New Martial Arts Secured!

Seeing the calm, even slightly amusement, smile on Dongfang Yueming's face, Zhou Tong felt a pang of doubt: 'This guy... is he scared out of his wits? He didn't even run away when he saw me break through? Hmph, but that's fine, saves me the trouble of searching for him!'

He strode up to Dongfang Yueming, a haughty sneer on his face, and habitually raised his hand to pat the other's shoulder to show his "superior" attitude.

However, just as he raised his hand halfway, his vision blurred, and a hand had already beaten him to it, lightly landing on his shoulder!

The Dongfang Yueming!

Zhou Tong's pupils suddenly contracted! 'Such speed!' He hadn't even seen how the other party made their move!

Immediately afterward, a steady, substantial force came from his shoulder, not violent, but it made his shoulder blade feel slightly numb. Zhou Tong was startled, 'This force... it definitely doesn't seem like something Flesh Refining Realm should have!'

A strong sense of unease crept into my heart like a venomous snake.

"Long time no see, Brother Zhou." Dongfang Yueming still had a warm smile on his face, as if he were reuniting with an old friend.

Caught off guard by this sudden reversal, Zhou Tong forced himself to remain calm, puffed out his chest, and tried to regain his composure. "Dongfang Ri! I've now reached the Lesser Bone Tempering! You'd better watch your attitude!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Dongfang Yueming raised an eyebrow and patted Zhou Tong's shoulder twice more, this time with slightly more force.

"Uh..." Zhou Tong felt an irresistible force pressing down on him, half of his body felt heavy, his breath caught in his throat, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. His mind was in turmoil: 'What's going on?! This guy should be at the Flesh Refining Realm! How can he have such terrifying power?! Is he hiding his strength? Or...?'

The bad premonition grew stronger, and Zhou Tong's arrogance vanished instantly, replaced by a trace of fear. He quickly forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, "Um... Brother Dongfang, I suddenly remembered I have something urgent to attend to, so... I'll be going now!"

As he spoke, he tried to back away.

"Hey, don't be in such a hurry to leave." Dongfang Yueming's hand gripped his shoulder firmly like an iron clamp, immobilizing him, while his smile remained bright. "Since we've met, it must be fate. Brother Zhou, you're a bit flush lately, how about... lending me some military merits?"

"No... no!" Zhou Tong blurted out, his face filled with panic. "I just came out of the pass, how could I have any military merits!"

"Oh? No military merits..." Dongfang Yueming drawled, increasing the pressure on his shoulder, but her tone remained kind. "No military merits is fine, you can use something else as collateral."

Something else?! Zhou Tong's face turned deathly pale instantly! He immediately thought of the terrifying rumors circulating in Black Stone Fortress about the "special fetishes" of certain powerful individuals! Could it be... could it be that this guy...

A chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head! Zhou Tong was torn between his inner turmoil, humiliation, fear, and anger. But feeling the mountain-like weight on his shoulders, a force that extinguished even the thought of resistance, he sadly realized that he seemed to have no other choice.

"A true man can bend and stretch... As long as the green hills remain, there's always firewood to burn..." Zhou Tong frantically comforted himself in his heart, but the expression on his face became extremely distorted. Finally, he forced out a tearful, seemingly wronged little woman's posture and said in a trembling voice, "Then... then what do you want... I'll agree to anything you ask..."

Seeing his appearance, Dongfang Yueming felt a wave of nausea wash over him, almost vomiting! He forced back his grip, took a half-step back, and frowned, saying, "What are you thinking?! I want a martial arts manual!"

"Huh? Martial arts?" Zhou Tong was stunned, then let out a long sigh of relief, as if he had returned from hell to earth. He hurriedly nodded and bowed, "Martial arts? No problem! No problem! What kind of martial arts does Brother Dongfang want? Fist techniques? Knife techniques? Or movement techniques?"

"I want them all," Dongfang Yueming said succinctly.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tong couldn't help but mutter to himself, "What arrogance! Doesn't he know that trying to do too much at once leads to failure? He wants it all? Does he really think he's some kind of once-in-a-millennium genius who can master everything with just a glance?"

But he dared not show it on his face, only feeling the faint pressure on his shoulders return, and quickly said with a forced smile, "No problem! No problem! I'll send it to you right away!"

A moment later, Zhou Tong dutifully transmitted the manuals of the three martial arts techniques he had learned—[Fierce Tiger Fist Technique], [Gale Saber Technique], and [Whirlwind Leg Technique]—to Dongfang Yueming via the terminal.

After confirming that the information had been received correctly, Dongfang Yueming immediately brought up his attribute panel.

[Character: Dongfang Yueming]

[Realm: Body Tempering - Bone Forging Realm (Glazed Jade Bones) (Gain 10 points daily)]

[Techniques: Basic Skin Tempering Method (Perfection), Layered Wave Skin Tempering Method (Perfection), Crimson Sun Flesh Refining Method (Perfection), Nine-Turn Coiled Dragon Force (Perfection), Hundred Beasts Bone Tempering Method (Perfection), Ten Thousand Beasts Bone Tempering Method (Perfection)]

[Martial Arts: Basic Thirteen Fast Saber Forms (Perfection), Swift Gale Movement Technique (Perfection), Venomous Snake Dagger Technique Fierce Tiger Fist Technique (0/1, Not Yet Entry), Fierce Tiger Fist Technique (0/2, Not Yet Entry), Gale Saber Technique (0/2, Not Yet Entry), Whirlwind Leg (0/2, Not Yet Entry)]

[Points:169]

'Not bad, three more martial arts techniques have been added. Finally, the points can be put to good use.' Dongfang Yueming nodded in satisfaction.

Seeing that Dongfang Yueming seemed temporarily satisfied, Zhou Tong's face was plastered with a fawning smile as he tentatively asked, "Um... Brother Dongfang, if there's nothing else, I'll be going to..."

"Don't rush," Dongfang Yueming interrupted him again.

Zhou Tong's heart skipped a beat, his smile almost froze, and he inwardly groaned, "Is... is there anything else I can do for you?"