Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

Not long after, the officers and soldiers who had gone in to report returned to the camp gate.

Afterwards, the officers and soldiers had Cao Xiong fill out a form with his specific place of origin and job title before letting him in.

After Cao Xiong entered the camp, he was received by the clerk of the Thousand-Household Office and arranged to stay in the official quarters, where he awaited the summons of the Thousand-Household Commander.

According to this clerk, the city is not peaceful these days, and the commander has been busy suppressing evil spirits. He probably won't have time to see him for the next few days.

This was exactly what Cao Xiong wanted to do; his primary purpose in coming to the Thousand Household Office was to seek refuge.

The official residences of the Thousand-Household Office consisted of independent courtyards. Officials from the subordinate Hundred-Household Offices were all arranged to live in the official residences when they came to Linya County for work.

Cao Xiong followed behind the clerk, looking around at the place where he would be staying for more than half a month.

There are various martial arts training equipment in the courtyard, and an osmanthus tree. It is the season when osmanthus flowers are in full bloom, and the faint fragrance of osmanthus flowers fills the air, making people feel happy.

There are two rooms in the courtyard, a main room and a side room.

After seeing the clerk off, Cao Xiong took a bath and went to sleep. He rode his horse from Guobei County and entered the mural world in a deserted temple along the way, feeling exhausted both physically and mentally.

I slept without any dreams.

The next day, Cao Xiong got up early as usual and went to the courtyard.

[Fragments: 2.8-4]

He first looked at the progress of the entry fragments. This time, killing the Soul in the painting directly added 1 fragment.

Before long, he will be able to acquire new entries.

Then, Cao Xiong assumed the "Tiger Stance," with his body slightly bent forward, his back taut, his shoulders hunched and chest slightly concave, his arms bent at the elbows and held horizontally in front of his chest, his five fingers spread like steel hooks, his palms concealing a fierce and powerful force, as if a tiger were descending a mountain.

Breathing gradually becomes deep and long, with internal energy circulating and exhalation using the abdomen. When inhaling, the muscles and bones throughout the body emit a subtle cracking sound. After exhaling, the internal energy flows along the meridians, cleansing the limbs and bones, and seeping into the spaces between the bones.

Cao Xiong didn't finish his training until noon.

After confirming that the commander was not at the camp today, he left the camp and wandered around the county town.

The area outside Linya City was filled with refugees, but this did not hinder the prosperity of Linya City itself.

Various food stalls filled the streets.

"Okay~"

As Cao Xiong was strolling around, he saw a crowd of people gathered at the street corner ahead, cheering and applauding from time to time.

Curious, he walked to the edge of the crowd.

Looking inside, in the center of the crowd, in an open space, stood an old man in a coarse cloth short shirt.

His hair was gray, he was thin, and his eyes were bright. He carried a bamboo basket on his shoulder, and an old burlap slab was laid out on his feet. He looked serious.

He didn't say much, but simply raised his hand and gently tapped the edge of the bamboo basket.

The lid of the basket was lifted in an instant, and a green-scaled snake swam out from it. It was as thick as a wrist, and its scales gleamed with a cold, bluish light under the sunlight.

A bright red dot on his forehead stood out.

The green-scaled snake slid leisurely to the center of the linen, coiled its body, raised its head and flicked its tongue, its posture docile.

Immediately afterwards, a larger green snake emerged from the basket. It was nimble and circled around the side of the first green snake that had come out.

The snake keeper tapped his hands lightly to the beat, then took out a bone flute and uttered a low shout, "Dance!"

The two green snakes seemed to understand human nature, sometimes raising their heads and standing upright, sometimes lying down and coiling around him, their heads and tails intertwined, forming a continuous knot.

When the dance ended, the two green snakes lowered their heads and lay on the ground, quietly coiling into two balls.

The snake breeder picked up the gong, shook it gently, and the clear, ringing sound reached the ears.

The onlookers took out their coins and tossed them into the gong in twos and threes, creating a continuous clanging sound. Cheers and exclamations of praise rose and fell, echoing throughout the street.

Cao Xiong also found it interesting, so he took out a piece of silver from his pocket and threw it into the gong.

After strolling around for a while and experiencing the liveliness of the county town, Cao Xiong returned to the camp.

It wasn't until the fifth day after Cao Xiong arrived at the Thousand Household Office that the Thousand Household Commander Miao Yuan summoned him.

"Cao Xiong, the commander of the Hundred-Household Office of Guobei County, pays his respects to the Thousand-Household Office."

"sit!"

After Cao Xiong sat down, he began to sized up the commander of Linya County.

He was around fifty years old, with wolf-like eyes, arms that reached past his knees, and an aura of power unique to those at the Inner Cultivation Realm.

"Cao Xiong, I've heard of you. You broke through to the Bone Forging Realm at the age of sixty."

When Miao Yuan spoke, he became less authoritative and more easygoing.

"I was just lucky."

Cao Xiong was surprised that Miao Yuan knew him; Wei Qiang must have mentioned him before.

"I'm afraid it's not just a matter of luck. Before long, another Tendon Refining expert will probably emerge in my Linya County Thousand-Household Office."

Miao Yuan looked at Cao Xiong with a half-smile, as if to say, "I've seen right through you."

"Commander, you flatter me. I have only put in more effort than the average person."

"Haha, don't be nervous. We both come from hereditary military households. I'm genuinely happy for you that you've come this far."

"Wei Qiang had already written to me before. His injuries this time were quite serious, and I am preparing to transfer him back to Linya City."

"I originally planned to send another centurion, but after seeing you, I changed my mind."

Cao Xiong's heart skipped a beat. Was he being asked to take over as the centurion of Guobei County? He was confident that he could break through to the Tendon Refining Realm, but in the eyes of outsiders, he had just gotten lucky and broken through to the Bone Forging Realm.

It seems that the situation at the thousand-household garrison is indeed not optimistic, as even a hundred-household commander is unwilling to be dispatched.

"But the decision rests with the commander of the thousand households."

"Haha, that's more like it."

After chatting with Cao Xiong for a while, Miao Yuan looked at the files about Fangzheng on the table.

His brows furrowed and relaxed at times, a fascinating sight.

"These are truly turbulent times."

Miao Yuan sighed, his voice tinged with weariness.

"That's enough about Fang Zheng's matter. From now on, you should still focus on suppressing bandits."

"Yes, sir!"

Miao Yuan seemed very busy and didn't talk much with Cao Xiong before leaving the camp.

In the blink of an eye, another half month passed. Cao Xiong stayed at home and practiced martial arts diligently. Finally, he reached the critical point of breaking through the Tendon Refining Realm.

【Tiger Stance - Bone Forging Chapter (Mastery) 300/300】

"Give me a breakthrough!"

Cao Xiong's eyes were wide open, his aura completely restrained, and the powerful internal energy accumulated in his dantian was like a surging river.

Previously, during cultivation, internal energy was used to temper the bones and fill the gaps between them. Now, the bones are like jade, beyond tempering. The energy suddenly changed direction and rushed fiercely towards the meridians that connect the skin, flesh and bones throughout the body!

"Buzz!"

A slight tremor ran through my body, followed by a sharp, needle-like pain that instantly swept over me.

Cao Xiong clenched his teeth, his cheek muscles tensed and bulged, his skin was red, and the veins under his skin stood out. His originally firm muscles trembled slightly, and his strength was faintly leaking out. Fine cracks were even etched into the bluestone ground beneath his feet.

His back was taut like a bow, and his arms were perfectly positioned in a stance. He allowed the internal energy to surge repeatedly between his muscles and bones, gradually transforming the internal force accumulated in the Bone Forging Realm into the power to temper his meridians.

Gradually, the sharp pain throughout my body subsided, replaced by a feeling of lightness and comfort.

The energy flowed through the meridians, becoming far more agile and sustained than before. With every movement, the meridians taut, unleashing tremendous explosive power.

The accumulated aura of perfection within his body completely dissipated, and the barrier to the Tendon Refining Realm shattered.