Chapter 6

One movement, one stillness; one stillness, one movement — each seemed to be a way in which strength circulated.

If he could grasp the flavor of those moves and postures, Fang Yu would break through to the 4th Stage of the Physical Body Secret Realm, the Hardness-Softness Realm.

"Fang Yu."

Suddenly, a figure descended into the Ten Thousand Phenomena Garden and spoke to Fang Yu.

"Family Head."

Fang Yu immediately recognized the middle-aged man as the Viceroy of the Fang family, Fang Zetao, the family head — a figure who had cultivated to the 10th Stage of Physical Body.

He was also the Fang family's number one expert.

In the Great Li Dynasty, reaching the 10th Stage of Physical Body, the Realm of Divine Transformation, was already enough to suppress the Fang family's fortune and enjoy a hundred years of ease.

"You are very good. The children of our Fang family at this hour are mostly off at play, yet you are still cultivating — that is very good."

Fang Zetao's gaze swept over; his eyes were like torches, and with a single glance seemed capable of seeing every last thing about Fang Yu with perfect clarity. Especially in that gaze there was an immense spiritual pressure — as though this family head, with the slightest move, could make Fang Yu fall into an illusion.

This was precisely the terror of the 10th Stage of Physical Body, the Divine Transformation Realm. When a Divine Transformation cultivator looked at those of lower realms, the opponent's spirit would fall into an illusion, and before they could react, they would already be dead.

"As a child of the Fang family, I naturally must cultivate diligently and raise my strength. If I can cultivate to the 5th Stage of Physical Body, the Realm of Divine Power, I may be able to go to the Yuhuaxian Sect and take the examination for its outer disciples. Once I succeed, I will certainly repay our Fang family and earn merit for it!"

Fang Yu put on a look brimming with lofty ambition and spoke.

"5th Stage of Physical Body, the Realm of Divine Power. Take the outer disciple examination?"

A peculiar expression crossed Fang Zetao's face; he nodded, then shook his head. "If you truly could cultivate to the Divine Transformation Realm, then you could indeed go and try the Yuhuaxian Sect's outer examination. But that outer examination is not so easy — you must defeat a Divine Power puppet, and that Divine Power puppet is not so simple to defeat… Still, your thinking is good."

Fang Zetao seemed not to want to dampen Fang Yu's confidence and held back his words.

The Divine Power puppet of the Yuhua Sect — how could it be so easy to defeat? Even someone at the 6th Stage of Physical Body, the Aura Realm, might not necessarily be able to defeat a Divine Power puppet. But there was no need now to deflate the spirit of a Fang family disciple.

"The Hardness-Softness Realm — to speak of it as hard is not hard, to speak of it as not hard is also hard. Watch carefully. Since I see you cultivating earnestly today, I shall demonstrate it once."

Fang Zetao suddenly shifted his form and began demonstrating the Pine Crane Longevity Fist in the Ten Thousand Phenomena Garden. Indeed, in the hands of one at the 10th Stage of Physical Body, the Divine Transformation Realm, this fist art unleashed incomparably fearsome might.

Any casual strike could kill an enemy.

If the immortal crane Fang Yu had previously demonstrated was a crane just newly hatched, then the immortal crane Fang Zetao now demonstrated was an adult crane on the verge of becoming a spirit — every claw, every grab could bring down an enemy dead.

Especially, his speed was extreme; in an instant he struck, yin and yang shifting, flowing at will.

Fang Yu felt that even if hundreds, even thousands of people were to surround and attack Fang Zetao together now, they could do nothing to him at all.

Even if those hundreds or thousands had bows and crossbows, they could do nothing to Fang Zetao — this fearsome existence at the 10th Stage of Physical Body, the Divine Transformation Realm.

"The transformation of the immortal crane lies in this. Fang Yu, observe well."

Fang Zetao personally demonstrated the supreme way of hardness and softness's transformations; the next moment his form moved and he vanished once more.

In the Ten Thousand Phenomena Garden, only Fang Yu remained.

"Putting in the work — as expected, he's earned the family head's favor."

Fang Yu, seeing Fang Zetao leave just like that, was not surprised. He knew this was a sudden whim of the family head, a single move of guidance. If word of it spread, it would also spur the other Fang family disciples to compete, to cultivate earnestly, to increase their cultivation time.

For the family head, this was merely a passing impulse; but for Fang Yu, it brought a great harvest.

A cultivator at the 10th Stage of Physical Body personally demonstrating the Pine Crane Longevity Fist, and even telling him some essentials — such experience was very rare.

At once, Fang Yu continued cultivating in the Ten Thousand Phenomena Garden.

His whole body's muscles and tendons surged; strength circulated and shifted, like an immortal crane dancing, ascending in flight. Swish, swish, swish — suddenly a grab, a spread, and then a kick.

The force of his leg tore the air, producing a heart-rending sound that carried far into the distance.

Bang!

A hardwood log as thick as a rice bowl was snapped in two with a single kick.

Crack, crack.

Fang Yu struck again, kicking through fifteen trees in a row, his face neither flushed nor his breath short. He tapped out with both feet — one foot drew a square, the other drew a circle — and stood rooted firm, like an ancient pine, its roots driven deep into the rock, biting down and never letting go.

"One hand draws a square, one hand draws a circle — I never expected I would finally break through to the 4th Stage of the Physical Body Secret Realm, the Hardness-Softness Realm."

A hint of joy appeared on Fang Yu's face. Having received the instruction of the Fang family head, Fang Zetao, he had quickly grasped the wonder of hardness and softness, and now he had formally stepped into the 4th Stage of the Physical Body Secret Realm.

"The next realm is the Divine Power Realm — to cultivate the strength of a Xuanhuang wild horse, I wonder when I will succeed."

Having broken through to the 4th Stage of the Physical Body Secret Realm in one go, Fang Yu, after a moment of joy, regained his calm. He knew the road of cultivation was still long; to enter the Yuhuaxian Sect and cultivate, he had to step into the 5th Stage of the Physical Body Secret Realm.

"Having broke through the realm, with the family head's eyes he should be able to see it clearly. I've been putting in the work for so long — I suppose tomorrow I should be able to receive a reward."

Fang Yu held his stance for a while longer, then rose, bathed, and went to his own dwelling.

The Fang family had many houses and many gardens. The Ten Thousand Phenomena Garden, for instance, was a place specially for Fang family disciples to cultivate, and it was a great distance from where the Fang family disciples slept — otherwise, if he cultivated in the Ten Thousand Phenomena Garden, the other disciples would be unable to sleep for the noise he made, and that would not do.

Just as Fang Yu was passing through several gardens on his way back to his dwelling, he saw a servant still preparing the next day's feed for the horses.

That servant was none other than Fang Han.