Chapter 168: Welcome to True Dragon (Part 1)

The Vertical and Horizontal Book has a total of twenty-seven entry cultivation techniques.

Among them, twenty-two are performed empty-handed, and only five use weapons, which are sword, long spear, short thorn, whip, and short axe.

And among these techniques, Zhang Gui has already mastered the Vertical and Horizontal Flying Kicker, Vertical and Horizontal Flowing Fire Fist, Vertical and Horizontal Wind-Seizing Hand, and Vertical and Horizontal Finger Crossbow Master.

Especially the Vertical and Horizontal Flying Kicker, which has even reached the level of being proficient and having the signs of Divine Cong birth.

But even so, the deeper he went, the more Zhang Gui understood that there were so many techniques in the Vertical and Horizontal Record, which looked dazzling.

But the best of them only cultivated to the 'Upper Class B' third grade, and the evaluation of 'medium-flat and slightly above' was not without reason.

It's hard to achieve anything even if you cultivate to death.

However, since the technique was obtained for free and he could immediately get started in the practice room of the Pingyang Zhang family, he didn't dislike it.

He spent three days and three nights memorizing all the 'Three-Nine' techniques in the "Vertical and Horizontal Book."

But unfortunately, although the Swaying Shadow Text Array and Spirit Returning Stele of the Pingyang Zhang family were more than enough for practicing the "Vertical and Horizontal Record,"

The jade talisman reflecting the "Four Seasons Wind Rain Thunder Year Record" was more than a notch worse.

Making Zhang Gui's intention to 'steal a chicken' a delusion.

As for other things later.

Whether it was sending a few cousins to the Pingyang Zhang family for cultivation, or setting up a 'Guild Hall' for the Pingyang Zhang family in Zhihai Town,

Or taking a trip to the 'Civilization Pioneer City' on Giant Serpent Head Island to meet with his business partner Salisa and maintain his connections in the Western Continent, everything went smoothly.

And after handling the miscellaneous matters, before returning to Xianrong Island.

Zhang Gui put all his spare thoughts on the expansion of the True Dragon Kingdom...

On the thirteenth day of the third month, the crow wind howled in the Eastern Inner Sea.

Several ancient hundred-load cargo ships docked at the coastal berth of Tianqiao Island against the wind and rain.

This island is about two thousand miles in circumference, and sixty percent of the territory is low mountains.

Coupled with the fact that the fresh water underground is buried very deep, making it extremely difficult to dig wells, it has been abandoned throughout history.

It has never had a formal name.

Only occasionally in the mouths of sailors, or on the private sea charts of ship gangs and trading firms, have nicknames such as 'Scattered Soil, Dwarf Slope' been circulated.

Until it was favored by Prince Zhen's 'Traveling Court.'

The 'Tianqiao'—the last of the thirty-six Heavenly Spirits of 'Heavenly Craft Opening All Things'—was opened here, and it was finally officially named 'Tianqiao Island.'

Since then, half a year has passed unconsciously.

The fleet dropped anchor and set up hook boards between the ship's deck and the wharf.

The 'cargo' in the bottom cabin of the cargo ship—teams of ragged, skinny men and women—stumbled ashore.

Only then did someone come over from the row houses on the wharf, wearing a rain cape.

Muttering and cursing in his mouth, "Truly crazy.

In such weather, still operating broken ships to transport people out to sea, do you not want your lives for the sake of promotion?

If you want to die, that's fine, don't implicate me in freezing."

As he spoke, the hoarse voice came to the 'cargo,' and suddenly raised his voice,

"Quick, quick, quick, divide into two teams by gender, men follow me.

Did you hear me, divide into two teams, men and women teams..."

The poor wretches who had just disembarked were clearly mostly dazed.

Shivering in the rain, they looked at each other blankly.

After being whipped a few times, they finally understood what to do and obediently divided into two teams of men and women.

They were 'led' into the island like livestock.

Afterward, at a fork in the road, the women went right into the farm, and the men went left into the training ground.

The training ground was terrifyingly large, surrounded by circles of military camps.

Through the rain, one could vaguely see tall figures in the distance, building houses in the storm.

Because everyone had heard the preaching before.

The sea city they were going to was like a paradise, built by the strange object 'Heavenly Craft Opening All Things.'

Therefore, many people guessed that those figures were not living things, but the so-called 'Heavenly Crafts.'

This kind of rarity is hard to see in a hundred years for the general public.

Those who were old and understood the importance, and were hungry and tired and listless, could still maintain silence, moving forward like wooden people.

The teenagers, however, regained their spirits, and their expressions became vivid again.

"Those people in the distance must be the iron men made by that 'strange object.'

Sure enough, they do the work themselves, making people not believe they are artifacts."

"Do you think they are actually living people?"

"Haven't you done heavy work at home? In such weather, doing physical labor.

Tired out and sweating, poured by cold rain, blown by wind and snow, you would immediately get a fever.

You would die of cold immediately, so those must not be living people."

"That's not necessarily true, we ordinary people are afraid of wind and cold, but the cultivating cultivators are not afraid..."

"Why are you always being contrary, not talking sense.

Would your cultivating cultivators build military camps in the wind and rain?

The imperial palace couldn't be built like this either."

As soon as these words came out, the thin man who was being contrary had nothing more to say and closed his mouth resentfully.

But the strong boy who won the argument didn't let him go, wiped the rain off his face,

"Thin man, what's your name?"

The thin man glanced at the strong boy, "Lu Yousheng, a name given by a scholar in the village, so what."

"Alas, a name given by a scholar, no wonder it's so literary.

Just can't see that your family was a wealthy household before, then why are you so thin now?

Like a dry stick, hahahaha..."

"Our hometown suffered from locusts, I was already the fattest in the ten miles and eight villages, the rest starved to death, so what."

The strong boy choked in his throat, opened his mouth, suddenly slapped himself twice, lowered his head and said:

"Brother Lu, I just feel that we are really hard on this journey, and now it's finally hard to reach the destination.

I wanted to get to know each other, gather together, so as not to be bullied by the old people.

No other meaning."

Lu Yousheng was silent for a moment, and said muffledly: "Then what's your name?"

"My name is not as gentle as yours, my father's surname is Lu, and my grandfather's surname is Li, so I am called Lu Lihu."

"Your name is domineering, very suitable for your size."

"Hehehe, that's right.

When I was at home, my companions called me Lu Lihu, that name is even more domineering..."

The young people whispered for a long time, and no one was whipped again.

After walking for a while, everyone was randomly assigned to several barracks.

The houses built by the strange objects, plus the charcoal transported to the island, were sufficient.

The room was simply as warm as heaven compared to the outside.

Making people's bones feel soft.

Lu Lihu, Lu Yousheng, and several other familiar young people, seeing no one in charge, naturally gathered together.

The original intention was to guard against being bullied, but unexpectedly no one paid attention to them at all.

In broad daylight, everyone was actually sleeping.

Only a sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked old man who called himself 'Manager' and surnamed Ma greeted them warmly:

"You've come, good, good, it's good to have newcomers.

There is rain and snow today, no training, no dry food to eat.

But corn porridge is enough to eat."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 169 =====