Time flew by, and a month had gradually passed.
In the early morning, a thin, pale white mist covered the mountaintop, lingering for a long time. A light breeze blew by, and suddenly, there was a faint crackling sound, as if an electric current was coursing through flesh.
In a secluded grove atop the mountain, Mo Yu stood with his feet planted firmly, his face resolute, his teeth clenched. His bare torso, clothed only in a pair of shorts, was covered with red electric currents.
Anyone who saw this scene might think the young man was torturing himself.
After breaking through to the eighth level of Douqi, Mo Yu didn't immediately use Xuan Lei to absorb the other three first-level magic cores to achieve another breakthrough. Instead, he sought out a secluded spot where he could train hard and consolidate his foundation.
With the rich experience from his previous life, Mo Yu knew that to reach the realm of a true fighter, one couldn't simply rush through breakthroughs. It was necessary to advance steadily, step by step, in order to progress further.
This was especially true at the stage of fighting spirit, which formed the foundation of a fighter's cultivation. Caution was essential.
Xiao Yan's great success in the future was largely due to the three years he spent in the Douqi stage, building a foundation that was more solid than most fighters in the world, which allowed him to achieve great feats later on.
Mo Yu chose to use Xuan Lei to temper his body, not to torture himself, but to practice a fighting skill called Thunder Body.
Thunder Body is a low-level Earth Rank fighting skill, a close-range combat technique used to refine the body. It is known for its ability to strengthen the body and enhance attack power. When cultivated to perfection, it can render the user invulnerable to swords and spears, and even immune to lightning and fire. Its power rivals that of some intermediate Earth Rank fighting skills.
In his previous life, Mo Yu had practiced the Thunder Body, which he estimated to be equivalent to a low Earth Rank fighting skill in the Douqi Continent. Although it wasn't of the highest quality, it was extremely suitable for his current level of cultivation.
Furthermore, the highest-level fighting skills of the Xiao family were only at the Xuan level. Earth-level fighting skills were rare in Wutan City and even in the Gama Empire.
On the Douqi Continent, the gap between the Xuan level and the Di level was as vast as the difference between heaven and earth, making them incomparable. However, despite being a body-refining fighting skill, the Thunder Body, when fully developed, could exhibit power close to some intermediate Di level fighting skills.
Thunder Body was a lower-level supporting technique for an even more powerful body-refining fighting skill, which Mo Yu also had in mind. However, his current strength was too weak to practice that skill without risking harm.
That fighting skill was not inferior to a heavenly fighting skill!
As long as Mo Yu perfected the Thunder Body, he would gain twice the result with half the effort when he practiced that more advanced fighting skill in the future.
Another reason Thunder Body was suitable for Mo Yu at this moment was that its requirements for fighting spirit were not too high.
While its fighting spirit requirements were low, the Thunder Body did place great demands on physical strength, as it was a pure body-refining fighting skill.
The thunder and fire power of the Vermillion Bird Burning Sky Thunder provided the best energy for body training. As the energy released by the Vermillion Bird Burning Sky Thunder grew stronger, so too would Mo Yu's body.
Thus, for the past month, Mo Yu had come to this secluded spot daily to use Xuan Lei's power to temper his body.
Through this training, Mo Yu's mastery of the Thunder Body rapidly improved.
So far, Mo Yu had condensed four lightning patterns on his body.
Lightning patterns were a sign of successful Thunder Body cultivation.
Condensing one lightning pattern meant that one had initially mastered the Thunder Body. Condensing ten lightning patterns indicated that one had achieved minor success with the Thunder Body. Fully mastering the Thunder Body required condensing a hundred lightning patterns.
The minor success of the Thunder Body was comparable to yellow-level fighting skills, while major success was comparable to Xuan-level fighting skills. Perfect mastery of the Thunder Body made it a true Earth-level fighting skill!
The four gleaming lightning patterns on Mo Yu's right arm were a testament to his month of hard training.
"Four lightning patterns are comparable to some yellow-level intermediate fighting skills," Mo Yu thought as he felt the power of the thunder patterns surging through his right arm. He picked up the green shirt lying on a stone and slowly put it on.
Because of the body tempering with Xuan Lei, Mo Yu's body had become very resilient. What was once a simple task—putting on clothes—had become a challenging one for him, a scene that would appear amusing to an onlooker.
Another half month passed. Aside from his rigorous training, Mo Yu focused all his attention on body conditioning and refining his fighting skills.
Effort paid off. In the past half month, Mo Yu condensed another lightning pattern, bringing his total to five!
Three lightning patterns in a month, and one more in half a month. This showed that condensing lightning patterns became increasingly difficult as one progressed. It would likely not be easy to condense all one hundred lightning patterns.
After reaching five lightning patterns, Mo Yu decided to conclude his intense training.
First, the time needed to condense more lightning patterns was increasing, and continuing to focus on this would slow his progress toward breaking through to the next realm.
Second, his fighting spirit was still too weak. Even if he perfected the Thunder Body, he wouldn't be able to fully harness the power equivalent to Xuan-level fighting skills. For now, the five lightning patterns were equivalent to Huang-level intermediate fighting skills, which was more appropriate for his current stage.
"It's still early. Why not visit the Xiao family's Fighting Skills Hall to check out the low-level fighting skills of the Douqi Continent?" Mo Yu thought.
Having been on the Douqi Continent for some time now, Mo Yu had gradually integrated into this world and was increasingly curious about its cultivation system.
Although the low-level fighting skills of the Xiao family were common, they would offer Mo Yu a glimpse into the broader world and help him better understand the cultivation methods of this world.
After months of intense training, reading a book to relieve his mental fatigue seemed like a very good idea.
Narrowing his eyes slightly against the harsh sunlight, Mo Yu returned to the Xiao family estate, walking slowly along the gravel path toward the backyard.
Lush green willow trees lined the path, providing a refreshing atmosphere.
As he turned a corner, the sound of boys and girls laughing came from a nearby path.
The quiet atmosphere was disturbed. Mo Yu frowned slightly, his gaze moving in the direction of the voices, where a group of boys and girls approached, their faces lit with sweet smiles.
Among them were a charming young girl and a handsome young man, chatting happily.
These two were Xiao Mei, who had stood out in the test square that day, and Xiao Ning, the grandson of the Xiao family's eldest elder.
Mo Yu glanced indifferently at Xiao Mei, the beautiful girl, and Xiao Ning, the current pride of the Xiao family. Without a word, he walked past them, his expression cold and aloof.
Seeing Mo Yu's arrogant attitude, the handsome young man's face darkened. After recognizing Mo Yu, he glanced in the direction Mo Yu was heading and sneered coldly.
"The Fighting Hall, huh? Let's see what the son of a slave can do!"