Chapter 27: Pre-battle Preparations, First Practice!

Yu Le’s original intention in joining the Demon Hunter Squad was merely to use it as a platform to gain access to information he could not otherwise obtain. While the process had unfolded according to his plan, the response he received from the Burning Heaven Squad far exceeded his expectations.

Initially, the coldness Ling Xiao showed toward the applicants had made Yu Le worry that their time together might not be very harmonious. However, the friendliness the Burning Heaven Squad extended to the new recruits was evident. Perhaps, as they had said, once you joined the Burning Heaven Squad, you became brothers who could entrust your back to one another without hesitation—just like Mu Chao, who had died protecting Han Yuesu.

If others treated him with sincerity, how could he not return the favor?

The gathering intended to welcome the new recruits had been interrupted by Su Chi’s intrusion and the finalization of the joint demon-hunting plan. The squad had hurriedly returned to the clubhouse to prepare for battle. As novices, Yu Le and Su Rui could only exchange bitter smiles, realizing there was nothing for them to contribute yet.

"Why are you two just standing there like logs? Go get some rest. We set off to hunt demons tomorrow morning; you’d better not oversleep," Han Yuesu said coldly.

The two left immediately and returned to their assigned rooms. Back in his room, however, Yu Le found he could not sleep. Perhaps it was the impact of experiencing so many new things, or perhaps the precarious situation of Yu An’an that left him deeply anxious. Although no one had spoken of it explicitly, anything involving the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect was clearly not simple.

"One bite at a time, one step at a time. An’an, wait for me."

Since he couldn't sleep, he decided not to bother. Help from others was external; strengthening himself was the key. Yu Le took out the *Rock-Solid Body Tempering Technique* Geng Xiao had given him. This was the first cultivation method he had encountered since transmigrating to this world. After an hour of immersive study, he closed the book. The method was not as difficult as he had imagined. The essence of cultivating in the Rock-Solid Realm could be summed up in two words: grinding down. You had to imagine yourself as a stone, weathering the wind and sun, eventually forging yourself into a sturdy, unyielding rock.

Beyond specialized physical tempering techniques, there were only two ways to rapidly improve one’s realm in the Rock-Solid stage. The first was to apply "Body-Forging Spirit Liquid"—a medicine made from the spirit cores of spirit beasts—to the skin, allowing it to seep into the flesh and stimulate it, causing subtle, transformative changes. However, using medicinal aids too frequently led to drug resistance, meaning one had to spend more money on better medicine to maintain a high rate of progress. The second method was to take a beating, or rather, to engage in combat. Cultivators in the Rock-Solid Realm found that training after reaching physical exhaustion or sustaining injuries yielded twice the result for half the effort. This also applied to the absorption of medicines and the mastery of one's own power; true knowledge came from practice, and mere closed-door meditation was inefficient. Everything boiled down to stimulating the flesh to grow stronger.

This was Yu Le’s first attempt. He took out the Body-Forging Spirit Liquid, poured out a small amount of the thick, viscous substance, and spread it over his hands before rubbing it all over his body like lotion.

"Should I apply it there, too?" He hesitated for a moment before evenly coating his entire body.

Before he could even begin his exercises, his skin began to burn with an intense, fiery sensation. "Damn it..." The pain spreading across his body caused his breath to hitch. The areas he had just coated were particularly agonizing. This was his own fault; he hadn't noticed the warning at the end of the first page of the manual, which advised a gradual approach, starting with a single limb, such as the arms. No one had told him to do his whole body at once! And certainly, no one had told him to apply it *there*!

Yu Le felt like a boiled shrimp, curled up on his bed. At that moment, let alone practicing the technique, even moving was a luxury. "This is such a waste..." Although the medicine was already stimulating his flesh, pairing it with the tempering technique was essential to maximize its efficacy. A bottle cost one hundred thousand; he didn't dare waste a drop.

But how to solve this? Yu Le thought for a moment and attempted to channel his "World-Tremor Power" to counterbalance the medicinal effect. His muscles began to tremble, and had anyone been watching, they would have been astonished to see the viscous liquid on his skin being rapidly absorbed through his pores.

"It’s working!" Yu Le’s eyes lit up as the pain began to subside. Once he could move again, he didn't hesitate and immediately began the tempering exercises. It was somewhat like yoga, with elements of fitness training thrown in. Fortunately, his room was equipped with various pieces of gear. It was a lively night in his room!

An hour later, Yu Le touched his dry skin; the burning sensation within his flesh had completely vanished. "Is the effect of the Body-Forging Spirit Liquid really that fleeting?" Geng Xiao had told him one bottle would last for a while. He had used about one-tenth of the bottle, yet it had been consumed in just over an hour—even accounting for the time he spent using his World-Tremor Power to control the absorption. Under normal circumstances, someone would use less, and it could take a day or two, or even up to a week, to fully absorb the effects.

Yu Le didn't know these common facts. He felt that once the effect was gone, he should simply reapply. Geng Xiao had said that, as a squad member, the supply was infinite! After a moment’s hesitation, and considering that his power allowed him to adapt to the burning sensation, he generously coated his body again. By the third time, he collapsed onto his bed like a dead dog. No matter how strong the body, it couldn't handle non-stop training. He felt as if he could barely move a finger.

Yet, his mind remained clear. He could distinctly feel that his physique had strengthened significantly under the three rounds of stimulation. As for exactly how much his physical strength had increased, that remained to be seen.

"Does that mean the mysterious substance Jiu Jiao left me also has similar effects?" He hadn't forgotten that he could barely handle just one sniff of it during the day; that sensation had been several times more intense than the spirit liquid. Though he didn't know what it was, he was certain it was a treasure. "Since it's a more potent medicine, it seems better to save it for when I develop a resistance to the spirit liquid."

What now? There was still some time before dawn. He couldn't do more tempering; his body would fall apart. But the manual mentioned that when tempering hit a bottleneck, training one's "force application" could help the body adapt faster to its new strength and create better conditions for the next round of tempering.

Force application, when organized and developed systematically, was known as a "Battle Technique." Mentally stimulated, Yu Le got back up and laid out the three techniques Han Yuesu and the others had given him: the Earth-rank *Ice Soul Palm*, the Yellow-rank movement technique *Flickering Light Step*, and the Yellow-rank staff technique *Sticky Cloth Strike*. These were all rubbings. After he flipped through them, the books vanished, and the methods for channeling power were etched into his mind.

"It seems... this isn't that hard either!"