Chen Yuan first opened the "Surging Waves, Flowing Clouds Formula."
As a top-grade Profound Tier internal cultivation method, the core of the "Surging Waves, Flowing Clouds Formula" was to pierce open the acupoints throughout the body, allowing each acupoint to produce a portion of internal force.
When internal force circulated, the trickles of internal force within the acupoints flowed into the meridians and became tiny streams. Those stream-like currents of internal force then converged through the meridians into the dantian.
The internal force within any single acupoint was not much, and the force flowing into the meridians was not particularly robust either.
But once all the internal force within the meridians gathered in the dantian, it became like surging waves and flowing clouds—vast and majestic, with startling might.
Overall, this internal cultivation method followed an orthodox path. From acupoints to meridians and then to the dantian, internal force accumulated bit by bit. Once mastered, its explosive power was exceptionally terrifying.
Furthermore, the attributes of an internal art cultivated from the foundation were balanced and mild, making it most suitable for laying a martial foundation.
Of course, it had its shortcomings as well: it placed certain demands on one's talent.
According to the "Surging Waves, Flowing Clouds Formula," the human body possessed three hundred and sixty-five acupoints, corresponding to the number of stars in the heavens.
Only by opening all the acupoints and storing internal force within each of those three hundred and sixty-five acupoints could one be considered initiated.
People of ordinary talent could not even sense their acupoints. They might take months, or even one or two years, to open a single acupoint. Such people would never even enter the gate before they died.
However, this was nothing to Chen Yuan.
He was extraordinarily gifted. With only a slight closing of his eyes to sense them, he could detect the existence of acupoints amid the flow of internal force. With a thought, he could force them open.
It was only that the internal force cultivated through the Azure Wood Method was thin. After Chen Yuan opened more than ten acupoints, he had to sit in meditation to recover his internal force before he could continue.
It could be said that as long as Chen Yuan had enough internal force, he could open all three hundred and sixty-five acupoints in a single day and complete the initiation.
Setting down the "Surging Waves, Flowing Clouds Formula," Chen Yuan then flipped through the "Autumn Water, Startling Swan Saber Art."
This saber art was ranked Lower-Grade Earth Tier. The manual was very thin, and its core Blade Intent had only one word: fast!
Like a startled swan, it was swift to the extreme.
With one saber strike, the blade passed, yet the autumn waters bore no trace. That was the true meaning of the Autumn Water Startled Swan Saber.
However, to achieve such speed, one's understanding of Blade Intent was important, but one's own strength was even more important.
Without strength as a foundation, no matter how much one wished to be fast, one could not become fast. Thus, this saber art and the explosively powerful "Surging Waves, Flowing Clouds Formula" complemented one another.
The power of cultivation arts was the foundation. Chen Yuan first cultivated the "Surging Waves, Flowing Clouds Formula," and after exhausting his internal force, he recovered it while visualizing the Blade Intent of the "Autumn Water, Startling Swan Saber Art," wasting not a single moment.
Time waited for no one. When Jiang Kaitai began the blood sacrifice of the Seven Kill Stele, Chen Yuan had to possess the ability to enter the game rather than remain a spectator.
In five days, Chen Yuan completely opened all three hundred and sixty-five acupoints. Drops of internal force gathered together, and the Surging Waves, Flowing Clouds Formula was fully initiated.
At the instant he opened the final acupoint, Chen Yuan gathered his internal force. The tiny amounts of internal force collected in his acupoints began to converge and surge along his meridians.
The internal force within those meridians swept along his blood and qi, churning endlessly. Chen Yuan's entire body grew slightly hotter, his face flushed red, and faint white true qi seemed to rise above his head.
A moment later, his internal force was entirely depleted, and the surging blood and qi calmed. Chen Yuan's complexion returned to normal as well.
Letting out a long breath, Chen Yuan's eyes revealed a trace of delight.
As the "Surging Waves, Flowing Clouds Formula" entered the gate, his internal force rose another level, and he finally stepped into the Blood-Shifting Realm.
Of the Nine Martial Realms, the first three were all about tempering the physical body to the utmost limit.
Body Tempering was for sinews and flesh, Meridian Opening was for the meridians, and Blood Shifting was for blood and qi.
Using powerful internal force to stir the blood and qi throughout the body and thoroughly shift out the impurities within it—that was the Blood-Shifting Realm.
The more one cultivated in this realm, the stronger one's blood and qi became. When one's blood and qi grew viscous as silver mercury, pure and flawless, one had reached major attainment in the Blood-Shifting Realm.
After recovering some internal force, Chen Yuan went to take a bath. The bathwater was now faintly black.
After Blood Shifting, the heat of one's blood and qi rose, driving the impurities from the body. This was a normal phenomenon.
At that moment, a sudden knock sounded outside the door, followed by Zhang Xiaoyi's voice.
"Young Master, have you come out of seclusion? The Gang Leader has summoned everyone for a discussion."
"I know. I'm coming."
Chen Yuan had a rough idea of what Jiang Kaitai had called everyone to discuss.
Chu Ziping's disappearance had probably been discovered.
As the former master of the Punishment Hall, Chu Ziping spent most of his time handling affairs within the gang. His disappearance for one day would have been easy to notice.
But later, because the Blackwater Gang had pressed forward step by step, Chu Ziping's Punishment Hall had also been dispatched to wage fierce battles against the Blackwater Gang.
From then on, Chu Ziping was often absent from the gang. He would either visit other halls or investigate information about the Blackwater Gang elsewhere.
But no matter where he was, it was far too strange for there to be no news at all for five days.
Chen Yuan changed into a fresh set of clothes and entered the Council Hall.
The eldest brother, Qin Yuancheng, along with the many hall masters of the Heavenly Wolf Gang, were all present.
Jiang Kaitai rubbed his head, a trace of worry on his face.
Naturally, he was not worried about whether Chu Ziping was alive or dead. He did not think much of this adopted son he had picked up cheaply.
Rather, at this crucial time of blood-sacrificing the divine artifact, Jiang Kaitai truly did not want to divide his attention to deal with such messy affairs.
But Chu Ziping was the master of the Punishment Hall and also his Adopted Son. Now that he had gone missing, Jiang Kaitai could not simply ignore it, or the other hall masters in the gang would sense that something was amiss.
"Chu Ziping has been missing for five days. Eldest and Third, did either of you see Second five days ago? Did he show any abnormalities?"
Jiang Kaitai looked toward Qin Yuancheng and Chen Yuan.
Qin Yuancheng shook his head. "Adoptive Father, you know that Second and I have never gotten along. If he had something going on, he would never tell me."
Chen Yuan also said, "Adoptive Father, you know my temperament as well. I have never had much contact with Second Brother. I have been cultivating these past few days, and I do not think I have seen Second Brother either."
"Where are Second's confidants? When was the last time you saw your Hall Master, and what was he going to do?"
Chu Ziping's confidant subconsciously glanced at Chen Yuan. After hesitating for a moment, he shook his head. "I don't know either. The Hall Master only ever ordered us to do things. We never dared to ask where the Hall Master was going."
He had been the one to report to Chu Ziping that Chen Yuan had left the Heavenly Wolf Gang, but he did not dare mention such a matter in public now.
Chen Yuan was the Gang Leader's Adopted Son and also a hall master of the Heavenly Wolf Gang. What did it mean for people from the Punishment Hall to monitor and follow one of their own?
If Chu Ziping was fine, then saying this would be smearing the Hall Master's name. Once the Hall Master returned, he would definitely not spare him.
If Chu Ziping had truly met with trouble, then saying it would also offend Chen Yuan. With his backer gone, he would suffer either way.
Moreover, after Chu Ziping heard those words back then, he had only nodded and said he understood. He had not said what he intended to do afterward.
Thus, after turning it over and over in his mind, Chu Ziping's confidant decided it was better to say nothing.
"Useless trash! What use are you?"
Jiang Kaitai snorted coldly and said in a grave voice, "Second has gone missing. For now, the Punishment Hall will be jointly managed by Eldest and Third. The other hall masters are to keep an eye out for Second's whereabouts during this period."
A flash of delight appeared on Qin Yuancheng's face.
Even if Second was not dead this time, he would take advantage of his absence to hollow out the Punishment Hall!
Yet Chen Yuan rose to his feet and said, "Adoptive Father, I have never handled the gang's affairs. Rashly interfering would only make it easy to ruin things. It would be better to leave it to Eldest Brother."
Qin Yuancheng had just been considering how to sideline Chen Yuan.
He had not expected Chen Yuan to once again refuse the real authority Jiang Kaitai offered him.
Even the way he looked at Chen Yuan this time softened somewhat.
Third seemed genuinely a little stupid. Had cultivation really damaged his brain?
Still, that was good. Once he took command of the Heavenly Wolf Gang, he would not need to eliminate Third. Keeping him as a thug would not be bad either.
Seeing Chen Yuan reject real authority once again, Jiang Kaitai's wariness toward him lessened another fraction.
Compared to the other two, Third's thoughts were much simpler.
But if he handed the Punishment Hall over to Eldest as well, the authority in Eldest's hands seemed a little too great.
But after thinking it over carefully, Jiang Kaitai realized that once he fused with the divine artifact, what would a mere Heavenly Wolf Gang amount to? Would he still need to guard against Eldest?
At that point, Eldest would not even be qualified to be his Adopted Son. Those lofty people of the Murong Clan might even beg to become his Adopted Sons!
Having thought this through, Jiang Kaitai nodded lightly. "Very well. The entire Punishment Hall will be handed over to Eldest for you to manage."
Ecstasy filled Qin Yuancheng's face. He hurriedly cupped his hands in salute. "Thank you, Adoptive Father!"
The crowd dispersed. Chen Yuan was just about to return and seize the time to cultivate when Qin Yuancheng suddenly called out to him and pulled him into an empty corner.
"Third, you did well this time. I'm very satisfied."
Chen Yuan looked at Qin Yuancheng in bafflement. What did I do? Satisfied my ass.
Qin Yuancheng patted Chen Yuan's shoulder and said, "You yielded the Punishment Hall to me this time. Your eldest brother will remember this favor.
"Rest assured, I am not a sinister man like Second, nor will I guard against you as Adoptive Father does.
"When I take command of the Heavenly Wolf Gang in the future, forget one Punishment Hall—even ten halls, I would be willing to give them to you. You and I brothers will jointly rule the Heavenly Wolf Gang!"
Qin Yuancheng was full of impassioned fervor, believing he had drawn Chen Yuan an irresistible pie in the sky.
Chen Yuan looked at Qin Yuancheng with a half-smile. "Eldest Brother truly is generous. Then I really should thank you."
"We are brothers. Saying thanks makes us strangers."
Qin Yuancheng believed he had won Chen Yuan over. He patted Chen Yuan's shoulder again, then left with smug satisfaction.
Watching Qin Yuancheng's departing back, Chen Yuan softly spat out two words. "Idiot."
Compared to Chu Ziping, Qin Yuancheng's brain truly was not enough.
At least Chu Ziping knew to use the gang's resources to buy shares in merchant caravans, amass wealth outside the Heavenly Wolf Gang, win people's hearts within the gang, and gather other cultivation arts to increase his strength.
Qin Yuancheng, on the other hand, only knew how to keep circling around the Heavenly Wolf Gang's little patch of land.
Even without Chen Yuan's transmigration and without Jiang Kaitai's blood sacrifice of the divine artifact, the Heavenly Wolf Gang would never have fallen into Qin Yuancheng's hands in the end.
Still, being a little foolish was good.
Chu Ziping had been too curious, so he had now sent himself to his death.
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