The Cold Pool in West Mountain’s Thousand Poison Valley.
Liang Cheng sat cross-legged on a dark reef by the pool, a grayish-white poisonous miasma swirling around him. An ordinary Transformation Force Martial Artist would grow dizzy and disoriented here in less time than it takes an incense stick to burn.
He, however, seemed completely unaffected. His physique, at the Minor Success stage of the Copper Armor Realm, shimmered with a faint bronze light that slowly wore down and expelled any miasma that seeped in.
The water here was bone-chillingly cold, which happened to suit the aquatic environment required by the Broken Wave Technique. He sat with his eyes closed, his Qi Blood surging through his body like a great river, circulating without rest.
By day, he used the extreme cold of the pool to temper the Qi Blood for his Broken Wave Technique. By night, he would actively draw trace amounts of poisonous miasma into his body, using it with medicinal pastes to meticulously polish his Copper Skin Iron Bone.
In this complex environment of swirling miasma and cold mist, the evasions and turns of his Wandering Dragon Step were pushed to their absolute limits.
A single misstep could send him plunging into a mire.
Before he knew it, half a month had passed. The pressure from the Cold Pool’s environment, combined with the Realm-Breaking Pill that had widened his Meridians, caused his Cultivation speed to increase yet again.
[Broken Wave Technique, First Layer: Great Success (1600/6000)]
[Stone Armor Skill (Copper Armor): Minor Success (1250/2000)]
[Wandering Dragon Step: Great Success (1801/3000)]
...
The Foreign Affairs Hall of the Martial Arts Academy.
Steward Disciple Zhao Ming set down the account books, his brow furrowed. He was responsible for verifying a portion of the resource exchange records, and a recent entry had caught his eye.
Elder Huang of the Alchemy Room had, in just half a month, repeatedly requested thirty jin of Copper Melting Liquid, fifteen jin of Fire Pattern Steel, and several types of herbs used for Body Tempering.
’Elder Huang is a master of Alchemy, but his physique is average. Why would he need these Body Refining Materials?’
"Liang Cheng..."
Zhao Ming subconsciously licked his dry lips. His heart raced as he secretly pulled up earlier exchange records.
Going back to the time around Liang Cheng’s disappearance, he found there had indeed been an abnormal flow of resources from Elder Huang’s end, and it bore a subtle resemblance to Liang Cheng’s own previous exchange patterns.
’Liang Cheng isn’t dead; he’s hiding with Elder Huang.’ Zhao Ming didn’t dare raise an alarm. He chose to observe in secret.
Three days later, his investigation revealed that Elder Huang had made a solo trip toward the West Mountain Thousand Poison Valley. Shortly after his return, the Alchemy Room’s requests for supplies like Anti-Miasma Pills and Cold-Repelling Herbs quietly increased.
As all the clues fell into place, a vicious glint flashed in Zhao Ming’s eyes. He didn’t report to the Martial Arts Academy. Instead, he secretly contacted the Xu Family that very night.
...
Xu Mansion, a secret chamber.
"The Cold Pool in Thousand Poison Valley?" Xu Feng held the secret report Zhao Ming had passed him, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk. "Is the information reliable?"
Zhao Ming replied in a low voice, "I’m about seventy percent certain. Elder Huang’s resource requests have been abnormal, and he’s recently been preparing a lot of supplies for entering the miasma."
If Liang Cheng is alive, that Cold Pool is a treacherous place that most people would avoid at all costs. Since his Hard Skills are so formidable, it’s the perfect place for him to hide and cultivate."
Xu Zhang, seated at the head of the room, thought for a moment before a frigid light glinted in his eyes. "Better to kill an innocent man than let a guilty one escape. Flipping River Flood Dragon has been avoiding the Martial Arts Academy recently, so we’ll have to send another True Qi Realm expert to take a look."
Zhao Ming was startled. "A True Qi Realm expert? If I bring him into the Martial Arts Academy, won’t we be too conspicuous?"
"We can’t afford to fail this time. It has to be one clean, killing blow to eliminate this problem for good," Xu Zhang said, his tone as sharp as nails. "In a place like the Thousand Poison Valley, if some shady character hiding in the shadows dies, who’s going to be able to explain it?"
When Xu Feng remained silent, Xu Zhang cursed inwardly. ’I’ll ask Third Grand-Uncle to act. This time, Liang Cheng won’t be as lucky as he was before.’
Xu Feng’s eyes lit up at the words. "Second Uncle, you are wise."
Then, he turned to Zhao Ming and said, "We’ll be counting on you to bring him into the Martial Arts Academy."
"I understand, Young Master. You can rest assured."
...
「Seven days later.」
Thousand Poison Valley, the Cold Pool.
Liang Cheng was sitting cross-legged in the bone-chilling water of the pool, using the cold to stimulate his Qi Blood circulation. His body was slathered in medicinal paste, and his progress with the Stone Armor Skill was increasingly gratifying.
[Broken Wave Technique, First Layer: Great Success (1420/6000)]
[Stone Armor Skill (Copper Armor): Minor Success (1970/2000)]
[Wandering Dragon Step: Great Success (2610/3000)]
Under the combined pressure of the Cold Pool and the medicinal paste, the bronze glow beneath his skin began to surge violently, like molten copper.
CRACK...
A faint but clear cracking sound echoed from within his body, as if some kind of restraint was shattering. Amidst the searing pain, a torrent of Qi Blood erupted from the depths of his marrow, instantly flooding his limbs and torso.
His muscles writhed and tightened of their own accord. The bronze luster on his skin drew inward, transforming into a deep, rich, dark copper hue. The lines of his muscles became faintly visible, looking as if they were perfectly sculpted by nature.
He no longer needed to consciously activate the skill. When attacked, his skin and flesh would naturally take on a metallic quality, as resilient as tempered copper, deflecting incoming Power.
A sense of power, as substantial and immovable as a mountain, welled up within him.
[Stone Armor Skill (Copper Armor): Great Success (1/5000)]
Before Liang Cheng could even savor his breakthrough, his ear twitched. He heard an extremely faint sound in the distance.
’Someone’s coming.’
He instantly suppressed his aura, drawing his energy completely inward. He hid in the shadows, his gaze locked on the source of the sound, not moving a muscle.
A few breaths later, two figures emerged from the thick fog, appearing at the edge of the Cold Pool.
The leader was an old man in black robes with a sinister face. He carried a foil on his back. His aura was palpable yet contained, and the surrounding poisonous miasma was unable to get near him.
’A True Qi Realm expert!’
The person behind him was none other than Zhao Ming.
"Elder Xu, this is the place," Zhao Ming said, spitting on the ground as his eyes scanned the surroundings. "No one in their right mind would want to linger in this godforsaken hellhole."
The black-robed old man was the Xu Family Elder, Xu Cangming. His narrow eyes swept over the area around the Cold Pool like a viper’s before finally settling on the cluster of reefs where Liang Cheng was hiding.
"Come on out," Xu Cangming’s voice was hoarse. "You have some skill to be able to cultivate in a place like this. A pity you’ll have to leave your life behind today."
Liang Cheng knew he couldn’t hide any longer. He walked out slowly from behind the reef and shot a calm glance at Zhao Ming. "You brought an outsider into the Martial Arts Academy. Aren’t you afraid of being punished by the Dean?"
Zhao Ming grinned, baring his stark white teeth. "And whose fault is that? If you’d just died at the hands of the Flipping River Flood Dragon, I wouldn’t have had to take this risk. You can only blame yourself for advancing too quickly. I had no choice but to strike first."
With that, he bowed respectfully to Xu Cangming. "Senior, please act now and kill Liang Cheng!"
Xu Cangming didn’t answer. His body blurred into motion, and a three-foot-long burst of Sword Qi shot out, trailing frost. Surprisingly, his style was similar to that of the Flipping River Flood Dragon.
Liang Cheng reacted instantly.
Wandering Dragon Step: Surprised Dragon Emerges!
His figure flickered like a phantom to dodge the attack. At the same time, his right hand blurred at his waist, and the Zhenxian Saber left its sheath, its blade flashing like a sliver of cold moonlight.
PSSSH!
The long saber collided with the Sword Qi, kicking up a gust of wind. Xu Cangming’s pupils constricted.
’That last slash was fast and vicious. He actually blocked my attack. This kid’s strength is more than just a level higher than I estimated!’
"What a fine Saber Technique!" Xu Cangming suppressed his shock and anger, his expression turning serious. "No wonder you managed to survive your encounter with the Flipping River Flood Dragon. You’re truly impressive!"
He stopped holding back. The full power of his True Qi Realm Cultivation erupted as his figure shot toward Liang Cheng like a bolt of lightning. He thrust his foil forward, the condensed Sword Qi cutting through the air without a sound.
It was aimed straight for the space between Liang Cheng’s eyebrows!
But Liang Cheng didn’t retreat. He advanced!
’I know that against a True Qi Realm expert, running will only get me killed faster.’
’My only chance is to use the terrain to my advantage and fight for my life. Now that my Cultivation has improved and my Copper Armor Realm has reached Great Success, I might just have a fighting chance!’
CLANG!!
Saber and foil met, releasing a piercing shriek.
The web of Liang Cheng’s thumb split open from the violent tremor. The Zhenxian Saber let out a mournful cry as a layer of frost from the Sword Qi crept across its blade. He was forced back five steps, each one leaving an inch-deep footprint in the hard ground, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
’As expected of a True Qi Realm expert!’
Xu Cangming pressed his advantage, his Sword Momentum unfolding like a torrential downpour. Eerie blue sword light wove into a net of death, each strike imbued with a fiercely penetrating True Qi.
Liang Cheng pushed his Wandering Dragon Step to its absolute limit, weaving and dodging through the Sword Net in a dance of near-misses. He fully activated his Copper Armor Realm, his skin taking on a deep, dark copper sheen. The Sword Qi left white gashes across his body, from which tiny beads of blood would occasionally well up.
But this only intensified the killing intent in Xu Cangming’s heart. ’If I don’t eliminate this boy, he will become a massive threat to the Xu Family.’
Nearby, Zhao Ming’s face was ashen. He knew Liang Cheng was strong, but he had never imagined he was *this* strong!
By now, Liang Cheng had accumulated more than ten new wounds, and his Qi Blood was draining fast. Just as Xu Cangming lunged with another strike, a savage glint flashed in Liang Cheng’s eyes. Instead of dodging, he let out a low roar as the glow of his Copper Armor Realm flared to its brightest, focusing all his Qi Blood and power in his chest!
Although Xu Cangming was a True Qi Realm expert, he was old and his body was failing, making him far less formidable than the Flipping River Flood Dragon. This was the only reason Liang Cheng dared to risk everything on a life-or-death gamble.
SHLICK!
The foil pierced his Copper Armor flesh, sinking about an inch deep before his incredibly tough muscles and bones clamped down on it, holding it fast. The Cold Yin True Qi clinging to the blade surged madly into his body.
Liang Cheng grunted in pain, but his left hand locked onto the foil’s blade. Though the Sword Qi sliced his palm open, he didn’t let go. Seizing the moment of Xu Cangming’s shock at his sheer ferocity, he unleashed the brute strength of his Great Success Copper Armor and the explosive power of his Broken Wave Technique’s Qi Blood. The reef beneath his feet shattered as he dragged his opponent down with him into the bone-chilling Cold Pool.
As the water closed over their heads, the resistance increased dramatically.
Xu Cangming’s Sword Momentum faltered. His Protective True Qi flickered as it fought against the water pressure. Liang Cheng, however, flipped over like a fish, his Zhenxian Saber harnessing the power of the current as he focused his entire Cultivation into one strike.
The ferocity of the Gale Saber Technique, the unpredictability of the Wandering Dragon Step, the endurance of the Broken Wave Qi Blood, and the raw power of his Great Success Copper Armor all merged into a single, dark flash of saber light that tore through the murky water.
SHLICK!
The saber’s edge sliced through the weakest point in Xu Cangming’s Protective True Qi and flashed across his neck, slitting his throat. Xu Cangming clutched at his neck with both hands, a look of utter disbelief on his face even as he died.
Liang Cheng kicked the corpse away and shot out of the water, landing on the bank. His gaze, sharp as lightning, swept toward the spot where Zhao Ming had been standing.
He saw Zhao Ming collapsed on the ground, paralyzed with fear and pale as a ghost. He was scrambling backward on all fours. When he saw Liang Cheng emerge from the water, Zhao Ming’s soul nearly fled his body, and he began to beg hoarsely for his life.
"Senior Brother Liang, spare me! I’ll be your dog, your slave! I’ll do whatever you say..."
Before he could finish, the saber’s light arrived.
One strike, and he was dead.
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