The Martial Saint rose to power starting as a substitute bridegroom.

Chapter 68 Knocking on the Gate

The next day.

After completing his patrol mission, Li Yuan changed into a clean long gown and went to Juedelou to keep his appointment.

The inner city remains as prosperous as ever.

The silk shops, silver shops, teahouses, and restaurants were brightly lit, and soft opera music drifted from the stage in the main hall.

On the streets, in addition to the police officers from the government offices, there were also groups of burly men dressed in outfits bearing the logo of the Business Alliance.

They huddled in small groups, their sharp eyes scanning the passersby, their hands always resting on the hilts of their knives.

An invisible tension permeated the air, like a fully drawn bowstring that could snap at any moment.

Li Yuan lowered his head, quickened his pace, and went into Judelou.

Sun Lu had been waiting for a long time at the window seat on the third floor.

Upon seeing Li Yuan, her eyes lit up, and she waved vigorously, "Over here!"

Li Yuan walked over and was momentarily stunned.

Sun Lu was dressed up today, which was unusual for her.

She wore a light blue satin cheongsam that accentuated her tall and slender figure.

With a light application of makeup, her originally heroic eyebrows and eyes softened a bit, and her long hair was tied into a simple bun at the back of her head, revealing her smooth forehead and slender neck.

Normally unkempt and carefree, she now exudes a unique and dashing beauty.

But Li Yuan's daze only lasted for a moment.

"Have you been waiting long?" Li Yuan sat down.

"I just arrived too." Sun Lu poured him tea, her movements still bold, spilling a few drops. "Last time outside the city, if it weren't for you, I would have fed the snake demon long ago. This meal is on you."

"It was nothing. Even without you, I would have fought that beast to the death." Li Yuan picked up his teacup.

Sun Lu called over the waiter and rattled off a list of dishes, such as "Jade Shrimp Balls" and "Eight Treasure Gourd Duck," which Li Yuan had never heard of before. In the end, he also ordered a pot of "Jade Huadiao" tea.

"Ordering so much? That's too extravagant," Li Yuan said.

"I'm treating you to a meal, how can I be stingy?" Sun Lu raised an eyebrow.

While waiting for their food, the two chatted about interesting things that happened during the martial arts exam.

Taking the opportunity, Li Yuan asked, "Miss Sun, how much do you know about Qingzhou Prefecture? Or the situation with the Guicang Alliance?"

Sun Lu shook her head: "I've never been to the prefectural city. It's too chaotic outside, with bandits and mountain thieves everywhere, and some places even harbor extremely ferocious beasts."

She paused, then lowered her voice: "However, I do know a little about the Guicang Alliance. I've heard it's divided into several branches, like the Fengdi Academy, the Jinglei Academy, the Qinglin Academy, and so on... In the future, most of us newly promoted martial artists will start as outer disciples..."

""

Sun Lu was also on the list of candidates for Wuhan University of Science and Technology.

Li Yuan nodded.

"Oh, right," Sun Lu's eyes lit up, "I'll be traveling to Qingzhou Prefecture on my family's merchant ship. Would Brother Li do me the honor of joining us? It's much safer and faster by water."

Li Yuan was overjoyed: "Alright, thank you."

"No need to thank me, it's just on my way."

As they were talking, the dishes were served one after another. The last dish to be served was a fish placed on a blue and white porcelain plate.

The fish was almost transparent, with fine bones faintly visible. The flesh was a pale golden color, like glass, and drizzled with an amber-colored sauce, emitting a wonderful aroma.

"This is—" Li Yuan had never seen it before.

"Glassy fish." Sun Lu gestured for him to pick up his chopsticks. "Very nourishing."

Li Yuan picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks.

The fish melts in your mouth, incredibly sweet and fresh, followed by a warm sensation that flows from your throat down to your stomach and spreads throughout your body.

"This is neither a river fish nor a sea fish—" Li Yuan pondered carefully.

"Of course." Sun Lu's cheeks flushed slightly. "This fish only exists in underground rivers. The environment of underground rivers is special, and this fish has been consuming spiritual algae and mineral crystals in the rivers for many years, so its flesh and blood contain abundant vital energy. It is especially good for martial artists to increase their blood and qi... well, it's particularly good."

"I've heard of glass fish before, but I wonder how they're caught in these underground rivers?"

"Salvage?" Sun Lu laughed. "You think hunting teams only operate on the surface? There are teams that specialize in exploring underground rivers. They usually go down into ancient tombs and ruins through the entrances of the tomb raiders' tunnels to find the underground river channels—but the underground is very dangerous, with all sorts of strange and ferocious creatures, evil spirits, and eerie legends like being trapped in a maze... So this fish is priceless."

"How much?"

"On the market—it costs about a thousand taels of silver per catty," Sun Lu said in an even lower voice. "And they're all snapped up as soon as they're caught; they don't even make it to the market."

One thousand taels of silver per catty?

Although the price has certainly dropped significantly compared to before the Wuhan University of Science and Technology entrance exam.

However, it still surprised Li Yuan.

The fish meat transformed into a warm current upon entering his stomach, its effects being no less than those of the Minor Qi-Nourishing Pill he had previously taken.

He unconsciously sped up his chopsticks.

"Leave some for me!!"

Moonlight spilled onto the bluestone ground of the courtyard, and Li Yuan's heart was as calm as still water.

He assumed the starting stance of the "Azure Dragon Entangling Silk Technique," with his feet firmly planted on the ground, knees slightly bent, and back slowly arched like a bow.

The immense energy of the glass fish surged within his body, transforming into a scalding torrent that flowed ceaselessly along his meridians.

【Azure Dragon Entangling Silk Technique (Mastery): 120/200】

The dragon begins its ascent, like a blue dragon exploring the sea.

He slowly extended his right arm, his five fingers spread out like dragon claws and pressed forward.

The movements were extremely slow, so slow that the trajectory of every inch of the tendons and bones was clearly visible, yet every muscle was taut.

The Qi and blood surged upwards from the Dantian along the spine, past the Jianjing acupoint, and reached the fingertips.

The fascia emitted a faint "buzzing" sound, like a string being plucked.

The second path is entangled by a dragon.

Before he could finish his previous move, he suddenly twisted his waist and hips, and his body spun around abruptly in the moonlight.

His arms then drew a huge circle, with his left palm facing the sky and his right palm facing the ground, their palms facing each other from a distance, as if embracing an invisible ball.

It appears slow, but every tremor contains internal strength.

The Qi and blood immediately become thick and viscous, like churning earth, warming and nourishing the five internal organs.

The third path: The hidden dragon emerges from the abyss.

Just as he was getting into the swing of his moves, his body suddenly contracted and then sprang back up.

It resembles a dragon leaping from the abyss, contracting, twisting, and turning, flexible and cunning.

The spine twisted like a dragon, grinding and pushing segment by segment, making a slight "crackling" sound.

The Qi and blood are repeatedly pulled, twisted, and turned, producing a faint tidal sound in the meridians.

Repeat once.

Li Yuan finished his stance and exhaled sharply.

The words appeared in my mind:

【Azure Dragon Entangling Silk Technique (Mastery): 130/200】

With the nourishment of the glass fish, cultivation is indeed twice as effective with half the effort.

The immense energy is still surging within my body.

carry on.

As night deepened, the moonlight slid from the sky to the west.

The shadow of the old locust tree slowly lengthened, almost touching the edge of the courtyard wall.

A sudden gust of cold wind arose, swirling up fallen leaves that danced in the air. Li Yuan seemed not to hear it.

【Azure Dragon Entangling Silk Technique (Mastery): 140/200】

The penetrating power of the Azure Dragon probing the sea, the soft power of the Swimming Dragon coiling around the body, the rising power of the Hidden Dragon emerging from the abyss... Each move is no longer just an external posture, but an attempt to lead the form with intention and to generate power with form.

continue!

【Azure Dragon Entangling Silk Technique (Mastery): 190/200】

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

The night was cool and still, but Li Yuanzhou was radiating heat, and white mist lingered in the moonlight.

A crow roosting in an old locust tree was startled awake. With a "caw," it flapped its wings and took flight, leaving a dark shadow across the moonlit sky.

Li Yuan seemed not to hear, his mind completely absorbed in cultivation.

This time, the feeling of energy flowing was even clearer.

He could "hear" those silvery streams flowing through his veins.

They obey commands, yet there always seems to be an unbreakable "veil" between them.

Is this the bottleneck of Hua Jin?

As he performed the Azure Dragon Probing the Sea move, a thought suddenly struck him: before the dragon probes with its claws, there must be a moment of concentrated power. That instantaneous stillness was not a sign of weakness, but rather a gathering of strength.

Shouldn't the force be the same?

Driven by his will, the surging internal energy paused slightly in his right arm.

This meal alone sent a jolt through Li Yuan.

In that instant, the internal energy was no longer a "flow," but had "form."

Although it dissipated in an instant, the feeling was like a blind person suddenly seeing light.

The cold wind intensified, whipping up fallen leaves that swirled and howled through the courtyard.

One last time.

This time, he no longer deliberately pursued accurate form, but rather guided form with intention.

Start with Azure Dragon Probing the Sea.

This time, everything fell into place naturally.

The moment the thought arose, the energy naturally took shape. In the right arm, a dragon-shaped force condensed but did not erupt, exuding majesty.

When the dragon coils around the body, the force transforms into a gentle, yielding strength, like a needle hidden in cotton, with undercurrents surging beneath the surface.

The dragon emerges from the abyss, fierce and violent.

Dragons soar across the four seas, ethereal and expansive.

Li Yuan suddenly had a thought.

He maintained his stance with his arms outstretched like a dragon soaring, his feet pounding the ground, his spine straight, as if he were about to take off on the wind.

At this moment, all the internal energy within the body undergoes a complete transformation.

From "flow" to "plastic flow", from "force" to "willpower following force".

Billions of silvery streams danced and cheered in his meridians. They were no longer just passively surging, but naturally shaped, changed, and flowed according to Li Yuan's every thought.

【Azure Dragon Entangling Silk Technique (Mastery): 200/200】

【Azure Dragon Entangling Silk Technique (Completed)】

A vibration, as if some kind of shackle had broken, emanated from within the body.

His dantian erupted like a volcano, releasing all the accumulated martial arts foundation and the fascial strength condensed at the Perfect Realm, transforming into a torrent that broke through the insurmountable barrier that had plagued countless martial artists.

What surged in was no longer internal strength, but internal energy.

Li Yuan's body suddenly exploded with energy, pushing aside the fallen leaves on the ground and revealing the true color of the bluestone slabs. A circular open space with a diameter of three zhang was formed around Li Yuan.

Li Yuan withdrew his fist and slowly opened his eyes.

His breathing became longer and stronger, and the light in his eyes was restrained, yet it possessed an indescribable depth and agility.

The soft sound of a withered leaf falling to the ground was exceptionally clear to his ears.

"Listen carefully" means to perceive even the smallest details.

The five senses are fully developed.

He reached out and ran his hand over the rough bark, and a barely perceptible wisp of energy seeped into the area where his fingertips touched.

He can "hear" the subtle sounds of water flowing deep within the tree trunk and "feel" the veins of the roots extending into the soil.

Dead leaves and dust—all suddenly change course just three inches from the skin.

Not a single feather can be added, not a fly can land.

"Is this what they call Transformation Realm?" Li Yuan murmured.

Deep within my consciousness, the words on the pages rippled like water, coalescing anew:

[Realm Level: Early Stage of Transformation]

A