Chapter 4

(Usually it's two updates, but today is a burst, the fourth update, come and support quickly)

In the early morning, the sun slowly rose, casting a golden-red glow over the small lake.

By the lakeside, a person was practicing swordsmanship. The sword reflected the sunlight, dazzling to the eye.

With a powerful thrust, the sword pierced through the air, the body and steps in perfect harmony. The iron sword spun overhead and swept in a circle before slashing forward with great force, without a moment's pause. The momentum was used to dance the sword like a butterfly, the sword shadows flickering. Just as the sword shadows had not yet dissipated, a sword was thrust out at an astonishing speed, three consecutive thrusts in quick succession.

Immediately, the iron sword was swiftly retracted, pausing slightly. All the strength surged to the right arm, the veins on the back of the hand bulging. The force erupted through the sword, fiercely stabbing forward as if to shatter everything in front.

The Thrusting Sword Stance, the Circling Sword Stance, the Slashing Sword Stance, the Chaotic Sword Stance, the Swift Sword Stance, and the Explosive Sword Stance were performed in a fluid sequence, the body, steps, and sword in perfect unison.

"Spending five days, I finally mastered the True Sword Eight Stances to the beginner level," Chen Zong sheathed his sword, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and smiled broadly.

The difficulty of practicing the True Sword Eight Stances was several times greater than that of the Tiger Power Fist. Especially the coordination of the body, steps, and sword, which had to be perfectly in place, even the slightest deviation was unacceptable. If it were in the past, Chen Zong would have had to practice for over a year to reach the beginner level. Now, after the Pulse Cultivation and Bone Marrow Cleansing, everything was different.

Each time he practiced, he could feel the slight tremor of the sword tip in the space between his eyebrows, the cool breath making his mind incredibly clear, allowing him to better understand the sword techniques and control his body, greatly increasing his practice efficiency.

"The True Sword Eight Stances, when practiced to a minor success, can exercise sixty percent of the body. The practice speed is clearly superior to the peak of the Tiger Power Fist, but it still cannot help me break through to the third level of the Blood Qi Realm in the next twenty days," Chen Zong looked ahead, in the direction of the Wind Roaring Forest: "Perhaps, I should enter the Wind Roaring Forest to find herbs that can benefit my blood and qi, and hunt some beasts. Eating more meat will also be beneficial for my practice."

With this thought, Chen Zong immediately strode towards the Wind Roaring Forest.

The Wind Roaring Forest was some distance from the Small Lake Town. Chen Zong maintained a steady pace, running for a full hour before reaching the forest. The wind blew, howling like many wild beasts roaring, hence the name.

After resting for a few minutes to recover his strength, Chen Zong entered the Wind Roaring Forest with his sword.

The Wind Roaring Forest was vast, with dense trees and lush branches, blocking the sunlight, making the light dim, like dusk. However, after his extraordinary encounter, Chen Zong's eyesight was much better and was not significantly affected.

Outside the forest, the wind roared, but inside, it was quiet, with only the faint chirping of insects, creating a serene atmosphere.

After searching carefully for a long time, he found no herbs, not even a rabbit.

"It seems the outer part of the forest has been searched many times. I can only go deeper into the forest," Chen Zong muttered to himself, his face stern as he looked into the depths of the forest.

The Wind Roaring Forest was located at the foot of the Wind Roaring Mountain, and the bordering area might have demonic beasts. Without the strength of a martial artist, encountering a demonic beast would mean certain death.

The middle part of the forest was inhabited by snakes, insects, and fierce beasts, with wolves, tigers, and leopards rampant. Even with Chen Zong's cultivation, it was very dangerous.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Zong took a step forward, determined to walk into the forest, his alertness at its highest, his eyes fixed on the front, his blood qi flowing, ready to spring into action.

Suddenly, there was a slight movement to the right. Chen Zong caught a glimpse of a white shadow out of the corner of his eye and instinctively thrust his sword, but only cut a few white hairs. It was a rabbit, moving extremely fast. Chen Zong quickly chased after it, but the rabbit darted into a tree hole, leaving him helpless, and he had to give up.

A chill ran down his spine, making his hair stand on end. Without hesitation, he swung his iron sword upward, the sword light faint, and with a "pfft," a snake that had been flying through the air was cut in half and fell to the ground.

Looking at the still writhing brown body and the triangular head, Chen Zong drew a sharp breath, his heart pounding with fear, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He recognized it as a Dry Skin Snake, not a demonic beast, but with astonishing toxicity. A bite could kill even a strong bull in a few minutes, and even a martial artist would not last long.

"Indeed, it's dangerous everywhere," Chen Zong calmed down, but he was not the least bit afraid. On the contrary, an unprecedented impulse made him want to continue deeper into the Wind Roaring Forest. It was a brave spirit that welcomed challenges, but his stomach grumbled in protest.

"It seems I've been in here for quite a while. I'll go back first and come again tomorrow," Chen Zong patted his stomach, exited the Wind Roaring Forest, and remained highly alert even as he left.

On the way back, he walked slowly, thinking. He would pass by the small lake on his way home. Chen Zong saw a brown figure standing by the lake.

"Chen Dalei..." His brows furrowed slightly, but he walked over without fear.

Chen Dalei, like Chen Zhongjie, was a lackey of Chen Zhigang. However, Chen Dalei's cultivation had reached the third level of the Blood Qi Realm, and he also practiced the Tiger Power Fist, making him much stronger than Chen Zhongjie.

"I wonder if I can match Chen Dalei with my current strength," Chen Zong thought.

In terms of cultivation, he was inferior to Chen Dalei, but in terms of the Tiger Power Fist, he had reached the peak of mastery, while Chen Dalei was at the minor success level. The difference was not so clear-cut.

"Chen Zong, you made me wait for an hour," Chen Dalei, a muscular man, glared at Chen Zong and shouted, trying to intimidate him.

"That's your problem," Chen Zong was not intimidated and sneered.

"You injured Chen Zhongjie and threatened to challenge Brother Gang and me. It's time to settle this," Chen Dalei roared, taking a step forward and charging at Chen Zong, his face fierce, like an angry tiger.

His tiger claw raised, a fist ready, the power of the third level of the Blood Qi Realm condensed within.

"Perfect, I'll use you to test the True Sword Eight Stances," Chen Zong thought. He separated his legs, the right leg slightly bent in front, the left leg bent more behind, the center of gravity mostly on the left foot, the heel of the back foot raised, the front foot supporting, the left leg muscles taut, his body slightly turned to the left, leaning forward, his left hand gripping the iron sword close to his waist, his right hand fingers lightly flicking.

The Crouching Sword Stance!

This was the starting stance of the True Sword Eight Stances.

His eyes were cold and focused, observing every expression and movement of Chen Dalei, silently calculating the distance between them.

"Ha!" He exhaled, his voice like a thunderclap. Chen Dalei's right fist was about to strike, and if hit, Chen Zong would surely suffer internal injuries.

Chen Zong exhaled, his right hand quickly grasping the sword hilt, his left foot stomping the ground with great force, his waist suddenly twisting to the right, generating a powerful force that surged through his right arm. The iron sword was drawn, the grating sound still ringing in his ears, and the sword slashed forward, forming a crescent moon.

The Drawing Sword Stance!

Chen Dalei was terrified and quickly stopped, feeling a chill on his chest. His brown martial robe was cut open, the sword tip almost touching his chest, leaving a fine scratch with a drop of blood.

The iron sword pointed at Chen Dalei, Chen Zong's face cold.

"Chen Zong, if you have the skills, don't use the sword," Chen Dalei stepped back a few steps, shocked and angry.

"Using the sword is my skill," Chen Zong was very calm.

"You...!" Chen Dalei pointed at Chen Zong, his face red with anger, his breathing rapid, his chest heaving: "Put down the sword, let me hit you once, or Brother Gang will personally deal with you, and you'll be dead."

"Go back and tell Chen Zhigang that I will participate in the upcoming Martial Disciple Battle. At that time, I will challenge him," Chen Zong said coldly.

"Fine, since you are so overconfident, let Brother Gang deal with you," Chen Dalei laughed in anger, pointed at Chen Zong, took a few more steps back, and turned to leave.

Chen Zong sheathed his sword, patted his stomach, and turned to walk home: "Father should be back soon. I need to cook first."

The changes in himself could not be hidden from his father, who had once reached the seventh level of the Blood Qi Realm.

Chen Zong fabricated a reason. One night, after practicing the fist technique and staring at the moon, a senior passed by and gave him a fruit. It not only replenished his innate blood and qi but also helped him break through to the second level of the Blood Qi Realm. The senior also guided him in the Tiger Power Fist and taught him a foundational sword technique.

It sounded incredible and hard to believe, but Chen Zhengtang believed it because he had heard similar stories. As he said, "If such lucky people exist, why can't it be my son?"

Since Chen Zhengtang believed it, Chen Zong felt relieved. After all, the fewer people who knew about that night's encounter, the better. With his current experience, he couldn't explain why, but it was just a gut feeling.

He washed the rice and started cooking. His father still hadn't returned. Chen Zong pulled out an ancient black wooden box with fine cracks from under the bed, opened it, and took out a scroll, laying it flat on the table.

Instantly, it seemed a roar echoed, and a fierce tiger leaped out of the scroll.

The "Tiger Descending the Mountain"!

This was what his father found after learning that Chen Zong had reached the peak of the Tiger Power Fist. It was deeply hidden, and according to his father, it was made by a friend who had mastered the Tiger Power Fist to perfection, with great artistic charm, which might help Chen Zong.

When he said this, Chen Zong noticed a hint of pride on his father's face, as if a child had just won a toy.

He carefully examined the scroll, the black and white contrasts, the simple brushstrokes, yet with a unique charm and extraordinary skill. A steep mountain and a fierce tiger leaping down from it were vividly depicted, the spirit almost leaping out of the paper.

The signature at the bottom read "Chen Liwei," strong and powerful, penetrating the paper.

Whenever he had free time these days, Chen Zong would take out the scroll to study it. It indeed deepened his understanding and insight into the Tiger Power Fist, making him more proficient, with a small improvement on the original basis. However, he still had no clue about reaching the perfect level.

"Reaching the peak is easy, but perfection is hard to achieve," Chen Zong thought: "I wonder how this senior Chen Liwei managed to perfect the Tiger Power Fist?"

"If I could learn from this senior in person, perhaps I could find inspiration and break through faster."

Muttering to himself, Chen Zong put aside this thought and focused on the "Tiger Descending the Mountain" scroll, savoring the unique charm it contained.

As he looked, he felt he was seeing something, but couldn't quite grasp it, a frustrating feeling.

...

"Do you say he wants to challenge me?" Chen Zhigang, dressed in a green martial robe, stood with his back to Chen Dalei, hands behind his back, head raised to the sky.

"Yes," Chen Dalei nodded forcefully.

"Provocation, huh? Just a pest, what right does he have to challenge me?" Chen Zhigang sneered: "Dalei, have your brother deal with him, let him lie in bed for ten days to a month as punishment for his reckless challenge."

"Alright, I'll go find my brother," Chen Dalei clenched his fist, his face excited. His brother's cultivation had reached the fourth level of the Blood Qi Realm, a martial artist.

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