The cold pierced to the bone, stimulating the flow of Qi and blood within Chen Jichuan's body, making him even more sensitive and able to perceive subtler changes.
He pushed his body to its limits.
Today, the effort was sufficient.
Only then did Chen Jichuan rise, kick off the water, and leap ashore. In his movements, the joints and muscles of every part of his body seemed to twist into one cohesive force, creating a transparent, flowing sensation throughout him.
Pa!
A crisp sound rang out, especially pleasing to the ear.
Unified strength.
Crisp force.
This was the phenomenon that occurred only when all the energy in one's body was integrated and aligned, thoroughly mastering the understanding of Gang Strength. When the strength from all parts of the body twisted together into one, any movement would result in this crisp sound.
"Gang Strength."
"Soft Force."
Chen Jichuan moved his wrist as he dressed, still pondering the principles of martial arts he had just experienced.
He made his way back.
The heavy snow had long since stopped, and the sun over the past several days had melted the accumulated snow. In Taiqing Mountain, any ground not paved with Qingshi stones was a muddy mess.
As soon as he returned to his residence,
he saw Lul Changshou waiting outside, dust-covered from travel. Seeing Chen Jichuan, he hurried to approach, "Master."
"Come inside to talk."
Chen Jichuan, still ruminating on the changes in energy he had just felt, only snapped out of it upon seeing Lul Changshou's return. He motioned him to come inside.
He changed his shoes.
Started a fire.
Chen Jichuan warmed himself by the fire as he looked at Lul Changshou, "The snow just melted, and the roads are tough to travel. Why rush back?"
"Master."
Lul Changshou produced a weathered envelope and handed it to Chen Jichuan, saying, "This is the letter you gave to my great-grandfather back then. In recent years, it was in my grandfather's hands. After his passing, it was passed to my eldest uncle. Now that you've returned, this letter is best returned to you."
Chen Jichuan glanced at the letter in Lul Changshou's hands.
He took it to examine.
It was indeed the letter he had written long ago to Lul Xiong, entrusting "White Jade City" to Lul Xiong and the Lul Family. Who would've thought the Lul Family had kept and preserved it for so long.
Now that Lul Changshou was returning the letter, the meaning was clear—
"White Jade City was a business established by your own hands, Master."
"Over the years, our Lul Family has managed it and benefited immensely. Now that you've returned, White Jade City rightfully belongs to its original owner."
Lul Changshou spoke somberly.
After thirty-five years,
White Jade City was no longer confined to Lingnan. To the north in Jiannan Dao and Jiangnan Road, its enterprises flourished, earning immense wealth by the day.
By leveraging this, the Lul Family had secured a solid foothold in officialdom, commerce, and the martial arts world.
The eldest, Lul Bai's lineage, maintained ties in officialdom, freely spending money to curry favor with officials across Lingnan.
The second, Lul Yu, and the third, Lul Jing, were primarily involved in managing businesses.
But Lul Yu had a son like Lul Changshou, whose status in Lingnan Martial Arts was considerable. Coupled with the support of many martial artists from the Chen Sect aiding White Jade City's operations,
his influence and voice were much stronger than Lul Jing's.
Once, the three brothers in their early twenties were full of vitality. Now in their fifties or sixties, their minds had grown more complicated. Add to that their separate family branches, with varied descendants of mixed caliber,
and the three factions, while outwardly harmonious, were rife with significant disputes, both open and covert, in recent years.
A few days ago, Lul Changshou went to the Chen Mansion for some peace of mind.
Apart from the pressure brought by the Tan Sect Thirteen Grand Protectors, the familial infighting also played a role.
It just so happened,
that Chen Jichuan returned, prompting Lul Changshou to think about returning White Jade City to its rightful owner.
"Would your father and uncle agree to this?"
Chen Jichuan held the letter in his hand, smiling faintly as he looked at Lul Changshou.
"I knew I couldn't deceive you, Master."
Lul Changshou wore an expression of helplessness and shame.
For generations, the Lul Family had managed White Jade City. After Chen Jichuan disappeared, they practically regarded it as family property. Generations had passed, and decades later, even if the "Southern Chen" returned, reclaiming White Jade City would not be an easy task.
Thinking back to recent conversations with his father and eldest uncle, Lul Changshou felt equal parts anger, frustration, shame, and indignation, yet he insisted strongly, "Please rest assured, Master. Our Lul Family would never attempt to seize 'White Jade City.' I am confident I can convince my father, uncle, and third uncle."
Lul Changshou was highly skilled in martial arts.
Having established a sect of his own, his disciples and followers were spread throughout White Jade City's enterprises. Though he seemed to stay out of its affairs, one word from him could decisively tip the scale, whether the enterprises truly listened to Lul Bai, Lul Yu, and Lul Jing, or to him, the "Chen Sect Master" and so-called "Little Nanchen."
"No need."
Chen Jichuan laughed as he listened, returning the letter and saying, "White Jade City was a gift I entrusted to your great-grandfather, Lul Xiong. There's no reason to take it back. Your father and uncles are already in their sixties—as stubborn as they are, forcing White Jade City from their hands would be tantamount to ripping out their hearts. Be careful they don't get driven into harm."
Human beings are inherently like this.
Ancient wisdom says: A favor of one liter is a kindness; a favor of ten liters is a grudge.
If Chen Jichuan were to reclaim White Jade City after gifting it away, it would become a blood feud.
What was the need for that?
"But—"
Lul Changshou, thinking Chen Jichuan didn't believe him, was about to argue further.
Chen Jichuan, however, impatiently waved him off, saying, "I have no interest in White Jade City, but I am interested in stirring up some matters in your 'Chen Sect.' Do you mind?"
Worldly wealth was as fleeting as a cloud.
The only thing Chen Jichuan truly cared for in the Great Yann was martial arts.
Now stuck at a bottleneck, he figured dedicating himself to teaching martial arts within the Chen Sect could allow him to review his knowledge and inspire new insights.
"Master, how could you speak so?"
"The Chen Sect was, after all, impulsively founded by me under your name, honoring you as the founder. Of course, you can do whatever you wish within the Chen Sect."
Lul Changshou replied without hesitation.
"Good."
"Let's drop the matter of White Jade City."
"I've buried gold and silver at my old residence. Have someone dig it up and use White Jade City's channels to help me collect martial arts techniques."
Chen Jichuan concluded the matter, refusing to dwell on it.
Then, he sent Lul Changshou away.
In martial arts, all paths lead to the same destination.
Now, Chen Jichuan had even more time and energy to delve into martial arts. Furthermore, though body-strengthening techniques like Iron Bull Skill had their limits and drawbacks, they still contributed significantly to a martial artist's prowess.
The Iron Bull Skill strengthened the abdomen.
The Golden Shovel Finger trained the four fingers.
The Iron Broom targeted the legs.
After advancing these to the fifth layer, his fingers became as strong as gold, his abdomen like iron, and his calves as hard as steel, impervious to ordinary harm.
But this was still insufficient.
His ambition was to train every part of his body—his arms, back, waist, knees, elbows, even his neck, head, armpits, and groin—until they were impervious to blades and bullets.
Should he succeed,
He would achieve innate invincibility.
An old saying goes: To learn martial arts, one must first endure beatings.
There was indeed some truth to this.
However, simply enduring beatings passively was not Chen Jichuan's style.
Skills like the Water Dividing Skill, Jade Belt Skill, and Lying Tiger Skill, which enhanced strength and Qi, couldn't be neglected. Likewise, agility techniques like the Land Flying Skill required persistent practice.
The more skills, the better.
Be able to take a hit.
Be able to hit others.
Be able to flee.
Be able to chase down others.
With the Great Yann's unparalleled resources, Chen Jichuan's ambitions were equally vast. He refused to leave any shortcoming unchecked.
"Defense."
"Strength."
"Power."
With a time differential of four hundredfold, and the backing of Source Power, Chen Jichuan was brimming with ambition, determined to advance all three aspects in tandem!
...