Crimson Sun Art

Inside the great cauldron, Niu Mancang's entire body was wrapped in blood-colored medicinal energy, his chest rising and falling faintly.

Phew...

"Thank goodness. Looks like he's still alive." Half the weight in Zhang Yu's heart lifted. "Mancang, how do you feel?"

Niu Mancang opened his eyes. A flash of golden light streaked through them before they returned to their usual honest, dull gaze.

"Master!"

Niu Mancang cried out, then leaped from the great cauldron. With a thud, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed to Zhang Yu.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Yu stepped forward and helped Niu Mancang up, his face full of confusion. Had it succeeded, or had it failed?

"Thank you, Master, for granting me a new life. I succeeded. I feel like my entire body is brimming with strength." Niu Mancang spoke through tears.

[ Ding! Disciple Niu Mancang has activated the Feral Ox Physique. The host has gained one opportunity to copy it. Copy? ]

Huh? I can copy the Feral Ox Physique too? Zhang Yu was overjoyed and immediately began studying it.

He quickly understood the function. The one chance to copy a disciple's physique was not limited to copying Niu Mancang's Feral Ox Physique.

"Copy?"

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment before ultimately deciding against it. Niu Mancang's Feral Ox Physique was only ranked sixty-ninth among the Seventy-Two Earthly Baleful Physiques. What if he took in a disciple with one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Constellation Physiques in the future?

Zhang Yu arranged for Niu Mancang to cultivate the Iron Shirt at the Chu Family's secondary residence, while he took Chu Qingwen around Hidden Cloud City.

Since he could copy a disciple's physique once, he wanted to see whether Hidden Cloud City had any heaven-defying physiques.

At the teahouse across from Hidden Cloud Academy, on the third floor, in a private room.

Zhang Yu and Chu Qingwen came here every day to sit for a while. It had already been half a month since Niu Mancang activated the Feral Ox Physique.

Over those half a month, Zhang Yu had roamed all over Hidden Cloud City and finally understood just how rare physiques were.

In Hidden Cloud City—especially at Hidden Cloud Academy, the Great Chu Empire's sacred ground for martial cultivation—most disciples had at least good cultivation aptitude, and quite a few even possessed double excellent aptitude. Yet over half a month, Zhang Yu had not encountered a single person with a special physique.

Are there really so few of them? Or do true prodigies simply not wander the streets, so I can't run into them? Zhang Yu felt somewhat depressed.

Over the past half month, Niu Mancang's speed in cultivating the Iron Shirt had increased tenfold, and his cultivation aptitude had changed as well.

[Name: Niu Mancang]

[Martial arts and cultivation method: Iron Shirt, Mastery]

[Cultivation aptitude: Outstanding]

[Comprehension: Mediocre]

Previously, Niu Mancang's cultivation aptitude had been excellent. After awakening the Feral Ox Physique, it became outstanding, while his comprehension rose from poor to mediocre.

He had previously provided Zhang Yu with 6 points of Iron Shirt proficiency each day, but that had now increased tenfold to 60 points.

In half a month, Zhang Yu's Iron Shirt had nearly reached perfection.

[Name: Zhang Yu]

[Iron Shirt, Mastery (823/1000)]

He was about to cultivate it to perfection.

Niu Mancang's Iron Shirt had also reached Mastery yesterday. He had developed overt force and become a martial artist.

At this cultivation speed, Niu Mancang would need at most half a year to cultivate the Iron Shirt to perfection, thereby breaking through to covert force and becoming a covert-force martial artist.

Outstanding cultivation aptitude combined with the Feral Ox Physique made his speed of cultivating the Iron Shirt utterly terrifying.

After witnessing the changes brought by Niu Mancang awakening the Feral Ox Physique, Zhang Yu especially wanted to take in another supreme genius—preferably one whose aptitude and comprehension were both extraordinary, and who could awaken one of the top ten Thirty-Six Heavenly Constellation Physiques.

If that happened, his own cultivation would soar along with it.

My disciples will carry me to the skies. Just thinking about it was exhilarating.

Unfortunately, reality dealt him a crushing blow. After wandering Hidden Cloud City for half a month, he had not even seen someone with outstanding cultivation aptitude, let alone someone extraordinary or possessing a special physique.

As he drank tea, a four-wheeled carriage suddenly stopped at the entrance to Hidden Cloud Academy. The horses pulling it were exceptionally majestic, their four hooves shaped like flames.

"The Xu Family's Fire Dragon Horses. Legend says these horses possess a trace of Flame Dragon bloodline. They can travel a thousand li a day and count as a kind of half-demonic beast." Chu Qingwen explained to Zhang Yu. "The person inside might be Xu Family's prodigy, Xu Yang."

Sure enough, a young man stepped out of the carriage. He had sharp eyes and brows like stars, strikingly handsome, though his youthful face carried threads of sorrow.

"Master, his name is Xu Yang. He's the Xu Family's peerless prodigy. At seven, he cultivated the first layer of the Xu Family's ultimate art, the Crimson Sun Art, and became an overt-force martial artist. At ten, he cultivated it to the second layer and became a covert-force martial artist. He's fifteen this year, and everyone says he could break through to transformed force at any moment." Chu Qingwen spoke with a face full of envy. "A fifteen-year-old transformed-force martial artist!"

Yet Zhang Yu saw an entirely different scene in his eyes.

[Name: Xu Yang]

[Age: 15]

[Realm: Covert Force]

[Cultivation aptitude: Excellent]

[Comprehension: Outstanding]

[Fate: Aloof, Compassionate]

[Physique: Frostbound Myriad-Sword Physique (unawakened), ranked 6th among the Thirty-Six Heavenly Constellation Physiques]

[Since childhood, every cultivation session has required enduring the agony of ten thousand bones drilling into his heart]

Huh? I've finally seen someone with a special physique—and it's even a sword physique, ranked sixth among the Thirty-Six Heavenly Constellation Physiques. What an incredible physique. Zhang Yu sighed inwardly.

His fate includes compassion. He doesn't seem like a bad person. The Frostbound Myriad-Sword Physique should lean toward an ice attribute, right?

"Qingwen, what cultivation method does the Xu Family practice?"

"The Crimson Sun Art!"

"A fire attribute?"

"Mm!"

"I think if this Xu Family genius keeps cultivating, forget breaking through to transformed force—his life may be in danger." Zhang Yu said mysteriously.

"Master, why?" Chu Qingwen asked, her face full of confusion.

Zhang Yu merely smiled without answering. He rose, left the teahouse, and walked toward Xu Yang.

Since he had encountered him, he might as well give it a try.

Xu Yang's brow was tightly furrowed. Ever since he began cultivating at the age of five, his brow had never relaxed, because every time he cultivated, his entire body suffered a heart-piercing, bone-scraping pain.

As his Crimson Sun Art deepened, so did the pain. He had a feeling that if he cultivated to the third layer, he would die. Thus, after the age of ten, he had slowed his cultivation speed.

The Crimson Sun Art was a Yellow-grade cultivation method, capable of being cultivated up to the Nourishing Qi Realm.

(Overt Force, Covert Force, Transformed Force, True Qi Realm, Nourishing Qi Realm, Astral Qi Realm—the first six realms of martial cultivation.)

(Cultivation methods: unranked, third-rate, second-rate, first-rate, Yellow grade, Profound grade, Earth grade, Heaven grade.)

The Xu Family had only entered the ranks of martial families within the last century. The only cultivation method in their household capable of reaching the middle three realms was the Crimson Sun Art.

For the past few months, he had wanted to enter Hidden Cloud Academy, apprentice himself to an Astral Qi Realm martial artist, and resolve his cultivation problem.

The Xu Family ancestor was in the Nourishing Qi Realm. He had examined Xu Yang's problem but had no way to resolve it, nor did he know what was causing it.

However, Xu Yang was only at covert force, while Hidden Cloud Academy's minimum requirement for accepting disciples was transformed force. Even though his family had pulled many strings, they still could not get him inside.

Today, Xu Yang had come to try his luck again. As expected, he still could not even enter through the gates.

Just as he was feeling dejected, a youth his age walked over. "When you cultivate, does your entire body suffer heart-piercing, bone-scraping pain?"

"Huh? How do you know? Who are you? What do you want?" The moment Xu Yang heard this, he became instantly vigilant.

"If you want it resolved, come to Boundless City and take me as your master." Zhang Yu left after speaking. He knew this was abrupt, but people with such physiques were too difficult to encounter. He did not want to miss this chance, especially since the other party was currently facing cultivation difficulties.

"Don't leave! Who are you?" Xu Yang shouted coldly.

Zhang Yu ignored him and continued walking away.

"Looking for a beating!"

Xu Yang struck toward Zhang Yu's back with his palm. His palm turned fiery red—the Crimson Sun Art, covert force transforming into fire.

Zhang Yu turned and threw a punch.

Bang!

Fist and palm collided. Thud, thud, thud! Xu Yang staggered back three steps, his entire body feeling as though it were being torn apart.

His face was filled with shock. He had never expected to be driven back by a single punch, and his entire right arm was numb.

This...