**Chapter 129: Tempering Oneself**
It wasn't arrogance. He needed sufficient pressure to force out his latent potential. Getting injured repeatedly would truly temper his physique, and he could also gather some spiritual herbs along the way.
Naturally, choosing the right target was crucial. Flying or aquatic beasts weren't his first choice. The ideal opponent would be a land-based second-tier demon beast with weak perception, great physical strength, and low intelligence.
Carrying the perfected Night Concealment Charm and Invisibility Art, evading the senses of a Foundation Establishment demon beast was effortless. In a way, he was actually quite safe.
Using the hidden cavern within the Split Cliff as his base, Wang Yu ventured out daily, his search radius gradually expanding from one mile to five, then ten. His harvest of wild, first-tier spiritual herbs grew steadily.
After half a month, he finally found a suitable target.
A dull yellow, bovine-type demon beast clad in rock-like armor. Its Earth attribute was pronounced, its muscles hard as stone, and it seemed to lack any long-range attacks.
Perfect.
This 'Stonehide Bull' lived in a patch of dry, yellow grassland. The area was its territory, rarely intruded upon by other beasts. Furthermore, the grassland's edge dropped into a cliff face, vertical and covered with a large quantity of 'Earth-Spirit Dendrobium,' a relatively rare second-tier herb used in pills that enhanced physical constitution. A significant portion had been eaten, but plenty remained, enough for a substantial haul.
"Snow Jade Fox, go."
He tapped the spirit beast pouch at his waist. The small, pale fox opened its pink eyes wide and let out a questioning "Yip?" Its cute face was full of confusion, as if saying, *'Me? Fight a second-tier Stonehide Bull?'*
Fox-type spirit beasts were naturally clever. Wang Yu nodded and instructed, "Use your newly awakened bloodline art."
Hearing this, the fox understood. Its second awakened bloodline art was called **[Allure]**, a classic fox trait. Regardless of its elemental variant, the bloodline root was the same.
Its short legs moving gracefully, white tail swaying, the little creature strutted to the edge of the grassland and cast a seductive glance toward the reclining bull in the distance.
The next moment, the bull's aura flared. Visible steam snorted from its nostrils. Its yellowish hide seemed to take on a faint pinkish hue, and it charged forward without a second thought.
Wang Yu glanced at the fox, surprised. "Your spiritual sense talent is quite potent."
He promptly recalled it into the pouch. He had already shed his robes, standing bare-chested. His left arm had a pale, bluish tint, the nails dark and glossy. The connection at his shoulder showed a clear color difference from the rest of his body, a lingering effect of the Corpse Demon Secret Art. Even with his naturally fair skin, the arm stood out.
For this fight, he would not rely on the Divine Strength Corpse Arm.
Channeling Flood Dragon Strength, Wang Yu twisted his torso. Seven distinct sinews, like powerful serpents, bulged along his spine and limbs, fierce and savage. A faint, coiling dragon phantom flickered behind him for an instant.
Facing the charging bull, Wang Yu sank his stance, his palms meeting the oncoming horns, attempting to use leverage and redirect the force, to lift the beast.
Reality, however, differed from imagination. The power of his 'Seven Dragon Sinews' was no match for the bull's brute force. It felt like trying to lift an immovable pillar.
Skill was useless against a mindless battering ram!
The result sent Wang Yu flying backward, crashing through several ancient trees, coughing up blood. Before he could recover, the bull was charging again.
Wang Yu's expression shifted. He slapped a broken tree stump, using the force to propel himself sideways several yards. The bull smashed the stump to splinters. A heavy hoof stamped down from the side. Wang Yu met it with a punch. A sharp *crack* sounded; the bones in his fingers and forearm twisted and dislocated.
"Without the Corpse Arm... the gap is this vast?"
With no other choice, Wang Yu leaped back, activating both Night Concealment and Invisibility, swiftly retreating from the battlefield.
The Stonehide Bull, having lost its target, rampaged through the nearby trees before finally calming, lifting its head, and returning to the cliff base like a victorious general.
***
**Split Cliff Cavern**
Wang Yu soaked in the hot spring, recovering. Three days had passed since his physical clash with the Foundation Establishment bull. After the thorough beating, he had to admit, the accumulated potency of the dragon blood secret medicine within him was fully stirred. Combined with his stock of top-grade healing pills, he was completely recovered.
He rose from the spring, stretched his revitalized body, and headed straight for the stone chamber. There, he vented his frustrations with a sound thrashing of Wang Wu using the Golden Blade Whip.
Feeling physically and mentally cleansed, he set out once more to challenge the Stonehide Bull.
This time, he returned in under two hours.
Wang Yu came back bruised and swollen, his torso a canvas of hoof prints, his frame puffed up to nearly twice its normal size, numerous bones fractured.
He had lost again, even more decisively than before. Yet, the gains were correspondingly greater. With the medicinal energy fully activated, aided by further medicinal baths, dedicated cultivation, and the daily body-refining feedback from Placement Slot Four, his progress in physical cultivation was nothing short of meteoric.
This time, he rested for a full seven days until his injuries were fully mended.
The cycle continued: Thrash Wang Wu → Fight the Bull → Lose → Heal → Thrash Wang Wu!
Maintaining this relentless rhythm, Wang Yu found each day profoundly fulfilling. He was certain Wang Wu was having an equally impactful experience, finally settling the debt for the sins of his past.
During his recovery periods, Wang Yu occasionally foraged for herbs. Now carrying a portable pill furnace and aided by his Cold Flame, he could refine pills anywhere to replenish his stocks. He focused on top-grade healing pills. It was necessary; he consumed them copiously, and the occupant of the stone chamber required a steady supply as well. He felt no stinginess regarding these resources, valuing only the resulting clarity of mind and spirit. This mental purity greatly enhanced his comprehension of the cultivation path.
Both his primary and physical cultivation advanced in tandem.
In just three months, Wang Yu broke through another layer of the **Flood Dragon Strength**, reaching the eighth layer, the "Eight Living Dragon Sinews" realm.
And so, time flowed like a white steed glimpsed through a crack, or water slipping through fingers, turning three full years of his life without him even noticing.
The fourth year of his Inner Sect life arrived.
**Stonehide Bull's Territory**
The longtime rivals clashed once more in fierce combat. Even with its limited intellect, the bull demon had memorized this persistently unkillable human.
"Moo!!!"
Seeing its foe ignited a crimson rage in its eyes. The Snow Jade Fox's Allure was unnecessary now. The moment it spotted Wang Yu from a distance, it charged. The grassland tore under the force of its charge, the beast a torrent of pure, violent power.
Wang Yu took a deep breath, planting his feet firmly. He raised both palms, his face flushing deep red with the immense strain.
"LIFT—!"
This time felt different. With his remarkable recent progress, even if the legendary world-pillar were placed before him, Wang Yu felt he would spit on his hands and try to heave it from the earth.
**(End of Chapter)**