The Wind Sweeps Through the Tower Before the Mountain Rain (Part 2)

Above Blackwater County, massive dark clouds hung low, like an inverted black cauldron, sealing the entire county town in a suffocating grip.

The rain held off, and the air was thick with a damp, sweltering heat that pressed against people's chests, making it a struggle just to breathe.

It felt very much like the calm before a storm.

In the courtyard of the Five Animals Martial Hall, Yuan Long dismissed all his disciples, including those at the Manifest Energy level.

Some knew a major event was imminent; they said nothing, silently returned their martial hall uniforms, cupped their fists, and took their leave.

Others had reddened eyes, insisting they would share the fate of the martial hall and would rather die than leave.

Yuan Long drove them all away.

Not a single one remained.

The seven major martial halls of Blackwater County were Five Animals, Open Mountain, Thunderbolt, Through-Back, White Cloud, Coiling Dragon, and Clear Wind. Combined, the seven halls possessed eleven Transformation Energy martial artists.

Among them, Five Animals, White Cloud, and Clear Wind each had one, while the other four halls each had two.

This was a force that could not be underestimated.

It was no wonder that the Thousand-Household Official Zhang Wei was so desperate to consolidate control over Blackwater County.

All day long, Jiang Tian practiced his punches without pause.

He downed Blood Vitality Pills like candy, pouring them into his mouth one after another. He didn't even bother to chew, swallowing them whole and letting the warmth explode in his gut, transforming into surging blood vitality that rushed to his limbs and bones.

[Ding! Your Martial Dao Sacred Body and Heaven-Defying Comprehension are active! Five Animals Creation Play +33!]

[Ding! Your Martial Dao Sacred Body and Heaven-Defying Comprehension are active! Five Animals Creation Play +33!]

[Ding! Your Martial Dao Sacred Body and Heaven-Defying Comprehension are active! Five Animals Creation Play +33!]

His fist whistled through the air, and sweat fell like rain.

The bluestone slabs beneath his feet were worn into shallow indentations—marks left by the repeated force and grinding of his training.

Tomorrow was the day Zhang Wei would host his banquet.

Today, the county magistrate and the other six martial hall masters gathered at the Five Animals Martial Hall to discuss tomorrow's affairs.

County Magistrate Fang Ping had three Transformation Energy martial artists under his command, and including himself—though his injuries had yet to fully heal—they barely counted as four.

The seven martial halls had eleven Transformation Energy experts, totaling fifteen.

Meanwhile, Thousand-Household Official Zhang Wei and the three great families had thirteen in total.

At least on the surface, their side held the advantage.

It was no wonder Yuan Long felt confident.

The group remained locked in a room for a secret meeting, doors and windows shut tight, their voices kept to a low murmur.

Jiang Tian did not participate; his mind was free of distractions, focused solely on his punches.

It was close.

He was only one final step away from Transformation Energy.

[Ding! Your Martial Dao Sacred Body and Heaven-Defying Comprehension are active! Five Animals Creation Play +33!]

[Ding! Your Martial Dao Sacred Body and Heaven-Defying Comprehension are active! Five Animals Creation Play +33!]

[Martial Art: Five Animals Creation Play (Perfected) (1967+/2000)]

[Ding! Your Martial Dao Sacred Body and Heaven-Defying Comprehension are active! Five Animals Creation Play +33!]

"Hum—"

The moment the progress bar hit its limit, the energy within Jiang Tian felt like a powder keg with a lit fuse. It emitted a dull hum, spreading outward from the depths of his Dantian like ripples in water, layer upon layer.

He could feel the energy within his body undergoing a qualitative transformation.

That energy surged through his body, passing through every meridian, vibrating every acupuncture point, and scouring his internal organs.

His muscles and bones resonated, emitting a low, trembling sound, as if a sleeping giant beast within him was slowly opening its eyes.

"Crack, crack, crack—"

His bones rattled, his blood boiled, and a faint golden luster flickered across his skin before vanishing in an instant.

He did not know how much time had passed before the trembling finally subsided.

Jiang Tian slowly raised his clenched fist, opened his palm, and focused his intent.

An invisible force instantly erupted from his palm, which was etched with clear lines.

Though the energy was invisible, one could see a faint, shimmering distortion in the air, like the heat rising from asphalt on a summer afternoon, warping the light.

The greatest difference between Transformation Energy and Manifest Energy was that the energy could take form.

He watched as the energy in his palm condensed into a palm-sized tiger, baring its fangs and claws, vivid and lifelike, before shifting into a clumsy-looking brown bear, round and stout, yet radiating a heavy sense of pressure.

His five senses had also become much sharper.

After gaining his Innate Martial Bone, he had already possessed senses equal to those of a Transformation Energy martial artist. Now that he had broken through to Transformation Energy and mastered all five types of momentum from the Five Animals Creation Play, he realized that the [Bird in the Rain] was specifically designed to sharpen the senses.

[Innate Martial Bone] + [Bird in the Rain] + Transformation Energy martial artist's senses.

With these three types of power superimposed, his five senses had reached an incredibly exaggerated level.

He even felt that as long as he set his mind to it, any slight movement within a fifty-meter radius could be clearly perceived by him: the collision of an ant's antennae underground, the angle at which every leaf swayed in the breeze, and even the sound of the barbs on a stray cat's tongue scraping against its fur in the neighboring alley...

Everything, down to the smallest detail, was laid bare before him.

The discussion among the group inside the house naturally reached his ears without a single word missed.

And now, they were about to come out.

The first to walk out was the magistrate of Blackwater County, Fang Ping.

He was not wearing his official robes, but rather a simple white garment, with a black sash tied around his waist.

His face carried an inherent authority, and his brow held the majesty of one who had long held a high position, though his lips were still pale and his vitality clearly lacking, giving him the appearance of someone just recovering from a serious illness.

Jiang Tian had just broken through to Transformation Energy, and the Momentum on his body had not yet reached the point of being retracted at will; he was like a sword just drawn from its scabbard, sharp and exposed, impossible to hide.

The moment Fang Ping's gaze swept over, he froze abruptly.

His eyes widened instantly, his pupils constricted, and his voice carried irrepressible shock: "Transformation Energy?!"

This exclamation caused the group following him to freeze in unison.

By the time everyone had walked into the courtyard and clearly sensed the aura on Jiang Tian, the same expression was written on every face.

Shock.

Wait, before they went into the house just now, wasn't this kid still at Manifest Energy?

They had only been talking inside for a short while, and this kid had already reached Transformation Energy?

Manifest Energy at this age wasn't exactly rare; they were all over the streets. But Transformation Energy was different; looking across the entire Blackwater County, those who could break through to Transformation Energy before the age of thirty could be counted on one hand.

And... why did the way this kid was looking at them feel so strange?

In Jiang Tian's eyes, these people had already turned into walking "experience packs."

Purple entries, blue entries, and green entries hung colorfully above everyone's heads, like trees laden with fruit.

The most exaggerated was the magistrate Fang Ping, who had three purple entries hanging above his head!

The corners of Jiang Tian's mouth twitched slightly.

In the following moments, a series of pleasant notification sounds rang out continuously in his mind.

[Extraction successful! Obtained three thousand entry points!]

[Extraction successful! Obtained one thousand five hundred entry points!]

[Extraction successful! Obtained eight hundred entry points!]

Although these entry points were still a long way from upgrading to a red entry—the threshold of one hundred thousand points couldn't be filled by just a few meals—since the sheep had walked right up to him, how could he not shear them?

Fang Ping sighed with a complex expression, his tone carrying a hint of emotion: "Truly, the younger generation is to be feared!"

"Tsk tsk tsk!" The master of the White Cloud Martial Hall nearby leaned in, looking Jiang Tian up and down before turning his head toward Yuan Long.

"Yuan Long, with such a good disciple, why didn't we hear a single word? You hid him away so well!"

"Well played, Yuan Long, how come I didn't realize you were so good at keeping secrets?"

The other hall masters joined in the teasing, their laughter rising one after another.

Yuan Long also wore a complex expression, standing in the crowd with the corners of his mouth twitching, not knowing what to say.

He had originally thought Jiang Tian would need more time to reach Transformation Energy.

But he... had still underestimated the speed of this kid's progress.

"Good, good, good!" One hall master clapped his hands, his face full of joy.

"With one more Transformation Energy expert, even if that Zhang Wei wants to flip the table, we have a bit more confidence on our side!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone scoffed, their tone carrying a hint of disapproval: "Zhou Ming, aren't you overestimating this kid a bit too much? He's only just reached Transformation Energy."

The one speaking was the master of the Kaishan Martial Hall, Liu Tian.

He was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a square face and thick, bushy eyebrows; standing there, he looked like a wall.

Zhou Ming frowned, retorting with displeasure: "Liu Tian, it's only natural to congratulate someone for breaking through to Transformation Energy at this age. Why are you being so cynical? At what age did you reach Transformation Energy? Don't you have any self-awareness?"

"Hmph!" Liu Tian grunted sullenly, a trace of disdain on his face.

"Old Zhou, I'm just stating the facts. You know as well as I do that Transformation Energy is all about the control of power. This kid just broke through, he probably hasn't even mastered the manifestation of power yet. In terms of actual combat strength, he's not much stronger than someone at Manifest Energy."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Tian, standing in the center of the courtyard, spoke up.

"Hall Master Liu."

Jiang Tian was neither servile nor overbearing, his posture as straight as a pine, and his voice, though not loud, reached the ears of everyone present clearly.

"Since you say so, why don't you come and test me?"

Once these words were spoken, the air instantly turned silent.

The courtyard was so quiet that one could hear the rustling of the wind through the leaves.

What did they just hear?

This kid, who had only just broken through to Transformation Energy, actually wanted to spar with the long-renowned master of the Kaishan Martial Hall?

"What a fearless newborn calf!"

Liu Tian immediately stepped forward, his internal energy surging. The air around him distorted slightly, as if an invisible flame were burning on the surface of his skin.

He turned his head to look at Yuan Long and grinned, revealing two rows of stark white teeth: "Yuan Long, since your disciple has said as much, I'll test him out. That's not a problem, is it?"

Everyone's gaze shifted in unison toward Yuan Long.

County Magistrate Fang Ping frowned and advised: "Yuan Long, talk some sense into your disciple. Old Liu is a martial hall master, after all. If he accidentally injures your genius disciple, wouldn't that ruin the harmony?"

"Yes, indeed," others chimed in.

Yuan Long glanced at Jiang Tian, who was standing in the center of the courtyard not far away, with a strange look in his eyes.

It wasn't certain who would win or lose.

But based on the power of Jiang Tian's punch last time, it was far from certain that Liu Tian could actually hurt him.

Although he thought this to himself, he said aloud: "It's a good opportunity for Liu Tian to dampen my disciple's arrogance. Young people need to suffer a few setbacks; it's not a bad thing."

Seeing that Yuan Long had agreed, Liu Tian burst into laughter.

"Good! Since that's the case, let me be the one to dampen your disciple's arrogance!"

With that, he turned around to face Jiang Tian, lifting his chin slightly with a condescending look in his eyes: "Come on, kid."

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Tian remained unmoved.

Instead, he extended his palm, spread his fingers, and beckoned toward Liu Tian.

"Arrogant!"

Liu Tian's eyebrows shot up, and a nameless fire surged in his chest.

He lunged forward with a punch, his body moving like a cannonball, instantly closing the distance to Jiang Tian.

The moment the punch was thrown, a sound like a thunderclap echoed through the air, making everyone's eardrums buzz.

"He's already using [Momentum]?" Zhou Ming frowned.

"Old Liu's temper is as fiery as ever!"

"Keep an eye on Old Liu," Fang Ping whispered to the person beside him.

"This kid has a limitless future; don't let him get hurt over such a trivial matter."

However.

The next scene nearly made everyone's eyes pop out of their sockets.

They saw Jiang Tian shift his body, moving as lightly as a deer in the woods. It looked slow, even carrying a sense of leisurely composure, yet in that very moment of shifting, he easily dodged Liu Tian's earth-shattering punch.

The wind from the punch grazed his clothes and struck the open ground behind him with a "boom," shattering the bluestone tiles and sending debris flying.

As for Jiang Tian, his robes fluttered, and he remained completely unscathed.

He stood three paces away from Liu Tian's side, his expression calm, a faint smile even lingering at the corners of his mouth.

The courtyard fell into a deathly silence.