Chapter 41

"Does this mean that Zhuang Xun, that stubborn mule, is prepared to agree? Truly unexpected, it must be because of his eldest son's incident, leaving him with no choice, right? Zhuang Tong may seem smart and clever, but in reality, he's a fool."

Chen Quan was forty-three years old, with a face full of scars that made him look fierce and terrifying, yet he had a pair of bright eyes that even young people could not match. At this moment, he was seated high on the viewing platform, watching over a thousand members of the Thunder Dragon Gang practicing their sword techniques on the training ground below in the morning light.

The thousand people were all shining with sword light, their roars like thunder. A satisfied look appeared on Chen Quan's face, but there was a hint of mockery in his eyes.

"What happened next? Given Zhuang Xun's character, he must have some other request, right?"

There was no one else beside him, only a man in brown clothes. He was not dressed in the uniform of the Thunder Dragon Gang but in the attire of a servant. He bowed and said, "Exactly! Master, you see clearly. Zhuang Xun wants the gang leader to send someone to take action and vent this anger for him. If the person who injured his beloved son can be crippled, he is willing to offer the pair of Flame Wind Boots!"

"Flame Wind Boots? The ones in the rumors? He's offering me something his son used? But they could fetch four or five hundred taels of gold, which is about what our Thunder Dragon Gang earns in a year."

Chen Quan curled his lips, his sarcasm growing stronger: "But to cripple Zhuang Wudao? He really has the nerve! To be able to board Northern Hall Wan'er's carriage and have the Northern Hall family's steward personally deliver a lavish gift of thirty palanquins. This boy has won the favor of Northern Hall Wan'er, and he's not someone to be trifled with. That girl will be formidable in the future. Even I have to give her a wide berth."

The man in brown clothes smiled and said, "Zhuang Xun is shrewd, but his information is not very up-to-date. He might not know about this yet."

"True enough!"

Chen Quan pondered for a moment: "Speaking of Zhuang Wudao, his brother Qin Feng is also extraordinary. He is planning to set up a vegetable market on Jade Wash Street. That's a business that makes gold every day, and Qin Feng has big ambitions! I have high hopes for him. With the support of the Northern Hall family, he might be on par with me in a few decades. Here's what I'll do: the marriage will be settled, and Zhuang Xun should send his daughter over as soon as possible for me to taste. As for Zhuang Wudao, tell him I'll keep it in mind and deal with it when the opportunity arises."

The man in brown clothes understood that Chen Quan was not making any real commitment. Saying he would keep it in mind did not mean he would definitely take action. If Zhuang Wudao rose to prominence, the Thunder Dragon Gang had no reason to provoke him. But if the Northern Hall family abandoned him, then taking action later would also give Zhuang Xun an answer.

"I understand, I'll go and reply to him."

Just as he was about to leave, he saw Chen Quan suddenly stand up, his eyes serious. The man in brown clothes followed his gaze and saw a white figure flying down from the sky. It was a pure white hawk, hovering in front of Chen Quan, with a letter in its beak.

Its sharp eyes stared at the two men, exuding a sense of pressure.

Gu Yue?

The man in brown clothes knew at a glance that this hawk was a spiritual bird raised by the Gu Yue family, with the strength of a sixth-level Qi Practitioner and a deep understanding of human nature.

A few years ago, during a major upheaval, this hawk had pecked through the skulls of three Qi Practitioners, saving the lives of over a dozen direct descendants of the Gu Yue family.

It was said that the people of the Gu Yue family did not treat this hawk as an animal but as a family member, a revered elder who could be entrusted with important tasks.

Chen Quan first bowed, then carefully took the letter. After reading it, he chuckled.

"What a coincidence! Hu Li, go tell Zhuang Xun that I will definitely give him an answer in the next few days! Brother Hawk, please also tell the young master that within ten days, I will definitely take Zhuang Wudao's head."

Hu Li, the man in brown clothes, was slightly startled. From Chen Quan's words, it seemed that the young master of the Gu Yue family also wanted Zhuang Wudao's life.

What's going on with this guy? He won the favor of the Northern Hall family's young lady but offended the young master of the Gu Yue family?

Chen Quan's eyes showed a hint of confusion, which then gradually faded. His power and wealth all came from the Gu Yue family. Regardless of the reason, he had no choice but to comply and do his best to complete the task assigned by the Gu Yue family as well as possible.

Currently, the gang could spare two Qi Practitioners and over a dozen Bone Marrow Practitioners. However, it was said that Zhuang Wudao was very powerful, and these people might not be enough. Attacking directly would alert the Northern Hall family, so it would be best to lure him out. For absolute safety, it would be best to add an extra layer of insurance.

"Hu Li! After you return from the Zhuang family, go to the Spring Containing Tower and invite Mr. Mo to come see me!"

Hu Li's body trembled. The Spring Containing Tower was a brothel, and Mr. Mo was a Qi Practitioner, originally named Mo Yunkuang, who stayed at the Spring Containing Tower to seek pleasure, with all expenses paid by the Thunder Dragon Gang.

Mr. Mo, though only a first-level Qi Practitioner, was very powerful, with a devastating technique that even several practitioners of the same level could not match.

Was it too cautious of Chen Quan to invite this person just for Zhuang Wudao?

※※※※

A few days later, Zhuang Wudao sat in his spiritual room, staring blankly at the sky.

He had just finished practicing the Sword Cultivation Technique. As the 'sword' hidden in his chest and abdomen grew stronger and sharper, the feeling of fullness under his left rib became more noticeable.

For seven consecutive days, he had failed to open this 'pseudo spirit point.' No matter how he tried, whether through special insights or emotional fluctuations, nothing worked.

It seemed he could only follow the routine and naturally open the point in twenty days.

Zhuang Wudao sighed inwardly. According to Yun'er, if it opened through enlightenment, the pseudo mystic technique would be more powerful, but this was something that could not be forced.

His Great Boulder Hand technique had already reached the first level. The tendons, muscles, and bones in his hands had been strengthened to the extreme, and his meridians were unblocked. Whenever he swung his palms, his upper body would be filled with earth-colored aura. Combined with the Earth Elemental technique, the Bull Demon Body, it was a perfect match.

Unfortunately, he had no suitable opponent to test the power of this technique. He could only vent his frustration on rocks, but the stones in the artificial hill in his backyard had already been shattered by the hidden force of the Great Boulder Hand. To avoid trouble with Qin Feng, the stones appeared intact on the surface but were actually loose powder inside.

Even so, he still hadn't tested the full extent of his strength.

"Thirty oxen? At the peak of Bone Marrow Practitioners, one generally has the strength of one ox, and the more outstanding ones can match two or three wild oxen. I used to be like that. But once the Bull Demon Body is mastered, one can have the strength of ten oxen. Yun'er also said that the force application technique of the Great Boulder Hand can increase strength by up to eight times. Even if the two techniques cannot be used together, it should still be more than double. It might be more than thirty oxen, right?"

A first-level Qi Practitioner practicing top-tier martial arts generally had a strength between ten and fifteen oxen.

If he could integrate the Six Harmonies Form-Intention Fist's form and intention into the Great Boulder Hand, the power of this palm technique would be unimaginable.

With the meridians in his arms unblocked, Zhuang Wudao's Dragon Subduing and Tiger Taming, as well as the Six Harmonies Form-Intention Fist, would also be much more powerful.

In addition, the remaining power of the Blood Essence Pill was used to unblock his leg meridians.

His speed didn't increase much, but his stance became even more stable. Once he stood firm, his body was like a rock, hard to shake.

Now, the only thing missing was a deeper understanding of the Six Harmonies Form-Intention Fist. He didn't necessarily need to master it, but as long as he could fully grasp the core of the technique—uniting body and intention, mind and spirit—he could advance to the Qi Practitioner stage.

His strength increased every day, and with Yun'er's guidance, there were almost no bottlenecks.

The only exception was the Sword Cultivation Technique.

With a sigh, Zhuang Wudao stood up. He practiced for two hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon, with a midday break for a medicinal bath and a nap to relieve fatigue.

He did this every day, never increasing or decreasing the time, to avoid harming his body.

In his free time, he read books and painted to cultivate his temperament. Zhuang Wudao loved reading, but in the past, books were too expensive, so he was particularly eager. As for writing and painting, these were Yun'er's suggestions.

After becoming a cultivator, to achieve success in cultivation, one needed to learn some talisman-drawing skills, being able to draw magical patterns proficiently. He had only a little over a month left before he could generate true essence, so he needed to prepare now.

When he wrote and painted, he didn't aim for precision or beauty, nor did he seek any particular meaning. He only wanted his brushwork to be continuous, without interruption.

He needed to infuse his 'intention' into the tip of his brush, with more complex structures being better for writing and mountain landscapes being ideal for painting. The goal was to draw the layers of mountains and ridges in a single stroke.

This also involved the Six Harmonies Form-Intention Fist, and Zhuang Wudao increasingly felt the subtleties of this technique. It was truly an excellent practice for both internal and external cultivation. After practicing for a long time, he could feel a significant amount of qi forming in his body.

Those who entered the cultivation path through internal qi cultivation did so by nurturing the 'qi' within their bodies. When the amount of qi was sufficient and refined enough, it could generate spiritual essence, making one a Qi Practitioner.

Many internal cultivation techniques were superior to external ones, especially in terms of hidden force. Sometimes, they could cause injuries that were hard to detect, which was extremely terrifying.

Unfortunately, although Zhuang Wudao was now cultivating both internally and externally, he could not yet use this qi. He needed to reach the realm where 'the mind generates intention, and intention directs the fist' before he could use it, which was somewhat regrettable.

After completing one cycle of the Sword Cultivation Technique, his blood and qi returned to normal. Zhuang Wudao's morning practice was over for the day.

However, seeing that the incense stick used for timing in the incense burner beside him had not yet burned out, he had an idea and tried to make a sound by touching the tip of his tongue to the back of his lower teeth.

"Ten years of life—"

It was the phrase "Ten years of life" from the poem "Ten years of life and death, two vast unknowns; I do not think of you, yet cannot forget; a thousand miles away, a solitary grave, no place to speak of sorrow."

Just three syllables, and Zhuang Wudao felt unbearable pain all over his body, as if his bones were shattered.