Chapter 203: Fire Dragon Temple

"Liu Liu Qingtian, Marrow Refinement perfected, ascending a thousand ren."

On the last three hundred steps stood five stone tablets; Liang Liang Ashui, carrying a hammer, walked toward the person closest to him.

Azure true qi outlined and intertwined, revealing a refined old man with a long sword at his waist and a three-foot-long beard.

The founding ancestor of Yunshu Tower, a figure of renown over a thousand years ago; when he ascended the mountain, he was already in the Marrow Refinement realm.

"Form-Shifting, Meridian Opening, Organ Refining, Marrow Refining... If this were not the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing, against such supreme experts, I could not even stand before them."

Eyeing that refined old man, Li Yuan muttered to himself.

From Blood Qi to Form-Shifting, Old Han broadly divided it into three breakthroughs; the Form-Shifting realm determines the limit of the physique.

The Form-Shifting realm is called the first step of entering the hall of Wudaodengtang; it is not the beginning of being human, but only after Meridian Opening, Organ Refining, and finally reaching the Marrow Refinement realm does a martial artist truly become non-human.

"Qi enters the marrow, blood flows like mercury; one can break an army. How many experts of this caliber remain in Huizhou nowadays?"

Li Yuan's mind turned; he stepped forward, the long hammer breaking the wind and emitting the sound of clashing metal.

The benefits of the second mountain ascent were no less than the first; fighting over a hundred battles along the way, setting aside the incomplete Wu Gong techniques obtained, solely in terms of combat, Li Yuan had undergone a transformation.

In that instant, he shifted his steps and snapped his arm, merging all his forms; the long hammer vibrated, appearing to be a single strike of the Soldier Dao Dueling Hammer, yet actually containing the essence of multiple Wu Gong techniques.

Li Yuan erupted with a hammer strike, exhibiting exquisite variations, combining speed and power; compared to over ten days ago, there was visible progress.

However, the refined old man behind the stone tablet merely watched silently until the air wave blew upon him, only then raising his arm.

Zing~

Without any exquisite form, Li Yuan only felt the man's arm tremble as that iron sword thrust flatly toward his face.

Fast, ruthless, absolute!

"That move again!"

Li Yuan's eyelids twitched wildly; from start to finish, he had been instantly killed by that sword over twenty times.

But now it was different; after transforming internal force into qi, he would at least not be blocked ten meters away, passively taking hits.

Bang!

Li Yuan exerted force beneath his feet; his already extremely fast speed increased by another third. He only slightly tilted his neck as the heavy hammer swept horizontally, adopting a style of exchanging injury for injury.

Outside the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing, he would absolutely never use such a life-risking style, but breaking through the trial naturally had no taboos.

Pfft!

Facing this life-risking style, the long sword in the refined old man's palm vibrated lightly, neither fast nor slow, rising back at just the right moment to block Li Yuan's heavy hammer.

Just like the dozens of fierce battles before, every strike of his carried not a trace of smoke or fire, fully displaying the style of a grandmaster of sword techniques.

"Go!"

At the moment the sword and hammer clashed, Li Yuan's eyes narrowed, instantly activating the enhancement of the Zhang Bing Lu.

Heavy as a thousand jun, momentum like a mountain.

The suddenly surging force instantly pierced through that dense, impenetrable sword circle; in the next instant, it had passed through the body!

Boom!

The refined old man's body trembled, dissolving into a large mass of scattered true qi, and under Li Yuan's gaze, reformed ten steps back.

"Damn..."

Li Yuan stumbled; before he could fully feel the residual sword techniques surging in his heart, his own body also exploded into fragments.

Yet at the final moment, he too had been struck by a sword; the sword light pierced through his chest...

"Hah!"

In the room, Li Yuan rolled over and sat up, cold sweat seeping from his forehead.

Although dying in the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing had no effect on him, that sword feeling as if it had pierced through his chest still left him with lingering fear.

It also reminded him once again that in reality, one must absolutely not use such a life-risking style.

"This Liu Liu Qingtian has at least thirty-six Form-Shifting forms, a perfect mastery of high-grade sword techniques, and possibly more than one school..."

Li Yuan sat cross-legged, reviewing this battle.

A Marrow Refinement expert can roam the prefectures; such a great expert, even using only Form-Shifting power, is far more troublesome than the two outer sect elders of Qianjun Cave.

Before internal force transformed into qi, he didn't even have the chance to fight for his life, often having his neck severed by a sword while still ten meters away.

Now it is different; with internal force transforming into qi plus the enhancement of the Zhang Bing Lu, he is confident he can defeat Liu Liu Qingtian without even waiting for all his internal force to transform into thousand-jun internal qi.

The others behind will not be able to stop him either, except for that ghost-masked person guarding the end...

"Even if it really is Old Han, at that time he shouldn't have had a hundred Form-Shifting forms; there is a chance!"

Li Yuan felt excited in his heart, tilted his head to swallow several pills, and continued transforming internal force into qi.

In the following days, Li Yuan did not leave his room; every day, besides practicing Wu Gong, taking medicinal baths, and altering his bone structure, he constantly transformed internal force into qi, attempting to assault the final two hundred-plus steps.

In those few days, Fang Fang Bao Luo was not idle either; going out several times to contact other brothers and sisters, six days later, the dusty Liang Liang Ashui arrived in Heishui County.

"Within the sect, there should be four hundred and thirty-two inner and outer sect disciples from Yunjing Commandery; now, only forty-plus remain; the others cannot be contacted..."

Inside the private room of the wine tower, a group of Shengbing Valley disciples were all somewhat dejected.

"The underground tunnels of the Shengbing Mountain Range are interconnected; the other brothers and sisters might not have taken the route through Heishui County."

Fang Fang Bao Luo glanced over the crowd, his face calm as water:

"I have left a mark; if the other brothers and sisters arrive in Heishui County, they will naturally know our whereabouts..."

He looked at Li Yuan, slightly startled in his heart; in just a few days, the aura of this junior brother had changed significantly.

How could it have been so short a time, and he is already about to transform internal force into qi?

Fang Fang Bao Luo felt somewhat alarmed.

The grinding work of transforming internal force into qi, without sufficient pill support, might take three or five years.

Is his family background that substantial?

"Where is the master? Any letter?"

Li Yuan asked.

"The carrier pigeons and feathered eagles I took down the mountain are exhausted; I cannot contact the master for now—I must go to Dechang Fucheng first."

Fang Fang Bao Luo shook his head.

The Shenzheng Valley kept many rare birds for communication, but he had descended in haste and carried very few.

Moreover, releasing carrier pigeons or feathered eagles recklessly might expose the whereabouts of other sect members—he was cautious.

"Then let's go to Dechang Fucheng."

Li Yuan scanned the group; Liang Liang Ashui looked worn out, clearly having endured much on this journey.

"Mm, alright."

With Li Yuan and the other decided, the rest naturally had no objections.

That day, the group scattered to purchase herbs, pills, dried rations, and other supplies in batches, then regrouped at the dock.

"The Linping Fleet is one of the largest in Dechang Fucheng, with over a hundred ships—it's owned by Huolong Temple…"

Fang Fang Bao Luo, unusually lavish, chartered an entire ship; inside the cabin, he conversed with Li Yuan.

Dechang Fucheng is mountainous and lake-filled, home to hundreds of sects; among the most powerful under Qianjun Cave is Huolong Temple.

Li Yuan had little impression of this sect, only knowing they had once taken in a genius disciple with a dragon-shaped root-bone, causing a sensation years ago.

"Qianjun Cave acts violently and ruthlessly; among all the sects in its territory, only Huolong Temple remains untouched."

Luo Luo Renshu, from the Surveillance Hall, knew much about Huolong Temple and explained its origins:

"The founding ancestor of Huolong Temple came from Longhu Temple."

"Mm, Brother Luo speaks truly."

Fang Fang Bao Luo nodded: "If not for this connection, Qianjun Cave would never tolerate a sect within its borders capable of threatening it…"

Without this connection, Lord Master Gongyang Yu would probably have simply crushed Huolong Temple by accident.

Forces that have endured for hundreds or even thousands of years often have countless tangled ties—Qianjun Cave and Huailong Palace are like this; Huolong Temple and Longhu Temple are like this.

The Shenzheng Valley likely isn't an exception.

Thinking of Wan Chuan and his master, then of Wang Wang Wenyuan, Li Yuan began to understand.

Families intermarry with families; sects intermarry with sects—not just through marriage, but also by exchanging disciples.

"With this bond of old friendship, Huolong Temple's fleet is safer than the others; ordinary people dare not provoke it."

Fang Fang Bao Luo glanced at Li Yuan, assuming he already knew.

"Where's the senior brother?"

Li Yuan thought of Bawanli; compared to Old Han, his physique was too conspicuous, making him easier to hunt and ambush.

"I don't know."

Fang Fang Bao Luo sighed.

"Communication is so difficult."

Li Yuan sighed too.

Aside from carrier pigeons and feathered eagles, communication in this age mostly relies on shouting—and even feathered eagles and carrier pigeons only work in pairs, with severe limitations.

As a result, thousands of disciples in the Shenzheng Valley are now mostly out of contact.

Inside the cabin, the group talked for a long time before returning to their rooms.

"Huh!"

Li Yuan washed his face, settled his mind, practiced several sets of Bing Ti Shi, then began transforming strength into Qi.

Pills and medicines can accelerate this process, but it cannot be achieved overnight—it must be ground down, bit by bit, slowly fused.

In the following days, Li Yuan remained indoors; spurred by him, Fang Fang Bao Luo, Luo Luo Renshu, and others all became busy—some training, others meditating.

……

"Huh!"

"Hss!"

Inside the cabin, Li Yuan sat cross-legged, using his mind in two directions: grinding his internal strength into Qi while also practicing the Visualization Method.

In the darkness only he could perceive, the "stick figure" he visualized with himself at its center was punching and kicking.

Thanks to the Spirit Snake Waistband and Spirit Ox Bone Ring, his progress in the Visualization Method was not slow.

Wuuu~

Under Li Yuan's intense focus, the now fuller stick figure executed each movement precisely.

This was Bai Yuan Dong Zhuang.

With Li Yuan's current level of Wu Gong, this inferior pillar technique was already second nature—but the stick figure's movements still felt slightly stiff.

"To accelerate progress in the Visualization Method, I need items like the Five-Step Spirit Snake Waistband—objects that enhance spiritual focus…"

Li Yuan murmured to himself; he valued the Visualization Method not only because of Bai Shen Fa, but also because of Liehai Yu Xuanjing Hammer.

That hammer had reached a divine level of mastery in Qi Transformation into Form.

It could manifest plants and trees, mountains and rivers, even every person who had climbed Dengshan.

This had once deeply shocked and fascinated him.

The Visualization Method is deeply connected to Qi Transformation into Form.

"And Bai Shen Fa…"

Li Yuan's thoughts drifted, then quickly returned—he focused on dual practice, silently cultivating.

……

……

Hush~

The fleet set sail, drifting downstream.

"Heishui County is about twenty days' journey from Fucheng. If Young Master is in a hurry and does not rest along the way, you should arrive in roughly half a month."

On a five-masted flagship, the managers of the Linping Fleet crowded around a young man, bowing and smiling ingratiatingly.

"Half a month? That's a bit long..."

Amidst the crowd, a youth dressed in black combat attire stood with hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the surging river tide and the mountains on both banks.

His name was Yue Chongtian. Born with the Body of the Red Dragon, he was the foremost direct disciple of the current generation at the Fire Dragon Temple.

"If the light boat travels at full speed, perhaps we could shave off another two days?"

Several managers broke out in a sweat on their foreheads.

"Enough. You may all withdraw."

At that moment, an old man with gray hair and beard emerged from the cabin. He was tall and carried a long black-and-green staff on his back.

"Elder Yun."

Seeing the old man, the several managers bowed respectfully and withdrew.

"Elder Yun."

Yue Chongtian bowed slightly, his attitude respectful. This old man was an Inner Gate Elder, effectively his half-master.

"Chongtian, your heart is somewhat unsettled."

Yun An glanced at him.

"Elder Yun is right."

Yue Chongtian did not argue.

"After all, it concerns the Dao Sect. Your impatience is understandable."

Yun An softened his tone:

"However, with your comprehension and talent, you will surely achieve the Unblocked Meridians realm before thirty. Even without the sect connection, entering the Inner Gate of the Dragon Tiger Temple would be no problem. Why worry?"

"Just the Inner Gate?"

Yue Chongtian frowned slightly. He had heard similar words many times, yet he always felt a bit unconvinced in his heart.

Born with the Nine Forms, he had practiced martial arts for fourteen years and altered his bone structure several times. Not yet twenty years old, he had already assembled the Great Dragon Bone Structure and completed the Form Transformation Art.

His talent and comprehension were truly not inferior to the top direct disciples of the Four Great Sects of Huizhou.

The Inner Gate, even the Inner Gate of the Dragon Tiger Temple, was something he secretly looked down upon...

"Is the Inner Gate not enough? You underestimate the Dao Sect's Inner Gate."

Looking at him deeply, Yun An knew his thoughts:

"Dechang Prefecture has nearly ten million households and tens of millions of people. Huizhou has eight prefectures, while the Hengshan Dao realm contains four provinces, with Huizhou being only one of them.

The Dragon Bone Structure is indeed rare, but within the Hengshan Dao, and over several decades, it is not as if it has never been seen."

Pausing briefly, he then said: "The Dragon Tiger Temple operates on a sixty-year cycle per generation. Each generation has only six direct disciples. Although your talent is good, do not aim too high and reach too far."

"This disciple receives your teaching."

Yue Chongtian lowered his head, though his expression did not change much.

"Before the Great Yun established the nation, for most years, numerous states stood in a forest. The direct disciples of the Dragon Tiger Temple were more precious than the princes of those dynasties, standing below only a few and above ten thousand. It is not just about talent..."

Yun An shook his head inwardly.

The Six Direct Disciples of the Dragon Tiger possessed talent, bone structure, and comprehension that were all among the absolute peak of the world, backed by countless supporters and an incredibly deep background.

In years past, how brilliant and extraordinary was the founding ancestor of our Fire Dragon Temple, yet he was only an Inner Gate disciple?

"Elder Yun, I heard that the experts of the Divine Weapon Valley were all pursued by the Xieshen Sect and trapped in Zhe Long Prefecture?"

Yue Chongtian changed the subject; he disliked being lectured.

"Yes. Although Huang Fu Kun is not as good as Master Master Baili Lei Jingchuan, he personally led the seven fleet commanders to strike. Even if that Han Han Chuijun possesses Divine Armor, he is absolutely no match."

Yun An's eyes flickered: "It is a pity that Master Master Baili Lei Jingchuan died so inexplicably. Otherwise, the Divine Weapon Valley might have followed in the footsteps of the Thousand-Weight Cave, who knows?"

"As for this matter for us..."

Yue Chongtian looked toward the distant mountains.

"Our relationship with the Dragon Tiger Temple is too close. Once we occupy a prefecture or province, the aftermath will be too great."

Yun An leaned on the railing, also looking toward the direction of Zhe Long Prefecture, his expression subtle:

"I heard Miss Yu is coming to Dechang. You must treat her well..."