Assimilating the Divine Movement Gift, Zheng Shen Was Thoroughly Crippled

Xue Changli had already calmed down. He did not agree with Wang Yi's claim that "an enemy had struck."

If it had been an enemy, Han Xu would likely have been crippled by now. He would never have suffered only superficial wounds.

But no matter what.

Whoever had injured his disciple had to be found. These thoughts flashed through his mind, and after pondering for a moment, he decisively said:

"Go investigate. Find out whose brat dared to injure my disciple."

"Yes, Master." The disciples cupped their hands and bowed, answering respectfully.

Han Xu suddenly said, "Master, after going through this, I'm about to touch the threshold of Flying Bear Fist mastery."

At this, Xue Changli's eyes shone brightly. He threw back his head and laughed. "Good! Good! Good! I look forward to your performance."

Xue Changli looked at Han Xu. His disciple had only joined two months ago, yet Flying Bear Fist was already nearing mastery. It was truly beyond his expectations.

He could not help sighing inwardly. This was someone born with Bear Bone, possessing the form of a bear. Heaven itself had handed him a meal ticket; cultivating Flying Bear Fist was as easy as turning over one's hand.

Xue Changli recalled the scenes of practicing martial arts in his youth. If I had possessed Bear Bone, perhaps I could have glimpsed the splendor of the Blood Exchange Realm.

"Timing... fate..." At this thought, his gaze dimmed. The hand behind his back clenched into a fist, then slowly loosened again. Though unwilling, he had no choice but to accept it.

He gathered his thoughts and put on a kindly smile. "Rest well. In ten days, you must also attend the Martial Academy's hunting trip outside the city."

Han Xu was deeply puzzled. "Master, can I participate even though I'm not a Martial Academy disciple?"

Xue Changli explained, "This time, the Martial Academy hunt isn't only for the Martial Academy. Martial schools of all sizes within the city will also participate. It was decided long ago."

"Perhaps you'll run into the brat who injured you then."

Han Xu clenched his fists, his eyes lighting up as a fierce smile rose on his lips. "Rest assured, Master. I'll personally settle the score then."

Xue Changli patted his shoulder and nodded in satisfaction.

As long as disputes between juniors stopped at the right point and no lives were lost, elders generally would not intervene.

Xue Changli was not worried about that. After all, everyone had descendants they valued.

Only after Xue Changli had gone far away did the disciples dare crowd around Han Xu, this genius, to exchange a few words with him. Some gave him healing medicine, while others praised his talent.

Only Wang Yi looked toward the rear courtyard, thinking of the kind smile on his master's face earlier. It was something he had never received.

His master had always been strict with him. At the slightest mistake, he would be severely punished.

He turned to look at Junior Brother Han, surrounded like the moon among stars, and revealed a bitter smile. "Talent... was it really that important?"

Wang Yi shook his head. With a smile on his face, he also stepped forward to join the crowd. Yet the fist clenched inside his sleeve revealed some of his unwillingness.

Liu Household, Cloud Perch Courtyard.

On this day, Liu Yunche wore white robes and sat cross-legged beneath an ancient tree with his eyes tightly shut, as though an enlightened man comprehending heaven and earth.

His mind was fully immersed in the equipment panel. Within the second slot, a pair of ancient yet exquisitely crafted shoes rose and fell.

He had a feeling that today, he could completely devour these "equipment" that had granted him the Divine Movement Gift.

Sure enough, dazzling streams of light surged within the slot, and the ancient shoes gradually disintegrated within that radiance.

Profound and mysterious patterns abruptly appeared, as though they were eternal principles naturally existing between heaven and earth, unfathomably deep. Liu Yunche felt dizzy after only one glance.

He naturally guessed that this might be related to the Divine Movement Gift, perhaps even representing an expression of Divine Movement within heaven and earth.

The profound patterns vanished into the depths of the slot along with the dazzling radiance. The next moment, Liu Yunche's perspective changed.

In a land of nothingness, countless profound and intricate inscriptions slowly emerged. The patterns were agile and elusive, changing in an instant.

A streak of light was born from them. One moment it was before him; the next, it appeared at the distant horizon, reaching everywhere, coming from nowhere and going nowhere.

Suddenly, the void shattered, and Liu Yunche's vision returned to reality. He murmured, a trace of shock in his voice:

"What exactly was that streak of light... How could it be so swift?"

The shoes had vanished from the slot. Liu Yunche's entire body suddenly felt lighter, as if some burden had been lifted.

"Could equipping items place some kind of pressure on me? But why didn't I feel this when equipping or removing them? Why did this change only occur when devouring them?"

He pondered this change. Unfortunately, he had not found any other items that could be equipped during this time. Otherwise, he truly wanted to test it.

"It seems this golden finger still holds many unknowns worth exploring."

Liu Yunche gathered his focus and slowly rose. Looking around the courtyard, which had once seemed spacious and bright, he now found it cramped and unable to accommodate his movements.

His toes shifted slightly. No aura stirred around him, nor did he emit the slightest sharp presence. With merely a thought, he fully activated the completely solidified Divine Movement Gift.

The next moment, only a faint afterimage remained where he had stood. Liu Yunche had already vanished without a trace.

Within a single breath, he had appeared among the branches of the ancient tree on the eastern side of the courtyard.

His toes lightly touched a branch, yet not a single leaf trembled. Before the afterimage could disperse, his body shifted again as though teleporting.

In an instant, he arrived beside the bluestone flower bed on the western side. The hem of his clothes brushed its edge, but not even a speck of dust rose.

Within the courtyard, one nearly transparent figure after another rapidly darted about.

At times, he paused beneath the corridor. At times, he turned back in the middle of the courtyard. At times, he skimmed along the walls. His speed had reached the extreme, yet he produced only the faintest sound of wind cutting through the air, without the slightest clamor.

His movements changed without any pattern, shifting front and back, left and right in an instant. Though he moved about within the small courtyard, there was not the slightest hint of sluggishness.

Every step precisely avoided the stone tables and plants in the courtyard, as though he knew the space around him like the back of his hand.

It was as though invisible pathways between heaven and earth allowed him to pass through. Even at full speed, he remained calm and unhurried, without the slightest hint of breathlessness or exhaustion.

In only a short while, he completed dozens of positional shifts within the courtyard. At last, he slowly stopped where he was, standing firmly with his breathing steady. Even the hem of his robes only moved faintly.

Liu Yunche lowered his eyes to look at his hands. A trace of barely perceptible surprise flashed through his eyes before he returned to his usual calm indifference.

He returned to the pavilion and sat down, carefully sensing everything that had just happened. As his body shifted, the air slid past his robes and the breeze brushed his face, yet not a single sound was made.

After a long while, he smiled knowingly.

"What an excellent gift. If I can find a few more gifts like this, why should I worry about failing in the martial path?"

Afterward, he restrained all the aura of his gifts and once more became that seemingly ordinary youth of the Copper Skin Realm.

It was as though that extreme-speed movement had never happened at all.

The night was deep, as though the heavens had been painted over and over with thick ink.

Zheng Residence, within a secluded little courtyard.

Two figures sat facing each other in a pavilion.

One was a middle-aged man with a calm, unreadable expression. Neither joy nor anger showed in his eyes, making it impossible to discern the truth from a glance.

Zheng Yu raised his cup in salute, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he spoke in a low voice:

"Senior Poison King, it has been a long time. Your great reputation has long inspired deep admiration in this junior."

Opposite him sat an elderly man with a hooked nose. He wore black robes, his entire body concealed within the shadows.

His fingers rubbed the teacup, and the exposed tips of his fingers carried a dark sheen.

The Poison King's low, hoarse voice came from beneath the black robes:

"Heh heh... Great reputation? More like an evil reputation."

Zheng Yu flattered him, "Senior, you jest. This junior..."

Before Zheng Yu could finish, the Poison King impatiently interrupted him.

"Enough, boy Zheng. Why did you invite me here today?"

Zheng Yu was not angered. After placing his teacup aside, he wore a perfectly measured smile.

"Senior is straightforward, so this junior will speak plainly."

"My son, Zheng Shen, offended you some time ago. On his behalf, this junior offers you an apology."

The Poison King frowned, and his voice grew increasingly gloomy toward the end.

"Given the friendship between your father and me, you invited me all the way here over such a trivial matter?"

Zheng Yu hurriedly explained, "There is more. My son was inexplicably injured some time ago, and I must ask Senior to save him."

"Boy Zheng, are you joking? This old man has always known only how to harm people. When did I ever know how to save them?"

"Senior, you jest. Since ancient times, medicine and poison have been inseparable. Please take action, Senior. Whatever herbs you require will be provided by the Zheng Clan."

Zheng Yu made his promise and requested again.

The Poison King nodded. Though Zheng Yu could not see his expression clearly, he understood that the Poison King was surely satisfied.

"This way, Senior."

Zheng Yu rose and led the Poison King to Zheng Shen's residence.

As soon as the two approached, a thick, bitter medicinal smell rushed at them.

The Poison King's gaze sharpened, and his steps paused. By scent alone, he identified several herbs:

"Purple-Robed Fruit, Coiling Snake Grass, Mist Gallbladder Sand. These are all potent medicines for healing tendons, protecting bones, replenishing blood, and sustaining life."

"Heh..." An inexplicable chuckle came from his lips.

The Poison King then pushed open the door. Zheng Shen lay on his back upon the bed, hoarse cries of pain occasionally escaping his mouth.

The Poison King came to the bedside and placed his dark-glinting fingertips on Zheng Shen's wrist.

His brows rose, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. His fingers quickly checked Zheng Shen's eye sockets and tongue coating.

Then his palm brushed over Zheng Shen's chest, feeling all along his limbs and bones.

The Poison King slowly withdrew his hand and remained silent.

From the moment Zheng Yu entered until now, he had not spoken a word. His gaze remained fixed on the Poison King and had not spared Zheng Shen even the slightest attention.

For a time, other than Zheng Shen's occasional agonized howls, the room was utterly silent.

"What sort of person did he provoke to suffer such a heavy hand?"

A series of clicking sounds came from beneath the black robes. The Poison King shook his head and said, "This method is no less ruthless than mine."

"Senior?"

"This boy is finished. Someone struck a special force into his body. Medicine and stones cannot cure it."

"For now, only his tendons and bones are broken. After some time, his internal organs will be damaged as well. By then... heh heh... living will be worse than death."

The Poison King turned around, a trace of curiosity in his cloudy eyes. "When did your Zheng Clan provoke such a vicious person?"

Zheng Yu wore a bitter smile. "This junior investigated every potential enemy, including this method, but found nothing."

"I truly do not know how we provoked such a vicious person."

Zheng Yu seemed to finally remember his son, still groaning on the bed. He frowned so slightly it was almost imperceptible and asked in a deep voice:

"Senior, is my son still salvageable?"

"If you can find my senior brother and have him act, there is still hope. But... my senior brother is as elusive as a divine dragon..."

"Then, Senior, you..."

"Me? I can act too..."

As he spoke, the Poison King let out a strange, cackling laugh. "For the sake of our many years of friendship, I can help him find release sooner."

"Given his status, he was not qualified to die by this old man's hand in the first place."

At these words, veins throbbed on Zheng Yu's forehead. He had long heard that the Poison King had an eccentric temperament and moods as unpredictable as the weather.

Now that he had met him, the rumors were indeed true. Zheng Yu had no idea how his father had formed a friendship with this man.

Zheng Yu hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking.

"Thank you, Senior. There is no need to trouble you with this matter."

"As you wish. Living will only add to his troubles anyway."

With that, the Poison King swept his sleeve and turned to leave.

After the Poison King had gone far away, Zheng Yu came into the courtyard, his gaze no longer falling upon Zheng Shen.

After a long time, Zheng Yu looked toward the east of the city. Someone suddenly came to mind, and he murmured to himself:

"Could it be you..."