With five days remaining until the Lineage Martial Academy assessment, the training ground in the rear courtyard was livelier than usual. Yet Wang Yue continued cultivating at his own pace, his strength quietly breaking through once more.
The Harmonious Flow Fist had advanced from the proficient stage into minor accomplishment. He had fused the Blood Qi circulation of the Blood Dragon Secret Method into his fist technique, making his moves more refined and his fist force more condensed. The Breathing Method, on the other hand, had become his weak link. It remained at the proficient level, unable to break through to minor accomplishment.
The Blood Dragon Secret Method had progressed even more gratifyingly. He had mastered over half of the thirty-six variations in its first move. The daily cycle of "consuming Blood Qi, replenishing Blood Qi" had caused his total Blood Qi to surge to six streams, far surpassing the one or two streams possessed by martial artists newly entering the Blood Condensation Realm.
What surprised him even more was that the rapid rise in his Blood Qi had also driven the progress of the Harmonious Flow Fist. The slight improvement that had once taken months of fist practice to achieve could now be noticed within just a few days.
However, the ten bowls of Blood Nourishing Soup from Steward Hu had long since been used up. Without the aid of medicinal soup, even with sufficient meat every day, his cultivation progress had slowed. Wang Yue quietly calculated that after the assessment, he would need to find a way to acquire more resources that replenished Blood Qi.
That morning, just as Wang Yue finished practicing his fists, Steward Hu hurried over and called out to him and Xu Li beside him. "Brother Hu wants to see you two. Hurry and come with me to his private residence."
Neither dared delay. They followed Steward Hu briskly toward Tiger Roar Residence, both feeling somewhat puzzled. With only five days left before the assessment, Wang Hu's summons at such a time likely meant something important had happened.
The moment he pushed open the door to Tiger Roar Residence, Wang Yue caught sight of a woman in black standing within besides Wang Hu. She wore a conical hat, its gauze veil concealing most of her face and revealing only a pale, fair section of chin.
A trace of shock flashed through Wang Yue's eyes. It was not because of the woman. Though she too was in the Blood Condensation Realm, while her Blood Qi fluctuations were steady, her total amount was inferior to his own.
What truly startled him was Wang Hu's change. His already robust frame seemed to have grown another half inch taller, Blood Qi circling around his body.
Could it be that Martial Uncle Wang Hu had broken through? Wang Yue secretly guessed. He knew little about the divisions of martial realms. No one had told him what came after the Blood Condensation Realm, so he could only judge strength by aura.
"Since you're here, sit." Wang Hu spoke in a deep voice. His gaze swept over the two of them before finally falling on the black-clad woman. "She is Jiang Peiling, an outsider disciple of the Martial Academy. This time, she will be carrying out a mission with you."
He paused, and his tone abruptly turned cold. "A group of fools masquerading as bandits, not knowing whether they lived or died, robbed something belonging to the Lineage. The target of this trip is clear. Leave no survivors. Do you understand?"
Wang Yue immediately cupped his fists. "This disciple understands."
Xu Li habitually addressed him as "adoptive father." The instant the words left his mouth, Jiang Peiling's gaze lingered on him a moment longer through the veil, carrying a hint of scrutiny.
From the corner of his eye, Wang Hu caught this scene and sighed inwardly. If Xu Li possessed even half of Wang Yue's strength, he would not have needed to specifically send Wang Yue along.
Seeing that Wang Hu had nothing more to say, Wang Yue and Xu Li tactfully rose to take their leave. They had just reached the doorway when Jiang Peiling's voice came from inside, tinged with puzzlement. "That Xu Li has indeed only recently reached Blood Condensation, but Wang Yue... I could not see anything extraordinary about him. How could he make Master Wang praise him?"
She did not know that Wang Yue's Blood Qi had been repeatedly tempered by the Blood Dragon Secret Method. Unless he deliberately circulated his technique, others could only sense that he possessed Blood Qi, but could not judge its total amount. Naturally, they could not fathom his depths.
Wang Hu offered no answer, but his voice carried unquestionable authority. "Take better care of the two of them. Go early and return early."
After Jiang Peiling's figure left Tiger Roar Residence, Wang Hu watched her retreating back, a trace of expectation flashing in his eyes. Top-grade innate bones, talent far beyond ordinary people—if she could be properly tempered in the Martial Academy, she might have a chance to enter a sect.
Wang Yue and Xu Li waited outside the courtyard. When Jiang Peiling approached, she raised a hand and removed her conical hat. Her face was as bright and pale as moonlight, while faint calluses marked her brow bones and knuckles—the traces left by years of martial practice. Her willow-leaf brows were slightly furrowed, adding a touch of heroic spirit that made her particularly eye-catching.
Xu Li, beside him, stared blankly, his eyes nearly going straight. Wang Yue sighed helplessly and lightly tapped his back. "Steady your mind. For one who practices martial arts, nothing is more taboo than a restless heart and an impetuous spirit."
Xu Li abruptly came back to himself, his cheeks flushing faintly. He quietly said, "Understood." His Blood Qi had grown quickly over the past month, and he had yet to fully adapt to it. At times, he could not help but lose control of his focus.
Jiang Peiling seemed not to notice Xu Li's lapse. She merely cast the two of them a cool glance, her voice clear and cold. "Junior brothers, let us go. I will explain the mission on the way."
Wang Yue slightly cupped his fists, and the three of them headed together toward the Wang Clan's main gate.
"The Lineage purchased a batch of cultivation supplies and weapons in a neighboring county. They should have been transported back yesterday, but they were robbed just before reaching Changyun County."
As they walked, Jiang Peiling explained in an even tone, "The Lineage has already investigated. The robbers are over a hundred displaced refugees, with two Blood Condensation Realm martial artists leading them. Their origins are unclear, so do not let down your guard."
At the Wang Clan's main gate, attendants had already prepared horses and black clothing. Wang Yue and Xu Li swiftly changed into tight black outfits. Xu Li took out a brand-new pair of iron gauntlets from his bundle and put them on. Wang Hu had specially prepared them for him.
Wang Yue, meanwhile, skillfully put on his Black Cloud Fist gauntlets. When his fingertips brushed against the slashing marks on them, he felt a little more confidence in his heart.
By chance, he glimpsed Jiang Peiling's gauntlets, and his eyes lit up. A row of inch-long spikes had been embedded along their striking edges. They could not only increase fist force when punching, but also break through defenses. It was quite a clever design.
Seven other men accompanied them. All were former collateral retainers who had yet to achieve Blood Condensation. Though they had not entered the martial path, they possessed years of fist-training foundations and moved with neat efficiency.
The ten of them mounted their horses one after another. Their black clothing gleamed coldly beneath the morning light. As they galloped, hooves struck the bluestone road in a synchronized clatter, clatter. From afar, they looked like an elite troop of Black Cavalry.
Once they reached the city gate, Jiang Peiling took out the Wang Clan token. Without lingering, they charged straight toward Lianmang Mountain, twenty li away.
Xu Li was clearly somewhat unfamiliar with riding. When they were still two or three li from Lianmang Mountain, the ten dismounted and paused for a brief rest.
The group sat in a circle and discussed how to wipe out the bandits. The seven men, who had handled miscellaneous affairs for years, appeared far more seasoned than Wang Yue's group of three.
The man leading the seven spoke first. "We are few in number. A direct clash will certainly not work. Better to sneak into their camp at midnight, kill the two Blood Condensation Realm enemy leaders first, and the remaining refugees will naturally scatter like birds and beasts."
Wang Yue frowned and raised his concern. "If we fail to find the enemy leaders, or become surrounded by the refugees, I fear our lives may be in danger."
The leader of the seven turned to look at Wang Yue, his tone resolute. "If we attack head-on, we simply cannot withstand the encirclement of over a hundred mountain bandits. Rest assured, Young Master. The seven of us working together can kill one Blood Condensation Realm martial artist. We will leave the other to the three of you."
Seeing that the seven were determined and that the plan was indeed feasible, Wang Yue had no further objections.
In the end, Jiang Peiling made the final decision. All ten reached an agreement and set their operation for midnight.
Once the plan had been settled, the seven men also breathed a sigh of relief. In their eyes, the difficult part of this mission had actually been persuading Wang Yue's group of three to agree to the night raid. After all, the three were in the Blood Condensation Realm, and both their status and strength surpassed the seven.
As the atmosphere relaxed somewhat, the seven began chatting with Wang Yue and Xu Li about their past experiences practicing martial arts in the rear courtyard.
Wang Yue had not expected that one of the seven had once entered the Martial Academy. Unfortunately, his innate bones had been poor, and he had failed to break through to the Blood Condensation Realm. His place had eventually been taken by another disciple. He had been despondent for quite some time, and afterward, his cultivation progress had fallen behind. Even so, he was now only one step away from the Blood Condensation Realm.
Wang Yue secretly observed them and could roughly tell that none of the seven had cultivated a complete Breathing Method. Even Jiang Peiling's case was hard to say. The Breathing Method was the foundation of the Wang Clan. Even as an outsider disciple of the Martial Academy, she could at most cultivate the entry-level Breathing Method distributed by the Lineage. There was no chance that they would hand over the complete version.
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