From that day on, Xu Yao's life fell into a hard routine.
Every morning, he practiced his breathing. Every evening, he went into the dark forest outside the sect to hunt. These weren't normal animals; they were spirit beasts and some were evil spirit beasts, tainted by dark energy, with glowing eyes and a hungry look in their eyes.
The Emerald Worm stayed with him the whole time, riding on his shoulder or talking inside his mind.
"Heyyy, don't rushh," the worm said. "Your meridians are still weak. Take in just a little bit of the essence at a time."
Xu Yao always nodded. He didn't complain, even when it hurt.
Hunting them barehanded was a brutal struggle. One evening, a Shadow-Stalker Panther jumped out from the dark trees and ambushed him. Its fur was black and greasy, dripping with dark energy. It snarled, flashing sharp claws as it lunged straight at his throat.
Xu Yao threw his arms up to block, but the heavy impact knocked him right off his feet. He crashed hard into the damp ground, the breath knocked out of him. The beast pounced on him instantly, pinning him down with its heavy weight. Sharp claws ripped into his arms, drawing hot blood as the monster snapped its jaws inches from his face.
Struggling under the heavy, foul-smelling beast, Xu Yao gritted his teeth against the burning pain. Refusing to give up, he gathered every drop of qi he had left, hardened his fist, and punched upward with all his might right into the panther's ribs.
Crack!
The beast shrieked and stumbled back. Xu Yao scrambled to his feet, panting heavily with blood dripping from his torn arms. Before the beast could attack again, he lunged forward and slammed both hardened fists straight into its chest. The beast fell, turning into thick black smoke and leaving behind a tiny glowing Essence Pearl near its heart.
Absorbing that essence was agony. The worm cleaned the power, and Xu Yao absorbed it. Then, fire rushed through his veins. His bones ached, his blood felt boiling hot, and his vision blurred. Sometimes, he bites his sleeve to keep from screaming.
"That's it, boyy… Hold on," the worm encouraged him.
Xu Yao shook from the pain and sweating heavily, but he didn't stop. He remembered what he was fighting for: One year. Three levels. The Inner Disciple Tournament. His promise, his pride, and his dream.
Progress
As weeks passed, the boy who once struggled to throw a simple punch could now strike over and over without getting tired, his bare hands growing as tough as iron.
His breathing steadied. His meridians grew stronger. His core filled with more qi.
The worm tried to act proud. "Humph! You're lucky to have such a great spirit guiding you."
Xu Yao smiled. "Yes, yes. My great and mighty Worm Master."
The worm puffed out its chest. "Just wait! One day I'll turn into a Celestial Dragon."
Xu Yao laughed. Without noticing it, the little worm had become his teacher, his partner, and his only friend.
Around the Sect
Other disciples started talking about him.
"Isn't that Xu Yao? He's still hunting spirit beasts every day with just his bare hands."
"Has he gone crazy? He has no talent, why keep trying?"
They laughed at him, not knowing what he was really doing. While everyone else used easy shortcuts, Xu Yao was rebuilding his body from scratch. It was slow and painful, but it was real. He was building a foundation no one could take away.
Breakthrough
On a stormy night, Xu Yao sat alone on a jagged rock in the valley, letting the cold rain wash over his bruised skin. Over the past weeks, layer by layer, he had absorbed dozens of refined Essence Pearls. His body was finally reaching its absolute limit.
The jade pendant around his neck glowed with a bright green light.
The worm hovered before him, its voice serious. "Boyy, your core is completely packed with refined energy. But your pathways are still blocked at the final gate. You must force the qi through all at once, or your progress will stop."
Xu Yao clenched his fists and nodded. "Do it."
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As thunder crashed across the dark sky, he stopped holding back. He pulled every drop of stored energy from his limbs, gathering it into a tight ball, and slammed it straight toward his core.
Boom!
A sharp, tearing pain ripped through his lower body. Xu Yao gasped, coughing up blood as the massive pressure threatened to tear him apart.
"Don't stoppp!" the worm shouted, glowing brightly to steady his mind. "Push it through!"
Gritting his teeth until his gums bled, Xu Yao threw his hands down against the stone. He forced the roaring energy outward, smashing through every old blockage and weak spot left from years of failure.
Crack!
Like a dam breaking under a flood, the final barrier shattered.
A wave of warm energy exploded from his core, rushing through his veins like a rushing river. Every muscle in his body thrummed with a heavy, raw power he had never felt before.
He threw his head back and let out a fierce shout, punching his fists straight into the solid rock beneath him…shattering the stone into pieces.
He had finally broken through.
Mortal Foundation Stage - Level 1.
The worm floated down, wiping imaginary sweat from its tiny brow with a proud grin. "Not bad, human. Not bad at all."
Xu Yao opened his eyes, staring down at his glowing, toughened hands. For the first time in his life, he felt truly strong….not because of luck or magic, but because he had broken his own limits with blood, sweat, and sheer willpower.