At this moment, Yang Kai smiled. Even though his strength and spirit were completely exhausted, his eyes could no longer see, his ears were buzzing incessantly, and his head felt like it was being pierced by needles, he still smiled.
Victory! The joy of overcoming himself far surpassed that of defeating others.
Just as Yang Kai thought he was about to faint, a sudden warmth surged within him, originating from his bones. It felt like the gentle breeze and rain of spring, like the long-awaited rain after a drought, sweeping over every inch of his skin, every bit of his flesh, bringing with it a vibrant vitality.
His depleted strength recovered slightly, even his spirit improved significantly. Though not fully restored, it was enough to keep him from passing out.
Yang Kai no longer forced himself and sat down to carefully feel the condition of his body. He found that the initial numbness had disappeared, replaced by a sense of comfort that made him almost want to moan.
The flesh and blood of his entire body pulsed rhythmically, becoming firmer and more explosive. The qi in his meridians surged continuously, and even his bones felt more solid.
Just this alone made his body feel much stronger.
Yang Kai began to ponder.
The warmth that had surged from his bones at the last moment must be the result of the Proud Bone Golden Body. Having experienced this several times, Yang Kai had grasped the key: only his unyielding and tenacious spirit in the face of adversity could trigger this latent ability of the Proud Bone Golden Body.
If he had compromised when facing difficulties, the Proud Bone Golden Body would not have provided any assistance.
What a temperamental golden body! Yang Kai chuckled softly. Now, he understood why the incense burner could aid in his cultivation.
The medicinal properties of the herbs added to the incense burner were amplified a thousandfold. After inhaling them, his physical exhaustion and mental fatigue increased dramatically, which was why he almost lost consciousness after just three steps.
However, despite the potent effects of the herbs magnified by the incense burner, they should not cause any side effects. Otherwise, they wouldn't be useful for cultivation.
Only by overcoming these challenges and triggering the restorative ability of the Proud Bone Golden Body could he truly benefit and grow stronger by constantly breaking through his limits.
The peculiar fragrance from the incense burner and the Proud Bone Golden Body complemented each other perfectly.
All of this was Yang Kai's speculation, but based on what had just happened, it was essentially the truth. Yang Kai would need to verify it carefully moving forward.
The peculiar fragrance from the incense burner continued to waft through the air, finding its way to Yang Kai even though there was no wind in the room.
However, Yang Kai noticed that if he remained still, the fragrance had no effect on him.
After resting for half an hour, Yang Kai felt he had regained some strength and shakily stood up, once again stepping forward.
Having suffered once, Yang Kai proceeded much more cautiously this time, carefully sensing as he moved.
When his foot touched the ground, he felt his strength drain away like a flood breaking through a dam, leaving his body and spirit utterly exhausted without any warning.
With another step, the little strength he had regained was completely drained, and Yang Kai nearly collapsed.
Gritting his teeth, Yang Kai's stubborn nature kicked in, and he pushed himself to keep moving.
This time, Yang Kai managed to take four steps before he had to stop. Although he didn't want to admit defeat, his body couldn't keep up. After all, his strength was still insufficient.
Once again, the warmth gradually spread from within, the recovered strength preventing him from fainting.
Repeated experiments confirmed all of Yang Kai's hypotheses.
The peculiar fragrance from the incense burner, though exhausting, did not cause any lasting harm. The Proud Bone Golden Body needed his indomitable will to be activated—the stronger his resolve, the more intense the warmth, and the greater the benefit to his body.
This cultivation method was incredibly bizarre, practically playing with his life. One small mistake could lead to disastrous consequences. Fortunately, Yang Kai was well aware of his limits, always stopping just past his threshold. Through such gradual accumulation, the results were significant.
Human potential is indeed limitless, but becoming stronger requires a gradual process.
After an entire day of rigorous training, Yang Kai had made noticeable progress, now able to take six steps, a significant improvement from his first attempt.
Yet, Yang Kai was still not satisfied. He was merely walking in the presence of the peculiar fragrance. To truly cultivate, he needed to be able to practice his martial arts amidst the fragrance.
Subsequently, Yang Kai realized another significant issue.
This method of cultivation consumed herbs at an alarming rate!
Placing one stalk each of the Three-Leaf Soul Flower and Desolate Withered Grass into the incense burner lasted for about an hour. After an hour, he would need to replenish the herbs to produce more fragrance.
Yang Kai did some quick calculations and his expression turned grim.
With twelve hours in a day, if he trained for seven or eight hours daily, he would need at least fourteen herbs to sustain his practice. Given his current stockpile, the Desolate Withered Grass would be exhausted in two days, and the Three-Leaf Soul Flower would be half-depleted.
What would he do when the herbs ran out? He only had thirty-eight contribution points, which wouldn't last long.
He had thought he was well-stocked, but now he realized he was still dirt poor.
That night, Yang Kai went to sleep with deep worries, his mind preoccupied with how to acquire more herbs and contribution points. Even in his dreams, he found himself harvesting a large field of Three-Leaf Soul Flowers and Desolate Withered Grass until his hands and feet went numb.
Yang Kai did not sleep well that night.
Neither did Su Mu.
Recalling how he had arrogantly led people to trouble Yang Kai in the morning, only to be defeated, Su Mu tossed and turned. If it weren't for Yang Kai, he might now be courting the daughter of the grain store owner. If it weren't for Yang Kai, he wouldn't be suffering this frustration.
Thinking of the beautiful daughter of the grain store owner, Su Mu felt a surge of anger. He would never have the face to approach her again. As the saying goes, it's better to dismantle ten temples than to break one marriage. Yang Kai, you have cruelly separated us!
Another saying goes, a gentleman's revenge is never too late, but a petty man seeks revenge every day.
Su Mu undoubtedly belonged to the latter category. Though he could challenge Yang Kai again in a few days, Su Mu couldn't wait that long. He wanted to beat Yang Kai now to vent his anger.
Unable to sleep, Su Mu got up in frustration and even woke up his subordinates in the middle of the night.