In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

Chapter Two: Five Years of Hidden Dragon Emerges

A misty abyss, shrouded in clouds and fog.

The ethereal, echoing sounds of birdsong, monkey cries, and tiger roars filled the air.

Below the vast abyss lies a valley that stretches vertically, surrounded by sheer cliffs and towering peaks over a hundred feet high, making them insurmountable.

To the southeast of the cliff, a waterfall over a hundred feet high hangs over the valley.

This idyllic paradise is truly a fairyland on earth.

Beneath the turbulent waterfall, however, sat a burly young man, as imposing as an iron tower, cross-legged, letting the water, powerful enough to shatter a person, pound against his body.

This isn't a waterfall with hanging lines; it's just the wind blowing and the water moving.

At first glance, the turbulent and massive water flow crashes down, and even with a drop of ten feet, unlucky people could be directly killed by the torrent.

Not to mention the hundred-foot waterfall, the enormous impact of the water drop is unimaginable.

But the young man seemed rooted to the spot, becoming one with the ten-foot-wide boulder beneath him, remaining completely still.

Such extraordinary physical training skills are beyond human capabilities!

Ah!

Suddenly, a dragon's roar and a tiger's howl resounded, and the young man raised his hands to the sky, causing the water that had been crashing down on him to gradually separate.

This is the pinnacle of hard qigong—

The powerful force breaks through the body, killing without a trace!

Moreover, this was not an ordinary release of internal energy. You must know that the waterfall that the young man lifted up had a force of ten thousand jin (5,000 kg) when it hit the water from a height of a hundred zhang (6.6 meters), or even more terrifying.

One inch, two inches... seven inches!

It doesn't possess the waterfall-reversing power of the Formless Divine Skill, but it can withstand a hundred-foot-long torrent from seven inches away. There is no stronger protective aura in the world today than this.

"Seven levels of the Golden Cauldron, achieved!"

Zhang Xiaoshan opened his tiger-like eyes, which were as big as copper bells, and in the instant he leaped into the air, he kicked out with another kick.

Heavenly Crippled Kick - Heaven and Earth Are Heartless!

A powerful, domineering, and straightforward kick, the surging and turbulent primordial energy transforms into a raging wave that sweeps across everything.

boom!

With a powerful kick, Lei Fuqingtian severed the waterfall, leaving a ten-foot-long footprint that penetrated seven inches into the rock face three zhang away.

You should know that this is a stubborn rock that has been washed by the waterfall for many years. It is as hard as cast iron and extremely smooth.

Such terrifying leg skills are truly unparalleled!

Wow!

After Zhang Xiaoshan landed, he did not disappear into the pool. Instead, he lightly touched the water's surface, scooped up the surface, and transformed into a swift eagle, soaring through the air for eight or nine zhang before landing at the edge of the pool.

It was done in one go, with utmost elegance.

"Young master, wipe your body down so you don't catch a cold!"

Two stunningly beautiful women rushed forward, their faces flushed and their eyes brimming with affection, to wipe the young man's body, drape him in a long robe, and fasten a jade belt, sachet, and jade pendant around his neck...

In five years, the boy had grown to be over nine feet tall, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and was as handsome as jade.

He wore a magnificent white robe with silver patterns, his hair was tied up with a jade crown, and beneath a bright yellow sachet was a piece of high-quality mutton-fat jade pendant, worth a fortune.

A handsome young man with an extraordinary demeanor!

Beside the young man, the pretty maids who were only fifteen or sixteen years old in the past have now grown into graceful and beautiful young women.

Dressed in red and white, her red was as bright as fire, and she was pure and flawless.

···

[Host: Zhang Xiaoshan]

True Qi: Early Stage of Innate Realm (Power of Seven Cauldrons)

Talent: Copper Skin and Iron Bones, All Meridians Open

Martial arts: Golden Cauldron Iron Shirt, Nine Cauldrons Mountain and River Fist, Heavenly Crippled Kick, Nine Yin Manual (incomplete), Iron Shirt, Taizu Long Fist, Bajiquan...

Merit: 1574

Item: Dragon-Subduing Wood (+)

Five years of cultivation, one step to the top.

Innate masters are among the top experts in the martial arts world, and are grandmasters among the nine major sects.

The reason why Zhang Xiaoshan made such a rapid breakthrough was that, with the accumulation of massive resources, he reached the Seven Cauldrons realm in just five years!

The first three cauldrons are for strengthening tendons and bones – strengthening blood, tendons, and bones;

The Qi and blood of the three cauldrons are like a dragon, the marrow is like mercury, and the skin is like copper and the bones are like iron.

The three cauldrons release their inner energy, and the dragon and tiger converge—specifically divided into outer energy protection, inner energy return to the origin, and the dragon and tiger heavenly (real) energy realm.

Secondly, after the boy woke up, all his meridians were open, and there was still a trace of innate primordial energy remaining in his body.

This transformed the once mediocre boy into a martial arts prodigy, whose skills improved by leaps and bounds.

Thirdly, the external attachment of the giant bronze bell.

The giant bronze bell contains endless mysteries; as long as one accumulates enough merit, one can be infinitely enhanced.

Although the young man cannot farm or raise fish inside, as long as he accumulates enough merit, he can cultivate within the giant bell space and improve his strength.

In addition, the valley is home to rare birds and beasts, which greatly replenish one's blood and energy; beneath the hundred-foot waterfall, one can temper one's body day and night without ceasing; and among the surrounding mountain walls grow exotic fruits and rare treasures...

These conditions combined make cultivating the Golden Cauldron Iron Shirt technique even more powerful.

The power of the Seven Cauldrons!

The pure Yang energy, powerful and domineering from the inside out!

With this skill, Zhang Xiaoshan can enter the ranks of the most outstanding masters in the martial arts world.

Moreover, his body, forged in the crucible of copper and iron, is comparable to the mastery of the twelve gates of the Shaolin Golden Bell Cover, with no weakness in his body.

The Achilles' heel is the biggest drawback of hard qigong.

Even the most advanced Thirteen Bodyguards Golden Bell Shield, when cultivated to its peak, has one extremely hidden weakness, albeit a very small one.

But the Golden Tripod Iron Shirt doesn't have that!

Therefore, the Golden Cauldron Iron Shirt can be classified as a peerless external martial art.

Moreover, there is also the matching Nine Cauldrons Mountain and River Fist, which can unleash earth-shattering power.

As for the unparalleled martial art, the Heavenly Crippled Kick?

Zhang Xiaoshan, after collecting strange tales and stories from the martial arts world and learning about the Tathagata Palm, secretly found Lei Laowu, a tomb raider, and followed the old path of the ancient sword spirit to raid the tomb of the Ji brothers.

In less than a year, Lei Laowu brought this unparalleled martial arts manual to the martial arts world.

When it comes to finding auspicious burial sites, these tomb raiders are far more professional than Gu Jianhun, even with tombs that have already collapsed.

Zhang Xiaoshan even gave Lei Laowu a copy of the book to win him over.

The same applies to the Nine Yin Manual. With Zhongnan Mountain and the ancient tomb as the two obvious coordinates, Lei Laowu found the entrance to the ancient tomb in less than three days.

With the Nine Yin Manual in hand, Zhang Xiaoshan went on a large scale to recruit tomb raiders and develop his underground forces.

Shrinking Bone Technique, Snake-like Leap, Breath-Holding Technique...

These are all high-end equipment for the tomb raiders, plus the Luoyang shovel made by Zhang Xiaoshan. Over the years, the tomb raiders under Zhang Xiaoshan have made a fortune.

···

At this point, Zhang Xiaoshan discovered three functions of the giant bronze bell:

First, the divine patterns that contain the ultimate principles of heaven and earth can be combined with one's own learning to comprehend higher levels, or to make up for the shortcomings of some unique skills.

For example, the weakness of Iron Shirt, the extremely evil attribute of Heavenly Crippled Kick...

Secondly, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within the giant bell space can be cultivated by consuming merit points, transforming the extremely pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth within the space into one's own true qi.

These innate spiritual energies possess infinite mysteries and are extremely beneficial to the body.

The reason why the young man advanced to the Innate Realm within five years was that he consumed 10,000 Luck Points three days ago and broke through his own bottleneck.

It's important to understand that for most exceptional individuals, the innate bottleneck can take anywhere from three to ten years to overcome.

Third, special items can be enhanced by consuming merit points.

For example, the '+' after the Dragon Subduing Wood means that it consumes 1,000 Luck Points to strengthen it once.

Once an item is enhanced, it will be upgraded by one level.

(Disposable items are not included)

'strengthen!'

Looking at the Dragon-Subduing Wood beside him, it was about ten feet tall and as thick as a baby's arm.

With a resounding bell echoing within his soul, a purple aura gathered in Zhang Xiaoshan's eyes and landed on the wooden staff in his hand.

The original vigorous and ancient dragon-taming wood not only had denser patterns, but also gradually formed a dragon coiling around the staff.

This is not carved, but rather a natural wood grain.

Moreover, the "Dragon Subduing" tree is not a real dragon-subduing tree; it is a unique wood that can restrain snakes and also repel poisonous gases.

In particular, the fruity aroma emitted by the Dragon-Subduing Wood is more potent in controlling snakes than sulfur. Within ten feet of the Dragon-Subduing Wood, no snake dares to approach.

Even if you force your way close, you will be plunged into a hibernation-like tremor.

However, this is not the most domineering aspect of the Dragon-Subduing Wood. The Dragon-Subduing Wood is incredibly hard, and when infused with internal energy, it becomes indestructible, capable of contending with the most legendary divine swords.

Even if a divine weapon like the Heaven-Slaying Sword were to break upon impact, it would likely only leave a sword mark on the Dragon-Subduing Wood.

Moreover, the sacred tree is incredibly mysterious and has endless uses!

In addition, the Dragon-Subduing Wood is accompanied by a section of Dragon Blood Vine, a withered, dark red branch that is also the main material for making top-grade wound medicine and Black Jade Broken Heart Ointment.

Every inch of vine is worth its weight in gold!

Top-grade wound medicine, capable of restoring disfigured appearance;

The value of Black Jade Limb-Regenerating Ointment is self-evident, and it is said to have the power to reconnect severed limbs.

Therefore, the value of the Dragon Blood Vine is extremely high, and it would be priceless in the martial arts world.

It can truly be called the treasure of the valley!

Chapter Three: The Return of the Youth and Their First Encounter

Five years ago, Zhang Xiaoshan decided to live in seclusion and cultivate his unique martial arts.

Instead of choosing his secluded estate outside the city, he went to a remote mountain outside Xiangyang.

However, he wasn't going to the Sword Tomb.

Given Zhang Xiaoshan's strength at that time, if he hadn't found the Sword Tomb, he might have already become the dinner of the Bodhi Serpent.

Zhang Xiaoshan arrived at a cliff with a cascading waterfall, gazing at the torrent falling into the abyss. The thirteen-year-old boy then leaped off.

Using a homemade flying squirrel suit and parachute, they landed safely.

Zhang Xiaoshan knew that before he had mastered his martial arts, his weak self was in constant danger.

Even a one in ten thousand probability!

As for the two maids, Hongxiao and Jiangxue, they were brought into the valley by Zhang Xiaoshan four years ago to serve him in his daily life.

Young people, in particular, are full of vigor, and the heat generated during cultivation needs to be cooled down.

The two girls grew up in the Zhang family compound, and the boy's predecessor had tasted forbidden fruit at the age of twelve; they were all family members.

In those feudal times, life expectancy was low, so it was perfectly normal to get married at twelve or thirteen.

Even Zhang Yuan, the head of the family, didn't interfere. Instead, he deliberately arranged for two pretty and graceful young girls to serve the young man in his daily life, hoping that Zhang Xiaoshan would have children for the Zhang family.

The valley is spring-like all year round, with petals falling everywhere, making it an extremely livable paradise.