Steady Improvement

Qian Jian was slain, and Zhou Muyun joined the remainder of the battle.

The bandits' defeat was a foregone conclusion.

When Niu Shun and Zhou Muyun joined forces to cut down Zhou Qing, the remaining bandits all dropped to their knees and surrendered.

"Tie them all up and take them back for the Leng Household to deal with."

"Understood!"

The crowd answered with high spirits, unable to help feeling a few more parts of awe as they looked at the blood-soaked Zhou Muyun.

This battle could be called a great victory for the Leng Household, with only a single Tempered Bone martial artist heavily wounded and the rest sustaining only light injuries.

Looking at the bandits, on the other hand, Qian Jian was dead, Zhou Qing was dead, several Tempered Bone martial artists were dead, and in the end only a single Viscera Refinement and four Tempered Bone martial artists remained.

"Master Zhou, let me call someone to bandage you up!" Niu Shun said with concern.

"Troublesome."

Zhou Muyun leaned against the carriage as the accompanying workers began to bandage him.

Though it was a bandage, it was merely a simple treatment of the wounds, wrapping them with strips of cloth.

After all, the conditions were crude, and with no one truly versed in medicine, they could only manage this much.

Especially the wound on his left ribs, which was deep into the tendons and bones, and still throbbed faintly even now.

If he hadn't practiced body refinement, he truly might have capsized in the gutter!

Zhou Muyun once again experienced the might of this body-refinement technique, while simultaneously feeling a lingering trace of fear.

Lately things had gone too smoothly, causing him to forget his original intent for a time.

Those who practiced martial arts were all sorts of eccentric characters, and he had still been far too careless.

In the future, he must continue to be cautious and prudent to ensure everything was foolproof.

Yet it was not entirely without gains, as a trace of joy surfaced in Zhou Muyun's eyes, and he touched his chest.

A secret manual and a hundred taels of silver were kept there, all searched from Qian Jian's person.

Since they were the spoils of war, he would accept them without courtesy.

The rested caravan faced the sunlight and once more set off toward Yunlin County.

When the caravan returned to the medicinal herb shop, Zhou Muyun once again received treatment.

After listening to Niu Shun and the others' description, Old Leng praised Zhou Muyun without end, even instructing the physician to treat him properly at all costs.

During this time, Leng Ni also hurried over upon hearing the news. Travel-worn and dusty, she actually appeared a few fractions thinner than the previous few days.

Looking at Zhou Muyun, who was stripped to the waist and wrapped entirely in medicinal paste and cloth strips, she asked with concern:

"Junior Brother Zhou, you've suffered so much for this, how are your injuries?"

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister, they are all small injuries and will be fine after a few days of recuperation."

"That's good." Leng Ni pulled out fifty taels of silver and placed them in Zhou Muyun's hands.

"Junior Brother Zhou, this is a little token of your senior sister's sincerity."

Zhou Muyun nodded and did not refuse; after all, no one would ever dislike having too much money.

The two chatted for a few more moments, at which point Old Leng walked forward and informed them both of the interrogation intelligence.

Both the internal mole and the bandits had been financed and hired by the Dragon Household.

Their sole purpose was to cause the Leng Household heavy losses and force them to abandon the medicinal herb business.

Upon hearing this, Leng Ni was furious beyond words, loudly calling them despicable.

Immediately, she left the medicinal herb shop in a huff.

Meanwhile, Zhou Muyun pondered inwardly.

For the Dragon Household to fail in the open and act behind the scenes was indeed despicable.

Even so, the Leng Household ought not to be without the capability to handle such matters.

Combined with Leng Ni's fatigue, he harbored a few guesses in his heart.

Perhaps it was not just a single household targeting the Leng Household in the open and dark, but rather more.

At the same time, situations had also occurred at the Drunken Red Pavilion, which likely stemmed from a similar handwriting.

That would mean several households uniting to target the Four Great Families.

Thinking of this, Zhou Muyun had already decided that it would be best to meddle less in such matters in the future.

Otherwise, if he truly drew the fire onto himself, he feared he wouldn't be able to avoid it in time.

Though he had offended the Dragon Household, he was not their primary target, so he only needed to remain cautious and prudent.

That night, Zhou Muyun returned home and carefully tallied up today's gains.

One hundred and fifty taels plus a secret manual.

The silver would be used to pay off the debt on the residence; as for the secret manual!

Zhou Muyun picked up the secret manual and began to flip through it by the light of a candle.

He saw four large characters written on the cover of the manual: Azure Tide Sword Art

So that's where the Azure Tide Sword came from? Zhou Muyun recalled the title Qian Jian had proclaimed.

Wasn't that too casual! He shook his head and continued reading.

Very quickly, he finished reading it.

The Azure Tide Sword Art took the meaning of an azure tide, its sword intent lingering and clinging, wave after wave, continuous and endless.

The book recorded a total of four forms, which were: A Thousand Layered Waves, Ripples on Azure Waves, Wandering Fish Toy with Shadows, and Hidden Edge in the Reef.

Then the book ended right there; it turned out to be merely an incomplete fragment.

Combined with Qian Jian's performance, Zhou Muyun realized that he probably had only mastered the first form, A Thousand Layered Waves, to complete integration.

This sword technique was truly extraordinary!

Yet what a pity, Zhou Muyun had no intention of practicing this sword art.

Solely because there were annotations left by Qian Jian upon the sword art.

"I have wracked my heart and blood for decades, yet this art actually proves more suited to women, but how could I be willing to give up—I shall modify it myself!"

No wonder the artistic conception Qian Jian unleashed differed from what was recorded in the book.

A Thousand Layered Waves ought to combine hardness and softness, yet his was incomparably fierce and violent.

Yet he had genuinely managed to modify something out of it; Qian Jian was truly a character.

He put the secret manual away and lay down on the bed, falling into a deep sleep.

A martial artist was not an iron man; after experiencing battle and even sustaining injuries, they naturally required rest.

Half a month blinked quietly by.

In the Zhou Household courtyard, Zhou Muyun was stripped to the waist, the newly added scars actually granting him a few more parts of a mature aura.

A layer of pale red blood-tempering paste covered his entire body.

His blood boiled and sweat poured like rain as Zhou Muyun quietly endured the bitter torment of body refinement.

[Seven-Colored Glazed Body—Iron Bone Stage (1199/1200)]

"The second jar of medicinal paste, the breakthrough is tonight!"

Zhou Muyun knew full well that the Seven-Colored Glazed Body lacked only a final kick.

The technique surged with great force, adding a few more parts of pain.

"Clang!"

As if the sound of metal and iron rang out, Zhou Muyun's entire body involuntarily turned a bronze hue.

His entire body's tendons and bones emitted sounds of explosive cracking, and his feet even slowly sank two finger-widths deep into the earth.

A sharp gleam flashed in Zhou Muyun's eyes as he no longer stood in place.

With his fists clenched tight, he lashed out toward his surroundings.

"Bang! Bang!"

The force of his fists whistled, emitting successive explosive cracks.

A moment later, the bronze hue receded from his skin, returning to its normal state.

Only then did Zhou Muyun stop.

The Silver Blood Realm was achieved!

[Seven-Colored Glazed Body—Silver Blood Stage (1/2400)]

He reached out and grabbed the five-hundred-jin stone lock in the courtyard.

Lifting it up as though it were a toy.

"Too light!" He shook his head.

With that, he put the stone lock down, estimating that he likely possessed the strength of a thousand jin by now.

Viscera Refinement Peak probably reached around a thousand jin of strength when going all-out.

Yet for him to achieve this with a casual strike, how monstrous.

He tried slashing his body with a saber again, and this time he actually had to chop three or four times before leaving a single white mark.

Ordinary weapons probably posed no threat to him anymore.

A curve pulled at the corner of Zhou Muyun's mouth.

At least it hadn't wasted all those medicines and his own hard work.

He was extremely satisfied with the enhancement to his physique.

After the joy passed, Zhou Muyun did not rest, instead switching to practicing the Flurry Fist.

Because he had more important things to do tonight.

Time slipped away, the hour of the rat arrived, and his Destiny Pattern settled accounts right on schedule.

[Heaven rewards the diligent and grants due return; daily diligence points calculated.]
[Bone Structure: Ding-Middle (1/500)]
[Comprehension: Ding-Top (1/1000)]
[Willow Stake Great Accomplishment (450/2400)]
[Flurry Fist Minor Accomplishment (600/1200)]
[Seven-Colored Glazed Body—Silver Blood Stage (1/2400)]
[Diligence Points: 509]

Looking at the golden panel in his mind, Zhou Muyun did not hesitate to add his diligence points straight to his bone structure.

[Bone Structure: Ding-Top (9/1000)]

As his bone structure changed to Ding-Top, a searing pain surged through Zhou Muyun's entire body.

It felt as though an invisible fire was roasting his whole frame, hammering and purifying it.

The pain even surpassed the agony of body-refining, going above and beyond it.

"Ah..."

In the end, he could not hold back a heavy roar.

Time ticked away, second by second.

Crack!

The sound of a nonexistent shackle snapping echoed through Zhou Muyun's mind.

The searing pain gradually vanished, and everything returned to calm.

"Hah!"

Zhou Muyun let out a long breath, feeling the changes in his body.

"?" Zhou Muyun let out a puzzled sound.

It hurt so much, how come I feel like nothing changed?!

Could it be a change that can't be perceived?

If talent determines the speed of entering a martial art, then bone structure is...

That's right! Zhou Muyun's eyes flashed with inspiration, and he immediately made an attempt.

His feet took root in the earth like tree roots, his body swayed with the wind like a willow twig, and the Willow Stake came to him as easily as turning his hand.

His mind locked intently onto the golden proficiency panel in his head.

[Willow Stake Great Accomplishment (452/2400)]

When he saw that his proficiency had increased directly by two points, Zhou Muyun felt wild joy in his heart!

In the past it only added one point, but now it added two directly.

What did that prove? It proved that better bone structure meant faster cultivation.

And since he also possessed a proficiency panel, wouldn't that be like adding wings to a tiger?

Bone structure has got to be upgraded!

I was practically wasting points on random things before.

At that moment, Zhou Muyun had already mapped out his own path.

Max out the bone structure first, then consider the rest!