course."
Becoming a martial apprentice did not require overly stringent conditions. As long as one possessed D-grade potential and cultivated diligently, they could become a martial apprentice.
Lin Haitao quickly asked, "Ye Ningze, do you want to improve your strength rapidly?"
Ye Ningze nodded, "Of course I do. Do you have a way?"
Lin Haitao nodded, "Have you heard of beast blood?"
Ye Ningze nodded. After he transmigrated, he inherited the memories of the original body's owner. The original owner's parents were martial warriors, so he naturally learned much "common knowledge" that ordinary people did not know from them.
However, to obtain beast blood, one had to hunt fierce beasts or purchase it at a high price. With his current financial situation, buying beast blood was impossible.
Even a low-grade beast blood would cost hundreds of thousands.
That was enough to cover his and his sister's living expenses for over a decade!
Ye Ningze dared not even think about such a thing.
Ye Ningze said to Lin Haitao, "I know, but that stuff is too expensive. I can't afford it."
Lin Haitao said mysteriously, "Let me tell you, Ye Ningze, the major academies in our Qingcheng base are planning to hold a trial."
"Recently, in a wild area outside the city, the base's higher-ups have killed all the high-level fierce beasts in that region, leaving only some relatively ordinary ones."
"Those beasts are not very strong, so the academies plan to find a group of students to enter and clear out these weaker fierce beasts!"
"And there are rewards for such tasks. Points are awarded based on ranking. It's said that the first place will receive intermediate beast blood as a reward!"
Seeing Lin Haitao's eager expression, Ye Ningze was also tempted.
—Intermediate beast blood!
That stuff had the effect of body tempering! For a martial warrior like him, it was undoubtedly a great tonic!
Moreover, intermediate beast blood came from powerful fierce beasts that required the combined efforts of multiple elite martial warriors to defeat.
For him, a novice who had only recently entered the martial warrior realm, obtaining such a treasure was impossible on his own!
Ye Ningze gave Lin Haitao a deep look and asked, "Are you planning for the two of us to team up and go in?"
Lin Haitao nodded excitedly, "Yes! We have the best relationship in school, so I came to you first for something like this."
Ye Ningze feigned deep thought for a moment, then asked, "But Lin Haitao, that's dealing with fierce beasts in the wild. Although they are weak, they are still fierce beasts. With one wrong step, we could lose our lives."