Chapter Eight – Armor Removed

“Ha, ha, ha” Elder Feng complacently chuckled.

“Kid, I know crystal clear why you are interested in talking with me - you are saving time in an attempt to regain some energy. So I have simply used a countermeasure against your plot. During our conversation, I have successfully formed the strength needed for the Tranquil Fist, which is equivalent to the strength of three oxen. By concentrating all my strength on one point, it triples. That’s my strategy! Enjoy the blow…”

Xu Yi’s entire body was screaming out in pain, even the bones were feeling like they had shifted from their original place. It was like being hit by a gigantic rock, the power of which was overwhelming. Xu Yi was about to faint, what Elder Feng said made a ripple in his mind: “the strength of three oxen? This is bullshit!”

What Xu Yi had learned from Liao Chen, was that when you attained the peak state of a forged body, you could only have the strength of one ox. Based on the difference in techniques and talent, there might be some discrepancy in the total strength. The weaker ones might obtain strength less than one ox, while the stronger ones would obtain strength a little bit more than one ox. It happened. But no one would ever surpass the strength of one and a half oxen.

Xu Yi himself presented a perfect example. If he concentrated all of his strength, it could be as much as one and a half ox. However, By doing this, he had to break the physical limits and make ample preparations.

But at this moment, he had seen Elder Feng exert the strength of three oxen, he was forced to adjust the obtained information from his Sifu.

Elder Feng glimpsed at Xu Yi, as if looking at a dead body. Pulling apart a big branch from a tree, he quietly made it into a spear. He then pointed the spear at Xu Yi and stabbed it into his left shoulder blade.

In order to capture Xu Yi alive, Elder Feng intended to staple Xu Yi deeply into the ground. By doing so, he could force Xu Yi to give out the secret technique he was using to speed up his cultivation process.

-Hu, Hu-

Nevertheless, when the spear touched the shoulder blade of Xu Yi, it stopped with a muffled sound. Sharp as it was, the spear simply couldn’t penetrate Xu Yi’s skin.

As Elder Feng was completely dumbfounded, Xu Yi suddenly bounced up and stared at him.

It occurred to Xu Yi that the strength limit of one ox may not have been that accurate after all. Elder Feng must have used some secret technique to achieve the strength of three oxen. Xu Yi now finally understood why Elder Feng was so interested in chatting with him. He was saving time to gather the strength of three oxen yet again. But Xu Yi was not intimidated by Elder Feng, as he could quite clearly see that the previous ‘strength of three oxen’-attack had already greatly exhausted this Elder.

“I bet it is beyond your ability to exert another strength of three oxen.” Xu Yi said with a contemptuous tone. He then took his linen clothing off, showing no skin, but instead dark iron. The iron protecting his belly was fractured due to the Tranquil Fist. There was also a hole in the shoulder part of the iron, which was left by the penetration of the spear.

“You were actually wearing an armor made of heavy iron? How can this be possible?” Elder Feng almost yelled at Xu Yi, trying to make sense of the armor. His expression right now was rather hilarious – with his mouth wide open and eyeballs sticking out, just like a cartoon figure.

Heavy iron was actually a common material for heavy weapons, which outweighed refined iron multiple times. It was popular among those with unusual strength.

The armor that was being removed by Xu Yi, weighed at least 250 kg. Anyone in the peak state of a forged body was able to gather one-ox strength, equivalent to 1,000 kg in weight. Compared with that, 250 kg was nothing.

Be that as it may, agilely moving around with a 250 kg armor tied around your body, was not an easy job. You might be able to carry a bag filled with sand that weighs a 100 kg, for instance, but once you have another bag filled with sand of only 25 kg tied around you, you would no longer be able to carry the previous 100 kg bag filled with sand.

So the 250 kg tied around the body and the 1000 kg weren’t analogous to each other. They were different. The former represented endurance, while the latter represented instant forces.

The armor had been tied around Xu Yi’s body for quite a long time. But it wasn’t hampering with Xu Yi’s quick movements in the slightest, it had even become an integral part of his body.

Elder Feng was amazed with what Xu Yi had already achieved. And he kept pondering on how it was possible for such a young kid to obtain this kind power.

As we all know, one must go through four stages before escaping this mortal world – a forged body, an ocean of qi, the liquidation of qi and finally a grateful soul. In the forged body stage, the skin and bones were refined in a way that greatly increased their defense. At the same time, there was more qi available while fighting.

Even given all the advantages that a forged body would bring, no one should be able to endure the weight of the armor that Xu Yi carried, it was simply too heavy. Even some precious and rare herbs wouldn’t be able to achieve this feat, as they could only support the cultivator physically. The spiritual suffering had to be overcome by one’s will. If not managed properly, it was possible, that one might even kill himself due to this.

However, Xu Yi was an exception. He was successfully improving himself with the aid of this heavy armor. Elder Feng gained a new perspective on Wu Dao from this, but he still couldn’t figure out why.

Xu Yi was not obliged to offer Elder Feng any explanation on this. But looking at the confusement in Elder Feng’s eyes, Xu Yi decided to show off a little bit.

“Well, this armor has been tied around my body for about three months now. In the first three days, I was sleepless due to the pain it brings. On the fourth day, there was edema [1] all over my body. My muscles and bones were all broken as they couldn’t bear the weight of this armor. I couldn’t walk properly until two months later. Now, I am already in the peak state of a forged body and this armor has turned into a useless prop for me.” As he finished speaking, he also finished the removal of his armor. He threw the armor aside, which was quickly buried deep into the weeds.

The weight of this armor had multiplied Xu Yi’s own weight several times. Once it was removed, he felt like his body was as light as a feather.

Elder Feng was absolutely stunned, he never expected Xu Yi to be such a powerful cultivator. At the beginning of their fight, he didn’t even consider Xu Yi to be a threat. Because Xu Yi was an inexperienced newcomer in Wu Dao, even if Xu entered the peak state of a forged body, Elder Feng was confident in defeating him.

However, seeing the events in front of his eyes, Elder Feng’s view towards Xu Yi was turned upside down. He began to doubt his own ability.

How could he capture this monster-like enemy?

Now, Xu Yi had even removed his armor, which would certainly help him multiply his already fast speed. Elder Feng knew, in the stage of a forged body, they compete for speed and strength. These two elements were the key determinants in a fight. And only sometimes, techniques might also play a role. Taking his Tranquil Fist as an example, if the enemy was less defensive than Xu Yi, it’d be a fatal one.

However, there were no shortcuts in cultivating Wu Dao. Elder Feng’s Tranquil Fist might have been a smart move, but far from a wise one. As the strength that was required for this technique was too much for his body to endure, which in turn made it detrimental to his long-term cultivation.

Now, Elder Feng had actually already become weaker compared to several minutes ago. However, disregarding everything else, he tried to make every possible effort to kill Xu Yi, and pushed out another Tranquil Fist. Soon after, he was thrown backwards by the enormous strength he used.

Seeing that not Xu Yi, but rather he himself was being hurt, he decided that there was only one thing left he could do, run!

……………..

[1]: Edema is an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the interstitium, located beneath the skin and in the cavities of the body which can cause severe pain.