Before the Duel

Green Wind Prefecture.

Prefecture City, City Lord's Mansion, main hall.

On the benches lining both sides, a row of martial artists sat in separate groups.

At the head of the hall sat an old man.

His white hair was like frost, bound in a jade crown, with a silver beard hanging from his chin.

He wore a brocade robe embroidered with dark blood blade patterns, sitting as still as a mountain, his eyes bright and piercing.

The old man's voice was deep and resonant:

"Xiaofeng, is there still no news?"

A general on the left, clad in armor, bowed his head and cupped his hands:

"Master, ever since Junior Brother sent his last message half a year ago, there has been no word.

The scouts sent to investigate have not found a single trace."

"Hmph!"

A bearded martial artist to the side spoke up:

"Master, you have always spoiled Junior Brother too much.

Relying on a bit of natural talent, he has always acted recklessly.

Who knows, he might be hiding in some city's boudoir right now, drunk in the arms of a beauty, having long since cast the sect's affairs to the back of his mind!"

The old man was none other than the Great Elder of the Blood Blade Sect, Lou Yan:

"Hmm, when he returns, it will be time to teach him a lesson and temper his temperament."

His voice paused, then suddenly turned sharp:

"Enough, let us not speak of this for now.

Discuss the Ancestor's decision."

The martial artists in the hall instantly fell silent, straightening their backs.

"The Ancestor has issued an order: the other elders are to strike out along different routes, heading straight for the various prefecture cities of Red Maple Prefecture.

We must force that old thing from the Clear Wood Sect to show himself; we must see whether that old fellow is dead or alive."

Lou Yan's gaze swept over the crowd:

"Our mission is to take Qingyuan Prefecture in Red Maple Prefecture.

For the first battle after the new year, we shall start with Crow Mountain County, which is closest to us."

"Understood."

The martial artists in the hall roared their agreement.

Crow Mountain City, Subduing Tiger Martial Hall, backyard.

Two figures were sparring, their fist winds clashing.

One old, one young.

The old man stood with his hands behind his back, his feet as if nailed to the ground; he did not even lift an eyelid as the fierce wind swept past his brows.

The young man moved with agility, his fists wrapped in wind.

A move of "Fierce Tiger Descending Mountain" struck straight for the face; before the fist even arrived, it had already whipped up a gale that made the skin tighten.

He then changed moves, striking with elbows and knees, every blow vicious, the shadows of his fists as dense as raindrops, enveloping the old man.

The blue bricks thudded under his feet, and dust rose with every step.

After a dozen moves.

The old man raised a palm, his five fingers like iron pincers, firmly locking onto the young man's wrist.

The fist wind ceased abruptly; the youth was drenched in sweat, his chest heaving violently, yet he could not break free in the slightest.

A brilliant light suddenly burst from the old man's eyes as he let go and laughed heartily:

"Haha, good.

The fist intent is connected and natural; you have actually practiced it to Great Completion!"

These two were none other than Fu Huaixing and Li Yun.

When Li Yun had found him and said his fist technique had reached Great Completion, Fu Huaixing had only thought it absurd.

Tiger Subduing Fist was not some shallow skill that could be mastered with brute force alone; only by balancing hardness and softness could one reach Great Completion.

Li Yun was currently only at the Body Tempering Realm; for him to have practiced the fist technique to Minor Completion was already a sign of high aptitude.

To want to reach Great Completion in the fist technique was simply a fantasy.

Still, holding the mindset of giving it a try, he called him into the backyard to test it out.

He hadn't expected it to actually succeed.

It seemed this child could truly be called a "genius" in terms of comprehension.

He sighed with emotion:

"To reach this level while still in the Body Tempering Realm, even Wen Xuan back in the day did not surpass you in comprehension."

Wen Xuan?

Was that the senior brother who had never shown his face?

Hearing Fu Huaixing's muttering, Li Yun did not reply.

The more Fu Huaixing looked at Li Yun, the more delighted he became.

Although his aptitude was poor, meaning the path of martial arts would require consuming more resources, comprehension—that invisible and intangible thing—did indeed exist.

During their sparring, besides the fist technique, Fu Huaixing also sensed that Li Yun's blood and qi were already full.

He was ready at any moment to knock on the gate and attempt to condense Bright Force.

Having entered the martial arts hall for nearly a year, aside from the three portions of Blood Replenishing Powder provided by Lu Kuan each month, everything else had been earned by his own efforts.

To reach a state of full blood and qi in the Body Tempering Realm and achieve mastery in fist techniques—his future was promising.

"Li Yun, I have decided to take you as a personal disciple. Are you willing?"

Although he didn't know how one could take a personal disciple after already having a closing disciple, Li Yun would not refuse.

Having a master at the Transformation Force level was better than having none.

Li Yun performed the apprenticeship ceremony for Fu Huaixing in a proper and respectful manner:

"Disciple Li Yun greets Master."

"Good, but keep this news a secret for now. We will announce it after the competition ends."

"Congratulations, Master, on taking another personal disciple."

Zhu Daqi, standing to the side, cupped his hands and offered his congratulations.

His face was filled with a hearty smile, yet the corner of his eye glanced at Li Yun.

He found it incredible that Li Yun had actually practiced the fist technique to the point of mastery, but he harbored no other intentions.

When he first joined the martial arts hall, he was immediately favored by the Master and subsequently taken as a closing disciple.

He drank Blood Replenishing Powder every day and ate Blood Ginseng and Monster Beast Meat every few days.

His treatment was simply incomparable to that of an ordinary personal disciple.

Nowadays, he had even reached the realm of eight echoes of Bright Force.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the force of the eighth echo merged with the previous seven, completing the nine echoes of Bright Force.

By then, his entire body's force would unite, transitioning from external to internal; his fist wind would condense without scattering, and upon touching an object, he could transmit force deep inside.

As long as he broke through that bottleneck, he would be a Dark Force expert.

At that time, his internal force would flow like silk, killing without a trace.

What did a mere mastery of fist techniques in the Body Tempering Realm count for?

As for Zhu Daqi, who had joined the martial arts hall on the same day, Li Yun didn't have any particular thoughts.

He cupped his hands and called out:

"Fourth Senior Brother."

"Junior Brother, we joined the martial arts hall on the same day, and now we have both been taken as personal disciples by Master. It is truly fate."

"Alright, Daqi, go back to your training. I am going to teach Li Yun the final three combat moves."

"Yes, Master."

Fu Huaixing was very happy; he hadn't expected that after coming to Crow Mountain City, he would successively take two personal disciples.

Although both were slightly inferior to his eldest disciple, they were still quite good.

One had fourth-grade aptitude and would likely achieve no less than himself in the future.

The other, while having poorer aptitude, made up for it with comprehension, so his future would not be too bad either.

He turned to look at Li Yun, his expression turning somewhat serious:

"Li Yun, do not force the final three combat moves of the Tiger Subduing Fist."

When Bright Force and Dark Force merge, the energy circulates within the body without obstruction, allowing one to dissolve whatever they touch and shift between hardness and softness at will.

Only then can one reach perfection.

You are currently only in the Body Tempering Realm; your sinews and bones have not yet been tempered. If you force the activation, even if you can borrow the intent of the fist to project a measure of power, your internal state is like a child lifting a cauldron.

Your body may suffer hidden injuries as a result.

These hidden injuries may not be apparent in daily life.

But in the future, when you condense Bright Force and attempt to break through to Dark Force, they will cling to you like maggots on bone, hindering you at every turn.

It is even possible that you will be stuck at the Bright Force stage for the rest of your life, unable to make any further progress.

After the year-end tournament, do not remain obsessed with the moves of your fist techniques.

Focus on polishing your stance training and stabilizing your foundation; condensing Bright Force early is the true path of martial arts.

Remember, haste makes waste."

Li Yun nodded; no wonder he hadn't felt as comfortable fighting since his fist technique reached Great Success as he did when it was at Minor Success.

So that was the reason.

It seems the time spent practicing the fist technique could be better spent on other arts.

"Yes, Master, this disciple will take your teachings to heart."

"Mm."

Fu Huaixing assumed his stance and began the lesson:

"Tiger Subduing Fist, seventh move: Fierce Tiger Patrols the Mountain.

Eighth move: Tiger Subduing Force Transformation.

Ninth move: Tiger Roar Returns to Truth.

..."

[Tiger Subduing Fist: +1]

[Tiger Subduing Fist (Great Success): 2/20000]