Because of Chen Chuan's decision, the three did not stay in the testing ground any longer. They drove out and returned to the perimeter outside the barbed wire.
Chen Chuan got out of the car here, having decided to intensify his training starting from this spot.
To raise the difficulty, he did not choose the areas he had traversed before, instead picking unfamiliar zones.
He specifically asked He Xiaoxing about some of the more hazardous zones as well, though they were only relatively dangerous; no matter what, they could never compare to the waters beneath the testing ground.
Once he had adjusted his state, he entered the water, but did not rush to dive and swim. Instead, he first sat at the bottom of the sinkhole for two hours.
Truth be told, if it was just sitting in stillness here, he felt that as long as he could overcome the claustrophobic mental strain and his mutated tissue held out, enduring for most of a day was no problem now.
So this was not mere sitting; it was an exercise in giving rein to his emotions and then subduing them. Choosing this place to train was likewise meant to increase difficulty and strengthen his self-control.
Only after that did he begin his submerged swims.
He no longer fixated on one hour, but extended the duration, pulling out in time only when he felt he was nearing his limit.
After eating a bite on shore and taking a brief ten-minute rest, he plunged back in once more.
Chang Ba, who was reading a picture-story book nearby, seemed not to have even registered it yet.
Chen Chuan repeated these dives throughout the day, stimulating his mutated tissue in this manner, and every following day was the same.
Shortened rest times coupled with all-day training made the intensity an entirely different beast from before. For the first few days, he was fairly exhausted; after returning each day and quickly washing up, he would collapse into sleep right away. And then—
Perhaps because there was a goal he was chasing, the mutated tissue grasped his urgent need, actively responding and cooperating with him. Thus, after merely five or six days, he gradually adapted to this rhythm.
By this time, it was already mid-July. He felt that the signs of voidness brought about by slaying the Mountain Ghost had completely vanished, which meant he would need to start using the medicine he had brought along.
In fact, this time he had never planned on bringing the medicine he took with him back; he intended to return only after exhausting it all. Roughly calculated, at his current level, it should be enough to sustain him for more than half a month without issue.
After days of continuous training, Chang Ba was also watching with anticipation, eager to see whether Chen Chuan could truly succeed this time.
Chen Chuan gazed at the sinkhole not far ahead. Following his routine, he had chosen a different entrance this time, still unaware of what he might encounter inside.
None of that mattered, though. He only knew he would do everything in his power to chase down the goal he had set. If he failed to pass, he would simply keep intensifying his training and try again.
He stretched his body and leaped into the water. His posture was graceful and natural; anyone with a discerning eye could tell from this single motion that he was far more confident and powerful than before.
With hands propped on his knees, Chang Ba craned his neck to look into the sinkhole. Since most of the markers would be bitten through, one couldn't tell if a target had been touched by the shaking of the ropes. Only after Chen Chuan came up and reported the names on the markers he had reached would they know how many he had touched. For now, he could only wait.
Just then, he suddenly remembered that Chen Chuan hadn't eaten roasted fish beforehand this time. Without the toxins to ward off the schools of fish, the difficulty would inevitably be far greater.
After waiting a while, he picked up a picture-story book to flip through on the side to pass the time. But soon after, he noticed He Xiaoxing walking briskly around the sinkhole, dropping down a marker at regular intervals.
Seeing this, his spirits rose. If Chen Chuan wasn't reaching the markers, there would be no need for He Xiaoxing to drop them down one after another.
The standard set was twelve markers within an hour, averaging one every five minutes. Yet the complex subterranean terrain and treacherous environment severely restricted performance, and Chen Chuan couldn't possibly time it down to the exact second—he had to leave a margin of error and surface early, which meant the time actually available to him was even shorter.
Was it truly possible to accomplish?
Time ticked away second by second. Chang Ba checked the time: already fifty-six minutes. If he didn't come up soon, even if he gathered enough markers, exceeding the time limit would still count as a failure.
Another two minutes passed. Just as an hour was about to be reached, with a loud splash, several large fish suddenly flew out of a sinkhole, slapping onto the ground and flopping frantically. Then Chen Chuan broke through the surface, braced lightly on the edge with one hand, and vaulted himself upward.
Chang Ba sprang to his feet and hurried over, asking, "Brother Chen, how did it go?"
Chen Chuan steadied his breathing, then recited the numbers of the markers he had touched along the way one by one. Added together, neither more nor less, it was exactly twelve.
Chang Ba's eyes widened, and he turned to look at He Xiaoxing.
He Xiaoxing looked at Chen Chuan and said slowly, "If the goal you set for yourself was twelve, then you have passed."
Chang Ba couldn't help looking back at Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan smiled and said, "'Aim high and hit the middle; aim for the middle and fall short.' My initial target was fifteen. It seems I still fell short."
He had been able to move so quickly this time mainly because he had applied different handling techniques when dealing with the various fish, saving a good deal of travel time.
For instance, once he understood the movement patterns of the hardhead black carp, he could evade them quickly. As for those entangling water weeds, the moment he sensed them... And then there were the clams lurking sneakily in the crevices—those were the hardest to guard against, but knowing about them in advance made them far easier to deal with. Now, the moment he spotted one, while it had not yet snapped fully shut, he would first wedge against one shell, then unleash the full power of his body in an instant, shattering the other shell with a punch or kick.
As long as he wasn't facing schools of hundreds or thousands of fish, they were all manageable.
Now it was exactly twelve. He wasn't entirely satisfied with this result, feeling there was still room for improvement and that he could do even better.
Chang Ba, however, was overcome with excitement and said, "That's more than enough—twelve markers! Brother Chen, do you have any idea? No fighter at your stage has ever managed this before!" He thudded his chest with loud thumps. "I, Chang Ba, keep my word. From now on, the Chang Family Lodge is completely free for you!"
Chen Chuan smiled. "Then I won't stand on ceremony."
He Xiaoxing said in a deep voice, "Chen Chuan, come with me." With that, he began walking off in one direction.
Chen Chuan's expression shifted slightly. It seemed He Xiaoxing had something to say to him. Excusing himself to Chang Ba, he stepped forward to follow.
The two walked for over a li, arriving at a piece of higher ground. There was no one around, only the gale winds sweeping incessantly across the wasteland. In the distance, the long silhouette of mountains stretched across the horizon, while behind them lay Dan Lake, dotted like scattered beads of blood.
He Xiaoxing stood there and looked out for a moment, then spoke to Chen Chuan, who had caught up behind him. "I told you before that at your current stage, there is no need to fuss excessively over combat techniques. Strength and speed are the priorities."
Chen Chuan said, "Yes, Teacher. I believe so as well."
Turning around, He Xiaoxing said in a deep voice, "Strength and speed are both driven by the foundation of the physical body. The stronger the body, the better both can be brought into play. Today, I will teach you the Furnace Breathing Technique. This is an achievement belonging to our Purist Faction, one of our secret breathing techniques used to rival the other factions.
"This breathing technique can delve deep into the fine nuances to unearth the power of mutated tissue. It can store surplus daily energy within the mutated tissue, then release it when necessary like burning firewood, providing a fighter with tremendous combat strength.
"The Furnace Breathing Technique demands a high baseline of physical fitness. If ordinary fighters force themselves to practice it, they will only harm themselves. But since you have met the standard I set before, it shows your physical constitution has reached the minimum threshold required to receive this technique."
Chen Chuan had sensed vaguely before that although he seemed to have entered the final stage of training, He Xiaoxing might still have something he hadn't taught. It wasn't because the man hoarded his knowledge, but most likely because Chen Chuan's own physical condition hadn't met the requirements.
Now that it was explained, he also realized that retrieving twelve markers in those waters truly represented a qualifying threshold.
He Xiaoxing reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, saying in a low voice, "Feel my breathing carefully, and memorize every rhythm of its circulation. I will only teach this once."
Chen Chuan immediately focused his mind and nodded earnestly.
Then, he felt an immense heat surge from He Xiaoxing's body, like a roaring furnace. At the same time, the mutated tissue inside his own body seemed to resonate, growing active in sync with a specific rhythm, and he could feel the breath from his mouth and nose being drawn along as well.
This was a secret breathing technique that accounted for both external breathing and internal breathing simultaneously.
Not daring to let his attention wander for a single instant, he committed the breathing rhythms to memory with care, devoting himself entirely until he completely forgot the outside world.
After a long while, He Xiaoxing released his hand, and the heat radiating from him subsided as well.
Chen Chuan took a moment to reflect. This breathing technique was far more complex than any he had encountered in the past. It operated mostly within internal tissues, and the coordination required was exceptionally intricate.
Yet after the previous bouts of training, the mutated tissue in his body seemed capable of memorizing on its own what it urgently required. Thus, in just a single run, he had committed it to memory.
He Xiaoxing said, "After we head back, I will give you a booklet detailing the points you need to heed. But remember, no matter what you learn, it is merely learned. To translate it into true combat capability, you still need more battles and more opponents to help you digest it."
Chen Chuan smiled, his eyes clear and seemingly shining. "Teacher He, I think when I return this time, the one thing I won't lack is opponents."
He Xiaoxing gazed at him for a moment before speaking slowly. "Student Chen, as of now, my training arrangements for you have come to an end. You may head back now, or stay longer if you wish."
Chen Chuan pondered for a moment, then looked up at him. "Teacher He, regarding that body of water... before I decide to leave, I want to try it one more time!"
He Xiaoxing looked at him, nodded, and said, "All right."
Chapter 171