Chapter 81: Transmitting the Art, Establishing Authority!

Body Casting?

That is one of the Three Great Thresholds after Martial Man Enters the Realm; ordinary people need about three years of gradual pounding and tempering to possibly break through—after breaking this threshold, every punch, kick, blade, or sword strike can be unleashed with full force without fear of self-injury from recoil.

It is the true foundation upon which a Martial Man can bear vast Qi for combat.

Xue Daoyong's feigned anger vanished in an instant; he appeared beside Li Guanyi and seized the boy's arm. Li Guanyi's Qi surged and broke free at once—the old man's strength was precisely calibrated to the level achievable after Body Casting.

Everything can be faked.

Only the contest between Martial Men is real.

The old man froze, murmuring: "Half a month? Half a month? Body Casting is already complete?"

Li Guanyi shook his head. "It's more than that."

Xue Daoyong looked at him. The youth clenched his fist and performed a set of fist techniques; finally, he spun sharply, his Qi surging violently. Li Guanyi's bone structure had been weakened by the poison in his body, but his comprehension of Wu Gong was excellent—this basic set of fist techniques was executed with perfect rhythm and control.

At the final moment, as he gathered his Qi and struck with a punch, a jade-colored aura shimmered along his knuckles, stirring the air around him with a whistling sound. He halted his movements and said: "The Jade Arm Divine Bow Art—I've achieved minor mastery of its Entry Chapter."

In half a month, Body Casting is complete, and the Jade Arm Divine Bow Art's Entry Chapter is minorly mastered.

The old man opened his mouth.

He stared at Li Guanyi.

Then he burst into loud laughter.

"Hahaha, good, good!"

"No wonder you're my Xue family's Fire Qilin!"

"Good, good indeed!"

Li Guanyi bowed with a smile: "Today I broke through, so I'm in high spirits. Seeing Young Lady Xue Shuangtao in low spirits, knowing she had to face those noble houses, I took the liberty of taking her out for a walk. But it rained, the road was slippery, and she twisted her ankle by accident."

Xue Daoyong waved his hand. "What's this talk of 'Young Lady'?"

"You're nearly the same age. You grew up together. You were childhood companions with no secrets between you."

"From childhood to now, your bond has been deep."

"Just call her Shuangtao."

Li Guanyi froze.

He had always prided himself on lying as naturally as breathing.

Until he met this old man who built such a vast fortune amid chaos.

The youth realized he was still too green.

Xue Daoyong smiled and said: "Come, come—since you've achieved Body Casting, I'll now transmit the 【Concentrating Qi Chapter】 to you." The elder had Li Guanyi sit down and demonstrated the Qi transformations of the Concentrating Qi stage—merely forging internal Qi to compress it from its original scattered state into a denser form.

"At this stage, all Gejiage Sects use similar methods, different paths leading to the same end—essentially, it's just compressing internal Qi, but there are only two critical points."

The old man opened his palm; his Qi rose and condensed into a slender thread of aura that spiraled around his palm, piercing the air with a sharp whistle. "Condense and control. After this stage, your internal Qi will become far more agile. What once felt like accumulated Qi in your meridians will now seem diminished."

"In truth, it's like clouds turning to rain—there has been a qualitative transformation."

"The more condensed your Qi, the farther it can reach beyond the body. Warriors at this stage all train in armor-piercing martial arts. My Xue family's true heirloom techniques can only be mastered at the Third Layer—when Qi is condensed into weapons. The martial art of this stage is called Shattered Jade Fist."

The old man demonstrated: using the internal Qi of the Jade Arm Divine Bow Art, which accumulates force with each strike and then explodes, he drove the condensed aura into the opponent's body, then triggered it to detonate within their muscles and bones.

"My Xue family excels in archery, but Shattered Jade Fist is considered an upper-tier fist art in the Jianghuda Sect—it can stand shoulder to shoulder with the inner core Wu Gong of the Jianghuda Sect during the Entry stage."

Li Guanyi was curious.

The old man merely smiled: "Everyone in this world seeks something."

"The Xue family has nothing else—just a bit of spare wealth. The world is vast, everyone suffers, and wealth can solve many problems. With enough money, you can hire a few greedy martial experts to create an upper-tier fist art based on the Jade Arm Divine Bow Art's characteristics—it's not difficult."

Li Guanyi asked: "Won't they leak this fist art?"

The old man said: "I heard that after completing this fist art, they severed the meridians in both arms."

"To ensure no internal Qi flow could ever be revealed."

Li Guanyi said: "That's brutal?"

The elder spoke calmly: "The Xue family gave them wealth no death-servant could ever attain—enough to ensure three generations of prosperity."

Li Guanyi grimaced, realizing he still didn't fully grasp the Xue family's wealth. The old man then transmitted the secret fist technique to Li Guanyi and had him sit before him, attempting to concentrate Qi. Li Guanyi breathed in and out, following the Xue family's Concentrating Qi Method to condense his internal Qi.

Li Guanyi sensed his internal Qi gradually compressing, like forging iron ore.

Impurities were expelled; the Qi grew purer.

Soon, the first thread of condensed Qi was complete.

Li Guanyi stared at the slow-flowing Qi in his palm—it was still not pure enough, not dense enough, but unlike his previous scattered Qi, it was now visible to the naked eye. He flicked his finger; the Qi shot out, striking the chessboard and sending a piece flying.

The youth clenched his fist.

Concentrating Qi.

Once Concentrating Qi is achieved, he could transmit internal Qi into others' bodies and determine his aunt's condition—no longer like last time, when his Qi vanished the moment it reached her wrist.

Li Guanyi deeply cared about his aunt's condition.

And Xue Shen's ultimate art 【Rolling Waves】, and Chen Duke's ultimate art 【Crushing Mountains】, both require mastery of Qi control after Concentrating Qi to be completed.

Concentrating Qi…

As Li Guanyi was practicing, he also felt the cold, icy presence interfering at his chest.

After flowing through his heart meridian, one-third of his condensed Qi scattered again.

This left Li Guanyi deeply unsettled.

This poison, clinging to him for ten years, its shadow never lifting—when Master Siming returns, he will crush it utterly with the Tiger Roar Bone Forging Art, but he didn't know how much his bone structure would improve then, or how much faster his Qi would flow.

Yet even this stage of Qi condensation earned Xue Daoyong's strong approval.

He invited Li Guanyi to stay for dinner, then pulled out a letter and casually handed it to him to read—then sighed: "The Chen Kingdom's grand sacrifice in one month will be even larger than we anticipated, Guanyi."

"The five Khagan kings of the Tujue were crushed by Yuwen Lie; yet the seventh king possesses piercing insight and has seized the grasslands of the Western Regions—he is now a rising sovereign of the steppes."

"And this seventh king is coming to the Chen Kingdom's grand sacrifice."

"The one from Ying State should be Prince Jiang Yuan, the second imperial prince, renowned for his virtue—I wonder if the crown prince will come too; if even that crown prince is coming..."

Xue Daoyong's expression paused, then he said: "The famed general of the realm, Yuwen Lie, will also come."

Li Guanyi's movement paused.

The old man continued:

"Moreover, there is the second young master of the Ying State Duke's household."

"He is young but already famed for his talent, accomplished in both literature and martial arts."

"Originally, it should have been the eldest son who came; no one knows why they suddenly changed it."

"It's similar to the situation with the Seven Kings of the Tujue."

"Besides these, there is also the son of the newly founded Tangxiang State's ruler—these people will all come."

"I've heard the Tangxiang State's ruler is secretly searching in the Western Regions for the Wang Yin of the Tuyuhun; Yuwen Lie of Ying State and Dantai Xianming are also seeking this very object—perhaps the last Tuyuhun king, in his final moments, suddenly awakened and leapt into the volcanic chasm that split open in the Western Regions, taking the seal with him."

"Otherwise, how could such a precious object simply vanish?"

"The remnants of the Tuyuhun tribe, the newly founded Tangxiang people, the iron-hungry Tiele, Ying State seeking to establish a protectorate, and the old fox Dantai Xianming—all are watching this one seal."

"I've heard that when this seal was forged, thirty-five tribal chieftains were slaughtered; even three hundred years later, it still stirs up blood and storm—back then, the Tuyuhun king truly was the greatest hero and overlord of the Western Regions in a thousand years."

Xue Daoyong sighed.

Li Guanyi's expression remained unchanged: "Indeed, this is where the winds and clouds of the realm converge."

"But no one knows where it is, or who has taken it."

Xue Daoyong smiled: "Whoever it is, that's a matter far away in the Western Regions, unrelated to us—we should simply watch and wait. When that person emerges, trouble will surely follow."

Li Guanyi said: "True."

Yet in his heart, he thought: I must drain the fortune-energy from this seal before the Great Sacrifice.

The old man chatted with him, speaking of the world's changes, of the whirlpool of the Great Sacrifice; finally, he raised his teacup and whispered: "Tomorrow, Shuangtao heads to Jingcheng—Guanyi, ride with her to see her off; turn back after about a hundred li."

"We must resolve one of your troubles before you enter the Great Sacrifice."

Li Guanyi fell into thought.

The old man waved his hand, and the curtain of the Listening Wind Pavilion fell, silencing all conversation within.

The old man and Li Guanyi spoke for the duration of an incense stick.

………………

It had rained today; tomorrow's Jiangnan sky was exceptionally azure. The Xue family's carriage convoy was ready, exiting the eastern gate of Yicheng, heading toward Jiangzhou's Jingcheng. Inside the carriages were gifts and formal invitations from the Xue family to other noble houses; the eldest young lady sat inside, lifting the curtain to chat with Li Guanyi.

Li Guanyi rode his horse, strikingly martial; since the carriage moved slowly, the hundred-li journey took an hour. Ahead, he could already see the entourage sent by the imperial concubine. He pulled his reins tight and said: "Then, Young Lady, I can't accompany you further."

"Travel safely."

Xue Shuangtao lifted her gaze and suddenly said: "... You'll come in a month, won't you?"

"You've received your travel pass—won't you suddenly disappear?"

Li Guanyi said: "Mm."

"The Emperor has issued an edict—I can't run away even if I wanted to."

Xue Shuangtao relaxed, slowly nodding: "Then I'll wait for you here."

She smiled: "There are many beautiful places, delicious foods, and fun things in Jingcheng—I'll explore them all, and when you arrive, I'll take you."

Li Guanyi handed the girl a pouch.

Xue Shuangtao opened it: inside were smooth, round stones the children played with, and a spinning top. Li Guanyi halted his horse, watching as the young lady waved to him, was helped into the imperial carriage, and gradually faded from view.

As the boy turned his horse toward Yicheng, he suddenly heard a whistle.

From the grass, rope tripwires rose one by one.

Then hooves thundered—five tall horses, unseen in Jiangnan, burst forth; each bore a young man in bright robes, faces masked, brows proud. The five fine steeds circled Li Guanyi at speed. One laughed: "Is this Li Guanyi?!"

"Hah! We've caught him!"

"Today we'll ruin his Wu Gong, break one of his legs—see if he can enter the Great Sacrifice!"

"Hahahaha, which leg, brother?"

The youths burst into laughter, their expressions wild and unrestrained—clearly seasoned riders. The five horses circled Li Guanyi rapidly. One whistled, raised his hand, and hurled a hooked iron chain straight at Li Guanyi.

Had it struck, it would have torn several bloody holes; Li Guanyi reached out and caught the iron chain.

The boy froze, then cursed: "What peasant dare fight back!" He instinctively pulled the chain. Li Guanyi lifted his gaze, looking at the masked youths in bright robes and fierce horses. The old man's words returned to his mind.

'Since the imperial edict and the Emperor's praise, you've been placed on the fire, Guanyi. Now that they've heard you're entering Chen State's Great Sacrifice, the sons of the court's martial nobility won't be able to hold back—they're naturally arrogant, galloping through Jingcheng...'

'Banding together, excluding outsiders.'

'Resenting you, they'll wear masks to attack you—and because of their noble houses, they'll escape punishment.'

Li Guanyi had asked Xue Lao: 'Should I hide my abilities a little?'

The old man had roared with laughter, then cursed:

'Hide your abilities?'

'Hide your ass!'

Li Guanyi held the same thought—but feared bringing trouble to the Xue family.

He hadn't expected the old man to feel the same.

Xue Lao said:

'Those noble youths have none of their ancestors' boldness. If you hide or yield even a little, they'll see you as weak and exploitable—then they'll press forward three steps, continue to bully and humiliate you, keep testing you, and even push further, dragging your family and the imperial in-laws into their struggle.'

'That's what I'm telling you.'

'The first ones to appear will be the weakest of the martial nobility—the old man can handle them. These martial nobles oppress others, but they're not fools—they'll decide their next move based on your reaction. So, old man's advice is...'

The old man extended his finger; beneath the night pearl, the grin of a rampaging tiger was fierce:

'Beat them to death!'

"If you don't establish your authority this time, every cat and dog will dare to provoke you."

"The Emperor plans to use you to temper the sharpness of the martial aristocracy's heirs—then you must tell him that using you as a whetstone will have only one outcome."

Beneath the night pearl, the old man's eyes burned with fire, which finally transformed into the warm sunlight now falling; the young man in bright robes and rearing steed tried to pull back his weapon, but could not move it—his companions, who had begun watching for amusement, now sensed something was wrong.

He spurred his horse forward and roared: "You! What are you doing!"

Li Guanyi opened his eyes; the expression within them was like a calm tiger.

He suddenly raised his hand—the Jade Arm Divine Bow Art erupted.

The warhorse beneath him neighed and spun sideways.

The boy gripped his weapon tightly, yet was yanked from his saddle and flung toward Li Guanyi; Li Guanyi's left hand, gripping the sheathed black blade, swept sharply—crashing directly into the martial aristocrat's face—with a boom, blood splattered across his face, and the martial aristocrat collapsed, covered in blood.

Teeth fell from his mouth onto the ground; he screamed in agony.

The four surrounding martial aristocrats froze.

Li Guanyi sat calmly atop his warhorse, spine straight, pressing weight on his blade, and said:

"What did you say?"

A deathly silence.

The martial aristocrats who had long ruled with impunity in Jingcheng realized the rules seemed to have changed.

One martial aristocrat instinctively forgot he wore a mask to conceal his identity and shouted angrily:

"Do you know who he is?! How dare you do this!"

"When facing an enemy, is this all you can do? Your first reaction isn't even to draw your blade?"

"Is this even a martial aristocrat?"

Li Guanyi sighed.

He thought for a moment, then tugged the reins.

The warhorse let out a long neigh, reared up on its hind legs—yet even then, the boy atop it sat perfectly straight.

The hooves swung.

He slammed them hard down onto the legs of the martial aristocrat who had attacked him first, and said calmly:

"I see."

"And then?"