Yuanhu Mountain Villa

As Wu Yuan devoted himself to the Tiger Leopard Bone Refining Technique, he felt his body constantly transforming. His muscles and bones ached faintly, while his flesh tingled and itched.

His body was growing at an astonishing rate.

The energy contained in the liquid he had swallowed was also being rapidly consumed.

"What kind of Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure is the liquid in that green jade bottle? It contains such pure energy, and it's so easy to absorb. Truly miraculous!" Wu Yuan marveled. "Such pure energy, combined with the Tiger Leopard Bone Refining Technique, is practically the perfect match."

Even the purest energy was useless unless the body could absorb it.

If the body couldn't absorb it, an overabundance of energy that was too pure would do more harm than good!

It was like someone too frail to take tonics: overdoing it could even cost them their life.

That was why Wu Yuan hadn't dared to take the undiluted liquid at first. He'd only drunk a small portion after diluting it, and had been very cautious.

As it turned out, caution had been the right choice!

If he had taken the liquid undiluted, even if he could just barely digest it, most of its potency would have gone to waste.

"At its current dilution, it's still a little below what my body can handle." Wu Yuan smiled.

He walked over to the steps, picked up the large basin of water tinged faintly purple, tilted his head back, and drank deeply.

It looked reckless, but he didn't waste a single drop.

In one go, he drank a third of the basin. The moment it entered his stomach, a vast surge of energy burst forth.

This Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure was ten times better than a Body Tempering Pill!

Unwilling to waste even a trace, Wu Yuan continued practicing the Tiger Leopard Bone Refining Technique.

"This body has powerful genes and an astonishingly high ceiling. Before, whenever I practiced the Tiger Leopard Bone Refining Technique, I was held back by a lack of energy."

"Now I can train like a man possessed." Wu Yuan immersed himself in the practice.

The feeling of clearly sensing himself grow stronger by the moment was intoxicating, impossible to resist.

In truth,

the Thirteen Prefectures of the Central Land were vast, and martial arts had been passed down there for countless years. Some Martial Dao Sacred Sects possessed secret techniques similar to the Tiger Leopard Bone Refining Technique and the Dragon Marrow Cleansing Technique. Even if they weren't as effective, the difference wouldn't be all that great.

And if a whole sect truly threw its resources behind someone, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures like Ancient Immortal Dew would be in no short supply.

But whether it was martial arts manuals or Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures,

the most important thing was the person!

Even a Martial Dao Grandmaster would struggle to master secret manuals of this sort, let alone a youth who had only just begun martial arts. How many could master them during the golden years of their physical development?

And besides,

even if someone managed to master them, how many could possess Wu Yuan's awareness as a grandmaster and control their bodies with such precision?

...Less than two days later.

Apart from practicing and sleeping, Wu Yuan did one other thing—feed the pigs and horses!

In the middle of the courtyard,

"Whoosh!" Wu Yuan swung his arm.

Boom! His fist shot out like a bolt of lightning, striking into the air. A faint crack rang out, enough to make anyone's expression change.

"My single-arm punching power should have reached twenty-four thousand jin." Wu Yuan drew back his fist, a smile tugging at his lips. "In just two days, I've gained around four thousand jin of strength. Hahaha!"

Twenty-four thousand jin of strength! Pure physical power!

Not a trace of combat technique was involved.

In the Central Land World, twenty thousand jin of strength was the minimum threshold for a Fifth-Rank Martial Artist, also known as a Third-class Expert.

On average, one Third-class Expert was born for every thousand people.

In the Human Federation of his previous life, someone as terrifyingly strong as Wu Yuan was now would generally have to be a Martial Dao Grandmaster. It represented the limit of human physical strength.

"Life in the Central Land World has more perfect genes, far superior to those of my previous life."

"Even so, becoming a Proficient Expert by twenty would make someone an elite among the younger generation, even in a major martial sect." Wu Yuan had discussed this with instructors at the Martial Academy and knew the facts.

A fourteen-year-old Proficient Expert?

The word "genius" hardly did him justice.

"This is just my pure physical strength. What if I unleash Triple Extreme Strength?" Wu Yuan clenched his fist. The muscles in his arm bulged, and terrifying veins stood out. His bones and tendons moved in tandem with his spine, which surged like a great dragon. In an instant, he brought the strength of his whole body into play.

All his power converged as one!

Bang! His fist shot out. Three layers of force stacked together in an instant, like a cannonball blasting from its barrel. The air compressed violently, unleashing a terrifying shriek!

One punch.

Over seventy thousand jin of force!

Martial Dao's Nine Ranks: A Second-Rank Martial Artist had single-arm punching power of one hundred thousand jin, enough to split mountains and shatter stone. Such a person was called a "top expert."

Deep within the Garrison General's residence, the hall was as austere as a military camp, filled with a murderous air.

Thud!

Something heavy hit the ground with a muffled thump.

"You unfilial son! You unfilial son!" General Xu's roar carried through the closed doors and windows and into the courtyard outside the hall.

His personal guards stood far from the courtyard, each of them impassively surveying the surroundings, alert for anyone who might approach.

Inside the hall, everything lay in disarray.

"Father, I know I was wrong!" The black-robed young man knelt on the floor, a clear handprint of blood on his face.

He was Xu Yuanjie, the eldest son of Xu Manor.

"Don't call me Father. I don't dare have a son like you. You're the one who should be my father." General Xu, usually so composed, was beside himself with rage.

Xu Yuanhan lowered his head, utterly terrified.

"Answer me. Didn't I tell you to leave this matter alone? Why did you still send Li Ye of the Fierce Tiger Gang to make trouble for the Wu Clan?" General Xu roared.

Xu Yuanjie didn't dare say a word.

"Speak!" General Xu glared at him.

"I... I thought that since Sixth Brother hadn't gotten into Cloud Martial Hall, the five thousand taels of silver should naturally be reclaimed from the Wu Clan," Xu Yuanjie stammered.

"Even if you wanted to reclaim it, why send the Fierce Tiger Gang?"

General Xu stared hard at Xu Yuanjie,

as though he were about to devour his own son alive.

"I thought the Wu Clan was being so unreasonable that they needed to be taught a lesson..." Xu Yuanjie's voice dwindled. Then he suddenly blurted out, "But Father, I truly didn't tell the Fierce Tiger Gang to kill anyone from the Wu Clan. I really didn't!"

"You didn't?"

General Xu's anger only grew. He snatched up a celadon vase from the desk and smashed it on the floor, roaring, "What do you think the Fierce Tiger Gang is? They're a pack of wolves who treat human lives like grass! Even I can't fully control them."

"What made you think Li Ye and the others would do exactly as you said?"

"Naive! Ignorant!"

"I think you won't be satisfied until you've ruined your Sixth Brother and destroyed the Xu Clan!" General Xu grew angrier with every word.

He suddenly grabbed the official seal, ready to hurl it at Xu Yuanjie with all his might.

With his terrifying strength, if it hit, it could very well kill Xu Yuanjie.

"Father!" Xu Yuanjie's eyes were wide with terror. He had never imagined this would make his father so furious.

"General, calm down! Please, calm down!" The burly Liu Ye finally reached out and stopped General Xu.

At the same time,

Liu Ye urged, "Young Master, why don't you get out of here?"

"Thank you, Uncle Liu." Xu Yuanjie felt as if he'd been granted a new lease on life. He scrambled to his feet and fled the hall.

"Lock that wretch in the military prison. Without my orders, no one is to let him out!" General Xu roared.

"Yes!" Two guards outside the hall acknowledged the order and hurried after Xu Yuanjie.

Inside the hall,

at last, silence fell.

"Whew!" General Xu took a deep breath before looking at Liu Ye. "Liu Ye, I lost my temper. I failed to raise my son properly, and you've had to witness it."

"Please calm down, General," Liu Ye said in a low voice. "The young master may have acted rashly, but his intentions were good."

"His intentions were good? He's just too stupid! Too obsessed with petty gains!" General Xu's eyes were filled with disappointment.

Liu Ye had nothing more to say.

"General, according to the two Fierce Tiger Gang leaders we captured, the young master never told the gang the specific reason," Liu Ye said.

"Does it matter?" General Xu shook his head. "How clever is Wu Qiming? How could he fail to guess that Xu Manor was behind this?"

"The agents I placed in the Prefect's Mansion have already sent word. The Wu Clan has agreed to submit a joint petition!"

"And Wu Yuan's strength has been improving rapidly. They say he already has the strength of a Martial Master."

"A fourteen-year-old Martial Master? How many years has it been since Li City had one?"

"Among the disciples Cloud Martial Hall recruited this year, only one can match him."

General Xu shook his head slightly. "Once the Wu Clan submits its petition, Jiang Dongque will surely give them his full support. Facing a genius like Wu Yuan, the sect won't stand by either. The Inspection Hall will certainly come to investigate."

"Then what should we do?" At the words "Inspection Hall," Liu Ye's expression changed too.

"If that wretched son hadn't meddled, the Wu Clan's petition wouldn't have been a serious problem. But the Fierce Tiger Gang's third-in-command has fallen into Jiang Dongque's hands, and he knows plenty." General Xu's gaze turned icy.

"I understand." Liu Ye nodded slightly. "The third-in-command will die in prison from an illness brought on by the change in climate."

General Xu nodded in approval, some of his anger fading.

"What about the Wu Clan?" Liu Ye asked.

"They were already aggrieved by the injustice I forced on them. This time, Wu Qiming nearly died, and the Wu Clan suffered many casualties. They must be seething with anger toward me. With Jiang Dongque stirring them up, there's no way to make peace. Besides, even if we went to them to reconcile, would you believe us in their place?" General Xu's gaze was cold.

Liu Ye could only shake his head.

After what had happened with the Fierce Tiger Gang, there was no foundation of trust left between the two sides.

"And Wu Yuan is exceptionally gifted. Even if we could reconcile, who's to say he wouldn't come after us when he grows up?" General Xu shook his head. "The risk is too great. I don't want to take that gamble."

"Then?" Liu Ye hesitated.

"Find an opportunity to deal with Wu Yuan first. Once Wu Yuan is dead, kill Wu Qiming outright." General Xu's voice was cold. "Then everyone involved in this will be dead, and there'll be no witnesses. With only the evidence Jiang Dongque has that I contacted the Fierce Tiger Gang, at worst I'll be transferred back to the sect."

"With my teacher's support, I'll still have a chance to rise again."

Liu Ye couldn't help nodding.

Others might not know it, but he knew that Xu Shouyi's teacher was one of the sect's decision-makers.

"This time,"

"Though we haven't yet discovered the identity of that mysterious spearman," General Xu continued, "he swept through the Fierce Tiger Gang. It brought both misfortune and fortune, and at least it removed a major hidden danger for me."

"True." Liu Ye nodded, a trace of lingering fear on his face. "Who could have guessed Yang Long had hidden himself so well? He was actually from Yuanhu Mountain Villa."

"I only found the letters between Yang Hu and Yuanhu Mountain Villa after searching the whole stronghold carefully."

Yuanhu Mountain Villa was one of the six great powers of Jiang Province.

Although it was weaker than Hengyun Sect, it still governed a thousand-mile territory and had a population of twenty million under its rule. It also had many powerful martial artists.

"Yuanhu Mountain Villa joined forces with Hengyun Sect to resist Great Jin, making it a half-ally. Yet it planted a pawn in the heart of Hengyun Sect's territory. There must be a reason." General Xu spoke slowly.

"..."