Chapter 297 - 296: The Path to the Human Limit

Chapter 297: Chapter 296: The Path to the Human Limit

"Well now, look at all this snow." A rare, cheerful smile appeared on the instructor’s face. "You like playing in the snow, don’t you? I see you’ve been at it for a little while."

Shi Tiexin looked at the heavy, swirling snow, then at the snowball that had somehow appeared in his palm. He had no idea how to refute the instructor’s words.

"Alright, I’ll give you thirty seconds. Let’s see how big a pile of snow you can make." The instructor’s expression was amiable, looking incredibly benevolent. "Go on, go on. Make a pile of snow. A snowman would be even better."

Based on his years of street-smart intuition, Shi Tiexin knew there was definitely a catch behind that amiable expression.

He was about to say he had no interest in playing with snow and would rather just train, but in the next second, a pile of snow appeared right in front of him.

Just look at the size of it—’Holy shit, this was made in thirty seconds? It’s huge!’

"Now, take off your clothes! Off with them!" With the snow piled up, the instructor’s expression instantly turned as savage and terrifying as expected, and he roared like a wild beast. "That pile of snow in front of you—bare your chest and melt it with your body heat! You piled it, you melt it! You’re not putting your clothes back on until it’s completely gone!"

"No, wait, I didn’t..."

"What are you blabbering about? Get to melting!"

A massive foot kicked out, and Shi Tiexin was instantly sent sprawling into the bone-chilling white snow. The snow, both soft and hard, immediately enveloped him completely.

What does it feel like to be surrounded by ice and snow?

First, it’s cold. A cold that rapidly seeps into your very bones, impossible to stop.

After the cold has soaked through your entire body, there is pain. It bores in through the skin in thin, sharp threads, driving toward your internal organs.

And after that, strangely, comes heat.

It was true. Shi Tiexin was bewildered, but he could definitely feel a heat—an indescribable, bizarre heat. It was a hysterical, last-gasp-of-life kind of heat, spreading in an unbearable way.

And with the heat came a numbness, clinging to him like a shadow.

Shi Tiexin felt his consciousness begin to blur. Through the haze, he heard the instructor’s roar.

"Hone your body, strengthen your will, elevate your character!"

"From this day forward, you will brand your mission onto your heart like a steel seal!"

Shi Tiexin desperately wanted to ask, ’What exactly is my mission?’

’I really want to know why Black Venerable went to Japan!’

But Shi Tiexin couldn’t say a word. All he could do was struggle and resist with all his might in the freezing cold, experiencing the potential of life, touching his own limits, then reaching them, and surpassing them...

"HUFF—!"

At five in the morning, Shi Tiexin bolted upright, jolted awake.

Damn it!

’I almost thought I’d really died!’

Ward Heaven, these training ground dreams were just too terrifying. Every single one made his legs tremble. And maybe because Black Venerable’s memories of these events were so profound, the instructor was practically sentient—vividly lifelike, adapting to every situation, and always choosing the most brutal methods available.

Shi Tiexin knew this was all reconstructed from Black Venerable’s memories. In other words, everything he experienced in the dream was something Black Venerable had once truly gone through.

The bitter cold, the scorching heat, the oxygen deprivation, the searing pain, the near-death experiences of touching his absolute limits—all of it had actually happened.

Of course, his dream-self wouldn’t be truly injured—but that was only because the Black Venerable of the past had endured it all, pulling through with a will of steel and the tenacity of a bedrock.

At this, Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of respect for his other-worldline self. The hardships he’d faced were truly more than any ordinary person could bear.

CRACKLE, POP! Stars smashed onto the progress bar. The cultivation progress for the first layer of the Hard Qi Technique shot up again, reaching an "Excellent" rating.

The inscription board showed its respect for this technique: "You should be thankful you have a good instructor."

"Haaa..." Shi Tiexin got out of bed, dressed, and walked into the Jingtuan courtyard. The sky was still heavy and dark, and the Upper City District still looked like a high-tech city at night. Shi Tiexin stood in the courtyard, and his heart slowly began to quiet.

He finally understood what the Hard Qi Technique was.

The Hard Qi Technique was a type of discipline that, in the absence of essence energy, used all sorts of primitive, dangerous, and no-frills methods to push a person to the limits of humanity.

The first layer of the Hard Qi Technique was designed for exactly this purpose. It was a most effective Body Refining Technique.

However, this Cultivation Technique was also dangerous. If one was unfamiliar with it, had an incomplete grasp of it, or lacked a deep understanding, it was highly likely to backfire, crippling or even killing the user.

The reason the Black Venerable from the other worldline had such a strong physique was precisely that he had cultivated the first layer of the Hard Qi Technique to a profound level. But because he had only reached a profound level, not a perfect one, he had indeed been left with hidden injuries.

Back when Shi Tiexin had condensed a false pill and then, step by step, the Primordial Pill in that body, he had felt a numb, itchy swelling in his major joints every time. This was due to those old, hidden injuries—the lingering devastation wrought by the Hard Qi Technique.

This kind of devastation could even shorten one’s lifespan.

The lower one’s mastery of the Hard Qi Technique, the greater the toll on one’s life and the more hidden injuries one would accumulate. Conversely, the more proficient one became, the better one could protect oneself.

If you compared reaching the human limit to reaching a mountain peak, then the path of the Hard Qi Technique was fraught with cliffs and precipices, where one misstep could lead to being smashed to pieces. In comparison, the Nourishing Essence Method was like taking a well-paved road up the mountain; as long as you had enough money and resources, you could ascend as if you were on a sightseeing tour.

By this comparison, the path of the Hard Qi Technique seemed foolish and inefficient.

But there are always two sides to every coin; no single path is perfect.

Those who only nourish their essence have it too easy for too long. When the time comes for a breakthrough, how much sharp intent can they truly have in their hearts? How strong can their will be? Without that core fire in their chests, can they truly forge an indomitable spirit?

Shi Tiexin had his doubts.

Besides, if one reached the peak of human limits through Body Refining alone, then cultivating the Essence Nourishment Technique afterward would be like adding wings to a tiger, making them practically invincible among their peers.

Shi Tiexin had made up his mind.

’First, I’ll temper my will and master the Hard Qi Technique in the dream training ground. Then, I’ll use the golden light to push the first layer of the Hard Qi Technique to perfection. Only then will I start the actual Body Refining. That will minimize the danger and maximize the results.’ Shi Tiexin stretched his limbs, a burning fighting spirit igniting in his eyes. ’Even Black Venerable couldn’t truly reach the human limit through Body Refining alone. This time, I’ll do it for him!’

Eat, train, earn money, get Gang Contribution!

With his path clear, Shi Tiexin stopped running around. He spent the entire morning hunched over his desk, writing out his business cards to earn money. He kept his computer close by, taking a shot at any order that appeared, whether he had a good chance or not. He might not get it, but at least he wasn’t wasting time.

The morning and noon passed without him snagging a single order. Shi Tiexin was frustrated but couldn’t do anything about it. ’At least I wrote a lot of business cards,’ he thought.

At two-thirty in the afternoon, the screen flashed. Shi Tiexin reflexively slapped at it, and with a DING, he actually snagged one.

"Whoa, this is a big one! Over twenty jobs at once!" Shi Tiexin quickly checked the details. "Le Keke Design Company?"