Chapter 118: Five Weapons Colorless Spirit Void Qi

Under the tree shade, Shi Hong knelt on the ground, bowing deeply: "Disciple knows his mistake..."

"Human effort has its limits; even if one's Wu Gong is the best under heaven, one cannot cover every aspect or attend to every matter personally."

After looking deeply at Shi Hong, Lord Master Gongyang Yu caught a leaf blown down by the wind:

"Li Yuan's talent and bone structure are top-tier even across Huizhou. With his help, you can practice Wu Gong in peace without having to rush about everywhere..."

Blowing the leaf from his palm, Lord Master Gongyang Yu spoke of past events:

"Just like old man Han Han Chuijun. Over these years, those whom I could not kill, he killed; those things I could not do, he did;

the sects I could not destroy, he destroyed..."

This...

Shi Hong raised his head, his expression stunned.

He had guessed at these things before, but now that he had truly received confirmation, he could not help but feel shocked in his heart.

"You once asked me why I could tolerate Han Han Chuijun's rebellion and arrogance. Now, do you know?"

"Disciple... Disciple understands!"

"Then Li Yuan..."

"Disciple can tolerate him!"

Shi Hong's spirit shook, feeling suddenly enlightened: "Can tolerate!"

He sits in the sect, his hands unstained by blood, while all the dirty work, the heavy labor, and the evil names and curses are all borne by him!

That is truly great tolerance!

"Then that is good."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu was finally satisfied.

"However, my talent and bone structure are inferior to his. I do not mind this now, but what if one day he also advances to the Through-Vessel realm?"

Shi Hong felt somewhat worried.

He feared neither Qiu Qiu Changying nor cared about Ba Ba Wanli; even if his bone structure was inferior, he had enough confidence to suppress the two of them for a lifetime.

But that Li Yuan...

"Your bone structure, talent, and family background are all inferior to Qiu Qiu Changying and the other. Why do I make you the head of the True Disciples and the next Valley Master?"

Lord Master Gongyang Yu glanced around and slowly entered the house.

Shi Hong, his heart suddenly enlightened, followed into the house, closed the door, and lit the oil lamp.

"The cultivation of the Martial Dao is arduous step by step. Practicing Lower Cheng Wu Gong can nurture strength and temper the body, but there is no hope for internal strengthening.

Zhong Cheng Wu Gong can strengthen the internal organs and change the form, but without 'Qi Gong', changing the form is difficult to master fully, and there is no hope for Through-Vessel...

Upper Cheng Wu Gong all possess Qi Gong; practicing it can transform strength into Qi, fully master changing the form, and open the vessels, but even then, refining the organs is hardly possible."

Lord Master Gongyang Yu sat upright with a solemn expression.

"Although your talent and bone structure are poor, your comprehension is absolutely high, which perfectly matches our Divine Weapon Valley's ancestral secret transmission, the 'Five Forms Spirit Void Method'!"

Lord Master Gongyang Yu's expression was calm:

"As long as you master this method, whether he reaches Through-Vessel or changes into a hundred forms, what harm is there?"

"Disciple... Disciple..."

Shi Hong's heart beat faster, feeling his mouth dry and tongue parched; he knelt down swiftly: "Thank you, Master, for transmitting the method!"

"The Five Colors Spirit Void Method is based on the five great secret transmissions of the inner sect. To transform 'Spirit Void Qi', one must nurture the five great weapon Qi!"

Lord Master Gongyang Yu waved his hand.

Shi Hong felt somewhat disappointed, yet still excited in his heart; of the five great secret transmissions of the inner sect, he had already mastered three.

"The five great weapon Qi..."

"Huff!"

Returning to the Hammer Bingtang, Li Yuan's eyes were clear, with not a trace of drunkenness.

He did not like drinking, yet his tolerance was not poor.

"The Ten Forms bone structure is equivalent to breaking the limit once; in pure speed and force, Gao Gang is not even my match!"

On the mountain path in the night, Li Yuan was in high spirits.

He had long wanted to openly measure his own capabilities; although today had a slight surprise, the goal was achieved.

"Without the enhancement of the Weapon Command Talisman, I am not inferior to Sha Sha Pingying and the female knight Fang; if I use it..."

Li Yuan had now formed a clear positioning of his Wu Gong; it had been only five months since he left Gao Liu, and he had already caught up to Fang Fang Yunxiu.

No ambush needed; Cao Yan could not withstand his hammer either.

"With the enhancement of the Four heavy weapons, lying in wait for an ambush—can I kill a True Disciple?"

Li Yuan's thoughts became active; thinking of ambush, he thought of Qiu Qiu Changying.

Her Soul-Chasing Arrow technique was terrifyingly fierce; if it were a true ambush, he was afraid he could not hold it off.

"I'll find time to look around the Divine Guard Army; once I match a set of ranged weapons, I'll make her taste it too..."

The Hammer Bingtang was very quiet at night. When Li Yuan returned to his courtyard residence, before even pushing the door open, his brows furrowed deeply.

"Someone is here."

Having altered his bone structure multiple times, Li Yuan's senses were very sharp; through the courtyard gate, he had already sensed someone inside the room.

Hush~

He flicked his sleeve, the long hammer in hand, and flipped into the courtyard. A glance with his peripheral vision made him freeze.

The light inside the room flickered; through the window paper, a graceful and delicate figure could be seen, seemingly combing her hair before a mirror?

"What?"

Li Yuan frowned deeply, flicked a stone with his toe to kick open the door, and actually startled out two graceful women.

"Who are you?"

Li Yuan tapped his fingers, and the two women hurriedly bowed: "Senior Brother Li, Senior Brother Fang sent us to serve you..."

Good heavens?

Li Yuan then remembered that True Disciples have attendant disciples serving them closely, but in the middle of the night...

"Go, cook a meal, and also, heat a tub of water."

After sending these two female disciples to the kitchen, Li Yuan returned to the room and saw a tray covered with red cloth on the table.

Once lifted, golden light dazzled the eyes.

"Tsk, they moved fast!"

Li Yuan reached out and put away these two hundred taels of gold.

Although Fang Fang Bao Luo's Wu Gong was inferior to Ba Ba Wanli's, his handling of affairs was far more steady; only this short while had passed, yet the maids and gold had all been delivered.

"Other items bestowed by the Valley Master must be collected by the junior brother himself using the waist token from the Divine Weapon Pavilion, the Precious Pill Hall, the Library, and the Horse Stables..."

"Except for Ba Ba Wanli, various True Disciples never lack female disciples offering their attentions..."

"Those two maids are of clean family backgrounds and are virgins; if the junior brother has no intention, do not touch them; if you wish to touch, you must take them as concubines."

"Newly promoted True Disciples inevitably face temptations; I hope the junior brother will not sink into decadence."

A note lay pressed under the tray; Li Yuan read it once, and Fang Fang Bao Luo had reminded him of many things, so he nodded inwardly.

The Divine Weapon Valley has dominated one prefecture for a full thousand years, its influence radiating across three prefectures, seemingly a state within a state,

and the twelve True Disciples qualified to compete for the Valley Master's position naturally possess extremely precious status.

Before the True Disciple Ceremony, no one even sought to curry favor with him, let alone now?

"Squeak~"

The little mouse poked its head out from under the bed.

"How big a mouse are you, that I must feed you?"

Li Yuan took out a slice of meat and tossed it over.

In the three incense burners on the gray stone platform, he often prepared clear water, food, and even pots and pans.

These two attendant female disciples were not only outstanding in appearance and had great figures, but also worked quite efficiently.

Li Yuan mentally reviewed the day's events; by then, the steaming hot meal was ready, and hot water had already been poured into the wooden tub.

"So decadent!"

After finishing the meal, under the service of the two female disciples, Li Yuan soaked in the medicinal bath and sighed inwardly.

In the past, when he heated the water himself, it would take at least one or two hours, and due to poor heat retention, it would turn cold within moments.

But with these two female disciples serving him, the medicinal tub remained scalding hot the entire time, giving him the feeling of bathing in his past life.

"It feels so good to have someone serve you."

Daoist Li understood well how to adapt to local customs; in his past and present lives, he mostly served others; being served was a first, quite novel.

Those two female disciples were far more open than him, actively and diligently serving to the point where he felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"Huff!"

Li Yuan soaked in the medicinal bath, soothing his muscles and bones.

He also discovered the benefits of the Dragon-Form Root Bone; his injuries healed very quickly, without taking pills,

yet it was as if he had taken pills.

Soaking in the medicinal liquid, Li Yuan slightly closed his eyes, perceiving the Commanding Talisman.

Hum!

On the gray stone platform, Li Yuan counted his gains.

In the month or so before the True Disciple Ceremony, he spent most of his time practicing martial arts, yet not a single task he should have done was left undone.

Although Wang Wang Peiyao, Liu Zheng, Wen Wen Yida, and others had unsuitable talents and root bones, they were far more steady and efficient in their work than Yue Yue Yunjin.

Besides managing the Weapon Forge, various miscellaneous tasks such as intelligence gathering, purchasing medicinal pills, and searching for weapons were all handled perfectly.

Most of the First-Rank weapons brought from Gao Liu County were discarded by him, while several Second-Rank weapons were also collected.

What pleased him most were two pairs of First-Rank Six-Beast Boots, possessing the same enhancement effects as the earliest pair of Six-Beast Boots.

Commanding three pairs simultaneously, 'moving as fast as flying' and 'walking as if on flat ground' underwent a qualitative change; mountains, eaves, and muddy ground truly felt like flat ground.

"Besides weapons and armor, items such as outer robes, boots, and belts are difficult to be classified as weapons..."

Li Yuan discovered that these weapons like armor and outer robes often possessed enhancement effects different from weapons, yet equally useful.

【Cold Pool Fish Scale Robe (First-Rank)】

【An inner robe made from scales of a hundred fish from the cold pool water, capable of slightly resisting sword and blade slashes, possessing considerable toughness...】

【Commanding Condition: Mastery of Water Skills】

【Commanding Effect: Resisting blades, Mastery of Water Skills, Breath-Holding】

"Truly an excellent thing for fishing; getting three of them, becoming a 'White Strip in the Waves' would not be impossible."

Li Yuan thought of Liang Liang Ashui.

Arriving suddenly in a strange land, everyone from Gao Liu County naturally stuck together; Liang Liang Ashui was no exception, yet he did not help him with work, but persisted in fishing.

For several months, he was nowhere to be seen, exploring the Pingjiang Grand Canal, and occasionally coming to the mountain's cold pool.

"There are too many good things in Fucheng, it's just that some are hard to obtain."

For him, the Zhelong Prefecture and the Divine Weapon Valley had too many good things: Ba Ba Wanli's hammer, Fang Fang Bao Luo's hammer, Shi Hong's blade, Long Sheng's staff, and also Qiu Qiu Changying's bow and spear.

But to actually obtain it was no easy matter.

"The Weapon Forging Valley—I must go there! Ideally, I can get in with the Grand Elder of Weapon Forging Valley. Hmm, I'm a forging prodigy, so it shouldn't be too hard, right?"

Li Yuan calculated in his heart.

Weapon Forging Valley was the most special place within Divine Weapon Valley; ordinary disciples had no right to come and go freely, and even true disciples had to tread carefully.

Divine Weapon Valley—true to its name—was originally founded on that very forging ground.

"If only I could get a third or fourth-grade forging hammer."

After soaking in the medicinal barrel for over an hour, Li Yuan finally rose. Outside the courtyard, the two female disciples were already covered in dust and grime.

Ignoring the two female disciples gazing at him eagerly, Li Yuan closed the door and took up the Soldier Body stance.

"What a pity—still no trace of the Rift Sea Mysterious Whale Hammer…"

Before sleep, Li Yuan was still somewhat unable to let it go.

More than anything else, this was what he was desperately eager to obtain.

"Eleventh grade!"

Leaning the hammer weapon against the bed, Li Yuan fell asleep quickly.

In his dream, he dreamed he had turned Divine Weapon Valley upside down, yet in the end still hadn't found the Rift Sea Mysterious Whale Hammer.

He was deeply vexed, then jolted awake.

"Dreams are the opposite, dreams are the opposite."

After comforting himself a few times, Li Yuan lost all desire to sleep, and simply got up to take the Soldier Body stance again.

……

When daylight broke, Li Yuan finished washing up and didn't rush to collect the other items, but instead made a trip back to Fucheng.

The treatment of a true disciple went beyond what Feng Zhong had already mentioned in the great hall.

For instance, travel—for long distances, a flood-dragon horse worth three hundred taels; for shorter trips, a horse-drawn carriage.

"Just in one night, and I've already received this huge stack of invitations…"

Inside the Divine Weapon Valley carriage, Li Yuan flipped through the

invitations, while Liu Zheng beside him couldn't stop smiling:

"The six great families of Fucheng have all sent their cards…"

Yesterday, he hadn't slept all night, and had received over a hundred invitations.

"Any visiting cards or invitations—accept them all. Whether we go or not can be decided later; they might come in handy."

Li Yuan instructed. As for silver, to him, the more the better.

"Rest assured, Brother Li."

Liu Zheng nodded repeatedly and handed over the long saber at his waist: "After the Zhao family's downfall, the Qing She saber also flowed into the market—it wasn't hard to find."

"Many thanks, Brother Liu."

Li Yuan took the unranked long saber in hand, and together with the first-grade long saber he had previously picked up in the tunnel,

the conditions to master the Lesser Qing She Dao Fa Origin Chart had already been met.

"What are you saying, Brother Li?"

Liu Zheng waved his hands repeatedly. Before Li Yuan, he too felt pressure, and was no longer as at ease as before.

"Speaking of which, something also happened in Fucheng these past two days…"

On the road, Liu Zheng spoke of the events in Fucheng these past days, his expression somewhat odd:

"Someone has claimed the bounty on Nian Jiu…"

"What?"

Li Yuan was somewhat startled: "Who claimed it?"

Previously, he had also considered wearing a human-skin mask to claim the bounty silver, but after deliberation gave up—

a single pair of Six Heavens Boots wasn't enough to claim the bounty.

"It was an out-of-town bounty hunter, face covered, very cautious in his actions. After claiming the bounty, he vanished without a trace…"

Liu Zheng shook his head.

"An out-of-town bounty hunter?"

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

These past days, as the intelligence Wang Wang Peiyao gathered grew ever more, he had gained a rough understanding of Fucheng, and even the entire Zhe Long Prefecture.

In recent years, Zhe Long Prefecture had seen plenty of unrest—not just Gao Liu County and Ping Gou County.

A year ago, someone had even killed the previous prefecture lord in broad daylight, causing a huge sensation and drawing in a large number of experts from the Wutang.

"Qianjun Cave is a major sect. Killing their disciple—disguising one's face is perfectly normal."

Liu Zheng tried to smooth things over. Li Yuan nodded without speaking, and noted this person down in his heart.

Although he hadn't gone to claim that bounty silver, it was still his money!

……

"Where are the things I wanted?"

When Fucheng came into distant view, Li Yuan asked.

"Everything's prepared, all in the shop."

Liu Zheng was very curious what Li Yuan wanted so much iron material and ready silver for, but he didn't ask, nor would he mention how much effort he had put in.

Compared to Yue Yue Yunjin, his mindset had changed quickly and naturally.

A true disciple of Divine Weapon Valley—even to him, and even to all of Gao Liu County—was an unreachable great figure.

"Good."

Li Yuan nodded; this saved him a great deal of effort.

Things that were hard to find in Gao Liu County were plentiful in Fucheng; Li Yuan only had to give the order.

In just over half a month, Liu Zheng had gathered everything he needed: seven hundred jin of hundred-times-refined steel, a hundred jin of cold iron, two thousand taels of ready silver, and nine taels of pure gold.

Counting what he already had on him, the materials for the Soldier-Tally Register to advance to the fifth rank were now complete.