Force, Intent, Heart!

Back home, Luo Zhou sighed.

Why is life so hard?

He finally killed all the Woodworm Devils, thinking it was over, but now he had to find the Holy Son.

When will it end? He hadn't even grown up yet, still a child, why was he being tossed around like this?

This time, there was no takeout. He decided to cook for himself.

He got five pounds of the best spare ribs and one pound of bok choy.

He didn't need to prepare the ribs and bok choy elaborately. He chopped the ribs into pieces, blanched them, and then started simmering them over high heat.

He cooked them until they were tender, then added the bok choy. The rib soup looked like milk!

Five pounds of ribs were nothing to Luo Zhou. If he really pushed it, he could eat seven pounds.

Luo Zhou looked at the delicious bok choy and rib soup, about to dig in.

But someone showed up.

The visitor was Cheng Wanli.

"Leader, why are you here?"

Cheng Wanli, coming over at this time, must have something on his mind.

Ever since he became the gang leader, Luo Zhou hadn't even seen him!

"Xiao Zhou, I've come to say goodbye."

"Ah, what? Goodbye?"

"Xiao Zhou, I had some trouble a while ago.

After I became the leader of the Dragon Tooth Gang, I made friends with the second steward of the City Lord's Mansion. We planned to open a restaurant together and disrupt the big business of Crocodile Dragon meat.

Everything was going well, no problems.

We suppressed all the other forces selling Crocodile Dragon meat.

But then, the City Lord's daughter, Fang Ningshuang, suddenly regained consciousness before she died.

In the half-day she was lucid, she took strong action and purged the City Lord's Mansion of its long-standing grievances.

She directly killed the City Lord's two concubines and crippled the corrupt second steward.

From then on, I lost my backing, and the forces selling Crocodile Dragon meat retaliated.

Fortunately, the City Lord was kind to me and helped me out a bit.

However, my Dragon Tooth Gang has been disbanded, and I have to leave Green Ridge City."

Back then, when Cheng Wanli stopped selling Crocodile Dragon meat, Luo Zhou had sensed that something had happened to him.

He never expected it to be like this...

Fang Ningshuang did a lot in that half-day she was lucid!

"Leader, where are you going?"

"The City Lord has arranged for me to work for the Fang family in Fengtian, the provincial capital.

Most of the brothers from the gang are leaving with me.

I came to see you and say goodbye before I leave!"

"Lu Yue, Zhang Chuan, Uncle Cheng Yu, they're all leaving with you?"

"Yes, we've shared life and death together!"

Luo Zhou nodded, thought for a moment, took out ten Spirit Stones, and handed them to Cheng Wanli.

"Leader, travel expenses. This is just a small token of my appreciation."

"No, no, I just came to say goodbye..."

"Leader, we're family, why be so formal? I only give what I have!"

Cheng Wanli wanted to say something, but in the end, he sighed and accepted the ten Spirit Stones.

The two chatted for a while longer and ate the rib and bok choy meal together.

After they finished eating, Cheng Wanli cupped his fists and left. This was a farewell that might mean they would never see each other again!

After Cheng Wanli had gone far, Luo Zhou returned to tidy up his room and found a small bag on the table.

It was made of grey cloth and looked very ordinary.

But Luo Zhou frowned, picked it up, and examined it carefully.

A Qiankun Bag!

It was a type of storage bag, specifically for cultivators in the Body Tempering stage.

Storage bags required cultivators in the Qi Refining stage to input true energy to open them. However, a Qiankun Bag didn't need that; it could store items with a password. It was most suitable for Body Tempering stage cultivators who didn't have true energy.

The password was written on the Qiankun Bag, visible at a glance.

Looking at Cheng Wanli's return gift, Luo Zhou was filled with mixed emotions.

He tried reciting the command: "Dragon Tooth"

Instantly, the Qiankun Bag opened. Upon careful examination, he found a storage space inside.

The space was three feet in length, width, and height.

Don't underestimate this small storage space. It's not something you can buy at the spiritual item shops in Green Ridge City; you'd have to go to the market in Fengtian, the provincial capital, to find one, and it would cost at least ten Spirit Stones.

Luo Zhou tested it repeatedly and was extremely pleased.

In fact, the people he had killed all had storage bags on them, but Luo Zhou didn't dare to touch them, knowing they would bring trouble.

With the Qiankun Bag, he finally felt like a true cultivator.

He took out all the Spirit Stones and placed them into the Qiankun Bag.

Luo Zhou now had thirty-one Spirit Stones remaining. He had spent quite a bit recently buying Talismans and giving Spirit Stones to Cheng Wanli, leaving him with so few.

He also had three thousand five hundred Broken Spirits and one hundred and thirty taels of silver.

He then added two sets of clean clothes, rations, a water gourd, and some essential daily necessities.

After some thought, he went to the old Wang Family residence and retrieved his thirteen Dragon-Slaying Thrusts, also storing them in the Qiankun Bag.

He couldn't bear to part with them. He had already inspected them, and they should be fine inside the Qiankun Bag.

With everything done, he began to cultivate.

First, he practiced the five major Body Tempering methods of the Great Zhou Heavenly Cycle, then he cultivated the Overturning Rivers and Seas fist and palm techniques.

After cultivating the five major Body Tempering methods of the Great Zhou Heavenly Cycle, the All-Knowing suddenly spoke:

"Luo Zhou, I've found a problem with your Body Tempering methods."

Luo Zhou was taken aback and asked, "What problem?"

"They only have form, but lack substance. You haven't broken through any bottlenecks like you did today with Overturning Rivers and Seas, you haven't even come close. I need to observe for a while longer before I can perceive the bottlenecks of the Body Tempering methods. However, I have a suggestion!"

"What suggestion?"

"I perceive that the so-called White Yang is actually the White Ape. Green Profound is the Green Python, Purple Heavens is the Vermilion Bird, Brown Scale is the Earth Dragon, and Black Nether is the Black Tortoise. You can buy a Green Snake to simulate the Green Python; buy a Sparrow to imitate the Vermilion Bird; buy a Lizard to imitate the Earth Dragon; buy a Turtle to imitate the Black Tortoise. As for the White Ape, try to buy a monkey. The more you imitate, the faster you will cultivate, and the stronger you will become."

Luo Zhou nodded and said, "I understand!" He was always willing to take advice and would immediately act if he felt it made sense.

"What was the deal with me breaking through the bottleneck of Overturning Rivers and Seas today?"

"To break through this bottleneck, you first need to understand its techniques. You must have a complete grasp of all the advantages and disadvantages of the Overturning Rivers and Seas fist and palm techniques. Then, you must master its methods, practicing it thoroughly until you reach a high level of proficiency. Finally, you must integrate it into your body, completely mastering it and removing any artificiality, making the movements and forms more suited to yourself. Only then can you perceive the bottleneck! And only by perceiving the bottleneck can you break it. After breaking through the bottleneck, you will gain three benefits: momentum, intent, and heart. It can be confirmed that you have already obtained the battle momentum of the Overturning Rivers and Seas fist and palm techniques!"

"What is battle momentum?"

"When you break through a bottleneck, you can control its momentum! After breaking through, you can faintly form the momentum of heaven and earth. Each palm strike, each punch, feels like an unstoppable force, as if one cannot contend against it, hence it is called controlling momentum. In the terms of your past life's games, it's like having a buff that increases your power by thirty percent to infinity!"

"It's not just fists and palms that have battle momentum; spellcasting has spell momentum, and swordplay has sword momentum."

Luo Zhou nodded and performed the Overturning Rivers and Seas fist and palm techniques again. Indeed, he could faintly feel an irresistible, powerful momentum within his palms and fists.

"All-Knowing, what about the heart and intent you mentioned?"

"Heart and intent, I haven't mastered them yet. I need you to accumulate knowledge so I can perceive them. I can now acquire some knowledge through external channels such as knowing heaven, knowing earth, knowing life, knowing death, knowing the divine, knowing the spiritual, knowing the heart, perceiving, cognizing, and awakening."

"Understood! Let's work hard together!"

The next morning, Luo Zhou headed straight for the pet market.

Upon arriving, he began his shopping spree.

First, he bought five Sparrows, then four Lizards.

Next came five small Turtles, and finally, six Green Snakes.

Luo Zhou couldn't possibly care for all these pets himself; they needed feeding and waste cleanup. So, he hired a helper from the pet market.

The deal was six hundred Copper Coins a month. The helper would visit Luo Zhou's home three times a day to feed the pets, clean up after them, and generally tend to the little creatures.

Luo Zhou would cover the cost of the pets' food separately. His main goal was to observe them and comprehend the profound mysteries of the five Body Tempering techniques.

Unexpectedly, while he was buying pets, a commotion broke out at a neighboring stall.

A couple was arguing fiercely.

The "argument," however, was more like the husband beating his wife.

No one knew the cause, but the man was hitting his wife, who yelped in pain.

Yet, he wasn't putting any real force into it; it was more like foreplay than a fight.

Luo Zhou glanced over. The surrounding vendors seemed accustomed to the scene.

Suddenly, he heard a mental cry:

"Ugh, why are they at it again? A bunch of ants, always making noise, it's so annoying!"

The pet market was crowded, and it was impossible to tell who had sent out the telepathic message!

Luo Zhou's eyes widened. Free merit!

He strode over and shouted, "Stop!"

"In broad daylight, under the bright sky, how can you hit someone like this!"

Without hesitation, he grabbed the man.

The man tried to resist, but it was like a dream. Luo Zhou held him fast and then delivered a kick to his backside.

Luo Zhou was about to say something more when the wife, the one being "beaten," picked up a broom and swung it at him.

"Who are you, brat, to hit my old man!"

Luo Zhou casually snatched the broom and gave her a push.

The couple bumped into each other. His task of punishing evil was complete!

Luo Zhou hesitated and asked, "Was he hitting you?"

"I'm helping you!"

"I'm willing, now let go of my old man."

"If you hurt my old man, I'm not done with you."

Luo Zhou released the man and backed away, shaking his head.

The onlookers, who had gathered to watch, burst into laughter.

"Kids will be kids, they don't understand. They're just flirting."

"Hitting is affection, scolding is love. This is hilarious!"

Luo Zhou feigned confusion and turned to leave.

As he walked away, a smile played on his lips. What did he care? He had earned merit!

It was a shame, though. With so many people around, he couldn't find the person who had sent the telepathic message. Otherwise, he might have been able to make use of them.