Chapter 132: Mountain Shattering Palm (I)

Inside the secret chamber of the Xing residence, the first elder stood together with two others. On his left was a burly middle-aged man in his 50s, towering at nearly 2.3 meters tall, his aura radiating a fearsome intensity.

On his right stood an old man with white hair and the face of a child. Though he appeared younger, he was in fact older than the first elder. However, the old man's essence, qi, and spirit were vigorous, while his blood qi was strong and his aura restrained, showing no trace of age.

Before them sat two youths of 16 and 17, legs crossed in meditation. Their eyes were tightly shut, eyelids trembling slightly, and their faces bore expressions both pained and strangely ecstatic.

"The cultivation technique should be fine," said the middle-aged man suddenly.

He had observed for four days, and the Origin Returning Art could indeed be cultivated as legend described, allowing one to directly absorb the world's spiritual qi and turn it into personal strength. He had chosen more than 300 subordinates to cultivate the Origin Returning Art. Yet following the art's method, only the two before them had managed to sense spiritual qi. These two young men were biological brothers.

"As long as it can be cultivated, the Nine Nether Sect has no reason to tamper with the cultivation technique," said the white-haired old man calmly.

Holding the manual of the Origin Returning Art in his hands, he could not help but flip through it once again. Over the past few days, he had read through the Origin Returning Art again and again. Even though he had already memorized every word of it, he still reread it over and over, as if afraid of missing something.

"Grandfather, let's observe them for a few more days. The ancestral records state that the path of immortal cultivation lies beyond mortal reach. Anyone who dares to touch it will be struck by heavenly wrath and fall into demonhood. Let's first see if the brothers experience any side effects after cultivating the Origin Returning Art," said the first elder to the white-haired old man.

"Yes, great-grandfather. Your lifespan is still long, so there's no need to rush," said the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man's name was Xing Hongwei. He was the current family head of the Xing Family, and the first elder was his uncle. Meanwhile, the white-haired old man was the true pillar of the Xing Family—he was the first elder's grandfather and Xing Hongwei's great-grandfather.

"There's no time. Even an immortal cultivation secret art requires reaching a certain level before it can extend one's lifespan, and I no longer have the time for that." Xing Rui shook his head as he spoke.

Though his complexion was better than that of most middle-aged men, he was already more than 130 years old. His advancement into the Marrow Refining Realm had been achieved through powerful medicinal support, and even then, he had barely reached the fourth transformation of blood qi.

In theory, a martial artist of the Marrow Refining Realm could live at least 150 years, but Xing Rui felt he would not last that long. In his youth, he had endured countless battles that left many hidden injuries within his body. When he was young, those hidden wounds had been insignificant, but as the years passed, they began to surface one by one.

"But..." Xing Hongwei started to speak, but Xing Rui cut him off.

"There's nothing to argue. The Xing Family has you and Little Hai, and that's enough," said Xing Rui calmly. Xing Hai was the first elder's name.

He looked at Xing Hai and Xing Hongwei and continued, "If anything happens to me, the Xing Family will depend on you two."

"Yes, Grandfather."

"Yes, Great-Grandfather."

"Enough. You two may leave. There's no need to concern yourselves with the Origin Returning Art. I'll verify its validity myself," said Xing Rui calmly.

Xing Hai and Xing Hongwei exchanged a glance and turned to leave the secret chamber. The decisions Xing Rui made were not theirs to influence.

"Family elder, first elder, the matter has been investigated!" As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, a subordinate who had been waiting stepped forward respectfully to report.

"

Hmm.

"

Xing Hongwei took the document handed to him and began to read carefully. The paper recorded the movements of members from the Feihong Gang and the Nine Stars Gang before the incidents involving the second and fifth elders, listing a total of 23 names.

The Xu Family, Zhao Family, and Ren Family were all included. Among them were names of martial artists from the Bone Forging Realm and Organ Forging Realm, and Lin Zheyu's name stood out prominently.

"Uncle, I'll leave these people to you," said Xing Hongwei, handing the list to Xing Hai.

"Understood," replied Xing Hai calmly as he took the list.

***

The moon hung high and faint among scattered stars. Tonight's moon was full, and its silvery light blanketed the ground like a veil of misty silk. Lin Zheyu would depart for Daba Mountain early the next morning. Since tonight happened to be the day the black market opened, he decided to drop by.

Leaving the inner city, he found a secluded spot, changed into dark clothing, and put on a mask. After hurrying for more than 10 minutes, he arrived at the familiar black market. Ever since his first visit, Lin Zheyu had come almost every time the black market opened.

Aside from his first few visits when he came to sell goods, most times he simply wandered around to see if he could find anything useful. After other cities fell, many outsiders flooded into Songyi City, bringing new and curious goods to each black market gathering. The reason he came each time the black market opened was to try his luck. He was hoping to find a powerful, explosive-type martial technique.

Upon entering the black market, Lin Zheyu found it bustling with people; it was lively and crowded. The invasion of the rebel army had left Songyi City desolate, yet the black market had grown even more vibrant, filled with people selling weapons, poisons, antidote pills, and all manner of strange items.

Lin Zheyu browsed without buying, crouching down to inquire whenever he saw someone selling martial manuals. Unfortunately, they were all common goods, with no technique that truly caught his eye.

"It seems that if I want to find a suitable technique, I'll have to visit a larger city," muttered Lin Zheyu to himself.

"Are you buying or not? If not, don't block the way," said the stall owner impatiently. Seeing that Lin Zheyu was only looking and not buying, the vendor grew annoyed.

Lin Zheyu put down the manual's description and stood up, heading toward the next stall. After walking a dozen meters, he turned left into another lane. Behind him, a man wearing a black mask quickened his pace, moving in Lin Zheyu's direction.

"

Ah!

"

Suddenly, a figure appeared before him, and the man, caught off guard, collided head-on. It felt as though he had hit a solid wall; with a loud thud, blood streamed from his nose.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Lin Zheyu looked down at him coldly and asked in a low voice, "Why are you following me?"

Not long after entering the black market, he had noticed someone trailing him. Even after circling the market, the person had kept a steady distance behind.

"

Ah

... I-I mean no harm," the man stammered, his voice barely above a whisper, as though afraid of being overheard.

This man is strong—at least of the Blood Qi Realm.

That was the impression Lin Zheyu gave him—Overwhelming strength. That collision had felt like crashing into an indestructible wall.

The man got to his feet, glanced around cautiously, and said in a low voice, "Senior, are you looking to purchase a cultivation technique?"

He had noticed earlier that Lin Zheyu was searching for cultivation techniques throughout the black market and had not found anything satisfactory.

"You have one?"

A spark of interest rose in Lin Zheyu's heart. In all his visits to the black market, he had encountered only one other person who secretly sold Blood Qi Realm techniques like this man. However, those techniques could only be cultivated up to the second or third transformation of blood qi, inferior even to the Ten Thousand Troop Steps. The prices were outrageous, starting at 1000 taels of silver.

"M

hm.

"

"It's forbidden to sell Blood Qi Realm techniques on the black market. Could we talk elsewhere? I guarantee it will satisfy you," whispered the man.

"Alright." Lin Zheyu nodded.

The two arrived at a private room provided by the black market, a place dedicated to secret transactions that cost 100 wen per use. The money was paid by the man, which suggested he was confident in his technique. Ten oil lamps were lit around the room, making it very bright.

"What techniques do you have?" Lin Zheyu asked with curiosity.

"I have an ancestral technique that can raise one to the fourth transformation of blood qi. Would Senior be interested?" said the man after a brief pause.

A technique that could help one cultivate to the fourth transformation of blood qi was extremely valuable in a place like Songyi City, and many small esteemed families did not possess one. This was why he was so confident.