Chapter 289: A New Year

At the beginning of the new year, the winter chill seemed to be melted away by the festive joy, and the air was permeated with a warm and peaceful atmosphere.

Cheng Feng, dressed in new clothes and wearing a smile, set out on a journey to pay visits, accompanied by servants and carrying carefully selected New Year gifts.

The first stop was the Martial Arts Hall. This was the place where Cheng Feng first came into contact with the Martial Dao, where he had received much care from Wang Tieshan, and it was also one of the places Cheng Feng held most dear in his heart.

Stepping into the Martial Arts Hall, one could see the disciples practicing their fist and foot techniques with great fervor; their sweat steamed in the cold wind, displaying the tenacious and unyielding spirit of the Hong Sect.

The disciples of yesteryear were no longer there, but Cheng Feng had no particular feelings about it; at the time, he had been single-mindedly focused on making money, and his relationships with his fellow disciples had been mediocre.

Cheng Feng arrived at the Rear Courtyard, where his master Wang Tieshan was also practicing the blade, bare-chested, with white mist rising from his entire body—there was no change from when Cheng Feng had come to apprentice years ago.

Perhaps hearing Cheng Feng's footsteps, Wang Tieshan put away his blade stance and slowly looked toward the visitor; seeing it was Cheng Feng, the wrinkles on Wang Tieshan's face almost bunched together.

"Cheng Feng, you truly did not disappoint your master," Master Wang Tieshan said with emotion, his tone full of recognition and expectation for Cheng Feng.

He clearly remembered that when he took Cheng Feng as an apprentice back then, the boy's Root Bone was average, and he had only taken him in for the sake of the silver tuition; who would have known that he would later discover he had a talent for starting slow and finishing strong, which made Wang Tieshan begin to take an interest in Cheng Feng.

Watching Cheng Feng's progress, Wang Tieshan directly took Cheng Feng as his Closed-door Disciple, but Cheng Feng's subsequent progress stimulated Zhao Wei.

Wang Tieshan had placed his hopes on Zhao Wei since she was small, but he had not expected Zhao Wei to be so impulsive; fortunately, she recovered in the end under Cheng Feng's care.

Otherwise, Wang Tieshan really would not have known what to do.

His Thunder Blade Art was still waiting for a successor to carry it on! Without reaching Bone Refining Perfection, no one could learn the Thunder Blade Art.

Later, Cheng Feng even married Zhao Wei, whom he had raised like a daughter, which made Wang Tieshan feel even more helpless.

Fine, from now on, this technique would definitely have a share for Cheng Feng.

In the last year, the power of the Hong Sect had skyrocketed; Wang Tieshan had watched from not far away, terrified, but fortunately, Cheng Feng was successful and had befriended the current Sect Master, Wei Zhuang, which was the only reason they had beaten down the Red Star and Black Snake gangs.

Otherwise, Wang Tieshan felt that even if he had forcibly protected Cheng Feng, he would have been under great pressure.

Of course, Wang Tieshan was not without benefits afterward; as Cheng Feng's master,

after the gangs behind them collapsed, the Red Snake Martial Arts Hall and the Black Tiger Martial Arts Hall were all merged under the name of the Tieshan Martial Arts Hall, causing the reputation of the Tieshan Martial Arts Hall to soar.

How could Wang Tieshan not know that this was Cheng Feng returning a favor? He also paid more attention to Cheng Feng in his daily life.

"Master, this is all thanks to your excellent guidance," Cheng Feng replied respectfully, his eyes sparkling with gratitude toward his master.

He knew that he could have today's achievements only because of Master Wang Tieshan's careful cultivation and selfless dedication.

More importantly, when the Hong Sect was first established, Wang Tieshan had declared in the county that he would not allow other gangs to bully the weak, providing protection.

If not for Wang Tieshan, the Hong Sect would likely have vanished into thin air by now.

Returning a favor was inevitable, and honoring one's master and respecting the Dao were also duties that should be fulfilled.

"But having said that, you boy are truly remarkable now." Master Wang Tieshan smiled and patted Cheng Feng on the shoulder, continuing, "Not only have you achieved such high accomplishments in the Martial Dao, but you have also led the Hong Sect to make a name for yourself in the county. This sense of responsibility and courage truly makes your master feel gratified."

Hearing this, Cheng Feng just smiled modestly and turned the conversation to the technique.

"What? You are already at the Bone Refining Late Stage????" Wang Tieshan's jaw could no longer be described as merely dropping upon hearing Cheng Feng's realm.

Cheng Feng covered his face, knowing it would be like this, but he still detailed his experiences: "Master, please don't be agitated, things are like this..."

"A blood-red Heavenly Treasure????

It pushed you directly from the Bone Refining Initial Stage to the Bone Refining Late Stage????"

Even Wang Tieshan's state of mind, which had been as still as an ancient well for over fifty years, was filled with jealousy and envy at Cheng Feng's brief encounter.

Wang Tieshan himself was a representative of those who practiced martial arts through bitter toil; he had originally thought Cheng Feng's talent for starting slow and finishing strong was already explosive.

It was rare to see such a young Blood Refining Perfection, but in just half a year, he had crossed almost an entire major realm.

This made Wang Tieshan feel as if he had lived his life in vain!

In his fifty years of experience, he had heard of some lucky ones encountering opportunities to break through their realms,

but this lucky one was his own disciple.

It was truly impossible to look directly at the happiness of those around one!

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Wang Tieshan looked at the composed Cheng Feng and asked, "Then what is the reason for your visit today????"

Wang Tieshan did not believe that Cheng Feng, who now had an extraordinary status, would bring a New Year's gift just to reminisce.

Cheng Feng smiled frankly: "I cannot hide it from Master. Senior Sister is pregnant and it is inconvenient for her to come, but she also instructed me to come and ask if I can receive the instruction for the subsequent techniques at my current realm?"

Wang Tieshan sighed: "A married daughter is like spilled water."

He then said: "There is only one prerequisite for the subsequent techniques I have learned: a minimum of Bone Refining Perfection. Your current realm is a bit lacking. Just come find me when you have reached perfection. I won't say anything else; you must build a solid foundation in Bone Refining, as that makes it easier to break through realms."

Having received a positive reply, Cheng Feng nodded and cupped his hands: "Master, disciple has been instructed."

Watching Cheng Feng earnestly replying to him, Wang Tieshan seemed to see his younger self.

A heart seeking the Dao that is truly firm!!!

After chatting with Wang Tieshan for a while, Cheng Feng and his party arrived at Yonghe Hall.

This was mainly because his medical master was here; being able to get his Needle Yama Art to the entry level was all thanks to the master's help and guidance.

As the saying goes, different professions are like different mountains; even though Cheng Feng had the Panmian, the use of the Panmian was mainly limited to his own scope of knowledge.

Without a certain amount of information, Cheng Feng could not create or upgrade things out of thin air.

Cheng Feng decided to give his Needle Yama Art to his master as a gift; Jiang Lao would definitely like it.

Walking inside, Yonghe Hall, which was about to celebrate the New Year, was also decorated with lanterns and streamers to celebrate the occasion.

Walking into the familiar inner hall, a figure like a white lotus was earnestly studying a prescription in her hand, and she looked up inadvertently.

Jiang Feifei's cold face also released a hint of a refreshing smile: "Cheng Feng? Are you not busy?"

Cheng Feng lifted the gift box in his hand: "With the year-end approaching, I have specifically come to bring a token of my heart to Master and you."

Jiang Feifei's face changed, as if she hadn't just smiled, and she replied coldly: "Grandfather is in the inner courtyard; go yourself."

Her eyes, however, remained fixed on Cheng Feng, wanting to see how Cheng Feng would choose.

Facing Jiang Feifei's long-lost and affectionate gaze, a surge of indescribable palpitation welled up in Cheng Feng's heart.

This emotion was like a flower blooming in the spring, both gentle and full of vitality, making him slow his breathing involuntarily, for fear of disturbing this sudden beauty.