Both Reach Great Accomplishment, on a Dark and Windy Night (Please Keep Reading, Please Vote)

"May I ask if there's a room closer to Senior Sister Shen?"

Halfway there, Zhou Yun suddenly spoke to the maid.

"Well... I'll need to ask Third Master Shen first. Please forgive me, sir."

The maid hesitated, lowering her head as she spoke.

"All right. Just send someone to tell Third Master Shen that Senior Sister Shen and I will set off for Black Stone County first thing tomorrow morning. I also need to report on this escort mission to Master Liang. I hope he'll understand."

After a moment's thought, Zhou Yun spoke to the maid.

The maid bowed respectfully. "Of course. I'll send someone to ask Third Master right away."

She gestured, and another maid went out of the guest room. She soon returned and nodded.

"In that case, Sir Zhou may stay in the guest room beside Miss Shen's. It's just a little smaller than the main room. Please forgive us."

The maid escorted Zhou Yun to the side room. Then she tugged at the shoulder of her robe and asked,

"Would you like me to help ease your fatigue, sir?"

"No need."

Zhou Yun raised a hand to refuse and said bluntly, "You may leave if there's nothing else. I'm going to rest now."

"If you need anything, sir, you can call for me anytime."

The maid nodded and turned to leave the room.

"Junior Brother Zhou certainly has a strong will. That maid looked petite and sweet. Is she not your type?"

Shen Qingxue teased him. She had grown up in the Escort Agency, so she was used to such things.

"Senior Sister, you're joking. My heart belongs only to martial arts."

Zhou Yun smiled calmly. "Senior Sister, I'll be frank. There may be something wrong with your third uncle. If anything happens tonight, knock on my door."

With that, he turned and shut the door, seeming to have truly gone to rest.

"Something wrong with Third Uncle?"

Shen Qingxue raised her brows but didn't take it to heart. After all, if her third uncle had been up to something, he would have made his move when they first arrived at the Escort Agency's branch.

Why let them stay at the agency before making a move? Wouldn't that be making a needless fuss?

Even so, she kept it in mind. But Zhou Yun's words from earlier surfaced in her thoughts.

"His heart belongs only to martial arts?"

Shen Qingxue touched her cheek, as if savoring something.

The guest room was fairly spacious.

Zhou Yun moved the table into a corner, took off his shirt, and stood in the middle of the room.

He circulated the energy within his body. There were still several hours before the night watch, more than enough time to practice for a while.

Now that he had broken through to Bright Force, his stamina recovered much faster, as long as he didn't overtrain.

"Third Master Shen is suspicious. I need enough blood qi to break through in one more martial art and gain the strength to contend with Dark Force."

Zhou Yun recalled how the old woman had projected her energy outward. The greatest difference between Bright Force and Dark Force was whether one could release energy beyond the body.

His Black Ape Fist could pose a certain threat to Dark Force experts, but if one of them opened up the distance, he would be at a complete disadvantage.

Only a great-accomplishment movement technique could make up for that weakness and give him a real way to hold his own.

"One Blood Coagulation Pill might not be enough, but my training will be tallied at the third watch tonight. By then, I'll have more than enough blood qi."

Zhou Yun estimated the time. By the time his training was tallied, he should have thrown about two thousand punches.

At the very least, he would gain three wisps of blood qi, and might even raise his evaluation by another grade.

He set aside stance training for now. He needed to devote himself completely to understanding the Black Ape Movement Technique, using abundant blood qi to seek a breakthrough.

"No time to waste. I'll start now."

Zhou Yun assumed his stance. The essential principles of the Black Ape Movement Technique kept surfacing in his mind as his steps shifted and changed without pause.

The sound of air splitting rang through the room, and even the walls trembled faintly.

Next door, Shen Qingxue had just finished washing up when she heard the commotion. She couldn't help but marvel.

"Junior Brother Zhou is truly diligent. He's already practicing martial arts after just escaping death. No wonder he broke through to Bright Force at such a young age."

Shen Qingxue couldn't help feeling a touch of respect for Zhou Yun. Compared to him, the martial arts practice of some spoiled heirs amounted to little more than putting on a show.

However, Zhou Yun had no idea what Shen Qingxue thought of him. He had simply lost himself in his training.

He placed his only Blood Coagulation Pill in his mouth. It melted instantly, turning into surging blood qi that gathered in his dantian and was converted into energy.

The sky grew darker and darker. Zhou Yun's understanding of the Black Ape Movement Technique deepened, and he seemed to grasp what set movement techniques apart from other martial arts.

A movement technique was not merely for attacking, defending, or running. It could also be woven into daily life, allowing one to save half their strength even when walking.

Even when exchanging punches, someone who had mastered a movement technique could let its qualities become part of their natural movements without deliberately using it.

Once their movements became elusive and unpredictable, even an ordinary straight punch could land squarely on an opponent's vital point.

Its power still depended on one's skill in fist techniques and one's cultivation, but it could achieve the most efficient result with the least effort.

"The Black Ape Movement Technique is faster than other movement techniques in the mountains and forests. On flat ground, it places greater emphasis on unpredictability..."

Zhou Yun brought his understanding together. Just as the blood qi in his body was about to run out, the night watchman's voice rang out beyond the window.

"The air is dry; beware of fire."

The third watch had arrived. The daily tally began.

[Daily Tally: Threw 2,000 punches; gained some understanding of the Black Ape Movement Technique; strength steadily improved. Evaluation: C-]

[Obtained three wisps of blood qi, one page of Black Ape Movement Technique insight. Can lay a foundation in martial arts and attain sudden enlightenment in a technique.]

"It's here!"

Zhou Yun didn't slack off. He seized the moment and converted all his blood qi into energy in his dantian.

After half a night of practice, the energy in his dantian was nearly three fingers thick. He was on the verge of reaching minor mastery in Bright Force.

The three wisps of blood qi entered his dantian, and a page of insight into the Black Ape Movement Technique melted into his mind. Zhou Yun began practicing again.

This time, it was as though he'd attained sudden enlightenment. Zhou Yun faced no further obstacles. His movements left afterimages, and anyone watching would have seen him shift and change without end.

At the same time, the energy in his dantian gradually grew to three fingers thick, with faint signs of reaching four.

"The Black Ape Movement Technique has reached great accomplishment, and Bright Force has reached minor mastery!"

Zhou Yun's breathing gradually steadied. He hadn't expected to use this opportunity to break through to minor mastery in Bright Force, but it was still within his expectations.

He now had two martial arts at great accomplishment, along with the strength of minor mastery in Bright Force. If he faced the old woman again, he might have a chance to kill her!

"No. Better to be cautious."

Zhou Yun was delighted for a moment, but he didn't let it go to his head. The gap between Bright Force and Dark Force was still vast. Projecting energy outside the body was a barrier as formidable as heaven itself.

But with his great-accomplishment movement technique to keep him in the fight, and the threat posed by his fist technique, he could now pose a genuine danger to Dark Force experts.

"I still have half a wisp of blood qi. I'll use it to consolidate my realm."

Zhou Yun sat cross-legged on the bed, circulating that half-wisp of blood qi and converting it into energy to stabilize the acupoints in his body.

He hadn't had his eyes closed for long when a faint voice suddenly reached his ears.

"Someone's talking?"

Zhou Yun's heart jumped. Mastering two martial arts with similar qualities seemed to have sharpened his senses.

He quietly clung to the window and looked down at the two familiar figures in the corridor below.

They were Third Master Shen and the old woman who had pursued them all the way, trying to kill them.

The head in the old woman's hand was unmistakably Shen Yichen's!