Outside the quiet room, Lin Ce slowly exhaled.
His idea was indeed correct.
Surrounded by eight black tigers, he endured unprecedented pressure, but equally, the practical training under these circumstances led to remarkable improvements in his skills.
Unbeknownst to him, two days had passed since he chose to abandon his knife and use his fists.
These past two days, he fought eight tigers with his bare fists, and only when he could no longer hold on did he return to his quiet room to rest for a while.
The dry rations I brought had long been eaten up during this process. Although I could still hold on for several more days thanks to my physical abilities, it would certainly not be a good thing to stay here for too long.
At this moment, his martial arts panel had already changed.
[Qingyan Robe: Level 6 (Minor Success)]
【Flying Sand Step: Fifth Level (Mastery)】
...
In the battles of the past two days, he not only used the "Mountain-Breaking Fist," but also constantly employed the "Azure Rock Robe" and "Flying Sand Steps" martial arts.
Improving two martial arts techniques that haven't reached their inherent limits is a natural progression.
At this moment, Lin Ce felt his bones and muscles throbbing, and a surge of power was about to erupt.
Facing the charging black tiger, he neither dodged nor avoided, but threw a straight punch forward.
"Bang!"
The punch landed squarely on the opponent's face.
Unlike before, this time, the black tiger in front of him couldn't even roar, and its head exploded.
They were routed in a single blow.
This is the first time Lin Ce has achieved such a feat since abandoning the "Tiger Soul Blade".
He wasn't surprised at all.
Because at this moment, he felt a brand new power generating from the depths of his body.
[Mountain-Breaking Fist: Seventh Level (Beginner)]
It took two full days for his hypothesis to finally be validated.
Sure enough, relying on this intense pressure, he broke through the martial arts level limit of "Mountain Breaking Fist" through tireless combat.
"Bang bang bang..."
What followed was quite simple.
With a punch and a headbutt, he shattered the remaining black tigers and returned to the quiet room.
Black Tiger will continue to recover, so there's no point in waiting any longer.
As soon as he returned to the quiet room, he immediately sat down cross-legged and began to vigorously practice the "Great Ginseng Technique".
The surging blood flowed through his body, nourishing the almost rotten interior.
Although his "Mountain-Breaking Fist" had just broken through to the seventh level, his body was indeed almost at its limit.
Even with his formidable physique, it was difficult to withstand the constant attacks and intrusions of the true qi needles.
The seventh level of acquired martial arts should belong to the seventh-rank martial artist, which is the category of "qi strength".
However, even after breaking through to the seventh level of the "Mountain-Breaking Fist," Lin Ce still failed to generate any internal energy.
After two days of intensive training, "Da Shen Gong" has clearly reached the threshold of mastery.
As the blood in Lin Ce's body began to circulate, he experienced a similar sensation once again. The "Great Ginseng Skill," which should have only reached level six, successfully reached level seven.
[Great Ginseng Skill: Seventh Level (Beginner)]
Indeed, the effect of "uniting as one" in training without bottlenecks is also effective for the limits of martial arts itself.
When the "Great Ginseng Technique" was activated on the seventh level, some of the true qi needles that had accumulated in the body due to the Black Tiger's attack were carried by the flowing blood and transported to various parts of the body.
As these true qi needles were transported to various parts of his body, Lin Ce could feel that his body was extremely hungry, devouring these true qi needles that had been brought along.
The already strong muscles, bones, flesh, and skin became even stronger.
The "Azure Rock Robe" martial art, which mainly trains skin defense, was thus directly improved in proficiency, reaching the sixth level (mastery).
"There are still many needles of true energy that cannot be eliminated for the time being."
After finishing his internal energy cultivation, Lin Ce, feeling much better, frowned slightly.
With so many true qi needles deposited in the body, it is clearly a hidden great threat.
However, there is no solution at the moment; we can only wait until we have time and gradually eliminate it through "Da Shen Gong".
If one can ultimately digest it all, it will undoubtedly be a huge boost to one's own strength.
Lin Ce's gaze fell on the young man beside him.
Two days later, he had already begun to doubt the young man's original statement.
Observing from the sidelines, I noticed that the other person's complexion was gradually improving.
"How is it? Has the soul been destroyed?"
Upon hearing the sound, the young man abruptly opened his eyes.
"I didn't expect it to actually survive. Luckily, I feel like I can live again."
When their eyes met, the young man stared at Lin Ce for a moment, then suddenly laughed awkwardly.
"Hehe, you're really lucky."
Lin Ce grinned.
To survive without a heart is truly incredible luck, if that's considered good fortune.
Fortunately, he never intended to completely trust the other party in the first place, and took advantage of these two days to make a breakthrough in his martial arts.
Relying on others is certainly not as reliable as relying on yourself.
"Really, I wasn't lying to you."
The young man shook his head. "I didn't expect that my master knew I would be in trouble and left a backup plan in the inner core of this great demon. As a result, I was able to break through the threshold and truly enter the Innate Realm. My life was saved, which is enough for me to go back and see my master."
"hehe……"
Lin Ce smiled without saying a word, no longer believing much of the young man's words.
However, he also had some expectations for the Innate Realm.
Is it really possible to live without a heart? Is this something that can be achieved at the innate level?
"Alright, there's no need for you to return the knife. As a token of gratitude for your protection these past two days, here's the inner core for you."
Seeing Lin Ce's calm expression, the young man felt underestimated.
"Don't underestimate this inner core. Although I used up the backup plan that my master left inside, it is still a rare treasure in itself. In addition, there is still some of my master's true power remaining in it. If you swallow it directly and absorb it, you will advance to the Innate Realm with ease."
Lin Ce took the incomplete inner core handed over by the young man, glanced at it casually, and put it away.
Although the young man said that it could be swallowed, he certainly wouldn't swallow something so unclear and unknown.
The young man clearly sensed his concerns and said:
"Or, even if you don't rely on this inner core to advance to the Innate Realm, but instead find a craftsman to forge it into a weapon, you won't lose to the 'Tiger Soul Blade' in my hand."
It was clear that he felt somewhat guilty about having "deceived" Lin Ce.
Lin Ce shook his head and told Yu Jiu to return the "Tiger Soul Blade".
Previously, he had to rely on the "Tiger Soul Blade" to barely deal with the eight black tigers outside, but now that his martial arts have made a breakthrough, he can stand in front of the black tigers even without the blade.
"Alright, I'll take the inner core, you can keep the knife. We're even now, let's go our separate ways."
Since he could continue to improve his current martial arts skills, he was no longer so eager for the innate level martial arts promised by the young man.
After all, to obtain that martial art, one would have to travel a long way to return the "Tiger Soul Blade," which would be troublesome and fraught with hidden dangers.
Lin Ce is currently unwilling to confront an existence capable of slaying a powerful demon.
"No, let's not talk about owing each other anything. I can't pass on my martial arts to you, but there's one very important thing I have to tell you: I, Zhuo Tianqing, never take advantage of others."
The young man who called himself Zhuo Tianqing suddenly became serious and looked at Lin Ce with a stern expression.
"Do you know what the path is like for a martial artist like you who can't cultivate internal energy in the acquired realm?"
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