Xu Yunhe looked once more into the distance, toward the endless expanse of the Ten Thousand Mountains. A smile tugged at his lips, and he spoke with firm resolve,
"I believe I can do it. So now, I'm going to fight for that goal, move forward for it."
"Brother Song, until we meet again!"
Song Changsheng understood Xu Yunhe's ambition and was sincerely happy for him. A person needs a goal and ambition to go further and find the drive to move forward.
He handed over some of the pills he had confiscated from Dong Tianxie, solemnly saying, "Until fate brings us together again, Brother Yunhe."
Xu Yunhe realized what those pills were for; his face immediately darkened, and he tried to refuse.
But Song Changsheng's persistent insistence left him no choice, and he accepted them at last, though his expression was still laced with frustration.
With a respectful bow to each other, the two drew a close to their brief companionship.
...
After bidding farewell to Xu Yunhe, Song Changsheng strolled through the western market, picking up a few minor bargains before heading straight back to the general store.
He exchanged greetings with Song Xianchu, Sun Chuanming, and the others, then entered seclusion once again.
The past few days had been filled with trials and rich rewards.
He first took out Cheng Yufei's spatial pouch. As the Grand Elder of the Earthfire Sect and their official representative at the auction, Cheng's worth was certainly no small matter. Song Changsheng looked forward to what he might find.
Since the man had died, the restrictions on the pouch had already dissipated.
Song Changsheng opened it and dumped its contents out all at once, a mountain of items nearly filled the entire room.
Most of it, of course, was spirit stones. Even though Cheng Yufei had spent lavishly at the auction, he still had a massive sum left. The stones piled up like a small hill on the floor.
Using his spiritual sense to quickly scan through them, Song Changsheng soon had a rough count.
"Thirty-five thousand spirit stones. Not bad, I've recouped what I spent on the White Tiger remains."
A smile broke across his face as he stored the stones away in his spatial pouch, which now felt full again after being drained.
Next came the magic tools. Although that "golden melon seed" spiritual artifact had escaped, Cheng Yufei still possessed a few impressive pieces as a seasoned Foundation Establishment cultivator.
For instance, there was that massive metal seal he had wielded, a high-grade second-rank artifact called "Seal of Overturned Waters", which Cheng had refined for many years. It was only a step away from becoming a spiritual artifact.
There was also a second-rank flying sword and a gold-thread robe, both of decent value. These significantly padded out Song Changsheng's inventory.
He also found the fire-type third-rank cultivation manual Cheng Yufei had acquired at the auction, "Heart-Burning Inferno Scripture."
While it was compatible with Song Changsheng's spiritual roots, he practiced techniques derived from the Dao Canon. He'd have to be crazy to switch.
"It may not be useful to me, but the clan doesn't have a third-rank fire technique yet. This fills a gap in our foundation."
Song Changsheng felt quite gratified that this was another pillar added to the Song family's legacy.
The rest of the items were fairly ordinary: talismans, pills, and such, nothing of particularly high value. He planned to put those up for sale at the shop.
...
After clearing out Cheng Yufei's spatial pouch, Song Changsheng took out the "Five-Beast Heavenly Fire Fan" he had exchanged from the treasury.
As he gazed at the flaming feathers dancing with elemental fire, he let out a soft sigh.
In every respect, this was an exceptionally high-quality spiritual artifact. Even more rare, its attributes were perfectly aligned with his own, making it incredibly compatible and easy to wield.
If it were put up for auction, it would fetch at least fifty thousand spirit stones, maybe even more.
But now... Song Changsheng had to dismantle it to extract the most valuable component: the Bifang's true feather.
He knew very well that once the Bifang feather was removed, the fan would be ruined. Even if he reforged it later, it would, at best, become a low-grade second-rank artifact. A true spiritual artifact? No chance.
Among all his artifacts, only this fan, the Lu Wu Bell, and his last Slaughter God's Flying Dagger were spiritual-grade.
The others, like the Soul-Slaying Gourd, Water-Cleaving Spear, and Seal of Overturned Waters, still had a long way to go.
"I used to think my clan's patriarch was extravagant for refining an entire set of flying knives into spiritual artifacts. But now, I realize I'm the real madman ruining a high-grade spiritual artifact for a single feather..."
"If Fifth Uncle Song Luzhou knew I was doing this, he'd probably skin me alive."
Song Changsheng shook his head with a bitter smile. He hadn't wanted to do this either, but compared to a nice-to-have artifact, his physical strength was far more important.
"Sorry for what I'm about to do. I promise, one day, I'll find another true feather to restore you."
He gently caressed the fan's surface, whispering.
"Woom… woom…"
As if sensing his thoughts, the Five-Beast Heavenly Fire Fan began to tremble lightly, faint ripples of light spreading across its surface like waves.
If it were a person, it would likely be cursing him out by now. Unfortunately, it was merely a fledgling artifact spirit; it hadn't yet gained sentience.
"I'm sorry."
With a quiet sigh, Song Changsheng steeled his heart. He placed his hand over the fan, calming his mind. After a while, a crisp crack sounded as the formation within the fan was shattered, and the radiant glow on its surface immediately dimmed.
In just half an hour, a lower-grade spiritual artifact had been reduced to five colorful bird feathers in Song Changsheng's hands. The most eye-catching among them was a deep blue plume flecked with crimson spots.
He held it between his fingers and could faintly feel a smoldering heat brewing within. As he gently infused it with spiritual energy, the feather suddenly whooshed into flames.
The fire was incredibly intense. Within moments, the temperature in the room noticeably rose, and the spiritual energy enveloping Song Changsheng's hand began to hiss and crackle, on the verge of being burned through.
Yet despite this, the feather wrapped in flame remained completely unscathed. It seemed to glow even brighter as it absorbed the energy.
"It is a true feather from a Bifang. I hope you live up to expectations because what I sacrificed to get you was no small price."
After dispersing the flames, Song Changsheng carefully placed the feather before him.
Next, he took out the massive White Tiger skeleton, a remarkably well-preserved specimen, with hardly a scratch on it. One couldn't help but wonder how such a beast had even been slain.
For puppet masters, a complete skeleton like this was a treasure trove of crafting material. But Song Changsheng was a refiner, not a puppeteer, so he didn't hesitate to dismantle it, saving the parts for future forging.
If a puppet master had seen what he was doing, they'd have cursed him senseless. But there was no one to stop him.
Refinement materials varied in quality, and the most valuable parts of this skeleton were the four paws, the interlinked tailbone, the spine, a few of the straight bones, and especially the fangs.
What Song Changsheng needed most was one of its fangs to serve as a medium for comprehending a new body-tempering technique.
He had already fully mastered the Earth Dragon's Reversal Diagram. Now, with the White Tiger fang and Bifang feather in hand, he could begin cultivating the White Tiger Pouncing Heaven Diagram and the Bifang Chasing the Sun Diagram.
This time, he didn't plan to approach them one by one. He intended to comprehend both simultaneously to save time. After all, he didn't have much left.
There were fewer than six months until the Grand City Lord's birthday. His journey in Luoxia City was nearing its end. But just today, while walking through the western market, he'd overheard some disturbing news: the City Lord's Mansion was stockpiling healing pills and battle talismans, key strategic supplies.
This was preparation for a possible beast tide from the south.
Song Changsheng had suspected something from the moment he first arrived, especially during the negotiations between Song Luhuai and the chief steward Qian Duoyu, but back then, the signs weren't clear, and he had to rely mostly on conjecture.
But now, the signs were everywhere. The rumor had spread, and many cultivators were already choosing to leave.
After all, once the beast tide marched north, the City Lord's Mansion would surely conscript all available cultivators to join the fight.
If you didn't want to shed blood against monsters on the battlefield, the best choice was simple: leave early.
Song Changsheng wanted to leave too, but the old man's task remained unfinished. So he had no choice but to grow stronger, fast, to protect himself.
With the White Tiger fang glowing golden in his left hand and the Bifang feather in his right, Song Changsheng sat cross-legged, steadied his breath, and began his dual comprehension...
....
The sky was dark and lightless, heavy clouds blanketing the heavens. The barren land below was steeped in lifeless stillness, save for decaying bones half-buried in the soil.
Suddenly, a golden ray of light pierced the thick clouds, casting its brilliance upon the desolate earth. Gradually, the light drove back the darkness. The sky began to regain its color.
And with the dawn, the land stirred, and life began to sprout from the once-dead soil.
It was a blazing sun, searing in its brilliance, a newborn sun suspended high above the world, bathing it in warmth and pushing away the shadows.
Then ROAR!
A deafening tiger's roar echoed across the world. At the far edge of the earth, a mountain-sized white tiger emerged. Its massive form radiated a terrifying aura.
Its gaze swept across the land like thunder, sending chills down the spine.
The tiger fixed its eyes on the burning sun in the sky, then slowly began to walk toward it. Wherever it passed, mountains crumbled, the earth trembled.
Eventually, it climbed a towering peak that pierced the clouds. There, it crouched, muscles bulging beneath its fur coiled with explosive power.
It waited, tensed to strike, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash a fatal blow on its prey.
Closer… closer…
"ROARRRR!"
With a roar that shook the heavens, the white tiger launched itself skyward. Its colossal body soared like a streak of white lightning, jaws wide open.
Its target was the sun itself. It wanted to devour it.
But just as the tiger was about to strike…
The "sun" suddenly moved.
It transformed into a bird, a bird wreathed in blazing flames, with three legs, a legendary being from myth:
The Golden Crow.
The bird flapped its wings, narrowly dodging the White Tiger's pounce, and streaked westward at incredible speed toward the land where the sun sets.
The White Tiger missed its strike but was unwilling to give up. It belonged to the metal element, and the Golden Crow to fire in this world, fire naturally suppressed metal.
As the rightful king of the world, the White Tiger refused to allow anything to exist above it. Therefore, it had to slay this young Golden Crow before it could grow stronger!
It chased relentlessly, lunging again and again, each attack pushing its muscular strength to the limit...
Watching this scene unfold, Song Changsheng suddenly had a flash of insight: the White Tiger clan's body-tempering art focused primarily on the refinement of muscle. They developed and harnessed their muscular power to an astonishing degree.
He began to carefully observe and analyze. Eventually, he grasped the White Tiger tribe's body-tempering method.
But the vision in his mind didn't end there...
The Golden Crow left the White Tiger far behind. Once it reached the western horizon, the land of dusk, the White Tiger would no longer be able to touch it.
Suddenly, a strange shift occurred.
Cries echoed from the distant sky, sounding like repeated calls of a name:
"Bi Fang… Bi Fang…"
BOOM
A blazing flame tore through the sky, and from within it emerged a massive bird, engulfed in fire. It resembled a red-crowned crane, but had only one leg. Its beak was pure white, and its feathers were a deep blue streaked with crimson spots.
It cried out again and again, almost as if it were calling its name, Bi Fang.
Wherever it passed, great fires erupted on the ground. The flames devoured everything in their path. And like the White Tiger, it too sought to devour the newborn Golden Crow.
Though both the Golden Crow and Bi Fang were supreme sovereigns of flame, the world had room for only one true master. And Bi Fang intended to claim that throne.
It quickly caught up with the Golden Crow, and the two clashed violently. Since flames held no power over either of them, they resorted to the oldest method of battle: hand-to-hand combat.
Here, Bi Fang revealed its terrifying physical might, forcing the Golden Crow into a steady retreat.
Then, the White Tiger arrived.
Former enemies, now allied against a greater threat, they joined forces and tore the Golden Crow apart.
The rising sun had fallen.
Darkness once again descended upon the land.
And in that final sliver of fading light, a massive presence stirred beneath the earth. A great being rolled over and in that instant, mountains shattered and the earth cracked open…
The vision ended there.
Song Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, his heart filled with confusion.
He had only intended to comprehend the two physical mediums together, but what he witnessed had far exceeded his expectations. Not only did he see the White Tiger and Bi Fang, but even the legendary Golden Crow.
And that final scene… He recognized it well. It was the Earth Dragon turning over, the source of the mountains splitting.
He had once believed the Five Beast Body Refining Arts were completely separate from each other, but now it was clear: they all existed within the same world.
But what kind of world was that?
Was it real, or simply a constructed illusion?
And what was the purpose of designing the diagrams this way?
Song Changsheng had no answers.
What he did gain, however, were the body-tempering methods of two more clans, bringing his total to three.
Each method was distinctly different:
The Earth Dragon clan trained the internal organs.
The White Tiger clan honed its muscles.
The Bi Fang clan... was far more extreme; they tempered bones and tendons through the use of searing flames.
Yes, what Song Changsheng had comprehended from Bi Fang was none other than the "Blazing Bone-Tempering Method."
And just the thought of using fire to burn his bones and sinews made his face go slightly pale...
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