The Turtle Man's True Colors

Frosty winds swept through the courtyard on Changyuan Street.

Ye Li held his fist stance like an ancient pine with roots coiled deep, the white steam rising from his body condensing into a thin mist under the moonlight.

In this state of focused concentration, the cracking of his bones and sinews grew increasingly dense, sounding like jade beads falling onto a plate in an endless stream, while the experience points in the depths of his consciousness pulsed frantically:

498/500...499/500...

Nine Chapters Fist Manual perfected!

The moment he withdrew from the final move, the Breaking Fist Stance, his bones and sinews detonated with a sound like a sudden thunderclap!

Golden patterns rippled across the panel, but Ye Li did not stop his fist, his force suddenly retracting inward.

The fist wind that had originally been wide and sweeping was condensed into a single, thin thread.

Accompanied by a whistling of air, the power gathered in his right palm and slammed into the bluestone in the courtyard!

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, a palm print an inch deep was pressed into the stone surface under Ye Li's hand.

Ye Li looked at his handiwork and mused to himself: "Force unified... is this the Great Completion of Clear Force?"

The panel verified the transformation in real-time:

Realm: Early Stage Body Tempering (236/1500)

"Nine Chapters Fist Manual (501/500)"

As he withdrew his fist, his sleeves fluttered without a breeze, a clear sign of the Great Completion of Clear Force.

Small Completion of Clear Force is wide and sweeping, with fierce fist winds!

Great Completion, however, is the unification of force, with no power leaking outward!

Ye Li gazed at the bluestone; the palm print an inch deep left upon it displayed a high level of martial foundation.

If it were before, Ye Li could also have pressed a print this deep.

But striking the bluestone with pure Great Strength would inevitably have caused gravel to splash and spiderweb cracks to spread around the print.

Yet now, with the Great Completion of Clear Force, all his power was focused into a single point.

The originally brittle and hard stone surface had been imprinted with his palm texture as clearly as if it were modeling clay.

Ye Li looked at his fair right palm and thought:

"At this moment, if I were to fight another Body Tempering martial artist of the same realm, the blood-energy network on their body surface would no longer be able to easily dissipate my force!"

"For a martial artist of the same level, if they can dissipate thirty percent of my full force, they are lucky; it is equivalent to starting the fight with a piece of armor-piercing gear!"

However, Ye Li did not get too arrogant; after all, if he could practice this Clear Force, other martial artists could naturally practice it too.

It was just that with the help of [World-Shocking Wisdom], he was merely a few dozen times faster than other martial artists in this regard.

"If practicing the Nine Chapters Fist Manual to perfection results in the Great Completion of Clear Force, then practicing it to the limit to birth a trait must mean the Clear Force is fully consummated!"

Ye Li squeezed his right fist and, without the slightest delay, turned back to continue his training.

Yet for some reason, a sense of urgency lingered in his heart, as if a terrifying man-eating beast were stalking him from behind.

Several hours earlier.

In a private room at Yueyang Pavilion, the carved lattice windows were half-open, letting in the glow of the twilight.

This was the premier destination in the East District of Guangming City; the three-story pavilion featured upturned eaves, and glazed lanterns hung beneath vermilion-lacquered pillars, illuminating the main hall in golden splendor.

The air was filled with the scent of wine and cosmetics, and several maidservants draped in thin gauze moved about carrying jade trays.

Those who could afford to enjoy themselves here were mostly Body Tempering martial artists or wealthy merchants.

In the Mystic Hall alone, the turnover for a single meal reached over a dozen taels of silver.

And in this very location, Wang Chuanxi had been a frequent visitor over the past few days.

Of course, he could not support such high expenses on the stipend of a core disciple alone.

He was only able to come here because he was being treated by his brothers in the gang.

"Come, come, pour a cup for Brother Lu, and congratulate him on his promotion to core disciple." A burly youth raised his cup and laughed loudly.

Following his lead, everyone present smiled and raised their cups to toast Lu Shouyuan.

Looking around, the six people at the table were all dressed in black with red patterns, identifying them as core disciples of the Azure Dragon Gang.

These were all core disciples who had broken through within the last six months, and like Ye Li, they were all undergoing the Dragon Tiger Pill trial in Flower-and-Willow Alley.

The reason Lu Shouyuan could know these people was that the burly youth was the son of his master, Wang Luhe, who had reached the Post-Heaven Realm!

For Lu Shouyuan, the only disciple of the younger generation in the gang to possess a blue trait.

Flattery, investment, or forming cliques were all natural occurrences.

And Lu Shouyuan was happy to play along, welcoming the attention from both sides.

Unlike his own grassroots origins, most of these core disciples came from backgrounds within the gang and possessed considerable family wealth.

In the two months since joining the gang, he had not been required to stay in the gang headquarters like the other disciples.

After bitter cultivation during the day, he would drink and make merry with the others late into the night, living a life of dissipation day after day!

It was precisely during these two months that he realized what a beastly life he had been living before; it was truly dull!

Especially when listening to these core disciples describe the soul-stirring, bone-melting sensations after taking the Dragon Tiger Pill during the day, he felt motivated to strive for a breakthrough in the Body Tempering Realm over the past month or so.

However...

"Sigh~"

Lu Xiuyuan looked at the cups raised high by the crowd, but could not help but let out a sigh.

This expression fell into the eyes of the crowd, and one core disciple could not help but say:

"Brother Lu, such a joyous occasion as breaking through the Body Tempering Realm, why are you still pulling a long face?"

"Exactly, could it be that you are worrying about breaking through to the Post-Heaven Realm? Brother Lu, there is no need to rush. Why not enjoy yourself with us in Spring Return Alley for half a year first, then plan slowly."

Looking at the envious gazes of the surrounding disciples, Lu Xiuyuan poured out his worries:

"I am worried about a newly promoted disciple named Ye Li. He joined the gang at the same time as me and has a green-tier trait, but his natural talent is truly terrifying!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a burst of laughter erupted at the scene.

Wang Chuanxi sneered: "He is but a mere green-tier trait, how could he compare to Brother Lu? My father personally praised Brother Lu's martial arts talent!"

"With Brother Lu's talent, coupled with your fearlessness of pain and rapid mastery of hard-style martial arts, breaking into the Post-Heaven Realm within five years is no problem! By then, the position of gang leader will be within your reach!"

Lu Xiuyuan sighed gloomily: "I asked my master, and he said that although Ye Li has a green-tier trait, his bone structure is extraordinary. Relying on his talent, hard work, and comprehension, he will reach the Post-Heaven Realm even earlier than me!"

"Now the whole gang is discussing whether to shift the resources allocated to me toward him. Even with my master mediating, the outcome remains very uncertain."

Lu Xiuyuan's worries spread among the crowd, and everyone offered words of comfort one after another.

But seeing him continue to sigh, the atmosphere at the table gradually soured, until someone suggested:

"Since Brother Lu is worried, why don't we just help Brother Lu solve this trouble?"

"Oh, Brother Qian has a plan?" Everyone looked at the young man who spoke in surprise.

Qian Luoxin lowered his voice and said: "So-called potential is, in the end, just potential. Why don't we go all the way? Let's find a night and secretly..."

As he spoke, Qian Luoxin made a throat-slitting gesture, causing everyone to gasp and marvel at Qian Luoxin's ruthlessness!

Seeing the crowd wavering, Qian Luoxin said viciously: "Everyone, as long as we clean up the loose ends, and with Brother Lu having Elder Wang's backing, even if the matter comes to light, the gang cannot punish everyone!"

"This is a life-or-death factional struggle!"

"If that Ye Li were gone, after Gang Leader Zheng passes away, it would surely be Brother Lu who holds the power!"

After saying this, everyone turned their eyes toward Lu Xiuyuan, wanting the person involved to make a decision!

But Lu Xiuyuan stammered, looking like he wanted to do it but did not want to take the responsibility.

A coward, not worth plotting with!

Seeing Lu Xiuyuan's spineless behavior, Qian Luoxin, who had made the proposal, sighed inwardly and regretted his choice, but could only say:

"Brother Lu, if we remove the scourge that is Ye Li, your status in the gang will be secure. Surely Miss Xiao Fang will look at you with new eyes then."

"What, Xiao Fang... Alright! Then I will leave this matter to you all!"

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