At the instant he was about to break through, Lu Li threw his final punch.
His tendons sprang into motion, crackling like bowstrings drawn taut and suddenly released.
Boom!
With his tendons lending it their strength, the punch carried overwhelming force, breaking the sound barrier outright.
An invisible shockwave spread outward like ripples.
It swept up the snow on the ground, sending it whirling through the air.
The Tendon-Refining Realm: the tendons quivered like bowstrings!
At this stage, the strength of the whole body could reach three thousand jin!
And with the tendons reinforced, a single punch could unleash four thousand jin of tremendous force—enough to kill two bulls!
Lu Li's muscles bulged as a great surge of strength gathered inside him.
His strength kept rising, and the sensation filled him with delight.
He turned his gaze to the stone mill in the courtyard.
This time, he didn't lift it with his whole hand. He merely hooked it with his little finger and raised it with ease, swinging it around as though it weighed nothing.
Lu Li gently set the stone mill down, then looked at the panel.
He saw that "Tiger-Subduing Fist" was marked as unable to level up.
Lu Li immediately fell into deep thought.
"Tiger-Subduing Fist can't progress any further. I'll take a trip to the Black Market tomorrow."
"The Black Market has all sorts of strange things. I've heard they even sell people. Surely finding a mere martial art won't be a problem?"
"The Black Market is my only option."
"The various factions keep a very tight grip on their martial arts and never reveal them lightly. There's no way to obtain any from the outside."
"All you can find are worthless street-stall techniques."
"If I were a little stronger, I could pay a visit to the various factions' treasuries, but I can't do that yet."
With that in mind, Lu Li decided to ask for leave tomorrow and head to the Black Market.
He arrived at the Martial Academy early, but Huang Haitao hadn't shown up yet.
Lu Li didn't slack off. He slowly began practicing the techniques of Azure Wave Palm.
However, he wasn't practicing Azure Wave Palm alone. He had also worked in the moves of Tiger-Subduing Fist.
Now that he had reached the Tendon-Refining Realm, Lu Li's understanding of Tiger-Subduing Fist far surpassed that of ordinary people. It was no trouble to blend a move or two into Azure Wave Palm.
Although Tiger-Subduing Fist could no longer advance, he would grow rusty if he stopped practicing it for too long.
Lu Li hadn't forgotten his circumstances, nor how vast and turbulent this world was.
The Tendon-Refining Realm might make him a formidable figure in a small place like Changfeng County.
But across all of Great Yan, across the whole world, it still meant very little.
Lu Li wasn't someone content with an ordinary life. He didn't want to be confined to the little county of Changfeng.
This world held legends of transcending the mundane, sharing the world's lifespan, shining alongside the sun and moon, living forever, and roaming free.
Lu Li longed for such a life, too.
So he couldn't afford to slack off!
But when Li Qing and the other two saw Lu Li blending the two martial arts, they broke into mocking laughter.
"Hahaha! What's gotten into Lu Li? Qing, does that look like Azure Wave Palm to you?"
"He's probably realized his progress is too slow and started panicking. Even his moves are all twisted."
Li Qing curled his lips into a sneer. "He's got his own unique interpretation. We wouldn't understand."
He lifted his chin and turned away contemptuously.
Lu Li noticed the three of them watching him, but he didn't care and carried on as he pleased.
Another hour passed before Huang Haitao finally arrived.
He was in such a panic that sweat poured down his face.
As soon as he entered, he shouted at everyone, "Stop practicing! The Fifth Young Master's Wind-Chaser is missing. Go find him!"
"Dig up every inch of Changfeng County if you have to, but find him!"
Everyone stared at one another, utterly confused.
Someone couldn't help asking, "What's Wind-Chaser?"
"The young master's beloved dog. He has black fur all over, a long, slender body, and fangs as sharp as a tiger's."
"Remember those features. If you can't find him, you'll pay for it!"
Huang Haitao's face was red with agitation. He was clearly in a hurry.
Seeing this, everyone scattered to search.
No one knew how much time passed.
It wasn't until dusk was near that they found a black dog matching the description in a filthy little alley in the Outer District.
But when everyone saw the black dog mounted on a female dog, they hesitated, unsure what to do.
As the sky grew darker, one of the men grew more and more anxious. He finally couldn't wait any longer and went over to pull the two dogs apart.
The black dog immediately barked furiously, baring its teeth, then sank them into the man's hand. A row of bloody holes appeared, and blood poured out.
The man flew into a rage and slapped the black dog.
But it felt like slapping a steel plate. A sharp clang rang out.
Instead, the impact left his hand aching.
Everyone was shocked.
Lu Li narrowed his eyes. He had already noticed something unusual.
This Wind-Chasing Dog seemed to be a demon beast!
A demon beast had gotten loose. If it went on a killing spree, it would cause a terrible disaster. No wonder Huang Haitao was so frantic.
The Fifth Young Master walked his dog without a leash!
The Wind-Chasing Dog roared. The slap hadn't affected him in the slightest.
Lu Li understood beast speech and heard what the roar meant: You dare hit me? I'll bite you to death!
Lu Li's brow furrowed even more. It looked like he would have to use a few tricks today.
Not every demon was as gentle and understanding as Hu Niu.
But the next moment, Wind-Chaser suddenly flopped onto the ground and let out a plaintive whine, looking behind Lu Li and the others.
Everyone followed Wind-Chaser's gaze. A handsome young master in white had appeared behind them, with Huang Haitao at his side.
Hearing Wind-Chaser's cries, the Fifth Young Master looked pained. He hurried forward and stroked the dog's head.
A savage look flashed through his eyes. In a low voice, he asked, "Who dared lay a hand on my beloved dog?"
Wind-Chaser's eyes shifted, and he gave the burly man a whine.
The Fifth Young Master immediately stood up and looked at the man, his face full of arrogance. He said coldly, "Was it you?"
The burly man's forehead glistened with sweat, and his whole body trembled. He hurriedly fell to his knees and showed the young master the row of holes in his hand, still spurting blood. "Young Master, it was Wind-Chaser who—"
Before he could finish, the Fifth Young Master cut him off. "Only I get to discipline Wind-Chaser. Who do you think you are?"
"If you beat a dog, you have to look at its owner. What, do you think you can overstep your station?"
"You must be punished!"
Without giving the man a chance to explain, the Fifth Young Master suddenly struck, moving faster than the eye could follow. He sent his strength surging through his body as his muscles bulged in layer upon layer.
Unleashing the power of the Flesh-Refining Realm, he kicked out.
After a thunderous crash, his kick punched straight through the burly man's torso.
The man flew backward, blood spraying through the air.
He hit the ground and died on the spot.
Everyone shuddered with fear and hurriedly lowered their heads.
With his master backing him, Wind-Chasing Dog barked furiously at everyone.
"That's enough, Wind-Chaser. Don't lower yourself to the likes of these peasants. Let's go home and eat tiger meat."
"The Outer District is filthy, and it reeks to high heaven. Peasants just don't know how to keep clean!"
With that, he covered his nose and left with Wind-Chaser.
Tiger meat was a powerful tonic, greatly beneficial to martial artists!
And they were feeding it to a dog!
What sheer extravagance!
There was no clearer proof that a man could be worth less than a dog.
Still, Lu Li knew that the Huang Family merely wanted to keep them under its thumb, so he wasn't surprised.
The Huang Family only had to spend a tiny bit to gain a loyal henchman. It was a good deal.
Huang Haitao wore a gloomy expression, too. It seemed he had been reprimanded.
Seeing how dispirited everyone looked, he grew furious.
"What are you standing around for? Get the body! Do you expect me to do it?"
Only then did everyone snap out of their fear and hurry into action.
Lu Li went over to Huang Haitao. "Martial Master Huang, I'd like to take two days off."
Before you continue