At last, after a thousand and five hundred stabs, he was drenched in sweat. His right arm felt almost numb, no longer his own. His right hand was completely numb and senseless. He had relied purely on willpower to endure until completing the one thousand five hundred stabs.
“Water,” Dongbo Xueying rasped.
“Master, water,” the servant beside him, already awestruck, hurriedly handed over a cup.
Dongbo Xueying extended his left hand to take the large cup of water and drank it all in one go.
Then he immediately resumed practicing the “Flame Tri-Phase Method!”
During the cultivation of this martial technique, his entire body’s tendons and bones tingled. This time, the sensation was most pronounced in his right arm and hand. Clearly, the mysterious force from the heavens and earth continuously seeped into his right arm and hand. The more exhausted he became, the more effective the cultivation became! Of course, his body couldn’t collapse from overexertion. If an ordinary person trained as hard as Dongbo Xueying, their hands would likely be ruined within ten days. However, he had expensive medicinal baths every day. Such treatments, over a year, would bankrupt even an average noble family!
After practicing the method thoroughly three times, his absorption of the force from the heavens and earth had become very weak, so he stopped. At this point, his left arm and hand were no longer tired, but his right hand still felt sore.
“Begin training with the left hand.”
“Come,” Dongbo Xueying’s eyes gleamed as he stared at the alchemical training dummy ahead. He grasped the spear shaft with his right hand and the end with his left, then thrust forward powerfully!
…
“Tong San, have you seen Xueying?”
“Not yet.”
Zong Ling and Tong San were somewhat surprised and puzzled. It was nearly lunchtime, yet they still hadn’t seen Xueying. With Dongbo Lie and his wife recently captured, they were also deeply concerned for Xueying.
“Where is the young master?” Zong Ling and Tong San asked a maid.
The maid hurriedly replied, “He has been at the training ground since morning.”
“Still at the training ground? It’s almost noon now,” Tong San exclaimed in astonishment. “Normally, Xueying trains for only one or two hours in the morning. It’s already been nearly three hours since morning.”
Zong Ling didn’t say anything but quickly headed toward the training ground.
As they approached, they could hear the continuous “Peng! Peng! Peng!” sounds from within the training ground—low, powerful, and rhythmic. Zong Ling and Tong San exchanged glances before pushing open the gate to the training ground.
“This…” Both Zong Ling and Tong San were stunned.
The previously flushed-skinned youth was now wielding a long spear with both hands, continuously lashing it against the alchemical training dummy.
Using his waist for power, he swung the spear furiously!
Once, twice, three times… repeatedly using the same technique, the spear sliced through the air, building momentum until it struck the dummy in an instant, reaching maximum speed and power.
The youth’s skin was flushed red, and his body was steaming, the result of his body’s heat vaporizing.
“His entire body’s blood and energy have surged to this extent?” Zong Ling was astonished.
“Xueying, rest quickly, rest for a while! Are you crazy?” Tong San anxiously rushed forward, never before having seen Dongbo Xueying train with such diligence, pushing his spear practice to the brink of his physical limits.
“Just a bit more! Not done yet,” Dongbo Xueying replied.
“Don’t worry. Xueying takes medicinal baths every day. His body won’t break down. Let him vent his emotions,” Zong Ling thought to himself. He wasn’t afraid of physical injuries from training, as the daily medicinal baths could easily nourish and repair his body. What he feared was that Xueying might undergo a drastic change in his heart and mind. Having watched Xueying grow up, he didn’t want his character to become strange or eccentric.
Dongbo Xueying turned his head to glance at his two uncles and smiled, “Uncle Zong, Uncle Tong, don’t worry, I’m fine.” He wasn’t just venting his emotions. After watching the secret techniques of the legendary knight’s spearplay, he had devised this training plan for himself.
Without sufficient diligence, how could one become strong merely by relying on a single secret manual?
After another cup of tea’s time passed,
Dongbo Xueying practiced the “Flame Tri-Phase Method” twice more, marking the end of his morning training!
…
After lunch, he spent some time with his younger brother before picking up his long spear again to train.
“Haa!”
With both hands exerting force simultaneously, he thrust the spear forward, channeling all his strength through both arms into the single spear, its power significantly more intense!
The spear repeatedly struck the alchemical training dummy, accurately hitting the marked red spots on the face, throat, and chest in a continuous sequence.
This was the fourth phase of Dongbo Xueying’s spear training plan—Dual-Handed Thrust!
…
Two thousand dual-handed thrusts, followed by the Flame Tri-Phase Method practice.
“Archery!” Dongbo Xueying commanded.
“At once, Master.” At ten meters away, ten servants stood with bows and arrows. The arrowheads had been removed, leaving only the shafts. They exchanged hesitant glances. Previously, Dongbo Xueying’s spear blocking drills had always been practiced with his father. Now, they were directly shooting arrows at him. If he couldn’t block them, the impact on his body, though without arrowheads, would still be very painful, and skin ruptures and bleeding would be normal.
The servants were somewhat worried.
“Hurry! Follow my previous orders!” Dongbo Xueying barked, and the servants could only obey.
Shiuu!
The first arrow flew. Dongbo Xueying immediately blocked with his spear, extending it forward to intercept and deflect the arrow.
One arrow at a time.
Although the distance was only ten meters, the servants didn’t possess any martial energy, and while the arrows were fast, Dongbo Xueying could still manage to intercept them, skillfully employing the techniques of ‘blocking,’ ‘controlling,’ and ‘deflecting’ from the spearplay.
Then two arrows came simultaneously. Dongbo Xueying clearly struggled, being hit three or four times out of ten attempts. His skin began to show red and purple bruises, and occasionally, some areas even had skin abrasions. However, these minor injuries were of no concern to Dongbo Xueying.
…
“The Heart’s Spearplay” is the source of all martial techniques, the most fundamental spear method within the Xia Clan. Merely practicing Schemes would result in empty forms. The spear techniques must be broken down into individual moves and practiced repeatedly to transform ordinary techniques into astonishing power.
Spearplay training consists of six phases: left-handed thrust, right-handed thrust, sweeping, whipping, chopping, dual-handed thrust, blocking, and free-form attack. Interspersed with the practice of martial energy techniques to alleviate physical fatigue, otherwise, such high-intensity training would be unsustainable…
A full six hours of training each day!
After finishing the training, he would go for a medicinal bath, which not only prevented his body from breaking down but also allowed it to continuously recover and grow stronger through the training. His body, especially the muscles and tendons in his arms and hands, were constantly transforming.
Evening was the time for rest, having dinner with his younger brother, playing with him, reading some books, and then going to sleep.
…
It seemed very tiring, but in reality, it was just like how commoners felt after a hard day’s work. Once accustomed, it felt normal. Dongbo Xueying could feel his spearplay constantly improving, his body growing stronger day by day. Rather than feeling tired, he increasingly enjoyed his training.
Even while practicing spear techniques, he would sometimes smile, occasionally pausing to frown in deep thought, clearly immersed in the subtleties of the spearplay… This allowed Dongbo Xueying’s spear skills to improve at an astonishing rate.
…
Two years later, in the winter.
Snowflakes danced in the air.
A valiant young man wielded a black long spear, practicing thrusting techniques. At this moment, a servant held a shield covered with thick layers of animal hide and cloth. Though cumbersome, without these protective layers to absorb the impact, the servants wouldn’t be able to withstand the force.
The servant kept dodging left and right, but Dongbo Xueying suddenly lunged forward. The spear, like a dragon swimming through water, twisted and pierced forward with a sharp whistling sound, instantly striking the shield. The servant felt the force transmitted through the shield shake his entire body. This thrust was still manageable; the sweeping and chopping techniques were even more powerful.
“Master, how come I can’t dodge at all?” the sturdy male servant complained with a grimace.
“Just one successful dodge earns a silver coin. All of you should train hard,” Dongbo Xueying said. The other servants nearby looked on enviously, as one silver coin was equivalent to a month’s salary. In the earlier days, there were occasionally servants who managed to evade successfully, and Dongbo Xueying had distributed hundreds of silver coins in total. However, later on, it became extremely difficult to earn even a single silver coin.
“My spearplay hasn’t improved in quite some time. This forceful technique has reached a bottleneck,” Dongbo Xueying muttered to himself. “According to the records in the secret manual of the Ice Knight, should I now start practicing ‘restraint’?”
This force must be able to be released and reined in!
Suddenly—
“Master, Master, something’s wrong! Something’s wrong!” A maid rushed into the training ground, flustered and panicking.
Her cries startled Dongbo Xueying, who immediately asked, “What’s happened?”
“It’s Master Zong Ling—he’s been severely injured,” the maid hurriedly replied. “There’s blood everywhere.”
“Uncle Zong!”
Dongbo Xueying was shocked. Over these two years, all the trivial matters big and small within the territory had been managed by Uncle Zong, allowing him to fully immerse himself in spearplay without any disturbance. “Where is Uncle Zong now?”
“At Master Zong Ling’s residence, and Commander Tong is there too,” the maid quickly answered.
Dongbo Xueying immediately put down his spear and rushed toward Uncle Zong’s residence.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage