Chapter 232: Rising Fame (Combined)

Boom!

Shockwaves intertwined and spread in layers; experts of the Xieshen Sect who could not escape in time were tossed aside like straw.

From afar, Li Yuan felt his clothes fluttering; he turned back to look, where red and white hues shone together, the shockwaves like a tide,

rising into the sky like a mushroom cloud, dispelling the wind and snow, scattering the dark clouds, and even allowing moonlight to shine down.

A full-power strike by two Grandmasters was like a natural disaster; not to mention participating in it, even approaching could cause severe injury.

"Is this still human?!"

Li Yuan felt the hair on his back stand on end.

He had heard that clashes between Grandmasters could sever a ten-li river; now it seemed that even if exaggerated, the truth was not far off.

He paused slightly beneath his feet, lifting the few disciples of the Divine Weapon Valley who had fallen behind,

then sprinted forward, quickly catching up with Han Han Chuijun and Lord Master Gongyang Yu, who were also frequently looking back.

"Penetrating Yin and Yang, able to unite Heaven and Earth!"

Gazing at the shadowy dragon and elephant figures, seemingly present yet absent, within the rolling shockwaves, Lord Master Gongyang Yu slowed his steps, his eyes flickering:

"This was only a single wisp of True Qi..."

Feeling the shockwaves blowing from several li away, Lord Master Gongyang Yu's chest heaved, truly sensing the terror of a Grandmaster.

With the True Qi strikes of these two giants, in the eight prefectures of Huizhou, only a handful of people could likely withstand them.

Although he had barely succeeded in refining his marrow, he was not among them...

"Even a single wisp of True Qi is a Grandmaster's strike,"

Glancing at Li Yuan, who was also carrying people and catching up, Han Han Chuijun set down the two he was carrying and gazed from afar:

"Fortunately, it was only one strike."

For a Grandmaster martial artist, their body, Qi, and spirit have converged into a singularity; seemingly just a wisp of True Qi, yet it equally contains their divine intent, thus capable of unleashing a heaven-shaking, earth-splitting strike.

But True Qi taking form is ultimately not the true body; even if seemingly incredible, it still possesses only the power of a single strike.

Yet even with only the power of a single strike, this blow is enough to intimidate all prefectures of a province; apart from fellow Grandmasters, even a Zhun Grandmaster who has fully mastered Blood Replacement would harbor fear and dare not face its edge directly.

"Qi moves the mountains and rivers, a person approaches the enemy army! Not human, truly not human..."

Li Yuan set down the two disciples he was carrying, his heart whistling in shock, yet unable to avoid feeling stirred and yearning.

Hearing it in books is no match for seeing it with one's own eyes.

Witnessing this scene, he finally fully understood Gong Gong Jiuchuan's words: why the inner court of the Dragon and Tiger Temple only accepts disciples with Grandmaster potential.

One Grandmaster is enough to equal an elite army of thousands, or even tens of thousands of martial artists.

This elite force is neither the Divine Guard Army nor the Huai Long Army, but an army composed of the most elite disciples under the various Daoist sects!

"If a Grandmaster is already this formidable, how formidable must the legendary Shenbangda Grandmasters be? Are they truly immortals?"

Sha Sha Pingying and other disciples of the Divine Weapon Valley, ragged and terrified, gazed at the hurricane like a natural disaster, shaken beyond measure.

They felt their entire life's understanding had been overturned.

Can true supreme experts actually be this formidable?!

"True Qi taking form, only the power of one strike!"

Han Han Chuijun's Dragon Scale Armor still glowed with firelight; his tone was certain, yet carried coldness and indifference:

"Huang Fu Kun, Shen Tu Hong!"

"Junior Brother!"

Lord Master Gongyang Yu's expression tightened slightly: "You..."

"If these two do not die, even if we take control of Dechang Prefecture, we will sleep and eat in unease!"

Han Han Chuijun was not asking, nor explaining; he swept his gaze over the crowd of disciples whose expressions were ragged and terrified, his eyes landing on Li Yuan.

But he said nothing; with a push of his foot, he plunged into the night.

"Form a formation and wait for me to return!"

Lord Master Gongyang Yu sighed inwardly; in his life, he rarely fought hard battles, and almost every time, he was dragged into action by the sect elders.

Though reluctant in his heart at this moment, he could only give the order, turned his body, and hurriedly followed.

"Don't go!"

Lei Lei Jingchuan and Jing Jing Shuhu only just came to their senses then, grabbing Li Yuan's shoulders from left and right.

With both of them half-crippled, Li Yuan did not dare struggle.

He swept his sleeve, blowing away the accumulated snow on the ground, helped the two sit down, then took out various healing pills and handed them over.

In the past few years, Li Yuan had taken many pills, but had rarely consumed healing ones, accumulating a large stockpile.

He gave some to Jing Jing Shuhu and the other, then scattered the rest among Sha Sha Pingying, Niu Jun, and others who were also seriously injured.

"Form a formation!"

Ba Ba Wanli stood holding his hammer, ordering numerous true disciples to form a formation array, protecting the injured like Jing Jing Shuhu in the center.

The group stood on high alert, as if facing a great enemy, yet every time they looked at the un-dissipated hurricane, they could not help but feel their hearts race in terror.

"A battle of Grandmasters!"

Looking at the place where shockwaves churned up mud and sand, Li Yuan felt somewhat dazed.

Whether in Gao Liu County, or Zhe Long and Dechang Prefectures, the vast majority of common people were still rushing about for their livelihood, dealing with firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea.

Yet the clash of giant Grandmaster figures could shake mountains and move like a natural disaster.

Under the same sky, this seemed like two different worlds...

Suddenly, he remembered the ancient storybooks he had read in his past life: amidst the bustling markets of the mortal world, countless red dusts existed, yet sword immortals and demons hid among the peddlers and porters.

Similarly terrifying, similarly, ordinary people heard their names but never saw their forms.

The difference was that the sword immortals and demons in the storybooks came and went alone, untouched by worldly smoke, whereas martial artist Grandmasters not only founded sects but were often the powerful warlords controlling provincial and prefectural regions.

"Grandmaster, change the title; say Sword Immortal or Demon, and there's no sense of incongruity... What did the Ancestor say? The Great Dao has three thousand paths, each can lead to the Dao—ahem, each can verify the Great Dao. Practicing Wu Gong holds great potential!"

Li Yuan murmured to himself, clenched the heavy hammer, and remained alert to his surroundings.

In the night, a hurricane howled; faintly visible were a giant elephant and a crimson dragon colliding and fighting, the intensity extreme.

Boom!

It seemed like a single strike, yet also like a thousand collisions.

The terrifying shockwave hurricane had not yet subsided, and Long Xi Xiang, standing within it, slowly lowered his palm.

A phantom behind him flickered, gradually calming, yet in that fleeting glance, one could still see a majestic giant elephant with a green dragon coiling above it.

"Among land forms, elephant power is supreme; among water forms, dragon power is highest... The Great Might Heavenly Dragon Form and the Dragon-Tiger Hun Tian Hammer, you have actually fused them to such a degree."

Chi Yan Fa Wang slowly spoke; the crimson behind him gradually dimmed, and the blood-colored giant dragon slowly vanished.

Looking at Long Xi Xiang, who was still only about one chi tall, he couldn't help but sigh:

"If you hadn't been injured in your soul and spirit, saying you have the potential for the Di Shen Xian Jing realm would not be an exaggeration in the slightest..."

A single strike could not determine life or death, nor victory or defeat, but it was enough for both to know each other's Wu Gong realm.

Over sixty years passed in a flash; his progress was slight, while Long Xi Xiang...

"Di Shen Xian Jing..."

Long Xi Xiang murmured softly, raised his head indifferently; though only one chi tall, his momentum was as heavy as a mountain range.

"Come to the God-Teaching Sect; I, an old man, will guide you in. Choose any god in the world; if you refuse to worship gods, practicing Zheng Fa is also acceptable..."

"No need."

Chi Yan Fa Wang seemed somewhat regretful, but before he could finish, Long Xi Xiang interrupted him:

"I may have no hope to advance even half a step, but killing you is enough!"

As the words drifted, Long Xi Xiang's figure blurred for an instant, turned, and walked out of the area surrounded by shockwaves.

"Kill me?"

Chi Yan Fa Wang chuckled coldly in a low voice, and his figure vanished into nothingness.

"It's over!"

As the shockwaves gradually subsided, Li Yuan felt a stir in his heart, warned Eight Thousand Miles once, and went with Fang Fang Bao Luo, one after the other, to the place where the two Grandmasters had fought.

They saw the ground covered with crisscrossing trenches, pitted and uneven, like ruins.

The area where the two Grandmasters clashed was several li in all directions; in these several li, no grass or trees remained, and the ground had collapsed more than one chi.

"Too fierce!"

"Too fierce!"

The two exchanged glances, both feeling a chill in their hearts.

Clang~

Li Yuan picked up a broken weapon; this long sword, whose owner was unknown, was of superior-grade famous artifact level, but now it was covered in cracks, completely devoid of spiritual nature.

"Thousand-forged refined steel! Swept by the aftereffects, it actually broke like this?"

Li Yuan felt his teeth ache.

Destroying one superior-grade famous artifact is not difficult, but having it destroyed merely by the force-wind of a clash is truly terrifying and awe-inspiring.

Let alone Yi Xing; even for those with Tong Mai fully accomplished, or even Zhen Zang martial artists, without superior external cultivation, their physique would not surpass a superior-grade famous artifact.

"They're all gone!"

Fang Fang Bao Luo looked around; in the night, faint true qi light still lingered here, but the figures of the two Grandmasters were nowhere to be seen.

On the other side, however, figures seemed to flicker.

"True qi forming shapes, only one strike's worth of power..."

Li Yuan muttered to himself, then thought of the Shan Xuan Bing Mi Jing; the human forms formed from the Shan Xuan Whale Qi there had more than one strike's worth of power.

"Yi Xing, Tong Mai, Zhen Zang, Zhen Sui Fa Huan Xue..."

Fang Fang Bao Luo was also greatly stimulated; Li Yuan approached, heard him muttering, saw his expression change several times, and finally let out a long sigh:

"No hope in this life!"

Any martial artist seeing this scene would surely feel shock and reverence, but upon careful thought, all would feel despair.

The vast majority of martial artists cannot even reach Yi Xing fully accomplished, let alone Grandmaster?

Fang Fang Bao Luo sighed; he was not far from Tong Mai; enduring another ten or twenty years, achieving Tong Mai fully accomplished would be no problem.

But without supreme arts, he could only stop here for his entire life.

"Young Valley Master?"

As the thought crossed his mind, Fang Fang Bao Luo's gaze toward Li Yuan immediately changed.

Only now did he truly understand why the Dragon-Tiger Temple would Value so highly Li Yuan, not only possessing the Dragon-Tiger Elder Token, but also accompanied by Grandmaster true qi.

This is a Grandmaster seed...

"Without Chi Yan Fa Wang, Old Han should be slaughtering on a large scale?"

Li Yuan wandered for a while but found no trace of Long Xi Xiang; this cheap master had vanished so thoroughly that Li Yuan didn't even know who won or lost.

"Junior brother, Master didn't send you; do not endanger yourself."

Seeing him dazed and looking into the distance, Fang Fang Bao Luo immediately grew nervous; he now fully understood the sect's Value so highly for Li Yuan.

It wasn't just because he had joined the Dragon-Tiger Temple, but because he had the potential to become a Grandmaster.

"I'll go kill those few people!"

Li Yuan glanced from the corner of his eye, spotted figures flashing in the night; Fang Fang Bao Luo instinctively tried to grab him, but with a single motion, Li Yuan was already a hundred zhang away.

After a few more bounds, he had already caught up with the two Xieshen Sect members in the night.

"Ordinary Body-Forging... mm, Body-Forging experts."

Li Yuan felt the change in his own mindset.

Just three short years, and the once-unreachable Body-Forging martial artists had already become 'ordinary' in his heart.

"Can't underestimate the enemy—even a lion taking down a rabbit must use its full strength!"

Li Yuan's mind shifted; like an eagle diving, two heavy hammers smashed these two experts who could casually kill Cao Yan, their brains bursting apart.

He swiftly reached out and frisked the two of them, then turned back at once.

……

This night was especially long.

The Shenbing Valley disciples stood in formation, waiting until the horizon turned the pale grey of dawn—Lord Master Gongyang Yu and Han Han Chuijun still had not returned.

"Kee!"

At that moment, the grey eagle came flapping; from several dozen meters up, Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong's voice rang out:

"Return to the sect!"

"Yes!"

Hearing his voice, the Shenbing Valley disciples finally relaxed a little, but did not fully drop their guard; they flipped onto their horses, blades and swords in hand.

"I wonder how this grey eagle was tamed?"

Li Yuan looked up, somewhat envious—this grey eagle and the Soul-Chasing Arrow were a perfect match; half of Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong's status came from this spirit eagle.

Flying spirit beasts were rare, and tamed ones even rarer; every single one was worth a fortune.

He had seen this grey eagle before when learning martial arts at the Dust-Leaving Hall, but let alone riding it, he hadn't even been able to touch it.

"Whoosh!"

The grey eagle flapped its wings and dove down, kicking up a large cloud of dust.

Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong swept a glance at the disciples busy organizing into ranks, his gaze landing on Li Yuan; his expression softened slightly, but he still scolded:

"Leaving the city alone—you've got some nerve!"

"This disciple was just momentarily anxious."

Li Yuan had long figured out the old man's temper; he didn't talk back, admitted fault first, then sidled up to the spirit eagle.

Up close, this spirit eagle was nearly three meters tall, its feathers like blades and swords, radiating a cold sheen.

"Kee!"

The spirit eagle warily glanced at Li Yuan; in his sleeve, the little mouse squeaked and bristled.

It had just woken from a stupor and nearly fainted again from fright.

"It's good that your heart is set on the sect, just don't be so reckless in the future."

Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong had bloodstains on him; he had also been injured last night—an arrow from that Xieshen Sect divine archer was still lodged in his back.

He didn't pull it out either; stepping forward, he looked at the unconscious Jing Jing Shuhu and the other man, and seeing their injuries were stable, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This migration of Shenbing Valley had suffered no small losses—elders and true disciples alike had casualties, many of whom he had watched grow up; it was like a knife twisting in his heart.

Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong turned his head, saw Li Yuan still eyeing his spirit eagle, his heart stirred slightly, and said:

"This eagle recognizes people. If you want to ride it, wait till we're back in the city, let Qiu Changying accompany you."

"Huh?"

Li Yuan started, keenly catching something behind the old man's words: "N-no need, right? This disciple can manage on his own…"

"We'll talk when we're back in the city."

Qiu Qiu Zhengxiong said no more, turned, mounted the eagle, and flew off.

"Senior Brother Li, your horse!"

Zou Kui led a scaled horse over, his eyes full of reverence.

He had arrived later and hadn't seen Li Yuan display his might, but last night he had also heard about it from the others.

"Many thanks."

Li Yuan reached out and took the reins, but didn't rush to leave.

Several disciples carried the stretcher he had roughly put together last night, on which lay the heavily wounded Lei Lei Jingchuan, Jing Jing Shuhu, and others.

A night had passed, and the two men's complexions had neither improved nor worsened; after taking pills, they had fallen into a deep sleep.

Master Li was a cautious sort, carefully guarding the wounded to guard against any Xieshen Sect stragglers sneaking an attack.

Ba Ba Wanli, Long Sheng, and others each led men to protect the head and tail of the column, while Qiu Qiu Changying led people to scout ahead.

Passing through this mountain path, one could occasionally see corpses lying along the road—some masked, some in ordinary hemp clothing; what they shared were gruesome deaths, some with caved-in chests, some with brains burst open.

"All of them were taken down by Old Han!"

Li Yuan only glanced once and already spotted the marks of the Soldier's Path Combat Hammer; Old Han's strikes were ruthless and merciless, leaving no survivors.

Some disciples stepped forward to search the corpses and clear the battlefield.

"This one is from Zhen Wutang!"

Fang Fang Bao Luo rode alongside Li Yuan, suddenly looking at a man by the road: "Hmph, Zhen Wutang really has colluded with the Xieshen Sect!"

He flipped off his horse, called over several disciples, and began searching the battlefield—mainly those suspected of being from Zhen Wutang—to preserve evidence.

Li Yuan didn't dismount; he guarded the wounded, watching Fang Fang Bao Luo preserve evidence, and nodded inwardly.

Colluding with the Xieshen Sect was naturally taboo on the surface; neither the imperial court nor the major sects would allow it.

But in fact, let alone the imperial court—even the Wudadao Sect had elders who had joined the Xieshen Sect; if one really wanted to pursue it, there'd be plenty to discuss.

"The temptation of longevity is just too great."

Li Yuan wasn't surprised.

Whether in a past life or this one, whether emperors and ministers, or true cultivators of the Dao, those who sought to extend their years and ascend like Daoist Yu Hua—none could be counted.

Whether the Bai Shen Fa could grant immortality was unverifiable, but that it could extend one's years was ten-for-ten certain; naturally, countless experts practiced it in secret—many had joined the Xieshen Sect, but far more had not.

"The imperial court, the Xieshen Sect, the Wudadao Sect, the Star-Plucking Tower…"

Li Yuan muttered to himself.

The jianghu was not all about fighting and killing, and neither were the court and the jianghu truly separated by a clear line.

The more jianghu affairs he came into contact with, the more he felt this to be true.

Between the imperial court, the jianghu, and the various great factions, there were often countless tangled connections…

"Complicated, truly complicated."

Li Yuan was quite prone to letting his thoughts wander, but after associating for a while, he felt a bit of a headache and simply pressed the matter down for now.

Right now he only wanted to learn the Dragon-Tiger Heaven-Shaking Hammer, master the Sea-Splitting Mysterious Whale Hammer, and then see whether marrow refinement and blood exchange could truly cultivate him into a divine beast.

"And there's the Grandmaster… Thousand-Li Soul Lock, True Qi taking form—I really want to try it."

Around midday, Dechang Fucheng was already visible in the distance; Daoist Li's wandering thoughts had already drifted beyond the nine heavens.

Last night's Grandmaster battle had shaken his spirit, but it had also raised an immense ambition in his heart.

The world was so vast—he wanted to go see it.

……

……

Bang!

Bang!

Fireworks exploded across the night sky, one after another, exceedingly festive.

For some ten days before and after the New Year, Dechang Fucheng lifted its curfew; looking down from a high place, the entire city seemed hung with lanterns, accompanied by the sounds of gongs, drums, and music.

Lion-dance troupes were winding through the streets, with large crowds of common folk following the gongs and drums—extraordinarily lively.

Wangjiang Tower blazed with light, all thirteen floors booked out, over a hundred servants bustling nonstop, the aroma of wine and meat drifting for miles.

Not only Wangjiang Tower—along this entire main street, the three great inns before and behind were packed to capacity, the guests coming and going being either sects great and small within and beyond the Fucheng, or families.

Some were famous jianghu martial artists of Dechang Fucheng and Zhilong Fucheng, and there were also no few merchants and escort agency heads.

As well as very, very many storyteller Mr. s.

"Another New Year."

Below Wangjiang Tower, Li Yuan, who had just ended his closed-door cultivation, gazed at Feng Feng Mantian's lights, his heart at peace.

Three days after the battle of West Bear Mountain, Han Han Chuijun took Huang Fu Kun's head to the Zhen Wutang to claim the bounty, causing a sensation.

Every family and sect, great and small, within Dechang Fucheng was terrified; even Fire Dragon Monastery and Iron Sword Gate lowered their banners and stilled their drums.

In just over a month, Dechang Fucheng, together with all the commanderies and counties under its jurisdiction, had completely changed heaven; every trace of Qianjun Cave had been utterly replaced by the Divine Weapon Valley.

Seven days ago, Divine Weapon Valley reopened its mountain gates, renamed Qianjun Mountain "Divine Weapon Mountain," and on the day the gates opened, took in over six hundred inner and outer disciples, while widely recruiting capable fighters to fill the Divine Guard Army.

And now…

"A true thousand-table feast!"

Gongs and drums shook the heavens, firecrackers went off in unison; below Wangjiang Tower, the Divine Weapon Valley disciples greeting arrivals and seeing off guests numbered several dozen.

Li Yuan braced himself and showed himself, and in an instant was swept inside.

All thirteen floors, guests filled every seat, the gleam of weapons running together in a stretch; at a single glance, Li Yuan's eyes nearly blurred.

Sharp weapons, superior sharp weapons, famed weapons, superior famed weapons…

Far, far too many—Li Yuan had no choice but to squint.

In the great hall of the inn, a high platform had even been erected, where quite a few lithe, graceful young women were dancing,

and on every floor there came the sounds of zithers and flutes, while the aromas of wine and meat lingered and would not disperse.

"Brother Li has arrived!"

"Is that the great Mr. Li?"

"A true disciple of Divine Weapon Valley, an inner disciple of Dragon-Tiger Monastery, a peerless prodigy who has taken a Grandmaster as his master!"

"Dragon's stride, tiger's step, bearing extraordinary—truly a dragon among men, a talent unmatched under heaven!"

"Good!"

……

How deafening were the voices of several hundred, even a thousand people?

Li Yuan felt the roof was about to be torn off, his ears buzzing in a haze.

Liu Zheng, Wang Wang Peiyao, Yue Yue Yunjin, and the others following behind him were even more dazed, at a loss for what to do.

Divine Weapon Valley's thousand-table feast had invited countless people, but those who could enter Wangjiang Tower were no ordinary folk.

Not to mention the true disciples, elders, and inner-gate elites of Divine Weapon Valley—the others were also the elders and sect masters of sects and families, great and small.

"Junior Brother Li has truly become a dragon!"

Yue Yue Yunjin was utterly dumbfounded; at this moment, even he, who understood nothing whatsoever about Dragon-Tiger Monastery, truly sensed the terror of it.

Even Lord Master Gongyang Yu, the Valley Master, did not have such a presence!

"Hoo!"

Having kept up his 'cool' act all the way, Li Yuan only let out a breath of relief upon reaching the thirteenth floor—not that he put on airs, he truly could not keep up with the responses.

Nodding until his neck nearly broke, he still could not keep up.

The thirteenth floor was well soundproofed; once here, all were familiar faces—besides the elders and personal disciples of Divine Weapon Valley, there were the sect masters, elders, and true disciples of the various great sects.

At a single glance he spotted Yue's weight, Lin Lin Dongping, Yan Xiong, and Hua Hua Qingwu—the four who had likewise entered the inner gate of Dragon-Tiger Monastery—all seated at the main table.

Accompanying them were their respective sect's elders, or even sect masters.

"Brother Li!"

Seeing Li Yuan, the entire group rose; Yue Chongtian and the others lifted their wine cups. Regardless of their inner thoughts, their etiquette was impeccable.

Li Yuan greeted each one in turn and sat beside Old Han.

"Dechang Prefecture is settled... Hmm, the relocation plan has not been abandoned."

Glancing at the people in the hall, Li Yuan turned the matter over in his mind.

Lord Master Gongyang Yu never liked to clash head-on; even after a great victory, he still thought of relocation. Old Han, however, did not care.

But in any case, Dechang Prefecture was decided.

The Valley Master refines his marrow, and Old Han wields a divine weapon. With such strength, not just one prefecture, but all the prefectures could be taken.

In Huizhou, the only thing to fear is the Huailong Palace.

After the greetings came the toasts that Li Yuan detested...

He did not toast many, but far too many toasted him.

Before the banquet was half over, Li Yuan was drunk unconscious. Supported by Liu Zheng and Yue Yue Yunjin, he went downstairs and returned to the Divine Guard Army's camp.

"Hah!"

Back in the small courtyard, Li Yuan finally relaxed. He circulated his internal Qi, forcing the smell of alcohol from his body, then opened the doors and windows to ventilate.

"In my past life, I hardly ever socialized; now, there are actually so many social obligations..."

Li Yuan rubbed his temples. After a while, he was fully awake. He took a Bone-Strengthening Pill and casually tossed one to Little Rat.

After the trip to West Bear Mountain, the little fellow almost ran away. Li Yuan coaxed him for over a month to get him back, but the pills have gone from every few days to one every day.

"Fortunately, there should be no more social obligations after this."

Loosening his muscles and bones, Li Yuan slowly pushed up the Soldier Body Stance.

In this past month, aside from the banquets he occasionally couldn't refuse, he had been practicing in seclusion.

The number of bone structure changes has reached thirty-two, and this does not count the 'Soldier Form' which is still slowly changing.

"The Soldier Dao's Battle-Hammer Form is far harder to change than ordinary Spirit Forms. The effect should be better, right?"

Li Yuan did two things at once; besides practicing martial arts, he could even maintain his visualization.

At this moment, in the Spirit Light Realm, the 'Visualized Spirit Self' was being hacked, slashed, and stabbed by swords and blades. Li Yuan's body underwent various changes in response.

The Ten Thousand Blades Spirit Dragon Body was also nearing entry-level mastery.

"Hah!"

After a long time, Li Yuan slowly settled his stance and bowed: "Master."

On the recliner under the eaves, Han Han Chuijun rotated the Wind-Thunder Ruyi Pestle in his five fingers:

"I heard you have collected dozens of various weapons these past few days? Have you made a breakthrough in the Art of Casting Weapons?"

"The Art of Casting Weapons is easy to learn but hard to master. Disciple has made some slight progress and wishes to observe the techniques of various weapon casters."

Li Yuan replied.

After returning to Huicheng, he bought or borrowed quite a few weapons. He even played with Old Han's hammer for over half a month.

Weapon enhancement can instantly boost strength significantly, but Li Yuan did not abandon the path of constantly learning others' Wu Gong through mastery and control.

The same Wu Gong manifests different power in different hands; this is also very useful to him.

"Longhu Temple is known as the First Pill Sect, yet its weapon-casting grounds are merely ordinary. If you can become a Divine Artisan, you might compete for the position of True Disciple!"

Han Han Chuijun was slightly drunk but very clear-headed. The second half of his sentence was transmitted directly into the mind:

"Only by becoming a True Disciple is it possible to access the secrets left behind by the Dragon Seal Holy Monk and the Pure Yang Daoist back then..."

Han Han Chuijun was very cautious; even when transmitting thoughts, he did not mention the 'Tearing Sea Profound Whale Hammer'.

But Li Yuan naturally knew what he wanted to say and nodded naturally.

However, Longhu Temple has only six True Disciples per generation, with only two spots for each of the three Longhu lineages. The difficulty of becoming a True Disciple is imaginable.

"Longhu True Discipleship is difficult, but with your talent, even if you do not become a Divine Artisan, enduring a few more days might not fail."

Han Han Chuijun yawned; he had hardly slept these past few days:

"The Hundred Beasts Thunder Dragon is still in its infancy. You already know the secrets within. Later, when I have some realizations, I will send them to you by letter. Do not stop changing forms."

Finally, there was an admonition.

Li Yuan bowed and listened.

"Hmm, rest now."

Han Han Chuijun did not say much. He yawned and prepared to leave. Just as he reached the door, he suddenly turned back:

"If you have any needs, just ask. No need to be polite... Hmm, your senior uncle is not very bold, but he is generous. Very generous."

"Disciple has noted it."

Watching Old Han leave, Li Yuan's thoughts became active:

"Needs... Supreme Arts? Forget it. What about other high-grade Wu Gong? Hmm... materials to promote the Soldier Talisman to the seventh rank?"