His First Move

After drinking, Lu Chuan secretly held a mouthful of water in his mouth, planning to let it freeze later so he could cool off. Then he returned the gourd to Wu Qiu and put on a weary look before closing his eyes to nap.

Wu Qiu couldn't help but stare.

Besides bringing water, he'd come over with another purpose: to ask Lu Chuan about the terrain ahead and find out if there was anything worth watching out for.

After all, that was what these men were there for. Who could have known Lu Chuan would be so straightforward? He drank the water, said nothing, and went straight to sleep.

While Wu Qiu stood there in a daze, Lu Chuan had already begun snoring softly.

Wu Qiu stared blankly for a moment, then turned to look at the nine Flying Tiger Army soldiers behind him. One was keeping watch, while the other eight had their eyes closed in rest.

Seeing this, Wu Qiu shook his head and thought, Looks like I was too hasty.

After all, Lu Chuan was young, and there was a considerable gap between his stamina and that of the strong young men—not to mention the soldiers.

Lu Chuan had been leading them at the very front all this way. Just keeping up with their marching pace was no small feat. Even the Flying Tiger Soldiers were tired, let alone Lu Chuan.

Wu Qiu turned and left.

After he turned away, Lu Chuan, who seemed fast asleep, suddenly opened his left eye. His snoring continued, but a crafty glint flashed in his eye.

He had been the one scouting ahead the whole way. Fortunately, he'd practiced swordsmanship for two months and become quite nimble, so no one had noticed that he didn't actually know the way either.

But he was worried about one thing: once they stopped, the ten burly men might ask him about the mountains.

The two teams to either side weren't far away. He was afraid they'd catch him out if he bluffed his way through with a load of nonsense. So he chose the safest option: drink the water, then go straight to sleep.

If that didn't work, he'd just have to improvise. Fortunately, this trick was still working for now.

As he pondered, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier. In the end, he really did fall asleep.

Although he was already a Qi Refiner, he had only been cultivating for a short time. And he wasn't a martial artist who focused on training the body, so his strength could run out too.

Half an hour later, Huang Feihu gave the order to move out again.

But the weather was unbearably hot, and traveling through the forest was even more difficult. At last, two of the local guides collapsed, forcing Huang Feihu to stop and rest again.

They set out once more at dusk, when the weather had cooled.

On the second day, Huang Feihu changed tactics. He ordered them to travel in the cool of early morning and evening, and rest during the heat of midday.

After three days, they had searched an entire mountain, but found no trace of the fierce beast.

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

Over the past few days, Lu Chuan had grown quite familiar with Wu Qiu, the leader. Taking advantage of another rest stop, he lowered his voice and said, "Why doesn't the Martial Accomplishment King just go to the place where that fierce beast often appears and capture it?"

He really had put everyone through the wringer over the past three days, especially in weather this hot.

If they kept searching like this, he'd never get to practice against that fierce beast. He'd probably drop dead on the way first.

"It's not that simple. Do you think the Martial Accomplishment King and General Zhou never thought of that?"

Wu Qiu said, "The army searched this way the last few times, but that fierce beast roams without a fixed home and appears and disappears mysteriously. Every time it shows up, it's in a different place.

"How are we supposed to catch it? We have no way to start. Searching like this is just the only option we have!"

"I see!"

Lu Chuan pondered. "If it never returns to the same place, then it's hard to find."

"But don't lose heart. The direction we're searching in is where it appeared most recently. We'll probably find a clue soon," Wu Qiu said.

Lu Chuan nodded and was about to turn away when Wu Qiu asked curiously, "Little brother, what's that thing on your back? We've even tossed aside our armor. Why are you putting yourself through all that instead of dropping it to lighten your load?"

"This?"

Lu Chuan glanced behind him and smiled. "It's a secret!"

The first major stage of the Martial Way had five minor realms: Blood Tempering, Tendon Changing, Bone Forging, Skin Refining, and Marrow Cleansing. Reaching the Marrow Cleansing Realm meant one had achieved minor mastery of the Martial Way.

The Blood Tempering Realm involved refining the essence of one's blood and strengthening the body's vital energy. Tendon Changing and Bone Forging meant tempering the tendons and bones throughout the body. Skin Refining greatly increased one's ability to withstand blows. Marrow Cleansing removed impurities from the body, like a transformation...

If one reached the Marrow Cleansing Realm, one could be considered to have achieved minor mastery of the Martial Way.

Wu Qiu had already reached Skin Refining and succeeded in Tendon Changing. He was now in the Bone Forging Realm. The vital energy in his body alone was far stronger than that of an ordinary Flying Tiger Soldier, and he held the rank of Centurion in the army.

The Great Shang military already had the ranks of Centurion and Chiliarch, meaning officers who commanded a hundred and a thousand men, respectively.

As for the other Flying Tiger Soldiers, every one of them had reached the Blood Tempering Realm, and several had also reached the Tendon Changing Realm. When they stood together, their vital energy surged skyward. They were formidable indeed.

Among the army currently in the mountains, the strongest was undoubtedly Huang Feihu. Next came his two household generals, Zhou Ji and Long Huan.

Although Lu Chuan didn't know what level those two had reached, he guessed they were well beyond Wu Qiu—probably at the second stage of the Martial Way.

"Heh, so you have secrets. All right, I won't ask."

Wu Qiu smiled at that. "Get some good rest. We'll continue on this afternoon. I'll trouble you to keep leading the way."

"No problem!"

Lu Chuan waved casually, went to a tree, and closed his eyes as if dozing. Within his body, however, he focused his mind and directed his true qi through the Small Heavenly Circuit.

The true qi flowed out of his dantian, then gradually traveled upward along the Ren and Du meridians...

These past few days, they had set out before dawn, so he hadn't been able to practice absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. But he could still strengthen his true qi by circulating it through the Small Heavenly Circuit.

Still, if he could help it, Lu Chuan really didn't want to waste those few moments just after sunrise.

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

Just as the saying went: the day's plans were made in the morning!

Half a month passed like this. The group searched three or four mountains and gradually ventured deeper into Cangtu Mountain.

That day.

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

Lu Chuan led the way at the front. Wu Qiu marched level with him but some distance away, while the other eight followed close behind, keeping watch.

Suddenly, the trees not far ahead shook violently. The bushes parted, and startled birds flapped up from the branches and into the sky.

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

"Get ready!"

Wu Qiu shouted. At his words, the other eight drew their blades in unison. Wu Qiu stepped forward and moved in front of Lu Chuan.

Protecting the local guides was a military order.

"Roar!"

The next instant, a roar rang out, and a massive beast nearly three meters tall sprang straight from the woods ahead. Its two enormous bear paws came crashing down toward Wu Qiu, whipping up a gust of wind.

"A bear... a fierce beast?"

Lu Chuan nimbly rolled to the side. When he looked up and saw what they were facing, he froze.

The enormous creature was none other than a gigantic, ferocious bear with its fangs bared.

So this was the fierce beast?!

"Brother Wu, get out of the way!"

Lu Chuan's expression changed, and he shouted toward Wu Qiu.

The bear was hurtling down toward Wu Qiu from midair. Lu Chuan had already dodged into a safe spot, but Wu Qiu had no time to get away.

Wu Qiu was a tall man, but in front of that enormous bear, he looked like a child beside an adult. The difference was simply too great.

Lu Chuan could already picture him being crushed into a meat patty beneath the bear's "Mount Tai pressing down" attack.

"Ha!"

But Wu Qiu didn't so much as flinch as the bear came crashing down. He roared, his muscles bulging, and thrust both thick, powerful arms upward with all his strength.

Bang!

The two enormous, furry bear paws collided with Wu Qiu's hands, and a heavy impact rang out.

"What? He actually stopped it?"

Lu Chuan, who had drawn his sword and was about to pull it free, suddenly halted. His face was filled with shock.

One of Wu Qiu's legs had bent, and the veins stood out on his forehead and hands, but he had stopped those paws.

The bear's hind legs had touched the ground, but its front paws couldn't, because Wu Qiu was holding them up.

Lu Chuan clearly saw that the moment the bear landed and realized it had been stopped, it looked completely bewildered, its little eyes wide.