"Force was born from blood and qi, yet surpassed them. As a martial artist's cultivation advanced, it could continue to grow stronger: Bright Force, Dark Force, Transforming Force..."
Fire Ox's cultivation might not have ranked among the highest in Black Mountain City.
But he was conscientious and responsible.
His explanations were meticulous and comprehensive. How he had condensed force, how he had used force for Flesh Refinement... he practically broke everything apart and ground it down, explaining it all.
Toward the end, Fire Ox returned to the subject of Bright Force and blood and qi.
"As for the difference between the two..."
Fire Ox paused, then walked over to a wooden training dummy and lightly struck it with his palm.
Wei Sheng could tell that Fire Ox had not used any tremendous, thousand-pound strength. He had merely thrown a simple punch.
So the wooden dummy did not even move.
However.
The instant Fire Ox turned around-
Crack!
The wooden dummy crackled as though firecrackers had been lit inside it, and the entire dummy exploded with a boom!
Wei Sheng's pupils contracted!
Destroying it directly from within?
Wasn't this force far too overbearing?
And.
This had merely been a palm strike combining ordinary strength with Bright Force. If Fire Ox struck with all his strength, just how terrifying would that palm strike be?!
He suddenly felt somewhat fortunate.
Thankfully, he had not impulsively gone to the Hong Residence last night.
Otherwise.
If he had carelessly taken a palm strike like that, even with his accomplishments in Bull-Demon Skin Refining, he would probably have faced far more peril than hope.
Fire Ox explained for over an hour before leaving with Xiao Ran, preparing to give him private, one-on-one instruction.
Once the two left.
Che Zhenzhong and Niu Yong both turned to look at Wei Sheng.
Especially Niu Yong.
His honest face was filled with dejection and grievance.
We agreed to grow gray together, but you secretly went and dyed your hair.
Of the four of them, apart from Xiao Ran, he and Che Zhenzhong had both started at the first refinement, while Wei Sheng had not even reached it.
But now.
Che Zhenzhong and Wei Sheng had both broken through to the second refinement.
While he was still at the damn first refinement!!
Of course, he was not surprised that Che Zhenzhong had broken through so quickly. As the son of an escort captain, he came from considerable wealth and had plenty of secret medicines to help him.
Moreover, his brother-in-law had said that Che Zhenzhong had once spent some time cultivating in the commandery city. He was no ordinary fellow.
The issue was Wei Sheng.
He had broken through two stages in just one short month. Was he even fucking human?
Although he had anticipated that Wei Sheng might surpass him when his brother-in-law called him exceptionally gifted.
He had still never expected that day to arrive so quickly, with such overwhelming force!
Niu Yong suppressed the jumble of feelings in his heart, forced out a word of congratulations, then eagerly asked:
"How did you break through to the second refinement?"
"I don't know either. I just practiced every day, and then I broke through."
Having failed to get the answer he wanted, Niu Yong walked toward the wooden training dummies, disappointment written all over his face. The wooden dummies were particularly noisy that day.
"You really are a monster!"
Che Zhenzhong carefully looked Wei Sheng up and down, unable to help clicking his tongue.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Wei Sheng smiled easily. He did not need to dance around things much when dealing with Che Zhenzhong.
After their banter, Wei Sheng began practicing Bull-Demon Skin Refining.
After perfecting the Golden Goose Art, there was little point in continuing to train with squats.
And he could not practice the White Crane Skin Refinement Method here.
The only thing he could practice was the Ox Demon Skin Refinement Method.
Besides, Wei Sheng was extremely interested in the Bright Force Fire Ox had mentioned. He wanted to try and see whether he could develop Bright Force at the third refinement.
"...Compress blood and qi, temper them repeatedly, and make them transform. Then Bright Force can be born..."
Wei Sheng tried, then shook his head.
It was easy to say, but truly difficult to do.
Even though he had already reached full mastery of the third refinement, with blood and qi spread throughout his body, he still had a long way to go before reaching the point where Bright Force could be born.
Wei Sheng was not in a hurry.
He planned to develop "copper skin and golden muscles" first.
Besides, my means of attack are too limited. I need more variety-some palm techniques, finger techniques, leg arts, and the like...
As he thought this, noon soon arrived. Wei Sheng was about to leave when Che Zhenzhong stopped him.
"Are you free tomorrow at noon?"
"What is it?"
"Xiao Ran breaking through to the third refinement is a happy occasion. He's treating everyone tomorrow at noon, at the Guest-Welcoming Tower in Black Glory Ward!"
Che Zhenzhong said.
Wei Sheng frowned.
Go there to eat, then watch Xiao Ran show off?
If I had that much time to spare, wouldn't staying home to cultivate be better?
"You might not know this, but the Hong Family is right across from the Guest-Welcoming Tower. And from the top floor, you can overlook their entire residence."
Che Zhenzhong said with a smile.
"If there's a free meal, of course I'm going," Wei Sheng agreed.
After leaving Fire Bull Outer Court, Wei Sheng spent fifteen taels of silver at a medicine shop on Heavenly Sea Street, buying five doses of the secret medicine for the White Crane Skin Refinement Method.
One hundred and eight taels left...
He had originally had only fifteen taels left on him, but last night the Hong Family had given him over a hundred more.
Wei Sheng planned to buy some palm and finger techniques later, turning those hundred-odd taels of silver into strength of his own.
On his way home.
As though prompted by ghosts and spirits.
Wei Sheng took a detour to Peaceful Alley in Black Forest Ward-the place where the relatives Sun Li and his mother had sought refuge with last night lived.
Many commoners stood at the alley entrance, seemingly watching some commotion.
Wei Sheng pushed through the crowd.
The person he pushed aside had initially been somewhat indignant, but upon seeing the Fish-Dragon Gang disciple insignia on Wei Sheng, immediately fell silent.
They even retreated far away, avoiding him like snakes and scorpions.
Wei Sheng squeezed to the front.
The sight before him made his pupils contract sharply and his blood pressure soar!
On the mud soaked crimson with blood lay two bodies that had long since gone cold, their clothes ragged and their bodies covered in wounds.
The boy in particular still had terror lingering on his whip-scarred face. Clearly, he had suffered unbearable torture before his death.
Sun Li!!
Lying on the ground were none other than Sun Li and his mother, whom he had saved last night.
But now, they had died all the same.
Even the home of the relatives who had sheltered them was in shambles, its occupants nowhere to be found.
"Late last night, I heard a commotion. It seemed people from the Hong Family had come, and then the whole household was abducted... In the morning, a carriage stopped at the alley entrance, dumped these two bodies, and left!"
"The Hong Family? No wonder! The Eldest Master of the Hong Family has a perverse temperament and tastes... unusual tastes. Of the people he's set his sights on, whose families haven't been shattered and slaughtered, without a single survivor?"
"The Hong Family is far too brazen. They dare to openly dump the bodies after killing people!"
"What can anyone do about it? That's the Hong Family. Who dares offend them?!"
"..."
As he listened to the discussions around him.
Wei Sheng's gaze grew colder and colder.
In fact, he had known from the start that Sun Li and his mother would have a hard time surviving.
Judging by the Hong Family steward's attitude toward casually killing people, once this family fell into the Hong Family's hands, none of them would likely survive.
That was why he had intervened, wanting to try to save them, and he had subsequently gotten them out.
He simply had not expected the Hong Family to react so quickly! So ruthlessly!
In less than a night, they had found Sun Li and his mother hiding here and killed them both.
He could not help thinking of Wei He...
Had he not killed the Hong Family steward and Sun Dayou in time that day, had he not moved to Black Forest Ward in time, he and Xiao He would probably have met the same miserable end on the streets.
The Hong Family!!
Wei Sheng turned and left, his eyes filled with murderous intent!
After returning home.
Wei Sheng outwardly returned to normal. He gave Wei He the secret medicine for the White Crane Skin Refinement Method and had him prepare it.
Watching Wei He leave happily, Wei Sheng felt his desire to grow stronger intensify.
Only by being strong enough could he control his own destiny, protect his family, and live a better life!
Once Wei He had prepared the ointment, Wei Sheng took it out, spread it over his entire body, and began cultivating.
Thanks to the foundation laid by the Ox Demon Skin Refinement Method, even without the stance training for the White Crane Skin Refinement Method, his progress in practicing this skin refinement method was no longer as slow as it had been at the beginning.
By noon the next day, after refining and absorbing five doses of ointment, Wei Sheng felt he was only one step away from Entry!
"At the latest, I'll reach Entry tomorrow night!"
Wei Sheng stopped cultivating, got up, and went out.
The banquet was about to begin!
Before you continue