Black Ox Forges Blood

Black Ox's simple face was still slick with the cold sweat of lingering fear.

He blinked.

Then timidly asked:

"If I follow you, will I get enough to eat?"

Lu Changfeng said, "Three meals a day, and I'll give you three taels of silver each month."

"Deal!" Black Ox nodded decisively.

And so, Lu Changfeng brought Black Ox back to the Changle Martial Arts School.

By now, most of the school's daily affairs had been handed over to Second Senior Brother Zhou Feng.

Zhang Desheng, whose body was growing thinner by the day, had also seen that Lu Changfeng had no intention of taking over the school.

So he tacitly accepted Zhou Feng as its heir.

With Lu Changfeng stepping in to pay Black Ox's tuition, Black Ox became a registered disciple of the Changle Martial Arts School.

Black Ox's martial training was personally guided by Lu Changfeng.

What he taught was a fierce Fist Technique called [Great Buddha Fist], which had been incorporated into [Mount Le's Wrathful Vajra].

The technique portion of the [Mount Le's Wrathful Vajra] Blood Tempering Cultivation Technique was a fusion of three methods: the Changle Palm Technique, the Great Buddha Fist, and the Wrathful Vajra.

Paired with its unique breathing method, it formed a complete Blood Tempering Cultivation Technique.

For the few disciples with ordinary bone quality, who couldn't endure long sessions of cultivation, practicing the three techniques separately still yielded decent blood tempering results.

Among the three, the Changle Palm Technique was the easiest to learn, demanded the least from one's bone quality, and still offered respectable blood tempering effects. That was why Zhang Desheng used it as the entry-level technique for Registered Disciples.

Only after they reached Blood Tempering First Level and built a foundation would he personally pass down the complete [Mount Le's Wrathful Vajra].

As for Black Ox, Lu Changfeng knew he possessed a mid-grade [Fist Technique] talent.

So passing down the [Great Buddha Fist] was the most suitable cultivation path for him.

If bone quality falls short, talent makes up the difference.

Because Martial Talent was far more unpredictable, many people spent their entire lives without ever discovering their own.

Take Li Youtian, who had [Sword Technique] talent—he had never even touched a sword, so how could he ever develop that gift?

Under Lu Changfeng's guidance, Black Ox displayed astonishing talent.

In just half a month, he had already gained an initial grasp of the [Great Buddha Fist].

Just as Lu Changfeng had predicted, his strong comprehension of the technique accelerated his cultivation speed.

As Black Ox rapidly trained the [Great Buddha Fist] to mastery and even perfection, his bone quality was only Grade C Low, but his actual cultivation speed could now reach the level of Grade B Low.

Moreover, Black Ox's real combat power would far exceed others at the same rank.

If sent out into the world, he could absolutely serve as an elite member of any gang.

The other person in a similar situation was Li Youtian.

But Li Youtian was already too old, and his bone quality was Grade D. His [Sword Technique] talent was wasted in this lifetime—maybe in the next life, or the one after that, he could make use of it.

And so, in the monotony of training, over three months passed.

Black Ox's cultivation speed exceeded everyone's expectations at the school.

In just over three months, he had actually broken through to Blood Tempering First Level!

For comparison, when Lu Changfeng had been at Grade A Lower talent, it had still taken him a full month to break through to Blood Tempering First Level.

Only Lu Changfeng knew that Black Ox had relied on relentless hard training and his terrifying talent to push the [Great Buddha Fist] to mastery in a short time.

With a mastered technique and the Exotic Beast Meat Lu Changfeng provided, he had successfully broken through to Blood Tempering First Level within three months.

"Master, your kindness to me is like being reborn. Black Ox is willing to serve you for life."

After stabilizing his realm, Black Ox had grown from 1.6 meters to 1.7 meters, no longer looking like a shorty. He found Lu Changfeng and knelt down.

Though Black Ox had joined the Changle Martial Arts School, he only acknowledged Lu Changfeng as his master.

Even though he was three years older than Lu Changfeng, he didn't mind at all.

Lu Changfeng had tried to correct him a few times, but eventually let it be.

Black Ox might look simple, but after entering the city and joining a gang, he had endured plenty of trials.

He naturally understood what reaching Blood Tempering First Level meant.

Something that should have been impossible for his entire life had been accomplished with Lu Changfeng's help, and Black Ox was deeply grateful from the bottom of his heart.

"Enough. You've already repaid me. No need for this." Lu Changfeng waved his hand.

These words left Black Ox baffled. When had he ever repaid Master? How come he didn't know about it?

He took it as Lu Changfeng making an excuse.

But Lu Changfeng was telling the truth.

Over three months had passed.

Lu Changfeng replicated once from Black Ox, who stayed by his side, and obtained Mid-grade [Fist Technique] Talent.

He replicated once from his master, Zhang Desheng, and obtained [Low-grade Palm Technique] Talent.

Relying on these two new talents, Lu Changfeng finally broke through the [Mount Le's Wrathful Vajra] that had been stuck at the minor success stage, cultivating it to great success!

After the Blood Tempering Cultivation Technique reached great success, Lu Changfeng's cultivation speed increased by about twenty percent!

This already made up for much of the loss in cultivation speed caused by the lack of Exotic Beast Meat.

"Alright, since you've broken through to Blood Tempering First Level, it's time I taught you [Mount Le's Wrathful Vajra]."

"Otherwise, your Blood Tempering cultivation will quickly slow down. [Great Buddha Fist] is fine for getting started, but for subsequent cultivation, you must train in the complete [Mount Le's Wrathful Vajra]."

Lu Changfeng personally taught Black Ox to cultivate [Mount Le's Wrathful Vajra].

Black Ox practiced with proper form and discipline, and with a great success [Great Buddha Fist] as a foundation, his progress was fairly decent.

In about a month or so, he should be able to initiate [Mount Le's Wrathful Vajra].

Lu Changfeng's own cultivation focused mainly on the Blood Tempering Cultivation Technique.

He aimed to perfect [Mount Le's Wrathful Vajra] as soon as possible, increasing his cultivation speed by another thirty percent!

Master Zhang Desheng's body was increasingly unable to hold on.

Looking at the broader picture, the threat of Qingshan Prefecture's Xuanming Cult was ever-present.

If Zhang Desheng truly died, the future of Changle Martial Arts School would be grim.

Now, with news spreading that Zhang Desheng was weak and his strength greatly diminished, there were already people eyeing them covetously.

For one thing, the land of Changle Martial Arts School was among the best locations in the Outer City, worth a considerable sum.

The other three major martial arts schools among the four had already sent disciples to test the waters.

But they were all blocked by Zhou Feng and Lu Changfeng.

If this was the situation while Zhang Desheng was still alive, then if he truly died, wouldn't the wolves and jackals all around swarm in to devour Changle Martial Arts School clean?

Name: Lu Changfeng

Bone: Grade A Upper

Talents: High-grade Talent [Swordsman], Mid-grade Talent [Light Body Technique], Mid-grade Talent [Fist Technique], [Low-grade Palm Technique Talent]

Realm: Blood Tempering Fourth Level

Blood Tempering Cultivation Technique: [Mount Le's Wrathful Vajra] Great Success

Martial Arts: [Gale Sword Technique] Perfection, [Blood Burst Steps] Perfection, [Antelope Dodge Method] Perfection

Martial Arts Insight: Fierce Wind Sword Intent (Primary Sword Intent) (Sword Technique power increased by 50%)

Replication Interval: 45 days.

Lu Changfeng glanced at his interface and felt that his strength was still insufficient.

If his master really met his end, he probably wouldn't be able to protect Changle Martial Arts School in his place.

If only he had a chance to get a large amount of Exotic Beast Meat, or replicate one or two top-tier talents or bones.

Perhaps Lu Changfeng's grumbling had taken effect, for on this day, Third Senior Brother Liu Ye found Lu Changfeng.