Watching Ye Rou's figure disappear, Ye Wushuang's eyes grew even more determined.
He entered the wooden cabin and sat cross-legged on the bed.
Although he had the Heaven-Defying Technique to help him, breaking through two layers within half a month was still a significant challenge.
Taking out the True Essence Pill, Ye Wushuang held it in his hand. He then activated the Heaven-Devouring Dragon Technique, and a black, devouring vortex appeared in his palm, rapidly swallowing and absorbing the True Essence Pill.
Streams of medicinal power tempered his skin and strengthened his constitution, preparing him to advance to the Body Tempering Fifth-Layer Skin Tempering Realm.
But unfortunately, in the end, this precious True Essence Pill did not help him break through a single layer.
At that moment, Ye Wushuang suddenly realized something.
Resources!
That's right. The Heaven-Devouring Dragon Technique was simply too heaven-defying. The Cultivation Resources it required were immense, far exceeding that of an ordinary person. A single True Essence Pill could help a normal person break through two levels, but it couldn't even help him break through one.
This also meant that in the future, he would need an endless supply of resources!
However, the Outer Sect assessment required the Sixth Layer of Body Tempering to pass. With no Cultivation Resources left, how could he possibly break through to the Body Tempering Sixth Layer within half a month?
'Should I go kill people and devour them?'
'Not only is there not enough time, but it would also be easy to expose the secret of the Heaven-Devouring Dragon Technique.'
Besides, Ye Wushuang was not one to kill indiscriminately. He would only kill his sworn enemies, drawing a clear line between gratitude and grievances.
Ye Wushuang murmured to himself, caught in a dilemma as he wracked his brain for a solution.
"Wait, I've got it!"
Suddenly, Ye Wushuang's eyes lit up as if he had thought of something. His body blurred into an afterimage and vanished from the room.
...
Flying Waterfall Peak was a mountain not far from the Outer Sect, named for the massive waterfall located there.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The great waterfall plunged three thousand feet, its roar as deafening as thunder. The torrent crashed into the pool below, sending up hundred-zhang sprays of water.
Loose stones that tumbled down were instantly pulverized by the impact, a sight that would make anyone's legs go weak!
Moving like a nimble ape, Ye Wushuang weaved through the forest and arrived before the great waterfall of Flying Waterfall Peak just as the faint morning light began to rise.
The Heaven-Devouring Dragon Technique was exceptionally tyrannical; it could devour anything, including the Power of Heaven and Earth.
The Power of Heaven and Earth was the mightiest of all forces, far surpassing ordinary power. Devouring it was the fastest path to a breakthrough, and currently, his only option.
Moreover, for the Skin Refining Realm of the Body Tempering Fifth Layer, tempering the skin with external impact was most effective. Ye Wushuang had carefully considered this, choosing the force of the waterfall for his tempering.
However, the Power of Heaven and Earth was incredibly destructive. Cultivating under the waterfall was a form of self-torture; the slightest carelessness could result in the terrifying impact shattering one's bones.
Gazing at the surging, churning waterfall before him, Ye Wushuang's scalp tingled with trepidation.
'I'll risk it all! As long as I have a single breath left, I'll fight to the very end!'
Gritting his teeth, Ye Wushuang did something so shockingly reckless it was almost suicidal: he walked step by step onto a rock directly beneath the waterfall.
BANG!
The moment he stepped under the cascade, a thousand-zhang torrent slammed down onto his back. With a CRACK, Ye Wushuang's body was smashed flat against the ground, and he couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.
"I'm not afraid! Bring it on!"
Ye Wushuang roared and pushed himself up. He ripped off his shirt, bared his torso, and activated the Heaven-Devouring Dragon Body, gradually moving toward the very center of the waterfall.
If anyone had witnessed this scene, their eyes would have popped out of their heads.
Cultivating under a waterfall—this was simply insane.
SPURT!
SPURT!
The thousand-zhang torrent fell from the sky, slamming viciously onto his back. His body was knocked down time and again, yet he always stood back up. Gouts of fresh blood spewed from his mouth, and the piercing pain made him grimace.
But he clenched his jaw and silently endured, not uttering a single complaint. Without bitterness, how could there be sweetness? On the path of the strong, only through perseverance could one grow powerful, earn respect, and avoid being bullied.
"How invigorating! HAHAHA!"
Ye Wushuang roared at the sky, his eyes glinting with a sharp edge!
"Master Qingxue... I mean, Senior Sister, look! That man is completely insane! He... he's actually...!"
In the sky, a young woman flying on a sword passed by. She suddenly pointed at Ye Wushuang beneath the waterfall, gasping in shock with her hand over her mouth, her words becoming incoherent.
Beside this young woman was a peerlessly beautiful woman dressed in a white palace-style robe. Hearing the cry, she too turned to look down, and her pupils contracted.
A flicker of change crossed her icy face, but she said nothing.
'Who is this person? Why is he being so cruel to himself? He's courting death!'
The sword-riding young woman's heart pounded, unable to calm down for a long time. Watching from a distance, even she felt a lingering fear at the sight of that terrifying force. Her legs went a little weak, and she nearly fell from the sky.
"Only one who is cruel to themself can be cruel to others."
The woman in the white robe narrowed her eyes, staring at Ye Wushuang for a moment before uttering the cold words.
'Only one who is cruel to themself can be cruel to others!'
The sword-riding young woman murmured the words. 'Is that really true?' Her beautiful eyes gazed at Ye Wushuang with curiosity.
"Let's go."
The woman in the white robe retracted her gaze and called out. The two then flew off into the distance.
RUMBLE!
The sound of the waterfall crashing against the Cold Pool was incessant, wave after wave pounding Ye Wushuang's body.
The appearance of the two women did not attract Ye Wushuang's attention. He was frantically circulating the Heaven-Devouring Dragon Technique, completely absorbed in his Cultivation.
Under the waterfall's assault, his skin began to crack in various places. Wounds spread like a spider's web, seeping with traces of blood.
As the Heaven-Devouring Dragon Technique circulated, a Devouring Power emerged from his skin, swallowing all surrounding forces and transforming them into a thin membrane of blood.
This blood membrane covered Ye Wushuang's body, and the fine, cracked bloodstains quickly began to mend.
An hour later, the pool was stained with Ye Wushuang's blood, giving it a gruesome, sanguine appearance.
BANG!
His body was suddenly flung out of the waterfall, crashing into a patch of grass by the Cold Pool.
COUGH! COUGH!
He stood up, his face deathly pale. As he coughed, he spat out mouthfuls of blood.
'So painful. This really isn't something a human can endure!'
An hour of the waterfall's pummelling—the agony of his body being torn apart made Ye Wushuang's lips tremble even now, a lingering fear still gripping his heart.
However, when he checked his body, his fear turned to joyous surprise.
'Body Tempering Fifth Layer!'
With an hour of tempering, on top of his previous accumulation, he had finally broken through to the Body Tempering Fifth Layer, gaining control of fifteen hundred jin of strength!
The Body Tempering Fifth Layer was the Skin Refining Realm. One must first train their muscles, bones, and skin, strengthening the body so it could bear powerful True Qi in the future.
Lightly touching his skin, he could feel a metallic texture.
'At this rate, I should be able to break through to the Body Tempering Sixth Layer in half a month. I won't have to be expelled from the Ancient Spirit Sect after all.'
Ye Wushuang calculated his progress and threw himself back into his Cultivation, pushing onward toward the Blood Refining Realm.
This time, he didn't rush back under the waterfall to temper his body. Instead, he sat cross-legged in the grass.
Calming his qi, he activated the Heaven-Devouring Dragon Technique, devouring all the residual impact force from the waterfall left in his body and guiding this power to temper his blood.
A numbing, tingling sensation spread from his skin.
Two hours later, he walked into the waterfall again, enduring the impact. After an hour, he was flung out once more.
This cycle repeated over and over. In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.
For a while, no one even noticed that Ye Wushuang hadn't returned to his cabin.
BANG!
As the half-month flashed by, a sturdy figure suddenly shot out from within the waterfall.
The figure skimmed across the surface like a dragonfly, tapping his toes on a high crest of water, then used the momentum to throw a punch at an ancient, barrel-thick tree by the side of the pool.
CRACK!
His fist slammed into the trunk, and the entire Ancient Tree was torn to splinters.
'Body Tempering Sixth Layer, I've done it!'
Ye Wushuang spun around and landed lightly on a rock. He joyfully inspected his body, feeling a new, abundant power surging within him.
He could feel that this power wasn't just enough to shatter an Ancient Tree; he could even fight and kill a ferocious tiger or a giant beast with his bare hands!
'The Heaven-Devouring Dragon Technique is truly heaven-defying! It's given me such a powerful body. I wonder what my Combat Power has reached now. I really hope I can find someone to test it on.'
'Half a month is up. The Outer Sect assessment should be starting. Body Tempering Sixth Layer... I've made it!'
'Ye Wei, an Inner Sect Disciple... I bet you have plenty of Cultivation Resources. I, Ye Wushuang, am coming for them.'
Ye Wushuang glanced at the shattered Ancient Tree and gave a confident smile. He straightened his clothes and, like a Violent Ape, charged down Flying Waterfall Peak.