In the spacious training hall, more than a dozen waterlon-sized iron sandbags hung from the ceiling. Five or six muscular n pushed them all at once, sending the bags swinging violently toward the lone figure in the center of the room.
SWOOSH—
SWOOSH—
The bags, each filled with iron sand, swung like pendulums. In the blink of an eye, the entire room was filled with a whistling cacophony.
The densely packed sandbags wove a dangerous web across the room, yet the figure at its center remained firmly in place, deftly avoiding every collision with only the slightest shifts and dodges.
This peculiar dodging drill continued for the ti it takes to burn an incense stick. Sweat began to bead on the brows of the n pushing the bags. Suddenly, a sharp voice called out—"That’s enough." The n hurriedly grabbed the swinging sandbags and held them still.
Then, the figure at the center spoke.
"Two of you with sabers, step up."
As soon as the words were spoken, two formidable n in training clothes erged from a corner of the room. With sharp gazes and without a word, they each grabbed a long saber from the nearby weapons rack and leaped into the fray.
A three-way battle imdiately erupted. The two n, ard with long sabers, joined forces to attack the third, who was bare-fisted.
The clash of steel and the thud of fists and feet filled the air. After an unknown amount of ti, a muffled grunt rang out as one of the saber-wielding n was sent flying from the lee, clutching his chest. This was followed by another sharp command.
"Two more."
Instantly, two more n with sabers charged forward. This ti, however, they lasted for an even shorter ti. In just a few monts, the whirlwind of flashing blades was forcefully torn apart from within.
"Cao Tian!"
The figure at the center of the room, having just repelled several opponents in an instant, raised an arm and pointed to a silent, gaunt young man standing off to the side.
"You. Get up here."
The gaunt young man who had been called out said nothing, his face impassive as he stepped forward.
He didn’t grab a saber either, engaging directly in bare-fisted combat with the figure who had just fought several n in succession.
Though both were unard, the commotion they stirred up was even greater than the previous lee. The force of their blows sent gusts of wind washing over the onlookers’ faces, forcing the saber-wielding n to back away and give them more room.
The two traded blows for so ti. Then, the gaunt young man who had just entered the fray suddenly landed a heavy punch—fast and vicious—square on his opponent’s chest.
Caught off guard, the figure staggered backward. The eyes of the watching n narrowed, and they instinctively tensed to move forward.
"So this is the Blood Refining Realm... it really is different, huh..."
The man who took the blow staggered back five or six steps before steadying himself. He wasn’t angry; instead, he just chuckled and raised a hand, signaling an end to the fight.
Before the gaunt young man who had won the bout could speak, a lean, sallow-faced man beside him—one of the n who had earlier entered with a saber—spoke up first.
"Young Master Fu, you’ve been training for hours and taught each of us a lesson. You were running on fus; that’s the only reason Cao Tian got the chance to land that cheap shot."
"If you weren’t going easy on him, how could he possibly be your match, even if he has reached Blood Refining..."
As he spoke, the sallow-faced man shot a disdainful glance at Cao Tian.
Cao Tian ignored him, instead turning to face the approaching man and asking in a low voice, "Young Master, are you alright?"
The man waved his hand dismissively, his expression unconcerned.
He was a handso young man with a striking physique, his upper body bare.
His hair was slick with sweat, and the prolonged combat had caused his muscles to swell, yet they didn’t look exaggerated. Instead, they had the quality of sothing restrained and precisely sculpted.
This was none other than Fu Juemin, the one who had called a halt to the training.
"Hou San, if you put as much effort into sparring as you do into bootlicking, I wouldn’t have needed to call Cao Tian in just to have a decent fight..."
Fu Juemin took the dry towel soone offered him and, while wiping the sweat from his body, continued his tirade without missing a beat.
The sallow-faced man gave an awkward laugh, scratching his nose and daring not to say another word.
After wiping away his sweat, Fu Juemin tossed the towel aside, then picked up a cup of ginseng tea and began to gulp it down, replenishing the energy he had just expended.
In the massive training hall, including the servants waiting on the sidelines, there were now a good twenty people present.
More than half were household guards. The rest, like Cao Tian, were all "experts" summoned from the Black Shark Gang.
Nowadays, his martial arts practice required such a grand setup every day.
The main reason was for practicing the Living Stake, which required at least six or seven people. As for ard and unard combat, ordinary Bone Forging Realm Martial Artists could no longer et Fu Juemin’s needs. Furthermore, these n were all wary of his status and held back, afraid to use their full strength. So, Fu Juemin simply had them attack him four or five at a ti.
Making up for a lack of quality with quantity was just enough to achieve the intensity he desired.
"Alright, that’s enough for today. Everyone, dismissed."
Fu Juemin waved his hand, dismissing the crowd. He then turned to Cao Tian and asked casually, "How does it feel, now that you’ve reached Blood Refining?"
Cao Tian was now completely in his camp, rarely even going to the Black Shark Gang’s territory anymore. The public, passive-aggressive remarks from Hou San, that Black Shark Gang Red Stick, were one reason for this.
In response to Fu Juemin’s question, Cao Tian thought for a mont before answering honestly, "My strength is constantly growing... but other than that, I don’t feel anything particularly special."
Fu Juemin nodded.
He was likely the person most aware of the changes in Cao Tian’s power, since he sparred with him every day.
Compared to his ti in Bone Forging, the power of Cao Tian’s punches had more than doubled, and his speed and reflexes had also seen a marked improvent.
Before, he could reliably suppress Cao Tian by relying on his Master Level Eight Extres Bone Forging and superior Attributes. Now, without using his Talent, [Soft Bone], to augnt [Wuling Han Yue], the most he could hope for was a fifty-fifty match.
And that was after his own strength had improved significantly in all areas over the past half a month.
It had to be said, Cao Tian was truly a martial arts genius. After he began following Fu Juemin, Fu Juemin had summoned a doctor from Xing’an Hall to help condition his body, intending to first treat his latent injuries before helping him advance further.
But unexpectedly, after just a few days of treatnt, Cao Tian had broken through all on his own.
His strength had skyrocketed in that ti, to a degree that made even Fu Juemin a little envious.
"...That last punch of mine, I used at least seventy percent of my strength, yet it seed to have no effect on you, Young Master."
Cao Tian suddenly spoke. Fu Juemin smiled. ’So Cao Tian is learning to say pleasantries to keep happy, too,’ he thought. Still, he didn’t refute the statent.
Instead, he thought for a mont and said, "I heard that back when you were still in Bone Forging, you killed a Blood Refining practitioner?"
Cao Tian hesitated for a mont before nodding.
"Yes. But that was in the life-or-death ring at the Walking Flesh Hall. And he wasn’t what you’d call a proper Blood Refining practitioner..."
Cao Tian explained, "The man was in the Blood Refining realm in na only. In truth, he was addicted to opium. His body was a wreck, and his strength was a shadow of its forr self."
"In the ring, I traded blows with him, beating him to death one punch at a ti..."
Cao Tian paused, then continued, "The only true Blood Refining Realm expert I’ve ever crossed hands with... would have to be the Elder Gang Leader..."
"Wu Xiaoyun?"
Fu Juemin’s expression flickered. "How strong is he?" he asked.
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