Iron Dragon Hand

"Look at you—you've gone pale with fright."

Zhu Qiniang's face remained expressionless, but a hint of teasing showed in her emerald eyes.

Evil Spirits were certainly dangerous, but Gao Xian's reaction had been a bit much.

Gao Xian came to his senses and felt a little embarrassed. He really wasn't that much of a coward. It was just that the Evil Spirit with half a head was unmistakably Old Wang, who had died!

Zhou Ye really hadn't lied to him. No wonder the Evil Spirit had kept its eyes on him!

Everything fit.

He couldn't help asking, "Qiniang, how did you know those two had been killed by an Evil Spirit?"

"After killing someone, an Evil Spirit absorbs their blood essence. The corpse turns black as charcoal and exudes a strange, evil aura. Those signs are hard to fake, so it's easy to recognize them."

Zhu Qiniang didn't know Gao Xian had a guilty conscience. She then reassured him, "It's fine. This Evil Spirit isn't all that powerful. It can only bully Rogue Cultivators.

"If those Rogue Cultivators had even two One Yang Talismans, they wouldn't have been killed."

She took out a stack of talismans and pressed them into Gao Xian's hands. "Twenty One Yang Talismans. Stick a few on your doors and windows, and the Evil Spirit won't dare come near."

"Thank you, Qiniang."

Gao Xian was a little moved. Zhu Qiniang really did treat him well. As soon as she heard there was an Evil Spirit, she'd gone and bought him talismans to ward it off.

Zhu Qiniang said seriously, "Flying Horse Market isn't safe. You still need to work hard at your cultivation.

"Alchemy is all well and good, but it isn't the proper path. If you want to live long and see far, improving your cultivation is what matters."

"I work hard at my daily practice," Gao Xian protested.

"You're not practicing quite right."

The muscles in Zhu Qiniang's face were stiff, making subtle expressions impossible, but the skepticism in her eyes was plain to see.

"Huh?" Gao Xian didn't quite understand. Everything he knew about cultivation came from the original owner's memories. Truth be told, he didn't know much about it.

He wasn't sure what Zhu Qiniang meant, either.

At the sight of Gao Xian's bewildered expression, Zhu Qiniang knew he didn't understand a thing.

That was normal. Most cultivators knew what to do without knowing why, and alchemy was Gao Xian's main pursuit, after all.

She explained, "When a person first senses qi, they've reached the first layer of Qi Refining. When they condense a Qi Aperture in their dantian, that's the second layer. When they guide spiritual energy around their body to temper their sinews and bones, condensing a Bone Aperture, they enter the third layer of Qi Refining.

"No matter what cultivation method you use, the path from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment is really about guiding spiritual energy to cleanse your whole body. In the end, you shed your mortal body and condense a spark of true spirit to complete Foundation Establishment.

"The second layer of Qi Refining is about drawing in qi to strengthen your sinews and bones. Yours are too weak!"

As she spoke, Zhu Qiniang went behind Gao Xian and pressed a fingertip down each vertebra of his spine.

Her fingertip was as hard and sharp as an awl. Each casual press made Gao Xian's face contort with pain, but he clenched his teeth and kept quiet to save face.

"A cultivator's body is the foundation of cultivation. Only with a strong body can you go farther along the path. You need to take pills that strengthen your sinews and bones, and pair them with an external training method.

"At the Qi Refining stage, the proper path is to cultivate both internally and externally..."

Zhu Qiniang was at the ninth layer of Qi Refining and had taken the body-tempering path. She had a profound understanding of cultivation.

One look at Gao Xian's physical condition told her he'd never had a knowledgeable teacher. He was cultivating methodically on his own. That wasn't wrong, but it was far too slow.

On the path of cultivation, one slow step meant every step after it was slow.

Especially during Qi Refining, each step laid the groundwork for Foundation Establishment.

Why was it so hard for Rogue Cultivators to achieve Foundation Establishment? Because they took too many detours during Qi Refining.

Even if they made it to the ninth layer of Qi Refining, their physical foundation would already be ruined. They'd have no chance of achieving Foundation Establishment.

After examining Gao Xian's bones and sinews, Zhu Qiniang shook her head. "The spine is the most important bone in the body. It's the great dragon. You have to start with the spine at the second layer. Pair it with pills and an external training method..."

Zhu Qiniang said, "I have a technique called Iron Dragon Hand. It's perfect for you."

"Huh? Isn't that a little inappropriate?"

Gao Xian hesitated. Zhu Qiniang was treating him too well. It was almost suspicious.

Her earnestness made him a little nervous.

Zhu Qiniang looked displeased, a sharpness entering her eyes. "Iron Dragon Hand is a first-rate body-tempering art. I wouldn't teach it to someone else no matter how many Spirit Stones they offered. And you're turning it down?!"

Of all the things a cultivator needed—method, companions, wealth, and a place to practice—the cultivation method came first. She valued Gao Xian, so she was making an exception and teaching him a secret art.

Gao Xian wasn't ungrateful. He hurriedly explained, "Qiniang, that's not what I meant. It's just that I shouldn't accept something without earning it. This technique is so valuable that I don't deserve it."

Zhu Qiniang understood. After a moment's silence, she said, "Your massage technique is exquisite and helps me a lot. You help me, and I'll help you."

Zhu Qiniang knew perfectly well that she and Gao Xian were just fooling around.

But when Gao Xian had massaged her last time, it had given her altered body a strange, wonderful sensation.

In the past, she had consumed a spiritual Azure Gold Fruit while cultivating. It had greatly strengthened her body, but it had also altered it, gradually robbing her of the sensations of an ordinary person.

This transformation had disrupted her control over her body, leaving her unable to unite body and mind and condense a true spirit. It had cut off her chance of achieving Foundation Establishment.

Through Gao Xian's massage, she had glimpsed the possibility of returning to normal, and a tiny chance of Foundation Establishment. Naturally, she had begun to pay even more attention to him.

Gao Xian relaxed. He wasn't afraid of Zhu Qiniang wanting something from him. He was afraid she wanted nothing at all...

Zhu Qiniang was sparing with words but quick to act. Once she decided to do something, she did it.

Right then and there, she taught Gao Xian Iron Dragon Hand. The body-tempering art had only nine movements, a little like a set of boxing forms.

By practicing the nine movements, one tempered the body from the outside in.

Iron Dragon Hand looked simple, but it was hard to perform properly. Every muscle and bone had to work in coordination, and the practitioner also had to synchronize their breathing and visualization.

Zhu Qiniang guided Gao Xian through the forms by hand a few times. Soon, every muscle in his body ached, his arms and legs went weak, and he could barely keep going.

"You're too frail," Zhu Qiniang said.

No man could stand being called that. Gao Xian stubbornly retorted, "I'm not frail!"

"Enough. Cultivation has to proceed step by step."

Zhu Qiniang told Gao Xian to rest and went out.

After Zhu Qiniang left, Gao Xian plopped down on the threshold of the alchemy room and let out a long breath.

After one round of Iron Dragon Hand's nine movements, it felt as if every muscle in his body had been torn apart. The ache was indescribable.

Even his fight with Old Wang hadn't exhausted him this much. If he'd kept going, he really would have embarrassed himself.

Before long, Zhu Qiniang returned with a box of pills for Gao Xian.

"Dragon Bone Pill. Take one every day."

Zhu Qiniang reminded Gao Xian that a body-tempering art like Iron Dragon Hand put great strain on the body. At first, he only needed to practice once each morning, noon, and evening.

As his cultivation improved, he could gradually increase the number of practice sessions as needed.

"Remember, the spine—the great dragon—is crucial. With Iron Dragon Hand, you first have to temper the great dragon of your spine. Only when each vertebra connects and forms a Spirit Aperture will the second layer truly be complete..."

Knowing Gao Xian knew nothing about body-tempering, Zhu Qiniang patiently explained the essentials of Iron Dragon Hand in detail. She also thoroughly explained the second layer of Qi Refining.

Under Zhu Qiniang's guidance, Gao Xian took a Dragon Bone Pill. Heat spread from his stomach into his blood and coursed throughout his body, finally reaching his bones. His whole body felt as if it were burning, yet the heat was wonderfully soothing...

Once the Dragon Bone Pill's medicinal power had been fully absorbed, Gao Xian felt his muscles brimming with strength. His earlier exhaustion had vanished.

The Dragon Bone Pill's potent effects left Gao Xian marveling. "So you really do have to take pills to level up."

The original owner had died after taking a Crimson Blood Pill. Although Gao Xian was an alchemist, he had an instinctive aversion to pills.

After trying the Dragon Bone Pill today, he finally understood: taking pills felt amazing!

With his current alchemy skills, he could probably identify several of the Dragon Bone Pill's main ingredients. Given the recipe, he was fairly certain he could make one.

Still, body-tempering pills like this were proprietary recipes. Zhu Qiniang probably didn't have the formula, either.

To repay Zhu Qiniang, Gao Xian gave her a full-body massage with gusto, kneading her body—hard as steel—until it was soft as mud.

Zhu Qiniang had a high forehead, deep-set eyes, a straight nose, and full lips. Tall and slender, with a pair of unbeatable long legs and wheat-colored skin that seemed to shimmer, she was gorgeous.

To Gao Xian, Zhu Qiniang was a top-tier beauty with a Western look. But her muscles were hard as iron, and her face looked as if she'd had so much filler injected that she couldn't make a subtle expression. She seemed cold and tough, with no trace of femininity.

Now Zhu Qiniang lay sprawled on the bed, resting. Her lovely body relaxed, softening with a feminine warmth that made her a pleasure to look at.

But Gao Xian was a decent man. It didn't matter what he thought; he wasn't going to make a move...