Settling on a Plan

Several days passed in a flash after the Martial Hall Grand Competition ended.

Chen Tie had not slacked off in the slightest. His cultivation grounds had now moved to the martial hall's quiet inner courtyard.

The inner courtyard's training ground was small, planted with two old locust trees. The ground was hard, rammed yellow earth, with moss growing in the corners, free of the bustle of people coming and going in the outer courtyard.

After taking Chen Xi to the White Crane Martial Arts Hall, Chen Tie came here and began his grueling cultivation, day after day.

Whenever Mo Hong had nothing on hand, he would stroll into the inner courtyard and lean beside a locust tree, watching quietly. Only after Chen Tie finished a set of Fierce Tiger Fist and his Qi and blood had settled somewhat would his master step forward, lightly tap his shoulders and arms, and draw on decades of experience to guide his cultivation.

Chen Tie silently committed it all to memory, repeatedly breaking down the moves and adjusting the sequence in which he exerted force, guiding his Qi and blood along his bones and through his flesh to nourish his physical foundation in the Bone Forging Realm.

As the days passed, Chen Tie could feel the changes in himself with perfect clarity.

Now, when he calmed his mind and focused, his surging Qi and blood would swirl, and the martial Dao true intent lying dormant among his muscles and bones would slowly awaken.

He did not need to throw a punch. Simply standing still, he faintly exuded a heavy, ferocious sense of pressure.

The force that had once been scattered was now firmly twisted into a single strand by his martial Dao true intent. When withdrawn, it hid within his bone marrow without revealing the slightest trace; when released, it erupted thunderously, carrying a pressure that shook the mind.

Half a month later, Chen Tie's reserves of Qi and blood continued to deepen, his bones grew ever tougher, and both his ability to withstand blows and his endurance in prolonged combat were steadily improving.

[Fierce Tiger Fist Perfection (163/400)]

[Fierce Tiger Stance Art Perfection (229/400)]

[Resounding Viscera Blood Scripture Third Layer (132/300)]

[Supple Bone Palm Greater Mastery (85/300)]

[White Crane Stance Art Lesser Mastery (132/200)]

[White Crane Fist Art Entry (93/100)]

Chen Tie exhaled a breath of stale air.

The date for leaving the city to suppress the bandits had long been set: tomorrow.

Publicly, the martial hall only said that Mo Hong and Chen Tie would stay behind to guard the hall, while the other selected elite disciples would accompany the force assembled by the martial halls out of the city to suppress the bandits.

Once the main force assembled and set out, Chen Tie would quietly follow behind alone, concealing his movements.

For one thing, undercurrents surged beneath this bandit-suppression expedition. The bandits outside the city were dangerous and unpredictable, and the various martial halls were not of one mind.

For another, the enmity between them and the Blazing Mountain Martial Hall already ran deep. Yue Feng had fallen at his hands, and Yue Zhengshan bore a grudge. He was highly likely to use the expedition as an opportunity to strike.

Following in secret would allow Chen Tie to come to his fellow disciples' aid in time if they met with danger, while also guarding against an ambush from the other side.

That afternoon, a gentle breeze blew.

Chen Tie withdrew his fists and stood still. After pondering for a long time, he turned to Mo Hong beside him.

"Master, just how strong is Yue Zhengshan, really?"

For Yue Zhengshan to have tangled with Mo Hong for decades, he certainly had to possess some strength.

At the question, Mo Hong paused slightly, then furrowed his brow and lowered his head, pondering for a long while.

"Yue Zhengshan is indeed very strong."

He spoke slowly, his tone carrying a measure of gravity.

"You may see us trading blows back and forth in our usual clashes and think we're evenly matched, but in truth, he had already reached Bone Forging greater mastery ten years ago."

"And ten years ago, he had already taken the lead in comprehending his own martial Dao true intent."

Chen Tie's pupils contracted slightly, and his heart tightened.

Bone Forging greater mastery, along with martial Dao true intent-he truly could not be underestimated.

Mo Hong cautioned him solemnly.

"Boy, remember this. If you encounter Yue Zhengshan, don't fight him, and don't try to act tough. Turn around at once and leave. Run for your life!"

"His true intent has been honed for years. It is absolutely not something you can contend with now. If you truly fight him to the death, you will die without question!"

After delivering this warning, Mo Hong looked at Chen Tie with some puzzlement.

"Why are you suddenly asking about his capabilities today?"

Chen Tie fell silent for a moment. Rather than answer Mo Hong's question, he asked one of his own.

"Master, could it be... that only by comprehending martial Dao true intent can someone truly enter the ranks of Bone Forging experts?"

At these words, Mo Hong abruptly froze in place!

His eyes widened sharply, and his entire body jolted. He stared fixedly at Chen Tie, even his breathing coming to a sudden halt.

After a long while, he spoke in disbelief, his voice trembling:

"You... do you mean... you've already comprehended martial Dao true intent?"

Martial Dao true intent!

That was a threshold only martial artists in the late Bone Forging Realm, or even at greater mastery, could touch!

Countless martial artists remained trapped at early Bone Forging or the middle stage for years, even decades, never touching the gates of true intent in their entire lives!

Chen Tie had only recently broken through to Bone Forging. How could he possibly have comprehended martial Dao true intent?

Mo Hong stepped forward and raised his palm slightly, but then feared that losing control of his strength might injure Chen Tie. His hand hovered in midair, not daring to press down rashly.

"Martial Dao true intent is hardly something one can comprehend easily. Focus your mind and release your Qi and blood. Let me take a look."

Chen Tie nodded slightly and stopped deliberately holding himself back.

The martial Dao true intent dormant deep within his muscles and bones slowly awakened. His surging Qi and blood circulated along the network of bones throughout his body. He did not deliberately unleash an attack; only a faint pressure spread from his body.

Even the air seemed to grow somewhat stagnant. A heavy, fierce presence faintly wound around him, like a tiger lying hidden in the mountain forests, gathering its strength to pounce.

Mo Hong pressed his palm against Chen Tie's shoulder. A powerful yet gentle force probed inside, traveling along the pathways of his Qi and blood, carefully sensing that thread of true intent rooted in his flesh and bone marrow.

A moment later, Mo Hong's arm trembled. He withdrew the force in his palm and stepped back half a pace. Looking at Chen Tie, his face first filled with shock, then wild delight.

"It is genuine martial Dao true intent, condensed and pure," he murmured. "And extremely powerful, too. It isn't an illusion produced by a surge of Qi and blood."

He let out a long sigh, looking at Chen Tie with a complicated gaze.

"When I was young, I was stuck at middle Bone Forging for seven whole years, struggling to find my way. Only after reaching Bone Forging greater mastery did I barely manage to produce a trace of crude true intent. Compared to you, that little talent I had back then is not worth mentioning."

"So many martial artists endure until Bone Forging greater mastery yet fail to knock open this threshold their entire lives. Talent like yours might not appear even once in decades across all five wards of the city."

At this point, Mo Hong breathed a sigh of relief.

"With your martial Dao true intent, even if you can't defeat Yue Zhengshan, you'll be able to escape without difficulty."

"To be safe, just follow in secret. If you encounter Yue Zhengshan, prioritize staying alive and never linger in battle. Remember that?"

Chen Tie cupped his hands.

"Rest assured, Master. Your disciple will keep your teachings firmly in mind. I will act cautiously and never recklessly try to prove myself."

Mo Hong nodded slightly at his words.

Deep within Chen Tie's lowered eyes, a sharp gleam flashed.

The martial Dao true intent he had just displayed was only thirty percent of its might, deliberately released.

He had intentionally concealed most of his reserves, yet Mo Hong had still judged that "even if he was no match for Hong Shan, he could escape and preserve his life."

Even his master was certain that, with true intent, he already had the strength to contend with Hong Shan, or even face him without fear.

What if he revealed his full, true strength?

If they really crossed paths on a narrow road in the wilderness amid a chaotic, deadly struggle, he was highly confident that he could defeat Yue Zhengshan head-on, or even kill him, and uproot the major threat posed by the Blazing Mountain Martial Hall!