Military Preparation Camp, Martial Arts Arena.
Night was falling. Only a few torches crackled on the edge of the field, illuminating a lone figure standing as still as a pine tree in the center.
Chen Sheng was holding the Profound Shielding Posture, the most difficult and obscure stance in the Golden Bell Body Refining Technique. His posture was strange, but the qi and blood in his body surged and swelled like a hidden undertow.
Four days had quietly passed since Wu Kuang officially took office as the County Captain of Changshan.
Chen Sheng had also been appointed commander of the North City Military Preparation, a post of the Standard Ninth Grade, just as he had hoped.
However, despite the appointment, he did not immediately assume his post. Instead, he immersed himself completely in his cultivation. Nearly two months of continuous, arduous training, coupled with a steady supply of resources like Qi and Blood Pills, were finally about to bear fruit.
[Basic Saber Skill: Perfection (25/2000)]
[Golden Bell Body Refining Technique: Minor Achievement (496/500)]
[Fishing Toad Force Secret Technique: Minor Achievement (2/500)]
[Demon-Suppressing Triple Extremes Saber: Minor Achievement (36/500)]
His self-created Basic Saber Skill had already reached complete perfection.
This saber skill, born from battlefield combat and refined through his own countless trials, had no flashy moves. Instead, it was grand and open, balanced in both offense and defense, with no weaknesses.
Using this solid foundation as a springboard, his understanding of the Way of the Saber had reached a new height.
That was why he was able to progress so rapidly in cultivating the Demon-Suppressing Triple Extremes Saber, gifted to him by Wu Kuang.
This sharp saber art from a Buddhist Sect was a perfect match for his Buddhist Body Refining Technique. Although he had not practiced it long enough to truly reach Minor Achievement, the piercing Saber Intent it contained—one of exterminating evil and advancing without fear—was already taking shape and was astonishingly powerful.
What delighted him even more was that he had finally grasped the Fishing Toad Force Secret Technique, breaking through to the Minor Achievement stage in one go!
Although he had only just reached Minor Achievement, he could already feel the technique's subtle, transformative effects—it was fundamentally improving his constitution and aptitude. Even the speed at which his qi and blood circulated and his Inner Breath condensed was a notch faster than before.
The only thing that felt a bit slow was his progress in the Golden Bell Body Refining Technique.
Even though he hadn't slacked off in the slightest, he was still one step away from breaking through to the Great Success stage. This was the very reason he had delayed his appointment in North City.
He knew full well that the North City Military Preparation Camp was a web of entrenched interests, a true hornet's nest filled with arrogant soldiers, defiant generals, and troublemakers planted by local factions.
The Celestial Book of Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil had also issued a clear warning: upon his arrival, some people, resentful of an outsider like him suddenly taking power, would deliberately provoke him, trying to put him in his place and humiliate him.
His next task was to stir up the murky waters of North City and implement Wu Kuang's will, a mission that allowed for no mistakes.
He needed to use absolute, overwhelming power, striking with the force of a thunderbolt, to completely suppress, purge, and reorganize the North City Military Camp!
The prerequisite for all this was breaking through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment—the Bone Forging realm! Only by completing this physical transformation and experiencing a surge in strength would he have the confidence to suppress all opposition.
Therefore, he remained exceptionally calm. Let the storm gather outside; he would remain unshaken, focusing all his energy on breaking through his bottleneck.
Fortunately, his cultivation of the Golden Bell Body Refining Technique was at its final stage.
He estimated that he would succeed tonight at the earliest, or tomorrow at the latest!
When that time came, his sharp blade would be unsheathed, its edge revealed for all to see.
Furthermore, through the scattered hints from the Celestial Book of Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil over the past few days, he had also gotten a general grasp of Yang Hu's current situation and thoughts. The man had indeed developed considerable ambition, but he had no intention of ratting him out to the Seven Stars Gang. His blood feud with the Seven Stars Gang was also genuine.
As for Yang Hu's opinion of "Chen Sheng," it was quite complex.
There was disdain born from old impressions, but also the friendship and respect for a former master, accumulated over many years. These conflicting emotions made his attitude seem contradictory.
'If our positions were reversed, I'd probably be the same,' Chen Sheng thought, understanding after a moment of reflection.
After all, the last impression the original Chen Sheng had left on Yang Hu was that of a frail, sickly scholar in need of protection. In a world where might makes right, for Yang Hu—tempered by months of bloody gang warfare and no longer under the shadow of Chen Sheng's father—not to have harbored malicious intentions was already a rarity.
What's more, he might be connected to the secret of a "Treasure."
Unfortunately, regarding this "Treasure," the Celestial Book of Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil had yet to give any clear hints. Neither the [Seeking Fortune] nor the [Avoiding Evil] functions had reacted.
'Either the conditions to trigger a related future haven't been met, or... that piece of Warm Jade really is nothing special.'
"Commander."
Just as Chen Sheng was single-mindedly circulating his qi and blood, Yan Ming's voice, tinged with a hesitant urgency, sounded from the side.
"Mm," Chen Sheng grunted without opening his eyes.
"Commander, you... when on earth do you plan to assume your post?"
Yan Ming finally couldn't hold it in any longer, his words tumbling out in a rush. "You don't know, sir, but those guys at the North City Camp are getting more and more arrogant and unruly since you haven't shown up! They're not just ostracizing the brothers we brought with us, they're... they're spreading rumors everywhere, saying that you... that you're afraid of the two Vice Commanders and don't dare to show your face!"
The more he spoke, the angrier he became, pouring out all the frustration he had bottled up over the past few days.
Unlike Chen Sheng's composure, Yan Ming and the thirty-odd veterans assigned to the North City Military Camp had found the last few days to be an eternity. At first, the others had been somewhat cautious, but when Chen Sheng failed to appear, they grew increasingly brazen, subjecting Yan Ming and his men to constant ostracism and disdain.
This wasn't the first time he had come to plead with Chen Sheng.
He knew that with Chen Sheng's strength, he could absolutely crush those two Vice Commanders. He just couldn't understand why the commander insisted on holding back.
"I know."
Chen Sheng's voice was still calm and steady. "Go back for now. Tomorrow, I will assume my post."
Hearing this, Yan Ming was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. As if he had instantly found his backbone, he bowed hastily.
"Yes! This subordinate will take his leave! I'll go tell the brothers right away!"
The sound of footsteps faded, and silence returned to the Martial Arts Arena.
Chen Sheng's focus returned completely to the surging qi and blood within him and to that thin but tough bottleneck.
[Golden Bell Body Refining Technique: Minor Achievement (497/500)]
...
[Golden Bell Body Refining Technique: Minor Achievement (498/500)]
...
[Golden Bell Body Refining Technique: Minor Achievement (499/500)]
By now, the night was deep, and a bright moon hung high in the sky.
Seeing that he was just a sliver away from completion, Chen Sheng focused his mind, calmly and skillfully took a blood-red, longan-sized elixir from his robes, and placed it in his mouth.
The elixir melted the instant it entered his mouth, and a scorching but incredibly pure medicinal energy exploded outwards, surging like a tidal wave into his limbs and bones!
Not daring to be complacent, Chen Sheng immediately assumed the Profound Shielding Posture again, guiding this powerful medicinal energy along with his own boiling qi and blood to charge the final barrier.
「An hour later.」
The qi and blood accumulated in Chen Sheng's body had reached their peak, like boiling lava! A rich, bronze luster flowed constantly across his skin, growing deeper and more restrained, as if refined steel was undergoing its final forging.
The progress bar, which had been stagnant for so long, finally twitched—
[Golden Bell Body Refining Technique: Great Success (1/1000)]
BOOM!
It was like a dam bursting, or a volcano erupting!
A sense of power, far more vast and immense than ever before, instantly swept through his entire body.
The bronze luster on his body suddenly retracted, embedding itself deep within his skin, membranes, muscles, and bones. The qi and blood within him, like a flood released from an open sluice gate, violently burst through a crucial major meridian and then spread unstoppably along his skeleton, scouring, cleansing, and tempering it!
Every inch of his skeleton hummed with a faint but dense buzzing, as if being repeatedly hammered by an invisible forge, expelling impurities and condensing its essence. His bones grew tougher, denser, and filled with terrifying power.
Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, the Bone Forging realm—achieved!
Chen Sheng slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them before disappearing. Feeling the complete transformation within his body, a cold smirk finally touched his lips.
'Tomorrow, the North City Military Camp is in for a shake-up.'
————