In the training room, Kuang Tu drew a circle with a radius of about three meters.
The tenth ranked, Zhou Bai.
The seventh ranked, Zhao Xiu of the first realm.
The second ranked, Jiang Weishan of the second realm.
At this moment, all three of them stood inside the circle, neither using their Primordial Spirit power nor dodging much, just attacking each other, purely comparing their Body Refinement cultivation.
Kuang Tu stood by, his eyes constantly sweeping over the areas where the three were hit, the positions from which they exerted force, observing the changes in their flesh.
Zhou Bai crouched on the ground, letting Jiang Weishan punch and kick at him, producing thumping sounds, while he himself specifically targeted Jiang Weishan’s feet.
Every now and then, their fists and feet collided, creating a strong wind that scattered in all directions, as if two siege rams were crashing into each other time and again.
Jiang Weishan’s skin all over his body emitted bursts of golden light, making him seem like a golden Buddha, and with each attack, a clanging sound of metal striking metal was heard.
This was the result of him bringing both the Golden Body Chart of the second layer of the Knife Diagram route and the martial art Golden Bell Shield to their limits, his defensive power almost reaching the peak of the second realm.
On the other side, Zhao Xiu and Zhou Bai teamed up to attack Jiang Weishan.
Zhao Xiu, of the first realm, seemed to bulge with muscles, and his black body hair surged, with two fangs over ten centimeters long looking incredibly fierce.
This beast transformation effect was the result of Zhao Xiu choosing the Giant Ape Chart from the first layer of the Axe Diagram route.
At this moment, his muscles bulged, and the power of his blood and bones surged to the peak, and with every claw strike, accompanied by the intense operation of muscles and blood, heat waves emanated from his body as if he had turned into a furnace.
Zhao Xiu’s massive palm slammed into Jiang Weishan’s golden palm, creating an explosive bang.
Jiang Weishan wore a smile, appearing effortless, while Zhao Xiu’s face twisted with bitterness, feeling as if his palm was about to break, his blood and qi churning within.
Just then, Jiang Weishan followed up with a kick toward Zhao Xiu’s chest amidst a howling wind, and as Zhao Xiu seemed unable to withstand it, Zhou Bai stepped in and threw a punch.
Fist and foot collided, making a sound as loud as the evening drum and morning bell.
Jiang Weishan laughed and said, "Good block. Come again!" The next moment, another vicious palm strike lifted a fierce wind.
Within the small circle, Zhou Bai and Zhao Xiu battled against Jiang Weishan of the second realm.
However, since their goal was Body Refinement, they made no moves to dodge, going blow for blow in a straightforward slugfest.
Jiang Weishan, relying on the Golden Body Chart of the second realm that he had perfected, and with a Daoization degree boost of 29.9%, was able to take on both opponents and momentarily suppress them.
Kuang Tu observed the state of the three from the side.
Watching Jiang Weishan, who suppressed two adversaries, pride flickered in his eyes: "Jiang Weishan is indeed a natural martial arts prodigy. The perfect combination of the Golden Body Chart with the Golden Bell Shield martial art has eliminated any gaps in his defense. The attacks from Zhou Bai and Zhao Xiu are practically ineffective.
Moreover, his Daoization degree and Primordial Spirit value have both reached their peak. I fear he’s likely to break through to the third realm within these next one or two months."
With that thought, he scribbled in his notebook, recording Jiang Weishan’s condition.
Then Kuang Tu turned his attention to Zhao Xiu: "Zhao Xiu follows the Axe Diagram route, refining the first layer’s Giant Ape Chart. Strength and defensive power aren’t his strong suits. His greatest progress has been in strength and burst power, especially after transforming into a beast. His physical strength has far surpassed other cultivators of the first realm. Combined with the power of the Primordial Spirit, he could likely break through most same-level spells with pure strength alone."
After making some notes, Kuang Tu then looked at Zhou Bai, his brows furrowed slightly: "Zhou Bai... his endurance and recovery are noteworthy. His movement speed and burst power have also seen some growth recently, but the real effect of his Body Refinement is... sigh."
"In terms of the growth of bodily strength, compared to the progress of both Zhao Xiu and Jiang Weishan, Zhou Bai’s improvement over this month is too slow."
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If Kuang Tu had only felt some regret so far, what came next made him rather disappointed.
"His unity of man and sword..."
After a long pause, Kuang Tu called a halt to the three and, after giving Jiang Weishan and Zhao Xiu each a round of feedback, turned to Zhou Bai: "Haven’t you been practicing unity of man and sword?"
Zhou Bai’s face tightened, and he said somewhat awkwardly, "Teacher, I tried practicing it, but unity of man and sword doesn’t really seem to suit me."
"Zhou Bai," Kuang Tu stared at Zhou Bai and said, "Practicing isn’t for me; it’s for yourself. Haven’t you felt that your rate of progress has been getting slower lately? You are currently in the zeroth realm, which should be when you improve the fastest."
Kuang Tu said sternly, "If you still don’t want to practice unity of man and sword next week, I’ll personally help you train."
Zhou Bai wore a look of helplessness, while Zhao Xiu and Jiang Weishan at his side were slightly surprised.
Zhao Xiu thought to himself: ’Phew, I had thought Zhou Bai here would catch up to me quickly. The pressure has been so intense lately; I’ve been practicing desperately, and now I can finally take a breather.’
Jiang Weishan’s gaze at Zhou Bai also held some disappointment: ’Among the top five in the special class, I am the only one who specializes in the Body Refinement path. I thought when Zhou Bai joined, I might have a similar type of rival in a couple of years, but he still can’t keep up with me, can he?’
Zhou Bai thought to himself: ’Pouring all my resources into speed instead of increasing defensive power, indeed it’s not like Jiang Weishan and the others, who revolve everything around Body Refinement, including their divine diagrams and martial arts. But, give me a few more days until my Dao Integration reaches 15%, things will be different then, and I won’t need to practice unity of man and sword anymore.’
’But speaking of this Body Refinement class...’
After class, Zhou Bai walked out of the Body Refinement training room with a resigned expression, while Christina stretched lazily in his mind, rolling her body around, looking as though she wanted to get up but couldn’t.
Zhou Bai: "Tina, I’m thinking about dropping out of the Body Refinement class. After all, the Body Refinement classes are becoming less and less useful to me."
But upon hearing this, Tina’s eyes lit up: "That’s great, I have always followed the sword diagram path anyway, what’s the point of Refining the body? As for you, you’ve gradually gotten used to the intensity of the Body Refinement classes this past month, haven’t you? So those classes are no use to you for tempering your willpower.
Compared to the minor benefits of practicing Body Refinement, isn’t it more efficient to earn laziness points while being idle?"
Zhou Bai nodded: "That’s exactly what I was thinking. Sigh, I’ve been too restless lately, always thinking about attending classes diligently, practicing hard. I should calm down and steadily level up with the assistance system instead. Constantly indulging in the superficial act of attending classes makes no real difference from being a loser like Zuo Dao, does it?"
Christina: "...you shameless cheater."
"What cheater? If anyone’s cheating, it’s you, bringing cheats into my body, what’s that got to do with me?" Zhou Bai said: "So that settles it, I’ll stop attending the Body Refinement class starting tomorrow." After saying this, Zhou Bai felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
But Christina called out again: "Fine to leave, but you must spar with Jiang Weishan one more time! Otherwise, I can’t stand it!"
Zhou Bai didn’t feel the same, simply responding, "What, you getting the urge to show off again?"
Christina shouted: "I, Christina, hate being looked down upon the most. Haven’t you noticed that those few muscleheads have been looking down on you more and more these last two weeks?
Wait until your Dao Integration reaches 15%, then spar with Jiang Weishan again! Got it? I’ve calculated it—after your Dao Integration hits 15%, your defensive power will definitely not be weaker than Jiang Weishan’s.
Even if you go full force, bursting out of your clothes and shoes, you’ll definitely be able to stand up to him!"
Zhou Bai: "Tina, can you speak more civilly? How many times have I told you, don’t swear, little kitty."
Christina: "What’s wrong with swearing? I’ll say it again, I, Christina, am going to flip Jiang Weishan over, not even the Jade Emperor could save him! I want to show them who’s the toughest and fiercest in the Body Refinement class!"
Zhou Bai made a face, agreeing to the proposition, as he, too, had a desire to test his improvements after his Dao Integration reached 15%, using Jiang Weishan as a target.
And his next goal should still be to "hang" more often, sell more property, acquire more laziness, the thought of it was a bit exciting.
Then Zhou Bai’s consciousness retreated back into the Sea of Consciousness, handing over his physical body to Christina’s control, and he went to sleep earnestly.
He slept until the end of the class, Zhou Bai took control of his body, yawning as he walked out of the special class building, planning to grab some food first.
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