New Beginnings (Please Keep Reading)

Life at the medicinal garden gradually settled into peace.

Lu Chen continued cultivating methodically.

Every day before dawn, he would assume the Coiling Dragon Stance in the small courtyard. Blood-Qi Powder entered his stomach, its medicinal power transforming into a searing current that spread from his chest and abdomen to his limbs and bones.

Ever since his Coiling Dragon Stance Art had reached perfection, Lu Chen's efficiency in refining and absorbing medicinal power had reached its peak.

He could absorb a single Blood-Qi Powder in less than a day.

In Wang Zhong's eyes, Lu Chen was no longer practicing martial arts—he was burning silver.

A single Blood-Qi Powder cost two taels on the market. Lu Chen burned through two taels of silver every day, and that did not even include meat or medicinal baths.

Twenty Blood-Qi Powders a month were not even enough for him to burn through.

Fortunately, he had repelled Black Wind Stronghold, defended the medicinal garden, and rendered great service. When Wang Shouyi learned of it, he secretly added another ten Blood-Qi Powders to Lu Chen's monthly allowance.

With that, Lu Chen had thirty Blood-Qi Powders each month, barely enough to keep up with his cultivation pace.

Such expenses were already far beyond what other minor Blood-Transferring martial artists could compare to.

Most people only dared take one every three to five days, while Lu Chen took them without interruption every day.

Medicinal power piled up, and his qi and blood surged wildly.

Every day, Lu Chen could feel the circulation of qi and blood within him growing stronger.

In just one month, his strength rose from fourteen hundred jin to two thousand jin.

After the Azure Dragon Through-the-Arms Fist reached perfection, Lu Chen shifted the focus of his martial training to the Golden Ape Piercing-the-Forest Leg.

Every afternoon, Lu Chen would head alone into the woods east of the medicinal garden to hone his leg techniques.

The snow in the mountains had not yet fully melted, and the terrain was chaotic. One wrong step would send him slipping and falling. Ordinary people had to tread carefully even when walking, much less sprinting, weaving, and leaping through the forest.

Yet this was precisely the best place to practice the Golden Ape Piercing-the-Forest Leg.

The mountain wind swept past his ears.

Dead branches brushed against his sides.

Startled birds took flight, their wings fluttering as they flew into the distance.

After countless falls, Lu Chen's figure became faster and more agile among the trees.

The setting sun slanted down, turning the lingering snow golden.

Lu Chen streaked past seven ancient trees in succession without slowing. With a tap of his toes against a boulder, he launched upward like a golden ape leaping, then swept out with his final kick against a tree trunk as thick as half a man.

Bang!

His powerful leg technique carved a half-foot-deep gash into the trunk, sending wood chips flying in every direction.

The next moment, a screen of light quietly appeared before him.

[Golden Ape Piercing-the-Forest Leg: Mastery]

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Lu Chen's eyes lit up.

"Mm, the Golden Ape Piercing-the-Forest Leg has reached mastery too."

The instant the thought arose, countless experiences with the leg technique flooded into his mind, then sank along with his qi and blood into both legs.

His calves, knees, thighs, waist, and hips all began to ache and burn.

Lu Chen looked down and saw the muscles in his legs subtly twitching under the nourishment of his qi and blood. The lines of his legs, once lean and firm, became even tighter and more powerful. Each muscle stood distinct without becoming bulky; instead, they carried the nimble lightness of an ape.

With a light tap of his foot, his entire body shot forward in an instant.

Whoosh!

The mountain wind swept past his ears.

Lu Chen's figure flashed, and he was already three zhang away.

He stepped onto another boulder, abruptly rising into the air and lightly clearing a pine tree.

Borrowing force, changing direction, weaving, leaping... movements that had once required deliberate control had now all become instinct.

This made his movement technique even more nimble and fluid, his speed more than twice what it had been before.

"Now, no minor Blood-Transferring martial artist should be able to catch me!"

His advantage in movement speed gave Lu Chen the initiative in battle.

He could fight when he wanted and flee when he wanted, truly placing himself in an invincible position.

Moreover, his explosive power had grown stronger than before. The instantaneous acceleration brought by the Golden Ape Leap made his Azure Dragon Through-the-Arms Fist harder to guard against and even more destructive.

If he encountered Qiu Heixiong, Black Wind Stronghold's leader, again, Lu Chen was confident he could avoid the man's hidden force and beat him until he was crawling around looking for his teeth.

After the New Year, the long winter finally passed.

Spring warmed Scarlet Cloud Mountain and flowers bloomed. The snow in the mountains melted into streams that trickled down through the cracks in the rocks.

After spending the New Year with his parents, Lu Chen returned to Scarlet Cloud County.

At Little Prosperity Tower, Lu Chen met with Senior Brother Chen Chong for a small gathering.

New year, new beginnings.

Chen Chong ordered a whole table of dishes and invited Lu Chen to sit.

Looking at the table laden with Little Prosperity Tower's famous dishes, Lu Chen could not help asking, "Senior Brother Chen, did you strike it rich?"

Chen Chong only threw back his head and laughed. "It feels even better than getting rich!"

"Oh?" Lu Chen scrutinized Chen Chong from head to toe. "Did you break through, Senior Brother?"

"Haha, sharp eyes, Junior Brother!"

"That's right. Your senior brother has broken through to minor Blood Transferring!"

"New year, new beginnings. Today, we'll celebrate properly. Don't stand on ceremony, Junior Brother—eat as much as you like!"

Chen Chong spoke with a radiant face, his eyes brimming with bright spirit.

Lu Chen was happy for Chen Chong as well and congratulated him. "Congratulations, Senior Brother Chen."

Chen Chong raised his wine cup and drained it in one gulp, then said with great satisfaction:

"This hurdle held me back for a long time."

"Before, seeing you advance so quickly, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't anxious."

"But on the path of martial arts, even if you jump around in a panic, it does no good."

"Later, I simply calmed myself down. I turned down the work of instructing at the outer academy, stood in stance and practiced my fists every day, tempering my sinews and bones and honing my qi and blood bit by bit. Finally, before the New Year, my qi and blood formed a stream, and my entire body became connected."

"At that moment, it felt as though the water had naturally reached the channel."

As he spoke, a hint of emotion entered Chen Chong's eyes.

"Minor Blood Transferring."

"At last, I haven't let down my family's support all these years, nor Master's teachings."

Lu Chen said, "Senior Brother, this time, you have not only broken through a martial barrier, but also a barrier in your heart. From now on, things will only go more smoothly for you!"

He knew Chen Chong's path had not been easy. He was already twenty-six; the further one progressed, the lower the chances of breaking through became.

Now that he had advanced to minor Blood Transferring, after years of accumulated effort finally bearing fruit, he might still have a chance to look toward major Blood Transferring in the future!

Chen Chong smiled and poured Lu Chen a cup of wine.

"Come, you have to drink an extra cup with me today."

"From now on, I can truly gain a firm foothold at Hidden Dragon Martial Hall."

Lu Chen raised his cup, thought for a moment, and said, "Senior Brother Chen, I actually have some good news to tell you too."

Chen Chong raised a brow. "What is it?"

Lu Chen spoke calmly. "Actually, I reached minor Blood Transferring two months ago."

The private room suddenly fell silent for a moment.

Chen Chong's hand, holding the wine cup, froze in midair, while his eyes slowly widened.

"What did you say?"

Lu Chen said seriously, "I've advanced to minor Blood Transferring as well."

Chen Chong stared at him for a long while, then could not help letting out a bitter laugh.

"Good. Good!"

"I had originally thought that today, I could finally show off a little before you, my junior brother."

"But who would have thought that this senior brother of yours is still inferior to you!"

Lu Chen hurriedly said, "Not at all. Senior Brother, don't belittle yourself."

Chen Chong then reproached him, "Since you broke through to minor Blood Transferring two months ago, why didn't you tell me?"

Lu Chen patiently explained, "It was Shopkeeper Wang's arrangement. He wanted me to be a hidden card, so he placed me in the medicinal garden. That was why he told me not to publicize my breakthrough to minor Blood Transferring, and why I didn't inform you, Senior Brother."

"I see." Chen Chong nodded. He could understand Shopkeeper Wang's actions, and the faint estrangement and displeasure in his heart vanished like smoke in the wind.

Then he was sincerely happy for Lu Chen as well. "That makes it double happiness for us both. Come, cheers!"

"Today, we won't go home until we're drunk!"