Chapter 54 Tempering of the Body

In the Yuxu Palace, within the Tao hall.

"Activate, potential of the six senses!" Wang Bugui exclaimed as he opened his eyes. Two golden glows shot out of them. He had already familiarized himself with operating the Technique of Six Senses, and he could perform the moves and seals easily now. Very quickly, his vision of the world became amazing. He could sense every living thing within 5 kilometers, and he could see very clearly wherever he laid his eyes on, even the markings on tree trunks.

His ears could pick up any sound within the same radius. Nothing escaped him, even the moving feet of animals and droplets of water falling upon the ground. A gentle breeze blew across the entire Pure Land, and he could hear a gentle voice, as if a beautiful woman was whispering gently into his ear.

Wang Bugui took in a deep breath, and the smells from the flowers, soil and grass came flooding into his nose. He could even differentiate the species of the plants just by smell alone. He reached his hand into the skies and grasped gently, vaguely feeling some aura. The amazing thing about his heightened senses was that he could touch the aura of nature even without cultivating it.

He could not maintain such a state for long, and the effects soon disappeared, while the aura he had just captured gradually disspated back into nature. Wang Bugui placed a few fruits on the ground and tried tasting them. Out of the nine different type of fruits, he could differentiate the levels of sweetness and sourness in them, and he could tell which one of them was poisonous in one bite. Only of them had a poison that gave him the chills, and he forced the toxins out with his blood prana power.

He was still not very successful in training his sixth sense. After all, it was not as clearly defined as the other five. Logically, it was improved by enduring countless bloody battles and gradually accumulated. Even if one wanted to train his or her sixth sense, he or she should have to go through such ordeals, but now Wang Bugui could only rely on a technique.

Eventually, he entered a meditative state after 10 minutes, and he heightened his senses to their peak level. He felt as if he was conversing with nature, and that he gained more of its trust as he channeled his energy more quickly in the manner prescribed in the manual.

After about 15 minutes, Wang Bugui opened his eyes and turned his head back. He sensed, with the aid of nature's aura, that danger was coming. The hairs on his body stood up like needles, and he turned around instantly. However, he was too late. A shiny, sharp sword was already at his neck, and his life would be gone with a swift stroke of his attacker.

"Who dares to trespass?" Wang Bugui asked as he frowned at the black clad figure in front of him. He heard the person laugh coldly and was about to reply.

"Clang!"

Wang Bugui took the opportunity to dodge, and he knocked the sword away with a punch. He then took a huge leap backward and fled, using the second level maximal speed technique, without saying a word. The figure in black had already realized what was happening after his sword was knocked away, and he stepped out and blocked the boy's path before he could escape.

He then stabbed at Wang Bugui with his sword again, and the boy managed to vaguely predict the path of the attack before dodging it like a lithe dragon. The figure in black instantly slashed with his sword instead, changing the trajectory of the blow from the boy's shoulder to his waist.

"Stop it, Master!" said Wang Bugui with a snigger. The sword stopped in mid-flight, three centimeters above his waist.

"Brat, how dare you make fun of me Will it kill you to let me finish speaking?" said the figure in black as he grunted coldly. He quickly removed his get up, reverting back to his usual look.

"Master, why did you have to test me like this? If I didn't realize it was you, I would have used the pendant against you," said Wang Bugui as he wrinkled his nose.

"What kind of reaction was that? By the time you reacted, I could have sliced off half your head. You're still so weak after training for 2 weeks. You need to buck up!" Yun Jinghong rapped Wang Bugui's head with his knuckles, and the boy shouted in pain.

"No, I've already been training very diligently. If you hadn't disrupted me, I would have progressed further. Just you wait and see, there will be huge gains made within the next two weeks!" Wang Bugui said through clenched teeth as he squatted down in pain, his head in his hands.

"Fine, then I'll wait and gauge your progress again. If you dare to lie to me, be prepared to be strung up and flogged," said Yun Jinghong as he waved his fists threateningly at his disciple, totally deviod of the manner a master should behave.

"I guarantee you! No, I doubly assure you!" shouted the boy.

"If you want to bet with me, fine. Time is running short, and I'll begin to teach you the training method of the seventh level. Follow me," said Yun Jinghong as he stopped fooling around and led Wang Bugui down Immortal Hill.

"Master, why are we pressed for time?" asked Wang Bugui as they walked, feeling perplexed.

"You've already been here for over a year now. There'll be a Gathering of Practitioners nine years from now, and all practitioners will gather to watch the competition. It's an arena for young people like yourself, and it is held once every century. The winner will be rewarded with huge training resources, and he or she will be known as the strongest genius of the world, as well as winning the right to attempt to gain immortality. I hope you can take part, and therefore you have to double up on your training."

Yun Jinghong explained seriously. Wang Bugui was a little emotional as he heard his master speak. This was a huge gathering of the Eastern Cultivation World, and it was held once every century. The rewards were extremely attractive, and he had always wanted to see the other techniques of other sects. Now was his chance.

"Haha, I'm looking forward to it. Let me see, which genius in this world dares to take me on!" said Wang Bugui as he showed his confident smile. His desire to master Tao was unrivaled, and he was impudent and brash by nature. Naturally, such a competition would interest him.

"Fine. I want to see what sort of level your training has progressed to 10 years from now. I believe the practitioners of the world have already forgot that there are still human protectors of Tao in the Kunlun mountains. Our kind has remained dormant for a few millennia now. It's time to let them remember the glory days of the Human Emperor!"

Yun Jinghong said as he stood ramrod straight. The Palace of the Human Emperors was sacred to him, and he was proud of it from the bottom of his heart. His sect was known as the human protectors of Tao in the past, and the Yuxu Palace had reigned over other living beings in its heyday. Who dared to defy the will of the Chinese people, if the Human Emperor of Kunlun was alive?

Both of them went up another Immortal Hill. There was another magic formation there, and it was littered with countless weapons. At the same time, five forms of elemental energy were being released. Wang Bugui could feel even frm a great distance away a huge murderous aura in the air around this hill, and the immense power of the aura made him feel as if his body would crack.

"This is the place to train your physique. This formation is even stronger than the one which you used to train your explosiveness in. After all, we're going down the path of external training, and it'll be extremely taxing on your physique. There are various weapons and gravitational fields here to test you, and there are the interchange of five elemental powers, and even something legendary, as well as the principles of Tao, to pressure you."

"This is not merely a test of your physique. The various principles will test your reaction and the acuity of your senses. As such, you have to train your six senses for a while before you can begin practicing in this formation. If you can make good use of it, it'll be the most effective way of training your body in the entire world."

"If you can't withstand the ordeal, your body will die and you will lose all powers of Tao. Even if you manage to live, you'll not be able to go far in the way of Tao," warned Yun Jinghong as he stood back facing his disciple. He looked ahead subconsciously, and he could sense a terrible power emanating from the center of the formation that made him afraid.

"This formation is really powerful. Could it be the second immortal formation left behind by our founding father?" asked Wang Bugui as he felt increasingly puzzled. He had only felt such terrifying power when he met Dracula earlier on.

"Indeed, but it has already been partially broken, and weaker than the restricted zone. Those that have been left behind are at less than one-tenth their original strength. They're formations meant to hold you behind, not kill you," explained Yun Jinghong casually. His statement made the hairs of his disciple stand, however.

If such boundless power could come from an incomplete formation, what about that of a formation really meant for killing? How terrifying was a true immortal? No wonder Dracula was so strong. His father had told him before that the vampire was a demon who possessed immortal like strength.

Was the reason why the three factions of humans lost because of the difference between humans and immortals? Wang Bugui did not believe the gap between mortals and immortals, as he believed that humans would always be able to slay demons. This point of view had been passed on from each generation of the Blood Hunter Clan by the first Van Helsing himself.

"I'll definitely become emperor, and no matter which immortal or demon dares to fight me, I'll crush them all. I believe that humans can defeat Heaven eventually!" Wang Bugui said as he smacked his own face with great vigor, dispelling any remaining fear from his heart. He clenched his fists and steadied his gaze at the same time, refusing to allow the power of the formation to break his sense of invincibility.

"I'll teach you the technique. Train by yourself diligenty and don't overdo it. If you give out a blow that exceeds your current level, and the formation counter attacks, you'll be done for! Remember that!" said Yun Jinghong as he frowned, before implanting a set of martial arts technique into Wang Bugui's mind.

"I'll remember, Master!" said Wang Bugui as he bowed and cupped his hands. Yun Jinghong nodded gently and turned to leave.

Wang Bugui then clenched his fists and immersed himself into his cultivation. The moment he stepped into the formation, a huge force, about tens of thousands of catties strong, came flying over. Wang Bugui stumbled but still managed to steady himself. Various weapons came flying toward him next, and there were talismans on the ground that began exploding, as well as forces of the five elements that came hurtling down from the skies. He roared as he stood bloodied in the center of the formation like a wounded and enraged beast, howling as it fought against its fate.

In an instant, the surrounding area was filled with an even more terrifying aura. The power of the talismans pervaded the air, and the ancient magical weapons began resonating loudly. Wang Bugui was put through many ordeals within the formation, and this was the most simple and brutal training method. As his blood and bones underwent all kinds of torture, they were broken down and rebuilt again and again, and soon a new body was formed.

It was excruciating pain, and Wang Bugui's body was literally torn apart and rebuilt again with the aid of his technique and various potent medicine. The Refining Technique was many times harder to master compared to the explosiveness technique. The latter only targeted his limbs, but this time his entire body would undergo torture after torture and be rebuilt in the fire of combat.

Wang Bugui walked out of the formation covered with blood on the first day, and there was obvious signs that his body was already beginning to be rebuilt, as his limbs were covered with signs of old skin being torn away. He collapsed to the ground in utter exhaustion and had to be carried back by Yun Jinghong.

He still woke up on time to train the next day, and his body was rebuilt in this manner everyday. He would roar with indignity every time, and Yun Jinghong felt his heart ache as he saw the small body of his disciple being broken down and being sliced by the magical weapons.

That said, he could do nothing to help. Wang Bugui had to rely on himself to overcome this obstacle, and Yun Jinghong could only tremble in the main hall of the palace as he tried to hold himself back. He kept clawing at his heart, reminding himself that he could not be soft-hearted for the good of his disciple.

"Ergh!"

But he could see what was happening to the boy. He saw Wang Bugui's limbs break and his disciple grit his teeth as he crawled slowly out of the formation, leaving a long, terrifying trail of blood behind before collapsing from exhaustion. Eventually he felt as though the stress would kill him.

The qilin beast and the other small creatures would come visit Wang Bugui everyday, and they would prepare some potent medicine for him. They were already on the ground before him and sobbing as they fed him the medicine. Their eyes were tearful as they saw him crawl out of the formation everyday. Each time, the qilin beast would leap into the formation and drag him out, as if the boy was a corpse. He had already progressed a little. In the last few days, he could not even crawl, but still he was unable to stop himself from fainting.

The little beasts would surround him and howl pitifully each time they saw him in such a state, and they would rub their heads against his body. He would not react, and they could only feed him the medicine before allowing the qilin beast to carry him back to the Yuxu Palace for his herbal bath. It was definitely not easy to forge an invincible body. Only by undergoing such a trial of fire, and by shedding one's own blood, could it be created!