Chapter 2

Isolated island.

Dawn.

The sky was still dark, everything shrouded in a misty haze.

"Get up, go practice martial arts!"

Ye Mo woke up early, crawled out of the tent, and dug out the few roasted seabird eggs left from last night from under the bonfire to fill his stomach.

Then, he strode into the seawater near the beach, letting the water submerge most of his body.

This was his habit of practicing martial arts, starting in the water before dawn every day.

Ye Mo held the green sword, firmly planted his feet in the seawater, and faced the surging waves head-on.

The force of the waves was immense, easily capable of knocking a person over. A huge wave, if it hit the body, would feel like being struck by an iron board, causing intense pain.

Just as a wave was about to engulf him, in that instant, the green sword in Ye Mo's hand moved.

"The first move of the 'Wave-Cutting Technique'—'Wave-Breaking Slash'—Break!"

Ye Mo shouted, his arm suddenly exerting force, and the green sword instantly slashed at the oncoming wave. A powerful force instantly burst forth, transmitted from his arm muscles to the sword.

"Swish~!"

A wave about half a meter high was perfectly split in two, passing by his side without a single drop of water splashing onto him.

The 'Wave-Cutting Technique' is a low-level martial skill.

Ye Mo has been practicing the 'Wave-Cutting Technique' since he was eight years old, for a full ten years.

This was a low-level martial skill he bought from a small stall at a local market with the wages he earned from working at an inn in the capital city of the Martial Kingdom for half a year. The 'Wave-Cutting Technique' is even lower in rank than some street martial skills like 'Tiger Fist,' 'Eagle Claw,' and 'Mantis Fist' sold at the stall.

Such a low-level skill naturally had a low price, the only martial skill Ye Mo could afford at the time.

The moves of the 'Wave-Cutting Technique' are very simple, with a total of three levels, each containing only one move.

Just now, Ye Mo performed the first move of the 'Wave-Cutting Technique'—'Wave-Breaking Slash,' the simplest first move. The second move is the intermediate level 'Vortex Slash,' and the third move is the advanced level 'Wave-Stacking Slash.'

The 'Wave-Breaking Slash' is surprisingly simple, so simple that it consists of only one action—slashing forward in the water, all the way through, with no variations.

Because the move is too simple, with no variations, it is difficult to see results in a short time, and the practice method is too monotonous. Few martial artists are willing to spend a long time practicing such a skill. The 'Wave-Cutting Technique' has been criticized by countless beginners as a trash martial skill, even worse than 'Tiger Fist' or 'Eagle Claw.'

Ye Mo was only eight years old at the time and didn't understand these things.

He bought the martial skill and started to practice it enthusiastically.

He practiced the first move of the 'Wave-Cutting Technique'—'Wave-Breaking Slash'—in the streams, waterfalls, and rivers of the Martial Kingdom, facing the waves day after day.

In summer, he jumped into the cool streams and slashed at the fish in the river.

In winter, when the river surface froze, he shivered in the cold, breaking a large hole in the ice and jumping into the icy river to continue practicing.

Thirsty, he drank water; hungry, he ate fish. The young Ye Mo's physique was nourished by the fish in the river.

He slashed at least three thousand times a day, nearly ten thousand times a month, over a million times a year, and over five million times in five years, without a single day's interruption.

Ye Mo spent five years, and by the time he was thirteen, he had practiced the first move of the 'Wave-Cutting Technique'—'Wave-Breaking Slash'—to a level of perfection.

Whether it was a fish in the river, from a large puffer fish weighing dozens of pounds to a tiny shrimp smaller than a soybean, a single slash from his sword would cleanly cut it in two.

The essence of the 'Wave-Breaking Slash' lies in using the simplest method to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy in an instant.

The first move of the 'Wave-Cutting Technique' is very simple.

However, any move, after being practiced five million times over five years, even the simplest martial skill, can unleash incredible power.

After mastering the first move, Ye Mo began to practice the second move of the intermediate level—'Vortex Slash.' This move involves forming a vortex with the sword's momentum and slashing around.

Another five years passed, and by the time he was eighteen, he had mastered the 'Vortex Slash.'

After ten years of continuous hard practice, Ye Mo had already perfected the first move of the 'Wave-Cutting Technique' and reached the peak of the second move, and began to attempt the most powerful third move of the advanced level—'Wave-Stacking Slash.'

While practicing the 'Wave-Cutting Technique,' his physique was also greatly enhanced.

Ye Mo is now in the middle stage of a martial artist, which is the sixth level of the Body Tempering stage.

The Body Tempering stage of a martial artist is clearly divided, generally based on strength. A beginner in the Body Tempering stage can steadily exert a force of one hundred pounds, a middle stage can steadily exert a force of two hundred pounds, and a late stage can steadily exert a force of three hundred pounds.

Before setting sail, Ye Mo tested his basic strength, which was already two hundred pounds. As long as he breaks through to the late stage of Body Tempering, he will have a force of three hundred pounds.

..

"Two thousand nine hundred and ninety-ninth slash... Three thousandth slash! Completed!"

Ye Mo faced the surging waves, his body slightly leaning forward, his muscles tense, and his right hand gripping the sword hilt.

In an instant, the waves came rushing at him.

Just as the waves were about to hit him, a cold light flashed, accompanied by a "snap" sound, and the waves were split in two again, not touching Ye Mo.

He then sheathed the green sword.

Sheathing the sword is to practice his drawing speed. In general, a martial artist's sword is in the scabbard, and in dangerous situations, they need to draw the sword immediately. The enemy won't wait for