Primordial Yang

"Fuck!"

"That bastard Ye nearly played me."

After Hei Hu left, Huang Jiefu kicked the tea table to pieces.

Zhang Lingfeng had cultivated Dark Force, yet Ye Fan had come to see him that morning and asked him to put Zhang Lingfeng in his place.

He finally understood why the Warm Breeze Hall had wiped out the Baile Gang overnight. Now he finally understood: it was not that Zhang Lingfeng was full of clever schemes, but that he had already developed Dark Force and possessed the strength to crush Dong Wenhan.

"Guo Wei will be there too. Looks like Zhang Lingfeng's standing in the martial arts school is no lower than Ye Fan's."

"Now I fucking get it. Because Zhang Lingfeng showed up, Ye Fan hasn't been getting as many cultivation resources from Guo Wei as before, so he urgently needs extra resources.

"He only asked me to put Zhang Lingfeng in his place to make trouble for him, to keep him from focusing on cultivation and competing for favor at the school."

Huang Jiefu's mind raced, and he instantly figured out the whole chain of events.

Ye Fan had been gloomy these past two days. When he asked what had happened, Ye Fan had only hinted that he lacked cultivation resources. For that reason, he had asked his younger brother-in-law to increase Ye Fan's resource allowance, hoping to take the opportunity to tie Ye Fan to the Yan Lineage's ship, only for Ye Fan to refuse.

He had never expected Ye Fan to turn around and use him instead.

"Sir, we've finished our drills. We'll definitely put the Warm Breeze Hall in its place tonight."

A deputy at Peak Ming Jin came over to report.

Smack!

Still in a temper, Huang Jiefu slapped the deputy.

"Put them in their place, my fucking ass! Zhang Lingfeng is a Dark Force expert now, with limitless potential. All of you remember this: stop throwing your weight around in Baile Ward. If he passes the martial examination and becomes your immediate superior someday, don't say I didn't warn you!"

Huang Jiefu cursed furiously.

He had investigated Zhang Lingfeng. After carefully counting the time, he realized that Zhang Lingfeng had cultivated Dark Force in just a year and a little over two months. Even Guo Wei was attending the gathering at the Drunken Spring House, and a whole group of fellow disciples were lining up to take turns hosting banquets for Zhang Lingfeng. Clearly, Zhang Lingfeng was no less impressive than Ye Fan.

Otherwise, why would Ye Fan need him to put Zhang Lingfeng in his place, hoping to suppress him that way?

"Ah, yes!"

The deputy was shocked and hurriedly agreed.

"Prepare a generous gift for me. Tonight, you alone will come with me."

Huang Jiefu spoke.

"Yes, I'll see to it right away."

The deputy dared not say anything more.

A Dark Force martial artist this young, someone capable of sweeping away the Baile Gang in an instant, was certainly not someone they could push around.

On the road, Hei Hu saw an outer courtyard apprentice surnamed Liu hurrying toward the eastern district yamen.

Wang Ergou soon stopped him. Despite a lengthy explanation and an offer of silver, he still could not get inside and had no choice but to slink away.

Hei Hu looked toward the group in the alley and saw that Tang Baihu had already been waiting for some time. Only then did he head back toward the martial arts school, reassured.

When the outer courtyard apprentice passed the alley, a sack was pulled over his head. A few blows from clubs knocked him unconscious.

Back at the martial arts school.

The inner courtyard was bustling.

Guo Wei was in an excellent mood, instructing Zhang Lingfeng and the other inner courtyard disciples in their cultivation. Everyone gathered around, watching with rapt attention.

Only Ye Fan looked somewhat unnatural, glancing toward the outer courtyard from time to time.

"Master, you're amazing."

Zhang Lingfeng clapped and cheered.

Then, following Guo Wei's instructions, he performed the Iron Mountain Fist again for everyone, reproducing the movements with convincing form.

This boy has good comprehension. Is the Qi and Blood Pill speeding up his cultivation, or does he have an exceptional constitution?

Guo Wei was full of questions.

He wanted to find an opportunity to get a clear answer.

"Ye Fan, you practice too."

Guo Wei gave the order.

Ye Fan had come to him yesterday asking for a Qi and Blood Pill. After he refused, the boy's attitude had changed. He had not even come to the school to cultivate that morning, which left Guo Wei somewhat disappointed.

Given Ye Fan's aptitude, he could continue giving him Qi and Blood Pills.

But relying too heavily on Qi and Blood Pills would leave hidden problems down the road. Besides, Ye Fan possessed supreme-grade bone aptitude. All the more reason for him to improve his strength through diligent cultivation, as Zhang Lingfeng did.

He felt he had treated Ye Fan too well-so well that Ye Fan had forgotten that hard work was the foundation of cultivation, while support in the form of meat and pills merely played an auxiliary role.

Whether someone could break through to Transforming Jin and inherit his mantle depended not only on talent, but even more on resilience and perseverance in the martial path, on whether they could persist in seeing something through properly.

Clearly, Zhang Lingfeng was far better than Ye Fan in this respect.

"Yes!"

Ye Fan jolted and immediately stepped forward to demonstrate the Iron Mountain Fist, then sparred with Zhang Lingfeng.

Although he had only just broken through to Dark Force, Guo Wei's attentive instruction had given him a far deeper understanding of the Iron Mountain Fist than Zhang Lingfeng, and his fist technique was also more accomplished. His strength, however, was slightly inferior to Zhang Lingfeng's.

Zhang Lingfeng's attainment of Dark Force, the change in Guo Wei's attitude, everyone's support for Zhang Lingfeng, and his own visit to Huang Jiefu that morning to have him put Zhang Lingfeng in his place-all of it kept him from concentrating, making the gap between him and Zhang Lingfeng appear far from obvious to the others.

Zhang Lingfeng, by contrast, seemed poised to overtake him from behind.

Thud!

Zhang Lingfeng struck Ye Fan in the chest, sending him staggering back seven or eight steps before he steadied himself.

Guo Wei could not hide the disappointment in his eyes.

He said, "Keep practicing, everyone. Zhang Lingfeng, come inside with me for a moment."

"Yes!"

Zhang Lingfeng nodded.

Under everyone's envious gazes, he followed Guo Wei into the room.

Ye Fan wanted to speak but stopped himself.

He could not help clenching his fists and began practicing the Iron Mountain Fist again in the inner courtyard. After running through it several times, the person he had sent out still had not returned, and his mood grew increasingly agitated.

"Your Dark Force has grown somewhat beyond my expectations. What exactly happened?"

Guo Wei asked.

"Master, after I took the Qi and Blood Pill you gave me the day before yesterday, my whole body felt clear and unobstructed. My Qi and blood grew considerably without my noticing, and somehow, my understanding of the fist technique deepened quite a bit too."

Zhang Lingfeng answered truthfully.

Could this boy's spiritual terrace be clear and luminous, his Qi and blood flowing throughout his body? It seems his constitution really is exceptional. If I nurture him properly, he may not lose to that brat Ye Fan.

Guo Wei was inwardly startled but showed nothing on his face. He carefully felt Zhang Lingfeng's bones again, confirming that although his bone aptitude was high-grade, his bones had indeed already closed.

"Qi and Blood Pills can strengthen Qi and blood. When someone has sufficient Qi and blood, it can activate the brain, making their thinking faster and their understanding of fist techniques deeper.

"But it doesn't happen to everyone. This may have something to do with your constitution."

Guo Wei explained.

"Still, good as Qi and Blood Pills are, you can't take them over the long term. Otherwise, you'll develop a dependence and find it difficult to increase your Qi and blood through cultivation.

"Focus on cultivating diligently from now on. I'll adjust your resource allowance as appropriate, depending on the circumstances."

Guo Wei added.

"Yes. Thank you, Master."

Zhang Lingfeng's face was full of gratitude.

Inwardly, he understood that Guo Wei still did not want to give up on Ye Fan. If he wanted to obtain enough Qi and Blood Pills from Guo Wei, he would have to perform better than Ye Fan.

"Remember, as a martial artist, you mustn't lightly release your primordial yang. Especially at your and Ye Fan's age, preserving your primordial yang will increase your chances of breaking through to Transforming Jin."

Before he left, Guo Wei reminded him.

"Yes, this disciple understands."

Zhang Lingfeng nodded emphatically, committing that last remark to memory.

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