Though Yang Kai is only fifteen this year, ever since the great calamity three years ago, his mentality has matured much more than his peers. It was precisely because of that great calamity that he developed a resilient and indomitable character.
So Yang Kai quickly calmed down, sat on the edge of the bed, and carefully examined the first page of the wordless black book.
After confirming that the first page was no longer of any use, Yang Kai slowly turned to the second page.
With the experience from the first time, Yang Kai's actions this time were much more familiar. He stared intently at the black page, and after a while, the gilded words on the first page slowly reappeared.
"Unyielding Golden Body: Body Tempering Chapter!"
Yang Kai's heart couldn't help but race! Things were indeed as he had guessed; each page of this black book probably hid something.
Without much thought, Yang Kai focused all his attention on the second page of the wordless black book.
In an instant, the gilded words on the black book seemed to turn into live fish, leaping out of the page, forming a golden shadow that drilled directly into Yang Kai's head. When the golden shadow disappeared, Yang Kai felt as if something had been added to his mind, and these things were precisely what the golden shadow had brought.
After calming his excited emotions, Yang Kai closed his eyes and began to digest the knowledge in his mind.
Actually, there was no need to digest it. The knowledge that came with the golden shadow was now clearly present in his mind, and it appeared with a mere thought, understood perfectly and comprehensively.
"This is the Body Tempering Chapter," Yang Kai muttered to himself. He found that it was actually a set of martial arts techniques.
A set of techniques that looked simple but were incredibly profound, and the time for practicing this set of techniques was strictly regulated, requiring practice only at sunrise.
In other words, one could practice for at most half an hour each day.
It was only just evening, and Yang Kai, who had been busy all day and had only eaten a roasted sweet potato, felt his stomach rumbling with hunger. Although he was physically exhausted, the excitement from obtaining the wordless black book kept him very spirited.
Unable to sleep for a while, he began to study the third page of the wordless black book.
However, to his disappointment, no matter how he examined it, the third page showed no changes, and he eventually fell asleep while looking at it.
When Yang Kai woke up again, it was just before sunrise, the darkest part of the dawn, and everything was quiet. The entire Lingxiao Pavilion was silent, with the occasional chirping of birds and insects, as the early birds searched for food.
With something on his mind, Yang Kai quickly got out of bed, stood in front of the small house, and took a few deep breaths to relax his entire body.
As the first light of dawn appeared in the east, Yang Kai opened his eyes. The set of techniques from the Body Tempering Chapter had been practiced countless times in his mind, and he immediately began the routine with ease.
His hands formed palms, moving gently and slowly, pushing forward to the left and right, then quickly retracting, embracing the world in his chest, rubbing all things between his palms, standing on the vast land, and swallowing the sun and moon.
His left foot stepped forward, and the distance seemed vast; his right foot moved lightly, and each step felt like stepping into the netherworld. With each breath, vitality surged, like flowers blooming in spring, the air filled with the scent of spring, and the transition from spring to summer, with the sun shining and the fragrance of lotus flowers.
In autumn, the wind was bleak, and the golden fruits were abundant, refreshing the heart. In the cold winter, the fierce wind howled, and the snow was white, covering everything in silver.
Yang Kai's expression gradually became serious, and the slow movements of his hands and feet seemed to be weighed down by a thousand pounds, making it difficult to continue.
With a crisp cracking sound, Yang Kai's face turned pale, and he staggered, almost falling to his knees.
Although he had practiced the routine countless times in his mind and knew that the set of techniques was not simple, Yang Kai never expected the Body Tempering Chapter to be so profound.
In that short moment, Yang Kai felt as if the entire world was pressing down on him, and he could sense all the feelings of the human world under this immense pressure.
The Body Tempering Chapter was not about practicing the techniques of the hands and feet; it was about the vicissitudes of life, the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death, the flavors of life, the joys and sorrows, the partings and reunions, the waxing and waning of the moon. Each slow movement of the hands and feet was connected to the power of heaven and earth, filled with profound rules and mysteries.
Yang Kai had only pushed out six palms and taken three steps, which was less than one percent of the Body Tempering Chapter, and he was already struggling. The cracking sound came from his spine, making him think his bones had broken.
He quickly felt his back and found that it was only slightly painful, with no serious damage.
After calming his mind, Yang Kai once again began the routine of the Body Tempering Chapter.
Without the mental preparation, Yang Kai had been somewhat dazed and had not clearly felt the sensations. This time, with the experience from before, he held his breath and focused his mind. As he slowly moved his hands and feet, he once again felt the same state of mind, but much more clearly.
His chest was filled with a mix of emotions, indescribable. Not only that, but as the routine progressed, his movements became heavier, as if he were underwater, struggling to move.
The cracking sounds continued, and every movement made his bones crack like fireworks, causing intense pain throughout his body. However, Yang Kai remained unmoved, his resilient willpower showing through.
In a moment, Yang Kai was drenched in sweat, his hands and feet trembling, as if the weight of heaven and earth were pressing down on him.
A strong determination surged in his heart.
Suddenly, a warm sensation spread from within him, gradually easing the pain. Yang Kai's spirit was greatly invigorated, and he focused even more on the routine. He knew that this warmth must have come from the Unyielding Golden Body that had fused into his body, as the Body Tempering Chapter was designed to work with the Golden Body.
As the sun rose, the young man in front of the most secluded small house in Lingxiao Pavilion was drenched in sweat, slowly practicing the techniques, beginning his long journey in the martial arts.
Half an hour quickly passed, and when Yang Kai suddenly felt his body become light, and the heavy pressure was gone, he knew he could no longer practice the Body Tempering Chapter.
The Body Tempering Chapter clearly stated that it could only be practiced for half an hour before sunrise.
His strength seemed to be drained, and Yang Kai fell to the ground, taking a deep breath. A purple aura accompanied his breath, entering his mouth and disappearing. Instantly, Yang Kai felt refreshed, and there was a subtle movement within his body.
Yang Kai was surprised and quickly focused on the sensation. He was taken aback.
Qi sensation! He had actually developed a qi sensation, meaning he had broken through to the fourth layer of the Body Tempering stage?
This great news made Yang Kai extremely happy. Since entering Lingxiao Pavilion, it had taken him three years to reach the third layer of the Body Tempering stage, but today, after practicing for just half an hour, he had broken through.
The Body Tempering stage has nine layers, focusing on the body. The first three layers are for strengthening the body, with no special features, but from the fourth layer onwards, a qi sensation is generated in the meridians.
Only by developing a qi sensation can one advance further in cultivation.
Although he had developed a qi sensation, he still had no yuan qi in his body. It would only be at the seventh layer of the Body Tempering stage that a small amount of yuan qi would be generated, and by the ninth layer, the major cycle would be completed, and the yuan qi would open, connecting the bridge between heaven and earth, breaking through to the Kaiyuan stage, where one truly possesses their own yuan qi.
The Kaiyuan stage is the starting point for a martial artist.
Everything in the Body Tempering stage is to lay the foundation for the future. This foundation is not fixed and will be repeatedly refined as one's strength increases, until reaching the peak.
At this moment, Yang Kai had just entered the fourth layer of the Body Tempering stage, with a nascent qi sensation. To outsiders, this might not seem significant, but for Yang Kai, it was a tremendous piece of good news.