Chapter 13: Soul Skill Training

Yu Tianyun entered the gravity training chamber, poured soul power into the wall until the gravity was set to 3.5 times, then stopped the output. He immediately lowered himself into a push‑up stance, but supported himself on four fingers instead of his palms.

His waist and back stayed straight as he lowered his body until it was only a fist's distance from the ground, then his arm muscles pushed up until fully extended, his fingers trembling slightly; he performed a standard push‑up and continued repeating the motion.

After every hundred push‑ups he paused to stretch his limbs, rested briefly, then resumed.

Yu Tianyun planned to train progressively, increasing the difficulty only when he no longer felt any pressure.

After an hour, Yu Tianyun lay spread‑eagled on the floor, lifting his hands to watch his uncontrollably trembling fingers.

"Just doing finger push‑ups is this hard; it seems I still have a long way to go before reaching the one‑finger Zen level!"

After a quarter‑hour rest, a dragon's roar sounded; Yu Tianyun summoned his martial soul—the Blue Electric Tyrannosaur—and the pressure on his body instantly lessened considerably.

"Finger training can't be mastered overnight; practicing an hour a day is enough. Now let's begin to comprehend the first soul skill."

Upon activating the first soul skill surrounding his body, the pressure on him lessened again, as if he were outside the gravity chamber without using his martial soul.

Under the enhancement of the Thunder Dragon Body, Yu Tianyun resumed his daily training routine, but he stopped shortly thereafter.

"The consumption of soul power by the first soul skill seems too low; at this rate it would be a waste of time." Yu Tianyun was delighted by his discovery, yet he frowned.

Thinking this, Yu Tianyun turned his gaze to the wall emitting a faint earth‑yellow glow, continued pouring soul power into it, and raised the gravity to its maximum—5 times.

At this moment Yu Tianyun finally felt the pressure, then continued his training while sensing the marvel of the first soul skill and the tiny lightning snakes constantly crawling over his body. Numerous lightning snakes wandered aimlessly across him, disappearing after a while, only to be replaced by newly born ones.

Yu Tianyun tried to control one of the strands, but the lightning snakes seemed unable to sense his intent, continuing to drift aimlessly. He paid it no mind and kept attempting to command the others with his will.

Time flowed slowly, like a silent river slipping by unnoticed. Yu Tianyun remained like a statue, quietly immersed in his training to perceive lightning.

Although he had not yet managed to control even a single bolt of lightning, he steadfastly retained his persistence and determination.

He sought to understand lightning's essence, to uncover its hidden mysteries, and longed to master this mighty natural force.

He knew the path of cultivation was fraught with obstacles and challenges, and that only continual effort and perseverance could break his limits. Thus he repeatedly adjusted his condition, reexamining his methods and techniques, overlooking no detail.

Each failure only strengthened his belief that success was one step closer.

At some point, Yu Tianyun felt the pressure on his body suddenly multiply severalfold! In that instant he felt as if a mountain had slammed onto him, unable to resist, he collapsed onto the cold, hard floor.

Only now did Yu Tianyun wake from his dream‑like state, realizing his soul power had been completely exhausted.

An indescribable wave of immense fatigue surged over him, making his breathing unusually heavy and his heart pound relentlessly, as if it might burst from his chest at any moment.

At the same time, a sweet‑scented bloody taste spread through his mouth.

It turned out that Yu Tianyun had been so absorbed in his training that he forgot he was actually in a 5‑times‑gravity environment.

The depletion of his soul power, combined with the massive loss of stamina from his earlier intense training, left him lying on the floor, utterly unable to muster the strength to rise.

He strained to lift his head, his gaze falling on the switch on the nearby wall, but in his present condition he could not possibly reach it.

Left with no choice, Yu Tianyun exerted all his strength, crawling inch by inch toward the door.

His arms, legs, and even his chin were put to use; he moved like a slow‑crawling snail, straining with every ounce of effort to inch toward the door that symbolized hope…

"Hah…" Yu Tianyun drew a deep breath, feeling fresh air fill his lungs, as if every cell in his body were cheering.

After a long, grueling ten minutes, he finally managed to crawl out of the gravity chamber, greedily gulping fresh air.

At this moment the skin on his chin was worn raw, but he didn't care; he simply turned over, lay still on the floor, closed his eyes, and gradually fell asleep.

At some point, the maid Xiao Yue happened to pass by.

At a glance she saw Yu Tianyun's disheveled, motionless form on the floor, and panic instantly gripped her.

She rushed over, anxiously calling: "Young master, what's wrong? Wake up quickly! Don't scare the servant!"

Tears welled in Xiao Yue's eyes, her voice trembling with obvious fear.

"Young master, you must be all right! If you were gone, I wouldn't want to live either…"

The more Xiao Yue spoke, the more sorrowful she became; her tears fell like broken beads, dripping onto Yu Tianyun's sweat‑stained, grimy cheeks.

Feeling the moisture on his face, Yu Tianyun struggled to open his heavy eyelids and, with a weak voice, soothed: "Cough… Xiao Yue, don't cry… I… I'm fine, I'm just exhausted from training, lacking the strength to get up, so I'm resting here."

Hearing Yu Tianyun's weak voice, Xiao Yue wiped her tears and broke into a delighted smile.

She gently helped Yu Tianyun up and asked solicitously: "Young master, would you like me to fetch a healing Soul Master to examine you, or bring you some water and food to replenish your strength?"

Yu Tianyun shook his head, indicating he didn't need those, but his rebellious stomach issued a loud protest.

Xiao Yue supported Yu Tianyun back to his modest courtyard,

Soon afterward Xiao Yue had prepared a table laden with sumptuous dishes, their aroma making mouths water. He sat down and began to savor the delicious fare, while Xiao Yue set up a medicinal bath in the adjacent bathroom.

After Yu Tianyun had stuffed himself with all the delicacies on the table, Xiao Yue approached and said softly: "Young master, the medicinal bath is ready; you may go soak and relax your body."

Yu Tianyun nodded, rose, and entered the bathroom. The water in the tub steamed, giving off a faint herbal fragrance. He lay back comfortably, feeling the warmth's comfort, and his mind gradually calmed.

He closed his eyes, savoring this moment of peace and ease.

"This time I was truly careless—under 5× gravity without soul‑power protection, I wouldn't die outright, but staying long would inflict irreversible damage on my organs." The now‑calm Yu Tianyun reflected.

Under Xiao Yue's soft, smooth jade‑like finger massage, Yu Tianyun soon felt drowsiness creep in, closed his eyes, and gradually slipped into sleep.

In his dream, Yu Tianyun felt as if he were embracing a soft cloud.

A strand of hair drifted to Yu Tianyun's nose tip,

"Ah‑choo!" After sneezing, Yu Tianyun slowly opened his eyes; the sight before him instantly energized him fully—he saw a pale, tender snake spirit coiled around his body.

Yu Tianyun at once began to subdue the demon.

"Hey! Bold demon, how dare you act so wantonly?"

With a loud shout, the man and the monster grappled.

Not long after, Yu Tianyun found himself at a disadvantage.

He couldn't help but sigh,

"This demon is quite formidable; let this little monk rest a moment, then I'll subdue you."

After a quarter‑hour rest, feeling capable again, Yu Tianyun resumed subduing the demon! "Demon, I need you to aid my cultivation." His confident call rang out over the water.

Thus followed several dozen rounds of battle; Yu Tianyun again ran out of stamina, but the monster lost its initial arrogance.

The two then tacitly took a brief rest.

On the water surface, battles would break out from time to time; each time both sides would fight only a few dozen rounds before each rested; during this period, Yu Tianyun went from initially being slightly at a disadvantage, to evenly matched, and later to absolute advantage.

Finally, the last battle occurred.

"Monster, hurry up and show your true form!" Yu Tianyun let out a loud shout; victory was about to arrive.

The battle between the person and the monster caused heaven to collapse and earth to split, sun and moon lost light. "Ah, don't, young master, spare my life!" At last came the snake spirit's plaintive, pleading cry.

(End of chapter)