Fortunately, Liu Yunche had already perfected the Nurturing Origin Stance some time ago. After being nourished for so long, his body was no longer what it used to be.
Liu Yunche battled the dragon imprisoned within him, using his own body as the battlefield.
Each time he trapped the dragon inside his body, his Dragon-Imprisoning Stance improved by another measure, and his physique grew ever more formidable.
The violent trembling lasted for ten breaths. Though it was difficult, Liu Yunche endured it.
The tendons and veins within his body stopped trembling, and Liu Yunche seemed to hear an unwilling dragon's roar.
Afterward, a warm, gentle force overflowed from the tendons and veins within him, spreading through his limbs and bones.
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 filled him was suppressed at that moment. With a thought from Liu Yunche, the inner breath in his dantian began circulating through his entire 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.
He had only just begun cultivating the Dragon-Imprisoning Stance and had not even entered the door yet. If he reached the entry level, minor accomplishment, or even major accomplishment in the future, who knew what effects each round of practice would bring?
Thinking of this, he instinctively looked at the panel and saw an extra line beneath the martial arts section.
[Dragon-Imprisoning Stance—Skin-Locking Method (Not Yet Initiated: 1/10)]
"Though I haven't entered the door yet, 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 perfection."
Liu Yunche regulated his breath and gathered his qi. His legs had long since gone numb, and his entire body was limp and weak. Only after resting for a long while did he recover some strength.
Liu Wangzhou nodded inwardly, his eyes filled with satisfaction.
Geniuses were always liked. After all, they could learn something after being taught only once. Teaching a genius took far less effort than teaching the mediocre.
After just one demonstration, Liu Yunche had already grasped most of the cultivation method for the Dragon-Imprisoning Stance. What remained were merely a few subtle key points.
Liu Wangzhou then pointed out every flaw and oversight Liu Yunche had made during his cultivation.
Liu Yunche listened silently, paying particular attention to the key points his father had discovered through personal practice.
Liu Wangzhou taught him earnestly and thoroughly explained every hidden trap within the Dragon-Imprisoning Stance.
The tales in novels, where protagonists fell from cliffs, obtained peerless martial arts, and then soared into the heavens in a single leap, were ultimately nothing more than the fantasies of ordinary people.
True martial arts passed down through the ages all contained traps. Without guidance from one's elders, if someone blundered foolishly into them, they might suffer shattered tendons and severed veins at best, or perish with body and dao extinguished at worst.
Time gradually passed amid the father and son's lesson.
The golden light slowly vanished beyond the horizon. Dusk descended, veiling heaven and earth.
"I have taught you every trick to this Skin-Locking Method. Cultivate properly. When I return, I will thoroughly test your progress."
Liu Wangzhou glanced at the sky before ending the day's instruction.
"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 have said so long ago. There was no need for Liu Yunche to ask.
At last, Liu Yunche said solemnly, "Father, be careful in all things while you are away."
"Good, 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. It seemed he had 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 in a day, far beyond what the Nurturing Origin Stance could compare to.
After practicing the Dragon-Imprisoning Stance once, Liu Yunche looked toward the panel.
[Name: Liu Yunche] [Cultivation: Iron Skin (86/100)] [Martial Arts: Nurturing Origin Stance (Perfected), Gale Swift Saber (Perfected), Thunderclap Saber Art (Minor Accomplishment: 131/1000), Eight Steps Chasing Cicada (Initiated: 31/100), Dragon-Imprisoning Stance—Skin-Locking Method (Not Yet 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 being able to clearly feel his improvement.
Feeling the muscle soreness in his limbs and bones and the swollen ache in his tendons and veins, he did not stop. Gritting his teeth, he continued to persevere.
"As long as it doesn't kill me, I'll train myself to death."
The sun scattered golden light across the sweat beads on the youth's forehead. Drop after drop fell, striking the ground.
Chunyan stood guard over the prepared Blood Rice Porridge, stewed demonic beast meat, century-old ginseng soup, and more.
She watched the distant youth fall, rise again, then fall again, over and over.
Chunyan did not understand martial arts. She only knew that effort might not necessarily bring rewards, but without effort, there would certainly be no reward.
Her father had told her that before she came to the Liu Household.
After falling again, Liu Yunche finally no longer had the strength to get back up. Without caring about his appearance, he collapsed onto the ground, his entire body spread into the shape of a large character.
His clothes had long been soaked through with sweat. Liu Yunche looked as though he had just been pulled from water.
He gasped for breath and stared at the sky. The intense discomfort in his body still assaulted his senses, yet he suddenly smiled.
"It is nothing more than a little wind and frost."
Though he had a golden finger, everything would still be futile if he did not work hard.
After a long while, he finally recovered some strength. He slowly climbed up from the ground and made his way into the pavilion.
The medicinal food there was still steaming, clearly having been kept warm at all times.
Martial arts came down to two words: practice and eating. Only by eating well and taking abundant supplements could the body grow, become ever more powerful, and make great progress on the martial path.
Taking the Blood Rice Porridge Chunyan handed him, Liu Yunche began wolfing it down.
Liu Yunche had long been starving. Bowl after bowl of Blood Rice Porridge went into his stomach. Chunyan stood beside him, working a palm-leaf fan to cool him.
Liu Yunche reclined on his back. The warmth in his stomach was drawn by his tendons and veins, flowing through the stomach wall into them along an invisible vortex before spreading through his limbs and bones.
The forearm muscles that had been aching and swollen to the point of bursting while he practiced the Dragon-Imprisoning Stance were now greedily sucking in the warm current, like a parched riverbed welcoming a refreshing stream.
He could even distinguish the subtle difference: his left arm absorbed it faster, while his right arm was slightly slower, even though his left arm had clearly borne more force during practice just now.
His body was using its absorption speed 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 Yet Initiated: 3/10)]
After a morning of cultivation, 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 tendons and bones being filled out and compressed, like a loose piece of cotton cloth repeatedly hammered into dense felt.
Once the warm current completely dissipated, perhaps the progress of his cultivation would quietly move forward by a tiny fraction.
"Back then, when I ate three bowls of porridge, I'm afraid half of it was wasted." He rubbed his stomach and said softly, "But now... at least seventy percent can be converted into blood qi and nourish my physique."
Liu Yunche then picked up roasted demonic beast meat in one hand and a bowl of stewed ginseng soup in the other.
He took huge bites of meat and great gulps of soup.
He casually tossed aside the demonic beast bones, drained the remaining soup in one breath, and 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 learning it, one could only practice for one shichen a day. Only after entering the door could one add more training.
Therefore, Liu Yunche shifted his focus that afternoon 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 upon the water, its ripples were spreading outward in widening circles, eventually alarming the long-entrenched aristocratic families within the county city.
At the center of the city stood a continuous expanse of buildings and courtyards, with vermilion-painted surfaces and soaring eaves. All kinds of divine beasts sat atop the roof corners, lending the place dignity and authority.
This was the Liu Household, one of the Three Great Families in the county city. Both its direct and collateral branches lived here.
Within the Liu Household's reception hall, Liu Sheng stood below with a respectful expression.
Seated in the place of honor above was a dignified middle-aged man.
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.
"Patriarch, that is the full account of what happened on Azure Radiance Mountain," Liu Sheng said steadily.
"So, it seems those bandits of Blackwind Stronghold have grown into something."
Liu Zhiming smiled faintly and set his teacup aside, speaking as though he did not take Blackwind Stronghold's mountain bandits seriously in the slightest.
"Now that this matter is concluded, you may withdraw first."
"Yes, Patriarch." Liu Sheng bowed and turned to leave.
Just as he was about to walk out of the reception hall, Liu Sheng seemed to recall something and turned back.
Liu Sheng smiled. "Patriarch, during this trip to Azure Radiance Mountain, I discovered an interesting youth."
"Oh?" Liu Zhiming paused and motioned for Liu Sheng to continue.
"That youth's cultivation was not high, merely at the Iron Skin level, yet Lu Yuanhai seemed to value him greatly."
"This boy keeps giving me a faint sense of familiarity, and he is surnamed Liu as well. I was wondering whether he might be a descendant of our Liu Household who ended up outside the family?"
After speaking, Liu Sheng looked at Liu Zhiming with a trace of probing in his eyes.
Liu Zhiming said dismissively, "What is so strange about that? Perhaps he is the offspring of some amorous clansman who ended up outside."
"Hmm... Let someone investigate him. If he truly is a descendant of our Liu Household, bring him back and raise him properly."
Liu Sheng replied, "I have already investigated. That youth comes from the Liu Household in the eastern part of the city."
Hearing this, Liu Zhiming fell silent for a while. He stood up and waved his hand. "Since he belongs to the East City Liu Household, then he is not one of our people."
"That is all. Go. The matter of Blackwind Stronghold cannot be ignored. The clan will send Blood-Qi Warriors there, and you will need to accompany them."
"Yes, Patriarch."
After Liu Sheng had gone far away, Liu Zhiming slowly walked to the window lattice and looked toward the eastern part of the city.
The Liu family in the eastern city was not unrelated to them as he had claimed. On the contrary, the two families were one and the same.
It was simply that the secret involved could be called family shame that must not be aired abroad.
Tracing things back, Liu Zhiming's grandfather and Liu Wangzhou's grandfather had been the same man.
But a dispute later arose, causing the Liu family in the eastern city to split away. From then on, the two sides had almost no contact.
The fathers of both families had tacitly accepted this mutual estrangement.
It was said that the other family had developed quite well and even possessed some connections within the Prefecture City's military.
"Blood is thicker than water, after all. Decades have passed. It is time to deepen our ties somewhat." Having made up his mind, Liu Zhiming formed a plan.
At the same time, the Tao Clan and He Clan of the Three Great Families made similar moves. Each dispatched Qi-Blood Realm martial artists toward the depths of Azure Radiance Mountain.
Deep within Azure Radiance Mountain, inside a vast hollow cavern, torches were planted everywhere. Within a hall carpeted in demonic beast hides—
Numerous mountain bandits stood on either side, with Yu Zhutou, Tan Liangtai, and the others among them.
Only three large chairs stood at the head of the hall. Seated in the middle was a broad-shouldered, thick-waisted, dark-faced burly man: Hei Kui, the chief of Blackwind Stronghold.
On the left sat a lean man, the saber scar on his right cheek adding several degrees of bandit-like ferocity to his face. 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 brightly and dimly. The atmosphere was exceedingly heavy, and everyone was silent as cicadas in winter.
Hei Kui stared darkly at a corpse his subordinates had carried before him.
The people around him wore solemn expressions. None dared breathe too loudly, much less move.
They feared that simply stepping out with the right foot or left foot first might cause the enraged chief to seize them on the spot as an outlet for his fury.
It was early summer on Azure Radiance Mountain. The weather was scorching, and insects were especially active.
The corpse was already completely unrecognizable. Its face was visibly bloated, while its limbs had swollen thick and stout. Its skin had turned bluish, and dark blue-black patterns of decay spread across its neck and chest.
Insects had even laid eggs near the wounds, with larvae faintly visible breaking from their shells. It was difficult to imagine that this had once been the corpse of a Qi-Blood Realm martial artist.
Hei Kui fought to suppress his rage and asked in a deep voice, "How did the third chief die?"
The man examining the corpse below was named Wu Ji, one of Blackwind Stronghold's Eight Pillars.
He inspected the corpse calmly, treating the stench rushing at him as though it did not exist.
A moment later, Wu Ji rose and reported.
"Reporting to Chief, the third chief fought someone for a long time, but he was clearly no match for that person. While fleeing in panic, he was stabbed through the heart from behind and died."
At this, Hei Kui narrowed his eyes. A vicious gleam shone within them. No one knew what he was considering, and he did not speak immediately.
The many Tendon Forging and Bone Tempering Realm martial artists below panicked inwardly. Even the third chief, a Qi-Blood Realm martial artist, had failed to escape. If low-realm martial artists like them encountered that person, they would likely be doomed beyond doubt.
With this thought, quite a few developed thoughts of retreat. Those with quicker wits were already figuring out how to pull strings and get transferred back to Blackwind Stronghold.
"Humph!" Hei Kui snorted coldly, sending tremors of fear through everyone. Ever since all the bandits of Verdant Grain County had been merged into Blackwind Stronghold, his mood had remained poor.
But because of the orders passed down by the lords of the Azure Cloud Bandits, he could not refuse and could only silently accept the current Blackwind Stronghold, where dragons and fish were mixed together.
Originally, his plan had been to kill one batch of people and tame another. Only then could he mold the entire Blackwind Stronghold into Hei Kui's own image.
Ever since Chen Sanmu had merged into Blackwind Stronghold, he had always obeyed openly while defying secretly. Hei Kui had wanted to deal with him long ago.
Now that Chen Sanmu was dead, it saved him a great deal of trouble. Hei Kui's feelings toward Chen Sanmu's death were complicated. There was delight, but also worry and unease.
With one Qi-Blood Realm martial artist gone, the bandits who had belonged to Chen Sanmu naturally lost their backing. Taking them in would be as easy as turning over his hand.
Hei Kui rose to his feet. His body was towering and robust, standing eight chi tall and radiating overwhelming pressure.
Hei Kui slowly stood, 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 according to Blackwind Stronghold's rules."
"As for what happened before, I will let bygones be bygones."
"Today, I will not make things difficult for you. You will be assigned beneath the various Pillars, and you can eat and drink as you should."
Hei Kui paused, his voice sinking.
"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 across the hall, sparing not only Chen Sanmu's men but none of the others either.
"Azure Radiance Mountain has a big enough forest. Bury a few corpses, and wild dogs will gnaw them clean in a single night. Think it through yourselves."
Before you continue