Time flew by, and gradually, a month had passed.
In the early morning, a light white mist enveloped the mountaintop, lingering for a long time. A gentle breeze swept through, suddenly bringing with it the faint sound of crackling as electricity made contact with flesh.
In a secluded grove atop the mountain, Mo Yu stood with his feet planted like tree trunks, his face set with determination, his teeth clenched. Clad only in shorts, his bare upper body was surrounded by streaks of crimson lightning, crackling all around him.
Anyone who saw this scene would assume the young man was torturing himself.
After breaking through to the 8th stage of Dou Zhi Qi, Mo Yu did not choose the method of using the Thunder Soul to devour three more first-grade magic cores to seek another breakthrough. Instead, he found a secluded spot to undergo rigorous training and stabilize his foundation.
With the experience of his past life, Mo Yu knew that as a Dou practioners, one could not solely pursue breakthroughs. Progress must be steady and methodical to go further.
Especially at the stage of Dou Zhi Qi, it formed the foundation of future achievements, so extra caution was necessary.
Xiao Yan's eventual great success came from staying in the Dou Zhi Qi stage for three years, resulting in a more stable foundation than most Dou practioners, which allowed him to soar to greater heights later.
Mo Yu's choice to temper his body with Thunder Soul wasn't self-torture but part of cultivating a Dou technique!
Thunder Body: Di-Class low-grade Dou Technique, a body-strengthening close-combat skill. It is renowned for its powerful physical strength and offensive capabilities. When mastered to perfection, the body becomes invulnerable to blades and spears, immune to lightning and fire. Its power rivals that of Di-Class mid-grade Dou Techniques!
Thunder Body was a martial art Mo Yu had practiced in his previous life. On the Dou Qi continent, he estimated it to be a Di-Class low-grade technique. Although not extremely high in rank, it perfectly suited his current cultivation stage.
Moreover, the highest-level Dou Techniques in the Xiao Clan were only of Xuan-Class. Di-Class techniques were rare in Wu Tan City and even the entire Jia Ma Empire.
On the Dou Qi continent, the gap between Xuan-Class and Di-Class techniques was as vast as heaven and earth. Even though Thunder Body was just a body-refining technique, once fully cultivated, its offensive power could even rival some Di-Class mid-grade techniques.
Thunder Body was also part of a set of body-refining techniques, with a stronger, more advanced technique in Mo Yu's mind. However, his current strength was too weak to attempt it without risking serious harm.
That higher technique could even rival Tian-Class Dou Techniques!
Once Thunder Body was fully mastered, cultivating that technique in the future would yield twice the results with half the effort.
Another reason Thunder Body was perfect for Mo Yu at this stage was that its Dou Qi requirements weren't overly high.
Although it didn't demand much Dou Qi, it required a strong physical body due to its nature as a pure body-refining technique.
The thunderous flame power of the Vermilion Burning Sky Thunder was the best energy for refining the body. As the energy released by the Thunder Soul grew stronger, so too would Mo Yu's body.
Thus, for the past month, Mo Yu had come to this spot daily to use the power of Thunder Soul to temper his body.
Under this method of training, his mastery of Thunder Body advanced rapidly.
To date, Mo Yu had condensed four Thunder Patterns on his body.
Thunder Pattern were marks signifying the mastery of Thunder Body.
Condensing one Thunder Pattern meant a beginner-level mastery of Thunder Body. Ten Thunder Patterns signified minor success, and one hundred Thunder Patterns indicated mastery of the technique!
A minor mastery of Thunder Body was comparable to Huang-Class techniques, a full mastery rivaled Xuan-Class techniques, and a perfected Thunder Body was a true Di-Class Dou Technique!
The four shining lightning marks on Mo Yu's right arm were a testament to his month of hard training.
"Four Thunder Patterns, comparable to some mid-grade Huang-Class Dou Techniques."
As Mo Yu felt the power of the Thunder Patterns surging through his right arm, he picked up the green robe draped over a nearby rock and slowly put it on.
Because he had tempered his body with Thunder Soul, his physique was now incredibly tough. Tasks as simple as putting on clothes, which had once been effortless, now seemed like a monumental challenge. To an outsider, the scene would have looked utterly ridiculous.
Another half-month passed. Aside from focusing on training, Mo Yu devoted his energy to mastering body-refining Dou Techniques.
Heaven rewards the diligent. During this half-month, Mo Yu condensed another Thunder Pattern, bringing his total to five!
One month yielded three Thunder Patterns, and half a month added one more. This clearly showed that the further one progressed, the harder it became to condense Thunder Patterns. Reaching one hundred Thunder Patterns was bound to be no easy task.
After reaching five Thunder Patterns, Mo Yu ended his grueling training.
Firstly, the time required to condense Thunder Patterns was increasing, and spending too much time on this would slow down his breakthroughs.
Secondly, his Dou Qi was still too weak. Even if he fully mastered Thunder Body, he wouldn't be able to unleash its full power, comparable to a Xuan-Class Dou Technique. At this point, five Thunder Patterns, equivalent to a mid-grade Huang-Class Dou Technique, were just right.
"It's still early. How about visiting the Xiao Clan's Dou Technique Hall to check out some of the lower-level Dou Techniques on the Dou Qi continent?"
Having been in the Dou Qi continent for a while now, Mo Yu was gradually adapting to it, and his curiosity about the Dou Qi continent's cultivation system was growing.
Although the lower-level Dou Techniques in the Xiao Clan's Dou Technique Hall were common and widespread, they could provide a glimpse into the broader picture, helping Mo Yu better understand this world.
After months of intense training, browsing through some books to ease his mental fatigue seemed like a good idea.
Squinting slightly to adjust to the glaring sunlight, Mo Yu returned to the Xiao Clan, leisurely walking along the stone path towards the rear courtyard.
Green willow trees lined the stone path, their lush greenery uplifting the spirit.
Turning onto a different path, the sound of boys and girls laughing and playing reached his ears from another direction.
Frowning slightly at the disturbance, Mo Yu's gaze followed the sound, landing on a group of young men and women approaching with cheerful smiles.
In the center of the group, a charming young girl and a handsome youth were engaged in lively conversation.
These two were none other than Xiao Mei, who had gained fame during the test in the square, and Xiao Ning, the grandson of the Xiao Clan's Grand Elder.
Mo Yu glanced indifferently at the beautiful girl and the Xiao Clan's favored son, Xiao Ning, then continued walking without any intention of greeting them.
Seeing Mo Yu's 'disrespectful' attitude, the handsome young man's face darkened. After learning Mo Yu's identity and noting his destination, Xiao Ning coldly remarked,
"Heading to the Dou Technique Hall, are you? Let's see how this servant's son behaves later!"