Task

That night, a figure stood steadily in stance at the training ground.

Zhou Yan closed his eyes, his blood and qi still surging within him.

The Great Accomplishment Mountain-Settling Stance was like a key, twisting something open.

His blood and qi sank from his dantian, deeper than before.

Every gap in his bones swelled, as if something had filled them.

His flesh tightened and his tendons stretched. The subtle changes accumulated while practicing his stance during the day all surged forth that night.

Body-Tempering Realm.

He had directly entered Great Accomplishment!

The system panel appeared before his eyes.

[Martial Dao Limit-Breaking System]

[As Heaven keeps moving vigorously, so should a gentleman strive ceaselessly for self-improvement]

[Host: Zhou Yan]

[Realm: Body Tempering Great Accomplishment]

[Mountain-Settling Stance Great Accomplishment: 23/300]

[Mountain-Breaking Fist Lesser Accomplishment: 156/200]

The Body-Tempering Realm was divided into beginner, Lesser Accomplishment, and Great Accomplishment.

Instructor Han had said that once one's Stake Stance reached Lesser Accomplishment, there was hope of breaking through to the Body-Tempering Realm.

But that only meant breaking through to beginner Body Tempering.

Those with weak foundations would temper their flesh incompletely after breaking through. Whatever they practiced afterward would always lack something.

His Stake Stance had now reached Great Accomplishment.

His Body Tempering had also leaped straight to Great Accomplishment.

It could be said that a Body Tempering practitioner at Great Accomplishment might not have a Stake Stance at Great Accomplishment, but someone with a Stake Stance at Great Accomplishment would certainly have Body Tempering at Great Accomplishment!

His foundation was far more solid than those who rushed to break through as soon as their Stake Stance reached Lesser Accomplishment.

His flesh, tendons, and bones had all been tempered together. Where others needed three steps, he crossed it in one.

The next day, at dawn.

As usual, Zhou Yan was the first to arrive at the training ground.

After standing in stance for nearly half an hour and waiting for everyone else to gradually arrive, Manager Feng entered through the side gate.

The six followed Manager Feng through two courtyards and arrived at the steward's office.

Lao Luo was already waiting at the door. He was in his forties, with a scar running from his left brow bone to his cheekbone.

He was not tall, but his shoulders were exceptionally broad. Leaning against the doorframe, he held a short staff in his hand.

Manager Feng pushed open the door. A rough map lay spread across the table, with the location of a warehouse in the southern part of the city circled in charcoal.

"Warehouse Number Three in the south of the city stores medicinal herbs." Manager Feng tapped the circle with his finger. "Black Tiger Hall has been scouting the area these past few days. The night before last, someone splashed oil on a shop on South Street. If one of the clerks hadn't gotten up in the night and spotted it, the whole shop would have burned down."

Lao Luo snorted through his nose.

Manager Feng continued, "Tonight, we're adding more people to guard the warehouse. Lao Luo will lead the team, and the six of you will follow him."

He pulled six short staffs from beneath the table, then swept his eyes across them. "Who knows how to use a blade?"

The group looked at one another.

Ma Wu scratched his head. Chen Dazhu shook his head, and Fang Ping and Liu Shun did the same.

Zhou Yan said, "I know a little from chopping firewood before."

Manager Feng glanced at him.

Then he turned and pulled two blades from a cabinet, handing one to Lao Luo and placing the other on the table before pushing it toward Zhou Yan.

"Take them."

Ma Wu muttered softly from the side, "Our first day on a job, and we're already on night watch. What kind of luck is this?"

Lao Luo happened to walk over and hear him. He smacked Ma Wu's lower back with the flat of his blade. Ma Wu hissed, jolting upright at once.

At dusk.

Lao Luo led the six toward the southern district.

The southern district of Qingyun County was different from the western district.

The western district was Sun Family territory. Its streets were clean, and every storefront had a Sun Family sign hanging outside.

The southern district was a mess. Shops were scattered about without any order—a cloth shop beside a coffin shop, and a blacksmith's shop next door.

The warehouse stood at the end of a narrow alley deep in the southern district.

It had its own courtyard, and its metal gate was covered in rust.

The walls were over ten feet high, with shattered roof tiles embedded all along the top.

Lao Luo took out a key and opened the large lock on the metal gate before pushing it open.

The courtyard was fairly large. Dozens of burlap sacks were piled against one wall, while wooden crates were stacked neatly on the other side.

The air carried the dry scent of medicinal herbs mixed with burlap.

There was a well in the center of the courtyard, with a wooden bucket resting on its rim.

Lao Luo bolted the metal gate from the inside.

He tapped the wooden crates with his short staff. "They're full of dried medicinal herbs. They're worth a lot, and if they catch fire, it'll be a disaster."

He split everyone into two shifts.

Lao Luo, Fang Ping, Liu Shun, and Sun Xiaoshi would guard the first half of the night.

Zhou Yan, Ma Wu, and Chen Dazhu would take the second half.

"Don't huddle together while you're on watch. Hide yourselves properly. One person to a corner. No matter what you see or hear, don't panic." Lao Luo pointed his scabbard at the courtyard wall. "Black Tiger Hall likes to climb walls. Those broken tiles up there won't stop anyone who's trained."

Ma Wu looked up at the gleaming shards of tile and swallowed.

It was still Zhou Yan's group's time to rest during the first half of the night, but there were no beds in the warehouse, not even a single bench.

The three found a corner and sat down.

Ma Wu leaned against a burlap sack. Before long, his eyelids began to droop.

Mumbling, "I'll just shut my eyes for a bit," he tilted his head and went still.

Chen Dazhu looked tense. He held his short staff across his knees with both hands, his knuckles white.

"Brother Zhou," he said in a low voice, "do you think Black Tiger Hall will really come?"

"I don't know."

"If they do... how do we fight?"

Zhou Yan glanced at him. Chen Dazhu kept rubbing the short staff between his hands, his palms drenched in sweat.

"Listen to Lao Luo." Chen Dazhu nodded.

Zhou Yan sat cross-legged with his back against a wooden crate, closed his eyes, and adjusted his breathing.

After reaching Body Tempering Great Accomplishment, his senses were far sharper than before.

He could hear everything in the alley outside the courtyard wall clearly.

Even farther away.

He could still hear the watchman's clappers.

He opened his eyes and looked at Lao Luo.

Lao Luo sat on the rim of the well.

His short staff rested across his knees. He did not move, his eyes half-open, as though he were dozing but not really.

His breathing was far too even. It seemed that even if he had not yet broken through to the Body-Tempering Realm, he was probably close.

Fang Ping leaned against a wooden crate, his eyelids fighting to stay open as well.

Liu Shun squatted in a corner, plucking at a blade of grass. After pulling one out, he plucked another.

Sun Xiaoshi sat beside the metal gate, his back perfectly straight and his hands resting on his knees.

Zhou Yan glanced at him. This person rarely spoke and was not very tall.

During the day's stance practice, he had also taken his posture seriously. Like Chen Dazhu, his talent was not high, but he was willing to put in the effort.

In the latter half of the night.

Lao Luo came over and patted Zhou Yan's shoulder. Zhou Yan opened his eyes.

"Shift change."

Chen Dazhu shook Ma Wu awake. Ma Wu looked reluctant, with drool still hanging from the corner of his mouth.

He wiped it away with his sleeve, muttered, "My turn already," and picked up his short staff.

Lao Luo, Fang Ping, and the others retreated to the corner to rest.

Zhou Yan went to the southeast corner of the courtyard wall, Ma Wu took the northwest corner, and Chen Dazhu stayed by the metal gate.

The moon tilted westward.

Ma Wu had been squatting in his corner for less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea before he started yawning, using his short staff as a crutch.

Suddenly!

The wind from the southwest changed, carrying the fishy stench of river water.

Zhou Yan frowned and drew in a breath.

Footsteps.

From the direction of the alley entrance, at least five or six pairs of footsteps.

They were not heavy, but they could still be heard against the stone pavement, drawing closer and closer.

Lao Luo was already standing. No one knew when he had risen, but his blade was at his side.

"They're here." Lao Luo's voice was pressed so low that it was almost only breath. "Crouch down. Don't make a sound."

Ma Wu sobered up instantly.

Chen Dazhu nearly dropped his short staff.

Fang Ping and Liu Shun also woke in the corner, shrinking behind the burlap sacks.

Sun Xiaoshi was already on his feet.

The six crouched against the walls.

Zhou Yan untied the long blade from his waist and tightened the cloth wrapped around its hilt.

The footsteps stopped outside the courtyard wall.

Several breaths of silence passed.

Two people climbed over the wall.

Their movements were swift. They braced their hands on the wall and lightly flipped over.

After landing, neither hesitated. One rushed straight for the goods, pulling a bamboo tube from his chest.

He pulled out the stopper, and the pungent smell of fire oil spread through the air.

The other pulled out a firestarter from his waist and rubbed it against his sleeve.

Lao Luo moved then.

With a bang, he sprang from the well rim and crossed half the courtyard in two strides, his short staff crashing down with a howl of wind.

The one pouring oil had no time to react before the back of his head took a blow.

He fell face-first to the ground, the bamboo tube flying from his hand. Fire oil splashed across the ground, glistening black beneath the moonlight.

The one holding the firestarter jumped, his hand trembling.

Lao Luo turned. Three or four steps away.

Zhou Yan had already circled around from the side.

With Body Tempering Great Accomplishment and a Great Accomplishment Stake Stance, his feet made no sound over the gravel.

He cut through the darkness from the corner, following the base of the wall around to the man's side and rear.

The man was about to throw the firestarter into the oil.

Zhou Yan brought his blade down.

Crack!

The firestarter flew free, bounced once on the ground, and the two sparks it scattered died at once.

Before the man could cry out, Zhou Yan stomped on the back of his knee.

Another crack, and his knee slammed down onto the stone pavement.

Zhou Yan pressed the tip of his blade against the back of the man's neck.

Two moves: the flat of his blade smashed the wrist, then one kick shattered the knee.

Lao Luo looked at Zhou Yan, then turned as another six or seven people climbed over the courtyard wall.

One of them stood a head taller than the first two. What he held was not a short blade, but a Mountain-Opening blade.

"There are too many of them!" Ma Wu shouted from the corner, his voice trembling.

Lao Luo rushed forward and tangled with the man wielding the Mountain-Opening blade.

Two others slipped past them and headed straight for the goods.

One pulled a short spear from his waist, while the other took out a second tube of fire oil, pulled the stopper, and began pouring it over the burlap sacks.

Oil spilled over the sacks, and the pungent stench spread.

Chen Dazhu raised his short staff, but his hands trembled. The staff trembled.

His whole body was shaking. Still, he forced himself to take a step forward.

The one pouring oil turned to look at him.

He kicked Chen Dazhu in the chest. Chen Dazhu gave a muffled groan and flew backward into a wooden crate, his short staff slipping from his hand and rolling toward the well.

Seeing this, Ma Wu could not help taking a step back.

Fang Ping and Liu Shun were wedged in the corner, unable to move.

Sun Xiaoshi took a step forward, but his whole body was taut, and he did not know where to strike.

Zhou Yan charged forward.

The man with the short spear charged at the front, thrusting the spearhead at Zhou Yan's chest. It was obvious he had trained before; his strength was not weak.

Zhou Yan sidestepped, and the spearhead grazed past the cloth over his chest.

He grabbed the spear shaft with one hand and yanked it forward.

The man's center of gravity was thrown off, and he staggered a step forward.

Zhou Yan drove up his knee, then slashed backhandedly. The man went limp at once.

The second man had just finished splashing the fire oil when he saw his companion go down so quickly.

He froze for a moment.

He drew a short blade from his waist, pointed it at Zhou Yan, and stabbed straight at him.

Zhou Yan twisted at the waist and spun around.

His long blade swept upward from below, its edge drawing an arc beneath the moonlight.

With the foundation of the Stake Stance and Body Tempering Great Accomplishment, power from his waist and legs traveled into his arm. Borrowing the momentum of his turn, he swept the blade sideways.

The other man's short blade was knocked flying, splitting the web of his hand. The blade flew out and embedded itself in a wooden crate.

The blade sliced across the man's chest.

Blood sprayed everywhere!

The man screamed and stumbled back four or five steps.

His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground, clutching his chest as blood seeped through his fingers.

Seeing this, the other Black Tiger Hall men no longer bothered burning the medicinal herbs and fled as fast as they could.

At the same time, Lao Luo's side had also finished up.

The man wielding a Mountain-Opening saber had his head smashed apart by a single blow from Lao Luo's staff.

Lao Luo did not give chase.

He walked to the center of the courtyard.

He crouched down to inspect the man wounded by the blade.

Blood had pooled all over the ground. The man lay there unable to rise, still groaning.

Lao Luo used the scabbard to lift his chin and took a look at his face.

"Just a low-level Black Tiger Hall thug. Not worth much."

Then he glanced at Zhou Yan. His gaze lingered on Zhou Yan's blade for a moment.

"You broke through to the Body-Tempering Realm? Report to the martial hall when we get back." A faint smile appeared on Lao Luo's icy face.

With that, he went to the well, drew water, and splashed it over the ground to wash away the fire oil.

The courtyard fell quiet, leaving only the pungent smell of fire oil and the several corpses on the ground.

Ma Wu rose from the corner by the wall, his legs still trembling. He walked over to Zhou Yan, eyes wide.

"Brother, you... you..."

He could not piece together a complete sentence for a long while.

"Didn't you just practice the Stake Stance every day?" Ma Wu swallowed. "How did you break through to the Body-Tempering Realm?"

Zhou Yan crouched by the well, dipped a scrap of cloth into the water, and slowly wiped the blood from his blade.

"A few days ago. I just got lucky and broke through."

Ma Wu froze at those words.

"Once the Stake Stance reaches minor accomplishment, entering Body Tempering comes naturally."

After saying that, Zhou Yan tossed the cloth into the wooden bucket and sheathed his blade.

Ma Wu stood there with his mouth open. He suddenly remembered what he had said before—that all this exhausting effort had never amounted to anything.

His face turned red at once, though thankfully it was too dark for anyone to see clearly.

Chen Dazhu came over, rubbing his chest, and said softly, "I told you Brother Zhou worked hard. He gets up every day at dawn. Practicing the Stake Stance works."