"Senior Sister, what brings you here?"
"Oh? Not welcoming my visit?"
"Of course not! I'd be thrilled if you came every day."
Tang Wen lay in the medicinal bath, looking up at Shui Yun from below.
It had been three days since he returned to Seven Kill Hall and resumed his seclusion.
Shui Yun gazed at his prominent nose bridge and protruding Adam's apple, recalling the newly learned [Male Observation Technique], secretly pleased.
From small details, one could infer the whole—her junior brother was undoubtedly a fine specimen.
"An Extraordinary Elixir Bath, and you can actually endure it."
Only after staring at Tang Wen for a long while did she notice the medicinal ingredients in the tub.
Her eyes couldn't help but widen in surprise.
How long had it been since her junior brother became a Martial Master?
Back then, she hadn't dared to take an Extraordinary Elixir Bath until she became a first-class Martial Master.
Tang Wen sensed something and deliberately furrowed his brows, feigning pain:
"No choice—to keep up with Senior Sister! Even if it feels like my bones are being drilled and my heart torn apart, I'll endure it!"
Though she knew he was pretending, Shui Yun willingly played along.
In a flash, she stepped forward, and Tang Wen's vision blurred.
She appeared just a foot away from the tub.
With precise movements, she cupped Tang Wen's face in both hands, bent her slender waist, and kissed him directly.
"Mmm!"
Tang Wen's hands twitched, but without even looking, she pinned them down with lightning-fast reflexes.
Her lips focused solely on their conquest.
Tang Wen: This is my first time... being kissed against my will.
After a long while, flames burned in Shui Yun's eyes. It took every ounce of her willpower as a Transcendent Martial Practitioner to finally pull away.
She couldn't continue.
Otherwise, not only might she lose control, but her junior brother would likely suffer damage to his foundational vitality.
Gazing at Tang Wen's flawless, youthful face—smooth as jade and porcelain—she caressed his cheek and murmured:
"They say beauty distracts from duty. Before meeting you, I scoffed at that notion, believing it was just an excuse men used for their lack of discipline."
Tang Wen remained in his helpless, restrained position,
like a bound woman from the island nation.
Senior Sister, your discipline isn't much better, is it?
Shui Yun chuckled, planting kiss after kiss on his cheeks until his skin turned red. Only then did she reluctantly release his wrists and stand up:
"From now on, my junior brother's Extraordinary Elixir dosage will be doubled."
"Yes!" A man's voice answered from outside the door—someone who sounded rather mature.
Tang Wen tilted his head, puzzled.
Shui Yun resisted the urge to kiss him again: "He's the physician I brought. I originally thought you wouldn't be able to handle the potency of this bath."
The medicinal bath was filled with herbs, one of which rose high like seaweed.
Shui Yun let out a soft humph at the sight, studying it intently with a mix of curiosity and satisfaction.
As expected—my junior brother is indeed a fine specimen!
"The sect has fully deciphered the [Azure Stone Slab]. In a few days, it'll be given to you."
Tang Wen didn't bother with thanks, instead winking at her: "Senior Sister, does the sect have any basic stance exercises or breathing techniques? I'd like to take a look."
Without questioning why, Shui Yun immediately had dozens of manuals delivered.
After she left, Tang Wen changed into dry clothes, ate, and resumed his training.
[Experience Panel:]
[Body: 10.99 → 11.23]
[Meditation Martial Art: Dark Night Divine Fist, Proficient (113/6000)]
[Martial Arts Realm: Newly Transcendent (Evolving)]
[Transcendent Ability: Darkness (Awakening Progress: 9.11%)]
[Meditation Martial Art, Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist (Fivefold Shaking Force), Expert (4369/12000)]
The effects of the Extraordinary Elixir medicinal bath were beginning to show.
In just a few days, his physique had improved slightly.
Though the numerical increase was small.
But considering his current physique, which surpassed even seasoned Transcendent beings, every bit of progress was commendable.
Especially in such a short time.
The Dark Night Divine Fist couldn't be broken through for now.
Four hours of daily grinding would suffice.
His approach to martial training differed from others—his sole purpose was to grind experience.
Immersing himself in a single fist technique all day would actually reduce the efficiency of experience gain.
Tang Wen sat cross-legged on a snow-white, soft cushion.
A stack of parchment lay on the cushion.
The techniques listed on his Experience Panel were numerous and varied.
They say greed leads to indigestion.
But there was one type of technique where more was always better.
That was body-refining cultivation methods.
He picked up the parchment:
[Thick Earth Art, Savage Bull Vigor, Subduing Qi Skill…]
Dozens of them, listed one after another.
A quick glance told Tang Wen these were all ordinary foundational techniques.
Typically, only Martial Apprentices would choose one or two to build their basics.
Martial Practitioners and Martial Masters wouldn't bother with such techniques.
He made it a game to learn one new technique each day.
He hadn't neglected the [Eight Section Brocade] either.
But this technique had long been mastered to a profound level.
The further he progressed, the harder it became—often requiring several repetitions just to gain a single point of experience.
Breaking through to enhance his attributes seemed a distant hope.
Precisely for this reason, he decided to learn some new foundational techniques.
A month passed.
All the new techniques had been mastered.
Tang Wen went to the gang to collect his monthly allotment of Extraordinary Elixir.
Just as he left, another group arrived at the main hall.
They rode atop various Mutated Beasts. Sensing something, Tang Wen glanced back through the carriage window.
His eyes landed on a snow-white, flawless unicorn.
His heart tightened.
An Extraordinary Magical Beast—a Cloud Steed!
A Transcendent creature capable of manipulating the power of lightning.
Its combat prowess surpassed that of ordinary Transcendent experts.
Noticing Tang Wen's gaze,
the black-clad rider atop the Cloud Steed shot him a glance.
"Who's that?" the black-clad man asked.
Though his companion hadn't met Tang Wen before, he answered confidently, "Judging by the carriage's specifications, that must be the Blackwater Gang's newly promoted Seventh Young Master."
"Hmph! He's certainly got a pretty face."
"I hear he's quite close with their Third Young Lady."
The group proceeded to the Blackwater Gang's council hall.
Had Tang Wen been present,
he would have been astonished to find that,
apart from himself as the newly promoted "high-ranking" member,
every other influential hall master and elder of the gang was in attendance today.
The black-clad riders on Cloud Steeds had come to demand personnel:
"Gang Lord, esteemed members of the Blackwater Gang. I trust you've prepared accordingly. This time, you must provide one Celestial Warrior, five Transcendent experts, one hundred Martial Masters, and three hundred Martial Practitioners for garrison duty."
"This wasn't part of our agreement!"
"Exactly! Why are the terms suddenly harsher for our Blackwater Gang?"
The black-clad man retorted, "What do you mean 'suddenly harsher'? If it were up to me, I'd wish no one had to do this damned job!"
Vice Leader Zhao interjected, "Deputy City Lord. The manpower you're demanding this time is excessive—both in numbers and strength! If we comply, our gang's operations will suffer. If troublemakers seize this opportunity to stir chaos, the Blackwater Gang may not withstand the consequences."
"Hehe, Old Zhao, don't joke around. The strength of the Blackwater Gang speaks for itself—the whole city has witnessed it. Oh, just now I even met a newly promoted young master. Truly a fine figure of a man."
"Indeed, Gang Lord. Cultivating a new young master requires no small amount of resources."
Shui Yun, standing beside the main seat, had a flicker in her eyes.
What was the Huang Family implying?
If they wanted someone, why bring up Xiao Wen?
Was the First Young Master getting restless?
It was an open secret among the Blackwater Gang's higher-ups that the First Young Master was getting close to the Huang Family.
Vice Leader Zhao smiled and said, "These are two separate matters. The gang must always nurture new talent—how else can we maintain our dominance forever?"
"A fair point. In that case, why not take them underground for some real training? Let the newcomers see the true nature of the world, no?"
The atmosphere gradually grew tense.
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