The Spirit Within the Fist

On the mountaintop.

"It's magnificent."

Lu Huaiqing sighed softly.

It seems that Yu Tunzhou did indeed practice the visualization diagram of the Heavenly Peng Daoist Temple, but the divine intent that flowed between heaven and earth just now was definitely not as simple as Heavenly Peng.

What he was even more curious about was what the boy considered a "dusty pearl" actually was.

Lu Huaiqing turned and went down the mountain. He had helped Yu Tunzhou solve a big problem and was about to use this favor to "blackmail" Yu Tunzhou.

Qin Shaoyou, who was also on the mountaintop, suddenly spoke, cupping his hands and bowing, saying:

"Mr. Lu, a voice suddenly rang in my ears just now, saying that as long as I can kill Yu Tunzhou in the formal duel, I will gain enough Martial Fortune to help me cultivate an immortal Immortal Foundation."

Lu Huaiqing suddenly stopped and looked at a certain spot in this cave, his gaze solemn.

This isn't like you at all.

"Mr. Lu, what do you think I should do?" Qin Shaoyou asked with burning eyes.

Lu Huaiqing looked at this scholar who had caused quite a stir in the Great Yan court last year and suddenly asked:

"How is it to be a prince consort?"

Qin Shaoyou pointed to the red birthmark between his eyebrows, which was particularly noticeable, like a cinnabar mark. He chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"One's fate is determined by oneself."

In short, it's frustrating.

Lu Huaiqing calmly said, "Since you already know all this, why are you asking me?"

Qin Shaoyou's expression turned serious. "Does Mr. Lu also believe that following that person's orders, while bringing Martial Fortune, is also a kind of invisible self-imposed constraint?"

Lu Huaiqing shook his head and said seriously, "No, what I mean is, you can no longer be a match for Yu Tunzhou in this cave."

With such a large mouthful of Martial Fortune swallowed into his belly, as long as Yu Tunzhou doesn't die, his opponent will no longer be anyone in the town.

A small town, by the river.

The crowd, which had been buzzing with discussion, fell silent. The silence was so profound that the gentle murmur of the river could be heard.

After a brief silence, they looked at each other with strange expressions, their eyes revealing the same shock and confusion, as if asking—

You heard that too?

At the bridgehead, Xie Linchuan abruptly closed his folding fan, his face turning cold. A bad thought flashed through his mind, weighing heavily on his heart.

Ao Xiyu, straightforward and outspoken, asked with a look of utter confusion, "You heard that too? My opponent is Yu Tunzhou, and what about you?"

"Me too." Cao Jianjia frowned.

"Me too."

After a moment, the group looked at each other, their expressions varied.

Is everyone's opponent Yu Tunzhou?

Xie Linchuan took a deep breath and said, "I just want to know, Brother Yu, what was that sound you heard!"

Yue Hongyi's expression turned solemn, and her initial joy gradually faded.

Is everyone's goal the same as the Yu Tunzhou?

Why would that person issue such a "task"?

Unless, of course, someone believes that the current Yu Tunzhou has far surpassed all of them!

"Zhang Buyu, say something," Yue Hongyi said in a low voice.

Zhang Buyu said, "It's obvious that Yu Tunzhou is the one who devours all Martial Fortune."

Yue Hongyi suddenly realized what was happening and gritted her teeth, saying, "Northern Chen gave him was indeed not the [Spark Instruction]!"

How could a mere [Spark Instruction] possess such power!

No wonder Chen Xuanye went looking for Yu Tunzhou earlier!

She immediately searched for Chen Xuanye among the crowd that had gradually gathered on the riverbank.

Zhang Buyu pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said:

"Not necessarily."

"If the Northern Chen dynasty truly possesses such Cultivation Method, why doesn't it allow its own people to cultivate it, instead choosing to support Yu Tunzhou?"

Yue Hongyi whispered, "You don't know? It's said that the Northern Chen Dynasty has found the tomb of the ancient human emperor! Maybe they weren't confident enough, so they let Yu Tunzhou test it out first, but they didn't expect it to slip out of their control so easily."

"I know, but that's a fake tomb," Zhang Buyu said calmly. "That's the fourth fake tomb they've unearthed."

Yue Hongyi glared and said, "So what if it's a fake tomb? It still contains burial goods! Didn't the founding emperor of the Great Yan start his dynasty with the fake tomb of the Human Emperor?"

Zhang Buyu shook his head and said, "What you say makes sense, but does Northern Chen lack people to test Cultivation Method? Why specifically choose Yu Tunzhou? Since he's a test subject, there's not only the possibility of failure, but also the possibility of success. If you were Chen Xuanye, would you give Yu Tunzhou a [Spark Instruction] full of drawbacks, or a martial Cultivation Method rife with variables and potentially spiraling out of control?"

Yue Hongyi said seriously, "What you said makes a lot of sense, but reality doesn't always follow reason. How do you know Chen Xuanye isn't a moron or an idiot?"

Zhang Buyu pointed in a certain direction and said, "You're not wrong, Chen Xuanye is a fool, otherwise he wouldn't have lost the position of Crown Prince. But precisely because he's a fool, it's impossible. Look, if Chen Xuanye really knew, he wouldn't be like this now, without a single flaw."

Yue Hongyi looked in the direction he pointed and saw Chen Xuanye standing in the crowd.

At this moment, Chen Xuanye was frowning as he discussed something with the people around him.

They weren't far apart, Yue Hongyi could vaguely hear Chen Xuanye whispering that someone was definitely behind this, possibly even the town keeper, whose identity remained unknown...

In this state, there was indeed no sign of anything unusual; on the contrary, it seemed as if they were truly kept in the dark.

Yue Hongyi nodded sincerely and said, "You're right."

"Then tell me, what should we do now? You heard what that person meant."

She had barely finished speaking when she immediately added, her tone tinged with impatience.

"Don't tell me your so-called 'highway' isn't like that."

Zhang Buyu immediately cast a strange look at him:

"I'd like to ask you, Yue Hongyi, how do you plan to oppose Yu Tunzhou all the Martial Fortune this time, and even kill him?"

"Does it also rely on surprise attacks?"

"Then I advise you to cultivate diligently within your grotto-heaven. This battle for destiny is just the beginning. The amount of destiny that dissipates will only increase in the future. Even the Taotie Yu Tunzhou, cannot devour it all."

Reminded by Zhang Buyu's words, Yue Hongyi immediately thought of someone's "illustrious achievements" and couldn't help but bite her lower lip.

It seems... a sneak attack really won't work.

The candlelight flickered in the Jiang Household mansion.

Because all four limbs were severed, the progress of the Qi Ingestion method was inevitably slowed down. Jiang Yungu was even unable to advance the Qi Ingestion Method to the seventh level before the end of the month.

Therefore, he did not go out tonight and could only sit in the mansion, calming his mind and cultivating his spirit as instructed by the clan elder.

Congratulations!

An aged voice sounded from outside the door, and an elder of the Jiang Household walked in slowly, his face filled with emotion.

"I never expected that the biggest winners of this battle for destiny would be you, Ji Pan, Chang Jian."

Jiang Yungu looked at the clan elder, puzzled. What did this mean?

Ji Pan and Chang Jian were disqualified from the competition for destiny by the town's guardian, while he himself was excluded from the competition.

Congratulations to the three of them... Could it be that something went wrong in this battle for destiny?

If something truly went wrong and none of them managed to obtain the Martial Fortune, then the three of them would indeed have drawn a draw without a fight, making them winners in a de facto way.

The old man suddenly changed the subject. "The instructions you received were also to deal with Yu Tunzhou?"

"What instructions?" Jiang Yungu looked blank, not understanding what the elder was talking about.

Upon hearing this, the old man immediately cast a pitying glance at him.

Are they not even qualified to receive instructions anymore?

This is really...

How tragic.

The old man sighed.

He turned and left.

Jiang Yungu was left completely bewildered.

Deep in the mountains, unaware of the turmoil outside, Yu Tunzhou had already moved to a tranquil place.

He wasn't in a hurry to go back, because the aftereffects of the Martial Fortune he had just swallowed were starting to kick in...

At first, I only felt that it was "warm and smooth to the taste, with no unusual sensations". But now, it feels like a volcano that is erupting has been stuffed into my Dantian. The violent and scorching heat is spreading everywhere. The heat that is just escaping is spreading to my limbs and bones!

Within the Primordial Spirit Heaven and Earth, Little Black fell silent, quietly sinking into the seabed and entering a deep slumber.

Yu Tunzhou had no time to spare; he immediately sat cross- Meditative Concentration meditation, focusing his mind inward and concentrating on his Dantian.

Within his Dantian, the Inner Qi Seed, which had been nurtured for a month, was tightly enveloped by a dazzling golden light.

The latter was the Martial Fortune he had swallowed.

In an instant, the [Spark Instruction] was activated at full power, and the surrounding Heaven and Earth Clear Qi filled his Dantian, just like the golden light of Martial Fortune refining the Inner Qi Seed.

With the influx of a massive amount of Heaven and Earth Clear Qi, the golden light of Martial Fortune became even more intense, and the Inner Qi Seed became like refined iron tempered in a raging fire, becoming increasingly tough, with its surface gradually gleaming with a warm yet resilient luster.

However, even with the [Spark Instruction] running at full power, he gradually developed a hidden pain in his meridians, finding it difficult to withstand such a domineering surge of pure energy.

At this moment, the residual heat of Martial Fortune, which had been slowly spreading, suddenly intensified, transforming into a mighty warm current, surging like a river and flowing through the meridians.

Wherever it passes, the originally narrow and fragile meridians are gradually widened, strengthened, and made more resilient.

The most direct feedback was that the lingering pain from fully activating the [Spark Instruction] disappeared!

With no worries about the future, the pure energy swept in by the [Spark Instruction] was even more potent.

The golden light of Martial Fortune was slowly dimming, while the Inner Qi Seed was expanding at a visible speed and was imprinted with golden patterns that floated on the surface like celestial runes, ancient and majestic.

A new life force was quietly sprouting and nurturing deep within the Inner Qi Seed...

This is a fundamental transformation.

Finally, the golden light of Martial Fortune faded away, transforming into the last golden pattern on the surface of the Inner Qi Seed, and then disappeared.

But Yu Tunzhou had a vague feeling that the Martial Fortune he had swallowed still existed.

It was not simply digested by him; it still exists, and its effects go far beyond just refining Inner Qi and opening up meridians.

You could even say...

Refining Inner Qi and expanding meridians are just the first "gift".

now.

Yu Tunzhou slowly rose to his feet. In that instant, it was as if a burst of inspiration had sprung from the depths of his mind, and enlightenment arose spontaneously, leaving him completely clear-headed.

He moved slowly and deliberately, raising his hands and lowering his waist, assuming the stance of Taijiquan. His whole being, his heart, and his aura were as calm as still water, without the slightest ripple.

It was as if a certain... had appeared about him.

"God"!