Early morning. The sky had yet to lighten.
Sha LiFei had returned to the wing room long ago and fallen asleep fully clothed, still clutching a wine jar. Sprawled out in every direction, he snored loud enough to shake the heavens.
In the room opposite, Wang Dao Xuan sat cross-legged, eyes closed as he gathered his spirit.
The small courtyard was dim and murky, wrapped in utter silence.
Li Yan still stood beside the war drum in a horse stance.
After practicing through the night without sleep or rest, he had finally mastered the rhythm. The vibrations of the drumbeat and the lingering waves of the mantra in his mouth had blended together perfectly.
But this was merely the foundation of cultivation.
Only when one used the body as a drum and produced Cloud Thunder Sound could it be considered an entry into the art.
Yet this step had remained beyond his reach.
A full day of total concentration and self-forgetting comprehension had drained Li Yan's spirit to its limit. His head was groggy, and he was exhausted to the point of death.
His eyes were half-open and half-closed, as though he had already fallen asleep.
His body had reached its limit as well. On top of that, the bone-piercing chill of the latter half of the night had left both legs stiff and numb. He swayed unsteadily, seemingly about to collapse at any moment.
Yet Li Yan did not use the Great Luo Dharma Body.
He had already experienced this kind of situation many times.
Whether it was stance training or fighting techniques, the hardest part was crossing that threshold.
It was like long-distance running: only by surpassing one's limits again and again could one finally gallop unhindered across a level plain.
If he used the Great Luo Dharma Body now, it could naturally eliminate the adverse condition of his body. But that would amount to giving up halfway and having to start over again.
So for now, he was waiting for an opportunity.
At last, a sliver of fish-belly white appeared on the horizon.
The dawn broke through the darkness, dividing the sky into blue and black.
That thread of light stirred his drowsy consciousness.
Now!
Without the slightest hesitation, borrowing this moment of change, Li Yan forgot himself completely. He abruptly brought both hands down, his abdominal muscles surging as he used the strength of his diaphragm to exhale and project his voice:
"HUM—!"
BOOM!
The drumbeat and mantra fused together, resembling peals of thunder.
The war drum beneath him shook with a thunderous roar and split apart.
Li Yan felt his chest tremble. His entire body seemed to have become a drum, from his sinews and muscles to his internal organs, all vibrating with it. A tingling sensation coursed through his whole body.
He had finally mastered Divine Drum Cloud Thunder Sound!
Yet at this moment, he was already like a spent crossbow. How could he withstand this force that reached straight into his organs? His chest tightened, sweetness rose in his throat, and he fell stiffly to the ground.
The drumbeat was like a bolt of thunder. Everyone within a hundred meters was jolted awake.
"Whoa!"
Sha LiFei, sleeping soundly, jolted in fright. He flailed about, clutching his wine jar, and fell from the bed with a clatter.
Wang Dao Xuan's head also went blank, and his spirit-gathering nearly went out of control.
"What happened? Was it an Earth Dragon Turning Over?"
Sha LiFei hurriedly crashed through the door and rushed out.
Wang Dao Xuan calmed his mind as well and went to the small courtyard to investigate.
Seeing Li Yan unconscious and fallen on the ground, Sha LiFei quickly went over to support him, while Wang Dao Xuan bent down and tried to take his pulse.
"I'm fine."
By then, Li Yan had already woken groggily. He waved his hand, a smile appearing on his face. "Is there anything to eat? I'm starving to death..."
As he spoke, the Great Luo Dharma Body was already circulating.
His minor internal injuries vanished rapidly, and the fatigue within his body was swept away.
"Oh? You still have the appetite to eat?"
When Zhang ShiTong arrived at the Asking Dao Pavilion, Li Yan was still eating. He had a large bowl of oil-splashed noodles in one hand and cold beef on the side, squatting on the threshold and burying his head in his meal.
This fellow seemed incapable of speaking properly. Clicking his tongue, he said, "Makes sense. Tomorrow's life or death is unpredictable. Maybe after this meal, there won't be another."
"I'll treat you to something good at Qingfeng Restaurant later."
"Save it for yourself!"
Before Li Yan could say anything, Sha LiFei sneered from the side, "If you don't know how to talk, then talk less. Have you not rinsed your mouth for three years or something?"
"Heh heh, likewise."
Zhang ShiTong let out a cold laugh and slowly rolled up his sleeves.
Looking at the two living treasures, Li Yan felt a headache coming on. He cut them off directly and asked, "The location's been decided? Where is it?"
"Shen Hour, at the crossroads on Paifang Street."
Zhang ShiTong still knew how to distinguish what mattered. His expression turned serious as he said, "It's close to the ferry and docks, with brothels, gambling houses, and carriage inns all around. There are plenty of people from the martial world."
"Looks like the Zhou family is quite confident. They want to kill you in broad daylight and vent this grudge."
Li Yan neither agreed nor disagreed. "What are the arena rules?"
Zhang ShiTong said solemnly, "A wooden arena three zhang high. No blades or weapons, no techniques or spells. Only fists and feet. Whoever dies or falls from the arena loses."
"How big is it?"
"A square arena, ten meters on each side."
Li Yan sneered after hearing this. "Red Fist is known for its agility, and Child Monkey Fist is one of the best among them. With such a small arena, does Zhou Bai want to meet force with force?"
Zhang ShiTong nodded. "My father guessed the same. Zhou Bai entered Hidden Strength last year, so he should be somewhat stronger than you no matter what."
"If the two of you go back and forth, dodging with footwork, that isn't what Zhou Pan wants to see. I'm afraid Zhou Bai will use force to overwhelm you the moment he comes out!"
"My father's meaning is to avoid his sharp edge first. His skill is still shallow, so he can't use Hidden Strength with every move. Once he tires, strike explosively. That will be your chance to win."
"Mm. Thank Senior Zhang for me."
Li Yan's expression did not change, and his gaze remained calm...
After delivering the message, Zhang ShiTong hurriedly left.
This contest had long since taken on a different flavor, bearing far more than a simple match.
The grudge between the Li and Zhou families, the dissatisfaction with Zhou Pan within the Divine Fist Society, and even the overt and covert struggles behind it all from Chang'an...
In Xianyang City, plenty of people wanted to see the Zhou family suffer a setback.
Zhang ShiTong would not say these things.
Li Yan had lived two lifetimes and could naturally see through them. In fact, all of this was within his expectations.
The agreement to fight on the Life and Death Arena that day had not been the result of a momentary fit of hotheadedness.
When his father was alive, he had often told him that one's reputation in the martial world was extremely important. It was not merely about seeking that bit of empty fame.
In this world, there was no so-called Spiritual Energy. No one had cultivated in some remote mountain for many years, emerged in a single day, and then swept across the world.
There were no figures like the sweeping monk, either. No matter how well one trained, without enough experience against enemies, one could still be tricked to death by an old hand.
According to Wang Dao Xuan, the people of the Xuan Gate were the same.
No matter how good one's talent was, one still had to see heaven and earth, see all living beings, and only then see oneself.
There was another benefit to fighting on an arena.
In the martial world, fame could sometimes invite trouble, but in a certain sense, it was also a protective talisman.
Of course, all of this depended on one thing: that he could win.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The drumbeat rang out once more in the small courtyard.
But unlike yesterday, Li Yan had already mastered Divine Drum Cloud Thunder Sound.
The drumbeat merged with the thunderous sound, his chest resonating with the war drum. Each booming strike was immense, and every time it rang out, that vibrating force reached straight into his sinew membranes and internal organs, tingling as though he had been struck by lightning.
He controlled the force and practiced step by step.
For one thing, he feared that the remaining drums would be smashed as well.
For another, this method was fierce. If he failed to control the degree properly, repeated internal injuries to his sinew membranes would require the Great Luo Dharma Body to repair them.
No matter how fine a treasure was, it could not withstand such wanton waste.
The growth of Hidden Strength was not achieved in a single day. Only through the effort of water dripping through stone, together with the body's gradual accumulation of changes, could one control it at will, turning it a hundred times and a thousand ways.
What Li Yan had to do was raise his skill as much as possible before tomorrow's contest, so that he could use it at the crucial moment.
"Overwhelm me with force?"
"Can you even overwhelm me!"
After another round of practice, Li Yan recalled the Zhou family's plan and sneered inwardly. He shifted to one side and struck out diagonally with his right palm.
Thirty-Six Palms: Tyrant's Leisure.
Rumble...
His palm struck the stone trough holding water, sliding it half a meter sideways.
Only after it stopped did the water inside the trough surge up with a roar.
"Whoa, my fish!"
Wang Dao Xuan's face immediately filled with heartache.
But when he ran over to check, he was surprised to find several red fish swimming around cheerfully in the trough, completely unaffected...
Outside the door, deep in the old alley.
A short man crouched in a corner. After secretly listening to the drumbeats for a long while, he finally grew impatient and hurried away...
"Beating a drum?"
In a private room at Yuhe Teahouse, Yuan Qu raised an eyebrow.
"That's right. He's been beating it nonstop."
The speaker was the short man who had been eavesdropping earlier. He smiled obsequiously and said, "How would this lowly one dare deceive Chief Yuan? According to the neighbors nearby, he's been beating it since yesterday all the way until today. Who knows what kind of madness has seized that brat."
"Enough, enough. Get lost!"
A tall, powerfully built man beside him waved impatiently.
His skin was dark, and he wore a red robe and a little cap decorated with a flower hairpin. He was none other than Zheng HeiBei, chief of the Iron Saber Gang.
After dismissing the man who had gone to gather information, Zheng HeiBei cast a sidelong glance at Yuan Qu and said in a low voice, "Yuan, what do you think that brat is up to?"
"I heard he's been following a sorcerer. Could he be trying to play at spirit possession?"
"Heh heh, are you afraid?"
Yuan Qu took a sip of tea and spoke in a mocking, insincere tone.
Although the two of them came from the same First Gate, they were ultimately the leaders of gangs occupying the eastern and western parts of Xianyang City. They had fought one another plenty of times in the past, and with their personalities, they had never liked each other.
Hearing Yuan Qu's taunt, Zheng HeiBei immediately flew into a rage. "What would I be afraid of? The one who caused this mess was that coward Meng HaiCheng. If he had told me sooner, I would've simply butchered that brat. Why would there be all this trouble now?"
"If you ask me, don't bother with the arena tomorrow. Tonight I'll invite a sorcerer to perform a ritual and curse him to death!"
His words were rash, but Zheng HeiBei's eyes were exceptionally calm. He kept staring at Yuan Qu, seemingly trying to see through him.
Yuan Qu glanced at him and sneered. "Why are you probing me? Do you really think no one knows about that Jiangzuo Sorcerer you've hidden in your nest?"
"How could those few things you did have escaped an expert's notice? People merely kept one eye open and one eye closed out of respect for our master."
"And the Beggars' Gang at the Mass Burial Grounds—why did you provoke them? Since this matter has already gone onto the arena, any little tricks you play will only add to the chaos..."
"I don't need you to lecture me!"
Zheng HeiBei snapped back irritably.
Seeing him like this, a spark of anger also rose in Yuan Qu's eyes. "Zheng, don't you dare cause trouble at a time like this. I'm not doing this to help you."
With that, he rose and went to the window. Standing with his hands behind his back, he looked outside and murmured, "Remember, if that old thing falls, neither of us will have an easy time!"
"The waters of Xianyang City run deep..."
Below was the crossroads on the old Paifang Street.
It was nearly dusk. A group of carpenters were working busily, and the towering arena had begun to take shape. Curious idlers had surrounded it in layer upon layer.
Two rough fellows joked among the crowd:
"Third Brother, who do you think will win tomorrow?"
"Tch, who cares who wins? As long as the fight is lively."
"Exactly. Better yet, they should beat each other's brains right out..."
Before you continue