16
Some squatted while carrying metal plates weighing dozens of catties, while others performed extreme stretches beside the iron weights.
The breathing frequency of everyone was utterly seamless; that was muscle memory formed after rigorous tempering.
The visual impact brought by that training intensity, far exceeding ordinary human limits, was almost enough to scorch one's eyeballs.
"It's simply unimaginable."
Natasha took a deep breath. As a top Agent, she knew all too well the true value behind this.
This was not a simple physical enhancement; this was a violent disassembly and reorganization of human potential.
As long as they persevered for a few years, this group of teenagers could possess physiques capable of tearing steel apart.
Once this technology leaked, let alone some faction, even the state apparatus would turn green with envy and bleed from their eyes.
No wonder Li Da, even while holding trump cards like * *, still lived like an invisible person.
Keeping a low profile was the highest grade of protective coloration.
"Truly astonishing, it has reshaped us."
Wanda nodded slightly, a trace of undisguised pride in her tone.
What was changed was far more than * *? It was also that confidence in one's bones looking down on ordinary people.
"Sun Breathing is the source of all schools, but it is too overbearing and wild. Aside from Li Da, no one can suppress that sky-burning fierce fire."
Wanda explained patiently: "Therefore, guided by Li Da, we each derived branches suited for ourselves based on Sun Breathing."
"Sooner or later, you too will find that path belonging to you."
She said these words very seriously, her eyes filled with anticipation.
After all, even she herself was creating new methods through exploration, let alone this sudden intruder of a stranger.
What was Natasha's background?
The intelligence agency's ace, with a photographic memory and body control that could be called art.
Adapting to the breathing rhythm was not a difficult problem for her; the hard part was capturing the sole "optimal solution" amidst massive amounts of information.
For a whole day, she sat quietly by the riverbank.
From morning till dusk, countless attempts, countless variations.
Until night fell, she slowly opened her eyes.
The sluggish airflow within her body finally connected, and an unprecedented sense of lightness spontaneously arose.
Wanda also finished her exercise and stood up, the fine sweat seeping from her temples shimmering under the Moonlight.
She clapped her hands, signaling everyone to rest and prepare to go back for dinner.
Right at this moment, the other side of the river boiled over.
The moment the equipment was unloaded, Pietro's figure vanished like a ghost.
The next second, he was already standing in front of Natasha, so fast he left only a lingering afterimage.
The others were not idle either, fiercely kicking off the ground and leaping up like arrows shot from a bowstring.
Dozens of meters of river surface were crossed in the blink of an eye.
Even those little kids in their early tens could easily jump across the wide water surface, landing silently.
Astonishing explosive power, terrifying bodily functions.
Natasha's eyelids twitched wildly, her heart beating faster uncontrollably.
Fine, life wouldn't be boring from now on.
A bunch of little supermen wrapped in * * gathering together, it was hard not to stand out.
At the same time.
Deep within the Ural Mountains.
Here, clouds and mist lingered all year round, waterfalls hung like white silk, and the moisture was heavy enough to wring water out. Underfoot was slippery mud, and the surrounding vegetation grew wildly, exuding a primitive and barbaric aura.
Li Da stood upon a relatively flat rock platform.
His upper body was bare, his tank top long gone, leaving only the fabric closely fitting his torso drenched in sweat, outlining muscle lines like those cast from refined steel.
At this moment, his arms were holding up a huge boulder.
That stone weighed fully twenty to thirty tons, pressing down on his arms. Far from making his sculpted, bulging muscles tremble in the slightest, it instead seemed as light as a feather.
His breathing was steady and prolonged, one might even say somewhat overly composed.
Night quietly descended, and the light in the woods gradually dimmed.
Li Da casually waved his hand, and that huge rock left his grip.
"Boom——!"
A dull, loud roar shook the valley, the ground shook violently, and the stone smashed into the mud, leaving only a shallow pit, as if the blow just now hadn't used its full strength.
He moved his neck slightly.
"Crack."
The crisp sound of bone friction was exceptionally clear in the silent mountain forest.
Li Da raised his right arm, his gaze falling on the surface of his skin.
A layer of dense black light instantly spread upward, rapidly covering the entire arm and emitting a cold, metallic luster.
This was the precursor to the materialization of Haki.
He silently reviewed in his heart:
Taking basic breathing methods as the foundation, supplemented by the Glint-Glint Fruit's ultimate modification of bodily functions, the growth rate of his hard strength was astonishing.
But the bottleneck had appeared.
Simply piling up physical fitness showed diminishing marginal returns.
The road ahead must be pursued on dual tracks simultaneously.
On one side, deeply cultivate the Glint-Glint Fruit to unearth deeper levels of rule power; on the other side, push the realm of the three-color Haki to the peak.
The foundation had been laid unshakably.
The remaining goals were very clear: fruit awakening, Haki perfection.
Once these two points were achieved, on this blue planet, those who could truly restrict him could be counted on one's fingers.
Two years later would be the day he formally declared the alternation of eras to the world.
As for what divine artifact he would sign in for or what fortuitous encounters he would obtain two years later, those were just icing on the cake.
The core was that he was no longer that lone wolf who could only fight alone.
The existence of Wanda and others gave him a backing and also gave him bonds.
But this did not mean he would stop at Earth.
The path of the strong had no end.
Death? Eternity? Or the Supreme Intelligence like the Vishanti?
Those grand ultimate propositions were his true lighthouse.
Although distant, he enjoyed it.
Moreover, he did not reject building his own forces.
Just as Asgard was to Odin, in the future, he also intended to carve out a divine kingdom belonging to himself on this continent.
Cultivation was indeed bitter, but enjoyment was equally not shameful.
The two were never contradictory.
He enjoyed the power nurtured by sweat, and also longed to embrace the goodness of this world when exhausted.
Don't laugh at him for being tacky.
Having traveled here and struggling desperately, wasn't what he aimed for simply the two words freedom?
Money, beauties, authority, carefree leisure—in an adult's world, naturally, one wanted them all.
If one ignored such affluent conditions and insisted on running into the deep mountains and old forests to be an ascetic, that wasn't cultivation; that was self-abuse.
The night was as dark as ink.
A dazzling golden radiance suddenly lit up, as if a cross star had exploded in the night sky.
The light dissipated, and that figure was completely untraceable.
...
The lamplight inside the wooden cabin was dim and warm.
The stove was steaming hot, and everyone was busy preparing dinner.
Only Li Da had yet to return.
Natasha and Wanda stood by the table, kneading dough in their hands.
The atmosphere was somewhat gloomy; Natasha finally couldn't help opening her mouth to break the silence.
Wanda stopped the movement in her hands, her fingertips nimbly rolling a dough stick, a trace of a smile lingering at the corners of her mouth.
"He comes out to cultivate at night and returns later."
"The depths of the Ural Mountains are very quiet, with no disturbances."
"There is only wind, only trees, only him there."
Natasha frowned slightly, nodding as if she understood yet didn't: "Meditation?"
"Pretty much."
Wanda shrugged, her eyes clear, "He said he wants to empty himself, integrate into nature, and comprehend the laws of operation of all things."
"I don't understand the specifics either, anyway it's that esoteric feeling."
As the words fell.
Wanda suddenly raised her head, her gaze casting straight toward the doorway.
Natasha was stunned, looking over along her line of sight.
The next second, amidst the shadows filling the room, countless golden light dots emerged out of thin air.
They rapidly converged and compressed, finally condensing into a human shape.
Li Da, wearing that familiar tank top, appeared out of thin air right in front of the dining table.
Natasha's breath hitched, her heart contracting violently for a moment.
This was the new ability he conjured up in the base?
Controlling light?