Chapter 109 Promotion to Commander, the Lady Asks for It
In a moment of desperation, Li Xian also met the attack with both palms, unleashing the "Turbulent Waves" move from the Azure Palm technique, gathering all his internal energy into his palms.
The moment it was unleashed, the Qi surged like a raging wave crashing against the shore, stirring up the surrounding poisonous miasma and creating a truly surging wave-like effect.
The two exchanged blows... Zheng Xuezhang's technique was unclear, whether it was a fist or a palm strike, as his hands were crippled, making the difference between fist and palm strikes negligible. At that moment, their hands collided, and both revealed expressions of surprise.
Zheng Xuezhang thought to himself, "This boy's martial arts are quite advanced. His palm strength and palm techniques are even more impressive than my Dinglang Palm! I have practiced Dinglang Palm for decades and have only just achieved mastery. How can he have such skill at his age?!"
"Even those geniuses who have received guidance from renowned teachers and are ranked highly on the honor rolls wouldn't have achieved this level of skill, would they?!"
Li Xian felt that Zheng Xue's palm strike was so powerful that it penetrated into his arms from his palm the instant they met, causing his bones to shatter instantly.
For every wisp of his inner energy, Li Xian needs ten wisps to counteract it.
In a split second, he understood the reason.
Although internal energy comes from martial arts, it is generated from within the body.
After undergoing a preliminary transformation, the martial artist's physical body becomes significantly different, having absorbed the essence of heaven and earth. Consequently, their internal energy naturally becomes even more powerful.
Despite the excruciating pain, Li Xian forced Zheng Xuezhang back with a sweeping kick, then drew his guard's narrow sword and engaged him in direct combat. Zheng Xuezhang was skilled with a broadsword, but he had discarded it during his pursuit of Li Xian.
At this moment, unarmed and unwilling to be outdone, he fought and fought back. Although he had undergone a complete transformation, his strength was only a fraction of what it used to be, so he dared not be careless. Li Xian's swordsmanship was swift and powerful, and with his exquisite skill, he actually gained the upper hand.
Although this advantage was achieved through clever maneuvering, it is enough to show that when he fights, he can make two parts of his strength effective.
They fought and struggled together.
This commotion startled the white snake.
Li Xian had sharp eyes and noticed in advance, trying several times to withdraw from the battle. But Zheng Xuezhang was filled with hatred; having finally gotten involved, how could he let it go?
"I have already provoked Zheng Xuezhang, and he has not yet discovered the White Snake. If I continue to entangle with him, I may very well be swallowed whole by the White Snake." Li Xian felt a chill run through his body, and the White Snake in the mist seemed even more dangerous.
The white snake was enormous, about ten zhang long, and its body was completely obscured by the miasma.
In a moment of desperation, Li Xian had a sudden inspiration and deliberately exposed a flaw in his martial arts, leaving his defenses wide open.
Zheng Xuezhang observed that Li Xian's swordsmanship was meticulous, expansive yet refined and agile. The sudden appearance of a flaw was highly suspicious. He also thought that Li Xian was cunning and treacherous, with impeccable scheming and martial arts skills.
Therefore, they dared not make a move.
Li Xian cursed, "You old scoundrel!" and made a move to run away.
Spurred on by this, Zheng Xuezhang thought, "Even if it's a trap, I'll step into it!" He channeled all his inner energy and slammed a heavy punch into Li Xian's chest.
The moment the punch landed, he was suddenly stunned: "It really is a flaw?" Overjoyed, he thought, "If this punch lands, how can that kid survive?"
Li Xian was thrown back by the impact, spitting out a mouthful of blood and nearly losing consciousness. He mustered his strength and pulled through.
Using the force of the punch, they created distance.
"That was close... If it weren't for the fish-scale breastplate, that punch would have killed me!" Li Xian touched the breastplate.
"He's not dead!"
Seeing Li Xian run away after landing, Zheng Xuezhang was puzzled as to why he hadn't died. He immediately wanted to chase after him again. But after taking only two steps, he felt a chill all over his body. A cold breath hit him.
It seems like winter has arrived again.
He looked back and saw a huge snake head hanging above him, its eyes cold and eerie.
The white snake flicked its tongue and licked its body. Such delicious food was a rare treat in these deep mountains and forests.
"ah!"
A bloodcurdling scream.
Zheng Xuezhang died in the snake's mouth, swallowed whole, leaving no trace of his body. Li Xian felt a chill run down his spine and dared not linger, fleeing the miasma as quickly as possible.
“The white snake didn’t chase after me; it has no interest in me.” Li Xian looked back but couldn’t find any trace of the white snake.
"Yes, I heard Commander Pang say that Transcendent Martial Artists and Demonic Beasts are natural enemies, each preying on the other. Zheng Xuezhang is a 'Spirit-Eating Realm' Martial Artist, and in the eyes of the White Snake, he is like the pure essence of heaven and earth."
"But I... escaped disaster because of this!"
Having understood the situation, Li Xian breathed a sigh of relief, but still dared not linger. Enduring the excruciating pain, he walked for more than seven or eight miles.
"I usually hunt wild animals, but today... it seems the tables have turned."
"If I were to encounter a bear or tiger at this time, I would be devoured by them."
Li Xian gave a bitter smile, searching for the beast's tracks and keeping a safe distance. His hands were fractured; his earlier struggle against the enemy had only worsened his injuries. If his internal energy were abundant, he could still forcefully move his arms.
However, during the fight, Li Xian's three-zhang-six-foot Qi Lake had been completely depleted. He needed rest and food to replenish it. At this moment, Li Xian was extremely weak and in a precarious situation.
"There are few animal tracks here, let's rest for a while." Li Xian, with his hands hanging down, found a secluded spot to sit and rest.
He took a full punch to the chest, and although he was protected by the "fish scale breastplate," the shock was still quite severe.
"If it weren't for the White Snake, I wouldn't have suffered such severe injuries. But it was also because of the White Snake that Zheng Xuezhang died completely."
Li Xian leaned against the tree trunk, muttering to himself. His face was somewhat pale. He sat there for half an hour, recovering some strength, and condensed some internal energy in his Qi Lake.
He channeled his inner energy, endured the pain, and pulled a handful of dried meat from his chest. He slowly chewed the meat, gradually replenishing his strength.
With proper nutrition, internal energy recovers faster.
"Luckily, I have a few Rejuvenation Pills." Li Xian took out a porcelain bottle. But the lid was tightly closed, and he could usually open it easily with his hands and feet. At this moment, his hands were fractured and his tendons were injured. If it weren't for his internal energy, he wouldn't be able to move his fingers.
At this point, the only option is to use the brute force method.
He smashed the porcelain bottle on the stone, then shakily put the pill into his mouth.
Huili Dan is made by simmering and refining ingredients such as ginseng, tiger meat, and bear tendons. It has a significant nourishing effect, and when ingested, it provides a gentle warmth that nourishes the body.
The internal energy gradually recovers.
"The martial artist who consumes essence is indeed powerful. I only exchanged one palm strike with him, yet my hands are so badly injured."
"Right now... the Blackwater Gang hasn't dispersed yet. If I go back to the village, it will be difficult to deal with them. I'll rest here for a couple of days first."
With Zheng Xuezhang dead, Li Xian's trusted enemy finally vanished like the wind.
Li Xian practiced diligently. In the past few months, he had not slacked off for even a single day, and he studied almost all the martial arts techniques he had acquired seriously.
[Four Directions Fist] needs no further explanation; it has already reached its pinnacle. [Gentle Breeze Leg], after months of arduous practice, has surpassed it and has also reached its pinnacle. Without the added power of the Gentle Breeze Leg and the secret of "lightness," how could Li Xian have been able to contend with Zheng Xuezhang for so long?
The Azure Palm technique had long been perfected, and he had never neglected it since. After all, of all of Li Xian's martial arts, only the Azure Palm technique had reached its peak.
[Proficiency: 19980/24000 Perfect]
Among all martial arts techniques, the Azure Palm is the most powerful. It is already Li Xian's ultimate killing move!
Secondly, regarding the [Great Luo Saber Technique], among all martial arts, Li Xian has been the most lax in mastering it, and has only reached the "Great Completion" stage so far.
Once martial arts are mastered, they can be integrated and applied flexibly, incorporating the essence of other martial arts techniques.
When Li Xian wielded his sword, the Great Luo Sword itself wasn't particularly powerful. However, if he incorporated the understanding of the Four Directions Fist, the sword's path became unpredictable and elusive; if he incorporated the understanding of the Gentle Breeze Leg, the sword's path became light and agile; and if he incorporated the Azure Luo Palm, it became a series of rapid-fire sword techniques, each strike more ferocious than the last.
Therefore, although Li Xian's martial arts skills are limited, in terms of practical combat variations, Zheng's Blood Palm is not as good as his.
The [Great Luo Blade] has stagnated, which is intentional on his part. Revealing part while concealing part is the best approach.
He has also begun practicing the "Tiger Gate Claw" technique he obtained from the Fifth Master. He has just barely mastered it.
Five martial arts techniques…
This is what has made Li Xian so powerful!
"Even among martial artists who consume essence, there are differences in strength."
"This Zheng Xuezhang is the leader of a gang, but... he is not as powerful as that 'Immortal in the Altar'. That Immortal in the Altar has first-class lightness skills and is incredibly fast."
"He could skin a living person alive with ease. This shows his immense strength."
Li Xian pondered to himself.
He also realized that he needed to make a choice. He had already reached the pinnacle of most of his martial arts skills. If he wanted to go further, he needed to acquire fine food or more powerful and advanced martial arts techniques.
Martial artists eat, train, and soak...
Training is the cheapest method. As for "nurturing," Li Xian still doesn't know what it is.
Not to mention him, even Commander Pang didn't know what it was.
Li Xianyuan had not figured out the intricacies of martial arts; in fact, it seemed he hadn't even entered the door.
"Now that I have been sent away from the manor, Madam will surely forget me."
“Even if I stay in the village and guard it for her, I will hardly make any progress in ten years. It seems that I should leave the village and venture out into the world.”
The path has been planned; now it's time to follow. He is now all alone, so what fear has he of the dangers of the martial world?
only……
Completely bewildered, he stumbled into the world of martial arts. To put it bluntly, did he even have the qualifications to enter the martial arts world?
If we consider the martial arts world as something like the Blackwater Gang or the Mountain Wind Stronghold, he's already considered a "powerful figure," quite impressive indeed. But if we look further ahead, without connections or mentors, even a lifetime of struggling might not yield a single opportunity.
Li Xian was broad-minded and stopped thinking about it.
They rested in the mountains for two days. Li Xian's hand bones gradually healed, and he was able to move them, but he could not draw his bow and shoot arrows.
Li Xian prepared his narrow sword and returned to the village.
As Heihe Village returned to peace, a mournful sound erupted throughout the village, accompanied by the clatter of suona horns and gongs…
"Grandpa, you died such a tragic death!"
"Grandpa, go in peace! Waaah!"
The villagers wailed and cried.
It turned out that when everyone saw that Li Xian had not returned for several days, they assumed that he had also died, and they were filled with grief and mourned for him.
Li Xian's lips twitched. But then she thought, these villagers are simple and honest, so they haven't done anything wrong in helping them. If she really died, it wouldn't be bad if someone remembered her.
"Ah! Grandpa, you're not dead!?" Village Chief Fu exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Li Xian.
The crowd immediately gathered around.
Li Xian said, "Alright, let's put these away!"
...
...
Li Xian had obtained the method for the "Hundred-Day Bath" medicinal bath. After winter, in mid-March, he began to boil and soak the herbs.
Strength, flexibility... are all steadily improving.
However, this method of medicinal bathing is ultimately cumbersome. Its effect is minimal, but it is better than nothing.
The Blackwater Gang's Zheng Xuezhang lineage was almost completely wiped out by Li Xian. The fighting had been fierce during this period.
I heard that another "Master of the Essence of Food" took advantage of the situation to start his own business and quickly created the Green Water Gang.
Mid-May.
Li Xian's desire to leave intensified. He told Uncle Fu that he would flee the estate after the hundred-day bath was over. Whether they would meet again in the future depended on fate.
This matter was kept strictly confidential by Uncle Fu.
If it's leaked, things will become much more complicated.
Days passed by.
That morning.
Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves broke the silence.
Ding Hu, a top-ranking guard, dismounted and entered the village. He knocked on Uncle Fu's door and asked, "Where does Master Li live?"
Uncle Fu was taken aback. "This... sir, what do you need Grandpa Li for?"
"Don't ask too many questions, just tell him where he is," Ding Hu said impatiently.
"This...this..." Uncle Fu stammered. He knew that Li Xian was about to leave and was afraid that the guard had come to arrest him. Therefore, he refused to tell him.
"Are you senile?!" Ding Hu was also getting angry and was about to teach him a lesson.
"Uncle Ding, what brings you here?" Li Xian walked over slowly and said calmly.
When Ding Hu heard Li Xian call him "Grandpa," he trembled with fright, quickly walked over, knelt on one knee, and said:
"Commander Li, the Madam has promoted you to commander and wants you to return. Other guards can be stationed at the manor."
(End of this chapter)
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