Another day had almost ended, and the rays of the setting sun were streaming golden through the wide-open window of Tyrak's room. He squinted his eyes against the intense light and shut the window. He then settled into a cross-legged position on the wooden bed and resumed relentless practice. He hoped to refine his remaining Yang-Heel Vessel before nightfall.
Unlike the twelve primary meridians, opening seven of the eight extraordinary meridians had not awarded Tyrak a massive improvement in physical strength. Instead, the refined meridians had enhanced his perception, fitness, and coordination to an incredible level. His sight was better, his hearing much sharper, and his agility more satisfactory. Most likely, his archery techniques had also become more potent due to the enhancement of his senses and body coordination.
Aside from all that, Tyrak could feel that his sprinting speed had risen by a level after he refined the Yin-Heel Vessel a few hours ago. If he could finish refining and opening the associated Yang-Heel Vessel, his speed and agility would definitely break through another threshold. Then, no one at his level would be able to catch his shadow if he decided to attack or escape.
"I better not get ahead of myself..."
Tyrak was bursting with joy. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and returned his focus to his training. The glowing crystals hanging from the ceiling illuminated his figure as he followed the routines described in the Berserk God Ascension Technique manual. His breathing slowed down, and soon, he entered a state of thoughtlessness.
Considering all the experience gained after opening the previous twelve primary and the later seven extraordinary meridians, everything that followed was simple. Tyrak skillfully introduced a dark mana particle into the long meridian running all the way from his heel to his head.
As soon as the foreign energy particle appeared, it caused the all-familiar energy surge within Tyrak's body. A wave swept through Tyrak's already-refined meridians, including the twelve primary energy channels and seven extraordinary vessels. Eventually, the energy poured into his Yang-Heel Vessel with boundless momentum before shattering through all the obstacles and obstructions within the channel.
A moment later, Tyrak experienced the familiar discomfort after successfully opening the meridian. But the despair only lasted a short span of a few breaths. Eventually, the pain faded, giving way to a warm sensation that swept across his body.
Tyrak felt like his blood was boiling hot and his body scorching. A silver mist emanated from the surface of his smooth skin as all his already refined twenty meridians resonated as one and allowed the energy to flow through them for a dozen or so revolutions.
With every complete energy cycle, a feeling of comfort would overflow deep within his body. He could feel every aspect of his strengthening as the surging energy wave pushed his combat powers to never before seen levels. His strength had obviously multiplied after opening his twelve primary and eight extraordinary meridians. He felt that he could effortlessly take on a peak-stage apprentice warlock like Tamara without relying on his archery techniques.
"The energy surge helped again, and I finally opened all my eight extraordinary meridians within less than three days. The next step is to refine my skin and muscles before achieving perfect muscle conditioning. But I will need a lot of blood from strong beasts..."
Many thoughts flashed through Tyrak's head as he considered his next steps. According to the Berserk God Ascension Technique manual, he would be conditioning his muscles and flesh after opening his twenty main meridians. However, accomplishing all that wasn't easy. He would need to repeatedly soak himself in the potent blood of rank-one or above savage beasts while running the Berserk God Ascension Technique. And only then would he be able to refine his muscles quickly and attain the peak of the muscle conditioning sub-phase of body refining.
"Rank-1 beasts are so rare," Tyrak thought. "Where am I to find them?"
According to the beast power rankings in Othea, the most ordinary rank-0 beasts were referred to by the masses as wild beasts. They possessed limited intelligence and would only attack according to their instincts. The beasts that Tyrak had hunted together with Tamara along their journey were at that level.
Above the level of the wild beasts were the more powerful rank-1 beasts. The masses referred to them as savage beasts, and their power could match those at the 'very, very peak' of the apprentice warlock level. Their intelligence was on par with five-year human children, and they could use some inherited powerful bloodline techniques to overwhelm their enemies.
The only beast at such a level that Tyrak could think of was the pack leader of the blood wolves he had slain with Tamara during their journey. But the issue was the rank-1 blood wolf had hundreds of relatively powerful minions under its command. The moment he dared to hunt it down, he could find himself drowning in a flood of ferocious blood wolves. He might not even know how he died.
"Knock! Knock..."
Suddenly, a series of faint knocking sounds broke the silence in the room as Tyrak was still contemplating his next steps. He got off the bed and arranged his clothes before walking towards the door. On opening it, Tamara's pretty face appeared within his sight. Her beautiful smile lit up the whole corridor of the inn's third floor as she beamed at Tyrak.
Tyrak's expression fluctuated as his eyes feasted on the loose white robe hiding her alluring figure. The low-cut design of the robe allowed him to catch a shy peek of the deep valley between her impressive cleavage. Moreover, her pointed nipples seemed to almost pierce through the thin fabric, indicating that she wasn't wearing a bra.
"Can I come in?" She asked and stepped towards Tyrak. She pushed her chest forward, and her pointed nipples almost penetrated Tyrak's chest.
Tyrak felt a headache coming and subconsciously stepped back. He swallowed hard and narrowed his eyes. "What can I do for you?"
Tamara took another step forward, forcing Tyrak to back away again because of her very prominent burst. She smiled and licked her lips seductively. "I'm in the mood. Let's fuck like rabbits right here and right now."
Tyrak felt his blood rushing to his groin. He stepped sideways to avoid Tamara and took a deep breath to restrain his urges. "Please, stop kidding around," he said. "I'm busy. If you have no business with me, please leave."
"You are no fun." Tamara pouted and batted her eyelashes. She seemed not to hear Tyrak's words and entered the room. She closed the door behind her and soon settled on the bed before crossing her legs like a lady boss. It was as if the room was her own.
"Seriously, Tamara!" Tyrak felt defeated by her antics. As a young man of seventeen years, Tamara's sexy body posed a great allure to him. He so much yearned to jump forth and chew her with reckless abandon. But his rationality always won against his primal impulses. He dared not act on his thoughts, especially since he knew she was a dangerous girl from the Oracle Temple. "What do you want from me," he finally asked.
Tamara beamed again. She swept her gaze around the room before staring Tyrak in the eye. "Regarding the enchanted arrows, you promised to give me an answer within three days. Today is the last day. What is your decision?"
A light bulb went on in Tyrak's mind. He took a moment to do some self-introspection. After he refined the additional eight extraordinary meridians, his power had grown to an incredible level. He had the confidence to take on the peak legends of the Albrorian Empire. So, why not agree to Tamara's proposal?
"Well..." Tamara said again. "Are you in, or should I do this alone?"
Tyrak let out another breath and faced Tamara. "Let's do this. Let's break into the mayor's manor and get those enchanted arrows. Hope you have a good plan."
"Perfect!" Tamara's hazel eyes twinkled like stars in the night sky.