Boom…
A heavy sound echoed, the ground bulged, and a fist-sized rock slammed directly into Chu Chenghao’s jaw.
With a crack, Chu Chenghao’s body became a corpse, falling heavily to the ground.
At this moment, Qin Hai, Lu Xuan, and Zhang Xiaoshuai were all wide-eyed and dumbfounded.
Ye Yuanjuan held her long whip, guarding, and those who tried to escape were beheaded one by one.
Qin Ning said to kill, so they killed!
Slowly, a bloody aura emanated from the forest.
Ye Yuanjuan and the others looked at the corpses littering the ground, silently.
“Du Huafeng, I heard he’s a trusted subordinate of Fang Shiyu, an inner disciple, and the leader of the Fangyuan Society. Killing him this time, I’m afraid it will cause some trouble!”
Xun Yu said worriedly.
“It’s fine!”
Qin Ning waved his hand and said, “I don’t like getting involved in disputes, but my rules are also very simple: once someone else tries to provoke me, then…”
“…I will kill them all!”
Qin Ning smiled, looked at the others, and said, “This time, everyone should think it through. If you want to continue cultivating with me, then for the remaining twenty days, we will cultivate together.”
“And if anyone is worried about retaliation, they can leave now.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Lu Xuan, Zhang Xiaoshuai, and Xun Yu were all startled.
Qin Ning had made it very clear.
Zhang Xiaoshuai laughed, stepping forward.
“Although I came from the mountains, I also know that Brother Qin is very powerful. Otherwise, Miss Ye would not have been willing to follow you!”
Zhang Xiaoshuai patted his chest and said with a laugh, “From today on, Brother Qin Ning will be my boss. If I, Zhang Xiaoshuai, don’t go through thick and thin with Brother Qin, then I will…”
“Alright!”
Qin Ning said with a smile, “You don’t need to swear such a harsh oath. I am a straightforward person; I will definitely protect my people, but if they are my enemies, I will certainly kill them.”
“I am also willing to follow Brother Qin!”
Lu Xuan also said with a smile.
Xun Yu nodded and said, “I’ll go with you!”
All three of them showed great courage.
These past few days were enough to let them know how powerful Qin Ning was.
“Since that’s the case, what is there to worry about?” Qin Ning said with a smile, “Even if these guys are dead, the spirit marks containing their ranks are still there.”
The six people began to divide the spirit marks from the dozens of corpses.
Not long after, the spirit marks on the tokens of the six people had all reached level three!
“Absorbing so much and only reaching level three!”
Qin Ning was also startled at this moment, then he smiled, “It seems this Heavenly God Academy really knows how to play.”
The group then left again.
As for these corpses, when the spirit beasts on the mountaintop smelled the blood, they would come one after another to carve them up.
In the following days, the six people, including Qin Ning, continued to search for spirit beasts within the trial area.
However, each time a spirit beast was found, Qin Hai, Lu Xuan, and the others would all go into battle together to improve their strength.
Only Qin Ning always stood outside observing, without any movement.
He seemed not to be here to cultivate his strength, but rather just to visit and have fun.
Each time Lu Xuan asked, he would say that he was also cultivating, just in a different way.
Today, as the six people were resting by a stream.
Qin Ning stood up and looked at Ye Yuanjuan.
“You should whip my body with your whip!”
Pfft…
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhang Xiaoshuai spat all the water he was drinking onto Lu Xuan’s face, who was sitting opposite him.
Whip!
Whip!
Zhang Xiaoshuai was bewildered and confused.
"Um, that... how about we leave first?" Zhang Xiaoshuai gave a forced laugh, then said to the others, "Lu Xuan, Xun Yu, let's go, let's go!"
"What are you doing leaving?"
Qin Ning saw Zhang Xiaoshuai's distressed look and had to say, "This is my cultivation method, you guys just stand aside and observe!"
Cultivation?
Observe?
What kind of cultivation requires Ye Yuanyuan to whip him?
"Come on!"
Qin Ning stood by the stream, his arms outstretched.
Although Ye Yuanyuan didn't know why, she still nodded and complied.
Two figures stood still, three feet apart.
*Smack!*
Ye Yuanyuan whipped straight down. When the whip struck Qin Ning's body, a sharp crack echoed.
A whip mark immediately appeared on Qin Ning's chest.
But immediately afterward, a trace of spiritual energy flashed where Qin Ning had been whipped, then slowly dissipated.
In the end, everyone only saw that the spot where the whip had struck was completely unharmed.
"This..."
Zhang Xiaoshuai, Lu Xuan, and the others looked at each other, stunned.
Was Qin Ning really cultivating?
But what kind of cultivation method was this?
*Smack!*
Ye Yuanyuan whipped Qin Ning's body again. As many whips as Ye Yuanyuan struck, so many streams of spiritual light appeared on Qin Ning's body.
"Still not right!"
Qin Ning slowly signaled Ye Yuanyuan to stop whipping, then he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.
The space fell silent again. The group waited for an entire afternoon.
Finally, Qin Ning opened his eyes, but immediately looked towards Zhang Xiaoshuai.
"Take your iron staff and strike me with full force!"
"Huh?"
Zhang Xiaoshuai became even more dumbfounded.
Although his cultivation realm was not as high as Ye Yuanyuan's, he was still a martial artist who had reached the Spirit Sea realm. Even if his iron staff couldn't kill Qin Ning, it would probably shatter Qin Ning's bones.
This was not Ye Yuanyuan's long whip; after all, a long whip was more flexible.
"Quickly!"
Qin Ning urged.
"Alright!"
Zhang Xiaoshuai gritted his teeth and brought the iron staff down.
A low thud sounded, and Qin Ning's body suddenly trembled.
"Yes, that's it!"
Qin Ning stepped forward again.
"Continue!"
Dazed, Zhang Xiaoshuai swung the iron staff again, striking Qin Ning's body.
Several consecutive sounds of the iron staff hitting flesh rang out.
Zhang Xiaoshuai collapsed to the ground, his face full of misery as he said, "I can't do it anymore, I can't do it anymore, I'm exhausted..."
"Today is finished, we'll continue tomorrow!"
Qin Ning smiled faintly and sat down cross-legged on the ground again.
Looking closely at his body, one could see that his clothes were still intact, as if nothing had happened.
Qin Ning slowly sat with his hands clasped in the same spot, seemingly entering that strange cultivation state again.
Qin Ning was indeed cultivating.
What he was cultivating was a body-tempering spiritual art, the Hundred Refinements Steel Body Art!
This spiritual art was exactly like the Steel Wind Spirit Body Art, only it was dozens of times stronger than the Steel Wind Spirit Body Art.
However, cultivating this spiritual art also required a lot of tempering.
The method of tempering was to be beaten!
This was a way to continuously temper the outside of the body, then move inward, from the skin to the tendons, bones, and flesh.
Each time he was struck, spiritual energy would integrate into his skin, penetrating deep into his tendons, bones, and flesh.
If one could successfully cultivate this spiritual art, then no martial artist in the Spirit Sea realm would be able to break through the defenses of their body.
Qin Ning had deliberated extensively before deciding to cultivate this spiritual art.
With the experience of nine lives and nine reincarnations, he understood all too well that a martial artist's body could be said to be the foundation of cultivation.
If the body did not possess the most solid foundation for training, then its future peak development would undoubtedly be limited.