Chapter 28

"Sorry, I didn't understand what you said. Besides, I have some matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."

Yang Ji said this without hesitation and turned to leave.

"Yang Ji, don't you want to reclaim what belongs to you? Don't you want to have great power? Don't you want to seek revenge for yourself? We can help you..."

The voices of the two "beggars" came from behind:

"Think it over carefully, our door will always be open to you..."

...

Yang Ji paid no attention and walked even faster.

These people were too dangerous, and Yang Ji did not want to have any connection with them. He had been poisoned in his food two days ago, and he had not made it public, but these people somehow knew about it.

Yang Ji was certain that some members of the Yang family had already been recruited by these cult followers.

"A gentleman loves wealth, but he acquires it in a righteous way. I do indeed want revenge and to become stronger... but getting entangled with these people is just courting death."

Yang Ji walked quickly, his mind racing with thoughts.

The Han Dynasty unified the world, with countless strong warriors, including Martial Saints and Martial Gods, who could even be enshrined as deities.

These cult followers were the targets of the government's full-scale suppression. Standing with them would mean opposing the government, thus ending any chance of a career in politics.

Yang Ji had long planned for his future. He studied poetry and practiced martial arts to achieve prominence in the government. Getting entangled with these cult followers would only ruin his future.

Yang Ji gradually moved further away, and the two "beggars" watched his back, their eyes flickering with uncertainty. However, they did not make a move until Yang Ji disappeared.

"Who would have thought we would fail..."

After Yang Ji left, the older "beggar" looked surprised.

"The government's suppression has indeed had a significant impact on us."

The other "beggar" took a few steps forward, looking in the direction Yang Ji had left:

"However, won't our attempt to recruit him bring trouble? After all, there is still a Han Dynasty general stationed in Pingchuan City."

"Heh! Trouble? What kind of trouble could there be? A fifteen-year-old, frustrated kid, who would believe him? And—how could he report us? Just say two 'beggars' on the street? Heh, we won't stay here forever, what are you afraid of?" the older beggar said.

"That's true. It's just a pity. Such a young child, full of resentment, and with excellent talent, would have been a great prospect for us. I can't understand why he refused. Now we only have two targets left."

The other "beggar" looked puzzled.

"Heh, don't think too much. Pingchuan County isn't just the Yang family. The Li family has already identified a target, who is also frustrated. If there are no unexpected events, we should be able to recruit him smoothly. It will also benefit our plans." The older beggar smiled, seemingly not very concerned about the matter, and paused.

"That's true." The other beggar couldn't help but laugh, paused, and seemed to notice something, looking in the direction Yang Ji had left, frowning slightly:

"However, this Yang Ji, judging by the direction he left, seems to be heading towards where the White Bone Envoy is. Could he run into him? Should we notify him? The matter the White Bone Envoy is handling cannot be discovered."

"Probably not. The mountain is so vast, how could it be so coincidental?"

The older beggar hesitated for a moment.

"That's true..."

Saying this, the two slowly disappeared into the morning mist...

...

To the west of Jin'an City, two mounds of earth rose, surrounded by lush weeds. Not far away, a dilapidated thatched cottage stood, with nothing else around.

Yang Ji, carrying a backpack, slowly walked to the mounds. Looking at these two ordinary graves, Yang Ji felt a surge of emotion and tears welled up in his eyes.

"Father, Mother, I am unfilial, but I have come to see you."

Yang Ji's expression was sorrowful as he slowly knelt down.

Memories of the past flashed before his eyes like a galloping horse. The faces of his parents appeared clearly before him.

If eight years ago, his father had not had that accident, perhaps everything would be different. He would not be in such a difficult situation now.

Yang Ji wished he could still be like a child, enjoying the warmth of his parents, but everything was irretrievable.

"Father, Mother, in a few months, the government will hold the examination. I have waited for this day for too long. No matter what, I will not let you down."

Yang Ji knelt on the ground, muttering to himself:

"Once I pass the examination, I will find a way to leave the clan. Then, I will definitely find out who was the real culprit behind your death."

As he spoke, Yang Ji clenched his fists, his eyes burning with an unprecedented determination.

Yang Ji indeed hated the matriarch, but in the end, the matriarch had only embezzled his father's inheritance. The true culprit behind all this was the person who had killed his father.

If his father were still alive, the matriarch would never dare to act so recklessly; if his father were still alive, his mother would not have died of depression, and he would not have been reduced to a lonely, bullied state.

Yang Ji did not believe that his father's death was an accident. His father was in his prime, strong and skilled in martial arts. If not for someone's deliberate harm, he would not have died young and without illness.

If Yang Ji felt hatred towards the matriarch, then towards the person who had secretly killed his father, he had a determination to kill.

"No matter how long it takes, no matter what the cost, I will make you pay with your blood."

Before his parents' graves, Yang Ji respectfully bowed three times, then got up and left the cemetery.

Tears and crying could not change fate. Yang Ji deeply knew that only great strength could achieve his ambitions.

He was still too weak—whether for himself or for his deceased parents!

...

Yang Ji did not leave too far. In the depths of the forest, he found a quiet, secluded place and practiced diligently.

"The Divine Dragon Bone Refinement focuses on the mind, not the form..."

The ground was covered with a thick layer of dry leaves. Yang Ji, bare-chested, practiced alone in the woods.

His mind was as calm as an ancient well, his breathing long and steady. In his mind, he visualized a divine dragon descending from the sky, coiling around his body, while his body rooted deeply into the earth like the roots of an old tree.

"Shh!"

Beams of sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, landing on Yang Ji. He looked pained, his muscles bulging as if they had a life of their own, moving slowly, as if a massive creature were pressing down on him.

Upon closer inspection, the muscles on Yang Ji's body were indented, especially on his shoulders and sides, forming the shape of several large dragon claws, as if a real divine dragon were coiling around him.

—This was the highest realm of the "Divine Dragon Bone Refinement," the "Divine Dragon Coiling Body"!

After several months of careful practice, Yang Ji finally mastered the essence of the "Divine Dragon Coiling Body."

The "Divine Dragon Bone Refinement" that Lu Ling had passed on to him was extremely difficult to practice.

Among those who practiced, only a small fraction could reach the level Yang Ji had, where they could visualize themselves as an old tree, rooted in the earth, and refine their bone marrow.

To advance further and achieve the "Divine Dragon Coiling Body" was even more challenging. This required not just effort but also great talent.

Those who could achieve this were all top geniuses.

The "Divine Dragon" did not exist; it was a product of the mind. Without this mental image, one could not successfully practice.

The essence of the "Divine Dragon Bone Refinement" was not simply to imagine a vivid "Divine Dragon" in one's mind, as that would have no effect.

One had to visualize a divine dragon in the mind, believe in it, and have the body react as if a real dragon were pressing down on it. This was the true essence of the "Divine Dragon Coiling Body"!

This was absolutely not something an ordinary person could achieve. Martial arts were about turning the impossible into the possible.

Although Yang Ji had already experienced the "old tree rooting" state, it took him a long time of careful practice to understand it.

"Buzz!"

Yang Ji's body remained still, his muscles bulging, struggling against the pressure of the coiling dragon. His skin turned red, his face flushed, and his body was both extremely tense and relaxed. In this state of external relaxation and internal tension, his body absorbed the forest's essence at an accelerated rate.

A stream of white tree essence condensed around Yang Ji, swirling and gathering around him, making his body half-visible, giving him a mysterious aura.

"Jade unpolished is not a gem! Under the heavy pressure, my muscles are becoming stronger, and my bones are becoming denser, far surpassing their previous state."

Yang Ji practiced while silently feeling the changes in his body.

To achieve the "nine breaths, swift as a fox" state, one must first have bones as strong as those of an animal, capable of supporting the body's explosive power, which can only be achieved through postnatal training.

The "Divine Dragon Bone Refinement" that Lu Ling passed on to Yang Ji was such a method of postnatal training.

Day by day, Yang Ji's strength increased, and he made significant progress every day.

Yang Ji could clearly feel his bones, muscles, and breathing improving at an astonishing rate, bringing him closer to the "nine breaths, swift as a fox" realm.

In the blink of an eye, two months had passed, and March arrived. Yang Ji had been practicing diligently in the woods for over half a month.

Bang!

Yang Ji felt a sudden impulse and suddenly kicked out with great force. Half a step away, a white birch tree, as thick as a bowl and very resilient, snapped with a crack, and countless white wood chips and fibers sprayed out like a waterfall from the broken end.

At the same moment, Yang Ji felt his breathing become smooth. His previously stagnant breathing suddenly improved, reaching the "nine breaths" realm.

"Success."

Yang Ji felt a surge of joy, his whole body feeling refreshed. He casually moved his limbs, feeling them full of strength.

...