Martial True Intent, Transformed Aspect Revealed

[Heaven Rewards Diligence; success is inevitable.]

[Over the years, you've thrown countless punches, progressing from a beginner struggling to grasp the essentials, to gradually improving, and finally reaching the Peak Mastery no one can surpass you.]

[Through arduous practice, I have grasped a glimpse of the Martial True Intent.]

[Four Directions Fist]

[Proficiency: 1/50000, Peak Mastery]

[Description: You are unmatched in this style of martial arts. However, the path to mastery is long and arduous. In the world of Martial Dao, who dares to claim they have reached the pinnacle?]

Li Xian felt a refreshing sensation rise from his Dantian, first surging to the top of his head and the soles of his feet. Yesterday's fatigue vanished, leaving him feeling indescribably refreshed.

Inner Qi grows rapidly...

Flesh, blood, bones, and skin cheered.

After practicing "Qi Circulation Through the Heavens the body," martial artists become highly sensitive to their bodies and can achieve "internal vision." While called internal vision, it is actually a kind of self-awareness.

The Inner Qi converges in the Dantian.

Like a lake.

Before this, Li Xian's Qi Lake was about ten feet wide and ten feet long. Of course, this was just a perception, a quantification of the Qi Lake.

After Peak Mastery...

The Qi Lake surged two zhang forward, and a trace of True Intention appeared on its surface, causing waves to rise and ripple.

"The Martial True Intent?"

What is this?

Li Xian observed intently, but his knowledge was limited, so how could he figure out his origins? He also had nowhere to ask, since even someone like Pang Long did not possess "Peak Mastery" martial arts skills.

Qi strengthens the spirit and replenishes qi Qi and Blood.

Li Xian had never felt so refreshed.

I just want to shout to the sky, to compete with the eagles in the sky and to test my skills with the monkeys in the trees.

"So refreshing!"

Li Xian was startled.

Snow slid off the surrounding houses, startling a flock of birds.

"I finally managed to Blood Solidification and Aperture Closure, accumulating this martial art and storing up this vital energy."

"These mountains are rich in 'Crab Treasures,' which are easy to cook and stew. They're perfect for me. Now, I'm locked in a life-or-death struggle with Mountain Wind Stronghold."

"If you want to enjoy the mountain treasures in peace, you must eliminate all the enemies in the mountains!"

"Instead of passively taking a beating, why not... take the initiative and cause him trouble this time!"

To avoid missing the Mountain Wind Pass, Lu Xuefeng deliberately took a longer route, traveling for an extra day and night before finally returning to the mountain stronghold.

It was noon when we got back to the foot of the mountain.

He noticed the lax defenses in the stronghold, with no one on the watchtowers near or far, and the patrolmen were listless and perfunctory. He frowned and, channeling his inner energy, shouted:

"How dare you!"

The sound was like Startling Thunder, like the roar of a tiger or the cry of a dragon. The surrounding trees trembled, and the accumulated snow fell with a clatter. In an instant, the loosely organized men in the village were so frightened that they lost their composure.

Ouch!

"Fifth Master, you're finally back!"

A crowd gathered around, though not many people, only about thirty or forty in total.

"What's going on? Why are there so few people?"

"Furthermore, are you all so lax? Are you courting death?!"

Having said that, Lu Xuefeng swept his sleeve, his Inner Qi surging, and the wind from his palm swept through, sending several people staggering to the side.

"Fifth Master, spare my life! Spare my life!"

The bandits all knelt down and kowtowed.

"Where are the other brothers?" Lu Xuefeng knew things were bad when he saw the scene in the stronghold.

"Fifth Master, we'll tell you the truth, please don't be angry." The slightly bolder bandit said tremblingly, "He... they escaped."

"They ran away?!"

Lu Xuefeng frowned.

The Mountain Wind Stronghold had a total of 340 people. Ordinary mountain bandits, nameless and unregistered, could indeed run away at any moment.

"Yes... yes."

The bandit said, "Ever since the third leader died, everyone in the stronghold has been in a state of panic. There are all sorts of rumors, some saying it's haunted, others saying we've offended some important figure."

"That's why many brothers were afraid and ran away without saying a word."

"But Fifth Master, rest assured, those of us who stayed behind are all loyal and devoted, risking our lives for the village. We would never run away."

The mountain bandits were inherently faithless and ruthless, all bloodthirsty and cruel. Suddenly, they suffered a defeat at the hands of an external enemy, several times worse than before, with the fourth and third leaders being killed one after another.

I dared not linger any longer.

Before the tree even fell, the monkeys had already scattered.

"You... you said Third Brother is dead?" Lu Xuefeng asked in astonishment.

"Yes, he died a horrible death. His abdomen was ripped open, and his intestines were spilling out all over the ground," the bandit exclaimed in astonishment.

"In that case, wouldn't I get a bigger share of the Essence Food?" Lu Xuefeng was overjoyed, but after a brief moment of happiness, he felt even more uneasy.

Third Brother Peng Fox is the village's strategist. With him around, the village is developing well and he is of great help to the village.

Deep in the mountain village.

Lu Xuefeng returned to the Brotherhood Hall.

The corpse of the third leader Peng Fox, was covered only with a straw mat. There was no coffin, and his expensive fox fur cloak had long been stolen.

Seeing his third brother's miserable state, Lu Xuefeng felt no sorrow, but suddenly thought:

"These traitors, they treat Third Brother this way, and they'll treat me the same way in the future. If something happens to me, won't they strip me naked and discard me too?"

Enraged, he suddenly slashed horizontally with his palm, striking one of the bandits with a "smack".

The bandit's head snapped off, and he fell straight down, dead.

"How dare you!" Without saying a word, Lu Xuefeng unleashed several more palm strikes, each one ruthless, and in an instant, five more bandits died at his hands.

We bandits all fled.

"Keep a close eye on Third Brother's corpse." Lu Xuefeng snorted coldly and walked straight down the mountain.

He had intended to return to the mountain stronghold to discuss with his third brother how to avenge their defeat and how to make a name for himself. However, his third brother was also ambushed and killed, and his plans were thwarted.

Then I thought about the contents of that letter.

Fourth-in-command Niu Liang led his men out of the stronghold seeking revenge, but their fate remains unknown. It seems they were defeated, indicating the opposing force also had troops.

Relying on the mediocre members of the stronghold to raise more troops for a fight would be tantamount to another defeat. It would be better to act alone, scout out the enemy's movements, and break them from within, which would give us a greater advantage.

At worst...

With his own strength on foot, escaping should never be a problem.

Therefore, Lu Xuefeng did not think much of it and, relying on his memory, headed towards Black River Village.

"It would be best to arrest a villager, torture him to extract a confession, and force him to explain the situation in the village."

"You lowly, insignificant village like Mud Village, with only a new Guard arriving, have the audacity to severely injure my Mountain Wind Stronghold?"

I absolutely do not believe it.

After traveling several miles, Lu Xuefeng gradually came up with an idea. Although he was not as cunning as Peng Fox, he was not as stupid as Niu Liang.

They immediately avoided the main road and secretly traveled along the side path, observing all directions. If they saw any villagers, they would immediately seize them.

However, in these extraordinary times, how could the villagers of Black River Village travel far? He walked more than ten miles without finding anything, and was feeling increasingly frustrated...

Suddenly, a rustling sound was heard.

"Who!?"

Lu Xuefeng saw a dark figure dart out from the undergrowth of the forest at great speed; it was neither a tiger or leopard, nor a bear or deer.

Instead, it was a human figure.

"Excellent, delivered right to my doorstep!"

Lu Xuefeng channeled his internal energy into his feet, greatly increasing his speed. Each step he took left a deep footprint in the ground. He used the rebound of his Inner Qi to increase the distance of each step.

In contrast, Li Xian...

His footsteps were so light that they left no trace on the ground. He was extremely fast, yet required very little strength.

Before long, Lu Xuefeng had caught up. He thought to himself, "I'll use only a third of my strength to see how strong you are." He unleashed the [Extreme Iron Palm], his palm emitting a dark light as he slashed down.

Li Xian suddenly accelerated, instantly widening the gap to several meters.

With a loud "bang!"

Lu Xuefeng, but he didn't stop. Li Xian's steps were light and quick, and he had clearly created a great distance between them, but then he suddenly stopped again.

"Let's see how you escape this time!" Lu Xuefeng secretly vowed, and immediately leaped forward, his fingers curling into claws.

Suddenly, a large rock fell from above.

"Oops?!"

Suddenly, an unexpected turn of events occurred. But Lu Xuefeng's attack was already underway, so how could he immediately dodge it? The only option was to turn around in mid-air and kick the boulder.

The boulder shifted slightly, barely grazing Lu Xuefeng's shoulder. Had it not been for his Inner Qi protecting him, this slight graze would have been enough to severely injure him.

Lu Xuefeng was filled with lingering fear.

Li Xian, hidden in the shadows, let out a cold laugh.

Knowing that the Fifth Leader was coming, he had already laid an ambush along the way. He anticipated that the Fifth Leader would not take the main road, so he set the trap in the Densewood Forest.

Then, use yourself as bait to lure them into the trap.

Li Xian went behind a tree, drew his sword, and cleaved it with force.

A ripping sound rang out as a tangled vine was severed, triggering a chain reaction. The pre-arranged trap had been activated.

All that could be heard was the whooshing sound of the wind.

High above the Densewood Forest, several large wooden pillars came crashing down like giant pendulums.

Ignoring his injuries, Lu Xuefeng raised his palm and slapped the wooden pillar away. The wooden pillar had come with a swift and agile motion, but he was able to knock it away with a single palm strike, demonstrating the strength of his palm.

"Excellent palm technique!" Li Xian shouted in admiration. With each palm strike from Lu Xuefeng, a palm print several feet deep was left on the wooden pillar.

"Who are you, you scoundrel? Come out and face your death!"

Lu Xuefeng was exhausted from dealing with the wooden pillars that were being attacked, but when he heard Li Xian's voice, he managed to gather his qi in response amidst the chaos, unwilling to lose face.

Li Xian, "You are the one who will die!" He drew his bow and shot three arrows.

As for Lu Xuefeng, his martial arts skills were extremely formidable. Unfortunately, he was first imprisoned, his momentum was first dampened by a large rock, and then his composure was disturbed by a wooden pillar.

At that moment, three arrows were shot.

Frustrated and annoyed, Lu Xuefeng roared and used his "Hard Qigong" to forcefully withstand the swinging hammer of the wooden pillar, which made his throat taste sweet.

At the same time, he reached out to grab the three arrows.

They caught two, but missed one.

The third arrow pierced his right foot, and blood soaked his boot.

Li Xian was like a calm hunter. Seeing that the attack had succeeded, he withdrew his body and used the forest for cover, his whereabouts unpredictable.

Lu Xuefeng gasped, wincing in pain.

Since he became a bandit, he has always been more likely to win than lose in his fights with others.

But what he experienced today sent chills down his spine and made him break out in a cold sweat.

The other party's maneuvering and circling, their push and pull, clearly indicated that they had the upper hand.

Those three arrows just now...

Two arrows were shot toward his heart, and one arrow was shot toward his right foot.

Through careful planning, they made it difficult for him to move around, thus trapping him like a turtle in a jar.

With a clear objective, act decisively!

Although Lu Xuefeng's injuries appeared minor, his current situation was like a frog being slowly boiled in water.

In addition, the arrows were poisoned...

"If I'm harassed a few more times, I'll be completely out of fighting. Let's fight him!"

Lu Xuefeng's eyes turned red, and he suddenly pounded his chest forcefully.

A loud "boom" rang out.

Li Xian's blood congealed, and he felt a chill run down his spine. He turned around and stared at Lu Xuefeng.

It's the Chest-Drum Thunder Resonance...

However, Lu Xuefeng's Chest-Drum Thunder Resonance was not yet complete, and its momentum was not strong enough.

But every thunderous sound reverberated in Li Xian's heart, making him very uncomfortable.

Lu Xuefeng continued to strike, creating a series of booming sounds. By the tenth strike, he no longer needed to strike, yet his entire body was still resounding with thunderous energy.

His skin glowed red. He lay on his hands and knees, charging forward like a wild beast. This made up for the disadvantage of his injured right foot, and he was incredibly fast.

Human Food the Heaven-and-Earth Essence...

It sheds its Clay Embryo and reveals its divine power.

Some are favored by heaven... or perhaps they possess a special constitution that gradually becomes apparent after consuming Essence Treasure. Or perhaps it's something else entirely...

These kinds of abilities are all referred to as "Transformed Aspect".

Lu Xuefeng's Transformed Aspect was not yet fully revealed, but Li Xian's speed, which he was so proud of, was already no match for him!

But the figure drew near, as swift as thunder, as fierce as a tiger, as powerful as a leopard, and as fierce as a wolf.

Li Xian's breathing was deep and even. His only way to deal with enemies was through the Four Directions Fist, which he had practiced millions of times and had Peak Mastery!