Chapter 244: New Stars of Dragon and Tiger

Dragon List, first place, Long Long Xinglie.

Dragon List, second place, Xin Xin Wenhua, Marrow Refinement achieved.

Dragon List, third place, Shan Hong, Marrow Refinement achieved.

Dragon List, fourth place, Lin Lin Fangzhui, Viscera Refinement Great Completion.

……

Li Yuan raised his head; under the sunlight, the various names on the stone tablet shone brilliantly.

From top to bottom, there were over six hundred and seventy names, all elite disciples of the Dragon Tiger inner sect.

At the very bottom of the list were those who had achieved Form Transformation; among them, he saw Gu Yang, Liu Huanhong, and Yu Yu Xuanji, ranked one hundred and forty-third, Form Transformation Great Completion.

And that Wang Wang Xuanying from before, Dragon List seventy-second, Meridian Opening achieved.

"Worthy of being the foremost of a single Dao, a sacred ground of the Wu Lin — on half the list alone, those who have achieved Meridian Opening actually number over eighty."

Li Yuan could not help but be shaken; this was what truly meant a gathering of mighty figures.

Compared to the Divine Weapon Valley, the Dragon Tiger Temple's foundation was far deeper. The top three of the Dragon List actually included two who had achieved Marrow Refinement, and that 'Invincible Within Sixty Years' true disciple ranked first had even reached Blood Exchange Great Completion!

A first place that stood in a league of its own.

"Among the various sects of the eight prefectures of Huizhou, aside from the Huai Dragon Palace, there are practically none who have achieved Blood Exchange Great Completion, are there?"

Li Yuan reached out and touched the stone tablet; it felt cool to the touch, yet carried a trace of warmth, with a faint, elusive fluctuation of true Qi within the stone.

"So this is the Dragon List?"

'Somewhat similar to those stone tablets in the Shan Xuan Whale Mi Jing — could it be that the Furnace of Preservation was passed down in this way?'

A sudden realization dawned in Li Yuan's heart.

No wonder the disciples of the Dragon Tiger Temple Value so highly the Dragon List — it was far more than mere empty fame.

"The Dragon Tiger inner sect has two lists, the Dragon and the Tiger. Inner sect and true disciples under the age of sixty may all be listed."

Monk Douyue paused at the right moment and explained.

The Dragon Tiger List had a long history; it was said to trace back to the second-generation patriarch of the Dragon Tiger Temple, and for over two thousand years it had stood here.

"Uncle-Master Douyue came off the list thirteen years ago; at the time, he was ranked first."

A bald young man in a Daoist robe was also examining the Dragon List; Li Yuan caught a glimpse of where his attention was focused.

Dragon List seventy-first, Ouyang Ying — exactly one rank higher than Wang Wang Xuanying, also at Meridian Opening achieved.

"Junior Brother Long's talent is peerless. In my day, I merely relied on being twenty years older to barely hold first place for a few years."

Gazing at the various names on the Dragon List, Monk Douyue sighed slightly, then looked at Li Yuan:

"Junior Brother Li has only just registered; he likely won't appear on the list until tomorrow. However, you are still young — don't fixate on the ranking of a single moment."

One who had earned the patriarch's recognition — his talent and endowment were beyond doubt, and being listed was inevitable.

But the Dragon Tiger inner sect gathered the finest talents of a single Dao; figures like Gu Yang, Liu Huanhong, and Wang Wang Xuanying had all come from other prefectures.

Li Yuan's talent was certainly not lacking, but he was too young; how long it would take him to reach the upper ranks was anyone's guess.

"Many thanks for the guidance, Senior Brother."

Li Yuan cupped his hands in salute.

He did not care much for empty fame; after all, over the years he had never ranked highly on any list.

But if, as he suspected, the list's rankings were tied to the Furnace of Preservation…

"Still, don't slack off. Being ranked high on the list brings no small benefits."

Monk Douyue said no more, only offering a veiled word of advice.

"Who decides the rankings on this list? By talent, or by Wu Gong?"

Li Yuan asked tentatively.

"You will know in due time."

Monk Douyue glanced at him, then turned and walked toward the Hun Tian Hall.

'The Furnace of Preservation?'

His refusal to answer only confirmed the answer in Li Yuan's heart. He took one long look at the stone tablet, committing the names at the top of the list to memory, then followed along.

Hun Tian Hall sat atop the tallest of the thirteen Shanfeng; Li Yuan followed Monk Douyue and paid respects to the patriarch's memorial tablet.

"You shall stay at Hun Tian Hall for now. Once Master emerges from seclusion, the elder may have other arrangements for you."

Before the patriarch's memorial tablet in Hun Tian Hall, Monk Douyue reverently offered incense.

Li Yuan followed suit, yet could not help glancing at that incense burner.

【Incense Burner Before Dragon Tiger Hun Tian Hall (Fifth-Tier)】

【…Forged from rare iron, of great antiquity, long suffused by years of incense smoke, gradually gaining a spirit】

【Control Requirement: Dragon Tiger Hun Tian Hammer Mastery】

【Control Effect: Fifth-Tier (Pale Yellow): Steadfast Immovability

Fourth-Tier (Green): Slight Fortune, Focused Composure】

A fifth-tier incense burner, yet the drifting incense aura it gave off reached as high as sixth-tier — and not a single wisp, but gathered into a single mass.

"At the very least, enough for me to open the sixth-tier furnace four times!"

A sidelong glance at that incense burner, and Li Yuan grew somewhat restless — the heavy hammer on him had not been updated or refined in a long while.

It was not that he didn't want to; weapons of superior-grade famous quality and above were extremely precious and rare, whether forged or purchased.

"…The Dao Lord knows not when he will return to Huishan, but it likely won't be too long; when the time comes, he will surely summon you for an audience."

Li Yuan came back to himself; Monk Douyue had also just finished speaking.

"As for the sect's precepts, commit them well to memory. If you truly violate a taboo, the lightest punishment is the abolition of your Wu Gong; the heaviest, your life."

Having walked Li Yuan through the procedures, Monk Douyue took a tray from a disciple nearby and handed it to Li Yuan.

This is the robe and weapon of an inner disciple.

"Not a famed weapon… then again, there are thousands of inner disciples in Longhu Temple; giving one to every newcomer would be unrealistic."

Li Yuan accepted it with both hands.

"Regarding the Long Chan Jin Gang Jing, ponder it yourself; if you have questions, come ask me again."

This was clearly a dismissal.

Li Yuan had wanted to ask about the Long Hu Hun Tian Chui, but now he could only take the items and follow Ouyang Ying to choose his lodging.

"New inner disciples must build their own lodgings; Master Li may choose any of the twelve peaks outside Hun Tian Feng."

Ouyang Ying was quite talkative, introducing Li Yuan to Hun Tang and its six subordinate squads along the way.

Hun Tang oversees six squads, each corresponding to one of six superior secret arts. Each squad has two peaks as its base and residence for its disciples.

"The Bai Cao Squad preserves the superior secret art 'Bai Cao Yang Jian Jue'; its disciples excel at foraging for herbs and refining pills…"

"The Chun Gang Squad, which preserves the superior secret art 'Chun Gang Ba Chui', is where ironworking and weapon forging take place…"

"The Yan Xing Squad handles external duties; its superior lightness art, 'Yan Xing Gong', is also famed throughout Mount Hengshan…"

Li Yuan listened in silence, forming a rough impression in his mind.

The six squads of Hun Tang can roughly be categorized by function: ironworking, pill refining, external duties, discipline, intelligence, and patrol and mountain defense.

Ordinarily, new inner disciples are assigned to one of these, but Li Yuan is unusual; no one dares assign him before Long Xi Xiang emerges from seclusion.

"Hmm, Bai Cao Feng's environment is serene, and it borders Chun Gang Squad—it's a good place."

Li Yuan chose without expression, pointing to Bai Cao Feng.

Bai Cao Feng was the most conspicuous of the thirteen peaks—not because of its height, but because its slopes and foothills were covered in terraces, planted with herbs, fruit trees, grain, and vegetables.

"Master Li has keen eyesight; Bai Cao Feng is indeed one of the best choices."

Ouyang Ying had no objection and marked the chosen location, then invited Li Yuan to stay temporarily at his own residence.

Li Yuan had no interest in building a house—he knew nothing about construction, and the structure might collapse; as for beauty and comfort, that was another question.

"Then I shall trouble you."

…

Li Yuan's entry into the sect stirred considerable ripples within Longhu Temple and even the Dao City.

The impact of the Azure Dragon Shadow was far greater than he imagined.

Within six or seven days of his entry, he met countless people—some offering goodwill, some courting him, some promising great rewards, even sending women.

At first, out of politeness, Li Yuan accepted them all, letting Feng Zhong arrange introductions; but later, he grew weary of the nuisance,

and moved out from Ouyang Ying's place, settling into his unfinished new courtyard, working alongside laborers and outer disciples to build the house.

The place Li Yuan chose lay within a bamboo grove, with a small stream ahead, mountains behind, and terraced fields not far off.

In the third month, fine rain fell continuously.

Li Yuan walked slowly through the bamboo grove; droplets of rain fell, but before touching his body, they slid away.

"The consumption and recovery of internal Qi still cannot balance…"

Li Yuan murmured to himself.

His Wu Gong progress was great, but internal Qi accumulation is a slow, grinding process; unless he has a pill like Longhu Longhu Dadan, he must accumulate it gradually.

He had covered in a few years what other Xing Gong cultivators took decades to achieve, yet his internal Qi remained thin—even though he had rarely gone without pills.

"With my current internal Qi, I cannot yet construct meridians; even with pill assistance, it would likely yield little return for great effort."

In the fine rain, Li Yuan relaxed his sinews and bones.

After multiple alterations to his bones, his physique grew ever more perfect—strong, lean, and balanced between power and agility.

"Xing Gong Thirteen is a threshold; the changes among the Thirty-Six Forms aren't great—perhaps I'll reach the Thirty-Ninth Form?"

Li Yuan squinted, sensing the subtle changes within his body.

He felt the bone alterations had brought him little enhancement, but that was because he had already mastered over thirty forms, his physical strength far surpassing that of other Xing Gong masters.

Of all the people Li Yuan had ever encountered in his life, only Han Han Chuijun could match him at the Xing Gong level.

"The Dao of martial arts demands competition, but also patience."

Li Yuan walked in the rain, familiarizing himself with the surroundings—this was the first thing he always did upon arriving at a new place.

Intelligence must be gathered; one must observe, study the terrain, walk it, and memorize it.

Over these days, except for the forbidden zones of the six squads, he had nearly traversed all thirteen peaks under Hun Tang.

"Bai Cao Squad…"

Li Yuan stopped, glancing at the cluster of buildings on the mountainside—that was Bai Cao Squad; even from this distance, he could almost smell the herbs.

Longhu Temple is called the First Pill Sect; among its Nine Great Halls, every squad has some connection to pill refining, yet Bai Cao Tang is unremarkable.

But it was still better than any herb hall he had ever seen—he bought some pills, and their quality and potency far surpassed those outside.

As for spirit pills, no amount of silver could buy them.

"Rank on the Longhu Two Lists determines your share of spirit pills."

Li Yuan gazed at the stone stele in the rain; his sharp eyesight easily found his name, after Yu Yu Xuanji, at position 147.

Inner disciples at this rank may purchase only two spirit pills per year, at year's end.

The higher the rank, the better the benefits; the top ten may buy over ten spirit pills annually, at half price.

"As for spirit pills like Longhu Longhu Dadan, you don't even get to see them unless you're near the top."

Li Yuan sighed inwardly.

He still cared deeply about Lei Lao and Jing Tou's injuries, but spirit pills of this caliber were worth far more than Jiao Dan.

Too rare and precious, naturally, the difficulty of obtaining them was immense.

According to the intelligence he had gathered these days, one Longhu Longhu Dadan could satisfy a martial artist's entire cultivation from blood and Qi up to organ refinement.

A single pill possesses merit comparable to sixty years of cultivation; this is the world-renowned Longhu Longhu Dadan.

"Top ten..."

Li Yuan withdrew his gaze.

Beyond that, there are various other benefits.

Supreme arts, divine weapons, Grandmasters, even guidance from the Dao Lord, and the Life-Nurturing Furnace, unknown to ordinary disciples.

"To enter the Mi Jing of the Life-Nurturing Furnace, one must also rank among the top, correct?"

Not a single word in the intelligence Li Yuan gathered mentioned the Longhu Life-Nurturing Furnace, yet he could vaguely guess at many things.

He simply could not yet fathom how the Life-Nurturing Furnace ranks its positions.

The Liehai Xuanwei Hammer still needs to climb the mountain; this furnace cannot possibly rank positions based solely on Martial cultivation realm, can it?

"Boom!"

At that moment, spring thunder exploded in the distance.

Li Yuan returned to his senses, instantly suppressing all stray thoughts, circulating his Qi, focusing his spirit, and listening to the rolling thunder sound approaching from afar.

The Hundred Beasts Thunder Dragon passed down by Old Han, he would certainly not abandon; it was merely that progress was relatively slow due to the Thunder Form not yet being achieved.

"All things possess spirit and also possess form. The forms of heaven and earth are divided into the substantial and the void: the substantial are like mountains, rivers, and peaks; the void are like wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, ethereal and indistinct..."

Han Han Chuijun's understanding of the Yi Xing Jing Fa Jie surged in Li Yuan's mind; Li Yuan highly approved of it.

According to Old Han, Yi Xing is the beginning of entering the Wudaodengtang, and also a crucial step.

What kind of foundation is forged determines the upper limit of one's physique, and even concerns all subsequent realms.

"Thunder Form!"

In the wind and rain, Li Yuan closed his eyes to listen to the thunder; a 'whoosh whoosh' sound also resonated within his body in response.

Soon, Li Yuan opened his eyes; it was not because he had gained realization, but because the thunder sound flashed and vanished.

"This is too slow."

Li Yuan frowned.

The greatest difficulty in comprehending the forms of heaven and earth lies here: wind, rain, thunder, and lightning; wind is somewhat better, but the latter types rely entirely on the heavens.

"To cultivate the Thunder Form fastest, the best method is to go to the Wind and Thunder Valley; Old Han likely cultivated his Thunder Form there back then."

After waiting quite a while, seeing the wind and rain gradually disperse, Li Yuan could only temporarily give up.

The heavens were not cooperating; he truly had no other choice.

Li Yuan returned to the bamboo forest; his small courtyard had already taken shape. Though not large, he was quite satisfied.

At this time, many disciples were still busy with construction.

There are no ordinary people in the Longhu Temple; even the menial disciples are at least Wu Gong practitioners who have reached the peak of Body Tempering.

Each one was strong and powerful, working very quickly.

No tools were needed at all; a wooden beam weighing several hundred jin could be carried by one person, and a thousand-jin stone could be shattered with a few casual strikes.

Li Yuan lent a hand, and the speed increased further; by the time the sky grew dark, several rooms were fully constructed, and even beds, tables, and chairs were conveniently crafted.

Only the courtyard wall remained un-leveled.

Watching the group of menial disciples depart, Li Yuan fetched water from the stream, washed himself, descended the mountain, and returned to Huicheng.

Since the courtyard was nearly built, he naturally needed to bring back the little mouse and the tiger cub.

The little mouse was fine, but that little tiger cub was not yet tamed; he dared not leave for too long.