Final Push

"Feng Second Tiger, if Black Cloud Stronghold had killed your elder brother, there'd be no reason for us to deny it. Even if we did kill him, what could you do to us?" Smiling Tiger Cao Yuan cackled.

"Then who was it?"

"How would I know? Your elder brother had so many enemies. You should ask his own men." Bald Zhang said.

Feng Second Tiger narrowed his eyes, malice surging within him. But he was no fool. He knew that no matter what, he would not be able to kill Bald Zhang today—and might even be surrounded and killed here.

With a cold snort, he suddenly smashed through the window and leaped away. He would return and ask the strategist Lü Tong exactly who else might have had reason to kill Feng Dahu. When he had first learned of his elder brother's death, he had immediately assumed the Three Harmonies Gang was responsible. Now, however, something seemed off. If I can't find the culprit, then none of the suspects will get away! he thought.

Avenging his elder brother accounted for thirty percent of his motives. The other seventy percent was for the Black Tiger Gang's remaining property.

In the inner city's Water Diversion Ward, Xue Xiangling looked over the patrol roster her maid had obtained. Zhao Feng's name was not among the disciples of the Huo Family Martial Arts School.

Just as expected, he's an unvalued fringe disciple, not even qualified to join the patrols. She became even more convinced that rejecting him had been the right choice. Pursuing him would have been a waste of time and beneath her status.

Since her master's wife's birthday was in two days, Huo Yao had also rushed back from the prefectural city to celebrate her mother's birthday.

The moment she returned, she saw Zhao Feng diligently training atop the plum blossom stakes.

This hardworking disciple had left a deep impression on her. Even among the disciples of the great sects in the prefectural city, few were so diligent.

Unfortunately, his natural aptitude was limited. In the end, he could achieve no more. At that thought, she unexpectedly felt a trace of pity. She suddenly felt responsible for telling him the truth, so he could seek a better future elsewhere rather than waste his blood, sweat, and years here.

But at that moment, a disciple hurried in from outside.

"Master!"

Huo Shan came from the rear courtyard into the front yard upon hearing the call. "Why are you shouting like this? Have you no sense of propriety?" he said sternly, though his eyes still held undisguised anticipation.

"Master, Senior Brother Chu Fan single-handedly slew the wanted criminal Flying Centipede, Sha Tongtian, while on patrol! The county magistrate rewarded him with a hundred taels of patterned silver, announced it throughout the county, and specifically commended our martial arts school!" the disciple said joyfully.

"Flying Centipede? Good! Good!" Huo Shan cried out repeatedly in delight.

Flying Centipede was a notorious Dark Force bandit who had committed numerous major crimes in Ever-Peace Prefecture and several of its subordinate counties, with more than twenty lives on his hands. Worse still, he had raped and murdered several young ladies of prominent families, including several famous socialites from the prefectural city. Even Transformation Force experts had failed to capture him, prompting the prefectural city to issue a wanted notice and offer a reward.

Yet he had unexpectedly been slain by his own final disciple, Chu Fan! Of course, the significance of this was not the bounty itself. It was that a bandit who had left so many Transformation Force experts helpless had been personally killed by a disciple who had only entered the Dark Force realm a few months ago. This had greatly boosted his prestige.

At his age, reputation was what he valued most.

Just then, the sound of gongs and drums came from outside the gate, and another disciple rushed in.

"Master, Senior Brother Chu Fan has returned. You should go out and take a look."

"Nonsense. I'm his master, and you expect me to go out and welcome him?" Huo Shan scolded.

Yet he still unconsciously stepped out through the gate. In the distance, Chu Fan sat proudly atop a tall horse, dressed in splendid brocade. Behind him was a joyous procession beating gongs and drums.

Two men in the procession carried a plaque, adorned at the top with a large red flower. Four gilded characters were inscribed upon it: "Famed Master, Outstanding Disciple."

Chu Fan dismounted and bowed low. "Master!"

"Good! Good!" Huo Shan laughed heartily. "Hang up this plaque!"

"Congratulations, Master! Congratulations, Senior Brother Chu!" The martial arts school disciples streamed out one after another, clasping their fists in congratulations. Admiration also showed in Huo Yao's beautiful eyes. Having come from the prefectural city, she naturally knew how troublesome Flying Centipede had been. Chu Fan's ability to kill him proved that he was indeed exceptional.

Zhao Feng merely glanced at them before withdrawing his gaze and continuing his stake stance. The excitement of others had nothing to do with him. He focused only on himself.

Over the past few days, he had consumed large amounts of tiger and bear meat, along with Vitality Pills and medicinal baths. He could feel the power of his blood and qi within him becoming as heavy as mercury, brimming with vigorous life force. It was time to try stimulating Dark Force.

[Eight Extremes Stake Skill, Minor Mastery (998/1000)]

[Eight Extremes Fist, Minor Mastery (996/1000)]

Today, I break through! Ignoring the exhaustion from training for an entire day, he continued practicing his stake stance. As time passed, night fell, and even the last few disciples of the martial arts school were preparing to leave.

"Senior Brother Zhao is still training this late?"

"Seriously, I've never seen anyone work this hard."

"But can hard work alone really be enough?"

"Maybe he'll end up like Senior Brother Yue."

After spending so long together, Zhao Feng's diligence had long earned the respect of most disciples. They sighed inwardly and left the martial arts school in twos and threes.

Yet Zhao Feng remained alone atop the plum blossom stakes, enduring the tearing pain in his muscles and the aching soreness deep in his bones.

At that moment, Wei Yuan emerged from the rear courtyard. He had originally wanted to find an opportunity to talk to Zhao Feng about reducing his compensation, but seeing Zhao Feng fully immersed in his stake stance, he ultimately said nothing and turned back toward the rear courtyard.

Gradually, Zhao Feng felt his body growing hotter and hotter. His blood and qi slowly began to boil, like flames burning through his limbs and bones.

His clothes were soaked through from the inside out, so Zhao Feng simply stripped bare to the waist. His skin and eyes gradually began to turn crimson. At that moment, he could feel a strand of energy slowly forming in his dantian, spreading bit by bit through the meridians of his entire body and into his limbs and bones.

He knew this was the power of blood and qi, opening the crucial tendons, bones, and meridians throughout his body and forming a complete cycle.

One could even faintly see the power of blood and qi pulsing beneath his skin.

This was the critical final step. He did not dare slacken, concentrating completely as he directed the power of his blood and qi to connect his limbs and bones.

The front yard was utterly silent. Bright moonlight fell across his motionless body, across the muscles bulging high from his frame, making him look like a statue of Venus.

Bright Force generated visible force within the body, tempering the tendons and bones as the flesh and blood became connected. Dark Force, however, not only opened the Ren and Du meridians, but also opened the crucial tendons, bones, joints, and channels running throughout the entire body. This allowed the power of blood and qi not only to hide within flesh, blood, tendons, and bones, but also to lie restrained within key meridians, ready to be unleashed.

When necessary, it could be stimulated without a sound, its power astonishing!

The scorching power of blood and qi within his body had begun to link together bit by bit through his flesh, tendons, and bones. Once it connected from beginning to end, Dark Force would be formed.

Heaven and earth were silent. Only his increasingly heavy breaths could be heard; even the sound of sweat falling to the ground was clear.

By now, sweat drenched his entire body, and every cell within him was in agonizing pain. Yet he knew that the longer he persevered, the more thoroughly he would be tempered, and the more refined the Dark Force he stimulated would become.

A breakthrough was also about building momentum. Like drawing a bow, the more power one stored, the fiercer the release!