Form-Intent Grandmaster! Transcendent Pearl!

"Madam Su... I'll let the medicine money slide for now, out of respect for your husband... but I hope you won't make things too difficult for me. I am a doctor, but I am also a businessman..."

"Thank you, Doctor Zhang! Thank you, Doctor Zhang! Once the silk is woven and sold next month, I will certainly pay back the money for Hao's medicine... Our Su family will always remember this kindness."

Amidst the darkness, Su Hao heard the dialogue between a man and a woman. The man sounded somewhat helpless and sighed, while the woman was submissive and pleading, offering repeated thanks and assurances.

Where is this... Didn't I die from severe wounds after fighting and killing those dozen or so martial artists armed with firearms?

Dazed, Su Hao opened his eyes. What greeted his vision was a dilapidated roof, mottled earthen walls, and an unfamiliar environment.

My head... it hurts so much...

Su Hao tried to roll over and get up, but this simple movement tugged at the wound on his head. A searing pain struck him, and Su Hao gasped sharply.

I am the Xingyi Fist grandmaster Su Hao... and also a youth of the Su Family Fort in this Central Great Gan... Did I transmigrate? Or perhaps I have awakened memories of a past life?

Immediately after, a massive surge of memories flooded in, allowing Su Hao to gradually understand his current situation.

This body is named Su Hao, born into the Su family of Longshan Prefecture in the Great Gan Dynasty. Compared to those refugees and the lower classes, his background was quite privileged.

Su Hao's father was a pillar of the Su family, a martial artist at the Blood Refining level. Su Hao himself had practiced martial arts since childhood, possessed decent talent, and thanks to his father's dedicated cultivation, had even secured a spot at the martial academy. It could be said that his future was limitless.

But the current Su Hao was in a sorry state, wrapped in bandages from head to toe, emitting a mixture of blood and medicinal odors as he lay on a wooden bed.

I went hunting in Woniu Mountain and was hunted down by a group of unknown thugs. Relying on my familiarity with Woniu Mountain... I managed to escape back to the Su Family Fort. This is my home...

Soon, Su Hao felt a chill in his heart as he grasped his predicament.

Su Hao had gone into the mountains to hunt early this morning, only to encounter a group of mysterious people. On the surface, they were friendly, striking up a conversation and greeting him, but they suddenly launched an attack without warning.

Had Su Hao not been from a martial arts family, having practiced Heavy Mountain Fist since the age of five, and possessed a keen sense of vigilance toward strangers, he would not have survived. Even so, he had taken several slashes and had to fight for his life all the way back to the Su Family Fort to barely keep his life!

"Mother, brother is awake!"

A little girl sitting by the bed cheered. She looked to be seven or eight years old, wearing pigtails and looking very cute, though slightly sallow and thin, as if suffering from malnutrition.

"Hao, you're finally awake..."

Hearing the commotion, a woman with a gentle temperament but a haggard appearance appeared by the bed, holding a needle and thread along with a half-mended old garment. She could hardly hide the excitement on her face or the tears in her eyes.

If she hadn't been afraid that crying in front of Su Hao would affect him and the little girl, she would have been weeping openly. But looking at her red, swollen eyes, it was clear she had already cried in private.

"Mother, Xiaoqing... I'm fine..."

Su Hao managed to squeeze out a smile.

She was Su Hao's mother, Sun Lan, and beside her, the seven or eight-year-old girl with pigtails whose eyes were brimming with tears was his younger sister, Su Xiaoqing.

The mother and daughter's concern for Su Hao was evident. A warmth rose in Su Hao's heart. In his previous life, he was an orphan who had struggled alone for most of his life until he was taken in as a disciple by his master, an old Taoist, and finally experienced the warmth of human connection.

Although life was hard for this Su Hao, his family was here, and he had a warm home.

Since I have been given a chance to live another life... then you are me, and I am you. I will fulfill your wishes and protect our family!

Su Hao thought silently. He was both the Xingyi Fist grandmaster Su Hao of his past life and the Su Family Fort youth Su Hao of this life; the two were one and the same.

"This morning, I went into the mountains... and was attacked by people dressed as hunters..."

In the room, Su Hao did not hide anything and recounted the day's events to Sun Lan.

"It must be your father... he must have provoked some enemy out there..."

After hearing Su Hao's account, Sun Lan was agitated, feeling a mix of joy, fear, and worry. She guessed that Su Hao had been implicated.

The Su Hao family used to be very happy, but everything changed three years ago when his father, Su Yu, the head of the household, went into the mountains to gather herbs and never returned.

Sun Lan was happy because there was a good chance that Su Yu, who had been missing for two or three years, was still alive. However, she was terrified and worried about what kind of people Su Yu might have provoked. As the saying goes, disaster should not reach the family, but the other party had acted like a madman in attacking Su Hao—they were trying to cut off their lineage!

Sun Lan could not bear to think that Su Yu's fate was unknown; if something happened to her children as well, she didn't know how she would go on living.

"Hao, tomorrow morning, we will report this to the clan leader."

Sun Lan said immediately.

"Yes, that's what I was thinking too."

Su Hao nodded. Their Su family had deep roots in the Su Family Fort, with several martial artists within the clan. They still held some influence in this neck of the woods. Reporting this to the clan leader would allow them to gain the family's protection, preventing potential enemies from acting rashly.

Afterward, Sun Lan brought a bowl of medicinal soup to the bedside and fed it to Su Hao one spoonful at a time.

Hao, this child... has suffered too much. Sun Lan felt a pang of heartache and sighed inwardly.

Su Hao was born into the Su family, and Su Yu had high hopes for his eldest son, pouring his heart and soul into his cultivation. He was a strict father, and Su Hao had endured much hardship training under his guidance since he was young.

Fortunately, Su Hao was ambitious enough to be among the best of the younger generation in the Su family. Coupled with the contributions Su Yu had made to the family, he had secured a spot for Su Hao at the martial academy, promising him a bright future.

But two or three years ago, Su Yu went out and disappeared. Without his father's protection, with his sister Su Xiaoqing being young and his mother in poor health, the burden of the family fell on Su Hao. Today, he had even encountered assassins for unknown reasons and had a brush with death!

To let Su Hao rest and recover, Sun Lan took Su Xiaoqing out of the room.

Although his current situation was not ideal, Su Hao remained calm.

In his previous life, he was a Xingyi Fist grandmaster on Blue Star. He had fought lions and tigers with his bare hands in primeval forests, dived five hundred meters into deep water while tied to stones without any diving equipment, and fought multiple armed enemies empty-handed.

He had encountered more dangerous situations than this. Although the series of events unfolding before him was bizarre, his mind was clear. He would first overcome the immediate crisis.

A mild concussion, a slash on the back—fortunately, the wound isn't deep and the bleeding has stopped. Although this body's strength doesn't match my former self, it is far superior to an ordinary person. Is this the improvement brought by practicing Heavy Mountain Fist since childhood? This Central Great Gan seems to have a flourishing martial culture, and the path they follow is different from my internal martial arts; it leans toward body tempering...

Su Hao closed his eyes to sense his physical condition. A gleam of joy shone in his eyes—one for the fact that his body was in much better shape than he had imagined, and the other for his curiosity and longing for this brand-new martial path.

"Hoo... ha..."

Su Hao focused his mind and gathered his qi. He breathed deeply, his heart thumping as it pumped blood throughout his body. Wisps of warmth spread to his limbs and bones, making him feel as if he were soaking in a hot spring; his growing fatigue was replaced by a surge of new strength.

This was the Five Animals Breathing Technique he excelled at. It allowed him to manipulate his own blood and qi, purge hidden injuries, regulate his internal organs, restore physical stamina, and accelerate the healing of his wounds.

This body... it is too young, only fourteen or fifteen. When I learned martial arts from my master in my previous life, I was already twenty-four or twenty-five. I missed the golden age. If I were ten years younger back then, I would have surely become a Baodan Grandmaster... In this life, I must advance further in the martial path and reach realms I never attained before!

After completing one cycle of breathing and meditation, Su Hao opened his eyes. His physical state was significantly better than before, yet he could not help but feel excited. This young body with its excellent foundation was a masterpiece for practicing Xingyi Fist, giving him the opportunity to climb to even higher realms!

Before nightfall, Sun Lan helped Su Hao treat his wounds, washed him up, and brewed medicinal porridge for him to drink. When night arrived, Su Hao lay on the bed, his thoughts complex as memories surfaced in his mind.

In his previous life, he had lived a solitary existence, sacrificing everything to pursue the pinnacle of martial arts. After thirty or forty years of bitter cultivation, he finally achieved the status of a "Hua Jin" Grandmaster, undefeated in a hundred battles.

However, because he was too sharp-edged and had made too many enemies, he was besieged by a group of over a dozen martial artists armed with firearms. Even after being shot multiple times, he managed to kill all his enemies, but he had reached the end of his own life.

"I must accumulate strength, find out what happened to Su Yu, protect Mother and Xiao Qing... and protect myself!"

Flames burned fiercely in Su Hao's eyes. He knew that only with sufficient strength could he survive this chaotic situation. These killers had failed this time, but the people behind them might not give up, and they might even target his family.

As Su Hao lay on the bed, having regained some strength, he closed his eyes to rest his mind and empty his thoughts. He began to meditate, focusing his spirit to carefully examine the condition of his body.

As a Xingyi Fist grandmaster, Su Hao's will and mental power were far stronger than an ordinary person's. His perception of his own body was astonishing; he could perform internal observation, "seeing" the tension in every muscle and every inch of skin, the resilience of every joint, and the strength of every tendon!

This realm of "internal observation" had taken Su Hao thirty years to reach in his previous life. Although his physical body was weak now and his mental will had not reached its peak, the realm remained, and he was still capable of observing himself from within.

As expected... the injuries are not fatal. No bones are broken, and I will be fine after a few days of rest. The trouble is that the foundation of this body has developed issues.

This "look" caused Su Hao to furrow his brows.

His predecessor had been incredibly diligent in his martial arts training. His father, Su Yu, was a strict teacher who had taught him the family's Heavy Mountain Fist from a young age. Su Hao himself was hardworking and practiced every day without slack, standing out among his peers and showing promise of condensing "blood qi" and stepping into the threshold of a true martial artist in the near future.

Following a normal trajectory, with Su Yu's guidance and the aid of various medicinal supplements to promote blood circulation and remove stasis, Su Hao would have progressed faster without leaving any underlying issues.

However, Su Yu went missing. Su Hao, in his growth phase, lost his father's guidance and the medicinal aids, yet he practiced even harder than before, determined to succeed.

Martial arts cannot be mastered by effort alone. Without medicinal baths or the guidance of a master, the young Su Hao had practiced the Heavy Mountain Fist so intensely that he had accumulated many hidden injuries: an unhealed ligament tear in his knee, and multiple bruises on his legs, right shoulder, and chest.

"This body of mine could indeed quickly cultivate 'blood qi' if I push it further, but that would actually overdraw its potential. It would be very difficult to make greater progress in the future, and if I continue to train as before, my body might collapse."

Fortunately... it is not too late. Now that I am here, I can use my Five Animals Breathing Technique, along with the breathing and body-refining methods of the Xingyi Fist, to compensate for the depletion of blood and qi, clear away the stagnant injuries, rebuild my foundation, and repair the damage. I can make this body perfect again!

However, to replenish my blood and qi, regulate my body, and build a perfect foundation, I need high-quality medicinal herbs. These will cost a lot of money, and the family still owes Doctor Zhang money.

Su Hao took a deep breath, feeling a sense of melancholy for his predecessor's plight while also feeling troubled.

In martial arts, even with talent, one cannot become a master just by practicing blindly. A famous teacher and resources are both indispensable—that is the meaning of "the poor study, the rich practice martial arts!"

The current situation of his family was clearly not wealthy; even the money for Su Hao's medicine was on credit. The doctor's helpless sigh and his mother's humble words of gratitude seemed to echo in his ears. He had to change this status quo!

"Boom!"

As Su Hao continued to meditate and observe internally, he suddenly discovered an anomaly in his brain. This startled him; if his fragile brain was also injured, that would be far more troublesome than physical damage!

However, when Su Hao's consciousness touched the area between his eyebrows, his body jolted. He suddenly "saw" a boundless ocean. It was not a real ocean, but his "sea of consciousness."

Hm? There is something in my sea of consciousness!

Su Hao was filled with astonishment. As he entered the meditative state, he "saw" a crystal-clear bead floating within his sea of consciousness. Inside this bead, wisps of blood-colored threads were flowing, as if trying to fill the bead, making it look like a magnificent gemstone!