World’s End: My Keyword is One More Than Others

Chapter 408: Arduous cultivators

Grand Duke Lynch didn't keep Du Ge waiting for long.

That very day, he established the Self-Torture and Self-Strengthening Squad at the ducal mansion, specifically to test King Holly's theory of bone-breaking and regeneration.

The participants in the experiment included warriors of various star ranks, magicians of different levels, and even ordinary people who had neither awakened their martial souls nor had any magical talent...

Moreover, the formation of the Self-Torture Squad soon yielded remarkable results.

The experimenters who had their bones and tendons broken and then healed with healing spells found that their soul power indeed increased after repeating the process several times.

Although the effect wasn't as pronounced as it was with Du Ge, the increase in soul power was real and far exceeded the speed of conventional soul power training.

As a result, Grand Duke Lynch was revered as a divine figure.

Soon after, the ducal mansion was filled with the sounds of agonized screams.

Everyone was engaging in frantic self-torture, eager to quickly enhance their strength...

Realizing the method's efficacy, even Grand Duke Lynch joined in, enlisting loyal guards to hammer his body.

After enduring the pain—screaming—healing cycle, the nearly sixty-year-old duke, whose magical power hadn't improved in nearly a decade, was astonished to find that his magic had indeed increased slightly.

This discovery filled him with ecstatic joy.

For a moment, he suddenly didn't want to oppose Holly anymore.

If this bone-breaking and regeneration cultivation method could truly make one a god, then Holly was undoubtedly the leading guide.

The key point was that Holly personally verified the cultivation technique and shared his findings with others without reservation.

If he died, who would know the next step?

This was the hope of becoming a god; the title of Grand Magus was already the highest in the human realm.

But even the highest in the human realm was helpless against a small figure endowed with divine power by the Sea God...

The humiliation of being defeated by Holly had always been buried in Grand Duke Lynch's heart.

If possible, he still wanted to climb higher. With his extensive magical knowledge, perhaps one day he could defeat Holly on his own!

However, Grand Duke Lynch didn't place all his hopes on Du Ge. He gathered a group of scholars to study the art of division.

During his conversation with Du Ge, there were some terms he didn't understand, like "cells." The duke suspected these were exclusive terms from the divine realm...

...

"King, Grand Duke Lynch is conducting some evil experiments. He has gathered a group of people, broken their muscles and bones, and then healed them with healing magic. I suspect they are practicing some dark arts..." Old Gao came to Du Ge, worried, after witnessing the strange phenomena at the ducal mansion.

"Ignore them. I was the one who spread this cultivation technique." Du Ge glanced at Old Gao and said. With his increased attributes, his divine sense now covered half the city, making the ducal mansion an open book to him.

He even heard Grand Duke Lynch earnestly persuading Xima Lynch, and then breaking her ribs with tears in his eyes, only to heal her injuries afterward.

Having grown up in a sheltered environment without any hardships, Xima Lynch had never experienced the pain of broken bones and torn tendons.

Although her strength increased, this delicate magical girl had cursed him vehemently in the secret chamber and might even want to tear him apart next.

He had also figured out the reason for the increase in soul power and mental power. It was likely not related to the tearing and healing but more to the resolve brought by the pain.

After being beaten, everyone would think that after enduring such great pain, their mental power must improve to be worthy of their suffering.

Moreover, to some extent, pain could indeed stimulate willpower and increase the tolerance of mental power.

Of course, it was also possible that hormones like adrenaline played a role...

But regardless of the reason, it proved that the cultivation technique was effective!

So the credit couldn't be given to Grand Duke Lynch for nothing.

"You spread it?" Old Gao was stunned.

"Yes, I spread it." Du Ge skillfully crushed his left hand from fingers to arm with his right hand in front of Old Gao. Then, under Old Gao's incredulous gaze, the limp arm quickly returned to normal.

Next, he demonstrated crushing his right hand with his left...

"This..." Old Gao's eyes twitched, and he didn't know what to say for a moment. More than anything, he was shocked because he realized that Du Ge hadn't used healing magic; his crushed arm had healed on its own.

"Old Gao, I used to use healing magic, but after many fractures, I no longer need it. The injuries heal automatically." Du Ge explained calmly, seeing Old Gao's expression. "I call this the process of forging a divine body."

"Immortal?" Old Gao couldn't hide his astonishment.

"Not quite immortal, just faster recovery." As Du Ge spoke, he drew a short knife from his waist and swiftly chopped off his left hand.

As soon as the left hand was severed, a crystalline water hand appeared, grabbed the severed hand, and reattached it to the wrist.

In the blink of an eye, the wound healed, and the wrist was restored.

During his time at the Medicine Immortal Sect, Du Ge had practiced medicine and was very skilled in surgery. His precision and decisiveness, combined with his terrifying recovery ability, made reattaching severed limbs no problem.

Seeing this, Old Gao was almost scared out of his wits.

He suddenly understood how those bloodstains on the ground came about.

When no one was around, King Holly must have self-harmed countless times.

Gulp!

Old Gao swallowed hard. King Holly was indeed wise, but his actions were too unpredictable.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Who self-harms without even blinking? The experimental group formed by Grand Duke Lynch wailed like they were being tortured every day.

If they saw how King Holly treated himself, those guys biting on wooden sticks and towels, grimacing in pain, would probably die of shame!

Instantly healing severed limbs already counted as a divine body!

"King Holly, can I cultivate this?" Old Gao asked, somewhat enviously.

"Of course. This is a method of arduous cultivation I developed. Only those with great perseverance can practice it. It's a quick way for many without cultivation techniques to increase their soul power. I had Grand Duke Lynch teach it to everyone. Didn't he do that?" Du Ge frowned.

"..." Old Gao's face darkened with anger. "Grand Duke Lynch claimed he developed this cultivation technique."

Du Ge was momentarily stunned and sighed helplessly. "Old habits die hard!"

"King, shall I bring him in?" Old Gao asked.

"No need. We still need Grand Duke Lynch's help in the upcoming war. Let's give him another chance." Du Ge stopped his self-torture and said, "Old Gao, gather a group of people and spread this cultivation technique. Tell the world that all who practice it are arduous cultivators.

In the initial stages, focus on body hammering, combined with healing magic or medicinal herbs and adequate nutrition. If conditions are lacking, do not rush, or it will harm the body. All arduous cultivators can be considered my disciples..."

"Understood." Old Gao responded angrily. "King, can I also tell others that Grand Duke Lynch claimed your cultivation technique as his own?"

"Yes, consider it a warning to him!" Du Ge hesitated for a moment. "Hopefully, he'll learn a lesson and stop taking credit for others' work."

"Hmph!" Old Gao snorted in disgust. "King, I won't let your reputation be tarnished by a scoundrel..."

"Moderation." Du Ge looked at him and reminded, "No one is perfect. We must allow talented individuals to have small flaws."

...

As Old Gao left, Prince Nelson arrived, wearing a flattering smile as he greeted Du Ge. "King, may I ask when I can leave here?"

All the other nobles had been released by Du Ge, but he was still confined to the ducal mansion. Prince Nelson was growing anxious, fearing he might be imprisoned for life. So he mustered the courage to approach Du Ge.

"Tomorrow," Du Ge replied after a glance at him.

"Tomorrow?" Prince Nelson asked, his face lighting up with surprise.

"Yes, tomorrow." Du Ge nodded affirmatively. "Tomorrow, I will leave with you. We will inspect the nobles who have returned to their territories along the way, see if they have resumed their evil deeds, and after judging them, we will head north to find His Majesty of Lucerne and persuade him to abdicate."

Prince Nelson was dumbfounded. He stared at Du Ge, asking blankly, "King, you want to persuade my father to abdicate?"

Du Ge snorted. "Yes, he has mismanaged the country into a mess and is unfit to sit on the throne."

"King Holly, the events in White Stone City have likely reached my father's ears. He might be gathering forces to attack us. If you go to him now and force him to abdicate, it will lead to war!" Prince Nelson said anxiously.

"Nelson, you already said he might be gathering forces to attack us. Whether I go to him or not, war will break out." Du Ge looked at Nelson strangely. "So why not go and force him to abdicate, ending the war at its source?"

"But..." Prince Nelson was frantic.

"No buts." Du Ge shook his head. "Nelson, have you never thought of becoming a king?"