Five Great Heavenly Gates, Dragon Whale Technique!

"Five Great Heavenly Gates?"

A sharp gleam flashed through Fang Xuan's eyes as he committed the words firmly to memory.

"Hall Master, can you tell me now what exactly happened to you?" Fang Xuan drew a deep breath and tucked the "Dragon Whale Technique" close against his chest.

"I..."

"My legs were indeed broken by a prodigy from the Hidden Dragon Rankings, but the one who truly reduced me to this state was someone else..."

Old Man Yu hesitated, then tugged his collar downward.

A conspicuous black tiger-paw print was stamped across his chest!

"This is... Zheng Juexiong's Tiger Sprint Hand?!"

In an instant, Fang Xuan's pupils contracted sharply.

At today's assembly, no matter how Zheng Juexiong had targeted him, Fang Xuan had only assumed the man simply disliked him or wanted to swallow up East Hall!

But he had never imagined that Old Man Yu had been injured into such a state by Zheng Juexiong!

"A-A Xuan, just pretend you know nothing about this. Zheng Juexiong now has the Sikong Family's Second Young Master behind him, and his power is enormous. His strength has likely reached the peak of the first realm, Skin Arhat, only one step from the second realm. The gang leader is injured as well and must give him some leeway."

"Cough, cough! A true man can bend and stretch. You... you should yield to him for now. It won't be too late to settle things another day..."

When the words fell, Old Man Yu seemed to have been drained of every last bit of strength, shrinking completely into the bed.

"I can yield to him, but I'm afraid he won't yield to me."

Fang Xuan recalled the cold, sinister look in Zheng Juexiong's eyes when he had left the Black Whale Gang earlier. A chill flashed through his own gaze.

He and Old Man Yu had grown too close. In outsiders' eyes, they had long since been tied together.

Even if he wanted to withdraw, with Zheng Juexiong's ruthless habit of leaving no loose ends, the man likely would not spare him so easily and leave behind future trouble for himself.

"Hall Master, rest well. I'll come see you again in a few days."

Taking a deep breath, Fang Xuan rose and headed outside.

"A-A Xuan..."

A strained call sounded behind him.

Fang Xuan halted and turned back in confusion.

"A Xuan, my family and children were all hacked to death years ago when enemies came seeking vengeance. They're buried on Sun-Facing Mountain outside the city, where a loquat tree grows. When... cough, cough... when I die, please bury me there too."

Old Man Yu, like a candle guttering in the wind, looked almost pleadingly at him. At last, he weakly uttered three words:

"I'm counting on you."

Fang Xuan fell silent for a moment, then turned around and looked at the layered silhouettes of distant buildings.

"Hall Master, hold on a little longer."

"The Road to the Yellow Springs is hard to travel. Before you go, I'll send Zheng Juexiong down first to scout the way for you!"

With that, Fang Xuan strode away.

The sun sank in the west, and the lingering light stretched Fang Xuan's shadow long.

"Little Tiger, see that household? They used to be so imposing, but look at them now. They might not even have anyone at their side to send them off in death. Remember this—this is how people of the martial world end up. When you grow up, you should earn honors through the civil examinations. Don't become a ruffian."

A woman was pulling along her child and quietly teaching him a lesson. When she saw Fang Xuan emerge, she hurriedly shut her mouth and dragged the child away as though avoiding the plague.

"An ending? That is Old Man Yu's ending, not mine!"

Determination flashed in Fang Xuan's eyes. Zheng Juexiong would never let him off easily.

And he had never been one to sit and wait for death. Even if the sky fell, he would use his own head to prop it up first!

Since that was the case, then he would fight to the death!

And if he wanted the qualifications to fight Zheng Juexiong to the death, he had to at least enter the realm first!

As his thoughts raced, Fang Xuan reached out and gripped the book tucked against his chest—the "Dragon Whale Technique."

In an instant, the void rippled.

Lines of tiny words spread out before his eyes like ink dissolving in water, gradually becoming clear.

Technique: Dragon Whale Technique (First Glimpse)

Progress: 0/100

Method of advancement: Hold Whale Blood in the mouth, cast the body into raging waves, temper skin and hammer muscle, remain unmoving as a mountain!

Description: Vitality and blood like a dragon, stirring wind and waves!

Looking at the panel displayed on the black talisman, Fang Xuan's eyes flickered with thought.

"Hold Whale Blood in the mouth, cast the body into raging waves... The cultivation method should be to hold a mouthful of Whale Blood, then sink into the water and use the waves to temper the skin and flesh, right?"

Thinking this, Fang Xuan frowned slightly.

Pingjiang County stood beside the river, and because of its steep terrain, the waves there were particularly fierce.

It would not be difficult to temper his body with the waves.

But Whale Blood existed only in the deep sea, so it would likely be exceedingly difficult to find.

"Wait! Whale Blood..."

Suddenly, Fang Xuan seemed to think of something. His eyes instantly lit up, and with a laugh, he headed toward the docks.

"Old Man Hu, Fang has come to trouble you again!"

East of the City, on the main road not far from the docks, a pole stood planted in the ground.

An apricot-yellow banner was tied to the pole, with the crooked character for "noodles" written across it.

The sky was gradually darkening, and an old woman began clearing away the tables and benches, preparing to close up for the night.

"These days are getting more and more promising."

Old Man Hu squatted before the noodle stall, taking puffs from a worn, peeling pipe. His face was full of delight.

"In a few more years, when the children are older and I've saved up some more silver, I'll send them to school. Maybe our old Hu family will produce an official someday!"

Thinking of this, Old Man Hu could not help grinning foolishly.

If his children became officials, that damned Ruffian Fang Xuan might have to call him Master Hu, wouldn't he?

"Old woman, I'm in a good mood today. Hurry and pour me a cup of the family treasure!"

Old Man Hu exhaled a cloud of smoke and called out to the old woman tidying the noodle stall.

"When are you ever in a bad mood? You drink every day. Sooner or later, you'll drink yourself to death!"

The old woman glared at him. Though her face was full of reluctance, she still straightened up and went into the back room. She scooped a spoonful of something black and murky into a tea bowl and handed it to Old Man Hu.

"What do you know? Why do you think this old man can still be so strong at my age, strong enough to fish in the river? Isn't it all because I drink this family treasure?"

Old Man Hu shot her a disdainful look, took the tea bowl, and a glimmer flashed in his eyes.

This was Whale Blood—and not ordinary Whale Blood at that.

Many years ago, when he had still been young.

The heavens had unleashed a great flood, and the entire Ping River overflowed. His father, forced to make a living, could only head out to sea.

According to his father, who had long since turned to dust, a huge fish with two horns had leapt from the sea before an immortal master raised his sword and slew it.

After killing the monster, that immortal master drifted away.

But the corpse of that strange giant fish had remained behind.

His father had brought back some of its flesh and blood.

After all these years, the fish meat had long been eaten clean, yet much of its blood still remained.

Over the years, Old Man Hu drank a bowl of fish blood every few days and found his body growing stronger and more energetic.

Even his old companion, which had long been unable to rise, now stood hard as iron every morning, a single pillar propping up the sky.

Only after looking into it did he finally learn the name of that giant fish.

The Jiaojing Whale!

"Drink if you want, but don't come tormenting me again in the middle of the night. These old bones of mine can't withstand all that bull strength of yours."

The old woman gave Old Man Hu a resentful glance and shook her head. "And you said you'd save some of this family treasure for the children when they grow up, but you're nearly finished with it yourself."

Old Man Hu waved dismissively. "Finished is finished. If that damned Ruffian Fang Xuan catches sight of this treasure, who knows whether it can be kept. Kept... kept... kept... huh? Master Fang?"

In an instant, Old Man Hu's entire body jolted. He sprang up from the ground and stared wide-eyed at the tall figure approaching through the night.

"M-Master Fang, why have you come at this hour?"

Old Man Hu forced a smile onto his face, hurriedly hiding the tea bowl in his hand behind his back as he groaned inwardly.

Why was this damned ruffian like an undying Yin Soul? How could he run into him everywhere?