Seed of Dao

Exercise results

Unfortunately, although Ye Chen sent a lot of qi into those three objects, his efforts remained futile. It was like a bottomless abyss that would suck his qi dry, but those three objects didn't experience any reaction whatsoever.

For the umpteenth time, Ye Chen could only give up and practice, but not practice like before—rather practicing punching, kicking, and basic fighting techniques self-taught. Besides because he didn't have fighting formulas and swords or other weapons to practice with, he could only randomly punch and kick trees in the forest.

Although Ye Chen currently knew he could kill ordinary humans easily, his goal wasn't in the secular world, but rather the cultivation world he didn't understand in the future.

Even though he was now at qi refinement first level, that was the lowest cultivation level in the cultivation world. Many people and things could kill him easily.

For a cautious person like Ye Chen, he knew he was nothing, so he didn't immediately leave the forest. He began to practice in the forest he had made his territory for some time.

His initial plan after breaking through to the first level was two months to reach the second level, but plans never match reality.

A year later, a total of one year and three months since he first found this cave, Ye Chen who had been practicing without knowing the outside world finally knew his luck had truly run out.

The two remaining strange fruits had been eaten half a year ago. The third fruit helped him strengthen his foundation, the qi in his dantian increased slightly, his meridians widened. But not enough to break through to the second level.

The fourth fruit's effect was even smaller, as if his body had begun to become resistant to this fruit's efficacy. Or perhaps, to break through to qi refinement second level needed something more than just this low-level spiritual fruit.

Ye Chen tried waiting for the tree to bear fruit again, but a year passed without signs of new flowers or buds.

Ye Chen had also tried repeatedly wandering the forest to look for other miraculous fruits, but he had to be disappointed again and again. Worse still, he was still at qi refinement first level.

Fortunately, although one year without a breakthrough, Ye Chen knew he wasn't far off. His foundation was solid, qi in his dantian stable, his meridians wide. Just one more step.

And his combat training became better, although only kicking and punching. His punch that could directly topple a tree as thick as an adult man's thigh gave him a bit of confidence that he had punching power above a thousand kilograms.

But Ye Chen truly couldn't stand it when the three items he had obtained at the beginning truly couldn't be used by him. In the end, Ye Chen who didn't know the correct way to cultivate could only choose to go to Dayan village in desperation.

At this time, Ye Chen who was walking on snow right at the edge of the frozen river suddenly stopped his steps. Looking far ahead, his sharp hearing and vision faintly found there was something in front of him.

"Are there humans?"

Ye Chen who for more than a year hadn't met living creatures besides some wild beasts felt a bit happy, and began to increase his speed.

Along the way, Ye Chen confirmed his guess, because he found wheel tracks that were still not covered by the snow layer. It's just that when he arrived where those humans were, the smell of blood and the sight of battle made him fall silent.

Fifty meters in front of him, Ye Chen indeed found humans besides himself, more precisely there were two groups of horse carriages with sounds of frightened screams and battle sounds.

From inside the horse carriages, Ye Chen saw that they contained small children who weren't even yet fifteen years old trembling in fear and crying. While on the other side, three adult men were injured, angry and helpless in the cold full of blood, surrounded by more than a dozen men.

"Bandits!" The spontaneous words that came out of Ye Chen's mouth suddenly reminded him of the incident in Siqing village, and anger suddenly arose in his heart.

"Stop!" With a shout, Ye Chen's figure shot forward at a speed beyond normal human limits.

At the same time, when a group of bandits were preparing to finish off the three helpless people, they suddenly stopped upon hearing Ye Chen's shout.

A dozen people including the other three turned toward Ye Chen, and upon witnessing his arriving figure who was no more than a boy under seventeen years old, those bandits immediately frowned.

Looking at Ye Chen from top to bottom, someone among the bandits with a machete in his hand directly snorted. "Boy, do you want to die?"

Not a single one among the bandits thought Ye Chen was someone special. Besides being too young and his worn clothing, those bandits only guessed if Ye Chen was a wannabe hero.

The same was also done by Ye Chen. He also didn't pay attention to the bandit who was talking to him. He only checked the three injured people and at the same time saw there were about five people lying on the snow.

"Did you do this?" Ye Chen suddenly asked coldly, and anger began to fill his heart.

Those bandits were suddenly stunned hearing Ye Chen's question, but that was only momentary before the bandit with the machete still dripping blood and who looked strong with a muscular body, grinned at Ye Chen.

"Kid, are you deaf? Do you think you can just come to ask questions and someone will answer them? I don't know where you come from, but considering you're still a child, you better not do anything, if not...." The bandit with the machete and the others suddenly laughed horribly toward Ye Chen.

If someone who had the same age as Ye Chen saw the grin and fierce expressions from those twelve bandits while holding sharp weapons in their hands, they would surely immediately be frightened and tremble.

But who was Ye Chen?

He didn't care at all and only looked at the bandit who spoke at the beginning, and still asked, "Did you do this?"

"If indeed I did it, so what?" The bandit with the machete grinned, then raised his machete toward his mouth, and the horrifying appearance of his tongue licking the blood on the cold iron was visible.

"Young man, run! They won't have mercy—" One of the three injured people, a middle-aged man with a wound on his shoulder immediately shouted at Ye Chen while coughing blood.

Those three men clearly were already desperate. They knew they wouldn't survive. But seeing a boy who wasn't even yet mature suddenly appear, they didn't want there to be more victims.

Ye Chen of course knew what those three people were thinking, but he didn't bother to answer or turn around, and only said to the bandit who was licking his machete, "Since you've already admitted it, then I don't need to hesitate."

"Haha!"

"Haha!"

Instantly those bandits laughed uproariously and felt very amused by Ye Chen's words, but that was only momentary—

Ye Chen shot forward.

His speed far exceeded ordinary humans. The bandit licking the machete didn't even have time to react before Ye Chen's fist struck his chest.

"CRACK!"

Ribs shattered. Heart stopped. The man fell with a deep gaping hole in his chest, as if struck by an iron hammer.

"What—"

The other bandits just realized what happened. Some reflexively swung weapons, but Ye Chen had already moved again.

One kick, neck broken.

One punch, skull cracked.

He didn't use fancy techniques. No high-level cultivator movements. Just speed, strength, and one year of brutal punch-kick training.

For a qi refinement first level cultivator against ordinary humans, this was already enough.

It didn't take long, only about twenty breaths, six of the dozen bandits were already lying on the ground, dead or dying.

"Monster!"

"Run!"

The remaining bandits finally came to their senses and fled in all directions.