Flying Swallow Steps at Minor Accomplishment

Attaining the True Person realm.

Not only could one greatly extend one's lifespan.

One's physical body would also become immensely powerful!

With a single strike, one could sever a river and bring down a tower!

And Great Perfected Ones who attained the legendary Perfect Truth Realm.

Could even faintly alter the weather!

It could be said that cultivators could no longer be considered ordinary people.

Of course, the minimum recommended threshold for the Azure Cloud Sect was the Force-Entering Realm.

If one failed to enter force, then no matter how well one's fists were trained, it would all be in vain.

Thus, in Luo Kun's eyes, no matter how outstanding Jiang Che was, his innate physique determined that he could never enter force. Even reaching the Iron Skin Realm would be difficult; at most, he would reach the Stone Skin Realm.

Therefore, the only one who truly had hope of going to the Azure Cloud Sect was Gong Yulei.

"Ah... If only Shao Jianbo had been willing to enter force... This opportunity should have belonged to him."

Luo Kun suddenly thought of his second disciple, Shao Jianbo, whose talent had been peerless and who had reached the Iron-Hide Peak at such a young age.

However, Shao Jianbo's ambitions did not seem to lie there. Luo Kun had tried persuading him many times to no avail and could only let it go.

With that thought, he entered the inner room.

He pulled a palm-sized wooden box out from beneath the bed.

After blowing away the thick layer of dust, he gently opened it.

Inside was a Black Jade Token engraved with the character "Azure."

Luo Kun carefully picked up the token, and a chill traveled up from his fingertips.

He stroked the patterns on it, his expression tinged with nostalgia and loneliness.

"Without realizing it, fifty years have already passed... I wonder how Junior Sister Ye is doing now..."

He sighed.

He often recalled his days at the Azure Cloud Sect.

Though most of the time, he had been training bitterly.

And had often been scolded by his master.

There had also been happy times.

Though he had long since left the Azure Cloud Sect.

Deep in his heart.

He still considered himself part of the Azure Cloud Sect.

Uncovering outstanding disciples and sending them to the sect.

Was also one of his responsibilities.

If a recommendation succeeded, besides receiving generous material rewards from the Azure Cloud Sect.

Deep down, he also yearned to prove himself.

Though he had failed back then and had been unable to stay.

If his own disciples could rise above the rest.

Then that would mean he had not been such a failure after all!

The next day.

Jiang Che arrived at the Martial Arts Hall.

As he passed through the Apprentice Courtyard, he found that the apprentices were looking at him differently.

Some were envious, while others were jealous.

It turned out that word of his "dog-shit luck" in obtaining a Qi-Replenishing Pellet and becoming a guest retainer of the Shao Estate had already spread throughout the Martial Arts Hall.

Everyone was marveling at how lucky he was.

When he arrived at the Disciple Courtyard, Jiang Che found that the expressions of the other three had become more solemn as they trained.

They seemed to be secretly competing with one another.

When Gong Yulei and Lin Xue'er saw Jiang Che arrive, they merely glanced at him before ignoring him again.

Zhang Xiong, on the other hand, took the initiative to approach him.

"Before, your Qi-Blood was too weak, so we never sparred. Now that your Qi-Blood is nearly close to mine, how about giving it a try?"

Jiang Che nodded.

Ever since breaking through to the Ox-Hide Realm, he had never sparred with any of his fellow disciples at the Martial Arts Hall.

Though outside, he had fought the Green-Eyed Monster, the Black Beast, the servant from Li Estate, and the Flower-Plucking Thief one after another.

He could be said to have survived a hundred battles.

But he had no idea what fighting fellow disciples would be like.

The two assumed their stances and stood facing one another.

Combat was all about sensing one's opponent's aura—finding the instant when their mind slackened, then launching an attack.

Zhang Xiong looked at Jiang Che opposite him and felt that, though Jiang Che appeared loose and relaxed, there was not a single flaw anywhere on his body.

He imagined countless methods of attack, but after running through them, he discovered that every one would be blocked!

The longer he waited, the greater Zhang Xiong's pressure became.

That familiar feeling again!

Sweat slowly seeped from his forehead.

"I can't wait any longer!"

Zhang Xiong stepped forward and unleashed the move he knew best—Wave Stacking!

His figure flickered as both fists came crashing in like ocean waves, one swell after another.

Yet Jiang Che calmly and effortlessly dismantled every one of his attacks.

Zhang Xiong felt as though his fist had sunk into cotton.

He had strength, but nowhere to use it.

The more he fought, the more alarmed he became.

He had thought that Jiang Che's slow Qi-Blood growth had caused him to lose focus on training his fists.

But he had never expected Jiang Che's fist techniques to have reached such a level!

After several more rounds of having his attacks defused, Zhang Xiong finally could not hold back and used a strange move.

He changed his fists into palms and continuously attacked several vulnerable points on Jiang Che's body.

His speed grew faster and faster, until Jiang Che carelessly took a palm strike to the chest and retreated several steps.

"Senior Brother Zhang is still formidable. I lost."

Jiang Che smiled.

Though he had not activated Flow State, he had still fought with all his strength.

Zhang Xiong truly was quite capable.

His Qi-Blood was robust, and his fist techniques were also exquisite.

Of course, if Jiang Che activated Flow State, the outcome would be different.

Then Zhang Xiong would be riddled with openings in his eyes, and he could defeat him within three moves.

And if it were a life-and-death struggle, with every dirty trick brought out.

Then perhaps one move would be enough.

Of course, this was merely a sparring match, so there was no need for that.

It was enough to get a rough sense of his own level.

But Zhang Xiong shook his head.

"You didn't lose. The move that defeated you just now was my family's inherited martial art. If we were using only the Layered Cloud Fist, I would no longer be a match for you."

Jiang Che smiled. "Senior Brother Zhang, your family's inherited martial art is naturally part of your ability as well. Don't belittle yourself.

"In my view, as long as you can defeat your opponent, any move you use is justified. Once you truly enter the martial world, no one will care whether it is your family's inherited martial art."

Jiang Che recalled how he had used lime powder, poison, hand spikes, spiked armor, and other methods to defeat the servant before, ultimately overcoming the strong while weak.

Otherwise, he would have been the one who died.

The ultimate purpose of learning martial arts was nothing more than defeating one's opponent.

Some fighters from Jiang Che's previous life had used guns when they went onto the battlefield.

After all, no matter how fast a blade was, could it be faster than a bullet?

If one imposed limits on oneself merely for the sake of martial spirit, would that not be putting the cart before the horse?

After hearing this, Zhang Xiong pondered for a while, but ultimately still felt it was twisted reasoning.

He did not argue. Everyone had their own convictions.

His martial path was to defeat his opponents head-on and make them yield willingly from the heart!

The next day, Jiang Che arrived at the Martial Arts Hall.

The moment he entered the Disciple Courtyard, he suddenly saw everyone gathered together for some unknown reason.

When he walked over to look, he saw Gong Yulei standing in the middle of the crowd with his eyes closed.

At that moment, Gong Yulei's Qi-Blood was incomparably violent. His skin had taken on a bluish hue and had the texture of stone.

Master Luo Kun was gripping his wrist, smiling broadly.

When Zhang Xiong saw Jiang Che arrive, he said quietly, "Gong Yulei has broken through to the Stone Skin Realm."

Jiang Che nodded.

Gong Yulei had already been only a thread away from breaking through, so it was only natural.

Not long after, Gong Yulei opened his eyes.

He looked at Jiang Che and found him utterly calm, as if Gong Yulei's breakthrough had not stirred the slightest ripple in him.

Putting on an act.

A trace of anger rose in his heart, and he glared at Jiang Che.

Jiang Che did not care and simply went aside to train.

After finishing his training early, he returned home.

In the Jiang Family courtyard.

Jiang Che tied sandbags to his legs, activated Flow State, and used Flying Swallow Steps to continuously leap and move across the wooden stakes.

A quarter of an hour later, he jumped down.

After untying the sandbags from his legs, he sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion beneath the eaves.

He had bought this meditation cushion in imitation of his master's. It was quite convenient to meditate whenever he finished training.

He raised a hand and summoned the panel.

[Name: Jiang Che]

[Age: 16]

[Realm: Qi-Blood First Layer · Ox-Hide Realm Mid-Stage]

[Qi-Blood Martial Arts: Layered Cloud Fist Minor Accomplishment Realm (1/200) · Flying Swallow Steps Minor Accomplishment Realm (1/200)]

[Skills: Body Tempering Entry Realm (20/100) · Calligraphy Minor Accomplishment Realm (130/200) · White Cloud Fist Perfection Realm]

[Talents: Flow State · Omen]

"Flying Swallow Steps have reached Minor Accomplishment. My speed has probably increased by thirty percent. If I encounter that Flower-Plucking Thief again, I probably won't be in such a sorry state."

Jiang Che thought to himself.

However, Flying Swallow Steps were also a Qi-Blood martial art.

Now that he had trained them to the Minor Accomplishment Realm, he would have to break through to the Stone Skin Realm before they could continue improving.

Jiang Che looked at the panel and began considering his next training plan.

"Next, I'll focus entirely on cultivating [Body Tempering]. It counts as an ordinary skill and can be trained directly to Perfection Realm..."

"I wonder what talent skill I'll gain once I max it out..."

A faint anticipation rose in Jiang Che's heart.