Master, I Want to Learn Martial Arts!

Chu Feng glanced at Chen Shi Tou, who remained unconscious, and Afu, who had been reduced to a mutilated corpse, and sighed involuntarily.

"Demons and monsters run rampant, and merely staying alive is already harder than reaching the heavens. I was born a servant, so prospects for the future are simply too distant for me..."

Chu Feng had no ambition to rise above the masses. He only wanted to rely on the panel to establish himself in the Great Zhou Dynasty, then climb step by step to the peak of martial arts and see the scenery from that lofty height.

Li Zhenshan advised him, "In the turbulent tide of the mortal world, whether demons and monsters or martial artists, none can break free... A lone wolf may be free and unfettered, but martial arts cultivation consumes an enormous amount of resources. Only by relying on the strength of a group can one sustain oneself and cultivate a martial path that reaches the heavens!"

Chu Feng fell silent. Ginger was still spicier when it was old—Li Zhenshan had struck straight at the deepest part of his heart with a single sentence.

He immediately bowed deeply and said, "I, Chu, have wandered for half my life. Thanks to Master Li's affection, I am willing to acknowledge you as my adoptive father and care for you in your old age and see you off at the end of your life...""

A golden thigh had taken the initiative to stretch itself over for him to embrace. How could Chu Feng possibly refuse?

"Get lost... Do I need you to care for me in my old age and see me off?" Li Zhenshan raised his foot and nearly kicked him.

Chu Feng dodged with a strange laugh.

After finally composing himself, Li Zhenshan continued, "Consider this my support for you. Once your martial arts reach Great Accomplishment, you only need to help me with one thing."

"Once you reach that height, it will merely be a matter of convenience. If you fail to reach it, then there is naturally no need to mention it."

Chu Feng stopped fooling around and said seriously, "I will definitely do my utmost!"

The two chatted for a long time on the road, discussing some of the basic knowledge of martial arts in this world, the influence of the thousand-year Noble Families of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and so on...

After returning to the small courtyard they rented, Chu Feng placed the unconscious Chen Shi Tou in the room next door, then lay alone on the bed, deep in thought.

Martial arts in this world had already reached the pinnacle of perfection. They were far more terrifying than even the high-martial world from his previous life, where people could live for a thousand years!

Even if there were no immortals who lived forever, there were probably mighty martial experts with an equivalent level of power.

Skin, Flesh, Tendon, and Bone were merely the foundation. Above them were Organ Tempering, Marrow Cleansing, Blood Exchange...

In such a dazzling and colorful world, how could Chu Feng be content to remain an insignificant passerby? Since he possessed the panel, he had to reach the peak, or this life would have been wasted!

Chu Feng found a jar of Huadiao Old Wine and tossed the fiery-red pill into it.

The moment the pill entered the wine, wisps of red vapor streamed out from within it.

Chu Feng lightly sniffed with the tip of his nose. A strange fragrance entered his nostrils, refreshing even his exhausted mind.

Without bothering to heed Li Zhenshan's instruction to wait thirty-six days, he immediately poured himself a bowl and drank deeply.

"Gulp, gulp..."

After downing three bowls of strong wine, Chu Feng instantly felt clear-headed and refreshed. A warm current rose from his abdomen and spread through his limbs and bones. In the span of just two breaths, Chu Feng's face had become radiant as rosy clouds.

Chu Feng sat cross-legged and regulated his breathing, secretly calling up the panel.

[Name: Chu Feng.]

[ cultivation: Early Bone Forging.]

[Plunder Lifespan: Ninety years]

[Technique: Dragon Transformation Body Tempering Art, Great Accomplishment.]

[Killing Arts: Breaking Edge Saber Technique, Perfection; Serpentine Crane Hand Art, Perfection.]

The miscellaneous cultivation techniques he had practiced before had already been completely integrated into the Dragon Transformation Body Tempering Art, forming a system of their own.

Now, he only needed to acquire more Bone Forging techniques and repair, fuse, and evolve them into the Dragon Transformation Body Tempering Art. Sooner or later, he would reach the limit of Bone Forging!

At that point, he would have achieved true perfection and could begin cultivating Organ Tempering techniques.

However, Chu Feng felt that his killing arts were still insufficient. Without the Mò Dāo, his Serpentine Crane Hand Art had taken him half a day to kill a single demon.

The ultimate perfected meaning of the Serpentine Crane Hand Art, "Crane Soaring, Thunderous Cry of a Hundred Birds," consisted of dense, continuous attacks.

It was not suited to breaking through a sturdy, thick defense. Thus, Chu Feng now needed a fist technique that could break through defenses with a single strike.

Now that he had the support of this power, why not deduce a technique?

[First year, you drank strong wine to your heart's content, allowing the energy contained in the wine to surge through your chest. Taking advantage of your drunkenness, you cultivated the Serpentine Crane Hand Art, only to find that the technique you had once known so well had become unfamiliar, with many aspects you had never mastered.]

[Eighth year, after practicing the Serpentine Crane Hand Art a million times, you finally made new progress at this moment.]

[Seventeenth year, countless variations of fist techniques continuously unfolded in your mind.]

[Twentieth year, you comprehended a killing art beyond perfection: Drunken Crane Carrying Clouds!]

This move concealed its killing intent and left no trace to follow. Amid the interweaving of feints and real strikes, it possessed boundless might! Like a drunken crane carrying clouds, it was light and casual, yet concealed killing intent. Once unleashed, it could turn heaven and earth upside down—a single punch could determine the fate of the universe!

Seeing the result of the deduction, a satisfied smile appeared at the corner of Chu Feng's mouth.

Without a handy weapon, he could only strengthen the techniques in his hands. That way, if he encountered another thick-skinned, heavily armored opponent, killing it would not be so troublesome.

Since he could not sleep anyway, Chu Feng went into the courtyard to practice this new version of the Serpentine Crane Hand Art.

Lowering his waist and settling into a horse stance, Chu Feng exhaled like a cloud-serpent dancing through the air.

All of a sudden, his figure moved. His body was as light and elusive as a spirit crane as he leaped into midair, then landed lightly without stirring the slightest speck of dust.

With every movement of his body, his limbs and bones released power at his command. His strength weighed a thousand jun, and the air constantly rang with crackling sounds like firecrackers exploding amid thunder.

The drunkenness in his chest had yet to disperse. Each of his great tendons rippled like swimming dragons, while lightning-like patterns flickered beneath his skin. His Skin, Flesh, Tendon, and Bone, which had already been tempered to the limit, began to grow scorching hot once more. Sweat transformed into steaming white vapor, stripping away a small amount of impurities from his body...

Chu Feng felt utterly refreshed. His entire body was enveloped in a blood-red aura, and the energy contained in the Fox Demon's Inner Core was completely absorbed by his body.

By the time the sun rose in the east and the crowing of roosters shattered the dawn...

Chen Shi Tou awoke from his sleep.

The first thing he did upon waking was look around frantically for Afu.

Only after he ran outside and saw Chu Feng practicing his punches in the courtyard did he finally calm down for no apparent reason.

"Master, Afu, he..."

Although he had already learned the answer last night, Chen Shi Tou still refused to believe it. How he wished it had all merely been a dream.

And now that he had awakened from that dream, the thin, petite Afu would appear before him again and weakly call out, "Brother Shi Tou..."

Chu Feng said nothing, merely directing his gaze toward the corner of the courtyard.

A bloodstained garment wrapped around a small, thin body...

Chen Shi Tou ran over in grief and opened it. Only when he saw Afu's mangled face, so covered in blood and flesh that it was almost unrecognizable, did he finally come to his senses.

He was not dreaming. Afu was dead, eaten by the demon that he had brought over...

"Afu..."

Chen Shi Tou hugged the corpse and wept bitterly, his voice filled with desolation and sorrow.

"Afu, wake up. Didn't you want to learn martial arts? I can ask Master to take you in right now..."

Chen Shi Tou howled in agony, but the thin, petite boy who had called him Brother Shi Tou would never answer him again.

Chu Feng merely watched without disturbing him.

At a time like this, any words of comfort were useless. He could only walk out of such a predicament on his own.

After a long while, Chen Shi Tou stood up and wiped away his tears.

He walked over to Chu Feng and stood before him, his gaze resolute. "Master, I want to learn martial arts!"