First Move

After finishing the water, Lu Chuan secretly held a mouthful in his cheeks, intending to let it turn into ice later so he could suck on it for a bit of relief. He returned the gourd to Wu Qiu, then feigned exhaustion and closed his eyes to doze off.

Wu Qiu was taken aback.

His intention in coming over, aside from delivering water, had been to consult Lu Chuan about the terrain ahead and see if there were any matters requiring special attention.

After all, that was the very purpose of these guides, yet he hadn't expected Lu Chuan to be so blunt—drinking the water and falling straight to sleep without a word.

While he stood there in a daze, Lu Chuan had already begun to emit soft, rhythmic snores.

Wu Qiu stared blankly for a moment, then looked back at the nine Flying Tiger Soldiers accompanying him; one was keeping watch, while the other eight were resting with their eyes closed.

Seeing this, Wu Qiu shook his head and thought to himself, It seems I was being too rash.

After all, considering Lu Chuan's age, there was a significant gap in physical stamina between him and these robust young men, to say nothing of the soldiers themselves.

Lu Chuan had been leading the way at the very front the entire time; it was already no small feat that he had managed to keep up with their marching pace. Even the Flying Tiger Soldiers were exhausted, let alone Lu Chuan.

Wu Qiu turned and walked away.

The moment he turned his back, Lu Chuan, who had appeared to be fast asleep, suddenly opened his left eye. His snoring continued unabated, but a flash of cunning flickered in his gaze.

He had been the one scouting the path the entire way. Fortunately, having practiced sword techniques for two months, his movements had become much more agile, which was the only reason no one had discovered that he didn't actually know the way either.

However, he feared one thing: that these ten burly men would stop and question him about the conditions in these mountains.

The two flanking squads weren't far off, and he was afraid that if he spouted nonsense and started rambling, he would be exposed. Thus, he chose the safest method: drink the water and go straight to sleep.

If that didn't work, he would improvise on the spot, but fortunately, this tactic was still holding up for now.

As he pondered, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and eventually, he truly drifted off to sleep.

Although he was already a Qi Refiner, his time spent cultivating was still short, and he was not a martial artist who focused primarily on tempering the physical body; his energy, too, had its limits.

Half an hour later, Huang Feihu gave the order to advance once more.

However, the heat was unbearable, and the mountain forest was even more difficult to traverse. Eventually, two of the local guides collapsed, forcing Huang Feihu to stop and rest again.

It wasn't until dusk, when the weather cooled, that the group set off once more.

The following day, Huang Feihu changed his strategy, ordering the march to take place during the cool hours of the morning and evening, while resting during the heat of midday.

In this manner, they searched a mountain ridge in just three days, yet they found no trace of the fierce beast.

"Brother Wu, if we keep searching like this, when will it ever end?"

Lu Chuan had grown quite familiar with their squad leader, Wu Qiu, over the past few days. Taking advantage of another rest break, he whispered, "Couldn't the Martial Accomplishment King just go directly to the places where the beast frequently appears and capture it?"

The past three days had indeed been grueling, especially in such sweltering weather.

If they kept searching like this, let alone finding the beast to practice his skills, he reckoned he would collapse on the road himself.

"It's not that simple. Do you think the Martial Accomplishment King and General Zhou haven't considered that?"

Wu Qiu replied, "The army searched that way the first few times, but the beast has no fixed lair and is elusive; it never appears in the same place twice."

"How can we catch it like that? There's simply no way to start. Searching like this is the only option we have left!"

"So that's how it is!"

Lu Chuan mused, "If there are no repeat locations, then it truly is hard to find."

"Don't be discouraged, though. We are searching in the direction where it was last spotted; I expect we'll find a lead soon," Wu Qiu said.

Lu Chuan nodded and was about to turn away when Wu Qiu asked curiously, "Little brother, what is that thing on your back? We've even discarded our armor, so why don't you drop it to lighten your load, even though you're struggling so much?"

"This thing?"

Lu Chuan glanced back over his shoulder and smiled, "A secret!"

The first stage of the Martial Way consists of five minor realms: Blood Tempering, Tendon Changing, Bone Forging, Skin Refining, and Marrow Cleansing. Reaching the Marrow Cleansing realm is considered a minor success in the Martial Way.

Blood Tempering requires condensing one's own essence of blood to strengthen the body's vitality; Tendon Changing and Bone Forging involve tempering the sinews and bones of the entire body; Skin Refining greatly increases one's resistance to impact; and Marrow Cleansing is the process of purging impurities from the body, akin to a metamorphosis...

If one reaches the Marrow Cleansing realm, they can be considered to have achieved minor success in the Martial Way.

This Wu Qiu had successfully completed Skin Refining and Tendon Changing and was currently in the Bone Forging realm. His internal vitality alone was significantly stronger than that of an average Flying Tiger Soldier, and he served as a Centurion in the army.

The military system of Great Shang already included the ranks of Centurion and Chiliarch, titles for officers commanding one hundred and one thousand men, respectively.

As for the other Flying Tiger Soldiers, every single one was in the Blood Tempering realm, with several in the Tendon Changing realm. Standing together, their combined vitality surged toward the heavens—they were formidable indeed.

Within this army currently in the mountains, the strongest was undoubtedly Huang Feihu, followed by his two house generals, Zhou Ji and Long Huan.

Although Lu Chuan did not know what level those two had reached, he estimated they were far beyond Wu Qiu, likely in the second stage of the Martial Way.

"Heh, you have secrets, do you? Very well, I won't ask."

Wu Qiu laughed at this, "Get some good rest. We continue our march this afternoon; I'll have to trouble you to keep leading the way."

"Small matter!"

Lu Chuan waved his hand with a relaxed air and went to sit under a tree to doze off, though internally, he focused his mind to circulate his Qi through the Small Heavenly Circuit.

The Qi flowed out from his Dantian, beginning to travel bit by bit upward along the Ren and Du meridians...

Because they had to set off before dawn these past few days, he couldn't practice the absorption of solar and lunar essence, but he could still strengthen his internal Qi by practicing the Small Heavenly Circuit while on the move.

If he had the choice, Lu Chuan really did not want to waste those few moments when the sun first rose.

One had to know that the short span of time each morning was worth more than an hour of practicing the Small Heavenly Circuit.

Just as the saying went: the best of the day is the morning!

Half a month passed in this manner, and the group had scoured three or four mountain peaks, gradually venturing deep into Cangtu Mountain.

On this day.

In the morning, the group continued their march as usual.

Lu Chuan led the way in front, with Wu Qiu positioned parallel to him, while the remaining eight men followed closely behind in a state of high alert.

Suddenly, the trees not far ahead swayed violently, the bushes parted, and startled birds took flight into the sky with a frantic flapping of wings.

Lu Chuan's expression tightened as he immediately went on guard, his right hand already reaching for the cloth-wrapped long staff on his back.

"Prepare!"

Wu Qiu let out a loud shout, and the other eight men drew their blades in unison. Wu Qiu stepped forward, blocking the path in front of Lu Chuan.

Protecting these civilians who served as guides was a military order.

"Roar!"

The next instant, a roar erupted, and a behemoth nearly three meters tall lunged directly out of the woods ahead, its two massive bear paws swinging down toward Wu Qiu below with a gust of wind.

"A bear... a fierce beast?"

Lu Chuan rolled nimbly to the side, freezing in place once he saw his opponent clearly.

The behemoth was nothing other than a massive, hulking bear with bared fangs and a ferocious look.

This creature was a fierce beast?!

"Brother Wu, get out of the way!"

Lu Chuan's expression shifted instantly, and he shouted at Wu Qiu.

The bear was pouncing down from mid-air toward Wu Qiu; while Lu Chuan had already scrambled to a safe zone, it was too late for Wu Qiu to dodge.

Although Wu Qiu was a large man, standing before this bear was like a child facing an adult; the disparity was truly stark.

Lu Chuan could almost imagine him being flattened into a meat patty the next moment by the bear's "Mount Tai Pressing Down" descent.

"Ha!"

Yet, facing the descending bear, Wu Qiu remained unmoved. With a thunderous shout, his muscles bulged, and he thrust his thick, powerful arms upward with all his might.

Bang!

A dull thud echoed as the two massive, fur-covered paws collided with the man's hands, creating a heavy sound.

"What, he actually held it off?"

Lu Chuan, who had already drawn his sword, suddenly paused, his face filled with astonishment.

He saw that one of Wu Qiu's legs had buckled, and the veins on his forehead and arms were bulging, yet he had indeed caught those paws.

The bear's hind legs touched the ground, but its front legs remained suspended, unable to land because they were held up by Wu Qiu.

Lu Chuan clearly saw that the moment the bear landed and realized it had been held back, a look of utter bewilderment appeared on its small-eyed face.