Chapter Fourteen: Seventh Layer of Body Refinement and Double Strike (II)

Ye Mo used two wooden sticks to lift the scalding stone bowl from the campfire; with such a high temperature, he dared not touch it with his hands. Once the bowl had cooled down, he gulped down the thick, blood-red medicinal decoction in one go.

With the addition of the Seven-leaf Lotus, this time the medicine did not have the same fiercely pungent bitterness as before. Yet the medicinal power was distinctly stronger than the last time!

Ye Mo soon felt a vigorous, warm current welling up in his abdomen, rushing through his meridians, seeping into his very marrow. Wherever it passed, his vital energy surged, all the blood vessels in his body throbbing intensely.

He hurriedly sat cross-legged, guiding this potent medicinal force through his body.

“I thought that with the Seven-leaf Lotus mixed in, the effect would be milder this time. I didn't expect it to remain so intense—no wonder, given it’s made from two high-grade tempering herbs. The medicinal strength is truly formidable!”

“Right now, I’m at the mid-stage of the Warrior’s Body Tempering, sixth level. Taking two high-grade tempering herbs at once—the power is a little too much!”

“Each tier of body tempering for warriors corresponds to a specific grade of herb. Usually, only those at the seventh level would take seventh-grade tempering herbs. With my sixth-level cultivation, taking seventh- or eighth-grade herbs would definitely bring intense pain to the body.”

“Luckily, I took only a small amount, or my blood vessels might have burst!”

Ye Mo quickly directed the medicinal current within his abdomen to attack the meridians he had yet to clear, sending it into his bones, stimulating his own blood and marrow. He was glad he had not consumed more, or the consequences today would have been unimaginable.

But though he had taken some risks, the gains were evident.

After less than half an hour, Ye Mo sensed that his entire body’s vital energy, stimulated by the powerful medicine, had reached a peak—he had hit a clear bottleneck and could no longer increase it. His blood vessels even began to faintly emit a crimson glow.

This tremendous medicinal force thoroughly cleared his blood vessels and sinews, washing away years of accumulated internal injuries and blood stasis. The warm current coursed through his body, continually refining and strengthening his physique.

This tempering power lasted for a full half-hour as Ye Mo absorbed it.

With a sudden jolt, his body quaked as if he had broken through a barrier—his vital energy surged like a tide. He snapped his eyes open, and in that instant, his gaze shone with a piercing brilliance, like stars in the dim cave, dazzling and bright.

The radiance flared, then faded. Ye Mo’s eyes had returned to their usual state, but his face glowed with renewed vigor and spirit.

“I’ve finally broken through! Late-stage Warrior, seventh level of Body Tempering! If I meet that lean man with the Eagle Claw Skill or the burly, bearded fellow again, I could cut them down with a single sword! Let’s see if they dare act so arrogantly before me now!”

Ye Mo was overjoyed.

He could clearly feel his body brimming with energy, even his blood felt somehow transformed.

The change in his physique was dramatic. Upon reaching the seventh level of Body Tempering, his body underwent a significant refinement. The strength of an ordinary warrior would leap from two hundred pounds at the mid-stage to three hundred pounds at the late-stage.

Naturally, his overall combat ability improved as well—his sword speed, running speed, explosive power, and resistance to blows all saw marked enhancements.

“While the tempering medicine is still at work, I must immediately go train in the third advanced move of the ‘Wave-Cutting Technique’—the Consecutive Wave Slash! This island is fraught with danger: not only are the monthly tidal sea beasts drawing near, but clashes between warrior gangs are also intensifying. I must master the Consecutive Wave Slash as soon as possible!”

Ye Mo resolved, eager to strengthen himself without delay.

After washing the stone bowl clean, he ground up the snake gallbladder grass and bitter ginseng for Mo Ling’s injury, placed them in the bowl, added water, and began simmering the healing medicine for her to take later.

“Mo Ling, keep an eye on the fire and the medicine, don’t let it burn. I’m going outside to practice my swordsmanship!”

Ye Mo stabilized the fire, then instructed Mo Ling.

“Alright!” Mo Ling, who was cultivating her internal energy, nodded in agreement.

Ye Mo left the cave and arrived at the temporary camp enclosed by spiritual wood fencing, finding a clear space to practice the third advanced move of the Wave-Cutting Technique: the Consecutive Wave Slash.

The final move of the Wave-Cutting Technique mimics the surging waves of rivers and seas, each wave overwhelming the last. It can reach two levels of power: the Double Consecutive Slash and the Triple Consecutive Slash.

This was truly terrifying. Ordinary warriors, even at the late stage, could only muster three hundred pounds of force. Breaking through three hundred was exceedingly difficult.

The art of consecutive strikes isn’t something a warrior can master simply by desire. Even most warriors at the ninth level of Body Tempering struggle to execute consecutive attacks.

The key to the Double Consecutive Slash is to make the sword’s edge tremble twice in a flash at the moment of striking, achieving a double hit with a combined force of six hundred pounds.

The Triple Consecutive Slash is even more fearsome, pushing close to a thousand pounds of force—an almost inconceivable might.

A thousand pounds is the ultimate limit that warriors aspire to. Only a rare handful of peerless generals and top-tier warriors could ever hope to approach it.

To surpass a thousand pounds is a realm reserved for cultivators, far beyond what ordinary warriors could ever hope to touch.

With a ringing sound, Ye Mo unsheathed the Azure Edge Sword, cold light flashing.

“Previously, as a mid-stage warrior, my base strength was just over two hundred pounds. Now, at late-stage seventh level, I have three hundred pounds of base strength. If I master the Double Consecutive Slash, I could unleash six hundred pounds of force in an instant—formidable killing power indeed!”

“If I can master the double slash, then if I encounter that damned juvenile demon crab in the wild again, even if I can’t defeat it, I won’t just be taking a beating. It won’t dare to bully me so easily!”

The thought of the demon crab’s mysterious water arrow spell still sent a chill down Ye Mo’s spine.

Unless cornered, he did not wish to fight the creature to the death. Such mysterious sorcery was a terrifying threat to any warrior.

With no waves to strike in the cave camp, Ye Mo could only use a three-inch-thick, several-feet-long piece of spiritual wood as his target. With the Wave-Cutting Slash, he could chop about an inch deep. If he mastered the Double Consecutive Slash, he could cut through the three-inch wood in one stroke.

Holding the sword sheath in his left hand and gripping the hilt with his right, Ye Mo leaned forward and struck at the wooden stake.

“Double Consecutive Slash!”

With a shout, a streak of cold light flashed, the Azure Edge Sword sliced toward the spiritual wood.

But the sword lodged in the wood, cutting about an inch and a half deep, failing to release the consecutive strike.

“A failure?”

“Again!”

Still only a single sword shadow. With a crack, the Azure Edge Sword stuck again into the wood, this time in a different spot.

Ye Mo pulled the sword free, lost in thought.

“My three hundred pounds of force can cleave an inch and a half into the wood. The reason I failed just now was that the speed of the double strike wasn’t enough—the sword’s edge didn’t tremble twice in an instant. It all comes down to speed!”

Ye Mo wasn’t anxious, but practiced repeatedly, striking rapidly over and over.

Sometimes, mastering martial skills is a matter of natural progression—forcing it is useless. Once you reach a certain level of proficiency, the breakthrough comes on its own. If ten thousand times isn’t enough, then try a million. If a million still fails, then try ten million.

Ye Mo trained for hundreds of strikes in one go, his stamina barely diminished, needing no rest.

“It seems the herbal tempering has boosted my physique more than a little! If I had trained the Consecutive Slash two days ago, I’d have been exhausted and needed rest. Now, even after hundreds of continuous strikes, I’m fine! And my sword’s power and speed are both much greater than before!”

Ye Mo was invigorated.

He trained for a full half hour.

His muscles taut, body leaning forward, right hand gripping the sword.

“Double Consecutive Slash!”

With a piercing cry, the Azure Edge Sword flashed, its blade quivering, releasing two nearly overlapping sword shadows.

With a crack, the three-inch-thick spiritual wood was cleaved in two in an instant, the pieces falling to the ground.

“A double strike! Two sword shadows in a blink, their combined power reaching six hundred pounds! Double the destructive force—ordinary high-level warriors could never withstand such ferocity!”

In the cave camp, Mo Ling, idly watching Ye Mo’s training while circulating her internal energy, was astonished, her beautiful face paling in shock.

“How is this possible? Among the young warriors of Donglai, none can perform a double strike! Only a select few peerless warriors, legendary generals, or grandmasters have ever mastered a move that multiplies power so dramatically.”

“Yet Ye Mo has done it! He just broke through to the late stage of Body Tempering, and already he’s mastered the double strike—his strength is growing at an incredible rate! There are still more than twenty days until the monthly tidal surge. Perhaps… he truly stands a chance of surviving the sea beast assault at month’s end.”