The Four Gates of Qi Refining

Chen Zhuo frowned and turned around, only to lose interest immediately upon discovering that the person approaching was a fair-skinned, handsome youth.

"Boring. Go play in the mud."

With that, he walked away from the Drill Ground without looking back.

Zhou Sheng stood rooted to the spot, stunned for a long moment.

Play in the mud?

Me?

Once the realization hit, a nameless fire surged from the depths of Zhou Sheng's heart straight to his head.

Watching Chen Zhuo's retreating back, the rage made his already pale complexion turn even whiter.

"Do you want the Red Mud Paste or not? If not, go play in the mud over there."

Hearing the voice suddenly erupt from behind him, Zhou Sheng whipped his head around, glaring furiously at the speaker.

But when he saw who it was, a slap landed squarely on his face, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

His heels gave way, and he collapsed onto the ground.

"You think you're worthy?"

Sun Fei cast a cold glance at Zhou Sheng on the ground, then looked up to find that Chen Zhuo had already walked far away.

He heaved a deep, secret sigh, ignored Zhou Sheng, and turned to leave.

A conflict?

The White-Uniform Runners nearby cast their gazes over.

But upon seeing that one side was Sun Fei and the other was Zhou Sheng, they immediately retracted their eyes.

Both were masters they couldn't afford to provoke.

"Sun Fei... Chen Zhuo..."

Zhou Sheng's slender, fair fingers dug hard into his palms, and droplets of blood inadvertently seeped through the gaps, gradually staining the soil beneath him red.

Senior brother was right. Even if Huang Yuan'er can't find an opportunity to strike at me for now, my situation will be precarious once the Autumn Hunt begins.

Time was tight; Chen Zhuo had no time to play sparring games with a child like Zhou Sheng.

He took the Red Mud Paste and returned to his small courtyard, setting to work on clearing out the vacant room at the very back.

Soon, he had tossed out all the excess clutter, leaving only a bed and a damaged cabinet.

It looked simple, but it was far better than the eight-person dormitory he had lived in before.

Chen Zhuo had consumed the Blood-Strengthening Soup, and the Blood Vitality Pill he took in the morning had not yet been fully exhausted, leaving his physical strength exceptionally abundant.

After tidying the room, he didn't rest, but went straight into the courtyard and planted his feet firmly in a boxing stance.

The benefits of being in the kitchen staff immediately became apparent.

Aside from being busy right before meal times, he could practice martial arts to his heart's content without being disturbed.

The four great stages of body tempering: Skin Polishing, Tendon Forging, Bone Entry, and Blood Exchange.

After Tendon Forging came Bone Entry.

Once one reached Bone Entry, the tendons and bones would resonate in harmony; only then could one truly be considered to have entered the hall of martial arts, achieving minor success in the Body Tempering realm.

Old Zhao, the former leader of the Black-Uniform Squad, was a Bone Entry martial artist.

Chen Zhuo had never seen Huang Yuan'er truly fight, so he didn't know his actual realm.

But since Huang Yuan'er had been teaching him martial arts for over a month, he could still gauge him to some extent.

He should be stronger than Old Zhao; it's very likely he has already reached Blood Exchange.

As Chen Zhuo settled into his stance, he calculated silently in his heart.

If he wanted to ensure the morning's scene wouldn't repeat itself, he had to be stronger than Huang Yuan'er—stronger than anyone could imagine.

[Realm: Body Tempering (Tendon Forging)]
[Practice Method: Iron Cloth Shirt: 88/150 (Proficient)]
[Combat Method: Zhengyang Blade Technique (Incomplete): 1/50 (Perfect)]
[Technique: Dissection Technique: 0/20 (Uninitiated)]

Glancing at the panel, Chen Zhuo smeared the Red Mud Paste over his hands, cast aside all distracting thoughts, steadied his breathing, and began practicing the Iron Cloth Shirt.

Dark, bulging veins stood out across his body, twisting and knotting like black dragons.

As he struck himself, the dark veins vibrated continuously, emitting faint, low roars and gradually taking on a glossy sheen.

It was as if he were forging iron, constantly hammering his body to make it stronger.

[Iron Cloth Shirt +1]

Soon, he finished practicing the Iron Cloth Shirt once through.

Chen Zhuo was pleasantly surprised to find that his physical exertion was nearly half of what it had been before.

At this moment, the benefits of his improved cultivation realm finally became apparent.

"There are still about two hours left for martial arts practice."

Chen Zhuo looked up at the sun's trajectory, estimated the time, and decided to strike while the iron was hot.

With no fear of physical exhaustion and time on his side, how could he not practice?

Accompanied by the sweltering heat in the air, Chen Zhuo began to practice once more in the small courtyard beside the kitchen.

Again and again.

His veins vibrated, emitting a series of humming sounds.

For a time, the noise actually drowned out the chirping of the cicadas in the trees.

After leaving the Drill Ground, Zhou Sheng did not return to the Black-Uniform Squad, but instead turned and left the yamen.

In the north of the inner city of Baiyun County, there was a large mansion spanning about three hundred mu.

Burly, fierce-looking members of the Long River Gang came and went frequently.

Zhou Sheng arrived in a hurry with a gloomy face, ignoring the greetings of others, and walked straight into the Huang Mansion.

Crossing the front courtyard and passing through the Wind and Rain Corridor, he suddenly caught the faint scent of powder drifting from the back garden, and his dark, watery expression softened slightly.

"Snap."

"Snap."

"Snap."

The sound of whipping reached his ears, making him seem to recall something; a strange flush appeared on his face, and his breathing involuntarily grew heavier.

He walked quickly into the back garden and fixed his eyes on the scene, which was exactly as he had expected, causing ripples to stir in the lake of his heart.

A thin whip danced before his eyes, and the target of the lashing was none other than the newly appointed Black-Uniform Squad leader, Huang Yuan'er.

The person wielding the whip was Xiao Liu, the kitchen Dunzi who had failed to testify against Chen Zhuo earlier that morning.

"Snap."

With one lash, a thin bloodstain immediately appeared on Huang Yuan'er's back.

However, he acted as if he had lost all sense of pain; not only did he not frown, but he also emitted a series of strange sounds from his mouth.

"Use more strength."

While enduring the whipping, Huang Yuan'er felt the force was still lacking.

Xiao Liu gasped for breath and pleaded, "Squad Leader Huang—oh no, Young Master Huang, I really can't go on. Please, I beg you, can you spare my life?"

Xiao Liu's face was pale, his forehead covered in beads of sweat, and it appeared his words were not feigned.

"Stop."

Huang Yuan'er suddenly waved his hand, his face unreadable.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Liu's body went limp, and he collapsed directly onto the ground.

"Rest well."

"Thank you, Young Master Huang, for sparing my life. Thank you, Young Master Huang..."

Huang Yuan'er did not look at Xiao Liu, but simply beckoned to the side.

Several sturdy servants walked over, grabbed the kowtowing Xiao Liu, and tossed him directly into the nearby pond.

Xiao Liu screamed in terror, "No, don't..."

However, in an instant, he was devoured by the school of fish in the pond, leaving not even a scrap of bone behind.

"Useless thing."

After Huang Yuan'er scolded him nonchalantly, he noticed Zhou Sheng's arrival and said indifferently, "Why have you come so suddenly?"

"I have a favor to ask."

"Oh? What is it? Let's hear it."

Zhou Sheng did not beat around the bush with Huang Yuan'er, but he did not answer the question immediately either.

Instead, he stared at the fine whip marks on Huang Yuan'er's body, smiled knowingly, stepped forward, and bent down to pick up the whip that had fallen to the ground.

Seeing this, Huang Yuan'er immediately revealed a satisfied smile.

"It really has to be you..."

"Snap."

The sound of the whip cracking through the air rang out once more, and Huang Yuan'er let out a moan of comfort.

"Mmm~ yes, yes, that's exactly the right strength."

As the whip descended, a flush of crimson gradually began to bloom across Zhou Sheng's face.

His tone was gentle, his breath sweet as orchids as he asked:

"Is there any way to rapidly increase one's martial cultivation?"

Huang Yuan'er kept his eyes tightly shut, savoring the perverse pleasure blooming within him.

Yet, as if he had known what Zhou Sheng was seeking all along, he simply beckoned, and a servant at his side immediately brought over a basin filled with a scarlet liquid.

"Ah... if you want to cross realms quickly, the answer is, of course..."

"Blood transfusion."