On the martial arts training ground, quite a few younger disciples looked at John Reed in surprise, their eyes filled with confusion, not understanding why he would train his body to such an extent, since this didn’t do much to increase his strength.

Moreover, seeing that John Reed had lifted the thousand-jin cauldron more than two hundred times, it was clear that John Reed was much stronger than during the last test. Even if he hadn’t reached three thousand jin, he probably wasn’t far off.

Logically, John Reed should now be focusing on increasing his strength, reaching the limit of body tempering, and then preparing to step into the Qi Realm.

“Cousin John Reed, why are you exhausting yourself like this?” A pretty young girl walked over—it was Rachel Jackson.

John Reed caught his breath for a moment, the pain in his arms quickly subsiding. He stood up and nodded slightly to Rachel Jackson: “Training.”

After a brief rest, John Reed’s arms regained some strength. He walked over to a three-hundred-jin cauldron, hoisted it onto his shoulder in one go, and started running, quickly leaving the training ground.

The cauldron lifting just now had nearly reached the limit of what his arms could bear. Next, it was time to train his legs.

Although John Reed could also run while carrying the thousand-jin cauldron, the pressure was too great. His body would likely give out before reaching its limit, his strength would be depleted first, and he’d be crushed directly. Running with the three-hundred-jin cauldron was more suitable.

As the top cultivation family in Pingyang County, the The Reed Family estate was vast, spanning several miles in every direction. John Reed began running laps around the enormous The Reed Family residence.

After just one lap, he was panting like a dog. On the second lap, his legs felt as heavy as lead.

The pain of running with the cauldron might not match that of lifting it, but the exhaustion was even greater. With the cauldron pressing down on him and his heavy breathing, it was almost impossible to move his legs.

However, John Reed gritted his teeth. Whenever he was about to give up, he would think of the name Howard Newman, or remember his mother, and a surge of strength would always support him.

Finally, after finishing the second lap, John Reed began the third.

He hadn’t even completed a third of the third lap when, with a bang, John Reed and the cauldron both crashed to the ground. His body sprawled out like a dead dog, barely able to move—this time, he had truly reached his limit.

It was only after more than a hundred breaths that John Reed managed to move, slowly crawling up. He walked over to the cauldron, took a deep breath, hoisted it up again, and headed back to the training ground.

Chapter 004: Nine Months of Sleep

Back at the training ground, John Reed began the final exercise: hanging upside down, reaching his hands upward, bending at the waist so his head touched his knees.

With his arms and legs trained, it was now time to work on his waist.

John Reed did this over a thousand times before collapsing, completely exhausted.

After a whole day, John Reed felt light from head to toe, his strength nearly depleted, and his body’s endurance almost at its limit.

Yet, there was not the slightest sense of breaking through his physical limits.

John Reed was not discouraged. Breaking through the body’s limits was certainly not easy; it would take dozens, even hundreds of times pushing his body to its limit before there was even a glimmer of hope for a breakthrough.

He was prepared to keep training every day, exhausting his strength daily, reaching the limits of his body’s endurance...

If one day wasn’t enough, then ten days; if ten days weren’t enough, then a month; if a month wasn’t enough, then three months; if three months weren’t enough, then half a year...

He would persist until the day he broke through his physical limits.

After a day of brutal training, John Reed’s dinner intake was nearly three times his usual amount. Moreover, on this day, John Reed clearly noticed that the food was much higher quality than before, with many rare and nourishing dishes.

John Reed had pushed his body to the limit in a single day, greatly depleting his potential. Without proper nourishment, with this kind of training, he wouldn’t even make it to breaking through his physical limits—his body would give out in just a few days, and he’d die of exhaustion.

Fortunately, Nathaniel Reed was the head of the The Reed Family. While he might not have absolute power, he was still the top authority. With the status of family head, his influence was even greater than that of the Grand Elder Franklin Reed, who was also at the Dao Embryo Realm. Mobilizing some family resources was a breeze for Nathaniel Reed.

Even among the core direct descendants of the The Reed Family, very few could enjoy the kind of food John Reed ate every day.

“Where’s Jane Taylor?”

Exhausted to the point of death, John Reed only noticed after finishing his meal that little Jane Taylor wasn’t there.

Usually, Jane Taylor would eat with Nathaniel Reed and John Reed.

“She’s sleeping,” said Nathaniel Reed.

“Sleeping? It’s already evening—did she sleep the whole day? Is she sick?” John Reed asked in surprise.

Although Jane Taylor wasn’t very talented, she was extremely diligent, training every day. In John Reed’s view, it was almost impossible for her to sleep an entire day unless she was ill.

Nathaniel Reed shook his head and said, “You don’t need to worry about her. Ting’er’s bloodline is about to awaken. This sleep will probably last a long time... The longer she sleeps, the greater her talent.”

“Jane Taylor’s bloodline? What bloodline does she have?” John Reed asked eagerly.

Anything related to bloodlines usually had a significant background.