Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Chapter 163: Chapter 137: Fourth Training

But a Grandmaster has their own bearing. Although she was a bit surprised that he knew the Golden Bell Shield, she never asked where it or his Body-Nourishing Art came from, utterly unconcerned.

Through the window frame, Xie Yuan could be seen in the courtyard, shouting as he trained, drenched in sweat. Mu Chaoyun leaned against the window, lifting her teacup. Her gaze fell inadvertently on the lotus pattern on her wrist for a moment before she quietly sipped her tea.

When night fell, Mu Chaoyun stroked Xie Yuan’s forehead, sending him into a deep, hazy dream. She then opened a porcelain vial and poured its contents down his throat.

"The last vial. If..."

Mu Chaoyun pressed her lips together, silently watching Xie Yuan before her.

’Just a little bit more.’

Early the next morning, Xie Yuan stared at the panel before him, his eyes shining brightly.

His training progress had been exceptionally fast over the past few days. He was now just a hair’s breadth away from the Fourth Training.

Today would be the day of his breakthrough.

With renewed vigor, Xie Yuan practiced the Arhat Stance over and over again.

"998... 999..."

Watching the numbers on the panel, Xie Yuan took a deep breath.

His Qi and Blood had reached its current limit, and the tempering of his bones was just one final sliver from completion.

All that was left was to wait for an opportunity, a flash of insight, to break through—that is, if he were anyone else.

But for Xie Yuan, this was all just a natural progression.

’Opportunities and bottlenecks are unimportant. As long as I have a training method, I just have to practice. I can leave the "how" to the panel.’

"1000!"

[Golden Bell Shield · 2nd Layer: (1000/1000)]

The text before his eyes changed in an instant.

[Golden Bell Shield · 3rd Layer: (1/2000)]

However, Xie Yuan’s eyes had lost their focus; he didn’t notice the text change.

His Qi and Blood had reached completion, and the final stage of Bone Forging was finished. Suddenly, all the bones in his body began to hum—the sign that his Bone Forging was perfected!

Hundreds of his bones completed their metamorphosis, generating an astonishing amount of strength. He was incomparably stronger than he had been at the Third Training.

Harder bones naturally meant his defensive capabilities had also improved. Plus, he was already practicing the Golden Bell Shield. Now that it had reached the 3rd Layer, an opponent in the External Training stage would likely be unable to break his defense with ordinary moves.

When others hit him, it would barely tickle. But when Xie Yuan hit someone else, a single punch containing the power of the Fourth Training and the 4th Layer of his Body-Nourishing Art would be fatal.

The enhancement from perfecting Bone Forging wasn’t limited to just that single stage. Completing Bone Forging meant all four stages of External Training were complete. The Martial Artist’s physical body reached a milestone, the entire frame strengthened as one integrated unit. This leap in power was the greatest one within the External Training realm.

Xie Yuan closed his eyes, feeling the immense leap in his strength. If he were to fight the three men from the Vajra Sect now, he could truly annihilate them with a single swing of his axe.

"Hoo."

Xie Yuan exhaled, opening his eyes to reveal a brilliant smile.

He had completed his External Training. It was a modest accomplishment, but even Xie Yuan felt pretty good about it.

"Congratulations."

Mu Chaoyun’s voice came from inside the room. Xie Yuan turned his head and saw her sitting by the window, nodding gently.

Xie Yuan clasped his fist.

"I have to thank you for your guidance, Miss Mu."

"It was your own hard work."

Mu Chaoyun’s expression was placid as she said,

"Next, reaching the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm is a matter of accumulation. The four stages of External Training are about nourishing your blood and breaking through one stage at a time. Qi and Blood Metamorphosis, however, treats the entire body as a whole. You accumulate Qi and Blood, seeking a qualitative change from a quantitative one, until the metamorphosis occurs."

"This unified metamorphosis strengthens the entire body. The resulting improvement is incomparable to any single stage of External Training. You cannot imagine the leap in strength from breaking through to a major realm until you’ve experienced it yourself."

Xie Yuan nodded, filled with anticipation. However, he had just broken through. Reaching the next major realm would require a long period of accumulation.

It was said that after the Third Transformation of Qi and Blood, a Martial Artist’s physical enhancement would reach its limit, making them almost inhuman. To advance further, one would need to seek outwardly and comprehend the heavens and the earth.

He snuck a glance at Mu Chaoyun.

’Tall, slender, and looking as if she couldn’t withstand a gust of wind. It’s truly hard to imagine she’s a Grandmaster who has completed the Third Transformation of Qi and Blood.’

However, if Xie Yuan had seen Mu Chaoyun that one night, grinding a demonic Tiger Bone—a bone that could be used as the main material for a sharp weapon—into fine powder with her bare hands, he likely wouldn’t have any doubts.

"We should celebrate a little today. Miss Mu, the food from Chunjiang Building... hehe, you find it agreeable, don’t you?"

Xie Yuan said with a chuckle.

Mu Chaoyun glanced at him and gave a slight nod.

"That’s good."

Xie Yuan immediately sent someone to order a banquet from Chunjiang Building. Although the restaurant always required reservations, when Xie Yuan’s man went, Boss Wu showed him great respect by preparing a feast and having it delivered to the Escort Agency.

The two devoured the food in the room like a whirlwind, quickly clearing everything. Xie Yuan, naturally, was in high spirits after his breakthrough and had a great appetite. As for Mu Chaoyun, her injuries were not yet healed, so her appetite was insatiable.

After dinner, the two moved the table and chairs into the courtyard to warm some wine and admire the moon.

A crescent moon hung in the sky like a hook, its light mingling with the stars to cast a silvery, hazy glow over the courtyard.

Xie Yuan poked at the charcoal fire in the stove and casually glanced to the side.

’After the first two days, this female Grandmaster isn’t so difficult to get along with. We can even admire the moon together now.’

Aside from the first day, when she had kept her hood up, she had spent the past two days without her cloak, dressed in casual clothes that Xie Yuan had bought for her. She had no other belongings from her time on the run.

The plain white dress, combined with the moonlight and Mu Chaoyun’s exquisitely refined features, made her look like Fairy Guanghan herself, descended to the mortal realm.

Mu Chaoyun keenly sensed the flicker in his gaze. She turned her head and stared at him.

"What are you looking at?"

Xie Yuan faltered for a moment before saying,

"The dress is very beautiful."

Mu Chaoyun’s brow furrowed, but she didn’t lash out.

’He didn’t comment on me directly. It’s borderline flirtatious, but not quite...’

He had indeed bought the dress. Not only were the material and style top-quality, but it also fit her perfectly.

When Mu Chaoyun had first put on the dress, she tried not to think about how Xie Yuan had gotten the measurements so right. But the memory of his unabashed gaze from that first night flashed into her mind, and it took considerable effort to resist the urge to settle the score with him.

She had taken note of Xie Yuan’s care over the past few days. It was meticulous and attentive, from ensuring she rested well for her recovery to using the Celestial Concealment Skill to prevent any disturbances.

His thoughtfulness and propriety had gradually put her at ease.

It had been a long time since she left home, a long time since she had felt like this.

Mu Chaoyun held the warm wine, her gaze lost in the flickering flames of the stove.

’The feeling of home...’

"Miss Mu, the hot water will be ready soon. You can go in and bathe first."

Xie Yuan said.

Mu Chaoyun snapped out of her reverie. Looking into Xie Yuan’s clear eyes, she suddenly spoke.

"Master Xie, there is something I wish to ask you."

"Oh? Please, Miss Mu, go ahead."

Xie Yuan was taken aback. ’Why does she suddenly look so serious? What is she going to ask?’

Mu Chaoyun took a sip of wine and spoke slowly.

"I’ve imposed on your home, used your Spiritual Medicine, and even dragged you into the conflict over the Black Celestial Book—a struggle where one misstep could cost you your life. Why do you continue to take such good care of me?"

Xie Yuan was taken aback. He hadn’t expected her to ask about this.

After a moment of thought, he said tentatively,

"Because... you’re a Grandmaster?"

Mu Chaoyun was stunned. ’Is it really for such a simple reason?’

For a moment, she didn’t know whether to be angry or amused. Feeling a faint sense of dissatisfaction, she said softly,

"Is that so?"

"That was a joke, though there is some truth to it... More importantly, we share this secret. When we encountered Lu the Third, I felt a certain rapport with you, Miss Mu, almost a closeness—even though we barely knew each other then."

Xie Yuan gestured with his arm and said with a smile,

"Since we’re keeping this secret together, I’ve been brazen enough to consider you one of my own."

"One of your own..."

Mu Chaoyun repeated the words in a low voice. ’It makes sense, I suppose. But...’

While she was still lost in thought, she suddenly heard Xie Yuan continue.

"There’s one more thing."

"When we met again, I got the feeling that you... had no one else to turn to. You wouldn’t have come to me if you weren’t at a dead end. Since you placed that trust in me, I certainly won’t betray it."

Xie Yuan’s tone was utterly sincere.

Mu Chaoyun whipped her head around to look at Xie Yuan’s clear eyes in the moonlight. Her own gaze wavered, and she subconsciously looked away.

Her lips parted slightly, then pressed together.

"Do I need your pity?"

Mu Chaoyun’s voice was icy, her expression hardening into a solemn mask.

Xie Yuan faltered. Seeing her attitude take a sudden nosedive, he tried to explain,

"That’s not what I meant."

He shook his head without further explanation, simply taking a sip of the warm wine.

Mu Chaoyun looked at him, then at the warm stove before them. Her eyelids drooped slightly, and she moved her hand.

Xie Yuan suddenly heard an ethereal voice from beside him.

"Master Xie, do you wish to comprehend the Eight Trigrams Lotus?"

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