Ma Family Village.
It was already evening when he returned home.
After quickly finishing his mother's cooking, Ma Hongjun couldn't wait to run to the back mountain.
It was already dark, and Ma Hongjun stood alone on the top of the back mountain, facing the wind.
"Evil Fire Phoenix, come out!"
Ma Hongjun summoned the Evil Fire Phoenix with his mind. This was the seventh time he had tried, but it still hadn't come out.
Suddenly, a sizzling sound came from within his body, and a burst of fiery energy erupted.
Crimson flames erupted from his body, covering his entire body. The flames were unaffected by the wind, enveloping Ma Hongjun and rising upwards, instantly turning his black hair red.
Because he disliked the image in the original work, Ma Hongjun had kept his hair long since childhood, and he also wore a red cloak. The long red hair flowing behind him perfectly showcased Ma Hongjun's ancient and handsome appearance.
The rising purplish-red flames added a touch of evil to his face.
Then, fiery red feathers sprouted from his skin, and his hands transformed into claws.
His back and hip bones itched unbearably, as if something was about to grow, but lacked the strength, like a chick trying to hatch but unable to break through the thin membrane.
Indeed, the Evil Fire Phoenix's martial soul mutation was incomplete; after the martial soul possessed him, only some of the phoenix's characteristics could be displayed, not the full extent.
Fortunately, Ma Hongjun's current physique was well-proportioned and not obese, otherwise he would truly resemble an old hen. This half-martial soul form looked rather awkward.
Ma Hongjun felt embarrassed to use it in front of others; thankfully, he had the Dragon Soul Spear martial soul, allowing the Evil Fire Phoenix to be temporarily concealed.
Soon, the rising evil fire caused his body to react.
His body began to heat up, and the heat intensified, the violent energy threatening to explode. His body began to swell, and his pants burst open at the thighs.
Ma Hongjun quickly used his will to try and retract his martial soul.
It took him more than a minute to retract the Evil Fire Phoenix into his body, and the purplish-red flames subsided.
His mouth was parched, and his clothes were stretched taut in several places. Ma Hongjun checked his body and found that he was quite swollen.
Feeling unbearably hot, Ma Hongjun quickly began practicing his marksmanship. The wooden gun seemed weightless in his hands, and he felt a surge of power. "
I need a heavier gun tomorrow," Ma Hongjun thought to himself. It wasn't
until late at night that Ma Hongjun returned to his room from the mountain, his tattered clothes soaked with sweat. He had
drunk too much tonight!
A cold shower made him feel much better.
Lying on the bed, the exhausted Ma Hongjun fell into a deep sleep.
He slept soundly without any dreams that night.
The next morning, Ma Ming got up early and, seeing Ma Hongjun sleeping soundly in bed, was about to wake him for his morning exercise when Li Hui stopped him.
Li Hui led Ma Ming out of Ma Hongjun's room and gently closed the door.
"For the past six years, Hongjun hasn't had a good night's sleep. He's finally sleeping so soundly today, let's not wake him and let him have a good rest!"
A mother is always the most caring and understanding person for her child.
Ma Ming didn't disturb Ma Hongjun's sleep; he knew about his son's nightmares.
It wasn't until noon that Ma Hongjun woke up, stretching contentedly.
"I didn't have any nightmares!"
Ma Hongjun beamed, his slightly chubby face looking even cuter with his smile.
"It must be because of awakening his martial soul."
Pushing open the door, he saw his mother cooking in the kitchen. Seeing her son come out, she said happily,
"Hongjun, get up! Go wash your face, lunch is coming soon."
"Okay!"
Ma Hongjun hummed in response. At this moment, Ma Ming walked over, looking at Ma Hongjun with some surprise.
"Hey, how come you seem to have gained weight overnight, or is it just my imagination?"
"Really? Let me see."
Ma Hongjun looked in the mirror, and sure enough, he had gained weight.
His little face looked a bit puffy and round.
His body was also affected; a quick glance revealed that his clothes, which had previously fit perfectly, were now somewhat too small.
Moreover, upon closer inspection in the mirror, he noticed a few short whiskers sprouting.
"I'm only six years old!"
...
After calm reflection, Ma Hongjun realized this was a change brought about by the evil fire, which not only caused him to gain weight but also accelerated his physical development.
If there wasn't a good solution, he might actually end up with the appearance of an old hen martial spirit, which would be unacceptable.
After dinner, Ma Hongjun and his son Ma Ming began to discuss their training and study plan for the next three months. After
discussing it all afternoon, they finally devised a plan.
First, in the morning, they would train their muscles and bones for two hours to improve their physical fitness.
In the morning, he trained his body with a spear for four hours;
in the afternoon, he studied Soul Master knowledge for four hours; and
in the evening, he continued body training for two hours.
The training content was also refined, with daily solid physical training methods such as weighted running, mountain climbing, and push-ups, increasing the weight to increase the difficulty.
The spear was also replaced with a 20-kilogram iron spear, and Ma Ming planned to order even heavier and stronger spears later. Spear technique training added scenarios such as on wooden stakes, under waterfalls, and in water.
All of this training aimed to push physical limits, improve physical strength, and enhance physique.
The next day, Ma Hongjun began to implement the plan.
He ran five laps around Majia Village with a 5-kilogram weight, about 15 kilometers, which took nearly an hour.
After running, he added 20 kilograms to climb the mountain. The back mountain was not high, only 200 meters, but after running 15 kilometers, adding weight made it take half an hour to climb. After climbing
the mountain, he did 100 push-ups continuously at the top of the mountain, three sets, which took more than half an hour.
After completing the first day's morning physical training, which took two and a half hours, Ma Hongjun was exhausted and collapsed on the ground. Ma Ming carried him down the mountain and placed him in the medicinal tub prepared by Li Hui for a medicinal bath.
Medicinal baths were a luxury, but fortunately, Ma Ming had saved a considerable amount of gold coins over the years with the Soul Hunter Team and the Spirit Hall's monthly subsidy of ten gold coins for a Grand Soul Master, enough to provide Ma Hongjun with three months' worth of medicinal baths.
Ma Hongjun had been doing morning training since he was four years old, but the intensity of his daily training was far less than today's, probably only one-tenth of what it was today.
However, this period was special training, for the sake of his Soul Ring!
After the medicinal bath, it was time for iron spear practice. A twenty-kilogram iron spear was already quite heavy for Ma Hongjun, considering he was only six years old. Fortunately, he was taller than most of his peers.
Half an hour later, after completing a set of Ma family spear techniques, Ma Hongjun was panting heavily. He used to be able to complete it smoothly and continuously with a wooden spear in one breath, but now it was somewhat difficult.
This wasn't because Ma Hongjun's spear technique wasn't proficient, but rather because his physical strength wasn't sufficient to support it.
Next came the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear and the Seven Probing Serpent Coil Spear. Ma Hongjun hadn't fully mastered these two spear techniques yet; he could only practice the basic moves. To unleash their full power, he needed to cultivate the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear to a higher level.
In the afternoon, Ma Ming taught Ma Hongjun one-on-one about martial spirits, soul masters, soul power, soul beasts, and soul rings—the knowledge was endless.
In the evening, physical training continued, followed by a medicinal bath.
After three days, Ma Hongjun found his body had recovered, and his physical strength was more solid than before, breaking through his previous limits. The lingering heat from the evil fire was gone.
However, in the following days, Ma Hongjun could only maintain the training intensity of the first three days; increasing the training volume was unbearable, and it was difficult to break through his physical limits.
"This must be due to the evil fire. The energy of the evil fire can change the body, but refining this energy can enhance physical constitution."
That night, Ma Hongjun summoned the Evil Fire Phoenix again, letting the evil fire fill his body.
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(End of Chapter)