The heavy snow had passed, and the weather had grown increasingly cold.
The sea wind carried damp, biting chill as it swept past Iron Clothes Village's low houses. Slender, crystal-clear icicles hung from the eaves, glittering with a wintry gleam beneath the thin sunlight.
Yet the Chen Family's courtyard brimmed with a vigorous liveliness unlike its usual mood, all because of Chen Yuan's return.
Chen Yuan had not slacked off in the slightest after breaking through to the Tendon Changing Realm overnight. Instead, he had become even more diligent.
Every day, before dawn had broken, he cultivated in the courtyard.
Now that his Sinew Changing had reached its initial stage, when he practiced basic fist techniques, his sinews stretched and his strength flowed with unparalleled smoothness. The sound of his fists tearing through the air rang clearly, while his movements grew even swifter and more agile as he turned and shifted.
When he finished, heat steamed from his entire body, driving away the chill and morning frost and revealing the increasingly surging blood and qi within him.
He also frequently practiced the "Mist Manipulation" divine ability he had obtained from the Tidal Stele.
He discovered that after reaching the Sinew Changing stage, he could use the "Mist Barrier" ability of Mist Manipulation to form a mist of qi that concealed his own aura and cultivation realm. Though it had never been tested by an expert, he reckoned that among martial artists of the same realm, hiding himself would not be difficult.
Seeing her son work so hard, Lin Sanniang felt both distressed and proud. Every day, she came up with different ways to prepare food for him.
The fish soup was stewed until it was rich and milky white, and it never lacked sea lizard tailbones or red-scaled fish heads