Chapter 163: Second-Tier Peak?

Upon abruptly catching sight of the Dark Dragon Tendon, the very first sensation Su Yi experienced was not bewilderment as to why it had turned blood-red, but rather an immediate sense of intimacy and bloodline connection, as though the Dark Dragon Tendon were a part of his own body.

"What is going on here? Could it be that when the Blood of Heaven and Earth mutated, the Dark Dragon Tendon was affected as well?" A thought flashed through Su Yi's mind, and a trace of soul perception instantly surged forth. Then, with a flicker of his intent, the Dark Dragon Tendon actually moved according to his will!

To think he no longer needed to channel Dou Qi?! Although he had no idea what was happening, this was more than enough to make Su Yi exceptionally thrilled. To him, the Dark Dragon Tendon was a massive lethal weapon, but he had previously been unable to use it solely due to a lack of Dou Qi; otherwise, those Dou cultivators he had encountered earlier would not have been enough to make him feel so wary! However, although the Dark Dragon Tendon could now be commanded by thought, he wondered how its power had changed.

Without channeling Dou Qi, would it still be as sharp as cutting through iron like mud? Turning blood-red must have brought about some changes, right?

With a gentle wave of his hand, the Dark Dragon Tendon let out a "swish" and pierced straight into the hard rock as if cutting through tofu! Like a spiritual snake darting through water, the solid rock could not impede the movement of the Dark Dragon Tendon in the slightest! It seemed to have become even sharper!

Recalling the Dark Dragon Tendon back into his hand, a jubilant Su Yi was just preparing to examine it further when a sudden pain in his finger revealed he had been grazed by the tendon!

"It's actually tougher than my own physical body?!" For a moment, Su Yi hardly knew what to say. Although he had not tested it yet, he considered his physical body's toughness to be no less than that of a fourteenth-tier or even fifteenth-tier Dou cultivator, yet his body had been sliced open so effortlessly! Taking it a step further, wouldn't this mean it could already injure sixteenth-tier or even seventeenth-tier powerhouse Dou cultivators?!

"Huh?" Just as Su Yi intended to stem the bleeding on his wound, he was immensely surprised to discover that there was not the slightest trace of injury on his finger! What was going on? Clearly, he had just been hurt, so why had it vanished in the blink of an eye?! The injury could not have been an illusion; could it be that within such a short span of time, it had completely healed and recovered?!

In disbelief, Su Yi blinked hard. Upon confirming that his eyes were not playing tricks on him, he instinctively drew a sharp breath. If injuries could truly heal in an instant, what a terrifying ability that would be! Anyone facing such an opponent would surely have a deadly headache!

As long as Su Yi was not completely killed, he could recover from his injuries in an extremely short amount of time and regain his combat capability!!

"I wonder just how fast this speed really is, though..." Excited, Su Yi decided to test his body's recovery rate. Carefully gripping the Dark Dragon Tendon with his right hand, he drew it across his left palm. A wound instantly appeared, but right before his very eyes, it healed in a split second! Not a single trace was left behind!

Too heaven-defying! While marveling inwardly, Su Yi also had another sensation: the healed area seemed to have become... somewhat tougher and more resilient? Feeling uncertain, Su Yi used the exact same force, direction, and angle to slice across the freshly healed spot on his left hand once more. This time, however, no wound appeared; it seemed the strength had indeed increased. When he slashed other areas, wounds appeared as normal.

No way! The wounded area actually grew stronger after healing! Su Yi's heart began to beat violently. Although he had always considered himself to be cultivating his physical body, in truth, he knew virtually nothing about proper physical cultivation methods—he was practically completely clueless! If he possessed a proper cultivation system, it would undoubtedly be of immense benefit to his future development!

Yet this heaven-defying method of growing stronger exceeded Su Yi's cognition and imagination! Not only could he recover instantly after being injured, but he could also increase his strength! If this were the case, Su Yi had practically nothing to fear. Even if he encountered an opponent slightly stronger than him, there was every possibility of turning defeat into victory even if he sustained injuries!

After finally calming his emotions, Su Yi pondered for a moment. With a shift of his thought, the Dark Dragon Tendon "swished" and burrowed into the ground. The tendon was so sharp that a mere touch drew blood, making it somewhat unsafe to carry on his person. Although controlling it after it burrowed underground required a certain amount of soul force, fortunately, there seemed to be a bizarre connection between him and the Dark Dragon Tendon, as if it were a part of his body. Therefore, it did not consume as much mental energy as Su Yi had imagined...

Stretching his body, a series of popping sounds cracked throughout his joints. Su Yi let out a low chuckle, stepped forward, and brushed aside the vines and branches covering the mouth of the cave. Striding directly outside, he breathed in the fresh surrounding air and suddenly felt an urge to roar up toward the heavens!

From now on, birds could fly freely across the boundless sky and fish leap at will through the vast seas; nothing could stop me anymore!

In high spirits, Su Yi was just about to consider his next move. Since he had placed in the Martial Trial Tournament, he needed to go to the imperial capital to participate in the competition, and Mya was still waiting for him there. Should he alter his course directly toward the imperial capital after leaving the Luojia Mountain Range?

"Forget it. Judging by the time, it hasn't even been half a year... The imperial capital tournament isn't until three years later... I'd better continue improving my strength before then..." After some thought, Su Yi finally shook his head and murmured. Although his strength seemed to have increased considerably by now, heading to the imperial capital with just this level still felt a bit weak. If he wanted to have a certain amount of clout in the imperial capital, this was still not enough...

Suddenly, Su Yi's brows furrowed slightly, and the sensation of being watched washed over him once again. He used the word "again" because he had experienced this exact feeling when first entering the Luojia Mountain Range. At the time, he had assumed it was an illusion, but looking at it now, it didn't seem quite that simple. It was either intentional or not an accident; judging by the sensation, it felt like soul detection energy. But precisely whose soul perception was probing him?

Before Su Yi could figure it out, a massive figure abruptly materialized before him. Su Yi started slightly before looking up. If he wasn't mistaken, this counterpart was precisely that pool magical beast that had once hunted him down but failed to catch him!

Suddenly coming face-to-face with an old adversary, Su Yi took a slight step back, yet he had no intention of fleeing. Although a month ago he had been the one being hunted, he now possessed the capital to contend with the creature! It just so happened that Su Yi had not yet fully comprehended his own strength; right now, he had a comparative reference point. Only by truly understanding this would Su Yi gain greater confidence!

As soon as the pool magical beast spotted Su Yi, it let out a roar and charged directly at him with astonishing momentum! Noticing the opponent's assault, Su Yi's gaze flickered. He reined back the punch he was about to throw and stood his ground, motionless.

A dull impact echoed through the air. Su Yi's body swayed and he retreated two or three steps, whereas the pool magical beast was actually jarred backward!

"Huh? That feeling just now... seems to be... Universe Rotation?..." Su Yi had wanted to test his recovery effect after being struck, but he never expected that an attack which previously appeared so ferocious now felt somewhat insignificant. There was no way the opponent had weakened for no reason, which meant only one thing—he had grown stronger!

Furthermore, at the instant of impact just then, Su Yi felt as though he had rebounded a large portion of the opponent's attacking force back at them. Wasn't this precisely the effect of the Universe Rotation?! At the time, he had merely had a passing thought to modify the Universe Rotation—since the martial skill was sitting idle anyway—never expecting that this mutated Universe Rotation would truly possess such formidable capabilities!

The knocked-back pool magical beast shook its head and whipped its tail, appearing truly infuriated. Its massive tail swept horizontally through the air, fiercely lashing toward Su Yi with a shrill, piercing shriek!

Since Su Yi had not been injured in the previous blow, his confidence had grown somewhat. This time, he still made no special offensive or defensive maneuvers. Su Yi's body collided directly with the magical beast's giant tail, and a booming explosion erupted at the point of contact! Fierce shockwaves burst outward, violently scattering and swirling the surrounding debris, shattered stones, and leaves up toward the sky!

This time it was still a draw. Su Yi sidestepped a few steps, each step cracking the ground beneath him, which showed just how immense the impact force was! Yet Su Yi was somewhat astonished to discover that he still had not sustained any injuries! Although there was a dull ache, no wounds capable of instant healing appeared...

This discovery undoubtedly prompted Su Yi to re-evaluate his own strength. As the saying goes, you won't know the difference without a comparison, and comparisons can be terrifying. Since this pool magical beast could kill a second-tier peak multi-horned beast, its own strength should also be around the second-tier peak. The fact that he could go toe-to-toe with it in this manner meant his actual strength was not the fifteenth or sixteenth tier he had previously estimated—

It was likely strength comparable to a seventeenth or even eighteenth-tier Dou cultivator! Su Yi's previous estimate had been somewhat too conservative, though factoring in the defensive rebound effect of the Universe Rotation, which acted as an added auxiliary effect. If that were excluded, perhaps he was roughly at the level of a seventeenth-tier Dou cultivator?

Even so, the surge in strength was terrifying. If he were to factor in the Dark Dragon Tendon and the Blood of Heaven and Earth absorbed by that evil soul, he wondered if there would be an even greater enhancement?

(Seeking floral tributes! Seeking collections!)
[Martial Peak 163 - Chapter 163: Second-Tier Peak? Update Complete!]