Sparring

Not long after the incident.

"Are the brothers all right?"

Looking down at the shriveled, charred corpse of the strange fish at his feet, Feng Xiu felt his mood instantly brighten.

He reached up to straighten the crown on his head, his tone casual.

"We're fine, just a few brothers suffered arm injuries; they'll be good as new after applying some golden sore medicine back home," Xiang Geng replied with a smile.

"Still, don't be careless. If the Fish Mother carried any poison, it would be bad if it damaged your foundations."

Xiang Geng's expression turned slightly serious as he nodded.

He then turned his gaze to sweep across the group. Since they were all guards of the Feng Clan, they naturally understood the meaning behind that look.

"Captain Xiang, we didn't see anything today."

A quick-witted martial artist spoke up immediately.

"Chen He just took a tumble. Old Chen, can't you watch where you're going, you son of a bitch?" The man turned to scold the middle-aged man clutching his shoulder.

"Captain, I promise to keep my eyes open when I walk from now on!"

Chen He was also a sharp one; he immediately patted his chest to guarantee it, though his face twisted in pain.

"Mm, that's good. Old Chen, go collect some extra martial resources when we get back."

Xiang Geng nodded indifferently and waved his hand.

Seeing this, one of the men began dragging the Fish Mother's corpse, leaving a trail behind them on the ground.

The rest of the group dispersed one after another, heading toward the Tang Reservoir.

After they left.

Only Feng Xiu and Xiang Geng remained in the small bamboo grove.

"Young Master, what exactly was that? A monster?" Now that they were alone, Xiang Geng could no longer suppress the curiosity in his heart and asked.

"How would I know? Those things insisted on coming after me. You're asking me, but who am I supposed to ask?"

Feng Xiu glanced at him, and Xiang Geng gave a sheepish laugh.

"Alright, let's leave this matter here. Increase the patrol frequency from now on. Any monsters that manage to crawl out of the Tang Reservoir are to be killed on sight."

Feng Xiu set the tone and issued the direct order.

Hearing this, even though many questions—about Su Wantang, the woman he slept with, and the 'master'—lingered in Xiang Geng's mind, he had no choice but to force them down.

Feng Xiu looked up at the bamboo canopy blocking the scorching sun.

He then looked at the cleared space around him where the bamboo had been cut down, and a detail he had previously overlooked suddenly crossed his mind.

The River-Suppressing Iron Ruler in the Tang Reservoir!

Could it actually be a form of alternative seal?

Though he had no certainty—who knew if the next monster would be even stronger?

But in an instant, he felt much more at ease.

Soldiers come to block, water comes to cover; as long as the monsters didn't possess the power to completely crush a martial artist, that was enough!

Feng Xiu shook his head, letting the thought pass, and spoke up.

"Xiang Geng."

"Present."

"What is your cultivation realm?"

Xiang Geng replied, "Reporting to the Young Master, Body Refining realm, with my blood and qi reaching the Guanyuan point."

Feng Xiu nodded without a word. He walked a few steps, then stopped and turned back to look at Xiang Geng.

"Care for a spar?"

Xiang Geng smiled immediately. "If the Young Master is in the mood, this subordinate will naturally accompany you."

Feng Xiu stood where he was and loosened his wrists.

Xiang Geng walked to a relatively open patch of ground, stood his ground, and cupped his fists toward Feng Xiu. "Young Master, please."

Feng Xiu didn't stand on ceremony; his feet shifted into the Eight Trigrams Steps.

His figure darted out like an arrow, throwing a punch straight at Xiang Geng's center!

A flicker of surprise crossed Xiang Geng's eyes.

This punch was fast and fierce, not at all like something someone who had only been practicing martial arts for a month could throw.

But he didn't panic; he shifted his body to the side and tapped his right hand against Feng Xiu's wrist.

Feng Xiu felt a gentle force wash over him, causing his punch to veer off by three points and graze past Xiang Geng's shoulder.

"Good!"

Instead of being alarmed, Feng Xiu was delighted. He seized the momentum to change his move, striking horizontally with his left elbow while retracting his right fist.

A "Weary Tiger Returns to the Forest" followed by a "Black Tiger Steals the Heart"—the two moves flowed like clouds and water, without a hint of stagnation.

Xiang Geng did not move his feet, merely shifting his steps slightly. He did not counterattack, instead using a combination of parries and blocks to neutralize Feng Xiu's offensive one by one.

"The Young Master's fist technique is practiced quite proficiently."

His expression shifted slightly, though he quickly regained a look of indifference as he spoke.

Behind his back, his hands felt a wave of numbness.

Feng Xiu did not answer, his offensive growing even more ferocious.

Fists, palms, elbows, and knees—every move connected, every stance flowed into the next.

Xiang Geng's expression changed slightly; suppressing his discomfort, he met the assault head-on.

Over the past month, Feng Xiu had grown accustomed to sparring with Han Che and the other guards, so every strike he threw was a killing blow, held back by nothing.

At first, Xiang Geng had been able to "respond with ease," a smile plastered on his face.

From time to time, he would even offer critiques from the perspective of a veteran in the Body Refining realm.

But as the fight dragged on, the smile on his face gradually stiffened.

Feng Xiu's moves were becoming faster and his force greater, but most lethal of all was that ruthless drive, his eyes surging with battle intent.

"Young Master, stop..."

Xiang Geng's face turned pale; he swallowed hard, just about to say something.

Feng Xiu swung a whip-kick horizontally, the momentum carrying a whistling sound like the howling of ghosts and wolves.

Xiang Geng hurriedly raised his arms to block, and with a dull thud, he was actually forced back several dozen paces.

Crack.

A faint, crisp sound reached his ears, and his arms went numb.

However, compared to the slight dislocation of his radius, the shock in his heart left him feeling even more unsettled and suspicious.

Is this really the Body Refining realm?

As a veteran of Body Refining who had immersed himself in the four major barriers of tendons, bones, skin, and membranes, Xiang Geng was well-versed in the martial arts.

In the Body Refining realm, how could one possess such vast and surging blood energy?!

Seeing that he couldn't take down Xiang Geng even after using the force-generating technique of Five Strengths Combined, Feng Xiu felt a moment of surprise.

So strong?

He was taken aback for a moment, but then a surge of battle intent rose within him.

"Worthy of being the number one person in the family below the Blood Burning realm."

"Young Master, let us see the truth in our hands!"

With Feng Xiu's fierce, repeated offensives raining down, Xiang Geng's own temper was ignited.

He twisted his arm to reset the dislocated bone, his expression turning solemn.

"Good!"

Feng Xiu shouted, then instantly closed the distance, his fists raining down like droplets.

Xiang Geng took a deep breath, his hands shifting from fists to palms, and finally, his feet began to move.

As he dismantled the moves, his fists, palms, and fingers struck rapidly at Feng Xiu's shoulders, ribs, and forearms.

Yet, Feng Xiu showed no signs of retreating; instead, he grew more courageous with every exchange.

However, the moment their moves collided, Xiang Geng's expression changed drastically, his heart sinking.

Hard.

The muscles on Feng Xiu's body were far harder than he had imagined.

It wasn't the hardness of someone who had merely tempered their Tough Blood, but the texture one only finds in those who have practiced hard-body arts for years.

Hard-body arts were linked to skin tempering; generally, to cultivate such a martial art, one had to grind their skin against rough sand and stone.

The training was so cruel that the slightest carelessness would lead to the accumulation of internal injuries, damaging one's foundation.

Xiang Geng's expression grew increasingly serious; to endure the agony of skin tempering, the obsession required for the martial path was clearly not something built in a day!

Bang!

Another collision occurred, and Xiang Geng retreated three steps, his back slamming into a thick bamboo stalk.

The bamboo swayed violently, and bamboo leaves showered down, covering them both.

Feng Xiu withdrew his fists and stood tall, steam rising from his body, a look of pure, unadulterated joy on his face.

Xiang Geng looked up at Feng Xiu, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Young Master, have you truly only been practicing martial arts for a month?"

Feng Xiu felt satisfied. Indeed, compared to all those annoying, trivial matters, fighting was far more interesting. He smiled at the corner of his mouth.

"A month and a few days."

Xiang Geng remained silent for a long while.

A month and a few days to reach Great Success in Body Refining, with moves so polished and combat experience so rich that he didn't resemble a novice at all.

His strikes were ruthless and decisive, completely lacking the hesitation typical of a beginner.

On top of that, he had the foundation of a hard-style technique; what kind of monster was this?

His brows twitched as he straightened his posture and offered a solemn fist salute to Feng Xiu.

"Young Master, this subordinate has a few words, though I am unsure if I should speak them."

"Speak."

Xiang Geng weighed his words carefully. "Have you practiced some form of hard-style technique?"

His HP had increased, and his defense had risen along with it.

He was well aware of this, but he hadn't expected Xiang Geng to mistake it for the practice of a hard-style technique.

Feng Xiu thought for a moment, then nodded anyway.

Xiang Geng rubbed his aching left shoulder.

That explained it. He wore a look of "as I thought," then continued, "First, regarding your footwork: the steps you used should be the Eight Trigrams Stance of the Zhou Family. You have already mastered the essence of this movement."

Feng Xiu gestured for him to continue.

Xiang Geng went on, "That whip kick of yours—you channeled your entire body's strength into a single point. That move is incredibly powerful. If it were an ordinary Body Refining practitioner, their bones would likely have shattered upon impact."

Feng Xiu didn't speak. Xiang Geng was different from Han Che; he was more talkative and could take a harder beating.

When sparring with Han Che and the other guards, Feng Xiu had always held back his strength. With 12 points of Strength, an average person simply couldn't withstand it.

At this moment, Xiang Geng paused, his gaze falling on Feng Xiu's thick, powerful hands.

"Young Master, these hands of yours are your most formidable weapons," Xiang Geng explained. "The few exchanges we just had—the force behind your strikes was unreasonably fierce."

"Better to take ten punches than one palm strike. When facing an enemy, you must use palm techniques to vary your attacks."

As he spoke, Xiang Geng provided a concrete example, extending his five fingers forward before instantly morphing them into a fist.

Then, he clenched his fist, only to shift back into a palm strike, signaling Feng Xiu to observe the difference between the two.

"Young Master, with palm techniques, the five fingers cover a wider range and can all exert force. Furthermore, when necessary, you can strike with the heel of the palm."

Xiang Geng pointed to the area where the thenar eminence meets the wrist. "Right here. If you land a strike with this, even if the opponent is at the same level as you, they would be crippled if not killed outright."

Feng Xiu heard this and felt a sense of realization.

Xiang Geng was highly skilled and possessed a broader perspective; his explanation was comprehensive.

The palm-heel strike was indeed something he had overlooked.

Feng Xiu collected his thoughts. "I know everything you've said."

"But knowing it doesn't change the fact that I'm stuck cycling through the same few techniques: Five Force Fist, Eight Trigrams Stance, grappling, and locking. I practice them over and over, but that's all there is."

He paused, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"I would like to find someone to teach me new martial arts, but where would I even look?"

Upon hearing this, a spark of brightness flashed in Xiang Geng's eyes.

"Young Master, are you truly looking for martial arts?"

Feng Xiu raised an eyebrow, looking at him. "You have a lead?"

Xiang Geng leaned in closer. "Ninety miles east of Green Rock City, on the border between Yulin Prefecture and Pingyang Prefecture, there is a place called the Wild Market. It's not exactly a legitimate marketplace."

"But people from all walks of life congregate there—those selling weapons, medicine, information, and even cultivation manuals."

Feng Xiu's heart stirred.

Pingyang Prefecture?

"Are the manuals sold in a place like that reliable?"

Xiang Geng laughed. "If they were reliable, no one would sell them there. They are all things of unknown origin or incomplete fragments."

"However, one can still unearth quite a few treasures there."

Feng Xiu pondered for a moment.

Ninety miles east of Green Rock City wasn't too far; if they rode horses, they could arrive in half a day.

"Are you familiar with that place?"

"I've been there a few times," Xiang Geng nodded. "To buy things that are hard to come by elsewhere."

Feng Xiu looked at him. "Alright, take me there."

Xiang Geng was startled. "Now?"

"Now." Feng Xiu turned and began walking back. "Go fetch the horses. The two of us will go; as long as we can return before dark, it will be fine."