Xu Yilin shook his head and sighed. He had already given up all hope for Liu Wuxie, while the others sneered incessantly.
There was a large bundle of medicinal ingredients and a pill-refining furnace. The Pill Treasure Pavilion had handled everything thoughtfully, considering every detail.
He closed the courtyard gate. Few people usually came here, so it was quite peaceful.
He poured out all the medicinal ingredients, filling the entire courtyard. There was a well inside; he drew some clean water, then fetched a huge bathing tub.
Without pill fire, he could only gather some dry wood. After lighting it, he set up the Pill Furnace and tossed the medicinal ingredients inside.
Body-Tempering Liquid did not even qualify as a first-grade pill, yet soaking the body in it produced unexpected results. It was ideally suited to tempering the muscles and bones.
His movements were somewhat rusty during his first refinement. Once he grew familiar with it, his hands suddenly accelerated, and a rich medicinal fragrance wafted through the air above the courtyard.
After spending most of the day, he refined a basin of Body-Tempering Liquid. He poured a third into the bathing tub, stripped down to his underwear, and climbed inside.
Bone-piercing pain stabbed through his pores into his meridians, clearing away the impurities inside.
As the Grand Desolation Heaven-Devouring Instruction began circulating, the Spiritual Qi above the entire courtyard formed a vortex that spiraled over Liu Wuxie's head.
The Heaven-Devouring Divine Cauldron absorbed it furiously. The liquid it produced could help him rapidly advance his cultivation and break through to the Xiantian Realm as soon as possible.
Stinging pain coursed through his meridians. The sludge within seeped out through his pores, and the clean water in the wooden tub gradually turned dark brown, continuing to change.
Waves of foul stench drifted from the wooden tub.
After cultivating for two hours, he stood up. Every inch of his bones crackled explosively, and comfort suffused his body, as though he had washed himself clean from the inside.
"That feels good!"
Standing in the middle of the courtyard, he performed a fist routine, adjusting to the changes in his physical body.
He picked up a towel, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and sat cross-legged. A vast number of martial arts manuals surfaced in his mind.
The cultivation method is settled. Next, I should cultivate martial techniques. I always used a saber in my previous life, so I'll follow the saber path in this life too.
Searching through countless martial techniques was extremely difficult. It had to suit him, suit this world, and, above all, suit his current cultivation realm.
His True Qi could not power martial techniques of too high a grade; attempting them would instead harm his body.
You're the one: Blood Rainbow Saber Technique!
Saber Qi like a rainbow, momentum like splitting bamboo-this was the essence of the Blood Rainbow Saber Technique.
There were seven forms in total, each move following the next, every saber strike lethal. The swiftest offense was the best defense. The Blood Rainbow Saber Technique combined offense and defense; whenever the saber struck, someone had to die.
He took a long saber from the room. It did not sit very comfortably in his hand, but he would make do for now. After tomorrow, he would visit the Lineage's weapons workshop to find a suitable weapon that fit his hand.
Grip the saber!
Strike!
Grip the saber!
Strike!
Liu Wuxie repeated the same movements tirelessly, sweat already soaking through his clothes.
Before he knew it, the sun was setting. For most of the day, he had continuously practiced striking and withdrawing his saber.
A wooden post stood before him, with a mark drawn in its middle. At first, his strikes landed far from the target.
As time passed, one out of every three consecutive strikes could hit the target. His accuracy steadily improved.
Cultivating the Blood Rainbow Saber Technique imposed extremely exacting demands on the accuracy of his saber strikes. Each strike had to kill.
His stomach rumbled. He was already ravenous, and only then remembered that he had eaten nothing since noon. Intense hunger made him abandon further cultivation. After tidying up briefly, he left his room and headed toward the Xu Household's dining hall.
Usually, Liu Wuxie disliked dining with his father-in-law and mother-in-law. They scolded him every time.
It was the busiest dining hour. The sight of the Xu Household's several thousand people gathered together was quite spectacular, with everyone divided into several ranks.
Those of steward rank sat in a separate area, which was relatively quiet.
The sweeping servants were assigned to the entrance, where it was very noisy. Liu Wuxie's dining area was near a corner, where a small private room had been set aside for his use alone.
At his arrival, the previously noisy dining hall suddenly fell silent. Everyone lowered their heads to eat, while some cast mocking looks at him.
Ignoring the gazes around him, he walked straight into the private room. Usually, his food would already be laid out. Today, not only was there no food on the table, but even the table and chairs he normally used had been removed.
"That trash still has the nerve to come here to eat. If I were him, I'd have found a block of tofu to smash my head against and died long ago."
Quiet murmurs arose from the crowd. Though not loud, they reached Liu Wuxie's ears.
"Who moved my table and chairs?"
Liu Wuxie's expression darkened. His gaze swept around before finally settling on the dining hall steward's face. This area was his responsibility; he certainly knew why the table and chairs were missing.
The dining hall steward was in his forties and had been with the Xu Household for over twenty years. Everyone usually called him Tie Li. A trace of malice appeared in his eyes. He greatly disliked this live-in son-in-law, but given their respective positions, he had no choice but to step forward.
"The dining hall has been short of tables and chairs lately, so we had to take yours out to use for now."
Tie Li's thoroughly discourteous reply drew a burst of laughter from those around them.
"Short of tables and chairs?"
A cold edge appeared at the corners of Liu Wuxie's mouth. The Xu Household's dining hall was spacious enough, with many unused tables and chairs still standing around. Yet they had insisted on taking his things. They truly had no regard for him as the live-in son-in-law.
"You heard right. We're short of them." Tie Li sneered.
Searching his memories, Liu Wuxie found many scenes of being bullied. Once, when he came to eat, Tie Li had actually put other people's leftovers on his table. Some had already begun to smell sour.
Such things had happened more than once. The few times he protested, they beat him black and blue.
"Tell me. Who told you to do this?"
A strand of icy killing intent shot from Liu Wuxie's eyes. Tie Li stumbled, startled by his gaze.
"You piece of trash, feeding you is a waste of grain. I just can't stand the sight of you. I chopped all your tables and chairs into firewood. What can you do about it?" With that, he swung a palm at Liu Wuxie's face.
In everyone's eyes, Liu Wuxie was merely trash at the Acquired First Layer. Even the sweeping servants could bully him. Usually, he swallowed his anger in silence. Telling his father-in-law over a meal of leftovers would only make people despise him even more, so he could only endure it silently himself.
Bang!
Suddenly, without any warning, Liu Wuxie kicked Tie Li in the stomach. Tie Li flew backward, spraying a mouthful of blood as he crashed into the crowd and smashed a large number of tables and chairs beneath him.
"Trash, you dare hit me!"
Tie Li stood up, not seriously injured. A vicious gleam filled his eyes as he grabbed a chair and advanced on Liu Wuxie.
The crowd parted on its own, clearing a large space. No one dared intervene.
"You're nothing but a cook hired by the Xu Household, yet you don't even understand the most basic distinctions of rank. You're exactly the one I meant to hit."
He surged forward. Nourished by the Body-Tempering Liquid, his physical strength had increased severalfold. His cultivation had yet to break through, but that was only a matter of a day or two before he reached the Fifth Layer of the Houtian Realm.
Apart from his father-in-law, there were truly few people in the entire Xu Household worthy of his respect. These people had beaten him many times over the years; today, he would settle those debts together.
Tie Li was no weakling. At the Acquired Fourth Layer, he possessed brute strength, and he brought the chair crashing down through the air toward Liu Wuxie.
"You're courting death!"
Stepping along the Seven Stars, Liu Wuxie dodged the blow and delivered another vicious kick. Tie Li lost his balance and fell face-first, sprawling over the threshold with his face covered in blood.
Liu Wuxie had not struck to kill, merely giving him a little punishment.
Disbelief filled every face. When had this trash become so powerful that even Tie Li was defeated by him?
Tie Li struggled to his feet, his face twisted savagely. Sharpened kitchen cleavers lay just outside the door, and he grabbed one.
"Tie Li, don't!"
Someone stepped forward to stop him. A scuffle was one thing, but if someone actually died, none of them could escape responsibility. The household head would certainly punish them.
"I'll fight you to the death!"
Tie Li had already lost all reason. Holding the kitchen cleaver, he chopped at Liu Wuxie's face. The blade whistled through the air. The strike carried his fury; publicly humiliated by Liu Wuxie, blood rushed to his head, and he resembled a savage beast.
"If you're seeking death, I'll grant your wish!"
Liu Wuxie had not intended to kill him, but since he was bent on seeking death, he could only oblige.
He became a blur, appearing behind Tie Li and driving a palm toward his back. If that palm landed, Tie Li would undoubtedly die; it contained the power of primordial desolation.
"Stop!"
At that moment, Xu Yilin appeared. Someone had already run to inform him. Fortunately, he arrived in time to stop the farce.