Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Strength of Kobei

What had happened at Moonwatch Lake was unknown to Ke Bei; he had no idea that the Tower of Heaven he had been desperately searching for had already appeared.

At dawn, after a night of cultivating the Foundation Nurturing Art, Ke Bei felt somewhat fatigued. He stood up slowly, stretched, and walked out onto the balcony, narrowing his eyes slightly as he gazed at the rising sun on the horizon.

The crimson sun gradually stained the gray-blue sky in the east, crimson clouds stretching and intertwining, sprawling across the sky. Through the gaps between the black buildings, brilliant, unrestrained radiance burst forth, stirring the heart with its vigor.

Taking in a deep breath of the slightly chilly air, a refreshing sensation flowed through his chest, instantly invigorating him. The strength of a low-tier Celestial was roughly one hundred and fifty times that of an ordinary person. Ke Bei's current strength was not far off; he was probably at about one hundred and forty times that of a normal person.

“In just a few more days, my physical strength will be on par with a low-tier Celestial!”

Clenching his fists slightly, feeling his muscles ripple and the immense power coursing through his body, Ke Bei’s lips curved into a faint smile. Cultivating the Foundation Nurturing Art did not grant the explosive increase in strength that the Dragon Elephant Prajna Art did, but it was steady and reliable, increasing his strength by the equivalent of one person every two days.

Given enough time, the Foundation Nurturing Art could even surpass the fearsome Dragon Elephant Prajna Art.

A low-tier Celestial’s speed could reach about half the speed of sound. However, thanks to his mastery of the Shadow Step technique, Ke Bei could achieve sonic speed with the same level of physical power, and if he unleashed the Nine Yang Divine Art, his speed could soar to twice the speed of sound—a level only mid-tier Celestials or mid-ranked Commander-level beasts could match! Among humans who had broken through to the Transcendent Realm, unless their innate abilities were speed-related, even those at the upper ranks would find it difficult to reach twice the speed of sound.

When Ke Bei unleashed his Flying Daggers with the Nine Yang Divine Art, their speed could momentarily reach three times the speed of sound, which explained how he had managed to slay Pei Xuejian. The latter, having already been struck by a dagger and thrown off balance by Ke Bei’s feint, was unable to withstand a flying dagger traveling at triple the speed of sound.

However, if Ke Bei hoped to kill a high-tier Celestial or upper-ranked Commander-level beast with just the speed of his flying daggers, it would be extremely difficult. High-tier Celestials could already surpass three times the speed of sound, and some speed-specialized upper-ranked Commander-level beasts, such as the Azure-striped Lightning Leopard, could even reach five times the speed of sound.

Standing in the morning breeze, gazing at the sunrise, Ke Bei gained a deeper understanding of his own strength. If he used the Nine Yang Divine Art to empower his Flying Daggers, he could instantly kill mid-tier Celestials and most mid-ranked Commander-level beasts; he might even be able to kill upper-ranked Transcendent humans. But when faced with high-tier Celestials or upper-ranked Commander-level beasts, he would be powerless.

This did not mean that upper-ranked Transcendents among humans were inferior to high-tier Celestials; their strengths simply lay in different areas. The talents acquired by Transcendents varied greatly, leading to vast differences in power.

A Transcendent with a powerful talent could absolutely annihilate a high-tier Celestial in an instant, just like Xiao Jiu, whose innate ability was the formidable Adamantine Body. Even before breaking through to the Transcendent Realm, she could kill low-tier Celestials. Once transcendent, with her talent further enhanced, she would be able to obliterate mid-tier Celestials instantly.

Ke Bei did not know when the genius training camp at the Jiujiang Base would start recruiting trainees. The City Lord’s Mansion had yet to send anyone to notify him. Estimating it would still be some time, Ke Bei, though anxious, resigned himself to focusing on cultivating the Foundation Nurturing Art.

The third saber technique left behind by his bearded father was truly overwhelming. In the past few days, Ke Bei had managed to grasp some of its intricacies, but understanding it was one thing—mastering it was another.

Ke Bei named this third technique “Ninefold Thunder Slash!” He found the name perfectly fitting, as the technique was an extension of the previous Thunder Slash.

Thunder Slash required the user to unleash all their power in an instant, concentrating their strength at a single point and exploding forth. Ninefold Thunder Slash operated on a similar principle—gathering all one’s strength to a single point and striking with thunderous force. The difference was that this time, it was not just one slash, but nine!

The first slash concentrated all his strength—but not all at once; he had to reserve some power, then instantly strike with a second slash, faster than the first, yet still holding back. This continued until the ninth slash, when all the accumulated power from the nine strikes would be unleashed in a single, devastating explosion.

“If I can master this, the power I can unleash in an instant will reach eight times what I’m capable of now!”

The thought of the terrifying might of the completed Ninefold Thunder Slash filled Ke Bei with excitement.

“If I add the amplification of the Nine Yang Divine Art, even a high-tier Celestial might not be able to withstand a single blow!”

Excitement shone in Ke Bei’s expression as he clenched his fists.

“Come on! If I truly master this, even among the prodigies at the Jiujiang Genius Training Camp, I will secure my place!”

Ke Bei took a deep breath. Truth be told, he felt some pressure about entering the elite Jiujiang Genius Training Camp—nobody knew how many monstrous talents with freakish abilities resided there.

Thinking of Xiao Jiu’s absurd Adamantine Body talent, Ke Bei couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. Damn it, her strength was only at the peak of Tier Three Enhancement, yet even standing still, a low-tier Celestial could barely scratch her!

“I need to complete the Nine Yang Divine Art’s chain missions as soon as possible. Next time, I must acquire a defensive technique!”

The thought of Xiao Jiu’s Adamantine Body ignited a fire in Ke Bei’s heart.

“But for now, I’d better focus on cultivating the Foundation Nurturing Art. The stronger my body, the more formidable I’ll be when I master the Ninefold Thunder Slash!”

A gleam flashed in Ke Bei’s eyes. He stood silently on the balcony for a moment before turning back inside. He prepared a simple meal himself—though the taste left much to be desired, he ate with relish.

After dinner, Ke Bei sat cross-legged and resumed cultivating the Foundation Nurturing Art. Although it only increased his strength by one person’s worth every two days, he understood the value of perseverance. Two days meant one person’s strength; twenty days, ten; what after two hundred or two thousand days? How much farther could he go? With diligence, the Foundation Nurturing Art would let him grow stronger without end.

“Ah, if only it were faster. If only I could progress more quickly,” Ke Bei muttered, shaking his head before calming his mind to focus on cultivation.

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed. Ke Bei had been diligently cultivating, and in just ten days, his strength had increased by five people, finally reaching the level of a low-tier Celestial—one hundred and fifty times that of a normal person!

That day, after finishing his cultivation, Ke Bei exhaled deeply and stood up, tidying himself up in preparation for the journey to the Jiujiang Genius Training Camp. Three days prior, he had received notice from the City Lord’s Mansion to depart today.

Today was the day of departure.

Dressed in his newly purchased Phantom Series combat suit, saber slung across his back, twenty specially crafted flying daggers at his waist and another thirty in his bag, Ke Bei was well-prepared. He had already used up some of his original daggers and had commissioned more from Shopkeeper Wu. Anticipating little time to forge more at the camp, he decided to bring a good supply.

“At last, it’s time to set out!”

Ke Bei first visited Li Qianqian’s grave, then stopped by his small house in the southern part of the city, before finally heading out of Lingfeng City.

Just as he crossed the city’s threshold, a crisp voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

“Congratulations, host. Foundation Nurturing Art has reached the second level!”

Ke Bei was stunned by the system’s notification. The Foundation Nurturing Art could be upgraded?