Blood and Sweat Forging the Dragon-Imprisoning Stance, the Fleshly Body Improving Day by Day

Fortunately, Liu Yunche had already mastered the Nurturing Origin Stance some time ago. Having been nourished by it, his body was long no longer what it once was.

Liu Yunche battled the dragon imprisoned within him, with his own body as the battlefield.

Each time he trapped the dragon within his body, his Dragon-Imprisoning Stance improved by another fraction, and his physique grew ever more formidable.

The violent trembling lasted for ten breaths. Though difficult, Liu Yunche still endured it.

The tendons and veins in his body stopped trembling, and Liu Yunche seemed to hear an unwilling dragon's roar.

Then, a warm and gentle force overflowed from the tendons and veins within his body, spreading through every limb and bone.

Like a cool spring in summer or a blazing bonfire in winter, it soothed the soreness and weakness in his muscles and bones.

The fatigue that had weighed on him was suppressed in that instant. With a thought from Liu Yunche, the inner breath in his dantian began circulating throughout his body.

A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes. Through his inner breath, Liu Yunche discovered that his tendons, veins, and bones had actually grown stronger. Even if it was only by a sliver, it was enough to astonish him.

One had to know that he had only just begun cultivating the Dragon-Imprisoning Stance and had not even entered the threshold. If he reached the beginner stage, minor mastery, or even major mastery in the future, who knew what effects each round of practice would bring?

At that thought, he subconsciously looked toward the panel and saw an additional line in the martial arts section.

[Dragon-Imprisoning Stance--Skin-Locking Method (Not Initiated: 1/10)]

"Though I haven't entered the threshold, at least it has been recorded on the panel. As long as I cultivate diligently from now on, there will come a day when I reach mastery."

Liu Yunche regulated his breath and gathered his qi. His legs had long gone numb, and all the muscles and bones in his body felt limp and powerless. Only after resting for quite a while did he regain some strength.

Liu Wangzhou nodded to himself, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

Geniuses were always liked. After all, they could learn something after being taught only once. Teaching a genius was far less laborious than teaching the mediocre.

After only one demonstration, Liu Yunche had already grasped most of the cultivation method for the Dragon-Imprisoning Stance. What remained were merely a few subtle crucial points.

Afterward, Liu Wangzhou pointed out every flaw and oversight Liu Yunche had made during his practice.

Liu Yunche listened silently, especially to the crucial insights his father had discovered through personal cultivation.

Liu Wangzhou taught him earnestly, explaining every hidden pitfall within the Dragon-Imprisoning Stance in thorough detail.

The tales in novels and storybooks of protagonists falling off cliffs, obtaining peerless martial arts, and then soaring into the heavens were ultimately nothing more than the fantasies of ordinary people.

True inherited martial arts all contained traps. Without guidance from one's elders, blindly stumbling into them could result in severed tendons and shattered veins at best, or death and the dissipation of one's path at worst.

Time gradually passed amid the father and son's lessons.

The golden light slowly faded beyond the horizon. Dusk descended, veiling heaven and earth.

"I have taught you every trick of this Skin-Locking Method. Cultivate well. When I return, I will properly test your progress."

Liu Wangzhou glanced at the sky, then brought the day's teaching to an end.

"Tomorrow, I will be leaving home. I have already made arrangements for matters here. You need only focus on cultivation."

"Understood, Father."

Liu Yunche did not ask what his father was leaving home to do.

If Liu Wangzhou wanted him to know, he would certainly have said so already. There was no need for Liu Yunche to ask.

Finally, Liu Yunche said solemnly, "Father, be careful in all things while you are away."

"Alright, I understand. It is getting late. You should rest as well." Liu Wangzhou patted Liu Yunche's shoulder and smiled with gratification.

The next morning, by the time Liu Yunche woke up, Liu Wangzhou had already left. He seemed to have departed early and in great haste.

Now that he possessed the Skin-Locking Method of the Dragon-Imprisoning Stance, Liu Yunche's cultivation speed in the Skin Tempering Realm could be called advancing a thousand miles a day, far beyond what the Nurturing Origin Stance could compare to.

After practicing the Dragon-Imprisoning Stance once, Liu Yunche looked at the panel.

[Name: Liu Yunche]

[Cultivation: Iron Skin (86/100)]

[Martial Arts: Nurturing Origin Stance (Mastery), Gale Swift Saber (Mastery), Thunderclap Saber Art (Minor Mastery: 131/1000), Eight Steps Chasing Cicada (Beginner: 31/100), Dragon-Imprisoning Stance--Skin-Locking Method (Not Initiated: 1/10)]

Clearly, the Dragon-Imprisoning Stance was a profound, superior martial art. Practicing it once did not increase his proficiency by even a single point, despite Liu Yunche genuinely feeling his improvement.

Feeling the muscle soreness coursing through his limbs and bones, and the swollen pressure in his tendons and veins, he did not stop. He gritted his teeth and persisted.

"As long as practice doesn't kill me, I'll practice myself to death."

Golden sunlight spilled down, shining upon the beads of sweat on the youth's forehead. The droplets fell one after another, striking the ground.

Chunyan watched over the prepared Blood Rice Porridge, the stewed demonic beast meat, the century-old ginseng soup, and more.

She watched the distant youth fall, rise again, rise again, and fall again, over and over.

Chunyan did not understand martial arts. She only knew that hard work might not necessarily bring rewards, but without hard work, there would certainly be no rewards.

Her father had told her that before she came to the Liu Household.

After collapsing once more, Liu Yunche finally lacked the strength to climb back up. Disregarding his appearance, he sprawled on the ground in the shape of a large character.

The clothes all over his body had long been soaked through with sweat. Liu Yunche looked as though he had just emerged from the water.

He panted heavily and gazed at the sky. The intense discomfort in his body still stimulated his senses, yet he suddenly smiled.

"It is nothing more than a little wind and frost."

Though he had a golden finger, without effort, everything would be futile.

After a while, he finally recovered a little strength. He slowly climbed up from the ground and made his way into the pavilion.

The medicinal food here was still steaming, clearly kept constantly warm.

Martial arts came down to two words: practice and eating. Only by eating well and taking in abundant nourishment could the body grow, become ever more powerful, and make greater progress in martial arts.

Taking the Blood Rice Porridge Chunyan handed him, Liu Yunche began wolfing it down.

Liu Yunche had long been ravenous. Bowl after bowl of Blood Rice Porridge went down his throat. Chunyan stood beside him, waving a hand fan to cool him.

Liu Yunche reclined on his back. The warmth in his stomach was drawn by his tendons and veins, passing through the stomach wall into them along an invisible vortex, then flowing into every limb and bone.

The muscles in his forearms, which had been so sore and swollen from practicing the Dragon-Imprisoning Stance that they seemed ready to split apart, greedily sucked in this warm current like a parched riverbed welcoming a refreshing stream.

He could even distinguish the slight difference: his left arm absorbed it faster, while his right arm was a little slower, even though his left arm had clearly borne more force during training just now.

His body was using the speed of absorption to tell him which side had not been trained enough.

Liu Yunche subconsciously glanced at the panel.

[Cultivation: Iron Skin (86/100)]

[Martial Arts: Dragon-Imprisoning Stance--Skin-Locking Method (Not Initiated: 3/10)]

After cultivating for an entire morning, his cultivation proficiency had not moved, but the Dragon-Imprisoning Stance had gained two proficiency points.

Liu Yunche could feel the last trace of weakness in his muscles and bones being filled in and compressed, like loose cotton cloth repeatedly pounded into dense felt.

Once this warm current completely dispersed, perhaps that cultivation progress bar would quietly move forward by the tiniest fraction.

"Back then, of the three bowls of porridge I ate, I'm afraid half was wasted." He rubbed his stomach and murmured, "But now... at least seventy percent can be converted into qi and blood to nourish my physique."

Then Liu Yunche picked up roasted demonic beast meat in one hand and a bowl of stewed ginseng soup in the other.

He ate great mouthfuls of meat and drank great mouthfuls of soup.

He casually tossed aside the demonic beast bones and drained the remaining soup in one gulp. He did not even spare the floating ginseng roots, swallowing them all.

"Comfortable."

The afternoon was Liu Yunche's rare time to rest. He emptied his mind, thought of nothing, did nothing, and simply stayed alone in quiet stillness.

That afternoon, Liu Yunche began another round of cultivation.

The cultivation method of the Dragon-Imprisoning Stance was far too harsh. When first cultivating it, one could only practice for one shichen a day. Only after entering the threshold could one add further practice.

Therefore, in the afternoon, Liu Yunche shifted his focus to the Thunderclap Saber Art and Eight Steps Chasing Cicada.

The days gradually settled into calm amid repeated cultivation.

But what had happened on Azure Radiance Mountain had not truly ended.

Like a stone cast into the water, its ripples spread outward ring by ring, eventually alarming the great lineages that had entrenched themselves in the county town for many years.

In the center of the city stood an unbroken expanse of towers and courtyards, painted vermilion, with upturned eaves and all manner of divine beasts seated upon the corners. Amid its solemnity was an air of majesty.

This was the Liu Household, one of the three great lineages within the county town. Both its direct and collateral branches lived here.

Inside the Liu Household's reception hall, Liu Sheng stood respectfully below.

A dignified middle-aged man sat in the seat of honor above.

Liu Sheng was so respectful not merely because the man before him was the head of the Liu Household, but because he was also a Qi-Blood Realm martial artist.

"House Head, that is the full account of what happened on Azure Radiance Mountain," Liu Sheng said steadily.

"So, it seems that bunch of mountain bandits from Blackwind Stronghold has grown into something."

Liu Zhiming smiled faintly and set his teacup aside. From his tone, it seemed he did not take the Blackwind Stronghold bandits seriously at all.

"With this matter concluded, you may withdraw first."

"Yes, House Head." Liu Sheng saluted, turned, and left.

Just as he was about to leave the reception hall, Liu Sheng seemed to remember something and turned back.

Liu Sheng smiled and said, "House Head, during this trip to Azure Radiance Mountain, I discovered an interesting youth."

"Oh?" Liu Zhiming paused and gestured for Liu Sheng to continue.

"That youth's cultivation is not high, merely at the Iron Skin level, yet Lu Yuanhai thinks quite highly of him."

"This lad has always given me a faint sense of familiarity, and he is also surnamed Liu. I was wondering whether he might be a descendant of our Liu Household who had been left outside?"

After finishing, Liu Sheng looked at Liu Zhiming with a trace of inquiry in his eyes.

Liu Zhiming said indifferently, "What is so strange about that? Perhaps he is the descendant of some amorous clansman left outside."

"Mm... do this. Have someone investigate. If he truly is a descendant of our Liu Household, bring him back and raise him properly."

Liu Sheng replied, "I have already looked into it. That youth comes from the Liu family in the eastern part of the city."

At those words, Liu Zhiming fell silent for a moment. He stood and waved his hand. "Since he is from the Liu family in the east of the city, then he is not one of our descendants."

"That is all. Go. The matter of Blackwind Stronghold cannot be ignored. The lineage will send Qi-Blood martial artists there, and you will need to accompany them when the time comes."

"Yes, House Head."

After Liu Sheng had gone far away, Liu Zhiming slowly walked to the window lattice and gazed toward the eastern part of the city.

The Liu family in the east of the city was not, as he had claimed, unrelated to them. On the contrary, the two families were one and the same.

It was merely that the secret involved was a family shame not to be aired abroad.

Tracing matters back, Liu Zhiming's grandfather and Liu Wangzhou's grandfather had been the same man.

Only later had a dispute occurred, resulting in that eastern Liu branch splitting away. From then on, the two sides had almost no contact.

The fathers of both families had also tacitly accepted that they would not associate with one another.

It was said that the other family had developed quite well and even possessed some connections within the prefectural city's army.

"Blood is thicker than water, after all. Decades have passed. It is time to strengthen our ties somewhat." Having made up his mind, Liu Zhiming formed a plan.

At the same time, the Tao Clan and He Clan, the other two of the three great lineages, made similar moves. Each sent Qi-Blood martial artists rushing toward the depths of Azure Radiance Mountain.

Deep within Azure Radiance Mountain, inside an enormous hollow cavern, torches had been planted everywhere. In a hall carpeted with demonic beast hides,

many mountain bandits stood on both sides, Yu Zhutou, Tan Liangtai, and the others among them.

Only three grand chairs stood at the front of the hall. In the middle sat a broad-shouldered, thick-waisted, dark-faced brute. He was the chief of Blackwind Stronghold—Hei Kui.

On the left sat a lean man, the saber scar on his right cheek adding a touch of bandit savagery to him. He was the former chief of Vermilion Serpent Stronghold and now the second chief of Blackwind Stronghold—Xue Ren.

The firelight in the hall flickered bright and dim. The atmosphere was extremely heavy, and everyone was silent as cicadas in winter.

Hei Kui glared grimly at a corpse his subordinates had carried up.

The people around him all looked solemn. None dared breathe loudly, much less move.

They feared that merely stepping out with the right foot before the left, or the left before the right, would cause the enraged chief to seize them on the spot as an outlet for his anger.

It was early summer on Azure Radiance Mountain. The weather was hot, and insects appeared frequently.

This corpse was already unrecognizable. Its face was visibly swollen, its limbs bloated and thick. Its skin carried a bluish tint, while blue-black patterns of decay had appeared around its neck and chest.

There were even faint signs of insects laying eggs in the wounds and larvae breaking from their shells. It was difficult to imagine that this had once been the corpse of a Qi-Blood martial artist.

Hei Kui forcefully suppressed his rage and asked in a deep voice, "How did the third chief die?"

The examiner below was named Wu Ji, one of Blackwind Stronghold's Eight Pillars.

His expression remained calm as he inspected the corpse, paying no heed to the stench rushing at his face.

A moment later, Wu Ji rose and reported.

"Reporting to the chief, the third chief fought fiercely with someone for a long time, but it was clear that he was no match for that person. While fleeing in panic, his heart was pierced from behind, and he died."

Hearing this, Hei Kui narrowed his eyes. A vicious glint shone within them as he considered something, but he did not speak immediately.

The many Tendon Forging and Bone Tempering Realm martial artists below felt their hearts tighten. Even the third chief, a Qi-Blood Realm martial artist, had failed to escape. If low-realm martial artists like them encountered this person, they would likely die without question.

At that thought, quite a few people began considering retreat. Those with quick wits were already calculating how to pull strings and get themselves transferred back to Blackwind Stronghold.

"Hmph!" Hei Kui snorted coldly, startling everyone out of their wits. Ever since all the mountain bandits of Verdant Grain County had been merged into Blackwind Stronghold, he had been in a poor mood.

But because of the orders handed down by the lords of the Azure Cloud Bandits, he could not refuse and could only silently accept this current Blackwind Stronghold, a chaotic mixture of fish and dragons.

According to his original plan, he had wanted to kill off one group and tame another. Only then could he mold the entire Blackwind Stronghold into Hei Kui's own shape.

Ever since Chen Sanmu had joined Blackwind Stronghold, he had always obeyed openly while defying in secret. Hei Kui had wanted to deal with him for a long time.

Now that Chen Sanmu was dead, he had saved Hei Kui some trouble. Hei Kui's feelings regarding Chen Sanmu's death were complicated: there was delight, but also worry and unease.

With one Qi-Blood martial artist gone, the bandits who had belonged to Chen Sanmu naturally lost their support. Taking them in would be as easy as turning over one's hand.

Hei Kui stood up. His body was towering and muscular, eight chi tall, radiating tremendous oppression.

Hei Kui slowly rose to his feet, his gaze grinding across the faces of Chen Sanmu's former subordinates one by one.

"The brothers Chen Sanmu brought with him entered the gates of my Blackwind Stronghold, so they will eat by Blackwind Stronghold's rules."

"I will let bygones be bygones regarding what came before."

"Today, I will not make things difficult for you. You will be assigned under the various Pillars, and you can eat and drink as you should."

Hei Kui paused, and his voice sank.

"But if anyone has a drum beating in his heart and is thinking of running..."

At this point, Hei Kui deliberately paused. His sharp gaze swept around the hall, sparing not only Chen Sanmu's people but no one else either.

"Azure Radiance Mountain has a forest large enough to bury a few corpses. Wild dogs can gnaw them clean in one night. Think it through yourselves."