Progress Boosted! Master Fang Really Is Such a Good Man!

Without the slightest hesitation.

Fang Xuan broke the seal on one of the jars of whale blood, lifted the porcelain jar, and took a huge gulp.

The whale blood slid down his throat, its familiar warm, searing sensation instantly spreading through his mouth like a current of heat rushing toward his limbs and bones.

In an instant, Fang Xuan's exhaustion vanished. The blood and qi throughout his body seemed to stir, and a series of crackling pops rang out from within him.

Drawing a deep breath, Fang Xuan plunged into the water once more and swam toward a towering wave nearly ten feet high.

Ordinarily, a common man standing in the water could be easily knocked over by a small wave reaching only his knees. A wave ten feet high, meanwhile, was enough to smash apart even sturdy wooden bridges, knock a person unconscious in an instant, and drag them into churning currents that could twist bone and flesh apart!

Rumble—!

The roar of the waves rolled on like muffled thunder exploding again and again!

It was as if the River Duke were roaring in fury, sweeping away all that stood in his path!

Treading water, Fang Xuan raised his head toward the massive wave sweeping in from afar, seeming to join both banks of the Ping River in a single line. It stood about as high as a story, and he could not help taking a deep breath.

"Come!"

A fierce glint burst from Fang Xuan's eyes. The instant the wave crashed down, he sprang upward and slammed fiercely into it!

Bang—!!!

In an instant, Fang Xuan felt as though he had been struck by a thousand-pound boulder, and the world spun around him!

Even more terrifyingly, after the wave passed, a dreadful suction surged up from the riverbed, like an invisible giant hand trying to drag him into the depths of the underwater whirlpool!

"Dragon Whale!"

Fang Xuan let out a roar, pushing the Dragon Whale Technique to its limit. The whale blood in his mouth completely transformed into saliva and flowed throughout his body.

He stretched out a hand and grabbed hold of the edge of a reef rooted who knew how deeply into the riverbed. Only after the wave thundered away and became a thin tide at the edge of his vision did clarity gradually return to his eyes.

You held whale blood in your mouth amid the waves and fought the waves with your body. Dragon Whale Technique progress +1

Lines of tiny text spread before Fang Xuan's eyes.

He could clearly feel his physical body slowly growing stronger at an extremely subtle rate.

"Again!"

Taking a deep breath, Fang Xuan swam toward the second great wave once more!

At dawn, spring dew gleamed along the railings.

Water mist condensed into droplets on the grass. A jade-green praying mantis crawled forward, intending to kill the black caterpillar wriggling ahead of it.

Splat!

A black boot came down hard, crushing both the mantis and caterpillar in one stomp!

Fang Xuan climbed up from the riverbank and stretched his body slightly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In an instant, the blood and qi throughout his body surged. His skin and flesh turned scorching hot, while his sinews, veins, and bones crackled and popped as if his channels had opened wide and his bones were being reforged!

Rip!

With a casual grab, his five fingers, sharp as blades, tore five savage gouges about three inches deep into the trunk of a thick tree beside him.

The next moment, Fang Xuan curled his fingers slightly and tightened his grip. The bark he had torn off instantly crumbled into countless grains of powder, spilling from between his fingers like fine sand.

"Not only has my body grown stronger, my strength has increased too." Fang Xuan smiled faintly, then silently called out in his heart:

"Talisman."

Thump.

Like a pebble falling onto the surface of water, ripples spread outward.

A black talisman silently unfolded before Fang Xuan's eyes.

Technique: Dragon Whale Technique (Entry Level)

Progress: 20/500

Method of Growth: Hold whale blood in your mouth, fight the waves with your body; temper skin and hammer muscle, and dragon sinews shall grow on their own!

Description: Walk upon waves, with strength enough to move mountains!

Looking at the lines of text on the talisman, Fang Xuan let out a long breath, a flash of understanding rising in his eyes.

Presumably, once he raised the Dragon Whale Technique's progress to one hundred, he would be able to enter the middle stage of the First Heavenly Gate's Skin Arhat realm. And when he filled all five hundred points of progress, that would be the day he stepped into the second gate, the Sinew Bodhisattva realm!

"Fishing time—!"

A long-drawn shout rang out across the river. Upon the vast, boundless river, lone Black Awning Boats gradually appeared amid the morning mist.

A familiar hunger rose from within. Fang Xuan buried three jars of whale blood in the mud on the riverbed beside the bank. Then, tearing off the official seal pasted to another jar, he carried it away from the riverbank in great strides.

South City.

"Ah! Ahhh!"

Within Xun Residence, Instructor Xun paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, sighing again and again.

"All of them are hooligans—so why are the hooligans in our South City so different from the ones in East City? That damned Fang Xuan strutted into South City, threw his weight around, and then just went back? Oh, for heaven's sake, utterly useless!"

The maid Xiao Fang was carrying a plate of braised fish out from the kitchen. She set it on the round table, wiped the beads of sweat from her brow, and forced a smile. "Master, just eat in peace. I don't think Master Fang is the sort of narrow-minded person who holds grudges. What happened is in the past, and besides, hasn't Master Fang stopped coming around lately?"

At those words, Instructor Xun's expression eased somewhat.

He stopped pacing and sat down. As he picked up his bowl and chopsticks and reached for some food, he said, "Mm, that dog of a hooligan at least knows how to restrain himself. Otherwise, I—"

Bang!!!

The gates of Xun Residence were abruptly shoved open, and a tall, imposing figure strode in with great sweeping steps.

"Ha ha ha, Instructor Xun, it's been a long time! Did you miss Fang?"

With that bold, hearty laughter, Instructor Xun's words caught in his throat. His eyes went wide as he stared at the towering brute striding toward him.

"Y-you-you..." He raised a trembling finger toward Fang Xuan, then could not help shooting an angry glare at Xiao Fang beside him.

And she had said he was not some narrow-minded person who held grudges?

Then—

Bang!

Instructor Xun slapped the table and sprang to his feet.

Under Fang Xuan's puzzled gaze, Instructor Xun bellowed, "Master Fang! Don't say another word—I understand the rules! I'll go stir-fry two more dishes for you, so you can see just how formidable this old man's cooking is!"

With that, Instructor Xun flicked his robe hem and stormed off in a blaze of fury.

"Mm, wait a moment!"

Fang Xuan pulled out a chair and sat down, calling Instructor Xun back.

Instructor Xun, who had been about to leave, immediately stiffened all over. He turned his head back rigidly and squeezed out a forced smile. "Y-you... what else do you want?"

Fang Xuan waved at Instructor Xun, then patted the seat beside him. "Don't be afraid. It's not as if I'm some kind of bad person. Come sit here—I have a few things to ask you."

"Ah? Eh, eh, eh, Master Fang isn't a bad person? Ha, you're right!"

Uneasily, Instructor Xun shuffled over and perched only half his backside onto the stool beside Fang Xuan.

Fang Xuan found the sight both irritating and amusing. He considered himself fairly kind in his dealings with others—so why did this old fellow act as though he had seen the plague god whenever he saw him?

"The Prefectural Examination of the Spring Examination is approaching. I wanted to ask about my younger brother—"

Before Fang Xuan could finish, Instructor Xun had already pulled an envelope from his sleeve and hurriedly said with a fawning smile, "Rest assured, Master Fang. I wrote your Erlang's letter of recommendation long ago. Just have Fang Erlang take this letter of recommendation to the prefectural city and sit for the examination."

Fang Xuan froze for a moment. He accepted the letter and glanced over it, then nodded approvingly. "Instructor Xun, you have excellent penmanship. But isn't this letter of recommendation a little too exaggerated? How did you end up praising my second brother as the reincarnation of the Star of Scholarly Excellence?"

"B-but... you are the Star of Military Prowess, so isn't it perfectly reasonable for your second brother to be the Star of Scholarly Excellence?" Instructor Xun gave a strained laugh.

"All right. Fang came to ask what else needs to be prepared for the Prefectural Examination, aside from this letter of recommendation?" Fang Xuan asked sincerely.

Seeing that Fang Xuan had no intention of making him drink Golden Broth, Instructor Xun settled down a little. Stroking his beard, he thought for a moment before answering, "There's no need to prepare anything in particular—just bring some dry rations for the road. Still, it would be best to bring some silver. With silver clearing the way, all will go smoothly. Once you arrive in the prefectural city, first pay a visit to the examiners, then grease the palms of the Yamen Runners at the examination grounds. That way, you won't end up assigned to a testing room in a dry latrine. That would truly be torment..."

After eating and drinking his fill, Fang Xuan swept through the food on the table like a whirlwind, polishing it all off. Then, carrying the altar jar of whale blood, he strode out of Xun Residence.

It was inconvenient to cultivate the Dragon Whale Technique during the day, but he could still use the time to practice the Whale Sand Palm!

Fang Xuan no longer wished to waste even the slightest bit of time on anything other than cultivation!

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