Chapter 62: Body-Tempering Divine Artifact, Dinghai Stake!

Yang Chuan led Qin Shuo and Song Yan toward a row of training rooms on the west side.

These training rooms were exclusively for Song family descendants to cultivate in, with weapons and equipment fully available; whether the floor or the walls, all were built of hard blue stone, very spacious and luxurious.

The three walked toward the stone house marked with a wooden plaque bearing the character 'Three'.

Just as they entered, a cool sensation swept over them.

At the same time, a thick copper dummy post came into view, its entire body covered with copper-yellow rivet protrusions, resembling a deity general clad in golden armor, with an extraordinary aura.

"This is the Dinghai Copper Dummy Post."

Yang Chuan stepped forward, pointing at the copper dummy post and introducing:

"This Dinghai Copper Dummy Post weighs over ten thousand catties, buried three meters underground; no matter how it is struck, it will not wobble or topple.

The rivet protrusions on its body enhance localized force, maximizing the tempering effect.

The former Family Head relied on this Dinghai Copper Dummy Post to forge a body of Copper Skin and Iron Bones so strong that even the Condensing Truth Realm could not break it, earning him the title of Invincible Song Iron Man in external training."

Saying this, he looked at Qin Shuo with a smile: "Young Master Qin, give it a try?"

Song Yan beside him changed expression; upon seeing the Dinghai Copper Dummy Post, she felt some regret, thinking she should not have brought her junior brother here.

Those raised rivets on the copper dummy post made one's scalp tingle just to look at.

If one were to strike it with force, a moment's carelessness might result in broken bones and torn tendons.

I don't know what Grandfather was thinking back then, using such a thing for body tempering; no wonder he ultimately damaged his foundation, leaving hidden ailments, and died before sixty.

"Junior Brother..."

Song Yan had just opened her mouth to dissuade him, suggesting he change training rooms, when she saw Qin Shuo stride excitedly toward the Dinghai Stake.

"Truly a body-tempering divine artifact!"

Qin Shuo's eyes lit up; he instantly understood the ingenious idea of the old master of the Song family famed for external training.

By using the rivet protrusions' design, the contact area between the flesh and the copper dummy post during collision is reduced.

Thus, even with little force, a strong tempering effect can be achieved.

This is far more efficient than training with a smooth wooden dummy post.

Especially when external training reaches a certain realm, skin elasticity becomes extremely high.

At this point, to further temper the flesh and bone beneath the skin, the practitioner must strike tree trunks or mountain walls with greater force, or use a wooden dummy post.

But then, the force borne by the wooden dummy post increases; over time, it is easily damaged, and the tempering effect cannot be achieved.

Think of the back mountain of the Black Dragon Stronghold.

Those hard blue stone cliffs have been pitted and shattered by Yuan Gang's impacts while training the Longxiang Golden Body—this is the result of auxiliary equipment failing to keep up with cultivation progress.

Now, with this Dinghai Copper Dummy Post, Qin Shuo can train the Longxiang Golden Body without restraint, without worrying about trees being struck by him, nor about insufficient force failing to achieve deep tempering.

Qin Shuo approached the Dinghai Copper Dummy Post, visualized the Golden Dragon White Elephant in his mind, then suddenly stepped forward and struck it with his shoulder.

Bang!

Like two lumps of black iron colliding, emitting a dull, heavy sound.

Chen Chuan and Song Yan beside him only felt their scalps tingle, with a cold rising from the soles of their feet straight to the crown of their heads.

Fierce!

Too fierce!

This method of tempering the flesh makes one feel pain just watching it.

Especially Chen Chuan, as a Song family instructor, he knows better than anyone the power of this Dinghai Copper Dummy Post.

Usually, if household guards or estate keepers break the rules, he punishes them by making them strike this Dinghai Copper Dummy Post—each strike brings tears and cries for their parents.

He himself once tried tempering his body with this Dinghai Copper Dummy Post, but after one attempt, he never touched it again.

This is not body tempering; it is clearly suffering, a form of torture.

Yet the boy before him, whose eyes once held the look of a pretty face seeking to climb high branches, now shines with excitement and vitality.

As if he had discovered an extremely fun toy, his face full of excitement.

The tempering effect of this Dinghai Copper Dummy Post is remarkably good.

Qin Shuo used only three-tenths of his force, yet achieved the effect of his previous full-force strikes against trees.

This is all thanks to the rivets on the copper dummy post.

Reducing the force area, the pressure per unit area surges, and the tempering effect grows geometrically.

Most importantly, the material of this Dinghai Stake is exceptionally fine.

When Qin Shuo strikes the rivets, besides receiving the most direct recoil force, he also receives a layer of rebound force after the copper column's reverberation.

That is, one exertion yields double the tempering effect.

Moreover, this second layer of rebound force has strong penetration, reaching deep into his bones; it not only tempers the skin, membranes, and muscles, but also strengthens the bones—this is the true marvel of this Dinghai Stake.

【Longxiang Golden Body (Entry 3/ )】

"Huh?"

Qin Shuo's eyes brightened.

Indeed, double tempering.

His previous progress was (Entry 1/ ), but now it has jumped by two tempering increments.

That is, each time he uses the Dinghai Stake for body tempering, the effect is directly doubled.

Thus, the time to reach the Small Accomplishment of the Longxiang Golden Body will be halved.

If combined with the medicinal support given by the Song family, perhaps by the time he leaves Songyang Prefecture City, he will meet the fleshly condition for refining the Longxiang Relic.

【Longxiang Golden Body (Entry 5/ )】

【Longxiang Golden Body (Entry 7/ )】

……

In the sound of heavy impacts, Qin Shuo's physical strength was also increasing at a visible rate.

The most obvious change was that every time he struck the Dinghai Stake, the point of contact between his flesh and the rivet would emit a faint golden light.

These golden lights were initially very faint, but after twenty or thirty impacts, they began to solidify, as if a layer of brass had been plated onto his skin.

After hundreds of impacts, the brass layer thickened, resembling a layer of gold leaf, giving a feeling of indestructibility.

Bang!... Bang!... Bang!...

The muffled impact sounds kept echoing in the training room.

Chen Chuan and Song Yan stared at each other.

The former even secretly swallowed his saliva, no longer daring to look down on this boy who looked only seventeen or eighteen.

The other's physique was too terrifying!

With such impact force, if it were directed at him, he would probably have already had his bones broken and tendons snapped by those rivets.

But that boy showed no sign of distress, and faintly revealed an excitement he could not understand.

Pervert!

This guy is absolutely a masochistic pervert.

Such a pervert is harsh on himself and even harsher on others!

I'd better be careful in serving him from now on, lest I offend him and end up dead without knowing how.

Song Yan stared at the figure frenziedly striking the Dinghai copper figure stake, and unconsciously recalled the scene from her childhood when her grandfather, bare-chested, trained here.

Both shared the same diligence, the same perseverance, the same admirable and obsessive quality.

Indeed, Song Yan had admired her grandfather since childhood.

She believed a true man should be like her grandfather—capable, responsible, able to deter enemies externally and unite brothers internally.

Even her father could not compare to him in this regard.

If her grandfather had not died early, what would the Fang Family matter in Songyang City today?

Even someone like the Second Elder would not dare to harbor rebellious thoughts of replacing the main line with a branch line.

And she would not become a pawn used by her family to ally with the Tian Family through marriage to that shameless Tian Bai.

At this moment, Song Yan even wondered: if Qin Shuo could break through to the Tongmai Realm, would her engagement to Tian Bai also see a turning point?

Is it not because her lineage in the Song Family lacks a Tongmai Realm expert to back her that they have no say?

Although her second uncle is at the peak of the Tongmai Realm, as the Family Head, he is constrained by many circumstances, with too many restrictions.

But if Qin Senior Brother becomes her backing Tongmai Realm expert, or even stronger—a Condensing Truth Realm expert—what could the mere Tian Family do to her?

In a short moment, Song Yan thought of many things.

Her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Like a prisoner trapped in darkness who suddenly sees the dawn light and finds hope for escape.

Thus she abruptly turned her head and said to Chen Chuan:

"Chen Instructor, after my junior brother finishes his cultivation, arrange for him a Superior Medicinal Bath and Body Tempering Pills to help him recover his qi and blood."