Guiyuan Hall, backyard.
Inside a quaint hall.
A burly, square-faced, rugged-featured middle-aged man drained his teacup in one gulp, his gaze falling upon the young man below.
Below was a young man dressed in brocade robes, looking like a rich young Master around 20 years old, currently practicing a set of boxing techniques.
His movements were swift and overbearing, wide and open, each action bringing forth rapid air explosions, extremely imposing.
"Hah!"
Finally, as the man twisted his body and unleashed a punch, the dense fist wind tore through the air, emitting roaring sounds like a tiger.
The two guards at the sides of the hall had distorted eyes, their bodies swaying uncontrollably, nearly falling to the ground.
It took them a while to react, looking at the young man below with eyes full of shock and awe.
"Master, how is it? Is my Wandering Tiger Chaotic Soul Fist technique alright!?"
The young man withdrew his fists and stood, sensing the gazes of the two guards behind him, a hint of arrogance appearing on his face, then he looked expectantly at the middle-aged man in the hall.
The middle-aged man put down his teacup, a smile appearing on his face.
"Not bad, you've cultivated this Chaotic Soul Fist to the perfected stage. Wei'er, you can now begin cultivating the Mad Tiger Swallowing Elephant Technique. With the perfected foundations of the Wandering Tiger Chaotic Soul Fist and the Mani Giant Elephant Technique."
"Basically, when you cultivate the Mad Tiger Swallowing Elephant Technique, it will be smooth sailing until the seven transformations of the Divine Transformation Realm."
Hearing this, the brocade-robed young man's face showed great joy, and he spoke somewhat impatiently.
"Thank you, Master, when will Master impart the profound technique to me!?"
"Tomorrow, tomorrow I will prepare a medicinal bath for you and impart the Mad Tiger Swallowing Elephant Technique."
Looking at his beloved Disciple, the middle-aged man said somewhat helplessly.
As the youngest of the three Disciples, his talent was the strongest among them.
At only 22 years old, he was already at the fifth level of the Bones Transformation Realm, and furthermore, he had awakened the Ancestral Red-Marked Demonic Tiger Bloodline, which could be said to be extremely compatible with his lineage.
It's just that his talent is exceptional, but his character still needs tempering. In the path of Martial Arts, as long as one's talent is outstanding, coupled with a large amount of resources for cultivation, the path of cultivation is basically smooth sailing.
Of course, this point is only limited to before the Divine Transformation Realm.
Before the Divine Transformation Realm, although the Bones Transformation Realm also has requirements for one's mind and spirit, it is far from comparable to the Divine Transformation Realm.
The Divine Transformation Realm has quite strict requirements for one's mind and spirit. If one's mind and will are insufficient, the path of Divine Transformation can be said to be quite bumpy.
"Wei'er is too young, his Martial Arts path has been smooth sailing, basically without encountering any setbacks. It seems that when there's an opportunity, I need to temper his character, so that he can calm down and his path in the Divine Transformation Realm can be smoother in the future..."
The middle-aged man thought to himself.
The young man in the hall, hearing that he could receive the teaching tomorrow, immediately became excited. He was clearly a Martial Arts fanatic, his face full of joy as he spoke.
"Thank you, Master, then this Disciple will await tomorrow."
Seeing this, just as the middle-aged man opened his mouth, intending to say something more, footsteps sounded outside the hall.
Immediately after, a respectful voice came.
"Lord Luo Yin, the Blazing Star Envoy Thousand Faces from Tiannan Prefecture has arrived."
"Come in."
The middle-aged man, or rather, the Dark Star Envoy Luo Yin, hearing this, a smile appeared on his square face, and his deep voice fell.
Creak—
The tightly shut door was pushed open from the outside. A sallow-faced middle-aged man stepped in, then reached up and swept his hand across his face, revealing a cold, beautiful, and fair face.
Who else could it be but Qi Ning?
"Greetings, Lord Luo Yin!"
As soon as Qi Ning entered, she bowed to Luo Yin.
"Ning'er, no need for formalities. Haven't I told you not to call me 'Lord'? Otherwise, if your sister hears it, she'll say I, your brother-in-law, am being unreasonable."
Luo Yin's face showed a hearty smile. He waved his hand, and an invisible force lifted Qi Ning up.
"Brother-in-law, haven't I said it before? Within the organization, we still need to address each other by rank."
Qi Ning said somewhat helplessly.
That's right, Luo Yin, one of the high-ranking members of the Dark Star and a Dark Star Envoy, was her brother-in-law.
Although she had deliberately hidden this matter for many years, word still got out, and most of the high-ranking members of the organization basically knew about this relationship.
The reason for all this was naturally his brother-in-law's deliberate actions.
And most of the locations she was assigned to guard were quite safe.
"Wei'er, why aren't you getting a seat for your aunt!"
Luo Yin didn't respond directly, his gaze fell on the young man beside him, changing the subject.
The brocade-robed young man immediately reacted, wrapping around him with a face full of smiles, clearly having a quite good relationship with the latter.
"Sister Qi, you've finally come to see me, please have a seat quickly."
"Wei'er, it's been two years, and you're already at the fifth level of Bones Transformation. I remember the last time we met, you were only at the perfected stage of Blood Transportation, right?"
Qi Ning looked at the brocade-robed young man, sizing him up, and said somewhat unexpectedly.
"It seems brother-in-law's judgment is truly extraordinary. Wei'er's talent is probably considered top-tier among those who have awakened ancestral Bloodlines."
Hearing Qi Ning's words, Gong Wei's face flashed with a hint of arrogance.
"Sister Ning, what if he has awakened an ancestral Bloodline? With my current strength, I'm not afraid even of ordinary Martial Artists in the Early Stage of the Divine Transformation Realm."
"Alright, Wei'er, sit aside."
Luo Yin spoke indifferently, only then making him shut his mouth. Finally, he looked at Qi Ning again and asked with some concern.
"I heard you encountered Xiang Kong on this trip. I didn't expect that old fellow to still be so insidious and cunning, actually bullying the younger generation and attacking you."
"Yes, we didn't expect it either. Fortunately, Shen Jun took action, and we were able to escape."
"That's right, with Xiang Kong's strength, if it weren't for Shen Jun, even if I took action, I might not be able to force him back."
Luo Yin said with some emotion.
As fellow Transforming Void Grandmasters, he and Xiang Kong had naturally dealt with each other. He was very clear about his strength; he was indeed a cut above him.
"Besides saving us, Shen Jun also captured Gongsun Yuanzhou. He has secrets of the Beast Suppression Army on him, perhaps we can find something on him?" When discussing serious matters, Qi Ning's face showed a solemn expression. She recounted everything she had seen and heard in Tiannan Prefecture, especially regarding the situation of the beast-transformed Martial Artists.
This made everyone in the hall quite surprised.
"I didn't expect that in just a few decades, the Tianhong Pavilion has gone so far down the path of beast transformation."
Luo Yin's face carried a trace of solemnity. As a high-ranking member of the Dark Star, he had long known about the Tianhong Pavilion's research into those beast-transformed Martial Artists.
However, the beast-transformed Martial Artists back then were only low-level Martial Artists. Although they could erupt with decent strength, they ultimately couldn't amount to much.
It's just that he didn't expect that in just a few decades, the Realm of the Martial Artists targeted by this beast transformation situation has become higher and higher, and the strength they erupt with is much stronger than before.
If those high-level Martial Artists who were already strong have their strength leap after beast transformation, then this Beast Suppression Army is indeed a big trouble.
"The Pavilion Master should be able to handle it soon. We will deal with this matter then."
Saying this, Luo Yin seemed to have thought of something and spoke again.
"Right, I heard that the organization has added another Blazing Star Envoy, and he was even taken in as a Disciple by Shen Jun and is being cultivated as a seed. Shen Jun has never had a Disciple, I didn't expect him to make an exception this time. He must be a young talent with exceptional talent. I'd like to meet him. Did he come with you?"
"No, Ghost Face is currently in seclusion cultivating in Changhe Prefecture and did not come with me."
Qi Ning shook her head slightly and said with a smile.
"However, he is indeed a rare Genius in my lifetime. Speaking of which, it was I who brought him into the organization from a remote small town back then. It was originally just a whim, but I didn't expect that each time we met afterward, the talent he displayed became increasingly formidable."
"Although he has just entered the Bones Transformation Realm, his combat power is sufficient to rival the Divine Transformation Realm, and he has also successfully cultivated the first layer of Heavenly Serpent Bone Exchange. If nothing unexpected happens, his future achievements will be immeasurable."
"Oh? He actually cultivated Heavenly Serpent Bone Exchange!?"
Luo Yin was somewhat surprised, but soon smiled and shook his head.
"No wonder Shen Jun took him in as a Disciple. This secret method is indeed extremely profound, but unfortunately, the risk is too great. I hope he can grow up smoothly; this way, the organization might gain another Grandmaster expert in the future."
"Grandmaster expert!? Ghost Face!"
Hearing Luo Yin's words, Gong Wei, who was beside him, had his eyes flash, his eyes slightly narrowed, silently chewing the name in his mouth, having already silently memorized it.
"Alright, Ning'er, let's go. Go see your sister. Your sister has been mentioning you all this time. She'll definitely be very happy to see you this time."
After a few more casual chats, Luo Yin took Qi Ning and the others to leave.
After the banquet, it was already deep into the night.
Gong Wei returned to his residence in the city with a bit of drunkenness on his face. With a surge of internal force, the drunkenness on his body disappeared.
"Young Master, you're back."
Seeing Gong Wei return, the servants in the mansion immediately came up to greet him and bowed respectfully.
"Rise."
Gong Wei spoke indifferently and went straight to his cultivation courtyard.
The muscles and bones in his body crackled. The next moment, his figure shot up, resembling a tiger and an elephant, and he started punching in the courtyard. His fist strikes were fierce and overbearing, the scattered strong winds causing the ancient pines in the courtyard to constantly sway, shedding large amounts of leaves.
After a while, he unleashed a punch.
Crack—
Ten-plus meters away, the ancient pine in the courtyard, thick enough for two people to embrace, emitted an unbearable crisp sound, and then its large crown slowly fell to the ground.
"Congratulations, Third Young Master, on the great completion of your technique."
A figure slowly walked out from the shadows in the courtyard, speaking softly.
The figure was an old man dressed in a grey robe, looking sixty or seventy years old. His eyes were filled with admiration and relief at this moment.
"Uncle Qing, Master has already agreed to impart the Mad Tiger Swallowing Elephant Technique to me tomorrow."
Gong Wei withdrew his fists and stood, speaking indifferently.
He didn't know the name of the grey-robed old man. He had always used Yi Ye Qing as his codename, and he was a Master sent by Luo Yin to protect him.
"It seems it's double happiness. I have followed Master for many years. Back then, the Eldest Young Master and Second Young Master didn't cultivate as quickly as you, Third Young Master. It seems Master values you greatly."
Yi Ye Qing said with some emotion.
Such words made a trace of a smile appear on Gong Wei's face, but he slightly shook his head as he spoke.
"To be valued by Master, the talents of Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother are naturally far from ordinary people. Cultivation speed is just one aspect of talent and cannot be generalized."
As he spoke, he seemed to have thought of something, his eyes slightly narrowed as he looked at the old man.
"Uncle Qing, I heard that the organization has added a seed Genius. Go help me investigate his information. I'm very curious about what kind of Genius can be directly designated as a seed?"
His voice was slightly heavy. A seed in the Dark Star was basically confirmed to be a future Dark Star Envoy.
Their status and position were extremely high, and they also enjoyed a large amount of resource allocation from the organization.
He had been a Disciple of Luo Yin for several years, but it was only last year that he was cultivated as a seed.
Regarding a Genius who was immediately designated as a seed, he was naturally somewhat curious, or rather, unbalanced.
"Well, I have heard about this. To be able to become a Disciple of Shen Jun, this child is clearly extraordinary. Such a seed Genius will definitely be a high-ranking member of the organization in the future. It's good to interact with him earlier. I will find out his information."
Yi Ye Qing indeed did not hear the meaning in Gong Wei's words. He only assumed that he wanted to build a good relationship in advance, and immediately agreed.
"Alright, then I'll trouble Uncle Qing."
Seeing the other party agree, a smile appeared on Gong Wei's face in the moonlit night.
...
Changhe Prefecture, Yong'an County.
In the quiet room, Lin Sheng placed one hand on the ground, his feet suspended in the air, his entire body bent, leaning to one side, maintaining an extremely strange posture without moving.
Until an hour passed, his body trembled, and constant clicking and grinding sounds came from within his body, as if all his bones were constantly colliding and rubbing against each other.
After another incense stick's worth of time, the sounds finally stopped. Lin Sheng's feet landed on the ground, and he heavily exhaled a breath of stale air.
"Indeed, each layer of Heavenly Serpent Bone Exchange is harder than the last. The difficulty of this second stage, Bone Transformation, is at least several times higher than skin transformation."
Half a month had passed in the Yong'an station. Besides cultivating the Jin Wu Gu Secret Method, the rest of his focus was on the Heavenly Serpent Bone Exchange and True Yang Change.
There's nothing much to say about the Jin Wu Gu Secret Method. The Bone Transformation Pill had long been completely swallowed by him. Before incorporating the Spirit Bone Python, the cultivation efficiency of this secret method could only proceed step by step. Without the assistance of the Bone Transformation Pill, the efficiency was two to three tenths slower than before.
Heavenly Serpent Bone Exchange also showed signs of hitting a Bottleneck. The cultivation difficulty of the Bone Transformation stage far exceeded skin transformation, and the cultivation efficiency also slowed down.
For nearly half a month, he had always hovered on the edge of getting started, not having completely taken that step. However, according to his estimation, with good luck, he might be able to successfully get started in a few more days.
Compared to the previous two, the cultivation efficiency of the True Yang Change was quite good. The internal compression was further enhanced, and the power that could be erupted had increased again, having completely surpassed the level three Great Strength talent and being able to erupt with nearly four times the formidable power.
"The problem I'm facing now is simply time. Cultivating with a calm mind, these are not issues."
The days in Changhe Prefecture were very peaceful. Basically, no one would disturb his cultivation.
He even had the thought of going into seclusion here for a few months.
Secluding himself for a few months, even if he didn't find the Spirit Bone Python, would be enough for him to Master the Jin Wu Gu Secret Method, and at the same time, Heavenly Serpent Bone Exchange would also make progress.
However, if he could find the Spirit Bone Python as soon as possible, that would naturally be even better.
He pushed the door open and left the station. He first went to a farmhouse not far from the station stronghold to see Lin Hong, Xie Guilan, and others.
Three days ago, Lin Hong and the others were brought over. With the Red Mountain Six Ghosts escorting them, there was no danger along the way.
At the same time, quite a few members of the Seven Forms Sect also came to Changhe Prefecture. Only a small number of people were kept in Tiannan Prefecture.
This was also his deliberate action. Although the intelligence channels of the Dark Star were much better, the people under him were far inferior.
But there is strength in numbers. With these people searching, the efficiency of collecting information on the Spirit Bone Python can also be accelerated.