Chapter 295: Dragon and Elephant Power, Indestructible Sinews and Bones

Qingzhou, the Prefect's Office.

"That ancient dragon was killed by Yuan Dingting?"

Qu Chengfeng's expression was far from pleasant; in fact, it was deeply grim.

"Not dead—heard he fled to the South Sea."

The beautiful woman spoke softly, her voice like a skylark's; in Li Rui's past life, they'd call it a squeaky voice.

"I understand. Go."

Qu Chengfeng nodded.

The woman rolled her eyes, slowly withdrew, and as the door creaked shut, silence returned.

Qu Chengfeng fell into thought.

"Coincidence?"

"Or intentional?"

That transformed dragon was his hidden card—but he never expected Yuan Dingting would cripple it so easily.

Rumors abroad say:

It was Yuan Dingting's birthday gift to his young son, using dragon qi to establish the Foundation.

But Qu Chengfeng always felt it wasn't that simple.

"Damn!"

He muttered under his breath, casting a disgusted glance at his own body.

Weak.

Extremely weak.

A slight exertion of his cultivation would shatter this body, and if his aura leaked out, trouble would follow.

"Forget it. First, restore my cultivation."

He began the incantation.

Qu Chengfeng took a translucent jade stone from a nearby box.

"Almost there."

A faint smile curled his lips.

The world knows only that Spirit-Testing Stones can detect spiritual roots—but almost no one knows that with Immortal Qi to nurture them, they can enhance spiritual roots.

Of course.

In the past, Immortals would never waste Immortal Qi on nurturing others' roots, and even then, the boost was minimal.

A waste of time and effort for little gain.

But now, in this realm where spiritual energy is scarce, even Qu Chengfeng must find any way possible to improve his root.

This nurturing of the Spirit-Testing Stone is one such method.

If he can raise this body's root from Mid-grade to High-grade, many techniques will become usable.

"Spiritual energy is nearly nonexistent—this is a real problem."

Qu Chengfeng was chosen as a vessel not only because his essence matched it, but also because he possessed a Mid-grade spiritual root—a rarity in this world.

Mid-grade roots aren't rare per se—but in this world, they're nearly impossible to find.

"I must raise my root as soon as possible."

The moment Qu Chengfeng thought of those madmen, his heart sank.

Once he becomes a High-grade root,

He won't need to hide and skulk like he does now.

Dawn.

Li Rui awoke from his dreamlike Cloud Terrace, stretching comfortably.

He stepped out the door.

There, in the courtyard, the willow tree had sprouted tender buds, lush and delightful.

"Another spring."

Li Rui's lips curled slightly.

Since entering the Rising Waves realm from the Observing Sea realm, his cultivation speed had clearly slowed—but compared to his previous pace of one realm per year, it was still terrifyingly fast.

The higher the realm, the longer the breakthrough takes.

That's common knowledge in the martial world.

If someone truly grew faster and faster, they were almost certainly an Immortal King reincarnated.

He descended the stone steps.

Just then, Yang Yong ambled over.

"Old Yang, can't sleep again?"

Li Rui greeted him with a smile.

Yang Yong placed his hands on his hips and groaned: "Don't even ask—I can't sleep at all."

"At seventy, it's normal."

Li Rui knew this well.

Yang Yong sighed: "Old Li, remember back when we were with the Zhu family? We always wanted more sleep. I still recall getting whipped several times by that damn Zhu steward for oversleeping."

"Now we can sleep, no one's yelling at us."

Yang Yong chuckled bitterly: "Damn it, now we can't sleep at all—how infuriating."

Li Rui patted Yang Yong's shoulder: "It's unavoidable—time doesn't spare anyone."

Hearing this,

Yang Yong shoved Li Rui's hand away, glaring at his increasingly white hair with its dwindling black strands:

"Get lost!"

"Don't you dare die before me—I'll hire a few women to dance on your grave."

Li Rui chuckled: "Old Yang, why are you getting so worked up?"

As they spoke,

The courtyard grew lively.

Wang Zhao brought over a pot of meat porridge; Liu Tiezhu came running at the smell.

He first ladled a bowl and carried it to Old Tie.

Then, happily, the four of them gathered in a circle, eating heartily.

After finishing the porridge,

As Assistant Regional Commander, Li Rui had little to do—after all, he wasn't an Assistant Regional Commander, so he had no need to oversee the Daily Peace Guard's daily affairs; he only needed to fulfill his supervisory role.

He first patrolled the Daily Peace Guard.

Then he went to the Heaven-Earth Alliance.

Compared to Jiang Lin, who was nearly invisible during his tenure, Li Rui was already quite diligent.

There's no help for it.

That's just how an Assistant Regional Commander is.

If an Assistant Regional Commander handled every task himself, it'd be like the referee jumping into the game—then the imperial court would be displeased.

Of course,

To say Li Rui had absolutely nothing to do would be unfair.

An Assistant Regional Commander's duties are small, but the blame is heavy.

Whatever happens in the Daily Peace Guard, Li Rui as Assistant Regional Commander will always be held accountable.

He appears leisurely.

But his subordinates aren't—Ning Zhongtian and Lu Jun have plenty on their plates.

Any ripple in the Daily Peace Guard reaches his desk the same day.

Only after taking over did Li Rui realize Jiang Lin was a master of intelligence—over a dozen overt spies, and over a hundred covert ones.

The previous generation plants the tree; the next enjoys the shade.

No need to work too hard.

Half an hour later,

Li Rui arrived before the Heaven-Earth Alliance—just as before.

The "One Alliance, Two Gangs, Three Houses" had long become ancient history; even the younger generation of Qinghe didn't know what the "Two Gangs, Three Houses" even were.

"I heard the Blood Tiger Gang's boss was slapped to death by some rich brat from a major sect—then the gang fell apart."

"The Broken Blade Gate moved to Anning Prefecture."

"The Three Houses… there are no Three Houses left."

Only the Heaven-Earth Alliance still thrives. Qinghe is no longer what it once was—the strongest among the Two Gangs and Three Houses were no higher than 7th rank.

Seventh rank? In today's Qinghe, you could hit several with a thrown brick.

Strength is fundamental.

The Two Gangs and Three Houses lacked strength—they were doomed to become yesterday's news. To escape unscathed was already a stroke of luck.

In truth, without Li Rui, even if the Heaven-Earth Alliance survived, it would be nothing more than a third-rate faction.

"Leader."

The guards at the gate bowed respectfully to Li Rui.

Every youthful face was filled with admiration.

The previous guards had long been transferred to the inner hall, replaced again and again—they were no longer the same people from when Li Rui first entered this gate—but his name was now known to all in the Heaven and Earth Alliance.

Soon.

He arrived at the Gathering Hall.

There, Liang He and Liu Tong were discussing something.

Not a single error in content, not a single mistake!

"Master."

"Alliance Leader."

Both turned upon seeing Li Rui and immediately bowed.

"No need for such formalities with me."

Li Rui waved his hand—he said this every time, yet they still bowed as usual.

"Master, we're debating whether to expand our trade routes to Yunzhou."

Liu Tong spoke: "Alliance Leader, our beast merchandise is already watched by too many eyes; one misstep could mean total loss. We must plan ahead—we can't hang all our hopes on a single thread."

Liang He said:

Yunzhou is no place for amateurs—it's teeming with powerful figures far surpassing those in Qinghe; one misstep could lead to earth-shattering consequences.

Li Rui listened.

The two were locked in heated debate over whether to go to Yunzhou.

Both had recently broken through to the Seventh Rank.

They had become the pillars of the Heaven and Earth Alliance.

As the Grand Alliance Leader, he left minor affairs to them; Ning Zhongtian was mostly occupied with the Anning Guard duties, so all internal matters fell to these two.

As for the other Alliance Leaders:

Huang Chui, aware he couldn't match the younger Liu Tong and Liang He, stepped back voluntarily and focused solely on trade.

Fei Laosan was far away in Anning Prefecture and rarely returned.

Ge Hong, like Li Rui and Ning Zhongtian, held a position in the Anning Guard and had no time for other matters.

The situation was delicate.

Yet Liang He and Liu Tong handled affairs exceptionally well.

The phrase "Little Alliance Leader" had long been coined within the Heaven and Earth Alliance—referring to these two.

Li Rui chuckled.

"Let's not talk business yet—I'm thirsty. Bring some tea."

Saying this,

he sat down without waiting.

Seeing this, Liang He and Liu Tong hurried to brew tea.

Li Rui watched them with a smile.

He had chosen Liang He and Liu Tong as his right and left hands precisely because their personalities complemented each other.

Liang He was steady; Liu Tong was ambitious.

This balance prevented mishaps while allowing the Heaven and Earth Alliance to grow.

After drinking tea, Li Rui spoke slowly: "I've already decided. Yunzhou will send envoys soon. Liu, take a few men with you—go ahead and make preliminary arrangements. Remember, don't mention business—just make friends."

Liu Tong's eyes lit up: "So the Alliance Leader agrees?"

Li Rui smiled: "Whether this succeeds depends entirely on you."

"Rest assured, Alliance Leader."

Liu Tong thumped his chest loudly.

Seeing Li Rui had spoken, Liang He said no more.

When the Master acts, the disciple simply listens.

He could certainly expand the Alliance's trade to Yunzhou—but he couldn't handle everything himself. He needed someone reliable.

Liang He was steady but poor at networking.

Liu Tong was the opposite.

So recently, he had deliberately let them argue over this matter.

To help Liu Tong clarify his thoughts, temper his arrogance, and prevent him from becoming overconfident.

He appeared to have an easy role as Grand Alliance Leader.

But the thought and effort he invested were far from negligible.

Beyond the Alliance's own members, many outsiders were involved—if he hadn't arranged the connections, Liu Tong's journey to Yunzhou would have met walls at every turn.

And all of this

must rest upon strength.

Military officers generally have more confidence than civil officials precisely because they possess martial prowess.

This is fundamental—never to be neglected.

With Li Rui's approval, Liu Tong eagerly rushed off to prepare.

Only Li Rui and Liang He remained in the Gathering Hall.

Li Rui sipped his tea, then looked at Liang He: "What, feeling slighted that I helped Liu and not my own disciple?"

Liang He shook his head with a smile:

"Master always has his reasons."

"Besides, Liu is better suited for this. I was deliberately holding him back."

Hearing this, Li Rui chuckled: "Good. You've grown."

Since becoming Acting Alliance Leader, Liang He had increasingly taken on the bearing of one.

This was excellent.

As Li Rui's eldest disciple, Liang He need not lead expansion efforts—but he must remain steady, or rather, his heart must be broad enough to accept, recognize, and employ others.

Previously, Liang He had lacked this quality.

Now, he was finally beginning to look like the eldest disciple.

Li Rui drained his cup:

"Alright, I have other matters—I'll be going."

From today on,

the Heaven and Earth Alliance no longer needed daily visits.

In the courtyard,

Li Rui stood calm and composed, his legs like twin pillars rooted firmly to the earth, as immovable as a mountain.

A long blade moved slowly.

Each movement carried boundless grace, pleasing to the eye.

Wang Zhao and Yang Yong were the usual spectators.

Besides them,

Tie Kuang had brought Liu Tiezhu, rarely seen in the front courtyard.

"Is this boy about to break through in his swordplay?"

Tie Kuang instantly recognized Li Rui's condition.

"Such an exquisite sword technique!"

His eyebrows twitched slightly in surprise.

Had he known Li Rui had once been praised by Yuan Dingting as the best swordmaster in Yunzhou, he might not have been so startled.

"Qi ascends like a dancing dragon, power sinks like an elephant's tread, yin and yang harmonize, roars shake the spirit, dragon and elephant unite, all things return to one."

Li Rui whispered softly.

These were the incantations of the final stage of the Dragon-Elephant True Qi Power: "Dragon-Elephant Force."

Blood and qi surged upward, his entire body like a divine furnace refining his flesh.

For half an hour,

his internal blood and qi finally reached a critical threshold.

"Dragon-Elephant Force—achieved."

(End of Chapter)