Seclusion
Seeing Han Yan's stunningly beautiful face, Mo Qingkuang's heart skipped a beat.
The capital's number one beauty indeed lived up to her reputation.
"What? Are you stunned?" Seeing Mo Qingkuang's love-struck expression, Han Yan shyly scolded him in a low voice.
Mo Qingkuang nodded, taking her hand. "You're so beautiful, I almost don't want to leave."
Han Yan rolled her eyes at him playfully. "Get out of here, you smooth talker. Go to your seclusion."
She was very pleased with Mo Qingkuang's reaction. Despite being very confident in her appearance, she was still anxious about his genuine evaluation.
His reaction proved that her looks had captivated him, leaving her satisfied.
However, she was not an unreasonable woman. Mo Qingkuang was in a period of rapid advancement, and focusing too much on romance would only hinder his progress.
So, she was willing to push Mo Qingkuang away and let him improve his strength.
"Alright," Mo Qingkuang took one last longing look at Han Yan and turned to leave.
Arriving at the external affairs office to exchange for the necessary cultivation items, Mo Qingkuang found himself wealthier than before his last retreat.
The pills he selected were also of higher quality.
Traversing the towering mountains, Mo Qingkuang arrived once more at the valley where he had last secluded himself.
"Ancestor, I'm ready."
Mo Fan slowly emerged from the ring, speaking calmly, "It's time for the second stage."
"I understand," Mo Qingkuang nodded firmly. The first stage had already given him a deep understanding of the hardships of the so-called hell training technique.
But this path could not be halted. Lin Yang was still watching him like a hawk, and the enormous Yuan Sword Sect was still beyond his ability to shake.
His power was still insufficient to go to Yuan Sword Sect to seek justice and kill his archenemy.
He could only keep moving forward.
With the added responsibility of Han Yan, Mo Qingkuang's mindset changed, as if he had matured a lot.
Mo Fan felt both gratified and slightly bitter.
He was gratified that Mo Qingkuang finally had the demeanour of a chosen one, but bitter that his grandson was about to achieve success while he remained a mere wisp of a soul.
"Alright, for the next period, stand over there and use Dragon Capturing Hand until you can reverse the waterfall's flow," Mo Fan said, pointing to a spot.
Following Mo Fan's direction, Mo Qingkuang saw a green stone in the centre of the waterfall's descent.
It had been polished smoothly by the waterfall over an unknown length of time. Standing on it, let alone using martial skills, was difficult for an ordinary person.
The waterfall cascaded down tens of meters, the powerful impact generating countless splashes and a deafening roar.
Mo Qingkuang's pupils shrank. Unlike those with earth or metal attributes, his physique wasn't that resilient. Standing on the green stone, even with true qi protecting his body, would be extremely difficult, not to mention performing martial skills.
But he didn't hesitate. He removed his clothes, bare-chested, and walked toward the waterfall.
As soon as he entered the water, he felt the current's strength was far greater than he had imagined. Without the true qi maintaining his body, he would have been washed away long ago.
He trudged step by step toward the green stone at the bottom of the waterfall.
With each step, the pressure from the water increased, the countless splashes stinging his face, drenching him completely.
Mo Fan said nothing, just watched calmly.
In his plan, the first month was for Mo Qingkuang to simply stand firm on the green stone.
The massive impact of the waterfall, falling tens of meters, made standing firm no easy task, let alone performing martial skills.
Dragon Capturing Hand was a heavenly rank martial skill Mo Fan had obtained after defeating the Saint Alchemist in Buyi Mountain and rescuing Mo Shan.
He had already taught it to Mo Qingkuang, but the latter had not formally started practising it.
Dragon Capturing Hand's attack was extremely domineering, possessing strong control capabilities. With a single move, true qi could be launched, forming a dragon to penetrate or bind the enemy.
In terms of attack power alone, it was already on par with Lin Yang's Fire God's Fury, not to mention its control effects.
But for now, Mo Qingkuang was not yet qualified to practice it.
Without reaching the Grandmaster level, true qi cannot be released externally, so the Dragon Capturing Hand's power cannot be fully realized. Mo Fan's requirement for Mo Qingkuang to train under the waterfall was precisely to temper his true qi.
Mo Qingkuang continued to move forward, each step becoming increasingly difficult as the resistance ahead grew stronger and his internal true qi consumption surged.
The first time, Mo Qingkuang couldn't even reach the green stone before being swept away by the water, tumbling and being carried far downstream.
Mo Fan didn't intervene, watching as Mo Qingkuang was battered against the jagged rocks in the water.
This was also to temper his physique. Having extreme speed didn't mean there were no requirements for physical strength, and Mo Qingkuang's weak physique was a significant flaw.
Lin Yang had the Hellfire of the Saint Alchemist to temper his body, but Mo Qingkuang didn't have that luxury. Mo Fan could only use the oldest method: getting beaten to improve Mo Qingkuang's physical strength.
After being carried by the current for a while, Mo Qingkuang struggled to climb out of the water, his body covered in bruises and swellings.
Even his forehead had been cut and was bleeding.
Fortunately, his strong spiritual body prevented any fatal injuries.
Mo Qingkuang crawled to the shore, took out a pill, and consumed it while simultaneously healing and cultivating.
The struggle against the water had completely depleted his true qi, and the wind-attributed spiritual qi in the environment rapidly gathered around him, healing his wounds and restoring his strength.
Having already obtained the Wind Spirit Body, and with a divine-grade cultivation method, Mo Qingkuang's cultivation speed was incomparable to before, at least ten times faster!
This method of exhausting and then replenishing his true qi had significant benefits for cultivation.
After an hour, Mo Qingkuang recovered and could clearly sense an increase in his internal true qi.
This time, he didn't complain. He now understood that pushing his body's potential to its limit was the essence of the hell training method.
Once fully recovered, without Mo Fan urging him, Mo Qingkuang stepped into the water again.
***
In the Imperial Palace of the Captial,
The Empress sat behind a veil, looking at Han Yan, who had already removed her veil. "You've taken it off?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure about him?"
"I'm sure!" Han Yan nodded.
"Hmm, are you sure you won't regret it?"
"I won't regret it."
The Empress did not dwell on the previous topic, coldly asking, "You want to enter the Ice Cave?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, please grant me permission," Han Yan respectfully kneeled.
"Do you know that the Ice Cave is deadly? Your current strength is not enough to survive in there." The Empress's gaze remained indifferent as she looked at Han Yan.
"Please grant me permission, Your Majesty!" Han Yan kowtowed again, without further explanation or fear on her face.
The Empress looked at her for a long while before flicking a token towards her. "Granted."