Chapter 32: Yuanhu Villa
As he concentrated fully on practicing the Tiger Leopard Bone Training Technique, Wu Yuan could feel his body transform. His tendons and bones ached subtly, and his muscles were sore and itchy. This was because his body was growing at a staggering rate. The energy contained in the liquid was also rapidly consumed.
Just what is this natural treasure? It contains such pure energy. It’s truly magical! Practicing the Tiger Leopard Bone Training Technique while absorbing this energy is simply the perfect pairing.
Even the purest energy was only useful if absorbed by the body. Should his body fail to absorb the energy, or if the energy was too pure, or if it exceeded a certain amount, it might even pose a danger to him!
It was just like refeeding after a period of malnutrition. Overfeeding could be fatal!
So in the beginning, Wu Yuan didn’t dare to ingest the liquid at its original concentration, carefully diluting a small part of it in water before intake. The outcome proved that being careful was the right choice. If he had swallowed the liquid without diluting it, most of its effects would have been wasted even if Wu Yuan was somehow able to digest it.
The current concentration is within the limit of what my body can handle. Wu Yuan smiled in satisfaction.
He walked to the staircase and picked up the basin. The water now glowed a faint purple. He took a big gulp, making sure not to waste a single drop.
In one breath, he drank a third of the water. As soon as it entered his abdomen, an explosive surge of energy cascaded outward. This natural treasure was ten times more potent than a body tempering pill! Wu Yuan didn't want to waste one bit, so he continued to practice the Tiger Leopard Bone Training Technique.
The genome of this body is incredibly powerful, with a surprisingly high physical limit. I was also previously restricted by my energy supply when practicing the Tiger Leopard Bone Training Technique. But now, I can practice as much as I want.
Anyone would be captivated by the feeling of constant growth.
The thirteen continents within the Middle Land were colossal stretches of land where martial arts legacies endured for millennia. Certain sacred martial sects possessed secret techniques akin to the Tiger Leopard Bone Training Technique and the Dragon Marrow Cleansing Technique. While they might not be as effective, the disparity between them wasn't significant. Moreover, such sects wouldn't have any lack of natural treasures like Ancient Immortal Dew.
Yet, whether secret techniques or natural treasures, the most crucial factor in determining how strong one became remained the individual themself!
Even a martial arts Grandmaster would find it difficult to truly master these secret techniques, let alone a teenager who just started practicing martial arts. How many would manage to complete their training during their prime years of physical growth?
Furthermore, even if they were barely able to complete their training, how many had the consciousness of a Grandmaster? How many of them could control their bodies to such a precise extent?
Aside from training, Wu Yuan spent his time sleeping or feeding the pigs and horses.
...
No more than two days later in the courtyard.
Wu Yuan swung his arm.
Boom! A punch flew as swiftly as lightning, striking the air with a faint explosion. Such a scene would cause any onlooker to turn pale.
The power of a single arm should have reached 24,000 catties. Wu Yuan retracted his fist, the corners of his mouth curling up. In just two days, I have increased my strength by about 4000 catties, haha!
24,000 catties of raw physical strength! Without incorporating any martial skills!
In the Middle Land, 20,000 catties represented the minimum power of a fifth-grade martial artist, also known as a third-rate Adept. Only one third-rate Adept was born out of tens of thousands of people. Back in the Human Federation, such strength meant that one was already a martial arts Grandmaster. This level of power represented the upper limits of human biology.
The DNA of creatures in the Middle Land has far fewer imperfections. They completely surpass the genes of my past life.
But even so, twenty-year-old Adepts are considered young elites of any great martial sect. Wu Yuan, having conversed with his teachers at the martial academy, understood this well.
An Adept at fourteen years of age? Even the word prodigy was insufficient to describe it.
This is just pure physical strength. What if I add Threefold Power Surge? Wu Yuan clenched his fist. His arm muscles bulged, blue veins standing out. His activated muscles and membrane connected to his spine, causing it to rise and fall like a giant dragon, instantly mobilizing all his strength.
Converge!
Boom! A fist blasted forward with threefold overlapping force. The air was compressed, like a cannonball being fired, then burst out with a fearsome roar!
One punch. An immense 70,000 catties of power!
According to the grading system of martial artists, second-grade martial artists could exert a force of 100,000 catties with a single arm. They were powerful enough to split mountains and rocks, and were also called Savant experts.
...
Deep within the general of defense's manor, in a hall that resembled a military camp, the silence was deafening.
A heavy object hit the floor with a dull thud.
"Traitor! Traitor!" General Xu's furious shouts pierced through the closed doors and windows, echoing into the courtyard beyond the hall.
His personal guards maintained a vigilant distance from the courtyard, conducting their patrols with cold expressions, ensuring that no one ventured too close.
The hall was currently in a complete mess.
"Father, I know my mistake!" A young man dressed in a black robe knelt on the ground, a distinct bloody handprint marking his cheek. He was none other than the eldest son of the Xu family, Xu Yuanjie.
"Don't call me father, I dare not have a son like you." The typically composed General Xu blazed with unrestrained fury.
Xu Yuanhan lowered his head, terrified beyond measure.
"Let me ask you. Did I not tell you to stay out of this matter? Why did you send Li Ye of the Vicious Tiger Gang to cause trouble for the Wu Clan?" roared General Xu.
Xu Yuanjie dared not utter a word.
"Speak!" General Xu glared at him.
"I...I thought, since Sixth Brother failed to enter the Cloud Martial Hall, these 5000 silver taels should naturally be retrieved from the Wu Clan," Xu Yuanjie stuttered.
"Even if you wanted to retrieve it, why did you send the Vicious Tiger Gang?" General Xu glared unblinkingly at Xu Yuanjie, as if he wanted to devour his own son alive.
"I thought, since the Wu Clan doesn't know manners, they should be taught a lesson..." Xu Yuanjie's voice softened to a whisper. Then he burst out, "But father, I truly did not ask the Vicious Tiger Gang to kill the Wu Clansmen, I really did not!"
"You did not?" General Xu seethed with an all-consuming wrath, smashing the porcelain on the desk onto the ground. "What do you think the Vicious Tiger Gang is? They are a pack of money-hungry wolves who treat human lives like grass! Even I can't fully control them."
"Did you think that Li Ye and the others would listen to you completely?"
"Naive! Ignorant!"
"I see you wish to completely ruin your sixth brother and destroy our Xu Clan before you are satisfied," The more General Xu spoke, the angrier he got.
Suddenly he grabbed his official seal, about to smash it on Xu Yuanjie. With his terrifying strength, if the seal hit, it would endanger Xu Yuanjie's life.
"Father!" Xu Yuanjie's eyes were full of terror, he never thought that this matter would make his father this furious.
"General, calm down! Calm down!" Liu Ye, the robust man beside them, finally stepped in to stop General Xu. At the same time, he turned to Xu Yuanjie, "Young Master, are you still not leaving?"
"Thank you, Uncle Liu." Xu Yuanjie scrambled on all fours towards the hall exit, as if pardoned from a death sentence.
"Imprison this traitor in the military cell; without my command, no one is to release him!" roared General Xu.
"Yes!" Two guards outside the hall acknowledged the order, promptly catching up with Xu Yuanjie.
Finally, tranquility descended within the hall.
General Xu drew a deep breath, then turned to Liu Ye, "Apologies, Liu Ye, I lost my composure. My failure to educate my child has led you to witness such a farce."
"General, please soothe your rage," Liu Ye spoke in a low tone, "While the young master's actions were impulsive, his intentions were good."
"Good intentions? He's too foolish, too focused on petty gains!" Disappointment filled General Xu's eyes.
Liu Ye found himself unable to reply.
"General, according to the two family heads we've captured, the young master did not reveal the specifics to the gang," Liu Ye broke the silence.
"Does it matter?" General Xu shook his head, "How cunning is Wu Qiming? How can he not have guessed that it was the work of my Xu faction?"
"Our mole in the county mayor's faction has sent news. The Wu Clan has agreed to jointly accuse us!"
"Moreover, that youngster Wu Yuan's strength is advancing at a rapid pace, it is said that he already possesses the strength of a martial virtuoso."
"A martial virtuoso at fourteen? When was the last time such a prodigy appeared in Li City? Among the disciples taken in by the Cloud Martial Hall this year, only one can rival him."
General Xu shook his head slightly, "Once the Wu Clan lodges the accusation, Jiang Dongque will undoubtedly lend his full support. Faced with a genius like Wu Yuan, the sect won't sit by idly. The Inspection Hall will definitely make a trip here to investigate the matter."
"What should we do?" The mention of the Inspection Hall caused Liu Ye's complexion to change.
"If it weren't for my idiotic child, the Wu Clan's accusation wouldn't be a problem. But the third family head of the Vicious Tiger Gang has fallen into Jiang Dongque's hands, and he knows too much." General Xu's eyes were ice-cold.
"I understand," Liu Ye nodded slightly, "This third family head will fall ill and die in prison."
General Xu nodded satisfactorily, his anger subsiding a little.
"What about the Wu Clan?" Liu Ye posed another question.
"They have already suffered injustice at my hands; this time Wu Qiming almost lost his life. Many of the Wu Clansmen have been injured or killed. They are probably filled with rage towards me. Along with Jiang Dongque stirring the pot, there's no way to reconcile with them. Besides, even if we were to try reconciling, would they believe us?" General Xu's gaze was icy.
Liu Ye could not help but shake his head. Since the issue with the Vicious Tiger Gang, both sides had lost their foundation of trust.
"Moreover, Wu Yuan possesses great talent. Even if we were to mend our relationship, who knows whether he will seek revenge after he matures?" General Xu shook his head, "The risk is too high. I’m not willing to take such a gamble."
"Then?" Liu Ye asked hesitantly.
"Find an opportunity to get rid of Wu Yuan first. Once Wu Yuan is dead, kill Wu Qiming," General Xu said coldly, "By then, all those involved in this matter would have died, leaving no one to refute us. With only a few pieces of evidence in Jiang Dongque's hands linking me with the Vicious Tiger Gang, I would be recalled back to the sect at most. With Master around, I still have the opportunity to make a comeback."
Liu Ye could not help but nod. Others might not know of this, but he knew that Xu Shouyi's mentor was one of the key decision-makers of the sect.
"We still haven't found out who the mysterious spearman is. Although his wiping out the Vicious Tiger Gang has its pros and cons, it has solved a major problem for me," General Xu said.
"Right." Liu Ye could not help but nod, a trace of lingering fear on his face, "Who could have imagined that Yang Long was actually a disciple of Yuanhu Villa? He concealed his identity too well. It was only after searching through the entire stronghold that I found the letters of communication between Yang Long and Yuanhu Villa."
Yuanhu Villa was one of the six major powers of the Jiang Continent. Although weaker than the Cloudstride Sect, it still ruled over thousands of li of territory. It had a population of twenty million and housed many martial arts experts.
"Yuanhu Villa allied with the Cloudstride Sect against Great Jin. They can be considered half an ally, yet they planted a pawn in the belly of our sect. There must be a reason behind it," General Xu slowly said, "If we can find out the reason before the sect gets involved, we might not only be declared innocent, but even earn merit."
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