Body Tempering Ninth Level

In winter, though the weather had grown bitterly cold, these mountains remained lush and green. The trees were still vibrant, untouched by the chill.

Under the starlight, they glimmered with tiny specks of crystalline brilliance.

In a remote little courtyard halfway up the mountain, the bright yellow lamplight stood out against the darkness.

"Are you joining those groups, like the Mutual Aid Society or the Sword Technique Hall?" Xin Shuming asked.

"Me? I'll see how things go over the next few days," Zhong Qing said, sounding uncertain.

"What about you, Qinglin?" Xin Shuming turned to Chen Qinglin.

"Me? I'm not considering joining any of those for now. I can barely find enough time to practice."

"I see." Xin Shuming glanced at Qi Hanwen, who had said nothing, and let the subject drop.

This temporary little group from Dingyuan County had gone their separate ways in less than a day.

"I'm going to practice my sword." With that, Chen Qinglin walked out of the courtyard.

It seems we're headed down different roads. Chen Qinglin swung his Long Sword faster and faster.

Beneath the bright moon, streaks of white sword light sliced through the air, coiling around him like a swimming dragon as they darted up and down. The shrill whistle of the blade shook the mountains and forests.

Clang! Clang-clang! Clang!

The dull sound of his sword sliding home brought the practice to an end. Chen Qinglin lay on a rock, gazing fixedly at the moon in the night sky.

What night has no moon? What place has no friends? There are simply too few people who can accompany you all the way.

Haven't I already endured enough partings? Even if I'm alone, I'll cut through the brambles with the sword in my hand and keep climbing onward.

Late that night, Chen Qinglin sat cross-legged on his bed. Blood Qi surged from his flesh and coursed through his body. It wasn't depleted—instead, it grew stronger with every pass.

His Blood Qi surged, yet showed no sign of running wild. It simply washed through his body again and again.

At last, as if breaking through some kind of threshold, his Blood Qi suddenly increased, and continued to swell like a galloping steed.

The abrupt surge also made it harder for Chen Qinglin to control his Blood Qi than before.

From the outside, his whole body looked bright red, and steam kept rising from his skin.

Then he felt a tremendous improvement in his sinews and bones, flesh, organs, and physical strength.

He felt Blood Qi coursing through his entire body, and an urge to punch a mountain in half.

But he knew it was an illusion, and began to steady his mind.

He slowly exhaled, then sat cross-legged and regulated his breathing.

Only then did he open the panel to check his status.

[Chen Qinglin]

Lifespan: 14/99

Realm: Body Tempering Ninth Level

Skills: Archery (Perfection 10000/10000), Iron Wire Fist (Perfection 3033/10000), Iron Sword Art (Perfection 6585/10000)

He had finally broken through to the Body Tempering Ninth Level. Next, he needed to control the Blood Qi throughout his body, then break through to the Inner Qi Realm.

Normally, Body Tempering Realm Martial Artists possessed abundant Blood Qi, but many could never fully control their own Blood Qi in their entire lives.

To break through to the Inner Qi Realm, one had to control one's Blood Qi and condense it into a single stream, giving birth to True Qi.

The Qi Gathering Pill helped Blood Qi condense, aiding Martial Artists in advancing to the Inner Qi Realm.

Although Chen Qinglin's aptitude was only above average, he benefited from his talent panel, which let him perfectly wield any martial art he learned and control his own strength.

As long as he had once managed to unleash greater strength, even for an instant, he would remember that state and keep himself at that level from then on.

He had only just broken through to the Body Tempering Ninth Level, so he still needed time to adjust.

Once he had fully adapted and mastered his increased Blood Qi, he would break through to the Inner Qi Realm.

His progress in Martial Dao also increased the proficiency he gained from practicing each day, creating a positive feedback loop.

When he had first started practicing martial arts, managing twenty rounds of fist practice a day had been impressive.

Now, in addition to practicing his fists, he also practiced his sword. Each day, he could gain more than two hundred proficiency points in both Iron Wire Fist and Iron Sword Art.

And that was despite having been a little sidetracked lately.

Chen Qinglin figured that for now, he increased his proficiency through sheer volume. But a person's intelligence and comprehension weren't set in stone.

As he learned more martial arts, broadened his knowledge, and advanced in Martial Dao, his comprehension and intelligence would rise as well.

The proficiency he gained from each practice would only keep increasing.

When that happened, he might only need to glance at a foundational martial art like Iron Wire Fist and practice it once to reach Great Accomplishment, then twice to perfect it.

At the thought, his slight melancholy vanished, replaced by a flicker of excitement.

(＞y＜)

Holding back his delight, he pulled up his little blanket, flopped down, and fell asleep. zzz!!

Meanwhile, he slept soundly, but Xin Shuming and Zhong Qing were having trouble sleeping.

Still, they were Martial Artists. Going a few days without sleep was no big deal.

As for Qi Hanwen, well, he hadn't given the matter a second thought. He went to bed on time, keeping a very regular schedule.

Ten days passed. The new disciples at Yunqing Courtyard had formed the Cloud Dragon Society, made up of disciples from Yunzhou; the Mutual Aid Society, made up of disciples from Cangzhou; and the Youqi Society, made up of disciples from Youzhou.

There were also a few smaller societies, as well as some lone wolves.

Most of those lone wolves were people who devoted themselves to martial arts.

Others were confident in their cultivation and didn't want to get involved in anything.

Some looked down on such petty squabbles and couldn't be bothered to take part.

There were all kinds of people in the world, and Chen Qinglin and Qi Hanwen belonged to the latter group.

These past few days, Chen Qinglin and Qi Hanwen had followed almost identical routines.

Practice martial arts in the courtyard—go to the cafeteria to refuel when hungry—then return and practice some more.

They immersed themselves in their own worlds.

Zhong Qing and Xin Shuming, perhaps feeling their aptitudes weren't very good, spent several days observing and making inquiries before finally joining the Mutual Aid Society.

They hoped to get more resources from the society, so that when someone in the alliance broke through to the Inner Qi Realm and became an Inner Disciple, that person would give them a hand.

Over these ten days, the two spent less and less time practicing martial arts.

Instead, they followed members of the Mutual Aid Society around, trying to recruit those who hadn't joined a society yet.

They often tried to persuade Chen Qinglin and Qi Hanwen to join the Mutual Aid Society, too.

Neither of them responded.

Recently, however, the Mutual Aid Society, Youqi Society, and Cloud Dragon Society seemed to think they had grown strong enough to spread their wings, and began making moves.

First, they had every member hand over one Body Tempering Pill, claiming the pills would be pooled and given to the most talented members, who would break through to the Inner Qi Realm first. Once they obtained more resources, they would help the others break through.

Then they started demanding two Body Tempering Pills a month from the lone-wolf disciples as a support fee. Anyone who refused got beaten up, and all their pills were taken.

Outer Sect Disciples at Qingfeng Mountain received one bottle of Body Tempering Pills each month, and a bottle contained just three pills. If they handed over all three, how were they supposed to cultivate?

So those disciples joined the societies, which then became even more ruthless about extorting pills from those who hadn't joined.

At first, the societies had been wary of Qingfeng Mountain, but later they realized the mountain wasn't doing anything and was letting them grow unchecked.

And so the situation spiraled out of control...

"Brother Zhong, I heard there are two disciples in your courtyard who haven't joined a society?"

"Brother Wu, those two brothers of mine are both devoted to martial arts, so they didn't join a society."

"That's where you're wrong. How can you not think of your brothers when there's something good to be had? Isn't that right, Shu Ming?"

"I..." Xin Shuming stammered, unable to get the words out. His expression turned uneasy.

"Enough. No more talking. Come with us. I'd like to see how much clout those two brothers of yours think they have." Wu Cheng, who was leading the group, spoke up.

There were thirteen of them: three at the Body Tempering Eighth Level, Wu Cheng at the Body Tempering Ninth Level, and the remaining nine Martial Artists at the Body Tempering Seventh Level.

A group of people stormed toward Chen Qinglin and the others' courtyard. A closer look showed that Zhong Qing and Xin Shuming were among them.

Chen Qinglin and Qi Hanwen hadn't noticed them yet. The two were practicing martial arts in front of the courtyard.