Mu Ye was filled with anticipation, but so too was Xu Yuan.
Through his own efforts, Xu Yuan had achieved what he had today. However, at this stage, some of his advantages were beginning to fade, and signs of fatigue were showing.
His martial soul was still top-tier, but it no longer held that overwhelming absolute superiority. His strength remained extraordinary, but it was now more due to the suppression of his soul power level.
Of course, the rapid cultivation of soul power was one of his strengths, but even that advantage would eventually plateau at the 99th rank.
Xu Yuan harbored aspirations to break through to the 100th rank, but he had to admit that he wasn't absolutely confident in achieving it. Even if he managed to succeed eventually, being stuck at the 99th rank for a period of time was foreseeable.
This was perfectly normal.
And once stuck at the 99th rank, his soul power level would inevitably be caught up to by others. At that point, what mattered most was one's foundation.
After the ball, Xu Yuan came to the deck.
Mu Ye stood beside him, gazing at the endless expanse of the sea.
"I've checked. This voyage will take two and a half months—enough time for you to push your limits."
As soon as he finished speaking, he kicked Xu Yuan overboard.
Xu Yuan, however, was fully prepared. He showed no surprise as he fell into the water, didn't struggle, and instinctively responded rationally.
Seeing this, Mu Ye wasn't surprised. He leapt off the deck and quickly dove into the sea.
He grabbed Xu Yuan's arm and pulled him deep into the ocean.
Prepared, huh?
Knows he needs to challenge his limits?
Then let's push those limits until he forgets everything else.
Even with mental preparation, when truly pushed to the brink, a person will forget all trivialities, leaving only their final determination to cling to.
Mu Ye's actions were simple and brutal.
No, they were deliberately brutal.
Whether it was dragging Xu Yuan or the terrifying speed of descent, every move disrupted Xu Yuan's ability to react.
The immense force made Xu Yuan feel as though his arm might be torn off, while the rapidly increasing water pressure crushed his internal organs. Even circulating his blood essence and soul power provided no relief.
The seawater seemed to seep through Xu Yuan's skin into his flesh, pressing against his meridians.
His body's natural defenses were shattered.
This… was true limit-pushing.
Mu Ye dragged Xu Yuan down to an unknown depth where there was no light. The terrifying water pressure suppressed even Xu Yuan's spiritual power, rendering it useless, unable to perceive anything.
His body's stability was broken, adrenaline surged, and Xu Yuan felt his blood essence surpass its previous peak, even more intense than during life-force combustion.
Every cell entered a state of desperate survival.
The latent potential within each cell was instantly unleashed.
Struggling to open his eyes, Xu Yuan's blood essence surged, yet he saw nothing. His spiritual power involuntarily released but was immediately suppressed, as if on the verge of being crushed.
However, Xu Yuan did not withdraw his spiritual power. Instead, under this pressure, he used it to refine his mind further.
Suddenly, everything went black, and Xu Yuan lost consciousness.
Mu Ye dragged Xu Yuan's limp body back toward the surface.
Whoosh!
Breaking through the water's surface with a massive splash, he swiftly landed on the balcony of Xu Yuan's room aboard the ship.
Mu Ye dropped Xu Yuan onto the floor of the balcony and looked down at his unconscious disciple.
"Ah, just think about it—you knew too much, and this is the price you pay."
This wasn't an active challenge.
Knowing too much complicated the process of second-stage awakening.
Xu Yuan didn't just know the method—he understood the principles behind it thoroughly. He had even studied the records of blood essence cultivation from past generations of the Body Sect, uncovering countless secrets.
With such extensive knowledge, his second-stage martial soul awakening was bound to be a painful experience.
Approaching the body's limits and breaking through with sheer willpower?
Mu Ye shook his head.
Breaking through the limits of both body and spirit wasn't so simple.
Even in the depths of the ocean, on the brink of his limits, Xu Yuan was still thinking about condensing his spiritual power using the water pressure. Though it aligned with challenging his limits, his conscious effort was still evident.
He treated the entire ordeal as a form of cultivation.
"It can only awaken naturally now."
Strictly speaking, Mu Ye's current plan for Xu Yuan wasn't about challenging limits—it was about refinement.
He was refining all aspects of Xu Yuan's abilities. By applying external pressure to break through the limits of body and spirit, he aimed to promote a dual breakthrough in Xu Yuan's spirit and blood essence. Through repeated stimulation, his martial soul would naturally undergo a second awakening.
In this process, every session resulted in the disruption of internal balance. His meridians and flesh would endure pressures beyond their limits, leading to exhaustion.
"Little Yuan, you'd better awaken soon—or your teacher's life savings will be gone."
Mu Ye muttered softly, lifting Xu Yuan's limp body and carrying him into the room, tossing him into a wooden tub.
The tub was already filled with prepared medicinal liquid.
Xu Yuan slowly regained consciousness, staring blankly at the ceiling, his mind still in a daze.
After a while, he finally reconnected with his senses.
Sensing his condition, Xu Yuan grimaced.
Nearly half of his meridians were shattered, and many of his flesh cells were damaged.
His Sea of Spirit also bore cracks.
However, abundant medicinal energy coursed through his body, repairing everything.
"If it weren't for the fact that you've fused with Life Gold and possess remarkable recovery abilities, I'd have to sell my four-word battle armor just to gather the herbs needed for this awakening," Mu Ye grumbled.
He had spent a lifetime accumulating rare medicinal ingredients, which he had turned into medicinal baths.
There were forty-nine portions in total—enough for Xu Yuan to endure forty-nine rounds of this brutal training.
These medicinal baths alone wouldn't be enough to heal Xu Yuan's injuries completely.
But Xu Yuan had Life Gold.
This was why Mu Ye dared to devise such an extreme training plan.
It wasn't an exaggeration—it was genuinely pushing Xu Yuan to the brink of death.
At the end of every session, Xu Yuan would collapse, becoming incapacitated.
The damage to his meridians and flesh cells was severe. Without the fundamental life force repair provided by Life Gold and the potent medicinal baths Mu Ye prepared to replenish his depleted potential, this couldn't be called training—it was outright destruction.
"When you can endure this state without breaking, that will be the moment of your success," Mu Ye said to Xu Yuan in the tub.
"Teacher, do you have any food? Prepare something for me—the medicinal energy in this bath isn't enough," Xu Yuan said.
Mu Ye's lips twitched.
"It's already being prepared. With so many good things in the sea, how could we run out of ingredients for you?"
And so, Xu Yuan's training began.
Every day, Xu Yuan underwent a process of shattering and rebuilding.
His blood essence surged dramatically during this process, his spirit condensed rapidly, and even his soul power grew denser under the terrifying water pressure and the strengthening of his meridians.
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