Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

Chapter 173: Cutting Off Flesh and Cultivating in Seclusion

East of Tianyan City, at the Lu family mansion.

backyard.

Lu Henian stood under the eaves, with three large chests in front of him. The chests were open, and they were full of various kinds of silver, jewelry, medicinal herbs, and some crystal cores.

Lu Chengyuan stood by his side with his hands folded, looking somewhat tired.

Lu Henian looked at the three boxes, his voice calm.

"Those troublemakers have already escaped Tianyan City?"

Lu Chengyuan nodded: "Yes. The core personnel were already evacuated last night, and they left very cleanly."

He paused slightly, his expression turning somewhat grim.

"However, Chengye sent a message earlier saying that the assassins responsible for clearing out the hidden mobs on the perimeter failed. One of the spies, Cao Dayong, was not killed. Not only did he not die, but he was also killed by the enemy, who killed several of our hidden strength experts and escaped."

Upon hearing this, Lu Henian didn't even lift his eyelids, but simply shook his head in disappointment.

"Chengyuan, as the head of the family, you have been far too indulgent and permissive towards your younger brother, Chengye." Lu Chengyuan lowered his head and did not respond in rebuttal.

Lu Henian turned around and looked at him. His voice was not loud, but every word was firm and clear.

"After making such a series of huge mistakes, he is no longer suitable to sit in that position and handle the core affairs of the family. Pass on my words and tell him to put down all the power he holds over the underworld, go back to the ancestral hall to reflect on his mistakes, and learn how to control his temper."

He paused for a moment.

"As for what he was originally in charge of, his cooperation with the Wang family, you should arrange for Chenglin to take over all of his responsibilities."

Lu Chengyuan stood there, silent for a long time.

He sighed.

"Okay, I'll take care of it right away."

Lu Henian turned his gaze back to the three boxes on the ground and changed the subject: "Have the Xue and Xiao families already started kicking us when we're down?"

Lu Chengyuan nodded bitterly.

"What do they want?"

"Both of them are asking for exorbitant prices, wanting the land deeds for the shops along the two most bustling main streets in the south of our city." Lu Henian's fingers trembled slightly.

Those two streets were the Lu family's core properties in the south of the city. The net rent they collected each year alone amounted to at least tens of thousands of taels of silver.

This is like tearing flesh from the Lu family's lifeline.

He let out a long sigh.

"Give them to them."

Lu Chengyuan raised his head, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

Lu Henian glanced at him: "Hesitation will only lead to disaster! Losing the shops is at most a minor setback, but if Zhang Rui's matter gets exposed, and the Chang, Wei, Xue, and Xiao families do more to influence things, the price we'll have to pay in the future will be much more than just these two streets."

He turned around, his back to Lu Chengyuan, his voice low and cold.

"Chengyuan, remember this lesson well. Consider it a bucket of ice water to wake you up completely."

"Put away that arrogant attitude of aristocratic families. The Great Wei is in turmoil right now, just at the beginning of a chaotic era. Chaos breeds heroes, and there will only be more and more hidden talents like Chen Ping who have no background but can rise against the tide. Our Lu family must learn to put down our high and mighty attitude."

"From this day forward, strictly discipline the members of my Lu family. They must not engage in any more fights or bullying outside, lest they bring irreparable disaster upon the family at this critical juncture." Lu Chengyuan lowered his head deeply and replied in a deep voice, "Yes."

Lu Henian took a step forward and paused slightly.

"Immediately relay my next words to every branch of the family."

"Until my Lu family produces a true prodigy, when disputes and frictions arise among the family members, please take a step back and bear with it for me."

He paused for a moment.

"But if we are cornered and face a life-or-death crisis concerning the survival of our family, we will not act unless necessary. Once we do draw our swords, we will cut through the mess swiftly and decisively, leaving no survivors."

Lu Chengyuan's body trembled slightly, and he bent down deeply.

"Chengyuan understands."

Lu Henian was silent for a while, then suddenly chuckled.

The laughter wasn't loud, but there was a chilling undercurrent in it.

"Every cloud has a silver lining. This time, Chen Ping has brought shame upon the Lu family and made a name for himself in Cangwu."

"The tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind. If Wang Zhaoyao of the Wang family were to hear that a poor peasant has climbed above him, he would surely feel deeply ashamed and furious." He slowly turned around, his gaze falling on the distant horizon.

"And then there's the Xue family and the Xiao family. Several of their prodigies were praised to the skies, only to find out once they got there that someone was already waiting for them."

He chuckled twice, his voice tinged with a hint of smugness.

"The suffering my Lu family has endured, they too must endure."

......

A month later.

Inner Courtyard, No. 6, Xuan Character.

The first week went by quickly.

Chen Ping gets up before dawn every day and sits cross-legged in the training ground. He has thoroughly mastered the first level of the Blazing Sun Burning Sea True Scripture, the Initial Formation of the Gang Sea. His Gang Qi has traveled along his meridians thousands of times, and its total amount is getting thicker day by day.

By the seventh day, the first level was completed, and the total amount of internal energy had increased by 10% compared to a week ago.

When you get hungry, go out of the inner courtyard and walk along the bluestone road towards the east of the city.

He walked this road twice a day, and it gradually became a habit. When he passed by the outer courtyard, there were always students practicing in the martial arts field, in twos and threes, much more than a month ago. One day, he passed by the entrance of the martial arts hall and heard several students chatting inside. Their voices were not loud, but he had good hearing and could hear the gist of it in just a few steps.

"The Outer Court Grand Competition is scheduled for four months from now. This is the notice that Deacon Shi posted today."

"Four months? Is that enough time? I've only condensed eight Qi Essence Pills."

"You're lucky with eight, I only have five..."

Chen Ping didn't stop walking, keeping the time in mind.

Four months is enough.

Back at the Bai family home, Bai Ming had already prepared the meal.

Chen Ping sat down to eat, starting with five bowls. He ate and processed the food, extracting the essence from every grain of rice and every piece of meat.

Bai Ming sat opposite him, watching him eat like that, and was already used to it. He picked up his own food and ate slowly.

When he finished his third bowl, Bai Ming casually remarked, "The city's been quite lively lately. None of the scions of noble families are going out anymore. I heard that Wang Zhaoyao from the Wang family is staying cooped up in his secret room every day, and even his meals are brought in by servants."

He picked up a piece of food, chewed it, and said, "It's similar on the Xue family's side. Their prodigy seems to be in seclusion, saying he wants to break through something before the competition."

Bai Ming then remembered something and said, "By the way, the Qinglin Society in your courtyard recently approached my father, saying they wanted to help escort caravans and guard shops or something." He glanced at Chen Ping, "My father thinks it's quite interesting and they're already in talks."

Chen Ping hummed in agreement and didn't ask any further questions.

Zhao Shuyan and Zhang Tingwan acted quickly.

After finishing five bowls, he stood up, bowed, and returned to Cangwu.

In the second week, the progress of Guiyuan Jue suddenly increased rapidly.

While practicing compression and release, Chen Ping suddenly discovered that this method was completely consistent with the true meaning of Chaoyuan.

Like a deep pool swallowing and gushing forth, accumulating to its limit before unleashing its power, his body had long since mastered this path. Following the Guiyuan Technique along this path, there were almost no bottlenecks, and the quality of his Qi improved day by day, progressing directly from minor success to mastery.

【The Return to Origin Technique (Mastery)】

Current progress: 300/1000

The dragon-python's true energy was also steadily advancing. The second level of energy transformation into a snake was pushed from 120 to nearly 300. The scales on the python's body became clearer and clearer, and the golden edges became sharper. When it swam, it carried a slight metallic friction sound.

[Dragon and Python True Qi - Second Level]

[Current progress: 300/500] He practiced Baguazhang in his spare time. The palm techniques were somewhat similar to the Two Elements Palm he already had, so it wasn't difficult to learn.

Baguazhang (Beginner's Guide)

Current progress: 50/100

The Bone-Melting and Gold-Refining Body doesn't require deliberate training. After reaching the Perfection of Food Consumption, every meal tempers the physical body, and the progress passively increases.

[Melting Bones and Refining the Body (Great Completion)]

Current progress: 1478/1500

The same applies to gathering spiritual energy; one weaves spiritual threads daily to maintain perception, without conscious effort but without constant activity.

【Cai Ling (Dacheng)】

Current progress: 1300/1500

Qin Ya came to visit in the third week.

When he pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in, Chen Ping was sitting cross-legged in the center of the martial arts arena, with eighteen golden qi pythons coiled around him, their heads raised and tails dragging on the ground, the golden light illuminating the entire courtyard.

Qin Ya stood at the door for a while, watching without saying a word. Only after Chen Ping withdrew his protective aura did he walk over, sit down beside the weapon rack, glance at Chen Ping's aura, nod, and say nothing.

As he was leaving, he paused at the door and said something.

"Four months after the outer academy competition, Wang Zhaoyao condensed twenty-eight Gang Yuan. Your teammates are doing alright, and Zhang Tingwan is almost at the peak of the Transformation Realm."

Finished talking and left.

Chen Ping stood in the courtyard, going over the sentence in his mind.

Four months is enough.

He closed his eyes and continued his cultivation.

Towards the end of the third week, my breathing became complete.

That evening, Chen Ping sat cross-legged on a futon and suddenly felt the flow of internal energy within his body become more harmonious.

With each breath, the vital energy completes a small cycle, becoming slightly purer.

The change was extremely subtle, but he noticed it.

A line of small print flashed across my retina: 【Breathing (Complete)】

Current progress: 1/2000

[Effects: Breathing in and out returns to its origin, Qi circulates throughout the body, breathing itself is a form of cultivation, resulting in continuous life.]

Breathing is a form of practice.

From that moment on, as long as he was still breathing, he was cultivating.

The speed of the Qi polishing process increased by 10%.

It may not sound like much, but breathing is something we do every moment. Over time, the difference can be made in just one tenth of a percent.

In the fourth week, the progress of melting bones and molten gold was quietly approaching the threshold of perfection.

[Melting Bones and Refining the Body (Great Completion)]

Current progress: 1498/1500

It's just two points short.

Chen Ping felt the increasingly dense power within his muscles and suppressed his eagerness. There was no rush; the time for perfection would come naturally. His eating also increased passively. After achieving perfection, the progress slowed considerably, but accumulating five bowls of rice a day still added up to a considerable amount over a month.

[Food Consumption (Complete)]

Current progress: 250/2000

A month has passed just like that.

If the total amount of internal energy in his body was a small stream before, it is now a small lake.

Previously, when using the Dragon Python True Qi, he needed to transform all the Qi within his body into a giant python.

Now, he can maintain his entire body covered in protective energy while simultaneously condensing eighteen giant golden protective energy pythons.

In a true life-or-death struggle, relying on the ability of the Chaoyuan True Meaning to devour the enemy's internal energy, one can accomplish even more.

The second level of the Blazing Sun Burning Sea True Scripture, Tempering Qi and Returning to Origin, is almost complete; only the last bit remains.

【The True Scripture of Blazing Sun and Burning Seas (Second Level)】

Current progress: 486/500

But Chen Ping did not push it further. The third layer, with the first rays of the blazing sun, was just around the corner. The rubbing clearly stated that it required a fire-attribute artifact to refine fire-attribute qi, and then use the fire-attribute qi to hammer and polish it faster.

This is similar to the process he used when refining the gold essence iron core, but this time he needs fire-attribute natural treasures.

He did not.

When he last browsed through "The Theory of Five Elements Refining Qi" in the fourth-floor armory, he remembered the method of refining the essence of attributes, but he didn't have time to look at the specific fire-attribute treasures.

We need to prepare in advance.

We should wait until we've truly completed the second level before looking for a suitable one. Otherwise, if we can't find a suitable one in a short time, we'll just be wasting our cultivation progress.

Chen Ping stood up, picked up Jingye, pushed open the courtyard gate, and walked outside.