Sea Tide

"This round, I lost again, Junior Brother," Song Hezheng said helplessly, though he was not feeling dejected.

After losing again and again, he seemed to have grown used to it.

His temperament was not the sort that fought tooth and nail to outdo others, so he did not dwell on it much.

Wang Yu also withdrew at the right moment. "You let me win. Senior Disciple Brother's mastery of the Shadowless Fist is still a notch above mine."

Song Hezheng shook his head and kneaded his still-aching arm. "When I watch you use the Shadowless Fist, it is swift at times and fierce at others, with such savage fist winds. Why is that?

"And your leg techniques are somewhat unusual as well. They do not seem to belong to the Shadowless Fist system, and appear much lighter and more nimble. Could these be your own unique insights born from your studies? If so, Junior Brother, your talent is truly extraordinary."

Song Hezheng sighed with deep feeling.

Wang Yu shook his head with a smile. "I merely learned a move or two from other Body Tempering Methods and felt they were useful enough to incorporate into sparring. They are only side tricks from concurrent cultivation, not something I comprehended myself."

"I see." Song Hezheng came to a realization, then continued, "Even so, Junior Brother's comprehension is truly beyond reproach.

"Even if others wanted to cultivate other Body Tempering Methods alongside their main practice, they might not achieve what you have, much less use them so smoothly and freely in battle."

Wang Yu smiled but said nothing more.

After all, he had not truly comprehended them himself. He had merely filled his proficiency to the brim and naturally mastered those Body Tempering Methods.

"So the Downward Soft Palm and that force-dissipating technique were learned from other Body Tempering Methods as well?"

"Yes, those too."

The two reviewed this round of fist practice, then Wang Yu pulled Song Hezheng into a second match.

They did not end the day's sparring until Song Hezheng was utterly exhausted.

Now, in the entire martial hall, only Sun Chengshan and this Senior Disciple Brother could satisfy Wang Yu's need for sparring.

The other disciples were not as useful as iron training posts.

After seeing off Song Hezheng, who was heading back to rest, Wang Yu looked over his personal interface.

Not long ago, he had trained the Zu Family Wind Chasing Foot to the second level. Among all the Body Tempering Methods he cultivated concurrently, its leg-technique proficiency had been the hardest to raise.

Next came the Undying Bell Skill, which balanced offense and defense, followed by the Mian Yin Palm Technique.

All three had currently only reached the second level of their respective methods.

The one whose proficiency rose the fastest was the Hong Family Fist.

Because the Shadowless Fist had already blazed the trail, fist techniques shared some common ground. As a result, training the Hong Family Fist had been much easier.

Its proficiency had soared, and it had already reached the third level.

Its fierce and domineering fist style complemented the ghostly swiftness of the Shadowless Fist, and the two unexpectedly suited each other extremely well.

That was what allowed him to remain undefeated while sparring Song Hezheng, whose cultivation was at the same level as his.

Moreover, though the Hong Family Fist was an incomplete copy, it still had a fourth level to train.

Back then, this Body Tempering Method had also been the most expensive, costing him a full four thousand Crystal Coins.

Looking at it now, it had naturally been well worth the price, though he had agonized over that money plenty before.

Besides that, both the Undying Bell Skill and the Zu Family Wind Chasing Foot only had three levels.

That incomplete Mian Yin Palm Technique had only two levels, so he had already reached its end.

"If only there were still Blood Pig Meat. I could train these concurrently cultivated methods even faster."

Wang Yu felt deep regret. When he had gone to the Night Sleep Gathering, he had simply lacked the money to buy more precious-material meat.

Now, if he wanted to obtain large quantities of precious materials again, he could only wait for an opportunity and leave it to luck.

On the second day of the scorching weather—

"The opportunity has come!"

Sun Chengshan hurried back to the martial hall, his expression brimming with excitement.

In the inner courtyard, Wang Yu stopped practicing his fists and looked at Sun Chengshan. Beside him, Song Hezheng wore the expression of someone who had been saved at the eleventh hour.

"Master, you've finally returned."

Sun Chengshan's clothes were covered in water stains. Even his hair and beard were dripping wet, plastered against his scalp as though he had just washed, making him look somewhat comical.

The image of a powerful master of his generation had vanished without a trace.

Yet Sun Chengshan seemed not to care about his appearance at all, consumed only by inexplicable excitement.

"Master, what opportunity has come?" Wang Yu asked curiously.

Sun Chengshan smiled. "Hadn't you been troubled over having nowhere to obtain precious-material meat? This is the opportunity to get it!"

At once, Wang Yu was energized as well.

Song Hezheng seemed to think of something and immediately exclaimed, "Could Master mean that the sea tide of the Silver Belt Sea is coming!"

"Correct!" Sun Chengshan nodded.

"By calculation, the Silver Belt Sea's rising tide should have arrived long ago. For some unknown reason, it has been delayed by two months this year.

"Yesterday, heat waves swept across several coastal seas. Their source was the Silver Belt Sea on our side. With such an unusual phenomenon, the Garrison Commander immediately assembled scouting forces and sent them to the shore.

"Only today could they confirm it. Beneath the heat waves, the sea tide is coming!"

Parched from talking, Sun Chengshan hurriedly poured himself a pot of cool water and drank deeply.

Wang Yu silently slipped on a thin undershirt and waited for Sun Chengshan to continue.

"Whenever the sea tide arrives, it is a heaven-sent boon for martial people like us in town. Countless deep-sea creatures will crawl ashore. Having survived while the Poison Sea still existed, each one is walking precious-material meat.

"According to the old rules, whoever kills these deep-sea creatures owns them.

"Among them are quite a few flesh-and-blood precious materials even better than Blood Pig Meat!

"Back then, I decided to settle and develop myself here precisely because I had my eye on the vast quantities of precious materials brought by the sea tide. The Martial Artists on the island will all seize such a superb opportunity tightly. When the time comes, everyone will rely on their own abilities to claim the benefits!"

The more Sun Chengshan spoke, the more excited he became. He had considerable confidence in his own strength and was certain he would gain a great deal.

More importantly, he had already used up all his Blood Pig Meat. Whether he could charge straight into the sixth level of the Shadowless Fist next depended on what he gained from this sea tide!

No matter what, this sea tide was of vital importance to him!

No wonder he was so exhilarated.

Wang Yu searched through his old memories and found that he had some impression of this sea tide as well.

Back when he had been an ordinary person, the Silver Belt Sea's sea tide had seemed more like a disaster to them.

The tidewater would only flood the beaches along the island's edges. In more serious cases, even the harbor would suffer, but it would not spread into Island Town.

However, some of the deep-sea creatures that came ashore would often slip through the net and dart into Island Town. To ordinary people, these deep-sea creatures could threaten their lives.

Every year, people died in sea-tide incidents.

Thus, when the sea tide came, ordinary people would never join in the excitement. They would basically hide at home in terror.

The monsters crawling out of the sea would be dealt with by the Garrison Commander's troops and the town's other martial people.

"However, this sea tide is rising too fiercely. I fear the risks will be greater than in previous years. If you intend to go, you must be careful in all things and act within your means.

"Every year, quite a few martial people are buried in fish bellies because of greed."

Wang Yu nodded. He was not a reckless person. He would not rush into a battle he had no confidence in.

"Master, rest assured. I won't hold anyone back," Song Hezheng said seriously.

"Mm. I am at ease about you two. I only fear that some of the younger disciples in the martial hall will be unable to restrain themselves.

"Hezheng, remind them several more times when the time comes, so they understand the danger as well."

"I understand," Song Hezheng answered.

Yet after his excitement subsided, Sun Chengshan still felt uneasy about the disciples under his tutelage and added another warning.

"Forget it. Disciples at the Body Tempering First Level had best not go. Even if Body Tempering Second Layer disciples go, they must stay at the outskirts and join forces to deal with stray creatures that make it over. Do not venture deep into the harbor or onto the beaches. It is still too dangerous there.

"Besides, with the unusual effects of this heat wave, no one can say what the situation will be like when the time comes."