Qian Jin suppressed the agony that threatened to burst from his lips, and the calm lake surface suddenly churned with violent waves! This undercurrent struck with such unexpected force that Qian Jin barely had time to react; it felt as if he were riding a charging warhorse, his entire body slamming violently into a massive iron plate flying toward him. His bones, already tenderized to near dissolution by the scalding water, seemed to shatter under the sudden, colossal impact, as if every bone in the front of his body pulverized into dust. The Dou Jin—which felt like molten iron—seemed to permeate his very bones upon collision.

Struck underwater, Qian Jin cried out in pain, opening his mouth just enough for a surge of boiling hot water to flood in. Immediately, a scent akin to cooking meat began to emanate within his mouth. The undercurrent that had just struck from the front suddenly surged again from behind.

In that instant, Qian Jin felt not only that the bones in his front were utterly broken, but that his back had slammed against a massive, square block of iron. Every bone in his back seemed to have disintegrated as well, and the Dou Jin he had just managed to muster instantly "melted" away again.

"Endure! I must endure! Wind is formless, blades and swords cannot harm; clouds have no fixed shape, gathering and scattering at will!"

Qian Jin chanted incessantly in his mind, the obsessive conviction of wanting to become a great warrior sustaining him. He absolutely refused to surface, clinging desperately to the suffering of this torture.

The old man watched Qian Jin beneath the water. His pale skin had long since turned deep crimson, like a crab or lobster boiled alive. The Dou Jin gathered, dissipated, and melted away time and again, yet he showed no sign of surfacing. The elder couldn't help but nod repeatedly in admiration.

"He can endure suffering like this torture; does he truly desire to become a great warrior so badly? Has he never considered that no matter how hard an ordinary person strives, they can never surpass a Bloodline Warrior? What obsession sustains him? Enduring is good, but it's a pity he still hasn't understood the meaning of those two phrases; otherwise, this pain wouldn't be so intense; it would at least be much easier."

"Wind is formless, blades and swords cannot harm. Clouds have no fixed shape, gathering and scattering at will."

In Qian Jin's mind, already muddled by the scalding lake water, a sudden spark of clarity flashed. Vaguely, dimly, he seemed to grasp something.

He felt as if he understood something in an instant, and his body, curled like a dried shrimp, quivered slightly.

"I am wind! I am formless! Blades and swords cannot harm me! I am cloud, gathering and scattering without fixed shape!"

The Dou Jin within Qian Jin seemed to come alive simultaneously. They were no longer spread rigidly throughout his body; if the high temperature melted them, so be it. When the undercurrent struck, they absorbed some force and scattered like a cloud being hit, rather than bracing defensively.

Pain! It was still agonizing! Yet, his body felt a completely new form of growth. The pores on his skin ceased their forced closure, opening and closing irregularly to expel the stagnant blood caused by the undercurrent impacts, along with fine traces of black filth, like mud and grime, that had been hidden within him—impurities that even Dou Jin could not purge from the body. Now, the intense heat had forcefully melted these out, and the surging currents pressed them forth.

Impurities within the flesh, blood, and bone were expelled, leaving the body solidly renewed. Qian Jin felt that the Dou Mai within him had unconsciously widened by more than double. The Dou Jin throughout his body surged with vitality. When his muscles relaxed, they were like a pool of soft water; when exerting force, they felt as if they had fused into a single iron plate. Not only had his endurance and explosive power greatly increased, but his resistance to blows also seemed to have made significant progress.

"One hour," "Two hours." Qian Jin bit down on the breathing tube he had put in when jumping into the water, still curled up like a shrimp, allowing the lake water to scald him and the undercurrents to batter him. Occasionally, a wisp of bright red blood sprayed from his nostrils and mouth—these were internal injuries sustained from the impacts; avoiding injury entirely while in this water was simply impossible for Qian Jin.

An expression of suffering remained etched on Qian Jin's face, though it was slightly lessened compared to the first moment he entered the water.

"To endure for this long on the first entry? Entering the Four Seasons Valley, his bravery isn't the issue—his foundation of Dou Jin is first-rate, and his judgment is clear. Yet, his willpower and endurance have reached this level! What a pity... what a pity!" The elder shook his head repeatedly, sighing toward the heavens: "It's a pity this boy is not a Bloodline Warrior."

"That's enough for today; you can come out." The elder waved his hand gently, pulling a soft whip from his waist. A sharp swoosh pierced the air as he cracked it, transforming into a steel sword that plunged straight into the water. The moment it touched Qian Jin's skin, it turned soft and fluid, coiling cleverly around his waist, lifting him swiftly out of the water and back onto the shore.

Qian Jin knelt on the ground, bracing himself with his elbows, gasping deeply. All the muscles in his body spasmed uncontrollably. Coughing through his painful expression, he struggled to expel the fatigue and pain. Residual lake water dripped from his hair and skin onto the ground.

Even the training in the Endless World had never brought such torment. It truly felt as if he had died once and been brought back to life.

"How does it feel?" the elder asked, sounding somewhat anxious.

"Refreshing! So refreshing!" Qian Jin forced his head up to look at the elder, water droplets from his chin splashing onto the ground. He grinned through the pain, forcing out a smile more strained than a cry: "If you don't believe me, you go down and try it. Hss..."

"I believe you." The elder smiled; being able to speak such words upon exiting meant his mind hadn't been boiled away.

Thud. Qian Jin stopped forcing his body to hold him up. His strength gave out, and he tumbled to the ground, lying flat on his back and gazing at the slowly drifting white clouds. He felt as if his muscles were being torn apart by thousands of steel blades and smashed by hundreds of sledgehammers, yet he marveled that he had endured it all—and survived.

Even so, Qian Jin was certain that if he encountered danger now, the destructive power and combat strength he could unleash would far surpass what he possessed before entering the water. If the 'after' version of himself could fight the 'before' version, Qian Jin was confident he could subdue his former self in a short time; the Dou Mai widened by threefold alone could unleash unimaginable power.

"You’ve grasped a sliver of the knack of the Wind Cloud Golden Body. As long as you can keep enduring, practicing this will greatly assist you on the day you become a Demon Subduing Warrior."

"What are my chances of becoming a Demon Subduing Warrior?"

"You know the answer already; why ask me? Naturally, a ten-tenths chance."

The elder laughed and sat beside Qian Jin. "Though you could attempt to break through to the Demon Subduing Warrior realm right now, I advise you to continue nurturing your Dou Mai and strengthening your physical body. While you can still strengthen your body after becoming a Demon Subduing Warrior, I believe it's better done beforehand."

"Is that so? A ten-tenths chance of becoming a Demon Subduing Warrior?" Qian Jin's face beamed with relieved pride. He slowly closed his eyes, which were filled with satisfaction: "Father, wait for me to leave the Four Seasons Valley, and I will come fetch you! By then, you won't have to continue living in humble servitude. I will become the son who makes you feel glorious and proud!"

"Enough. The Wind Cloud Golden Body practice ends for today." The elder rose and walked into the mist, leaving only his words drifting in the air: "Remember every sensation you felt in the lake water today; deeply internalize it. Your body has already begun to change; you just haven't realized it yet."

"Haven't realized it? Am I that slow?" Qian Jin raised an eyebrow and murmured casually, "The boiling lake water didn't just seem to melt the Dou Jin; it truly melted all of it. It seeped into my skin, my muscles, my internal organs. The undercurrents struck my bones, allowing the melted Dou Jin to slowly invade them."

"Clever!"

A praise came from the mist. When Dou Qi reaches a certain level, it also invades the internal organs, skin, muscles, and bones for reinforcement. However, this is normally impossible for a Tenth-Level Warrior. Only the extreme method of the 'Wind Cloud Golden Body' can achieve this.

Qian Jin rested for three hours and found that all his strength had recovered. Even the slight internal injuries from the undercurrent impacts were mostly healed. He sprang up easily, stood straight, bowed deeply toward the thick fog, turned, and quickly left the lakeside.

In the mist, the elder nodded in satisfaction. This young man is polite and strong, possessing nearly all the qualities required to become the greatest warrior, yet he lacks the single most crucial element: bloodline! He is not a Bloodline Warrior!

"It's a pity, though perhaps a pity," the elder shook his head slightly. "But if he truly manages the first step of mastering the Wind Cloud Golden Body, it can grudgingly be called 'Bronze Skin and Iron Bones.'" The elder mused, "What a fitting phrase, Bronze Skin and Iron Bones. I truly wonder what Bu Juetian was thinking when he coined that term."

Qian Jin walked through the stone forest, his steps light and powerful, his chin slightly raised toward the sky. The gloom in his heart vanished instantly! What did it matter if they were Bloodline Warriors? What about Ultimate Bloodline Warriors? Who says an ordinary person without bloodline power cannot surpass those born with silver spoons in their mouths through sheer effort and fortuitous encounters? Wind Cloud Dou Qi, the Dou Shi Vein, the Endless World!

Three great fortuitous encounters in such a short time filled Qian Jin’s chest with surging ambition. The greatest warrior of the ordinary humans, Zuo Xiaowo, once said: Don't ask if you can, only ask if you will do it!

Although Zuo Xiaowo ultimately failed in challenging the Ultimate Bloodline Warrior in history, he still inspired countless ordinary warriors to keep pushing forward.

However, as time passed, legends like Zuo Xiaowo ceased to appear, and ordinary warriors lost that drive.

"Ordinary people—they are the vast majority in this world! Why shouldn't ordinary people succeed?" Qian Jin swelled his Dou Jin and let out a long howl toward the sky: "What Zuo Xiaowo failed to achieve, I will accomplish! I will become the greatest warrior! I will ensure that everyone in the Qian family stops ignoring my father! Stops ignoring all those who have also made immense contributions to the Qian family!"

Another night passed without any wild beasts approaching the cave entrance. Qian Jin began to consider whether he should find time soon to lure some of the relatively weaker beasts from the Four Seasons Valley to this cave entrance? Killing them there would establish his authority. Otherwise, spending every night just sleeping and resting, unable to enter the Endless World for more study, felt like a terrible waste!