Chapter 174: Transmission of Arts, Forging Genius, Dragon Formation!

Fuck, have you heard the news?

The new Garrison Commander went to Chunyan Pavilion and literally fucked the courtesan to death!

Wei Ming went to Chunyan Pavilion last night.

He happened to see Cao Wei and the new Garrison Commander there too.

He woke up.

And heard this explosive rumor: "Looked like some pale, effeminate weakling—turns out he's brutal."

Tan Hu and Ge Hong were stunned.

They had specifically inquired about him.

Though the new Garrison Commander hails from the Gao family of Luyang, he's a bastard son—only gained recognition after passing the martial examination. The Gao family is extremely strict; he might never have even touched a woman's hand.

All that suppressed energy exploding at once? Truly terrifying.

But they also sensed Yinyin that this new Garrison Commander wasn't someone to be trifled with.

Wei Ming: "I saw with my own eyes—he went to Chunyan Pavilion with General Cao. This isn't good for us."

Li Rui's eyes narrowed slightly.

The new Garrison Commander, on his very first day, went drinking with Cao Wei.

The meaning couldn't be clearer.

But when you consider the Luyang Gao family, it's not so unbelievable.

The Luyang Gao family is one of the Xuan Party's strongest backers in the wild—Gao Zhen is unquestionably Xuan Party.

The Yu Kingdom's court has long been dominated by two factions.

One is the Xuan Party, led by the State Preceptor and the Marquis of Dingyuan; the other is the Lin Party, led by Grand Secretary Zhang.

But there's a third force, too.

That's the military, led by Viceroy Yuan—though the Emperor strictly controls the military, forbidding them from meddling in politics, so their influence on court affairs remains limited.

The Xuan and Lin factions have long been kept in balance by the Emperor, each gaining the upper hand in turn.

At first glance, it seems neither faction has anything to do with Annan Army.

But that's a grave mistake.

Assistant Regional Commander Cao Wei of Anning Garrison was personally promoted by the Fifth Prince—no one would believe he isn't Xuan Party.

The Gao family is a staunch Xuan Party ally; so when Gao Zhen arrived at Anning Garrison, he naturally sought to ally with Cao Wei.

But if that's the case,

the power balance between Cao Wei and Jiang Lin's factions will gradually tilt—balance broken, conflict will inevitably rise.

Soldiers of Anning Garrison will be dragged into this power struggle.

Li Rui won't find it easy to stay out of it.

As they spoke, they caught the stench of storm brewing.

This new Garrison Commander, on his first day in Qinghe, pulled off something like this. Wanku fear comparison—compared to him, the young Lord Duan, who just left Qinghe, was a model gentleman.

He'd been in Qinghe for years.

Every day, he rode horses, hunted, drank tea in brothels.

Never caused trouble, always generous with his purse.

His reputation in Qinghe was stellar—he should've left seven days ago, but everyone kept dragging him out for drinks until he got drunk and staggered out of the city the day before yesterday.

Because he never interfered, he offended no one in Anning Garrison; soldiers were glad to have such a lenient superior.

But the new Garrison Commander's actions made it clear—he was no easy man to deal with.

Wei Ming: "I fear these greenhorn upstarts. Heard this Gao Zhen was a bastard, ignored for years, only noticed after ranking second-class in the imperial exam. These kinds of superiors are the hardest to please."

He couldn't help feeling a little smug.

When young Lord Duan was in charge, his platoon leaders had it easy—each day better than the last.

Now it's their turn to suffer.

Li Rui narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.

Back at his residence,

he saw Liang He practicing swordplay in the courtyard. Since teaching him the Changchun Art, he'd trained daily—already showing signs of mastery.

"Good."

Liang He heard Li Rui's praise behind him.

Immediately sheathed his blade and bowed in disciple's salute: "Thank you, Master."

Thanks to the Xuanqing Qi, it helped Liang He align better with the Changchun Art—training became twice as effective.

He'll likely reach the eighth rank within two years.

Then the nourishing effect will improve further.

"Keep practicing."

Li Rui waved his hand, then sat on a reclining chair beneath the tree.

Watched Liang He train.

Teaching martial arts wasn't just about nourishing Qi—it served another purpose: refining the Changchun Art.

If the Changchun Art were an unopened mountain path, previously only Li Rui walked it—slowly, and prone to veering off course.

But if more people walk it, Li Rui can more easily spot deviations and correct them.

Only when many walk a path does it become a road.

This principle applies equally to self-created martial arts.

And one man's strength is always limited.

Li Rui isn't a hermit—he needs his own base, to make things easier.

In the Yu Kingdom, military and civil posts are separate. As Patrol Commander, he only commands the Bentiger Cavalry—if his position changes, the Bentiger Cavalry's Night Scouts will no longer fall under his authority.

What belongs to the state is state's; what belongs to him is his.

Take Liang He—he's fully severed from the Bentiger Cavalry and now serves as a full-time disciple.

The next day,

Liang He trained as usual in the courtyard.

Then Li Rui walked in through the gate.

Liang He froze.

Because behind Li Rui stood a burly middle-aged man.

He frowned: "Master, who is this?"

Li Rui chuckled: "This is Liu Tiezhu. He'll be your junior brother from now on—he'll live in the back courtyard."

"Junior brother?!"

Liang He's eyes widened.

This junior brother—who looked old enough to be his uncle—came out of nowhere. Good.

After securing Liu Tiezhu from the forge and bringing him to Anning Garrison, Li Rui maneuvered to free him from artisan status—today, he formally took him as a disciple.

With his current rank,

he could've simply removed Liu Tiezhu from artisan registry and taken him as a disciple outright.

But he didn't.

As always: taking a disciple is a major matter.

After bringing Liu Tiezhu to Anning Garrison, Li Rui kept him as an obscure white-duty soldier in the camp.

He never once met him face-to-face.

Instead, he quietly observed Liu Tiezhu's every move.

After arriving in Anning Garrison, Liu Tiezhu didn't grow arrogant just because he'd met a high official—he calmly did his duty, never sought to meet Li Rui or curry favor.

No greed means inner calm.

=9+ Shu _ Ba

A sect doesn't need only ambitious geniuses striving upward.

It needs those who know contentment, steady pillars.

Logically, such a person should be the founding senior disciple—the first disciple.

Even looking at sect elders, the first disciple isn't always the most talented—but always the most composed.

Liang He isn't suited for that role.

But Liu Tiezhu is perfect.

Liu Tiezhu grinned broadly, his smile honest, and bowed deeply to Liang He: "Senior brother."

This made Liang He even more embarrassed.

But he accepted it calmly.

Seniority among disciples isn't based on age—it's based on entry order.

Thirty-year-old Liu Tiezhu must call twenty-year-old Liang He "Senior brother."

Yes.

Li Rui only learned this after checking the roster—Liu Tiezhu had spent years forging iron, so he looked old, but he was only thirty.

"Tiezhu, go find a room in the back house. Tomorrow, I'll teach you martial arts."

Liu Tiezhu's eyes widened.

Transmitting Wu Gong?

He licked his lips, thinking it was just a dream; not long ago, he had been an ordinary blacksmith in the forge, and now he had gained his freedom and could even practice Wu Gong like those Wu Shi masters.

How could this not be defying heaven and rewriting fate?

His eyes instantly turned red; he fell to his knees with a thud: "Thank you, Master, for rebirthing me."

Without Li Rui, he would never have reached today.

Li Rui smiled with satisfaction: "Rise. From now on, train hard and forge iron."

Liu Tiezhu is a blacksmith, but that doesn't mean he has no future.

The world isn't limited to just one path—Wu Gong—and I don't take disciples only from among martial geniuses.

Moreover, I've examined Liu Tiezhu's bone structure—he, like Tan Hu, is a natural Golden Giant, merely buried and never trained in Wu Gong, so he only appears stronger than others.

Once he trains Wu Gong, he will undergo tremendous change, which will also benefit his ironworking and weapon-casting.

Yes, I plan to continue cultivating Liu Tiezhu as a blacksmith.

But more accurately, as a weapon-caster—like a Talisman Master, a weapon-caster is a branch of Wu Dao, and those awe-inspiring divine weapons all come from their hands.

Otherwise, divine iron is impossibly hard; without machinery, simply hammering it is beyond ordinary people's capability—it must be done by a martial artist, specifically one skilled in strength.

"Perhaps he can forge an entirely different path."

A flicker of anticipation rose in Li Rui's heart.

This is exactly the effect I sought by transmitting Wu Gong.

A thousand people, a thousand arts—then unified within me—the result will surely surpass my expectations.

Night.

The room held no candlelight, pitch black; Li Rui sat alone, cross-legged on a mat.

"Indeed, another's stone can polish one's jade."

It has been half a month since I took Liu Tiezhu as a disciple.

He has not disappointed me.

Liu Tiezhu had spent years hammering iron in the forge, and with his natural Golden Giant constitution, his foundation is exceptional.

He may even enter the ranks next year.

Such is the dominance of a natural Golden Giant—but what surprised Li Rui even more was that Liu Tiezhu had truly transformed the Changchun Art into something entirely different.

Li Rui cultivates for longevity, with strength secondary; Liu Tiezhu, however, completely deviated from the original intent, focusing solely on the strength-focused passages.

The result was surprisingly excellent.

"Cultivate life, cultivate strength—without strength, life cannot be secured."

"I was clinging to form."

Li Rui let out a soft laugh.

Obsessing over longevity may prevent it—true cultivation lies in harmonizing life and strength.

Thus today, I specifically withdrew the Xuanqing Qi I had placed on Liu Hehe and Liu Tiezhu, carefully sensing their martial intentions.

Low power does not mean there is nothing worth learning.

Li Rui closed his eyes, sensing the two strands of Xuanqing Qi within him—seemingly identical, yet subtly different.

For a full hour.

He suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of enlightenment passing through them.

Since my insight improved, even the faintest spark of inspiration can plunge me into a half-awakening state.

"The divine dragon whips its tail—power exceeding ten thousand juns, crushing mountains and overturning seas!"

As he murmured softly.

His Xuanqing Qi rose involuntarily.

In the pitch-black room, a sudden green glow lit up.

Upon closer look, a slender dragon, as thick as an arm, coiled around Li Rui's body, its twin horns and dragon head resting precisely on his shoulders.

Dragon form manifested externally!

The Willow Sinew has three stages: nourishing Qi, gathering Qi, and forming shape—Li Rui had already completed gathering Qi, needing only one step to form the shape.

He trained daily.

The density of his Xuanqing Qi had long surpassed that of ordinary Willow Sinew cultivators.

Now, with sudden awakening, he directly manifested the dragon form.

This is the sign of the dragon form reaching perfection!

(End of chapter)