Steady Improvement

Qian Jian was executed, and Zhou Muyun joined the remaining battle.

The defeat of the bandits had become inevitable.

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

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

"Yes!"

The crowd answered with excitement. Looking at Zhou Muyun, covered in blood, they could not help but feel several degrees more reverence for him.

This battle could be called a great victory for the Leng Household. Only one Tempered Bone Realm martial artist had been seriously injured; everyone else had suffered merely light wounds.

As for the bandits, Qian Jian was dead, Zhou Qing was dead, several Tempered Bone Realm fighters had died, and in the end, only one Viscera Refinement fighter and four Tempered Bone Realm fighters remained.

"Master Zhou, shall I have someone bandage your wounds?" Niu Shun asked with concern.

"Sorry for the trouble."

Zhou Muyun leaned against the carriage while the accompanying workers began bandaging him.

Though they called it bandaging, they merely gave his wounds a simple treatment and wrapped them in strips of cloth.

The conditions were primitive, and none of them truly understood medicine, so this was all they could do.

The wound beneath his left ribs in particular had cut deep into his muscles and bones, and it still throbbed faintly even now.

If he had not tempered his body, he might truly have capsized in the gutter this time!

Zhou Muyun once again experienced the power of this body-tempering art, while also feeling a lingering chill of fear.

Things had gone too smoothly lately. For a moment, he had actually forgotten his original resolve.

Martial artists came in all shapes and sizes, strange and extraordinary. He had still been too careless.

In the future, he had to remain cautious and vigilant, ensuring that nothing could go wrong.

Still, it had not been a fruitless trip. A hint of delight surfaced in Zhou Muyun's eyes as he touched his chest.

A secret manual and one hundred taels of silver were tucked there, both taken from Qian Jian's body.

Since they were spoils of war, he would not stand on ceremony.

After resting and regrouping, the caravan set off toward Yunlin County once more beneath the sunlight.

When the caravan returned to the medicine shop, Zhou Muyun received treatment again.

After hearing Niu Shun and the others' account, Uncle Leng praised Zhou Muyun to the skies and even instructed the physician to treat him with the utmost care.

During this time, Leng Ni also hurried over after hearing the news. She looked travel-worn and dust-covered, and she had somehow grown even thinner than she had been several days ago.

Seeing Zhou Muyun bare-chested and wrapped all over in medicated cloth strips, she asked with concern,

"Junior Brother Zhou, you have worked hard this time. How are your injuries?"

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister. They are only minor injuries. A few days of rest will be enough."

"That is good." Leng Ni took out fifty taels of silver and placed them in Zhou Muyun's hand.

"Junior Brother Zhou, this is a small token from your Senior Sister."

Zhou Muyun nodded and did not refuse. After all, no one ever complained about having too much money.

The two chatted for a few more sentences. Then Uncle Leng stepped forward and told them the information obtained from the interrogation.

The traitor and the bandits had both been bribed and hired with money from the Dragon Household.

Their goal was to make the Leng Household suffer grievous losses and abandon the medicinal herb business.

Leng Ni was furious beyond words when she heard this, repeatedly calling them despicable.

She then stormed out of the medicine shop.

Zhou Muyun, meanwhile, pondered silently.

The Dragon Household could not succeed openly, so they acted in the shadows. It truly was despicable.

But even so, the Leng Household should not have lacked the ability to handle such matters.

Combined with Leng Ni's exhausted appearance, a few guesses arose in his mind.

Perhaps it was not just one household targeting the Leng Household, both openly and secretly, but several.

At the same time, something had happened at the Drunken Red Pavilion as well. It was likely the work of similar hands.

That meant several households had joined forces against the Four Great Families.

Thinking this, Zhou Muyun had already decided that he should involve himself less in such matters from now on.

Otherwise, if he truly brought fire upon himself, he might not be able to flee even if he wished to.

Though he had offended the Dragon Household, he was not their primary target. He merely needed to remain careful and cautious.

That night, Zhou Muyun returned home and counted today's gains.

One hundred and fifty taels, plus one secret manual.

The silver could be used to repay the debt on the residence. As for the manual...

Zhou Muyun picked it up and began reading it by candlelight.

Four large words were written on the cover: Azure Tide Sword Art.

So this was where Azure Tide Sword came from? Zhou Muyun recalled the title Qian Jian had announced.

That was far too casual, wasn't it? He shook his head and continued reading.

Before long, he had finished the manual.

The Azure Tide Sword Art drew upon the meaning of azure tides. Its sword intent was lingering and entwined, wave upon wave, stretching on without end.

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

Then the book ended. It was actually only an incomplete volume.

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

This sword art truly was not simple!

But unfortunately, Zhou Muyun did not intend to practice it.

That was because the sword art contained Qian Jian's annotations.

"I have poured my heart and blood into this for decades, yet this art is actually more suited to women. But how could I willingly give up? I shall alter it myself!"

No wonder the artistic conception Qian Jian displayed differed from what the book described.

A Thousand Layered Waves should have balanced hardness and softness, yet his was incomparably fierce and forceful.

Still, he had truly managed to alter something from it. Qian Jian had been quite the man.

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

Martial artists were not made of iron. After a battle and with injuries on top of that, he naturally needed rest.

In the blink of an eye, half a month slipped quietly away.

In the Zhou Household courtyard, Zhou Muyun stood bare-chested. Several new scars had given him a somewhat more mature air.

A layer of faintly red Blood-Tempering Paste covered his entire body.

His blood boiled, sweat poured down like rain, and Zhou Muyun silently endured the agony of body tempering.

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

"The second portion of medicinal paste. The breakthrough will come tonight!"

Zhou Muyun knew well that the Seven-Colored Glazed Body was only one step away from the door.

He drove the method with all his strength, and the pain intensified severalfold.

"Ding!"

It was as though the sound of metal and iron rang out. Zhou Muyun's entire body involuntarily turned bronze.

His muscles and bones erupted with crackling explosions, while his feet slowly sank two finger-widths into the earth.

A sharp gleam flashed in Zhou Muyun's eyes, and he no longer stood still.

He clenched both fists and swung them in every direction.

"Bang! Bang!"

His fist wind howled, releasing explosive booms one after another.

A moment later, the bronze color faded from his skin, returning it to normal.

Only then did Zhou Muyun stop.

The Silver Blood Realm was achieved!

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

He reached for the five-hundred-jin stone lock in the courtyard.

He lifted it as though it were a toy.

"Too light!" He shook his head.

After setting down the stone lock, he estimated that he now possessed perhaps a thousand jin of strength.

Even a Viscera Refinement Peak martial artist could likely only unleash around a thousand jin with all their strength.

Yet a casual strike from him could already reach such a level. How monstrous was that?

He tested slashing his body with a blade again. This time, it took three or four strikes before a white mark was left behind.

Ordinary weapons were likely no longer a threat to him.

The corners of Zhou Muyun's mouth curved upward.

All those medicines and all his hard work had not been wasted after all.

He was very satisfied with the improvement to his body.

After his joy subsided, Zhou Muyun did not rest. Instead, he switched to practicing Flurry Fist.

Because he still had something more important to do tonight.

Time passed, and midnight arrived. His Destiny Pattern settled accounts on time.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence; there will surely be gains. Diligence Points are settled daily.]

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

[Comprehension: Ding Shang (1/1000)]

[Willow Stake, major mastery (450/2400)]

[Flurry Fist, minor mastery (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 to Root Bone.

[Root Bone: Ding Shang (9/1000)]

As his Root Bone became Ding Shang, a searing pain surged through Zhou Muyun's entire body.

It was as though invisible flames were roasting his whole body, tempering and purifying it.

The pain was even greater than the pain of body tempering.

"Ah..."

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

Time passed second by second.

"Crack!"

The sound of an invisible shackle breaking rang through Zhou Muyun's mind.

The searing pain gradually faded, and everything returned to stillness.

"Whew!"

Zhou Muyun let out a long breath and felt the changes in his body.

"?" Zhou Muyun voiced his confusion.

It hurt so much, so why do I feel like nothing has changed?

Could it be a change that cannot be sensed?

If talent determined how quickly one entered the gate of martial arts, then Root Bone was...

That's it! A spark flashed through Zhou Muyun's mind, and he immediately began testing it.

His feet rooted into the ground like tree roots, while his body moved like willow branches in the wind. He performed Willow Stake with effortless ease.

His mind stayed fixed on the golden proficiency panel in his mind.

[Willow Stake, major mastery (452/2400)]

When he saw that the proficiency had increased by two points at once, Zhou Muyun was overjoyed!

It had only increased by one point before, but now it directly increased by two.

What did that mean? It meant that better Root Bone made cultivation faster.

And with his proficiency panel, would that not be like a tiger gaining wings?

Root Bone had to be increased!

I had been adding points blindly before.

At this moment, Zhou Muyun had already planned out his path.

First, max out Root Bone. Only then would he consider anything else!