"My legs have gotten noticeably stronger, and with them, my overall physical condition has improved."
Li Chuan tried throwing a whip kick.
"Smack!"
A deep dent appeared in the wooden post.
The post wasn't made of ordinary wood, but sturdy Sinking Wood.
Before, even when he unleashed Dark Force, his kicks had only left a small mark.
Now he could kick a hole into it.
Li Chuan had gained a new understanding of the destructive power of Thunder Shadow Leg.
If it could do that to Sinking Wood, what would it do to a person?
And what would it be like once he reached Major Mastery?
After resting for a while, Li Chuan decided to take a stroll outside.
But as soon as he reached the Outer Courtyard, he heard a pale-faced disciple shouting:
"Something terrible has happened! Something terrible!"
"The Rebirth Sect made a desperate counterattack and somehow summoned a Transforming Force Monster Beast. The squad sent to wipe them out suffered heavy losses!"
"Senior Brother Tang has six broken ribs, and Senior Brother Qin even broke his right hand!"
An uproar rose among the crowd.
This was no small matter!
The Martial Exam was only a month away.
Senior Brother Tang Xiang had broken six ribs. Even with the finest medicines, it would take at least two months for him to recover completely.
This year's Martial Exam was out of his reach!
As for Qin Feng, his right hand was broken. While his injury wasn't as severe, even with careful treatment, he would only just manage to make it to the Martial Exam.
But that meant he wouldn't be able to practice martial arts for the entire month.
For a genius like him, a month was more than enough to make a huge leap in strength!
"Does the Rebirth Sect really have that kind of power?"
Everyone looked stunned.
Some of the sharper ones even sensed, from this simple report, that turbulent times were coming.
When Zhuang Beiwang heard the news, he instinctively looked toward Li Chuan.
After his initial fear came a wave of relief.
Good thing he hadn't let greed cloud his judgment and recklessly joined the squad sent to wipe out the sect.
Otherwise... with his level of strength, he might've ended up in a Monster Beast's jaws!
Li Chuan narrowed his eyes and looked toward the Outer Courtyard gate.
Liang Hangzhou led the group inside, his expression grim.
Behind him followed Tang Xiang, looking utterly dejected.
He had taken the Martial Exam twice already, and last year had placed fifty-third.
He'd been only a little short of earning the title of Martial Scholar!
He had prepared carefully this year, and his strength had improved.
But who could have guessed that he'd be so badly injured on a mission that had seemed completely safe?
Now he couldn't take the exam this year and would have to wait another year!
How many years did a person get in life?
At that moment, Tang Xiang regretted everything.
Behind him came Qin Feng, his expression dark.
His right hand was wrapped in white plaster. His clothes hadn't even been cleaned, and they still bore traces of blood.
Along the way, Outer Courtyard disciples tried to greet him, but he harshly snapped at them and sent them away.
It was clear how badly this had shaken him!
In his mind, he should have been striding fearlessly across the battlefield, taking the lives of several Rebirth Sect disciples with every strike.
He would have made a name for himself in the county and earned even greater favor from the County Magistrate.
But... everything had turned out differently from what he'd imagined!
From a distance, Li Chuan watched in silence.
The facts had proved him right.
So what if they had a Transforming Force expert leading them?
One Transforming Force expert could protect only a few people nearby at most.
Those farther away were beyond his reach.
Li Chuan shook his head and went straight back to his courtyard.
No matter what happened, improving his own strength was what mattered most.
"After Thunder Shadow Leg reaches Minor Mastery, I don't have to hold a horse stance anymore. I have to kick wooden posts instead."
Every kick had to be delivered with all his strength.
Thirty kicks made one set.
After each set, he had to apply a special medicinal ointment to his legs.
Over time, his legs would grow as hard as iron, and both their speed and strength would improve greatly.
When a layer of horn as hard as armor covered his legs, Thunder Shadow Leg would have reached Major Mastery.
With that in mind, Li Chuan rolled up his trouser legs and suddenly snapped a kick through the air, sending the wooden post swaying.
He alternated legs, practicing thirty kicks with each.
Then he took out Hundred-Flavor Flower, Cold-Heart Grass, and Dragon-Sun Branch and made them into a medicinal paste.
As soon as he applied it, a strange sensation swept through his legs, alternating between hot and cold.
At first, it felt cool and soothing. Then it grew scorching and unbearable.
But throughout the process, Li Chuan could clearly feel his legs slowly growing stronger.
After finishing a set, Li Chuan was about to rest for a while.
Suddenly—
"Knock, knock, knock."
Someone rapped on the door. The knock was casual, nothing like Zhuang Beiwang's cautious little taps.
Li Chuan had a guess who it might be.
When he opened the door, he found a familiar face.
Luo Zheng!
Luo Zheng held up an envelope and grinned.
"A-Chuan, you'll never guess who this letter's from."
"It's Fan Wanyu from the Fan Family Winery. Remember her?"
"Back when you were at Bright Force, you wanted to marry her, but she told you to wait a while."
"Maybe word got out that you'd broken through to Dark Force. She must've decided you were good enough for her after all, so she sent someone to deliver this letter to me."
Luo Zheng opened the envelope and read it, tutting as he went.
"A-Chuan, she's asking whether you're free to meet her at the Hundred-Flower Pavilion. She even says she's reached the age to marry..."
"What a difference from the way she acted before!"
"What do you think?"
Li Chuan was quite taken aback.
Did he really look like a simp?
She'd looked down on him so much back then, yet now she thought he'd still want her?
It seemed that whether in ancient times or modern ones, there was never any shortage of women who were full of themselves...
Li Chuan waved a hand, utterly uninterested.
"Senior Brother Luo, please turn her down for me."
Luo Zheng said indignantly:
"That's what I thought, too. You don't need a woman like her. What does she take you for, someone she can summon and dismiss whenever she pleases?"
"I'll write her back right away!"
The Fan Family Winery.
Fan Wanyu stood by the pool, absently watching the koi as she gently stirred the water.
"Big Sis, what are you thinking about?"
Her younger brother, Fan Yang, asked curiously.
"I just sent someone to deliver a letter to Li Chuan, inviting him to meet me at the Hundred-Flower Pavilion, but now I'm starting to regret it."
Fan Yang secretly curled his lip.
"What's there to regret? You're lucky he'd even consider you!"
Fan Wanyu furrowed her willow-like brows.
"How am I not good enough for him? I'd even be marrying beneath myself."
Fan Yang was at a loss for words.
Why was his older sister so confident?
He would never marry someone like her...
Of course, he didn't dare say that aloud.
"Miss, Li Chuan sent a reply!"
Fan Wanyu looked listless and wasn't particularly eager to hear it.
"Fan Yang, open it for me."
As far as she was concerned, she had personally swallowed her pride to invite Li Chuan.
How could he possibly turn her down?
Fan Yang rubbed his hands together and opened the letter. His expression swiftly changed from calm to astonishment.
Fan Wanyu waited a few moments, but when Fan Yang didn't speak, she turned and frowned at him.
"What's taking you so long?"
Fan Yang stammered:
"Big Sis, he said not to contact him again..."
"What?!" Fan Wanyu's voice shot up.
A nameless fury rose in her heart, rushing from her toes straight to her head.
She had personally invited him, and Li Chuan... how dare he refuse!
After taking a few deep breaths, Fan Wanyu finally calmed down.
"Hmph," she snorted. "His refusal suits me just fine. I only gave him that chance because his family background was respectable."
"Now that he's failed to seize it, he has only himself to blame!"
"Perfect. I'll go see my Big Brother Wu, who'll be this year's Martial Scholar!"
Fan Yang pressed his lips together.
Big Brother Wu—Wu Yanshu—was his sister's childhood sweetheart.
He was a powerful Dark Force expert who had taken the Martial Exam last year and placed fifty-first, just one spot shy of earning the title of Martial Scholar.
After preparing for another year, he was all but certain to make it.
As long as he got lucky and didn't run into an opponent who was too strong...
Before you continue