Chapter 84: Dragon-Tiger Body

Li Guanyi sat cross-legged, yet his qi could burst forth from his shoulders—undoubtedly a trait exclusive to the Meridian Unblocking stage, where strength reaches the entire body, allowing one to kill and break through even with hands and feet bound; yet Li Guanyi had only just learned the method of condensing qi.

How could it be so fast?

General Yue Qianfeng was stunned, yet he knew exactly what to do—he surrounded Li Guanyi's internal organs with a vast torrent of inner qi to prevent the chaotic energy from striking his five viscera and six bowels. For a full hour, Li Guanyi's breath only then stabilized.

A miscalculation…

Li Guanyi, rarely overcome by fear, broke out in cold sweat on his forehead.

Previously, the Bai Hu and Chi Long phantoms had coexisted harmoniously; Li Guanyi had not anticipated that once both reached the Entry stage, a fierce struggle would erupt between the Dragon and Tiger.

Metal and fire are inherently incompatible.

The Jade Arm Divine Bow Art, attuned to the power of the Bai Hu phantom.

Li Guanyi borrowed General Yue Qianfeng's Chi Long phantom to rapidly master the Tai Ping Book.

The two qi currents collided.

If General Yue Qianfeng had not been beside him, Li Guanyi believed he would have been counterattacked—his organs shattered, both Dragon and Tiger phantoms rising beside him, now glaring at each other, each determined to become Li Guanyi's primary cultivation body, neither willing to yield.

This is Dragon and Tiger—Metal and Fire.

It is the contradiction inherent in the power itself.

Li Guanyi forcibly found a balance point within these two forces, allowing the Dragon and Tiger qi to circulate without colliding or tearing apart, and only then did he relax. General Yue Qianfeng, still seated cross-legged, withdrew his hand when he saw Li Guanyi had regained consciousness.

General Yue Qianfeng did not ask what had happened, only laughed loudly: "Awake now?"

"Don't thank me—that thing was useless. Give me something real."

"Old brother has guarded you for over an hour, and my belly's hungry again."

In the courtyard's kitchen, Li Guanyi set up a pot on the stove, filling it with scallions, chili peppers, and other ingredients to simmer a base broth; then, with a swift blade, he sliced thin pieces of mutton brought from Xue's kitchen staff, mixing peanut sauce and sesame sauce, melting them in oil.

A simple, convenient hot pot pleased General Yue Qianfeng immensely; seeing Li Guanyi was unharmed, he said:

"Brother, old brother says something unpleasant—you must remember it."

"In future cultivation, do not advance so recklessly. I know you've had some extraordinary encounter, but such rapid progress, causing your inner qi to go berserk, is truly dangerous. Today, I was beside you and suppressed it, allowing your runaway qi to burst open your meridians."

"You forcibly leapt from Qi Condensation to Meridian Unblocking."

"Though dangerous, it's not without benefit."

"But what if I weren't here?"

General Yue Qianfeng, unusually grave, said: "You're only thirteen or fourteen… right?"

Li Guanyi replied: "Ten more days until my fourteenth birthday."

General Yue Qianfeng nodded: "Then in another year, you could marry."

In these chaotic times, states lack able-bodied men; the age for marriage keeps advancing earlier.

General Yue Qianfeng said: "If you can marry, you're no longer a child."

"But remember: going berserk is no trivial matter."

"This chaotic inner qi doesn't just surge through meridians—it can erupt from your five viscera and six bowels. Your skin will split, blood will pour from your seven orifices; worse still, you may explode from within, turning into a bloody mass. In the Western Regions' demonic sects, among the Turkic and Ying states, similar methods exist."

"When I fought them, there were warriors who deliberately cultivated methods to go berserk—when they couldn't win, they'd rush forward, hug you, and let their inner qi detonate, blowing themselves apart. Many of my brothers died that way."

"The Heavenly Demon Body Disintegration, the Great Liberation Transformation—these demonic arts are deliberate berserk techniques."

"Disregarding the body's capacity, seeking only rapid realm advancement, brings countless aftereffects."

"Brother, remember: no matter what extraordinary encounter you've had, it all boils down to this—your technique can be mastered quickly, your qi can be forced into your dantian; there are seven or eight ways to rapidly ascend. But your body's refinement, your meridians' adaptation to inner qi—these require time, slow, grinding work."

He extended a finger, pointing to Li Guanyi's arm, then to his dantian:

"The body gradually adapts to inner power; without this step, it's like a child swinging a heavy hammer."

"You will hurt yourself."

"Unless you cultivate the 【Golden Skin, Jade Bones, Dragon Tendons, Tiger Marrow】 physique—then it doesn't matter. Inner qi flows like a river, skin impervious to blades and swords, capacity and adaptability to inner power utterly terrifying—but cultivating such a physique requires ten years just to enter the threshold."

Li Guanyi knew General Yue Qianfeng cared for him; he accepted the advice and bowed deeply in thanks.

He poured wine for General Yue Qianfeng.

General Yue Qianfeng tilted his head back and drank without ceremony, impervious to intoxication.

Li Guanyi asked: "Where will you go after this, Brother Yue?"

General Yue Qianfeng said: "In a month, Jiangzhou's Grand Sacrifice—I'm going to Jiangzhou City. I heard that stunningly beautiful sword immortal from Luzhou will come too. Hmph—last time, I was unprepared, and her piercing sword qi shattered my cultivation body. Now my wounds have nearly healed—I'll face her again!"

"Jiangzhou City will soon become a nexus of turmoil. If we're to save Marshal Yue, this is our final chance. Even a transcendent Confucian like Dan Tai Xianming, whose qi surges to the heavens, cannot act here—or rather, precisely because he has reached the 【Pacifying the World】 realm."

"He cannot act at this time."

"We must not let Tai Ping Gong's fate repeat."

Li Guanyi frowned: "A Confucian who has reached Pacifying the World… would he send assassins?"

General Yue Qianfeng sighed: "He's the same age as the Xue family's tiger."

"He has long since acted according to his heart without transgressing boundaries."

"Across the land, divine generals roam the four corners; beyond the martial world and court, aside from those four legendary figures whose whereabouts are unknown, the current Shida Sect Masters stand supreme. Among them, the Sword Madman leads."

"But the Hundred Schools are not divine generals, nor do they belong to the martial world. Dan Tai Xianming is already a great Confucian. If he entered the Imperial Academy, the Confucian Sect Master's seat would not be beyond contention."

"The Hundred Schools? The Imperial Academy?"

Li Guanyi felt the world was growing ever vaster, its forces intertwined.

General Yue Qianfeng said: "Yes. You know it. Everyone knows it."

"The Great Emperor in the Central Plains is but a puppet now. He lacks the courage and boldness of his ancestors, who rose from the wilderness, drew their swords, and roamed the heavens. The Chi Xiao Sword, once wielded by the Red Emperor eight hundred years ago, sits in the Taihe Hall—no one can lift it again."

"Yet the Red Emperor's lingering aura remains fierce."

"He was the one who defeated the hegemon and ascended to the peak."

"The realm he forged still glows with eight hundred years of glory; the Imperial Academy still stands in the Central Plains."

"The Daoist Two Primordials, the Living Buddha of the Central Lands."

"The Gongyang Su Wang of Confucianism."

"The First Mo Juzi of Mohism."

"And the Zhongtian Beiji of the Yin-Yang School."

"These six patriarchs do not enter the great currents of the world, nor do they enter the Jianghu; they merely preserve their teachings, all rooted in Zhongzhou. Some say that if they enter the world's affairs, it means true chaos has erupted—every school of the Hundred Philosophers must join the fray, and the hearts of all under heaven will shatter utterly; only when the hearts of the world are in chaos is true chaos truly upon us."

"Others say that only by remaining in Zhongzhou can they preserve the last dignity of the Chi Di lineage."

"If they leave, the Great Emperor of Zhongzhou will not live past a month."

Yue Qianfeng wiped the fierce liquor from his lips, stood up, and said: "It's a pity that the freedom of these outsiders has nothing to do with our bloodshed. Today seeing you're unharmed, I should leave. If I'm still alive when you're in Jiangzhou City, come find me for another drink."

"Lu Youxian's wooden head finally opened up—I don't want to fight him."

"We must slip into the city quietly."

"Who told him his old man was coming!"

Li Guanyi hesitated, then said: "I know who did it."

Yue Qianfeng roared: "Who? I'll squeeze the piss out of him!"

Li Guanyi silently stepped half a pace back.

Yue Qianfeng seemed to guess something, fixed his gaze on Li Guanyi, his expression strange:

"You?"

Li Guanyi's lips curled slightly. "I couldn't lie to you, Big Brother—it was me. But I never thought you'd actually come." He told Yue Qianfeng the full story. Yue Qianfeng did not grow angry; instead, he burst into loud laughter. "Hahahaha! No choice now—you said it, Big Brother has to accept defeat."

"But looking at it this way, Lu Youxian's stubborn mind was just doing standard defense—he never believed your intel. He strengthened his guard only because of his cautious nature. On matters this big, he always prefers to believe it might be true rather than risk ignoring it."

"You've become a seventh-rank martial officer. Before I leave today, I can still give you a gift."

"You've managed to become a seventh-rank martial official; before I leave today, I can give you a gift."

Yue Qianfeng grinned but said nothing.

That day, he tried stabilizing his cultivation foundation, when Zhao Da Bing mentioned news from within the city.

It was said Yue Qianfeng had directly smashed into the city gate, then cursed Lu Youxian for being prepared—before leaving. Lu Youxian held his ground, suffered little loss, and so today Li Guanyi was rewarded with one merit point and a hundred taels of silver.

Li Guanyi stared, dumbfounded, torn between laughter and tears.

Then he resumed cultivation.

He breathed and absorbed Qi; his meridians were open, and internal Qi could erupt from any point—but now Li Guanyi faced a grave problem—

Bai Hu and Chi Long, two Dharma Phantoms, faced each other in standoff.

They despised each other.

Though their Qi no longer ran wild and harmed him, he could not yet control either Dharma Phantom or unleash its Qi. When he tried summoning Bai Hu's Qi, Chi Long would erupt—and vice versa—each time shattering the fragile balance he'd painstakingly achieved.

Although his qi no longer ran wild and harmed himself, he couldn't hope to control his Manifestation or summon its qi for a long time—when he tried to mobilize the Bai Hu qi, the Taigu Chilong would erupt, and vice versa, both causing the hard-won balance he'd found to shatter again.

Like Yin and Yang, one wanes as the other grows, eventually reaching a new equilibrium.

But Li Guanyi's body, though forged, could not endure the constant violent surges of both energies.

Before these two Dharma Phantoms reached a new balance—

Li Guanyi's flesh would be torn apart.

He felt like a glass cannon. To possess one Dharma Phantom was already the mark of a rare genius; to possess two, especially two peerless ones locked in unyielding opposition, had never been seen in history. His path could only be walked step by step, alone.

This unique Dragon-Tiger standoff foundation was now utterly useless.

He sat there, one hand propping his chin.

"Next, I must wait for Master Siming. Big Brother Yue said that with Golden Skin and Jade Bones, I'll be able to use the foundation smoothly—then perhaps I can activate both Dragon and Tiger energies at once, and their power will far surpass what I have now."

"Afterward, we just wait for Master Siming. Brother Yue said that with Golden Muscle and Jade Bone, you can use your cultivation body smoothly; then, the Dragon and Tiger forces might be activated simultaneously, their power surely far greater than now."

His internal Qi was violent—he needed to dispel its fury and find a chance to have Auntie examine his meridians.

He needed to complete the Tiger Roar Bone Forging Technique.

He needed to purge the hidden poison.

And…

Xue Shen's Mystical Realm.

Qi Condensation was complete. Juan Tao could be used.

Time to use Juan Tao to beat Xue Shen senseless!

With greater strength and access to his ultimate technique, surely he could pry something valuable out of Xue Shen's Mystical Realm?

With his strength improved and mastery of his ultimate techniques, can't he finally pry something valuable out of Xue Shen's Mystical Realm?

……………………

The next afternoon, a high-ranking guest arrived at the prison of Yicheng.

General Qi Junsong of Chen, a third-rank Xuanwu General.

He came to visit his son, carrying an elegant food box filled with his son's favorite dishes. Qi Langxian's legs had been broken; he complained to his father, ate heartily, drank, and wore a face of pleading and pathos, hoping for his father's pity.

He went to see his son, carrying an elegant food box filled with his son's favorite dishes; Qi Langxian's legs had been broken, and he complained to his father while devouring food and drinking wine, his face wearing a pleading, pitiful expression, hoping his father would pity him.

He spoke of his mother, of how his sister was doing.

Qi Langxian's face relaxed slightly.

After finishing the top layer of food, he smiled: "Dad, what's in the lower compartment must be Mama's handmade Shan Su—I love it most. When you return from the frontier with Western su, Mama always makes it for us—every meal is incomplete without it…"

After finishing the meal above, he smiled and said, "The dish in the lower box must be Mother's homemade Xiao Shan Su—I love it most. Whenever you return from the border with Western Region pastries, Mother always makes them for us; we can't have a single meal without them…"

Qi Langxian's smile froze.

Qi Junsong whispered: "The Xue family's fierce tiger sent a painting."

Qi Langxian opened his mouth, panicked: "Dad, I'm your son—you can't do this!"

Qi Langxian opened his mouth in panic and said, "Father, I'm your son—you can't do this."

Qi Junsong closed his eyes and said:

"Yesterday, Yue Qianfeng really attacked the city."

Really? He actually attacked the city?!

How could this be such a coincidence?

How could it…

Then Qi Langxian's expression completely collapsed into despair; he stared at the dagger, his eyes filled with panic, fear, and madness, before finally lifting his head to look at his father, calm as a pine, opening his mouth and saying, "Father…"

Qi Junsong did not respond.

Qi Langxian opened his mouth again, then let out a bitter laugh, his hand trembling as he gripped the short sword, and suddenly said:

"The family raised me; today I have brought disaster upon the family—I truly deserve to die, to protect the family."

"Father, after I'm gone…"

"You must burn all the paintings and books in my room for me—don't give them to my eldest brother or third brother, or my two personal maids."

"I've already taken them. I truly love them. They've been with me since childhood; in summer I'd rest my head on their legs, they fanned away mosquitoes for me all night, and they truly loved me. But after I'm gone, my eldest brother will surely want to take them."

Qi Langxian drew a deep breath, his eyes filled with malice, and said:

"Father, kill them!"

"Bury them with me."

"My women—this lifetime, they can only ever be mine."

Qi Junsong agreed and left. Qi Langxian banged on the bars, shouting for the jailers to bring water. The jailers grudgingly brought it. Qi Langxian threw the remaining meat to the other prisoners, watching the starving inmates scramble for it, and laughed with contempt.

One prisoner said: "Aren't you just another prisoner? What are you pretending to be?"

Qi Langxian sneered, washed his face with water, and adjusted his hairpin.

His trembling hand raised the short sword to his throat, eyes blazing as he stared outward, saying:

"You dirt-farming peasants don't know me!"

"I am a scion of a noble house!"

"Doesn't my noble lineage naturally deserve to stand above you?"

"How could I die the same way as you?!"

Suddenly he pushed hard—the blade severed his neck. He did not fear death; he killed himself, eyes wide with fury. Qi Junsong's eyes faintly reddened, yet his heart remained still; he merely looked up at the sky, searching for Dan Tai Xianming, weeping bitterly to report that his son had willingly taken his own life for the noble houses and the high officials.

The struggle between the noble houses and the imperial in-laws grew ever sharper.

The sword immortals of the Jianghu, along with Yue Qianfeng, entered Jiangzhou before the nobles of every kingdom arrived, swelling the vortex ever larger. The stars shone as brightly as ever; the stream murmured softly. The girl with silver hair quietly lit a bonfire and knelt before it.

She stuck a stick into a steamed bun, planting the other end into the earth.

She pressed it down with stones.

The girl showed no expression, perhaps because the bonfire's glow reflected in her eyes.

Thus, her gaze burned brightly.

This time, Yao Guang did not open the ancient star-reading scrolls.

She began trying to use star-reading techniques to determine how to avoid burning the bun.

The girl performed the Star-Reading Art, weaving the incantation in archaic language.

【May the light of the stars and the will of heaven bring me delicious food.】

To ensure her bun would not burn.

But the bonfire clearly wielded far greater power than starlight.

She stared at the burnt bun, holding it in both hands, looking bewildered, pondering—had the incantation failed?

She thought for a moment.

Then she turned in a circle and bit into the other end.

Crack.

Suddenly, laughter rang out.

Yao Guang looked up and turned.

She saw a boy sitting atop the wall—the cliff face—cloaked in starlight.

Li Guanyi waved and smiled: "Yao Guang."

"I've come to find you."