Only while being out in the wilderness would one even begin to strive to gain an understanding of the Heavens and Earth. To comprehend the meaning of life, through contemplating the spiritual significance of the five elements in nature!
Every day, other than spending his time in cultivating the Ancient Strengthening Technique, Qing Shui would briefly study the contents of the 4 books he brought with him. Currently, the only book which he was fully immersed in understanding its contents was the [Continental Medical Annal]. Qing Shui could not help but exclaim in wonder, the knowledge of the ancients were at the very least on par or could even be considered superior when compared to the modern medicine in his previous world!
People say that a excellent practitioner of the martial arts would also be half a medical scholar as well. Excellent martial artists would have some knowledge on the medical arts pertaining to injuries and wounds, and the meridians and acupoints of the human body. Qing Shui continued reading, and was not surprised to find that the facts recorded in the book was actually consistent with the information he unlocked with the Ancient Strengthening Technique.
Only when Qing Shui arrived at the foot of the 1,000,000 Li Mountains, did he truly know the true meaning of the word "spacious". In his line of sight, as far as his eyes could see, the surrounding region was filled with majestic peaks and mountains, seemingly endless.
"Xuuuu" At this instant, a light breezy mountain wind begin to rise and blew past Qing Shui. As it was the summer season now, the light mountain wind was a welcome change to alleviate the heat of the summer sun. Qing Shui begin traversing the mountain path by executing Ghostly Steps! He wanted to cultivate it to the point where he could unconsciously execute each step with the minimum amount of strength required.
A week had passed, in this period of time, Qing Shui did not know exactly how far had he traversed. He only knew that he climbed five mountains and slew over 300 wild and ferocious grade beasts. Out of these 300 beasts, there was a particular battle with an Earthen Gigantic Elephant that filled him with much excitement.
Initially, Qing Shui was nervous to be facing against such an opponent. The Earthen Gigantic Elephant had a body size of 5m in height and 15m in length! How would he be able to fight on equal grounds with it? To clash directly with it was pure madness! In terms of strength and body size, there was no way Qing Shui would be comparable to it, thus Qing Shui had no choice but to temporarily retreat.
Although the elephant was colossal in size, and with a hide with the toughness of steel plates, there was no hindrance to its movements! With speed that one would not have expected from that massive frame of body, its muscles flowed together in perfect harmony as the elephant sped over to Qing Shui, causing tremors that shook the ground with each step it took.
Taking measure of his opponent and his own strength, Qing Shui knew that the current him did not have the power to injure this ferocious beast. If he wanted to prevail, he had to use his wits instead! Advancing in the guise of retreat, by using the Ghostly Steps, Qing Shui led the Earthen Gigantic Elephant through a series of wild dances before strategically baiting it to a point near the cliff. Using his swiftness and agility, Qing Shui execute the Ghostly Steps to dodge the killing blow unleashed. A moment later, he appeared behind the elephant and with his full explosive strength, he threw a fist aiming at one of its massive hind legs, succeeding in his attempt to push the elephant off the cliff.
"Kacha~" The sound of bones breaking resounded as the elephant beast plummeted with a tragic cry filled with rage and misery!
After a glance at the giant corpse at the foot of the mountains, Qing Shui stared dumbly at his own hands, even though he a strength of 13,000 jin, it still took the entirety of his strength to deliver the killing blow. A smile broke out on his face as hints of savage victory filled his heart. So this was how the ruler of the wilds felt like. By using his own strength and wits, he had caused the Earthen Gigantic Elephant to be smashed beyond recognition!
This bout had made Qing Shui appreciate the Ancient Strengthening Technique even more… If he had cultivated using normal methods, the strength gained from them would pale in comparison to the Ancient Strengthening Technique, and his defeat would be unquestionable. The Ancient Strengthening Technique was undoubtedly the strongest strengthening technique, and when cultivated to its zenith the refinement of his body would be comparable even to the Gods and Demons!
Although he was content with the victory, there exists a more pressing problem in front of him. Qing Shui had already run out of drinkable water! He had also not come across any water sources or beasts in the last 3 days.
"Damn, I'm in trouble. Without a water source, there would naturally be no beasts nearby, no wonder I had no other encounters for the past 3 days." Wetting his parched lips with his saliva, Qing Shui frowned. All of a sudden, a huge shadow blotted out the sunlight. "Huh?" Qing Shui inclined his head in surprise, and swiftly after, his expression changed drastically for the worst.