Chapter 290: Dream Transmission?

Hush~

Under the faint moonlight, a gentle breeze blew in clouds and mist.

Do the clouds follow the wind?

This is...

'Longhu Longhu Dandan!'

On the bed, the little tiger cub's pupils contracted violently for an instant; he quickly closed his eyes, pretending to have truly fainted.

Wuu!

The little tiger cub's movement was very slight, yet even after stealing just that one glance, the smoke blown in from outside paused slightly,

with half of it dispersing, and borrowing the moonlight shining, it transformed into a hazy figure composed of a cloud of mist.

Standing before the bed, that hazy figure surveyed the room; its gaze lingered for an instant on the small mouse fainted in the corner, then fell upon the little tiger cub:

"An illusion?"

On the bed, Li Yuan slept soundly; the little tiger cub held its long tail, its pair of small ears drooping, seemingly sleeping very deeply as well.

Hush!

After gazing for a moment, that figure dissolved into faint mist once more, sinking back into Li Yuan's nose and mouth.

Li Yuan, in his sleep, furrowed his brows, as if having a nightmare.

The room fell silent; after a long while, the little tiger cub cautiously opened her eyes, only to see a figure formed from a cloud of mist staring back at her.

"Swish!"

The little tiger cub's fur stood on end; like a civet cat whose tail had been stepped on, she jumped up, her pair of pupils contracting and changing violently.

That old bald donkey is too treacherous!

"Wings sprouting from the ribs, double pupils in the eyes, colors divided between black and white; which beast god cub is this?"

The figure formed from the hazy mist muttered to itself, then suddenly extended a finger and pointed; the little tiger cub fell over in response, this time truly falling into a deep, unconscious sleep.

'Old bald donkey, just you wait...'

Before fainting, the little tiger cub felt shock and anger in her heart, yet could not help but feel a slight relief; she should, it seems, not have been recognized?

"No wonder Zhenwu Wang and Shen Qi Sheng insisted on making things difficult for me; so that is the reason..."

A gentle breeze blew into the room, scattering those low mutterings, and, like a living thing, closed the door that had been blown open and drew the latch.

Vmm~

In his sleep, Li Yuan heard a faint, almost imperceptible humming sound; inwardly, he furrowed his brows.

"It's happening again? Having forged twelve qi meridians, when Li Yuan reached the great completion of Meridian Opening, he was already secretly on guard; yet he never expected that even after moving here, that person would still dare to pull him into a dream?"

How utterly rude!

Li Yuan felt somewhat uneasy in his heart; regardless of whether this person harbored ill intent, for him, this was far too lacking in security.

If one can enter a dream silently, one can also assassinate silently!

Swish!

Opening his eyes within the dream, Li Yuan gathered his thoughts, preparing to have a good chat with the master of this 'Damaged Pian Shen Jing' about the benefits of drawing a blade.

But upon opening his eyes, his heart trembled once more, filled with shock, doubt, and bewilderment.

Have I truly seen a ghost?!

Master Li Dao instinctively rubbed his eyes; before him, there was no longer that isolated island hanging outside the darkness, nor that bronze giant tower pierced by a massive blade.

In their place were clouds and mist, and Gaoshan.

The darkness remained on all sides, but the spot where the small island had been was now replaced by a Shanfeng shrouded in swirling mist and covered with vegetation.

Darkness lay outside, mist within, so that visibility here was very low; one could only vaguely see beasts walking and birds flying between the Shanfeng.

When the wind blew through the mist, one could vaguely see what appeared to be a temple within the mountains, or perhaps, a residence?

He looked around, trying to take in the surroundings; the mist shrouded most places, and there was very little he could see.

He attempted to move forward, but that thin mist acted like an invisible wall of qi that could not be pushed aside; moving backward, he could not retreat at all.

"What place is this again?!"

Master Li Dao was somewhat dazed, and somewhat numb.

Regarding the master of that previous Pian Shen Jing, he had made many guesses over these past few days and had somewhat prepared a response, but now...

Whose Pian Shen Jing is this?

Li Yuan felt vexed in his heart and sensed danger;

a single Pian Shen Jing represented that at least one master-level giant from the Yizun Sect had set his sights on him.

This was far too lacking in security.

"Did Old Longhu not notice? Or is this Old Longhu's Pian Shen Jing?"

Vmm~

As Li Yuan pondered, the mist before him suddenly parted somewhat, revealing a mountain path wide enough for him to walk forward.

The mountain path was paved with bluestone slabs the size of human heads; on both sides, shrubs grew thick, and the mist hung like miasma.

"..."

Sensing the Crack-Sea Black Whale Hammer, which shone brilliantly within his Weapon Storage, Li Yuan silently commanded several heavy hammers to manifest in his palm; he took a deep breath, suppressed the restlessness in his heart, and walked forward slowly.

In his past life and this one, Master Li Dao had always been a flexible person; since he was under someone else's eaves, if he needed to bow his head, he would bow his head.

Wuu wuu!

Following the mountain path for about one or two li, the mist before him parted even more, and his vision opened up considerably.

It was a fenced courtyard leaning against the mountain cliff.

The courtyard was not small, comprising roughly three courtyards; there were over a dozen rooms within. The front yard was enclosed by a fence; inside were several vegetable plots and a few fruit trees of some age. The fruit trees were lush, bearing unknown green, unripe fruits.

Under the tree was a stone table and several stone stools.

"Stone tablet!"

Beneath another tree, Li Yuan saw the stone tablet; holding to the thought that since he was here, he might as well accept it, he pushed open the bamboo fence gate and walked over.

"The Dao is in mountains and rivers, the Dao is in the heart; by reflecting the heart upon mountains and rivers, the mountains and rivers enter the heart."

"The Dao is in heaven and earth, the Dao is in the original heart; by reflecting the heart upon heaven and earth, heaven and earth enter the heart."

On the stone tablet, two lines of text flashed by; Li Yuan had not yet pondered their meaning when a new line of text had already surfaced.

"Train martial arts to strengthen the body, read books to gain wisdom."

Li Yuan murmured the words on the stone tablet—this was clearly the tone of the Divine Realm's master, speaking directly to him:

"Three pillar exercises, ten ancient books."

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Without a trace of joy, Master Li Dao felt a headache coming on.

He asked himself if he hadn't been cautious enough—in the year since joining Dragon Tiger Temple, he had barely left the mountain, and for safety's sake, he had even moved across from Old Dragon Head.

And yet…

"Calm down, calm down."

Reaching out to stroke the cub's smooth fur, Li Yuan murmured to himself, forcing calm as he analyzed.

"Two Divine Realms: one is a bronze tower pierced through by a giant blade, the other is a mountain shrouded in mist—the former is damaged, the latter intact; this cannot be the work of one person!"

"According to Old Dragon Head's words, if a Divine Realm breaks, its master dies—could the master of the bronze tower be trying to have me heal him?"

"And what of the mist-shrouded mountain's master? Telling me to read books, practice pillar exercises… this sounds like nurturing a junior disciple. Could it be that old Taoist?"

"If it is…"

Master Li Dao's thoughts scattered; he keenly realized both Divine Realms had appeared only after he had taken control of the Rift-Sea Shan Xuan Jing Hammer.

He suspected this was likely due to his "Thousand-Year-Level" talent.

In the Dragon Tiger Health Furnace, "Unique Through the Ages" was the supreme talent, and he bore four such talents.

Though he had never deliberately shown them off, he might well be glaringly obvious to those with intent?

"The troubles of a genius."

Li Yuan sighed inwardly.

Though he felt no malice, the mere thought that someone could pull him into a dream at any moment made his skin crawl.

It was like two tigers lay beside him—even if their temperaments were gentle, no normal person could remain calm; no one could sleep.

"I don't know who the master of the bronze tower is, but could the misty mountain's master be Nie Xianshan?"

Li Yuan recalled the old Taoist he had seen during the day—the Tiger Gate's master had looked at him in a way that was deeply odd, just as he himself looked at the Four-Dharma Divine Armor.

"Perhaps it's not a bad thing?"

On the bed, Li Yuan pondered for a long time, until he heard a sharp "roar."

"Woo!"

The cub's fur bristled, its claws tore through the air, and it angrily swiped at Li Yuan.

"Snap!"

Li Yuan was long used to this—he raised his hand to block it, and with a faint "hiss," the Thunder Dragon internal energy covering his palm was torn apart?

"What the—?"

Li Yuan was startled, rolled up, burst through the door, and the furious cub lunged at him.

Its speed was extreme; in an instant, the entire courtyard was filled with its shadow.

Faster than half a year ago—not by just several times?

"Progress this fast?"

Li Yuan was surprised; his own progress over the past half-year had startled even him, yet this cub's speed was nearly equal to his?

What breed is this?

"Snap!"

As his thoughts shifted, Li Yuan remained unfazed; internal energy coiled around his body, his movements flashed like lightning—neither too fast nor too slow, yet perfectly intercepting every claw strike.

After incorporating all the forms he had cultivated into the Thunder Dragon's form, when Li Yuan moved, the Thunder Dragon's power augmented him; the forms clung to him as naturally as instinct.

"Snap!"

Accompanied by a loud boom, the furious little tiger cub vanished into the night.

"Such a temper?"

Li Yuan frowned, feeling a bit uneasy in his heart.

Just now, he had seen this little tiger cub voluntarily snuggle up to sleep beside him, very quiet, and he had thought it was tamed, only to find it was merely fast asleep.

Shaking his head helplessly, Li Yuan had no intention of chasing after it; he spread his stance in the courtyard and attempted the three stance arts he had 'learned in a dream'.

Over these years, he had learned no fewer than thirty stance arts, if not fifty, and now with the support of an eternal-level talent, picking them up was naturally very easy.

"Tiger Form, Python Form, Snake Form... these three stance arts appear to be supporting stance arts for Zhong Cheng Wu Gong, but in reality, they are interconnected, as if a superior stance art had been deliberately split apart."

Xu Tui practicing the stance arts, Li Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, analyzing the Cloud Mist Mountain Lord's purpose.

"If that Cloud Mist Mountain Lord is truly Nie Xianshan... is this a test for me?"

Tiger, Python, Snake.

Li Yuan changed his stance arts, feeling that these three stance arts were quite exquisite; though not as complex as the Weapon Body Posture, the difference was not great.

For him now, it was not difficult; mastering them was not difficult, and perfecting them was not difficult either.

"Could it be that he wants me to deduce the complete superior stance art from these three stance arts?"

In the moonlight, Li Yuan slowly pushed through the stance arts, his mind turning with thoughts.

His need for Wu Gong was great; a superior stance art offered right to his doorstep, he would naturally not turn it away.

"Huff~"

As the sky was just brightening, Li Yuan slowly retracted his stance, a slight sweat on his body.

"If I cultivate with full effort, at most half a month, these three stance arts can all be cultivated to great perfection; less, perhaps around ten days?"

Li Yuan estimated his cultivation progress.

With the support of the eternal-level talent, in just half a night, these three stance arts had been pushed by him to near small completion; this speed was enough to make Old Han's eyes pop.

After washing up slightly, the spiritual rice Li Yuan had steamed was also cooked; he ate most of the pot, fed the little mouse some, and put the rest away.

"Squeak squeak~"

Compared to the occasionally crazy little tiger cub, the little mouse appeared very gentle, allowing Li Yuan to stroke it.

Perhaps due to the nourishment of various pills and spiritual rice, he found this little creature's fur becoming increasingly soft; although its size hadn't changed, its weight had surged several times, and holding it in his hand felt like gripping a golden ball.

And...

"There's a scent of grass and wood?"

Full and satisfied, stroking the mouse, Li Yuan let out a long breath; the slight anxiety in his heart was covered by the joy of nurturing life.

"As the saying goes, when one person attains the Dao, chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. If Daoist ascends, he will definitely take you along!"

Patting the little mouse's head, Li Yuan pushed the door open and went out.

On the horizon, clouds turned red; four great suns leaped out of the sea of clouds together, and the dazzling Jin Guang pierced through the gloom, instantly lighting up the Dragon Tiger Mountain Ranges.

At the cliff edge, Li Yuan looked down over the sea of clouds; wisps of cooking smoke had already risen in the mountains, and there were many inner and outer sect disciples rising with the rooster to practice; he could faintly hear the sound of fists and feet breaking the air.

"The matter of the Thousand Spirit Salvation Stele must be hurried."

Gazing at the direction of the mountain gate stone plaque, Li Yuan frowned slightly; the Sect Master had already returned, and whether he could hide from the search of the Grand Master, he had no confidence in his heart.

A Land Immortal plus Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing; let alone him, the entire Jianghu would tremble three times.

Over these ten-plus days, Li Yuan had tried once in the outer sect, and the result was the reappearance of the Dragon Tiger Shadow; the sect boiled over, the momentum was too great.

"If the momentum really stays this loud, I'll have to find other ways to deal with the spirits inside the Thousand Spirit Salvation Stele..."

Li Yuan recalled those two unknown Zhi Ming Shen Jing lords; he had previously thought of asking the Bronze Tower Lord for help, but now, he felt he could ask the Cloud Mist Mountain Lord for help.

If that Mountain Lord was truly the Nie Xianshan he guessed, perhaps he wouldn't even need to hand over the Thousand Spirit Salvation Stele?

He just needed to 'accidentally' mention where the stele was obtained.

"Even if not, it makes no difference."

With a plan formed in his heart, Li Yuan smoothed his brows, picked up the forging hammer, and headed toward Pure Gang Peak.

Compared to the hammer technique Wu Gong, his progress in the Weapon Casting Art was also considerable; only one personally forged divine weapon stood between him and great perfection.