Three months later...
In a northern valley of the Fulong Mountain Range, a shirtless youth was climbing swiftly up a smooth cliff while carrying a massive log.
His hands were fixed on the log, which was thicker and longer than his entire body, and he used only his legs to propel himself up the cliff.
The youth moved quickly, his body fluctuating on the cliff, but the uneven log on his back remained steady as if it were part of him.
He sprang up like a coil, each step propelling him several meters upward.
At this moment, he had climbed four-fifths of the cliff's height, with only a few dozen meters left to reach the top.
Suddenly, whether from exhaustion or a misstep, the youth's foot slipped, and he plummeted down with the log.
The fall from a height of over two hundred meters would have severely injured or even killed him, despite his martial skills.
The youth remained calm, as if this were a common occurrence, his face expressionless, and he did not release the several-hundred-pound log fixed to his shoulders.
In fact, if he had thrown the log away, he could have regained his balance and avoided falling off the cliff.
If he were smarter, he could have used the log to push off and potentially reach the top in one go.
But he did none of these, holding onto the log stubbornly, even while falling.
Was he resigning himself to his fate? Certainly not!
He let out a low shout in mid-air, his body suddenly bending into a dramatic arc.
Then, he contracted sharply, unleashing a new burst of force with his powerful core muscles despite losing his balance, flipping himself and the log in mid-air.
Using this maneuver, he regained his balance and propelled himself forward with the log, moving toward the cliff face again.
With a powerful kick, he left a deep footprint on the smooth cliff wall and bounced upward once more.
The countless footprints of varying depths on the cliff indicated that the youth had used this self-rescue method many times.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly, and the fall wasn't too far. After nearly ten more jumps, he finally reached the top.
At the summit, a soul with snow-white hair floated leisurely in mid-air, smiling in satisfaction at the sweat-drenched youth.
"You only made one mistake this time and took half an incense stick's time."
The soul was Mo Fan, and the youth carrying the log was Mo Qingkuang, who had been training in seclusion here for three months.
"I still made one mistake..." Mo Qingkuang said, somewhat dejected.
His physique had become much more muscular, with well-defined, streamlined muscles indicating powerful explosive strength.
Over these months, he had progressed from falling after climbing less than a meter with the log to reaching the summit with only one mistake, which he managed to correct in time —a significant improvement.
This progress came from countless falls and injuries over the past three months.
Every bone in his body had been broken several times, if not dozens.
Whenever he was injured or exhausted, he would take a pill and begin meditating.
This extreme training method not only enhanced his speed and spatial awareness but also gave him a new understanding of strength control.
He was like a barrel being continuously filled and emptied, gradually expanding and reaching a breakthrough.
Three days ago, Mo Qingkuang had advanced to the fourth rank of Martial Master, purely through his own hard work without Mo Fan's help.
"Not bad. You've essentially passed the first stage," Mo Fan nodded.
Unlike Lin Yang's hellish training method, Mo Fan didn't have the same resources.
The Hellfire, a unique flame possessed by the Saint Alchemist, had extremely powerful burning effects.
He used Hellfire to enter Lin Yang's body, tempering his muscles, bones, and skin, causing immense pain but also achieving powerful results.
Moreover, as the continent's former top alchemist, the Saint Alchemist developed potent healing formulas that significantly enhanced Lin Yang's recovery.
Mo Qingkuang did not possess Lin Yang's robust physique and extraordinary willpower, nor did he have comparable innate qualities. Mo Qingkuang couldn't endure the same training, and the quality of the medicinal resources Mo Fan and Mo Qingkuang had was far inferior to those of the Saint Alchemist and Lin Yang.
Therefore, Mo Fan custom-designed a hellish training method suitable for Mo Qingkuang.
Mo Qingkuang, with his wind attribute, suited a nimble path and should pursue it fully.
Having cultivated divine-grade techniques, Mo Qingkuang's speed was already astonishing, unmatched below the Grandmaster level.
However, he was far from mastering the use of his speed. If his current total strength was one hundred, he could only utilize less than fifty.
He lacked understanding of how to use true qi to achieve maximum speed, how to leverage speed for the greatest advantage, and how to use terrifying acceleration to exert strength beyond his limits.
In martial arts, speed is paramount!
Mo Qingkuang's speed was already impressive, so Mo Fan arranged training to deepen his understanding of speed!
His physical strength didn't need to be overly high, as the current conditions wouldn't allow it, but there would still be significant progress in this training.
Carrying the log was to train Mo Qingkuang's balance. The uneven log made finding balance extremely difficult, and climbing an almost vertical cliff was even harder.
Moreover, never letting the log leave his body was to enhance Mo Qingkuang's control over himself. Human hands are the most flexible parts, and with his hands bound by the log, unable to provide effective assistance, Mo Qingkuang had to find other ways to save himself when falling.
Without footholds in mid-air, Mo Qingkuang had to use every part of his body to create opportunities out of nothing!
In the future, when facing powerful opponents, Mo Qingkuang could find chances even in dire situations.
Climbing to the mountaintop also trained his endurance and willpower.
Although the cliff wasn't high, carrying a log weighing several hundred pounds was very taxing, especially as he approached the summit, challenging his limits.
Mo Qingkuang's perseverance made Mo Fan initially satisfied.
Lin Yang's training method was tailored to suit him best.
Mo Qingkuang also had his own path, and Mo Fan could tailor it for him just as well.
If the conditions weren't there, they would create them. If the threshold couldn't be met, they would simplify it.
After all, it was Lin Yang and Mo Qingkuang who were suffering; Mo Fan's job was simply to instil theoretical knowledge.
***
To read 20 chapters ahead click on my Patreon: patreon.com/NizearaOsaiyol