The craftsmen dug a small, deep hole in the ground. Tang Wen inserted a bamboo pole into it, and in no time, a large canopy was erected.
After Tang Wen and his men walked away, the two silver wolves hesitated for a moment, barking a few times at his retreating figure. Eventually, they sought refuge from the scorching sun and ducked under the canopy.
[Beast Taming Art, Proficient (11→15/6000)]
Sure enough, there was experience to be gained.
Tang Wen's eyes lit up as he turned to look at the silver wolves, their coats gleaming in the sunlight.
Beautiful and powerful—if only he could have a few of them.
Hmm, I wonder how much they eat?
If they follow me, will the Silver Wolf King still provide for them?
And if he doesn't, will the camp take care of their meals?
Tang Wen thought uncertainly, then turned to give a few instructions to the guards before retreating into the ice-cooled carriage.
The carriage was wrapped in thick waterproof cloth, and a refreshing chill greeted him as he entered.
"Commander Tang, General Zhao has arrived!"
"Good," Tang Wen responded, stepping out in his shorts.
As soon as they met, he pointed to the green snakeskin garment draped over the carriage shaft and complained, "General, this thing is completely useless!"
General Zhao glanced at it. "Try this one instead. But remember, it's just a loan. You'll have to return it after use."
With that, a guard behind him handed Tang Wen a dark green snakeskin soft armor.
"This? Soft armor made from a Superior Exotic Beast?"
"You're clueless. It's not from any Superior Exotic Beast. You'll understand once you wear it."
Tang Wen didn't stand on ceremony and immediately put it on.
The soft armor had excellent elasticity, fitting snugly against his skin.
"Great! I'll go test it out again."
Tang Wen strode into the lake. Since it was a loan, General Zhao could wait as long as he liked!
General Zhao observed from the shore.
In less than a breath's time.
Whoosh!
A water column shot into the air, splashing everywhere.
"Did he already engage?" General Zhao's expression darkened. If that was the case, there might be many Green Water Pythons down there!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Water columns erupted one after another.
General Zhao's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
He moved closer to the lake to observe for a moment, then cursed in exasperation:
"That brat is practicing his punches down there! Let's go!"
Tang Wen surfaced to catch his breath. "Take care, General Zhao!"
General Zhao didn't even look back.
Tang Wen wiped his face, chuckled, and dove back into the lake.
[Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist, Fifth Form: Dragon Emerges from Water, Ocean Floor Trembles]
This vibration fist technique seemed to have something to do with water.
Tang Wen repeatedly unleashed bursts of energy at the lake bottom.
The water seemed to explode as if charges had been planted, erupting again and again.
The experience for Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist slowly increased.
After thirty punches, the people on the shore began murmuring. Could a second-tier Martial Master really be that strong?
The silver wolves watched the continuous splashes on the water's surface, their eyes showing a hint of wariness.
After another ten punches, Tang Wen glanced at his Experience Panel.
To his surprise, he found that the experience gained here was higher than practicing hundreds of punches in the training room!
But at the same time, it was much more exhausting.
Exploding energy underwater, forcing his fists to push through the water and deliver a burst of power, was at least ten times harder than doing so on land.
Climbing out of the lake, Tang Wen hung the soft snakeskin armor on the carriage shaft to dry. He then entered the carriage, grabbed some dried meat and water prepared by the hunting camp, ate his fill, and promptly fell asleep.
An hour and a half later, he returned to the lake bottom.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Water splashed everywhere.
Ten punches, twenty punches, thirty punches!
The lake bottom became murky, with sand and silt swirling up.
Tang Wen surfaced and moved to a cleaner area to continue his practice.
By the end of the day, the experience gain was quite satisfying.
In the evening, the hunting camp gathered by the lakeside to roast meat.
Tang Wen reviewed the day's training.
Practicing fist techniques in the lake was beneficial, but it was impossible to focus entirely.
After all, the Green Water Python could strike at any moment.
Without complete focus, one couldn't enter a state of self-forgetfulness, nor could they fully exhaust their physical and mental energy.
Exhausting physical and mental energy wasn't just about relentless practice.
Especially when it came to pushing oneself to the point of fainting, it was something normal training couldn't achieve.
Often, by the last few punches, even lifting an arm became difficult, so how could one completely drain their energy?
[Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist, Proficient (4139→4201/6000)]
He silently calculated the increase in experience.
A total of 62 experience points gained in a day.
One day's effort was worth several days in the past.
After finishing the roasted meat, Tang Wen bid farewell to the hunting squad and jumped back into the water.
Wu Tian from the hunting squad cursed him as a freak before silently picking up a pork rib and slowly roasting it over the fire.
Explosive sounds echoed across the water's surface.
After delivering thirty to forty punches, Tang Wen leaped out of the water.
After eating the roasted meat, he wiped the grease from his hands and addressed the hunting guards, "Leave one or two people to keep watch by the lake. The rest of you, go back and sleep!"
The guards obeyed and left.
Tang Wen, as he had during the day, slept for an hour and a half before jumping back into the lake to train and expend his energy.
It was all about "grinding."
At dawn, the sky began to lighten.
After a night of intense training, even someone as strong as Tang Wen couldn't help but feel a hint of fatigue.
After finishing dozens of punches, he slowly floated to the surface, lying semi-submerged in a backstroke position, gazing at the morning star on the horizon.
Come to think of it, this world was quite similar to Earth!
The same moon, the same sun rising in the east and setting in the west.
Whoosh!
A flash of green light.
Tang Wen's heart skipped a beat, and he swiftly rolled to dodge.
But the green light had been lying in wait, and its speed was too fast. It slammed into his leg, and teeth sank in.
Tang Wen sneered, the skin on his leg turning pitch black.
The attacking Green Water Python couldn't even pierce the snake-skin soft armor and quickly retreated back into the water.
[Golden Bell Shield, Mastery (361→366/3000)]
"Is that all?" Tang Wen scoffed.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly felt a pang of unease.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Three flashes of green light shot up from the depths, attacking him from three different directions.
"There are more of them?"
In the blink of an eye, three Green Water Pythons were upon him.
Tang Wen countered with punches. Hiss, hiss—one python dodged, while the other two latched onto him from left and right.
But it was useless.
The Green Water Python's attack power was stronger than its defensive attributes.
In other words, the skin of a high-level Green Water Python couldn't withstand the fangs of another high-level Green Water Python.
However, Tang Wen realized that the snake-skin soft armor he wore was something these three high-level Green Water Pythons couldn't penetrate, meaning it was a Transcendent-level armor.
His safety was absolutely guaranteed.
Taking a deep breath, he sank into the water.
Since the sparring partners had arrived, it was time to play.
His feet sank into the silt at the bottom of the lake.
The three Green Water Pythons took turns attacking.
Tang Wen punched away the python lunging for his head, while visualizing the Golden Bell Shield. The skin on his feet turned pitch black, blocking the other two.
His temples throbbed.
His mental energy was severely depleted, leaving him feeling hollow.
[Golden Bell Shield, Mastery (366→577/3000)]
Tang Wen's vision blurred. In his haste, he had simultaneously activated the Golden Bell Shield on both feet.
With a breakthrough in ability, his experience naturally surged.
After his training, Tang Wen's mental energy was depleted, and his punches became slower. He then unleashed a series of rapid punches with both hands.
Using the recoil force, he retreated step by step to the shore.
The three Green Water Pythons didn't emerge from the water, only their heads appeared on the lake surface, hissing loudly.
It seemed as if they were mocking Tang Wen for fleeing the battle.
"Hah! If you have the guts, come up here!"
"Hiss hiss hiss"
"Come on up!"
"Hiss hiss hiss"
Tang Wen gestured with his middle finger: "Skinny snakes, even three against one and you still can't do it."
The Green Water Pythons hissed even louder, half of their bodies now floating on the water surface, but they still didn't dare to come ashore!
"You guys keep watch, be careful not to get too close to the lake. If there's any trouble, shoot the Signal Arrow. I'm heading back."
Once ashore, Tang Wen rode his horse back to the camp and then home. After a quick wash, he collapsed into bed.
With three high-level Green Water Pythons in the lake, resting in the carriage was no longer safe.
When he woke up, Tang Wen returned to the lakeside.
The three Green Water Pythons had disappeared somewhere.
He wasn't in a hurry. During the day, he practiced his punches as usual.
At night, he entered the water again, and sure enough, the Green Water Pythons attacked from all directions with their hissing sounds.
Tang Wen carefully protected his head, fighting while retreating to the shore.
The experience points for his Golden Bell Shield were rapidly increasing.
At night, the Silver Wolf was absent.
The lakeside was quiet, with no one else around.
Although the Green Water Pythons didn't come ashore to chase him, their entire bodies were now exposed on the water surface, arrogantly shooting water jets that created deep pits along the lakeshore.
Tang Wen returned to the shore and drove his carriage several miles away from the lake, stopping by a campfire.
This place was far enough from the lake to ensure safety.
"Commander Tang Wen!" Two night watch guards saluted with clasped hands.
"I'm going to rest for a bit. Spread some realgar around the area."
"Understood." The two guards opened the lid of a wooden barrel and began working around the carriage.
An hour and a half later, Tang Wen entered the water again.
The three Green Water Pythons were huddled together, floating on the water surface and swaying their bodies in provocation.
Tang Wen shook his head inwardly, resisting the urge to grab a pebble and send them to their doom.
He reminded himself: Training partners!
They were rare training partners!
He stepped into the water, and the three pairs of compound eyes of the Green Water Pythons gleamed with excitement.
Thus, he spent his days practicing punches and his nights with three free sparring partners, honing both his boxing skills and Golden Bell Shield.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
(End of Chapter)