White Cloud

"Please, Masters!"

That evening, Fang Xi hosted Mu Piaomiao and She Lei, the two Martial Arts instructors, to a banquet.

He wore a brocade robe and a jade crown. Although he looked somewhat frail, he also possessed an elegant, otherworldly air, earning Mu Piaomiao's secret praise as she hurriedly downed a cup.

"Please!"

As the cool wine slid down her throat, Mu Piaomiao could not help exclaiming in surprise, "What fine wine..."

She Lei was even more delighted. "Could this be the 'Autumn Dew White' from Baili Winery? It's said that the winery's owner brews only eighteen jars a year, and each jar must be aged for three years before it's ready. Each one is worth a hundred taels..."

"Hehe, I'm fond of fine wine, delicious food, beautiful maids, antiques, grand residences, ingenious contraptions, and strange amusements..."

Fang Xi poured himself a cup and sighed. "I once heard someone say that, as a man in this world, one should climb the highest mountain, drink the strongest wine, wield the fastest sword, ride the finest horse, play with the prettiest woman, and fight the fiercest people..."

In the Cultivation World, he would never have dared say such a thing, but in this world, it could serve as a small goal in life—something to spice things up.

"Hahaha... Youth is wonderful."

She Lei drained a mouthful of Autumn Dew White and suddenly felt as if he had returned to his younger days.

Once, he too had been a young wanderer with dreams, until he took a knife to the knee...

"Play with the prettiest woman..."

Mu Piaomiao's face flushed. She subconsciously tugged at her collar, cursed him as a little lecher, and yet felt a little tempted.

After all, she had heard of female Martial Masters who eventually fell into dire poverty and were forced to sell their charms.

And this Young Master Fang was genuinely young and carefree, wealthy and gentle. He was truly not a bad match...

"Leaving everything else aside, even in this scorching summer, there isn't the slightest hint of heat inside the hall... That's truly rare, truly rare."

She Lei's gaze shifted to the wooden chest in the hall. He smiled and said, "This must also be one of the ingenious contraptions Young Master Fang mentioned, right?"

"Indeed. This is an Earth Air Conditioner. It keeps the rooms warm in winter and cool in summer. I'm merely making a fool of myself before an expert..."

Fang Xi waved his hand. Combining cultivation spells with the experience of his past life, he had made this air conditioner, and it was one of his proudest achievements.

He simply could not be bothered to promote it and make money from it. Everything was for his own convenience and enjoyment.

Who would be foolish enough to become a merchant in a world with supernatural powers?

The next day.

On the practice grounds.

Mu Piaomiao was absent, leaving only She Lei.

Although the martial arts taught by the school could be learned as long as one paid, there were still proprieties to observe.

She Lei's expression also became much more serious. "The Red Snake Leg of my Red Snake Martial Arts School focuses on leg techniques. We begin by practicing footwork, which requires stakes. One must practice while moving across the wooden stakes... Later on, weights must be added as well... I'll demonstrate it for you first."

Several rows of Plum Blossom Stakes, rising and falling at various heights, had already been set up across the practice grounds.

She Lei lightly leaped onto the wooden stakes and moved across them as swiftly as a flying bird. "The body is like a pine, the legs like snakes. As you move, your body moves, but your mind remains still..."

After demonstrating for a while, he finally climbed down from the stakes and smiled. "Martial arts consume a great deal of energy. It's best to supplement them with medicinal cuisine... At first, you can have a physician prescribe some nourishing formulas for your qi and blood. Once you comprehend the mysteries of qi and blood, you'll need the secret medicines specially prepared by the martial arts school."

"Secret medicines?"

Fang Xi's heart stirred as he thought of his second objective. "And what exactly are the mysteries of qi and blood?"

He was not in a hurry. If he proceeded step by step, he would naturally obtain access to the martial arts school's secret medicines.

"Qi and blood are what we use to rank Martial Artists."

She Lei began explaining. "For instance, at my Red Snake Martial Arts School, disciples first practice the 'Eight Snake Steps' after entering the school. Once they can control their qi and blood, that means their qi and blood have transformed, and they can become Inner Disciples. After one transformation of qi and blood, the strength in both legs increases greatly, and the muscles and bones become much stronger. Kicking a wooden stake apart is no problem. With the Second Transformation of Qi and Blood, one is already a skilled fighter even within the martial arts school. As for the Three Changes of Qi and Blood... those people become inheritors of the school's legacy."

"I see."

Fang Xi nodded, climbed onto the wooden stakes, and began practicing the 'Eight Snake Steps'.

Although his physical aptitude was poor, the sharp senses of a cultivator remained. Just as he could memorize a book after reciting it a few times, he learned quickly.

She Lei soon discovered, to his astonishment, that although this wealthy young master's physical condition seemed average, he grasped everything as soon as it was taught and succeeded at the first attempt.

His speed was somewhat slow, but he completed the entire sequence on his first try. By the third attempt, he was making no mistakes at all.

It seems Yuan He Mountain misjudged him this time.

After muttering inwardly, She Lei's expression grew considerably more solemn.

"Master She, how long do you think it will take me to control my qi and blood and reach the Blood Qi Transformation level?"

After walking across the stakes several times, sweat appeared on Fang Xi's brow, and the maid beside him hurriedly brought him a towel.

He wiped away the sweat and sighed.

This Blood Qi Martial Arts really was different from the other so-called martial arts. He had read several mortal martial arts manuals in the Southern Barrens Cultivation World, and they seemed far inferior to Blood Qi Martial Arts.

"Generally speaking, ordinary disciples can sense their qi and blood within three months..."

After all, this was only the entry level. She Lei smiled. "Young Master, your talent is quite good. Perhaps you'll need even less time."

"Three months?"

Fang Xi nodded and continued climbing onto the stakes to practice his footwork.

By afternoon, the instructor changed to Mu Piaomiao, who was dressed entirely in white.

"My martial arts school's secret White Cloud Palm has three levels: White Cloud, Dark Cloud, and Black Cloud!"

Facing the wooden stakes, Mu Piaomiao gently pressed out a palm.

Smack!

A deep palmprint immediately appeared on the wooden stake. Along the edges of the palmprint, one could even see clear black traces.

Fang Xi's nose twitched. He actually caught a fishy, foul odor, and his expression changed. "Poison?"

"That's right. You're quick to react."

Mu Piaomiao smiled. "White Cloud Palm is originally a poison art! At the later stages, poison must be refined into the palm force. With a single palm strike, both humans and beasts will die! Of course, you don't need to use poison at the beginning. You only need to strike wooden stakes to practice your palm force. I'll demonstrate it once for you."

The entry-level practice for White Cloud Palm consisted of slamming one's palms against objects every day, preferably while using the secret Medicated Sand Bags of White Cloud Martial Arts School.

Fang Xi had never been stingy in this regard. He immediately bought ten excellent medicine bags and practiced his palm force continuously.

He could feel that, as he repeatedly struck the medicine bags, his skin grew tougher and tougher, while the strength in his palms gradually increased...

Time passed slowly before he realized it.

Green Bamboo Mountain.

Fang Xi opened the door and gazed at the snow filling the sky and the sparse furniture inside his humble doghouse. He could not help exhaling a great cloud of white breath. "It feels like another lifetime..."

In the Great Liang World, he was Young Master Fang, wealthy enough to rival a nation. He had a grand residence and beautiful maids in Black Stone City. Although he occasionally suffered setbacks, money could solve ninety-nine percent of his problems.

But in the Southern Barrens Cultivation World, he was merely a small fry.

He was at the very bottom of the Cultivation World, struggling along the line between hunger and survival.

How miserable could one be!

I still have to continue tending the Jade Green Bamboo Forest. Although being a Green Bamboo Mountain Spirit Farmer is a miserable identity, it's still a little better than being a Rogue Cultivator. At least I can make use of the market's channels...

Fang Xi touched his chest and discovered that the Demon Insect Stone Dragon was still there.

For now, I should deal with it first, then buy talismans. Ideally, I should also obtain a Low-grade Magic Tool for self-defense!

He had never forgotten what his true reliance was!

Great Liang was no paradise either.

Without sufficient strength, he would have nothing to enjoy!

However, relying on a cultivator's sharp senses and several Life-saving Talismans kept in reserve, he felt that even if he faced She Lei and Mu Piaomiao, he could still kill them in a counterattack.

Moreover, disappearing from time to time would make it even harder for those coveting his possessions to gauge his true strength. That was how he had managed to keep up the façade of Fang Manor.

But Fang Xi also knew that such good days would not last long.

The hyenas and vultures hidden in the darkness would have a day when they could no longer hold back.

Therefore, he still needed to increase his strength!

For a cultivator, the most convenient way to increase one's strength was naturally to break through to the next realm.

Aside from that, however, there were far more ways to improve one's strength through external objects than in Great Liang.

For example, powerful talismans, puppets, spirit beasts... and even magic tools!

"With my current magic power, I can control at most one Low-grade Magic Tool, but that's enough... After all, most of those Martial Masters in Great Liang can't even dodge crossbow bolts, and they still have to fear the Great Liang authorities."

Magic tools!

These were standard equipment for Qi Refining Stage cultivators. They were divided into four levels: low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and, finally, top-grade.

Even the lowest Low-grade Magic Tool often cost around ten spirit stones.

As for true top-grade magic tools, they were standard equipment for those at Qi Refining Perfection and some at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

It was said that above magic tools were even higher-grade spirit tools, and even the legendary treasures... But those were far beyond what Fang Xi could dream of at present.

He put on his padded coat, draped a straw rain cape over it, and walked into the heavy snow.

It was not that he could not use spells to keep warm, but a minor Qi Refining cultivator had limited magic power and needed to conserve it...

As he walked, someone approached from the opposite direction. It was Old Mai Tou.

"Brother Fang..."

His face was ruddy as he greeted Fang Xi.

"Oh, Old Mai Tou, you're glowing today. Something good must have happened." Fang Xi smiled faintly, knowing where the other man had gone over the past few days.

"Ah, it was merely a dull winter. I boiled tea around the stove and found a little amusement..." Old Mai Tou replied with considerable smugness.

But Fang Xi saw that his legs were trembling slightly, and that he had the hollow, weak look of someone at the end of his strength. He secretly rolled his eyes.

Although most cultivators possessed long and vigorous qi channels, overindulgence could still cause trouble...

But it was not his place to say anything.

It seemed that the Charm Technique of that Dark Concealment Sect was indeed no small matter.

"Speaking of which, Brother Fang, you look even better than you did a few days ago..."

Old Mai Tou felt that Fang Xi possessed a few more traces of yang energy today and no longer looked as cautious as usual, so he could not help asking with a smile.

"I secluded myself for several days and gained a little from it."

Fang Xi cupped his hands in reply and walked toward the market.