Chapter 166: The Great Sumeru Hammer!

Yu Tianyun leapt into the pool; the water's refreshing coolness instantly spread from his feet throughout his body, making him feel a sense of ease, and it was his first time truly experiencing this soothing feeling of body and mind.

He finally finished his special training, and his Soul-breaking Spear Technique had reached a masterful level; he even considered his spear skill no longer much weaker than Yang Wudi's.

When he swam back to the shore, Yang Wudi was already waiting there quietly, his eyes full of unhidden admiration: "Tianyun, you did well. Your training ends here."

Seeing the now resolute, bold, and unyielding Yu Tianyun before him, Yang Wudi felt a surge of satisfaction and contentment, along with a hint of anticipation.

Yu Tianyun simply smiled calmly, graciously accepted Yang Wudi's praise, and then asked, "Grandfather, shall we prepare to leave now?"

After a year of such training, Yu Tianyun clearly felt his own transformation and improvement. In wielding power, he had reached the pinnacle; he could even precisely control the flow of each ounce of his strength.

After leaving the pool, even the slightest fluctuations of power around him could not escape his perception. Even a soft blade of grass, without the aid of soul power, could become a lethal weapon in his hand.

He now hoped Yang Wudi would arrange an even more intense training for him.

Yang Wudi did not answer immediately, but raised his hand and lightly tapped Yu Tianyun's left shoulder. Yu Tianyun felt a considerable force arrive, did not resist, and his body turned with it.

Then Yang Wudi's scorching hand pressed against his vest. A searing stream of air instantly pierced his body and rushed into his dantian. In the next instant, the soul power in Yu Tianyun's dantian erupted like a volcanic eruption.

Afterward, another strong force came again from Yang Wudi's hand, pressing downward, and Yu Tianyun sat down accordingly.

"Focus your spirit, calm your Qi, cultivate soul power."

The simple eight characters slipped from Yang Wudi's mouth.

Yu Tianyun did not overthink; Yang Wudi would not harm him, and the act would surely benefit him, so he obediently embraced the primordial stance and began meditating on soul power.

However, after carefully feeling, Yu Tianyun did not notice any significant change; his soul power cultivation had risen to level 68, which was about the same as his normal progress, and the potency of the Mixed Primordial Immortal Herb had been fully digested, with nothing else remarkable.

Yu Tianyun couldn't help but recall that at that time Tang San seemed to have his soul power surge about ten levels under Tang Hao's maneuver. However, Tang San's soul power quality could certainly not compare with his own.

The reason Yu Tianyun saw no obvious improvement was partly because his soul power quality was already extremely high, and partly because this training's bodily forging effect was less pronounced for him than for Tang San.

Yet being able to absorb all the remaining potency of the Mixed Primordial Immortal Herb, combined with his original cultivation speed, he advanced four levels in a year and a few months, which is fairly standard.

After a quarter of an hour, Yu Tianyun steadied his fluctuating soul power, his divine aura subdued, appearing like an ordinary person, and he slowly stood up.

This made Yang Wudi click his tongue in amazement, greatly surprised; he had never seen anyone recover so quickly.

Members of the Clear Sky Sect and the Breaking Clan, using this soul power suppression method for cultivation, usually need several days to revive. He had already rated Yu Tianyun highly, thinking even the shortest recovery would take a day, but it seems he still underestimated Yu Tianyun.

Looking at the Yu Tianyun staring at him, Yang Wudi no longer marveled; after all, it was not the first time Yu Tianyun had shocked him, and he had already built strong immunity.

His expression returned to normal, and he said lightly:

"Tianyun, the upcoming waterfall cultivation offers little benefit to you, who already possesses soul power. However, you need to use your Blue Lightning Tyrant Spear to further cultivate the Soul-breaking Spear Technique, since it is condensed from your martial soul; other wooden or iron spears are merely external practice, this process won't cost you much time, and also…"

Yang Wudi's expression suddenly turned serious, and he continued:

"Next, I will give you the gift I promised!"

"Gift?"

Yu Tianyun almost forgot, only now recalling that Yang Wudi had once said that after he completed the wooden spear training, he would give him a gift.

Yang Wudi did not answer Yu Tianyun's question, but suddenly asked, "Tianyun, do you know the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes?" "I know a bit; they are the Clear Sky Sect's supreme techniques," Yu Tianyun replied with a slight nod.

Then Yang Wudi gave a wry smile and said, "Actually, the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes were created by the ancient sect leader Tang Chen of the Clear Sky Sect, based on my Breaking Clan's Soul-breaking Spear Technique."

Yu Tianyun, upon hearing this, suddenly realized; he had already suspected a link between the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes and the Soul-breaking Spear Technique, and now the fact was confirmed, with the Nine Absolutes indeed derived from the Technique.

Immediately Yu Tianyun's curiosity flared; wanting to know more, his eyes burned as he stared at Yang Wudi.

Yang Wudi also read his thoughts and continued:

"Tang Chen was the era's most outstanding Soul Master; by his own effort he propelled the Clear Sky Sect to the throne of the world's foremost sect."

"And our Breaking Clan also joined the Clear Sky Sect at that time, becoming its subsidiary sect. Later, Tang Chen happened to see our clan members wield the Soul-breaking Spear Technique, and instantly became curious, wishing to study it."

"Later, unable to resist my repeated pleas, the clan head then—my father—reluctantly taught him the Soul-breaking Spear Technique, along with the waterfall cultivation method and the sealing and soul power suppression techniques."

"And Tang Chen, truly the era's top genius, based on our clan's Soul-breaking Spear Technique, developed nine power‑output methods suitable for the Clear Sky Hammer, which are today's Clear Sky Nine Absolutes."

"Tang Chen is also grateful; unlike other Clear Sky Sect disciples who are overbearing, he gave his inherited supreme technique to my father in thanks, and my father passed that technique to me before his death."

At this point, Yang Wudi's expression turned somewhat despondent; Yu Tianyun immediately sensed it, and a vague suspicion rose in his heart, his gaze suddenly flaring.

"That technique, though immensely powerful, demands extremely high requirements of the cultivator; unless one is a prodigious talent, it cannot be successfully practiced and may endanger one's life. Within the Clear Sky Sect, only the Clear Sky Douluo of each generation can successfully cultivate it."

"My father, because he ignored Tang Chen's advice and forced the cultivation, ultimately suffered a body explosion and died, and I lack confidence in succeeding myself."

Yu Tianyun's inner fire grew a few degrees brighter; he realized that what Yang Wudi intended to give him was the Clear Sky Sect's strongest supreme technique.

Yang Wudi no longer withheld, and spoke the words Yu Tianyun had long awaited: "The supreme technique Tang Chen gave my father is called the Great Sumeru Hammer; 'Great Sumeru' means boundlessly vast, meaning the Great Sumeru Hammer can unleash all a Soul Master's power. Because the unleashed force is extremely strong, it also requires the Soul Master to possess a very robust physique."

At this point, Yang Wudi changed tack, "I don't want this supreme technique to gather dust in my hands, so I decided to give it to you. Tianyun, your talent is exceedingly high; not yet 17 years old, you're already close to becoming a Soul Saint, and your physical condition far exceeds ordinary people. I can feel your physique is much stronger than mine; though I don't know how you cultivated such a body, I believe you have a chance to master this technique."

"The Great Sumeru Hammer, theoretically, refines all of one's Soul Rings into a single entity, injecting them entirely into the martial soul, converting them into the purest force and attack power, causing one's strength to increase geometrically, forcibly breaking all restraints, and unleashing power that surpasses one's own soul power. It follows a 'one force overwhelms ten techniques' path; of course, if one applies skill atop this explosive force, it becomes even stronger, though harder to control."

"The Great Sumeru Hammer also possesses an extremely powerful skill, whose unleashed force is even more astonishing, but it inflicts great self‑damage; unless in a dire emergency, it must not be used lightly. Yet your extraordinary physique should endure it. This skill is the Exploding Ring!"

While listening attentively to Yang Wudi's description, Yu Tianyun felt ecstatic; it was as if someone gave him a pillow when he was drowsy. He had long coveted the Great Sumeru Hammer, and with this, his previous offering of the Immortal Herb was essentially recouped.

Then Yang Wudi's voice abruptly stopped, and he transmitted the technique's mantra to Yu Tianyun by shaping his voice into a continuous thread.

Yu Tianyun immediately became diligent, daring not to miss a detail; with his mental power, a single recitation would suffice to commit it to memory, yet he still asked Yang Wudi to repeat it once more.

When Yu Tianyun carefully reflected, he was startled and exclaimed, "The one who devised the Great Sumeru Hammer cultivation method is truly a madman, yet also a genius; calling this skill a divine technique is no exaggeration!"

Now, Yu Tianyun finally understood why Tang Hao could nearly kill Qian Xunji with the hammer; the Great Sumeru Hammer bridged the soul power level gap between Tang Hao and Qian Xunji, because Tang Hao possessed a hundred‑thousand‑year Soul Ring, whose amplification after using the Great Sumeru Hammer was massive. Moreover, detonating one or two more Soul Rings caused another power surge, making Qian Xunji's severe injury logical.

As for the duel between Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu, Tang Chen only won half a move, likely because he did not employ this technique, or he used it but Qian Daoliu also leveraged the Angel God's divine power.

Both of them were defeated by Poseci, probably due to home‑field advantage; near Sea God Island, Poseci could draw upon more Sea God power.

Although the Great Sumeru Hammer's cultivation method appears terrifying, Yu Tianyun is fully confident he can succeed. He no longer dwells on other matters, immersing his whole being in the Great Sumeru Hammer cultivation. The technique does not require a long time to master, only stringent conditions, which Yu Tianyun happens to meet.

One hour later, Yu Tianyun had already essentially mastered the technique; he opened his eyes, looked at Yang Wudi, his gaze brimming with excitement and confidence: "Grandfather, I have already grasped the basics of the Great Sumeru Hammer."

(End of Chapter)