Chaos and monsters begin with the red dragon's clone.

The control of dragon's might is mainly related to the control of breath, posture, and mental will. Zhang Xun has one soul and two bodies, not to mention that he often switches his brain and soul consciousness. He is already quite experienced in this aspect of control.

"Try again!!"

After reviewing the inheritance information, Zhang Xun found another rat hole to lie in wait. When a gray rat peeked out, he scared it out and successfully obtained meat to replenish its food supply. He tried again and succeeded.

These tiny animals like mice and lizards, though barely enough to fill the young dragons' teeth, are still much better than just eating dirt. With a balanced diet of main and side dishes, their growth rate should be able to take another step forward.

The human body continued to eat the meat of strange beasts and practice the Flying Stone Fist and Knife Techniques in Dongluo Town as usual, while the dragon body put aside digging holes for the day and used rat lizards to practice controlling the dragon's might, and gradually made some progress.

Above the crater, the sky gradually darkened.

The young dragon scrambled through the lava, swimming back to its dug nest. It lay down, curled up its tail, and rolled itself into a ball, its lava eyes gleaming.

"The Red Dragon's tasks are still three: first, to grow; second, to dig burrows; and third, to hone its innate abilities."

"This time, the focus of refining innate abilities is on enhancing the dragon's might. Although the age of the dragon determines the upper limit of its might, raising the lower limit is also quite useful."

"and--"

"The dragon soul can also emit dragon might. In that case, the assistance that the 'super-sensory state' can provide to the human body is not just limited to martial arts training. The human body can also use this to emit a certain degree of dragon might! Enough to serve as a trump card!"

The dragon's might emanating from a human body can cause the opponent to be momentarily disoriented and confused, which can have extraordinary significance in actual combat! After all, the real life-and-death battle between martial artists is not a one-on-one sparring match in the boxing academy. Victory or defeat often depends on a moment or a slight flaw that is accidentally exposed.

"Let's get started and give it a try as soon as possible!!" The young dragon closed its eyes expectantly.

*

*

Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Dongluo Town.

Early that morning, before the morning mist had dissipated, Zhang Xun changed into the most ordinary gray linen clothes, covered his face with cloth, wore a straw hat, and carried a knife and spear before going out and blending into the sparse crowd on the street. He was on guard against the Sanlian Gang. Although he had learned through his senior brother Zhao Shaoting that the other party had not listed him as a suspect, it was better to be cautious and not expose his whereabouts when going out alone.

After leaving the town, we followed some woodcutters eastward along the road and soon came to a forested mountain.

This hill in the eastern suburbs belongs to the large Zhu family, one of the major timber merchants in the surrounding area.

At the entrance to the mountain road, the Zhu family's steward led a dozen or so well-dressed servants, accompanied by hunting dogs, to guard and collect money.

"Thirty coins for chopping firewood, one day only, only dry firewood is allowed. Feel free to cut down any tree you dare. Fifty coins for hunting and gathering herbs." The Zhu family's mountain guard read aloud from the front.

"So expensive?" Zhang Xun asked in surprise.

"Is this your first time here?" An old woodcutter glanced at him and explained, "This mountain belonging to the Zhu family is quite good. Compared to the other ones, it's more affordable. They need to arrange manpower to drive away evil spirits and patrol the mountain for security. Since they started operating it, not many people have died."

Zhang Xun thought about it and realized it made sense. He had heard that someone in the boxing academy had been hired to patrol the mountains; they couldn't possibly be doing it for free.

He asked, "How much money does the old man earn in a day by chopping wood?"

"Fifty coins is already a good amount," the old woodcutter said bitterly.

The weather is still cool, which is the peak season for firewood. These woodcutters travel long distances, work hard, and take risks, and they only earn about a thousand yuan a month, and that's in good times. In bad times, they might not even earn a thousand yuan. But for someone like my mother, Yao Cuiling, who got a job at the Gao family's leather workshop through connections, it's safe, stable, and relatively easy. She can earn a steady thousand yuan a month, which is definitely a good job.

For a moment, Zhang Xun felt that his family had suddenly become part of the middle class in the town.

"You're a hunter and herb gatherer, aren't you? There's not much game in Zhu Family Mountain, and the herbs have been mostly harvested, so it's not worth it. People usually go to Lianmo Mountain, though it's a bit more dangerous there," the old woodcutter said.

Zhang Xunxin thought that safety was what he wanted, thanked the other party, and went to the front to pay fifty coins.

The steward of the Zhu family mountain gave him a red bamboo token with the word "hunting" and the date written on it, saying, "This is proof. Keep it safe. There are martial artists patrolling the mountain. If you encounter them, show them this token, and they will know you are not a poacher."

Martial arts practitioners are generally referred to as those at the second stage of Body Tempering.

The other party didn't say what the consequences would be for poachers, but I guess they'll end up as fertilizer on the mountain.

Zhang Xun carefully put away the bamboo tally and continued up the winding path to find prey.

"Zhujia Mountain is safe, but prey is really scarce."

We reached the summit quickly, without seeing a single rabbit along the way.

The top of the 100-meter-high Linshan Mountain.

Zhang Xun looked towards the inner city.

From afar, one can see a huge, dark blue stone wall, hundreds of meters high, stretching into the distance on both sides without end.

The stone wall is ancient and imposing, giving people an invisible sense of power.

Centered on the city, it formed a transparent bowl-shaped dome, preventing the gray fog from penetrating.

"How remarkable!" Zhang Xun murmured in admiration.

Swish.

A shadow flashed through the woods. Zhang Xun's expression changed, and he drew his knife, stealthily moving towards the shadow.

We've finally found prey to test the actual effects of Dragon's Might.

*

*

In a dimly lit room in the slums of Dongluo Town.

Four figures gathered together.

The short, stocky man, Deng Changshun, was filled with resentment: "Liu Biao from the Sanlian Gang went to the Zhang family to cause trouble, and Zhang Xun moved out shortly after. Then, a few days later, Liu Biao died. It's very likely that he's involved!"

Looking at the other three, he continued, "Zhang Xun is on good terms with Zhao Shaoting of the inner courtyard. With the Zhao family's connections, he has a chance of knowing Liu Biao's hiding place... Currently, he's the most suspicious. He must have taken a sum of money from Liu Biao. If we take him out, that money will be ours!"

Seeing the hesitation on their faces, Deng Changshun said with jealousy and resentment, "Do you know how he replied when I invited him to work for the Hechuan gang? He disdainfully said that we were just a rabble, incapable of anything, and he didn't want to associate with us!"

Upon hearing this, the three men's expressions changed, becoming somewhat unpleasant.

The man with a blue mole on his forehead was the first to shake his head: "I may have the opportunity to join the Rebirth Cult, or I may be able to continue practicing martial arts. I can't afford to cause any more trouble, so let's just leave it at that. If he doesn't seem like a good person, let him be."

Then, the man with the mole turned to another man and advised, "Gao Zhuo, if it really was Zhang Xun who did it, the fact that he could move so decisively and ambush Liu Biao means that he is not simple. I think it's best not to act rashly."

"With Zhao Shaoting's help, I can do it too!" Deng Changshun interjected gloomily, his face full of resentment.

After a moment of hesitation, Kong Gaozhuo sighed to his friend, the man with the mole, "Geng Ping, your uncle has joined the Rebirth Sect, so you have his protection now. It's different for me; to make money, I have to risk my life!"

"Then I wish you good luck."

Geng Ping, the man with the mole, said no more and got up to leave the room.

creak.

The door closed.

Deng Changshun glanced at Geng Ping's departing figure outside the door, a hint of jealousy flashing in his eyes, and then pulled the two of them aside to discuss the matter.

"If Geng Ping isn't coming, fine. Zhang Xun has only been at the first level for a little over a month; the three of us are more than enough to handle him. I've been keeping an eye on him; do you think no one else knows? He's been going to Zhujia Mountain lately to find prey for practice, charging thirty or fifty coins for a trip. Does he dare act like this if he hadn't become Liu Biao? Let's go to Zhujia Mountain... and see who the prey is!!"