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"Two masters, please!"
That evening, Fang Xi hosted a banquet to entertain Mu Piaomiao and She Lei, the two martial arts instructors.
He was dressed in a brocade robe, wearing a jade crown; although he was slightly slender, he exuded an elegant and otherworldly air, which impressed Mu Piaomiao. She hurriedly drank a cup.
"Please!"
As the cool liquor reached her stomach, Mu Piaomiao couldn't help but exclaim, "Good wine..."
She Lei also let out a surprised sound, "Isn't this Hundred Miles Wine Cellar's 'Qiu Lubai'? It's said that the winery's owner brews only eighteen jars a year, each jar aged for three years before it matures, worth a hundred taels..."
"Haha, I'm a man who loves fine wines, delicacies, beautiful maids, antiques, grand mansions, and all sorts of ingenious and clever tricks..."
Fang Xi poured himself another cup and sighed, "I once heard a saying that as long as a man lives, he should climb the highest mountains, drink the strongest liquors, wield the quickest swords, ride the best horses, play with the most beautiful women, and fight the fiercest foes..."
In the Cultivation World, he dared not utter these words, but in this world, they could be a small personal goal to spice up life.
"Hahaha... to be young is truly blissful."
She Lei downed a mouthful of Qiu Lubai, suddenly feeling a delusion of regaining his youth.
Once, he too was a young man with dreams in the Martial World, until he took a blade to the knee...
"Play with the most beautiful women..."
Mu Piaomiao's face flushed, she instinctively covered her neckline and cursed inwardly, "Little pervert," yet she felt somewhat tempted.
After all, she had heard of the desperate circumstances female martial artists ended up in, having no choice but to sell their charm.
And this Mr. Fang, truly a dashing young man, also rich and gentle—certainly not losing the position of a good match...
"Not to mention, amidst this scorching summer, there's not a hint of the sweltering heat inside the hall... truly remarkable, remarkable indeed."
She Lei's gaze shifted and noticed the wooden boxes in the hall. He laughed and said, "This must be another one of young master Fang's clever and ingenious devices, right?"
"Of course, this is the earth air conditioner, which can make the room warm in winter and cool in summer, nothing more than a laughable trifle..."
Fang Xi waved his hand; creating this air conditioner, combining cultivation spells with past life experience, was a matter of pride for him.
However, he was too lazy to promote it for profit; everything was for his own convenience and enjoyment.
Being a businessman in a world with supernatural powers, who would bother with that?
…
The next day.
On the training ground.
Mu Piaomiao was absent, only She Lei was there.
Even though the martial arts schools would teach anyone for money, there was still a need to maintain a sense of propriety.
She Lei's expression became much more serious, "My Red Snake Martial Arts School's 'Red Snake Leg' primarily focuses on leg techniques, starting with the practice of steps and requiring stake training, where one practices on wooden piles… Later on, it would also involve weight-bearing... Let me first demonstrate for you, young master."
Several rows of plum blossom stakes of varying heights had already been set up on the training ground.
With a light leap, She Lei was atop a stake, moving as if flying, "One's body should be like a pine, legs like a snake, moving with a body that dances while the heart stays still..."
After demonstrating for a while, he stepped down from the stake and smiled, "Martial training consumes a lot, best to be paired with medicinal meals... In the beginning, one can have a doctor prepare some tonics to fortify qi and blood. Once the secrets of qi and blood are grasped, one would need the special secret medicine from the martial arts school."
"Secret medicine?"
Fang Xi's interest was piqued, thinking about his second objective, "What exactly are the 'secrets of qi and blood'?"
If he followed the process step by step, he would eventually obtain the channel for the school's secret medicine, hence he was in no rush.
"The so-called qi and blood is our way of classifying martial artists."
She Lei began to explain, "For example, in my Red Snake Martial Arts School, disciples start by practicing the 'Snake Walking Eight Methods'. Once they grasp qi and blood, they undergo a transformation. After the transformation, they become inner disciples… One transformation increases the strength of the legs enormously, toughens the sinews and bones, shattering a wooden stake with a single kick is not a problem. After the second transformation of qi-blood, one can even become a formidable hand in the martial arts school. As for the Three Transformations of Qi and Blood… that would make one a successor."
"I see."
Fang Xi nodded, climbed onto the stake, and began practicing the 'Snake Walking Eight Methods'."
Although his physical endowments were sub-par, his senses as an Immortal Cultivator remained sharp—reading a book only took a few recitals to memorize.
She Lei was astonished to find that this rich young master, seemingly average in physical quality, learned everything upon first instruction, a natural at first attempt.
Although he was a bit slow, he perfectly executed all steps on the first try, and by the third, there were no errors.
'Yuanhe Mountain might have misjudged this time.'
Muttering to himself, She Lei's demeanor became a lot more solemn.
"Master She, how long do you think it will take me to grasp qi and blood, to reach the level of the First Transformation of Qi-blood?"
After several rounds, Fang Xi was sweating profusely, and a maid by his side promptly offered a towel.
As he wiped his sweat, he reflected.
This Qi and Blood Martial Arts was indeed different from other so-called martial skills; even in the Southern Wilderness Cultivation Realm, he had seen a few mundane martial arts texts, and none felt as profound as the Qi and Blood Martial Arts.
"Generally, ordinary disciples can sense qi and blood within three months..."
It was only beginner-level after all, She Lei said with a smile, "With your aptitude, young master, perhaps it will be even shorter."
"Three months?"
Fang Xi nodded and continued to climb onto the stake to practice the steps.
When the afternoon arrived, the instructor switched to Mu Piaomiao, dressed in a white garment.
"Our martial arts school's secret 'White Cloud Palm' has three levels, White Cloud, Dark Cloud, and Black Cloud!"
```
Mu Piaomiao faced the wooden post and gently pushed out a palm.
Crack!
On the wooden post, a profound palm print immediately appeared, and even around the edges of the imprint, one could see clear black traces.
Fang Xi's nose twitched as he actually smelled a fishy stench, and his expression changed, "Poison?"
"Good, you're quick to react," she said.
Mu Piaomiao revealed a smile, "White Cloud Palm is indeed poison skills! At the later stages, you need to infuse poison into your palm force. One palm strike, and it can kill both humans and animals! Of course, you don't need to use it at the beginning, you only need to practice your palm strength by hitting wooden posts—I'll demonstrate it for you."
The entry-level practice of the White Cloud Palm technique involved slapping the palms every day, ideally with the secret medicinal sand packs prepared by the White Cloud Martial Arts School.
In this regard, Fang Xi never skimped, and he immediately purchased ten top-quality medicine packs to practice his palm strength continuously.
And he could feel that, as he kept slapping his palms against the medicine packs, his skin was becoming more and more resilient, and the strength in his palms was also increasing gradually...
Time passed by, quietly and slowly.
...
Green Bamboo Mountain.
Fang Xi opened the door and looked at the snowflakes drifting from the sky as well as the sparse furniture within his own "dog kennel," and he couldn't help but exhale a large breath of white air, "It feels like a lifetime away..."
In the Great Liang World, he was the wealthy Mr. Fang, owning mansions and beautiful maidservants in Black Stone City. Although he occasionally faced setbacks, he could take care of 99 percent of matters with silver.
But in the Southern Wilderness Cultivation Realm, he was but a little shrimp.
Struggling at the lowest ranks of the Cultivation World, battling just to survive.
How tragic!
'I still have to continue taking care of the Emerald Bamboo Forest. Although being a Spirit Farmer is tragic in Green Bamboo Mountain, it's still better than those Individual Cultivators. At least I can utilize the market channels...'
Fang Xi touched his chest and found that the demon insect Stone Dragon was still there.
'The top priority is to deal with this first, then to buy talismans and, if possible, get my hands on a low-grade magical weapon for self-defense!'
He never forgot what his real reliance was!
Great Liang was not exactly a paradise either.
Without sufficient strength, he had nothing to enjoy!
However, with the keen senses of an Immortal Cultivator and a few life-saving talismans, he believed that even if he faced She Lei or Mu Piaomiao, he could turn the tables on them.
And occasionally disappearing for a while made it difficult for those coveting his position to grasp his true circumstances, and that's how he had managed to keep the facade of Fang Residence from falling.
But Fang Xi was also aware that such good days wouldn't last long.
The hyenas and vultures hiding in the dark would have their day eventually.
Therefore, he needed to strengthen his power!
For an Immortal Cultivator, the most convenient way to increase power was, naturally, to break through realms.
Besides that, there were far more ways in the Cultivation World than in Great Liang to enhance one's strength with external objects.
For example, powerful talismans, puppets, Spiritual Beasts... and even magical weapons!
"With my current magic power, I can operate at most one low-grade magical weapon, but that's enough... After all, most of the Martial Teachers in Great Liang cannot even dodge crossbow arrows, let alone fear the official power of Great Liang."
Magical weapons!
These were the standard equipment for Cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage, divided into four tiers: lower, middle, upper, and the ultimate peak grade.
Even the lowest-grade magical weapon often had a value of around ten Spirit Stones.
As for the truly peak-grade magical weapons, they were the standard equipment for Cultivators who had completed the Qi Refining Stage and some at the initial phase of Foundation Establishment.
It is said that above magical weapons, there are higher-grade Spiritual Instruments, and even the mythical treasures... but those were not something Fang Xi could aspire to at the moment.
He put on a cotton-padded jacket, draped a straw raincoat over it, and walked into the heavy snow.
It wasn't that he couldn't use magic to keep warm, but as a minor Qi Refining Cultivator with limited magic power, he needed to conserve it...
While walking, a person came towards him from the opposite direction. It was Old Mai.
"Young Brother Fang..."
His face was ruddy as he greeted him.
"Oh, Old Mai, your face is glowing with health, you must have had some happy news," Fang Xi said with a slight smile, knowing exactly where the other had been recently.
"Ah, just bored during the winter days, sitting by the stove brewing tea, looking for some fun..." Old Mai replied rather smugly.
But seeing his legs tremble slightly, and the airs of a last burst of strength, Fang Xi inwardly rolled his eyes.
Although Immortal Cultivators generally have longevity, overexertion can still lead to problems...
But that wasn't his place to comment.
It seems the Charming Skills of those Hidden Doors are indeed not bad.
"But young Brother Fang, you seem to look even better than when I last saw you a few days ago..." Old Mai noticed the surging yang energy emitting from Fang Xi, who seemed more robust and less timid than usual, and could not help but ask with a smile.
"I made some gains after a few days in seclusion," Fang Xi replied, cupping his hands in greeting and heading in the direction of the market.