[Where's the Fish? Where's Your Mom?]

Shen Xiu did not understand exactly how the Wind Thunder Martial Arts School's gathering operated, but it had indeed greatly raised its reputation.

A few years ago, when Han Li—the once-genius martial cultivator—joined the Wind Thunder Martial Arts School, it had been the school's heyday.

Unfortunately, he had only treated it as a stepping stone, more as a tool to disgust the martial arts school that had failed to recognize his worth. Before long, he had leaped through the Dragon Gate and entered Shanglin.

The Wind Thunder Martial Arts School could only celebrate in vain.

Now that another opportunity had appeared, it was only natural for them to try every possible means to seize it. Still, sending an invitation to a disciple of their rival school was quite something.

Since Instructor Duan had shown no intention of forbidding it, and the school itself did not mind, Shen Xiu naturally would not go looking for trouble.

The so-called Wind Thunder Martial Arts Gathering was not until next month anyway, so he was in no hurry.

Staying in Taixi City, he returned to his old routine and trained at the Lishui River.

During that uneventful spring, Shen Xiu went back and forth between the martial arts school and the Lishui River, day and night without pause.

Along the way, he also ran into Pavilion Master Yang Jinhong, whom he had not seen for a long time. Perhaps due to his constant secluded cultivation, Pavilion Master Yang had become far thinner than before. Though he was not angry, he radiated authority with every glance, carrying an additional aura that inspired fear.

Many disciples speculated that their pavilion master had broken through the shackles of the Peak of the Third Realm and stepped into the Realm of Hidden Treasures, where one tempered the internal organs.

He had also appeared more frequently than before. As the disciples discussed it, they all felt it must be because of the Wind Thunder Martial Arts School lately, making even their pavilion master unable to remain entirely at peace.

Shen Xiu had not seen any sign of unrest, but he had noticed that whenever they met, Pavilion Master Yang's gaze lingered on him quite often.

That gaze was strange, carrying a feeling that was difficult to put into words.

It seemed like appreciation, yet not quite.

After a dashing spring rain, rumors spread through the Golden Rainbow Martial Arts School that its pavilion master intended to take in a Personal Disciple.

After one or two years, such news stirred the school's disciples to excitement, and even people from elsewhere came after hearing of it.

Though the vice pavilion master had handled most affairs over the past two years, while Yang Jinhong had retreated behind the scenes and rarely showed himself before others—

A man's name was like a tree's shadow.

Many still remembered Yang Jinhong's Seven Luminaries Gate Breaking Saber vividly. Compared to the Wind Thunder Martial Arts School's possible Mysterious Grade cultivation technique, joining the Golden Rainbow Martial Arts School seemed more tangible.

After all, Yang Jinhong had personally declared that whoever met his requirements and became his Personal Disciple would immediately be taught his supreme art.

This made Senior Brother Lin Yuan, who had spent a year running himself ragged and learned only a little superficial knowledge, burst into tears.

Thinking of this, Shen Xiu could not help realizing belatedly that Pavilion Master Yang's repeated looks might mean that he had taken a liking to him.

Yet before this, he had already agreed in principle that once Instructor Duan's time at the school ended, he would become Instructor Duan's disciple.

Shen Xiu had always felt that he clearly distinguished gratitude from grudges. Instructor Duan had treated him well and could be said to have done his utmost for him; Shen Xiu had seen it all.

There was nothing to hesitate over in becoming his disciple.

He would not consider Yang Jinhong's offer no matter what. A Mysterious Grade saber art was something he would possess eventually.

For now, though, Yang Jinhong did not seem to have any intention of forcing this melon from its vine.

After that, whenever he had nothing to do, Shen Xiu kept going to the Lishui River to practice his punches.

His fists flew fast and fierce, beating the fish until they were dizzy and disoriented.

Sometimes he punched for an entire hour, churning the water into a crashing uproar, explosions sounding one after another. The riverbank became piled with fresh fish of every variety.

Whenever that happened, Shen Xiu would see a black-and-white tabby kitten slip out from some narrow alleyway by the street.

The kitten stared at the fish sprawled on the ground, drooling. It hugged a large carp bigger than itself and dragged it limping back toward the alley behind it, tail raised high and stretched taut in an arc, looking as though it were exerting all its strength.

There were too many fish in the river, and the water was quite deep. Whenever Shen Xiu tired of punching, he would pause and sit on the shore to watch the cat.

He would watch for quite a while.

He had once wanted to pet the kitten, but it was highly wary. The moment he approached, its fur stood on end, and it fled like the wind.

So he stopped thinking about it. He roasted fish while the cat dragged fish away; one more or one less made no difference.

Later on, there would be one large and one small figure: one sitting on the shore, holding a fish and gnawing it, the other squatting on the shore, hugging a fish and biting into it.

Five days later, Shen Xiu came to the river as usual, took off his shirt, and waded into the water to practice boxing.

From sunset until the bright moon shone upon the world, clear dreams pressing down upon the river of stars, he practiced when suddenly a feeling stirred within him.

He slightly circulated the Dragon Subduing Qi inside him and discovered that his vitality and blood were brimming, rolling like a great river, as though another breakthrough might be possible.

Seizing the opportunity, Shen Xiu circulated his qi and slowly refined that surging vitality and blood.

His movements in the water grew slower and slower, as if even the air had become viscous. Between motion and stillness, the rippling river surface gradually flowed smooth, and the whirlpools within it slowly vanished.

Then Shen Xiu suddenly heard an extremely faint crack, as though it had come from some unknown joint inside his body.

Yet that soft sound seemed to shatter some sort of balance. Next came a swelling surge through his body, followed by a string of crackling explosions like firecrackers, unceasing and deafening.

For a moment, thunderous sounds coiled around him, and his sinews and bones rang in unison.

The strength of the bones and meridians throughout his body increased at an unimaginable speed.

In this Lishui River that flowed into the Liujiang River, Shen Xiu stepped into the Bone Tempering realm without warning and became a true Third Realm martial cultivator.

Feeling the unimaginable power surging through his body, Shen Xiu could not help wanting to throw back his head and roar at the heavens. Thinking that would look foolish, he restrained the urge.

But with his body now overflowing with power, he desperately wanted to hammer something for the sheer satisfaction of it.

There were no cows around at night, so Shen Xiu looked at the calm lake surface and angrily threw a punch. The force of his fist howled, and the lake surface several yards before him was suddenly pressed downward!

As his fist fell, it was as if a massive boulder had plunged into the water, directly blasting open a huge hollow.

"Eh, there's a big fish..."

Shen Xiu's sharp eyes caught a huge white shadow flashing beneath the exploding spray. Instantly excited, he threw another punch!

It landed with a thunderous crash.

Yet when the blow struck, its fist force vanished like it had entered a sea of mud, dissipating without a trace. There was no reaction at all.

Shen Xiu was instantly dumbfounded. This was Bone Tempering?

Amid his confusion, he felt that his hand seemed to have touched something hard, like scales.

As he stood there bewildered and astonished, a faint voice suddenly drifted down from above his head.

"What big fish... fish your mom..."

Shen Xiu abruptly looked up at those words.

A figure more than several dozen meters long stood silently against the black night sky.

At the top of that figure rested a gigantic head.

Enormous dark pupils gazed silently down at him, then it flicked out its tongue!