Organ Refinement Achieved, Flurry Fist at Minor Mastery

Time flowed on, and seven days quickly passed as news of the Cloud Forest Tournament spread.

All disciples in the martial hall who met the age requirements worked even harder than before.

Especially those stuck at the Tempered Bone Realm Peak—they strained every sinew, striving to reach the Organ Refinement Realm.

On the training ground, Zhou Muyun was practicing with utmost concentration.

Suddenly, a cry of alarm came from nearby.

"Senior Brother Yuan, what happened to you?!"

Following the cry, they saw a slightly dark-skinned, brawny man with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He was half-kneeling on the ground, cold sweat pouring down his face.

A shorter, thinner man stood beside him, watching him anxiously.

Zhou Muyun knew both men. The bleeding man was named Yuan He. He had entered the martial hall two years before Zhou Muyun, had just turned twenty this year, and was at the Tempered Bone Realm Peak.

The worried man was named Liu Yu. He had entered half a year before Zhou Muyun and had only just broken into the Tempered Bone Realm.

Yuan He often gave Liu Yu guidance in ordinary times, so the two had a good relationship.

"I'm fine. It's just... I failed to break through."

Yuan He's expression was dim as he spoke, his voice carrying a trace of dejection.

"Senior Brother... this..." Liu Yu did not know how to comfort him and could only stand there.

He knew that Senior Brother Yuan had been stirred by the Cloud Forest Tournament and wanted to break through his bottleneck and enter the Organ Refinement Realm.

But how could this hurdle be so easily crossed? As far as he knew, this was already Yuan He's third failed attempt at breaking into Organ Refinement over the past two years.

To put it bluntly, Yuan He likely had no hope of reaching a higher realm in this lifetime.

Success in breaking through was one thing, but failure damaged a martial artist's foundation. Once that foundation had been damaged too often, it would harm the very root.

The other disciples on the training ground immediately began discussing it among themselves.

"Yuan He failed for the third time. His martial path is finished!"

"Without some great fortuitous opportunity in this life, he'll probably remain like this."

"Why the rush? There are still six months left!"

"Junior Brother Yuan entered around the same time as I did. I'm afraid I won't fare much better than him."

Some sighed, some mocked, and still others saw themselves in him. Who knew how many people had been blocked by bottlenecks on the martial path?

Hearing everyone's words, Yuan He, the person concerned, clenched his fists tight, then slowly released them.

He struggled to his feet and slowly walked out of the martial hall, with Liu Yu hurriedly following after him.

His retreating figure was steeped in loneliness and helplessness. Clearly, he felt there was no longer any need for him to remain at the martial hall.

Once Yuan He left, the other disciples dispersed as well and returned to their own tasks.

Zhou Muyun watched everything unfold.

If he had not possessed a Destiny Pattern, would he too have been as crestfallen as Yuan He?

He secretly counted himself fortunate, while once again sensing the preciousness of his Destiny Pattern.

With a Destiny Pattern, he only needed to study diligently and train hard. There were no bottlenecks on his martial path, so he naturally had to strive with all his strength.

Taking up the Willow Stake stance, Zhou Muyun once more immersed himself in bitter training.

That evening, Withered Well Alley, Zhou Muyun's home.

After finishing his street patrol, Zhou Muyun returned home.

Xu Rou told him that after he had left that morning, his uncle and aunt had brought out another ten taels of silver as repayment.

After hearing this, Zhou Muyun nodded, signaling for Xu Rou to put it away.

Xu Rou smiled and sighed again. "Yun'er has grown up and made something of himself. Mother gets to enjoy good fortune along with you!"

As she spoke, she reminded him once more, "Yun'er, you must rest while practicing martial arts too. Don't train yourself into an injury."

Zhou Muyun nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, "Mother, don't worry. Your son knows his limits."

Xu Rou was naturally reassured and returned to her room to rest.

Zhou Muyun, meanwhile, went into the courtyard and continued practicing.

Late at night, when all was quiet, moonlight spilled across the courtyard.

Zhou Muyun stood like a drooping willow, his eyes shut tight. Sweat had soaked his entire body, yet he did not care in the slightest.

[Willow Stake Minor Mastery (1199/1200)]

He knew that tonight was the moment of breakthrough!

Gritting his teeth, Zhou Muyun practiced his stance with even greater effort.

Suddenly, he felt every bone in his body finally fuse into a seamless whole. This was precisely the sign of Tempered Bone Realm completion.

Then, the breakthrough officially began.

The power of his qi and blood was like a blazing fire dragon, racing wildly through Zhou Muyun's five viscera and six bowels.

His blood began to boil throughout his body, while the sweat on him continuously evaporated into mist.

Zhou Muyun felt as though a raging inferno had ignited inside his abdomen, intent on burning his organs to ash.

The Tempered Bone Realm relied on the power of qi and blood to temper every bone in the body, while the Organ Refinement Realm tempered the five viscera and six bowels.

What he was experiencing now was exactly that. Internal organs were countless times more fragile than bones, so the pain was naturally unbearable.

Heavy, suppressed breaths came from Zhou Muyun's mouth.

His rough cloth clothes were soaked through with sweat, then dried by evaporation, soaked again, then dried again.

The pain did not diminish. Instead, it grew fiercer and fiercer.

Finally, when the pain reached its utmost extreme, even Zhou Muyun could not help but let out a low roar—and then the sensation vanished.

His five viscera and six bowels seemed to fall from blazing flames into a hot spring in an instant. Zhou Muyun felt his entire body grow light, his heartbeat become stronger, and even his breathing smoother than usual by countless times.

He knew that he had successfully broken through into the Organ Refinement Realm.

[Willow Stake Major Mastery (1/2400)]

"So this is the Organ Refinement Realm..." Zhou Muyun murmured.

He clenched his fists, feeling the power within them, far stronger than before.

If the Tempered Bone Realm was purely about brute strength, then the Organ Refinement Realm united inner and outer force. Every move and stance carried silent inner force that could invade an enemy's body and inflict damage.

Thus, inner force was also one of the hallmarks of the Organ Refinement Realm.

After breaking through, Zhou Muyun felt utterly refreshed.

Seizing the opportunity, he immediately began circulating the method of the Seven-Colored Glazed Body.

As for Flurry Fist, his body tempering had delayed its progress somewhat in recent days. But tonight, he planned to use Diligence Points to bring it to Minor Mastery.

Because of the Qi-Blood Powder, Zhou Muyun could now train for seven double-hours a day, meaning he could settle fourteen points each day.

This was also why his martial progress had been so rapid these past days.

Zhou Muyun had deeply experienced the exhilaration of paying to win during this period.

What came with it, however, was silver flowing out like water.

Still, he had calculated it. With two packets of Qi-Blood Powder each day, the silver he had on hand could last until the New Year.

Soon, midnight arrived, and the panel in his mind settled accounts on time.

[Heaven rewards diligence; there will surely be gains. Diligence Points settled daily.]

[Bone Aptitude: Ding Zhong (1/500)]

[Comprehension: Ding Upper (1/1000)]

[Willow Stake Major Mastery (1/2400)]

[Flurry Fist Initiate (588/600)]

[Seven-Colored Glazed Body Copper Skin (50/600)]

[Diligence Points: 14]

Just as Zhou Muyun had guessed, fourteen points had been settled.

Without hesitation, he added the points to Flurry Fist.

[Flurry Fist Minor Mastery (2/1200)]

Windblown Catkin Dance, Dry-Clothes Touch, Myriad Catkins Obscure the Sky, and Spring Wind Through the Crevice—Zhou Muyun instantly gained a new understanding of these four moves.

Windblown Catkin Dance could either strike first or change according to the enemy's movements.

Dry-Clothes Touch was not merely about dodging, but about control over force.

Myriad Catkins Obscure the Sky required both feints and substance, while concealing killing moves within.

As for Spring Wind Through the Crevice, it should not be confined to killing moves. Rather, every move should make the enemy feel as though a spring breeze had brushed their face, wounding them without form.

"My strength in the martial hall should be around the upper-middle tier now," Zhou Muyun mused.

For techniques like Flurry Fist, few in the martial hall had trained it to Major Mastery. Even Minor Mastery was rare.

After all, the vast majority practiced the Willow Stake, since realm advancement came first.

Those disciples did not have Destiny Patterns. Being able to choose one thing and cultivate it deeply was already difficult enough.

Only he possessed such a natural advantage.

"Cloud Forest Tournament, here I come."

Zhou Muyun narrowed his eyes. At last, he had gained a measure of confidence in the tournament.