A frosty wind swept through the courtyard on Changyuan Street.
Ye Li's stance was like an ancient pine with roots coiling deep, the white vapor rising from his body condensing into a thin mist beneath the moonlight.
In his focused state, the crisp cracks of his muscles and bones grew increasingly dense, like jade beads falling onto a plate without end. Experience points leaped wildly in the depths of his mind:
498/500... 499/500...
The Fist Manual had reached completion!
The instant he withdrew the final move, "Breaking Fist Stance," the explosive crack of his bones erupted like thunder!
Golden patterns rippled across the panel, yet Ye Li's fist did not stop. Its force suddenly drew inward.
GOOGLE Search TWKAN
The broad and sweeping gusts from his fists condensed into a thin cord.
With the air whistling, power gathered in his right palm and smashed down upon the bluestone in the courtyard!
Bang!
Amid the muffled impact, the entire stone surface was pressed into a palm print more than an inch deep beneath Ye Li's hand.
Ye Li looked at his handiwork and silently assessed it. Force gathered as one... Is this the major accomplishment of Clear Force?
The panel immediately confirmed the transformation:
Realm: Early Body Tempering Realm (236/1500)
"Nine Chapters Fist Manual (501/500)"
When he drew back his fist, his sleeves stirred without wind—the unmistakable sign of Clear Force reaching major accomplishment.
At minor accomplishment, Clear Force was broad and sweeping, its fist winds fierce and forceful!
At major accomplishment, force became one, without the slightest leakage!
Ye Li looked toward the bluestone. A palm print more than an inch deep had been left on its surface, displaying an exceedingly profound martial foundation.
Previously, Ye Li could also have made a palm print this deep.
But if he had simply blasted the bluestone with brute strength, shattered chips would inevitably have flown around the print, and spiderweb cracks would have spread across it.
Yet now that Clear Force had reached major accomplishment, all his power had twisted into a single point.
The originally brittle, hard stone surface had instead clearly taken Ye Li's palm lines as though it were rubber clay.
Ye Li looked at his fair right palm and thought:
If I were to fight Body Tempering martial artists of the same realm again, the Qi-Blood Networks across their bodies would no longer be able to easily deflect my force!
Among martial artists of the same realm, being able to deflect three-tenths of an attack's full force would already count as sheer luck. That is roughly the same as starting out with an extra piece of armor-piercing equipment over other martial artists!
Still, Ye Li was not overly arrogant. After all, if he could train Clear Force, other martial artists could naturally train it as well.
It was only that with the aid of [World-Shocking Wisdom], he was merely dozens of times faster than other martial artists in this regard.
If cultivating the Nine Chapters Fist Manual to completion gives major accomplishment in Clear Force, then cultivating it to the limit and producing a trait should give complete mastery of Clear Force!
Ye Li clenched his right fist. Without wasting a moment, he turned and threw himself back into cultivation.
Yet for some reason, a faint sense of urgency lingered in his heart, as though a man-eating savage beast hung behind him, terrifyingly close.
Several hours earlier.
In a private room at Yueyang Pavilion, the carved window lattice stood half open, allowing the rosy light of dusk to spill inside.
This was one of the finest establishments in Guangming City's East District. Its three-story pavilion had flying eaves and upturned corners, while glazed lanterns hung beneath vermilion-painted corridor pillars, illuminating the grand hall in glittering splendor.
The scent of wine and cosmetics floated in the air. Several lightly veiled maidservants carried jade trays as they moved back and forth.
Those who could come here to indulge were mostly Body Tempering martial artists or wealthy merchants.
In Mystic Hall alone, a single meal's bill could run to more than ten taels of silver.
And this was precisely where Lu Xiuyuan had been coming often over the past few days.
Of course, the stipend he received as a core student alone could never support such extravagant spending.
He had only been able to come because brothers from the gang had been treating him.
"Come, come, pour Brother Lu a cup! Let us congratulate Brother Lu on becoming a core student!" A broad-shouldered, thick-waisted young man raised his cup and laughed loudly.
Following his lead, everyone present also raised their cups in a toast to Lu Xiuyuan.
Looking around, there were six people at the table, all wearing black garments patterned with red. They were core students of the Azure Dragon Gang.
All of them were core students who had broken through in the past half year. Like Ye Li, they had undergone the Dragon Tiger Pill trial in Flower-and-Willow Alley.
The reason Lu Xiuyuan knew them was also because that broad-shouldered young man was the son of his Post-Heaven Realm master, Wang Luhe—Wang Chuanxi!
As for Lu Xiuyuan, the only student among the gang's younger generation who possessed a blue trait—
Currying favor, investing in him, and gathering factions around him all came as naturally as water flowing downhill.
And Lu Xiuyuan was more than happy to play along, with both sides fawning over one another.
Unlike him, who had risen from humble roots, most of these core students had connections within the gang and possessed considerable family wealth.
Since joining the gang two months ago, he had not needed to remain in the gang like the other students.
After training bitterly during the day, he drank and reveled with the others deep into the night, living each day in a drunken dream!
It was only during these past two months that he understood what kind of beastly life he had been living before—truly dull beyond measure!
Especially when, late at night, he listened to these core students describe the soul-melting, bone-eroding ecstasy after taking the Dragon Tiger Pill during the day. That was what drove him to work hard for more than a month to break through to Body Tempering.
But...
"Alas~"
Lu Xiuyuan looked at the cups held high by the others, yet could not help letting out a sigh.
Seeing his expression, one core student could not help saying:
"Brother Lu, breaking through to the Body Tempering Realm is such a joyous occasion. Why are you still pulling such a long face?"
"Exactly. Could it be that you are already thinking about breaking through to the Post-Heaven Realm? Brother Lu, there is no need to hurry. First enjoy yourself with us in Spring Return Alley for half a year, then take things slowly."
Faced with the envious looks of the students around him, Lu Xiuyuan laid out his worries in full:
"I am worried about a newly admitted student. His name is Ye Li. He joined the gang at the same time as me and has a green trait, but his talent is truly terrifying!"
The moment those words fell, laughter erupted throughout the room.
Wang Chuanxi sneered. "He is only a green trait holder. How could he possibly stand shoulder to shoulder with Brother Lu? My father personally praised Brother Lu's martial talent!
"With Brother Lu's talent, along with his fearlessness toward pain, he can rapidly master horizontal training and hard martial arts. Breaking into the Post-Heaven Realm within five years will not be a problem! By then, the gang leader's position will be within reach!"
Lu Xiuyuan sighed gloomily. "I asked Master. He said that although Ye Li has a green trait, his innate constitution is extraordinary. With talent, hard work, and comprehension, he will reach the Post-Heaven Realm before me!"
"Now the gang is discussing whether they should shift the resources meant for me toward him. Even with Master mediating from the middle, the chances are very slim."
Lu Xiuyuan's worries spread through the crowd, and everyone repeatedly tried to comfort him.
But seeing that he continued to sigh, gradually souring the mood at the table, someone eventually suggested:
"Since Brother Lu is worried, why do we not directly help Brother Lu solve this trouble?"
"Oh? Does Brother Qian have a plan?" Everyone looked at the young man who had spoken in surprise.
Qian Luoxin lowered his voice. "Potential is merely potential in the end. Why do we not go all the way and leave no room for retreat? One night, we can secretly take this fellow and..."
As he spoke, Qian Luoxin made a throat-slitting gesture. Everyone sucked in a breath of cold air, marveling at his ruthlessness!
Seeing the others hesitate, Qian Luoxin said viciously, "Everyone, so long as we clean up our tracks properly, and with Elder Wang backing Brother Lu, even if the matter comes to light, the gang cannot punish us all!"
"This is a factional struggle where either you die or I live!"
"If there is no Ye Li, then after Gang Leader Zheng passes away in a hundred years, Brother Lu will surely hold the reins of power!"
After saying that, everyone turned their eyes toward Lu Xiuyuan, wanting the man involved to make a decision!
But Lu Xiuyuan hemmed and hawed, looking as though he wanted to do it but did not want to bear responsibility.
"What a spineless coward, not worth plotting with!"
Seeing Lu Xiuyuan's pathetic appearance, Qian Luoxin, who had made the suggestion, sighed inwardly. He somewhat regretted this choice, but could only continue:
"Brother Lu, if Ye Li, this hidden danger, is removed, your position in the gang will be secure. Surely Miss Xiao Fang will look upon you in a different light then?"
"What? Xiao Fang... Fine! Then I will leave this matter to all of you!"
[Monthly Ticket]
[Recommendation Ticket]