Chapter 99: Its Light Profound, Its Color Seven, Shatters the Sea! Dormant Whale Hammer!

One thousand four hundred years ago, the Divine Arms Valley was granted the title of Dormant Dragon Prefecture for its service to the dragon, and through generations of diligent governance by its masters, today's Hui Prefecture, which comprises eight prefectures, includes the Divine Arms Valley as one of them—yet its influence radiates across three, making it the foremost of Hui Prefecture's four major sects.

Its strength far surpasses that of the Thousand Jun Cave, the Three Yuan Encampment, and the Fiery Blood Mountain—the three other major sects.

"The Divine Arms Valley is divided into inner and outer gates, with two subdivisions: the Forging Division and the Divine Guard Division. The Divine Guard Army is Hui Prefecture's strongest military, having once defeated the Three Yuan Army of the Three Yuan Encampment and the Iron Blood Army of the Fiery Blood Mountain…"

The Divine Guard Army accepts only three thousand men; none without at least basic internal strength are eligible to enlist—it is truly teeming with powerful individuals…

…

Inside the cramped carriage, Li Yuan reclined, flipping through books; he had long grown accustomed to the occasional jolts.

Traveling was an extremely tedious process.

The anticipated bandits and highwaymen never appeared, but there were plenty of checkpoints collecting tolls; Lin Qingfa was a seasoned hand, and the journey passed smoothly with not a single ripple.

The apprentices on their first journey spent each day sleeping in the carriage and training upon disembarking—far more monotonous than in the city.

After the brief novelty wore off, Li Yuan also grew bored, so he collected numerous books to read on the road for amusement.

Naturally, all were related to the Divine Arms Valley.

Along this journey, passing through seven counties, he bought a great many books, yet found not a single trace of the Worship of the Gods method—though the temples along the way bore clear traces of it.

"This Great Yun Emperor was truly a divine figure—he granted all the Dao, all the provinces, all the prefectures to the major sects. No wonder the Great Yun Dynasty has endured for over fourteen hundred years without decline…"

The more he read, the more Li Yuan felt a sense of awe—it was not a scale he could comprehend.

Cao Yan was generous enough, but this one was on a far greater scale; to say he shared the empire with the sects was no empty rhetoric—he truly divided it completely.

Thus, for fourteen hundred years, the imperial family had faced no real threat.

Their founding ancestor had given away the entire empire—who among the sects would not owe him gratitude and favor?

"As long as no great chaos arises and no peerless warlords emerge, the Great Yun Dynasty can endure for many more years…"

The Great Yun's system differed entirely from any dynasty of his past life; it was not the feudal system he had originally understood, but rather…

"A Sect Grand Alliance…"

Li Yuan murmured to himself.

If the Divine Arms Valley was the sky of Dormant Dragon Prefecture, then these countless sects were the sky of the Great Yun Dynasty—the imperial court's presence was vanishingly faint…

On the other side, Wang Peiyao was also reading, occasionally speaking softly:

"Within the Divine Arms Valley, whether inner gate, outer gate, or even menial disciples, all take pride in joining the Divine Guard Army. Qiu Long, once a menial disciple, enlisted, became an outer gate disciple, then cultivated to Inner Fortification, and returned to oversee Gao Liu…"

Wang Peiyao had a clear goal.

Entering the Divine Arms Valley—as outer gate disciple or even menial disciple—was merely a means; the ultimate aim was to join the Divine Guard Army, like Qiu Long, returning home in glory.

"An unconventional path of advancement…"

Li Yuan nodded, showing understanding.

Whether through literature or martial arts, one could become an official—but joining a sect was clearly more favored than the imperial examinations.

A city guard commander wielding heavy troops and backed by the Divine Arms Valley held far greater power than a county magistrate.

Power, troops, little work, abundant wealth—and a position to boot…

"Pity—the Divine Arms Valley is teeming with experts; countless seek to join the Divine Guard Army. This humble girl lacks Li Brother's talent—I fear it will be difficult…"

Wang Peiyao feigned helplessness; seeing Li Yuan unmoved, she closed her book:

"With Li Brother's talent, the inner gate is assured—but these past days, I've inquired around, and that Elder Han's reputation is not good…"

"How so?"

Li Yuan sat up straight.

Though he had risen quickly, his rapid ascent meant he lagged behind Wang Peiyao, Liu Zheng, and others—especially in intelligence gathering and connections.

He could only buy popular books when passing through other counties; they might have access to insider information.

"I heard that

Elder Han is bloodthirsty, and he takes disciples for ulterior motives.

Over the years, he has taken twenty to thirty disciples, yet they rarely stay at the sect, receive almost no guidance, and some have seen him only once—their martial arts they learned and practiced entirely on their own…"

Wang Peiyao lowered her voice.

After news of the Divine Arms Valley opening its gates spread, rumors about the sect flew everywhere; she had spent long verifying them before coming to speak with Li Yuan.

"Ulterior motives?"

Li Yuan closed his book: "Where did you hear this?"

"This…"

Wang Peiyao hesitated: "This rumor originated within the Divine Arms Valley—it should be true…"

"Rumors—truth and falsehood intertwined."

Li Yuan set the book aside, gesturing for her to continue; inwardly, he felt no disturbance.

Even the forging workshops had factional struggles; such a vast entity as the Divine Arms Valley could hardly be harmonious.

"There's little information on Elder Han, but many rumors surround this opening of the Divine Arms Valley's gates—some even claim the sect intends to unify all prefectures of Hui…"

Wang Peiyao had heard many rumors, true and false, and spoke at length.

Li Yuan listened, believing or not—it passed the time well.

"The news of the Divine Arms Valley opening its gates has circulated for years; the number of applicants this time will surely be immense…"

Wang Peiyao looked worried:

"Not to mention distant places—in our Yunjing Commandery alone, several prodigies have emerged. One called 'Little Fang Bai' is said to possess the Minor Dragon Form, with exceptional physique and talent—he cultivated internal strength years ago…"

"And 'Zhao Yisi…'"

Wang Peiyao's expression grew grim.

Not just her—even Yue Yunjin, Liu Zheng, and others who had set out with confidence—after hearing so many rumors on the road—now felt uneasy.

The counties of Yunjing Commandery alone hold over a million people; how many martial practitioners are there? Superior bone structures are far from rare, and many young prodigies have already made names for themselves.

Yet Dormant Dragon Prefecture encompasses nine commanderies.

Seeing her distress, Li Yuan soothed softly:

"You needn't worry so much—these people won't compete with you for a menial disciple position…"

"…."

Wang Peiyao couldn't help rolling her eyes at him; her mood lifted considerably: "By the way, speaking of prodigies, your own reputation is no small thing—back in Qingsha County, people were already talking…"

"They say you achieved Great Perfection in the White Ape Cloak Hammer after only one year of martial training, and that the Ghost Mask Bodhisattva holds you in high regard—a forging prodigy. Many regard you as a formidable rival!"

Wang Peiyao covered her mouth and laughed softly.

"Rival?"

Li Yuan was inwardly amused, but he filed it away.

He had no intention of competing with those young prodigies—he was merely considering his own hidden cards.

Wang Peiyao didn't stay long; soon she returned to her carriage, while Li Yuan reclined for a brief rest, eyes half-closed, entering the forging space.

Wu~

Beyond the starry sky formed by the Master's Talisman, darkness lay thick as ink, chilling to behold.

On the now greatly expanded gray stone platform, weapons and items were neatly arranged; three incense burners held silver and gold, along with the four hundred jin of hundred-fold refined steel he had taken on his departure.

"With my departure, Old Zhang should have an easier time."

Li Yuan smiled inwardly.

He had not withdrawn his monthly pay, but Zhang Ben had privately lent him five hundred taels of silver—part of his life's savings; this old man's attachment to the forging workshop ran deeper than even Cao Yan's.

"The fourth-rank Master's Talisman allows more Master's Control effects—but I still lack enough weapons…"

Li Yuan inventoried his possessions; this was his way of delighting himself—each inventory lifted his spirits.

As for silver and gold, forget it.

Now, he possessed one pair of fourth-rank Golden Silk-Wrapped Snake Hands, three third-rank weapons: the Six-Pronged Hammer, the Iron-Cutting Blade, and the Autumn Water Sword, and thirty-six second- and first-rank weapons—all uniquely crafted.

place.

Yet his envisioned combinations of Master's Control pairings remained far from complete; only one hammer set was decent.

"The Green Essence Copper Hammer, the Six-Pronged Hammer, the Wind Tiger Mace, and the Wind-Breaking Mace—when combined, they can handle an Inner Fortification martial artist like Cao Yan.

But how much stronger are the elite Inner Fortification warriors of the sect?"

Within the Master's Talisman, four great stars glowed with hammer shadows; most often, Li Yuan relied on these four hammers to guard against unforeseen dangers on the road.

When training, he employed the Master's Control of the 'Tiger Roar Blade Method Fundamental Diagram' and the prerequisite weapons satisfying its conditions.

My third bone transformation is nearly complete; after that, I'll pursue the Furious Lion Blade Method and the Swimming Fish Skill—before taking a master, I likely won't have time to gather all nine forms…

Li Yuan murmured to himself.

The Fundamental Diagrams he had bought, traded for, or borrowed from the government office, the Yuan family, and the city guard had been carefully selected.

First, they must not overlap with his already transformed bones; second, they must have matching weapons satisfying the Master's Control conditions.

With these two constraints, his choices were severely limited.

Along this journey, he had been busy; upon reaching each county, his first stop was buying elixirs. In less than two months, he had spent over four hundred taels on them.

The elixirs were keeping up—but his endurance was not…

Before taking a master, if I can gather all nine forms, that's best; if not—I'll force it!

Li Yuan made his decision: he would endure, no matter what, to reach nine forms—it would determine his status and treatment upon entry!

"Among superior bone structures, those possessing six forms are called Minor Dragon Form; only nine forms constitute the true Dragon Form… even among superior bone structures, the gap is vast."

The more he transformed his bones, the more Li Yuan sensed the differences between bone structures.

This gap manifested in blood qi recovery, total blood qi volume, absorption efficiency of elixirs, and martial progress.

For example, the White Ape Cloak Hammer—Yue Yunjin trained faster and better than Wu Ming, even though the latter trained harder and more desperately.

Similarly, there are natural differences between the Second Form, Sixth Form, and Ninth Form.

"No wonder Old Han could transform a hundred forms—the more his bone structure changes, the faster he learns martial arts… Old Han is likely far more terrifying than I imagined."

Li Yuan had truly felt the benefits of altering his bone structure.

The martial arts Han Chui had left him, he had no corresponding weapons to wield, and had not devoted much time to practicing, yet he had all entered the basics—especially the Mighty Ox Art, which he had already mastered.

He was still only at the Fourth Form; the Sixth and Ninth Forms would surely be even faster, and the Hundred Form? That was beyond his imagination.

Huh~

Exiting the Weapon Mastery space, Li Yuan lifted the carriage curtain—the sky had darkened, yet no village or town lay ahead, and no signs of life behind; clearly, they would spend another night in the wilderness.

Under Lin Qing's command, the escort captains and guards had already begun setting up crude tents; some gathered firewood and lit fires, others fetched water—all orderly.

Li Yuan lent a hand, and before full darkness fell, they had eaten and returned to their own tent.

As the chief manager of the Weapon Forge, he naturally did not have to share a tent with Yue Yunjin, Wu Ming, and the other six men sleeping on a communal pallet.

"Tiger back, bear waist!"

Extinguishing the lantern in his tent, Li Yuan pulled out a long saber—but before taking the martial pill, he stuffed a rag into his mouth and bit down.

After several bone structure alterations, his tolerance for itching and searing pain had improved considerably, but itching was still itching, pain was still pain—he simply couldn't endure it…

Huh!

With the saber gently pushing the Weapon Body Posture, Li Yuan moved slowly and carefully.

As his bone structure changed and the number of martial arts he learned increased, he increasingly sensed the power of this supreme martial art—his physique had strengthened immeasurably compared to before; the White Ape Hammer and other qigong practices could no longer exhaust his qi and strength.

But the Weapon Dao Battle Hammer still could.

Every time he completed a set of Weapon Body Posture, he still sweated profusely.

Puff!

After a long while, Li Yuan collapsed to the ground, drenched as if pulled from water—the rag in his mouth was long since torn to shreds.

In the corner of the tent, watching Li Yuan's grotesque expression, the little rat nearly burrowed into the ground.

On this journey, Li Yuan had always bought pills from pharmacies, but he'd encountered several low-quality ones; the little rat had vomited and defecated six or seven times…

"Again!"

After resting for a long time lying down, Li Yuan dragged his aching body upright, swallowed another pill, and continued altering his bone structure—until dawn broke, when he crawled into the carriage and fell into deep sleep.

He would rise again only when the camp was set at night.

This cycle repeated endlessly; on the night before reaching Zhelong Prefecture, a tiger's roar erupted from Li Yuan's tent, startling the entire caravan into lighting torches.

Tiger back, bear waist—achieved!

"Chief Li?!"

Lin Qingfa stepped forward, spear in hand, heart pounding like a drum, deeply frightened.

This was the first escort mission since the Longyuan Escort Agency's turmoil—if anything went wrong, the ancestral legacy would be utterly ruined in his hands!

Neigh~

Voices and horse cries filled the air; over a hundred torches were raised—even Liang Ashui, stationed at the caravan's edge, grabbed his fish spear and rushed over.

"No, I'm fine…"

Hearing the commotion outside, Li Yuan forced himself out of the tent, his face ashen, looking utterly drained of qi and blood.

"Chief Li, what happened?"

Lin Qingfa instinctively glanced at Wang Peiyao, who had come at the noise.

"Overtrained—qi deviation…"

Li Yuan gave a brief explanation, ignored everyone's thoughts, and turned back into his tent.

His tendons and bones ached, tingled, and stung—he just wanted to lie down.

"This…"

Lin Qingfa and the others were puzzled, but seeing he was unharmed, they asked no further.

"Dawn is breaking—pack up and move out. We'll reach the prefectural city before nightfall; take a slight detour, and you'll see the gates of Divine Weapon Valley!"

…

…

Zhelong Prefecture, one of the eight prefectures of Huizhou in Hengshan Dao, governed nine commanderies and twenty-seven counties, its land rich in mountains and lakes; it earned its name because the Great Ancestor of the Zhou Dynasty rose to power here three thousand four hundred years ago.

Because the Pingjiang Grand Canal, which traverses two Dao, six prefectures, and twenty-one cities, flows through Zhelong Prefecture into the sea, commerce flourished here, making it the most prosperous of all Huizhou prefectures.

Zhelong Prefecture City lay beside this grand canal, like a colossal beast crouching, swallowing and exhaling countless merchant ships and travelers.

Twenty miles east of the city stretched a mountain range over a thousand li long, separating all the prefectures—Divine Weapon Valley lay nestled within.

"Is that Divine Weapon Valley?!" "There seem to be palaces inside the mountain!"

"We haven't even reached the prefectural city yet, and we can already see Divine Weapon Valley! Too bad—it's only mid-February; the valley's gates aren't open…"

What a magnificent steed! So large—is it a Jiao horse?

"Iron Sword Sect—they've come to seek a master too?"

…

On the imperial road, caravans passed constantly; every passerby gazed in awe at the distant mountains.

From afar, smoke seemed to rise from within the mountains; neat stone steps extended from mid-slope down to a pavilion at the base, as if guarded by sentries.

"Have we reached Divine Weapon Valley?"

Inside the carriage, Li Yuan was still processing the changes from his third bone structure alteration; hearing the caravan's commotion, he couldn't help but stir, lifting the curtain.

Towering mountains stretched beside them; a great river flowed past the valley's gates, heading straight toward Zhelong Prefecture City in the distance.

It was noon; four suns hung high above the mountain peaks, the sky clear for miles. As Li Yuan glanced casually, his palm burned as if clutching a red-hot coal—the Weapon Master Seal trembled violently.

"What is that?!"

With a whoosh, Li Yuan leapt from the carriage, ignoring Wang Peiyao and the others calling after him, striding across the road and grass to reach the edge of the Grand Canal.

Across the wide river, Li Yuan gazed at the towering mountain range.

pulse.

"This…"

Li Yuan's face showed awe.

Among the mountains, he saw a black light—a pillar of black radiance shooting skyward, rising hundreds or even thousands of meters high, thin yet astonishingly clear!

"That's not black—it's… Xuan color!"

His heart pounded like a drum as he murmured.

Beneath the blazing sun, the pillar shimmered with seven colors in his vision, dazzling like a rainbow—but even more dazzling were the characters suddenly surging into his eyes:

【Rip the Sea Xuan Whale Hammer (Rank 11)】