Chapter 16: The Ten Thousand Great Mountains
As soon as Yang Ye entered his mind and sank into his body, he discovered that the small whirlpool was now transmitting pure golden Xuan Qi to his normal dantian. Yes, it was golden Xuan Qi—pure gold, not the faint golden color it had been before!
The golden Xuan Qi surged out of the small whirlpool like a burst dam, flowing into his dantian. Soon, his dantian was full, but the small whirlpool didn’t stop. It continued to pour out golden Xuan Qi, which eventually flowed into his meridians.
At this moment, Yang Ye’s entire body, including his meridians, was filled with golden Xuan Qi.
What shocked him even more was that the golden Xuan Qi eventually fused directly into his physical body. Waves of golden Xuan Qi kept merging into his flesh.
After about fifteen minutes, the small whirlpool slowly stopped.
Realizing that the whirlpool had ceased, Yang Ye hurriedly removed his clothes and looked at himself. He was stunned. His entire body was glowing faintly with gold. When he gently brushed his palm over his chest, he could feel the hard sensation, like that of Xuan Iron. He swallowed and muttered, “Has my Body Refining Art reached the peak?”
The Body Refining Art was the foundational technique of the Sword Sect, consisting of seven layers. Very few practiced it. Even those who did often switched to a different technique after becoming Xuan practitioners. Yang Ye, having reached the seventh layer, was undoubtedly the first to do so!
“Since the Body Refining Art has reached the seventh layer, does that mean I am now a seventh-grade Xuan practitioner?” Yang Ye quickly assessed his internal state. After a while, his eyes opened, filled with excitement. He said, “I never expected that I’d directly become a seventh-grade Xuan practitioner!”
At this moment, Yang Ye was genuinely shocked. From discovering the small whirlpool less than a month ago to becoming a seventh-grade Xuan practitioner in that short time—it was hard to believe!
He thought for a moment and realized the small whirlpool definitely wasn’t a normal dantian. Especially with the golden Xuan Qi—it not only enhanced his power but also made his sword techniques stronger. He had never encountered this type of Xuan Qi before, but he was sure that this golden Xuan Qi was stronger than any gold-elemental Xuan Qi!
After a period of silence, Yang Ye focused his mind back on the small whirlpool inside. When he saw what was inside, Yang Ye suddenly jumped up, his eyes wide in disbelief as he murmured, “How is this possible… how could this be…?”
He swallowed again and suppressed his shock, sinking his mind back into the small whirlpool. The space inside had grown larger. Yes, it had grown! The small whirlpool had originally been the size of his normal dantian, but now the space inside could hold dozens of middle-aged men!
In the center of the whirlpool, there was something resembling a bath, filled with golden Xuan Qi! Yang Ye knew about storage rings, as he wore one himself, but this—his body’s small whirlpool creating its own space—was utterly beyond his understanding.
What on earth was going on?
Yang Ye felt both shocked and confused. He wanted to ask someone about this, but he knew better than to do so. If people found out his small whirlpool could convert Xuan Qi and create its own space, he would certainly face life-threatening consequences.
After a long while, Yang Ye took a deep breath. He decided not to concern himself with the small whirlpool for now. No matter how strange or terrifying it was, it was inside his body, and he needed to absorb Xuan Qi for it to grow. He now understood that the small whirlpool’s growth had likely been influenced by the energy stones he had used earlier.
Furthermore, no matter what, the small whirlpool had never shown any hostility toward him. In fact, it had helped him increase his strength. Instead of speculating endlessly about the origin of the whirlpool, it would be better to focus on using it to improve his abilities.
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Having made up his mind, Yang Ye felt his state of mind suddenly clear. He thought of something and looked down at his body, which was glowing faintly with golden light. After some hesitation, he gripped his Xuan Iron Sword and stabbed it into his left chest.
“Ding!”
The Xuan Iron Sword hit his body as if striking Xuan Iron itself, making a faint metallic clang sound.
“Haha...” Feeling the strength of his body, Yang Ye couldn’t help but laugh, a little smug. After a moment, he whispered, “I never expected my body would be this strong after being tempered by golden Xuan Qi. My physical strength must be incredible now. Let me test it out!”
Without hesitation, Yang Ye walked up to a giant tree. This tree, known as the Iron Tumor Tree, had a tough bark covered in small bumps. It was extremely hard. Usually, the lower-level disciples of the sect would give up trying to chop it down because it was impossible to cut.
Looking at the massive Iron Tumor Tree, Yang Ye took a deep breath. His right hand slowly clenched into a fist, and after a brief pause, he shouted softly and threw a punch at the tree.
“Boom!”
Yang Ye’s fist penetrated the Iron Tumor Tree with no resistance, like a sharp blade cutting through decaying wood. In an instant, he punched deeper into the tree, and at a certain moment, his right arm trembled, sending the power surging out.
“Boom!”
The Iron Tumor Tree exploded into pieces, and wood shavings flew everywhere.
Yang Ye retracted his fist, staring at the tree that had been obliterated. He muttered, “I didn’t expect my strength to be this great. This punch must have been over three thousand pounds of force. If I used a powerful talisman, my strength could rival that of a Xuan Beast!”
His eyes gleamed with excitement at the thought of his strength being comparable to a Xuan Beast. But quickly, he calmed down and thought of someone—Liu Qingyu, the 29th on the outer sect ranking.
Although Liu hadn’t caused trouble for him yet, Yang Ye knew the day would come. He also knew that he would eventually go after Liu, because the Liu family and he could never coexist.
“With my current strength, defeating Liu Qingyu from the outer sect ranking might still be difficult. It looks like I’ll need to go to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains for some life-and-death training!” Yang Ye muttered to himself. Though his strength had grown significantly, it still wasn’t enough to compete with the genius-level disciples on the outer sect rankings, some of whom were so powerful that even the outer sect elders couldn’t defeat them!
“Go to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains!” Yang Ye clenched his fists. He had made up his mind. Only through life-and-death combat could he become stronger. Whether it was the outer sect disciple assessment in twenty days or the pressure from the Liu family, he needed powerful strength.
The Ten Thousand Great Mountains were considered a forbidden area for humans because they were the territory of Xuan Beasts. Countless powerful Xuan Beasts roamed the mountains, and humans who ventured deep into the mountains usually never returned.
However, that only applied to the deeper parts of the mountains. On the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, there were still many humans—mercenaries, treasure hunters, and disciples from various sects. The Sword Sect had the most disciples in this area since they were located closest to the mountains!
The Sword Sect encouraged its disciples to train in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains because only through life-and-death battles could a person become truly strong. However, given the danger of the mountains, the sect had set a rule that only Xuan practitioners at the ninth grade or higher could enter the Ten Thousand Great Mountains or take on tasks there.
This rule didn’t apply to Yang Ye, as he wasn’t yet a Sword Sect disciple.
The next day, Yang Ye made five powerful talismans, all of which were of high quality. He was a bit surprised by that.
Early the next morning, Yang Ye set off.
After a full day of travel, Yang Ye finally arrived at the edge of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. There were many small groups scattered around the area. These groups were mercenaries, people who ventured into the mountains to hunt Xuan Beasts for profit—daring individuals who risked their lives.
He glanced around at the people before his gaze fell on a dense forest in the distance. Looking at the thick trees, Yang Ye’s expression became slightly more serious. He said, “This must be the Wanshe Forest. Entering the Wanshe Forest means entering the heart of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.”
"Hey, little brother, are you heading into the Ten Thousand Great Mountains?" A rugged man walked up to Yang Ye and asked.
Yang Ye turned to find a rough-looking man, about thirty years old, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and dark skin. Yang Ye’s gaze lingered on the man’s shoulder, where he was carrying a massive sword that seemed to weigh several hundred pounds.
Seeing Yang Ye nod, the rugged man laughed heartily. “Little brother, you’re traveling alone? If so, why not join our team? We’re short one person, and you’d be a good fit!” He pointed to a few people not far away.
Yang Ye looked at the group and hesitated for a moment before nodding. He was new to the area and unfamiliar with the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. It would be a good idea to team up with these mercenaries and familiarize himself with the place.