"The Shadow Eighteen Bandits are some of the Wang Family’s most capable subordinates, after all. We can’t lose them for nothing. Arrange for some men to kill him."

Wang Xiongying had wanted to say that he’d already made arrangements to deal with Chen Cheng, but seeing Wang Tingxuan’s resolute attitude, he could only reply, "Yes."

...

「The next day.」

Chen Cheng and Shen Qingyao went to the Demon Suppression Department to report on their mission. Shen Qingyao didn’t say a single word about the previous night’s events, so Chen Cheng couldn’t be bothered to bring it up either.

His Dragon Eagle Muscle Strengthening Technique had reached Perfection. It was time to study the Dragon Elephant Bone Forging Technique.

Chen Cheng also had many questions about cultivating the Second Layer of the Great Power Realm. After parting ways with Shen Qingyao, he hurried to the Zheng Martial Arts Hall.

He entered the Martial Arts Hall and went to the Double Courtyard, but he didn’t see Min Wei.

He learned from Luo Chenghu and Zhao Kui that Mr. Zheng had surprisingly come out of seclusion. Min Wei was currently asking Mr. Zheng for guidance on the Powerful Claw Stance.

Chen Cheng no longer needed to be announced to enter the inner courtyard, so he went straight in, arriving at the rear garden of Mr. Zheng’s residence.

Min Wei was accompanying Mr. Zheng in a game of Go inside a pavilion. His skill at the game seemed very poor. He was scratching his ear and cheek, a worried look on his face.

Mr. Zheng wore a smile and was very patient.

Seeing Chen Cheng arrive, Min Wei was overjoyed and quickly called out, "Junior Brother Chen, you’re just in time! Come and play Go with Master."

Chen Cheng strode into the pavilion and bowed deeply to Mr. Zheng. "Greetings, Master."

"No need for formalities." Mr. Zheng nodded slightly and said with a smile, "You’ve come at a good time as well. Watch how I use a game of Go to teach Min Wei the Powerful Claw Stance."

’Teach the Powerful Claw Stance with a game of Go? What kind of logic is that?’

Chen Cheng thought he had misheard and looked at his master, Mr. Zheng, with some confusion.

He saw that his master’s smile was gentle, his eyes clear and profound, and he exuded a faint, otherworldly aura.

When he tried to carefully sense Mr. Zheng’s Qi Blood Power, he found it to be surprisingly ordinary, like that of a common person—even weaker than a Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artist.

Chen Cheng was alarmed. Just as he was about to ask, he saw Mr. Zheng reach out, his middle finger over his index finger, and pick up a stone from the Go bowl.

The movement was relaxed and casual.

But Mr. Zheng’s aura suddenly transformed. His Qi Blood Power surged forth, vast and boundless, its might so tyrannical it was suffocating.

Chen Cheng felt a powerful pressure and subconsciously wanted to activate his Great Power Realm to resist, but he managed to force himself to hold back.

Seeing Chen Cheng’s reaction, Mr. Zheng let out a soft "Hm?", clearly surprised. His smile grew even gentler.

"Chen the Kid, I didn’t realize you’ve already walked ahead of Min Wei."

Chen Cheng didn’t understand and was unsure how to respond. Min Wei, however, asked with a face full of confusion, "Master, you say Junior Brother Chen has walked ahead of me. Does that mean he has already cultivated the Powerful Claw Stance?"

Mr. Zheng said meaningfully, "You have cultivated the Powerful Claw Stance as well. You simply haven’t awakened to it yet."

Min Wei gave a wry smile. "This disciple has some feeling for it, but I haven’t fully grasped it."

Mr. Zheng placed a stone on the board and said leisurely, "Chen the Kid, why don’t you help Min Wei with this game."

Chen Cheng’s heart skipped a beat. ’When it comes to Go, I’m a complete amateur, only knowing some basic concepts like capturing and life-and-death.’

’Asking me to guide someone else in Go? That’s like a layman trying to lecture a master.’

"This..."

"Junior Brother Chen, come take a look! What should my next move be?" Min Wei, however, ignored his hesitation, desperately asking Chen Cheng for advice. He was like a dying patient willing to try any doctor.

"Alright," Chen Cheng could only bite the bullet and turn to look at the Go board.

A single glance was enough to make him frown.

Min Wei, playing Black, had the first move. Mr. Zheng played White. On the board, the black stones had been decimated. Not a single group was alive.

In contrast, the white stones were all connected, resembling a massive, fearsome dragon showing its fangs and claws.

This was clearly a Chess Saint toying with a clueless child who had just learned the game.

Min Wei was losing so badly it was pathetic.

No wonder he was scratching his head in frustration. If it were Chen Cheng playing, he’d be at his wit’s end too.

"Junior Brother Chen, don’t just stand there staring! Give me some advice!" Min Wei urged.

Chen Cheng couldn’t very well suggest resigning, as that would be a blow to morale. He studied the board again carefully, and his conclusion remained the same: no matter what, Black could not win.

"Senior Brother Min, why don’t you try playing on the wider parts of the board? Even if you can’t win, you might be able to capture some stones from White’s great dragon."

Chen Cheng’s advice was essentially to throw caution to the wind. It was admitting defeat was inevitable but choosing to go down fighting—one last kick before the end.

But Min Wei’s single eye suddenly widened, and he shouted in excitement, "Play on the wider parts of the board! Yes, that’s it!"

As he placed his stone, the situation on the board changed abruptly. Although Black was still bound to lose, White lost a corner and could no longer maintain its overwhelming momentum.

"To act against the odds, to struggle with all your might... So this is the Powerful Claw Stance!"

After placing his stone, Min Wei suddenly leaped into the courtyard and began performing the Powerful Eagle Claw Skill. Each and every move carried heavy, rippling fluctuations, causing the very air to crackle and hum.

It was, unmistakably, the Powerful Claw Stance!

"You rascal. You actually managed to enlighten this simpleton!" A look of surprise appeared on Mr. Zheng’s face. He then shook his head, stood up, and walked toward the study.

"Chen the Kid, come in with me."

"Yes," Chen Cheng replied, following him into the study.

"What makes a person strong?" Mr. Zheng suddenly turned and asked out of the blue.

Chen Cheng was taken aback and, for a moment, didn’t know how to answer.

’What makes a person strong? It seems like a simple question. Isn’t a strong person just someone with great Martial Arts Power?’

’But on second thought, that’s not quite right.’

’Because it brings up an issue: there’s always a higher mountain, always a stronger person, always someone more capable.’

’A Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artist is generally stronger than an ordinary commoner who has never practiced the Martial Dao. To a commoner, a Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artist *is* a strong person.’

’But in the eyes of a Muscle Strengthening Realm Martial Artist, that same Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artist is weak.’

’Clearly, a Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artist cannot be considered truly strong.’

’By the same logic, a Muscle Strengthening Realm Martial Artist isn’t truly strong, and neither is a Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist.’

’Even those in the Bone Marrow Cleansing and Internal Refining Realms cannot be called ’strong’ in the face of an even more powerful existence.’

Unable to come up with an answer, Chen Cheng decided not to answer at all. Instead, he asked, "Master, when you were in seclusion, were you cultivating your state of mind?"

’If he weren’t cultivating his state of mind, why would he ask such a strange question like ’What makes a person strong’?’

"Heh. You’re a slippery one, aren’t you? Evading the important and focusing on the trivial. That wasn’t an answer to my question."

Mr. Zheng clearly hadn’t expected Chen Cheng to respond this way. He shook his head slightly and said, "Having no answer is also an answer. I suppose we can count that as your answer."

Chen Cheng suddenly asked, "Master, would a Martial Saint be considered strong?"

"A Martial Saint?" Mr. Zheng, once again surprised that Chen Cheng had circled back to the question of strength, pondered for a moment before saying, "Perhaps, and perhaps not."

Chen Cheng looked determined to get to the bottom of it. "So, which is it? Are they or aren’t they?"

Mr. Zheng smiled. "Actually, you’ve had the answer before. A so-called ’strong person’ is one who is invincible!

As long as you defeat every opponent you encounter, you are invincible. You are the strong one, and the strong one is you."

Chen Cheng smiled. "I suppose I forgot."

Mr. Zheng said, "What does it matter if you forgot or if you remembered? In the end, you have to be able to do it."

Chen Cheng felt that Mr. Zheng was very different today. He couldn’t help but try to sense his Martial Arts Cultivation again.

He only felt that Mr. Zheng was once again in that state of being sometimes ordinary, and at other times, terrifyingly powerful.

There was only one possible explanation for this: Mr. Zheng’s Martial Arts Power had far surpassed his own, reaching an unfathomably profound Realm.

"Master, have you broken through to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm?"

Mr. Zheng turned, walked to a bookshelf, and picked up a Cultivation Technique Manual. It was none other than the Dragon Elephant Bone Forging Technique.

"Have you read this Dragon Elephant Bone Forging Technique before?"

Chen Cheng didn’t know why he would ask such a question. After a moment of thought, he answered truthfully, "This disciple has indeed read it before."

"Mm." Mr. Zheng nodded slightly and turned back around, a hint of emotion on his ruddy face. "The Five Realms of Body Refining: Skin Grinding, Muscle Strengthening, Bone Forging, Marrow Cleansing, and Internal Refining."

"With each advancement to a new Realm, your power increases tremendously."

"And with each advancement, the Cultivation for the next Realm becomes even more difficult."

"The saying, ’three years for Skin Grinding, five for Muscle Strengthening, ten for Bone Forging,’ describes the relative difficulty of cultivating these first three Body Refining Realms."

"And the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm, which is above Bone Forging, is even more arduous to cultivate."

"I myself wasted nearly thirty years in the Bone Forging Realm, and I took many wrong turns along the way."

"However, I finally took that step. I have now reached Small Success in the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm."