"Let's stop here for today!"
In the small and dimly lit room, Wei Ping let out a breath and exited his training state.
Tomorrow is the day when the Mantis Trial begins, and he doesn't need to exhaust himself and affect his performance tomorrow.
Although he felt no pressure since he had successfully completed the first level of his cultivation, which was a qualitative change.
With Wei Ping's current strength, he was almost impossible to be defeated by an ordinary person who wasn't a warrior.
And those who could successfully practice the first level of the Golden Mantis Body Refining Technique would be regarded as the backbone of the Golden Mantis Sect and would not need to participate in the Mantis Trial.
Because every loss was a loss for the Golden Mantis Sect.
And besides Wei Ping, who was this "wily" thief, who among the righteous people would hide their strength?
Then Wei Ping opened the panel, and the attributes inside had already changed greatly.
Name: Wei Ping
Realm: Tendon Refining Realm
Technique: Golden Mantis Body Refining Technique (Harmony Degree: 19%. Practice Progress: 3% of the first level)
———
Avatar: Mantis
Realm: None
Technique: Golden Mantis Body Refining Technique (Harmony Degree: 47%. Practice Progress: 5% of the first level)
Number of Condensable Avatars: 0
Looking at the practice progress and harmony degree displayed on the panel, Wei Ping's mouth curled up slightly.
The harmony degree of the main body had increased by 4%, reaching 19%, while the Mantis avatar had increased to 47%, which also increased Wei Ping's cultivation speed significantly.
However, learning and practicing the "Golden Mantis Body Refining Technique" and the "First Level" were completely two different stages.
After practicing the first level, even if Wei Ping and the Mantis avatar's harmony degree continued to rise, the practice speed still slowed down significantly.
Basically, even when Wei Ping and his Mantis Avatar worked together, it would take two to three days to increase their proficiency by one percent.
At the same time, Wei Ping and his Mantis Avatar's progress in their cultivation had become inconsistent, no longer maintaining a uniform pace.
Wei Ping speculated that this was due to differences in their body structures and compatibility with the techniques.
Although Wei Ping and his Mantis Avatar could communicate and share their understanding of the technique, the Mantis Avatar was more suited to the Golden Mantis Body Refining Art. It produced and absorbed heat more efficiently, which naturally led to better physical development.
In fact, the Mantis Avatar had already produced heat flow within its body upon first encountering the Golden Mantis Body Refining Art, providing the best proof of this.
In contrast, for human warriors, it was only after they had reached the first level of the Golden Mantis Body Refining Art that they could produce the heat flow that nourished and strengthened their body.
For warriors, the heat flow produced in the first level of the technique was still very subtle, only able to flow through the tendons and stimulate and strengthen the meridians. This was also why the first realm of martial arts was called the "Refining Tendons Realm".
With strong and resilient meridians, warriors could withstand more powerful forces and greatly enhance their explosive power.
Before Wei Ping had entered the Refining Tendons Realm, he, as an ordinary person, could only lift a hundred pounds with one arm.
But after this period of training, the heat flow nourished his body and strengthened his meridians, allowing him to suddenly lift almost three hundred pounds with one arm.
His basic strength had increased by nearly half, and his explosive power had almost doubled.
Of course, this was also related to Wei Ping's initial entry into the Refining Tendons Realm, so the early results were particularly good.
Due to the increase in strength and explosive power, the speed slowed down the closer they got to the later stages, and the difficulty increased.
At the same time, the Mantis Avatar had undergone two molts during this half-month period.
At this point, it had undergone a total of eight molts, not only reaching a terrifying seven inches in length (equivalent to twenty centimeters), but also growing a small pair of flesh wings on its back.
This meant that the Mantis Avatar would soon molt again and undergo metamorphosis.
Wei Ping was also looking forward to this.
"Tomorrow, I can finally leave this godforsaken place!"
Although it was just dark, Wei Ping was already lying on the rudimentary wooden bed, resting.
Tomorrow would mark the beginning of the Mantis Trial, and most people in the estate were destined to lose sleep.
Because tomorrow would determine their life and death.
......
In a certain place in the estate, a tall figure is pacing back and forth anxiously. From time to time, he glances into the darkness as if waiting for something.
Before long, someone with a similar appearance to him walks up from a distance.
"Yaohuo, have you arranged for Luo to manage tomorrow's battle?" the tall young man Zhang Yang inquires as he sees the newcomer.
"Don't worry, Luo has agreed to do it for me!" the newcomer pats Zhang Yang's shoulder, looking pleased with himself.
Zhang Yao, Zhang Yang's younger brother, is also a genius among this group of young people, being the second to master the first level of the Golden Praying Mantis Technique. Although he has exceptional talents, his brother Zhang Yang's gifts are only average, so even with his guidance, Zhang Yao cannot escape participating in the Mantis Trial.
If he fails to win, he will lose his life!
Moreover, the opponent in the Mantis Trial is usually random, making the uncertainty high.
To save his brother's life, Zhang Yao promised many things to convince Luo, who is responsible for arranging the battles, to engage in some covert maneuvering.
Because Zhang Yao has exceptional talents and is sure to achieve great things in the future, Luo is willing to give him a favor.
Although things have been settled, Zhang Yao cannot help but ask, "Big brother, have you figured out the strength of Wei Ping? Once you select him as your opponent, you cannot change your mind. You can only fight him to the death tomorrow!"
"Don't worry, Wei Ping has poor talent and has not made any progress in cultivation. He has even been giving up on himself for the past month, locking himself in his room and only leaving to eat, and occasionally catching some small insects like crickets and grasshoppers."
Speaking of Wei Ping, Zhang Yang cannot help but grin and say, "I have been observing that kid for nearly two months and even suspect that he has gone crazy under the pressure of the Mantis Trial. He is always laughing for no reason, and he smiles at everyone, often talking to himself, as if there are two people talking..."
"Is he really that bad with no talent and a mental breakdown under pressure?"
Hearing this, Zhang Yao nods.
When he was a beggar, it was his brother Zhang Yang who protected him and stole bread for him, saving him from starvation.
Now it's his turn to protect his brother!
As long as his brother can survive, any sacrifice he makes will be worth it.
......
No words were exchanged that night.
The next morning, the flat ground of the manor was crowded with people.
On the high platform, Elder Meng Hongzhou, who had a tall and straight figure, looked down at the group of teenagers divided into two teams.
One team had less than thirty people, while the other team had as many as one hundred and seventy people.
The smaller group consisted of those who had successfully practiced the first level of the Golden Praying Mantis Technique and reached the level of refining their tendons. They were all outstanding talents and would be cultivated as the backbone of the clan in the future. Their current identity was that of spectators, so their faces were calm.
As for the remaining one hundred and seventy-plus people, it goes without saying that they all had to participate in today's praying mantis trial.
Before the competition started, Elder Meng Hongzhou gave an important speech as usual and announced an important news.
That was, those who could reach the level of refining their tendons by the end of the period would receive a secret manual of blade techniques as a reward.
Therefore, he hoped to see someone break through the shackles and stand out in the praying mantis trial.
"As long as I reach the level of refining my tendons, I will be rewarded with a secret manual of blade techniques?"
Hearing this, Wei Ping couldn't help but be moved.
Originally, he planned to hide his strength and just safely pass the praying mantis trial.
But now, he felt that his plan might have to change?
"It seems that I have to 'break through' in the battle!"
Wei Ping raised his eyebrows and immediately made a plan in his mind.
There was no way around it, the temptation of martial arts to Wei Ping was simply too great!
Because if he wanted to become strong, it was not enough to just practice the Golden Praying Mantis Technique. He had to combine it with other martial and combat techniques to maximize his strength.
"Let's start!"
Seeing that the teenagers were quite excited, Elder Meng Hongzhou nodded in satisfaction and gave a signal to his subordinate.
The steward Luo Shan immediately led the people forward and took out a list of names, loudly announcing: "Now, the two people I read the names of are today's opponents. First group: Mo Rufei, Miao Xianhe."
As soon as the words fell, two similarly aged teenagers quickly stepped forward and looked at each other, revealing a murderous intent in their eyes.
In the praying mantis trial, only one person could survive. It was either you die or I die. There was no third way out!
"Second group: Cheng Ye, Hong Bo."
...
"Fifty-second group: Zhang Yang, Wei Ping."
When his name was called, Wei Ping quickly stepped forward with a calm mindset.
Seeing Zhang Yang grinning at him, Wei Ping just smiled back at him.
Watching this, Zhang Yao, who was a spectator on the side, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The other competitors looked at their opponents with almost murderous intent, wishing to cut their opponents with their eyes.
But Wei Ping was different. Even at this time, he could still laugh?
"It seems that this guy is really mentally unstable!"
Shaking his head, Zhang Yao also breathed a sigh of relief.