"I’ll pay you more. We’ll extend our daily sparring time. Let’s aim for both of us to successfully achieve Blood Tempering this month."

After hearing what Sun Fan said, Wan Ze froze for a moment. ’Oh, I was overthinking things.’

He smiled. "No problem. But I’m busy on Tuesday, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it."

"That’s fine, just make sure to set aside the time," Sun Fan said with a smile. "After this ’dual cultivation’ with you the past two days, I feel like I’m about to undergo a Qi Blood Transformation myself."

’Du-dual cultivation?’

The driver, Old Li, was so shocked he almost slammed on the brakes.

Wan Ze cleared his throat, making sure the driver could hear him. "Sister Fan, that’s not what ’dual cultivation’ means. We’re just sparring with our Fist Techniques."

"Oh, really? It doesn’t matter anyway. That’s what they always say in the novels I read." Sun Fan looked blank for a second but quickly brushed it off.

The driver, Old Li, couldn’t help but glance at the two of them in the rearview mirror. Seeing that neither seemed to have a romantic bone in their body, he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Something occurred to Sun Fan, and she continued, "From our group of trainees, Chen Rong has already passed the assessment. That makes three people who have become Official Disciples... Only by becoming true disciples of the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall do we get a chance to cultivate a Secret Technique."

Wan Ze nodded. He already knew that.

But then Sun Fan suddenly lowered her voice. "Did you know that the so-called Secret Techniques correspond to the Six Secret Treasures?"

"The Six Secret Treasures?" Wan Ze was surprised. This was the first time he had ever heard the term.

"Mud Ball, Jiang Palace, Yellow Court, Yongquan, Jade Capital, and Bright Hall. These are the six secrets of the human body. In a person’s entire life, they can only open one. The most difficult part is that finding the location of your own secret treasure is nearly impossible!" Sun Fan said with a rare sigh.

Wan Ze remained silent, listening as Sun Fan went on. "Every method of the Martial Dao has its own strengths. The Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall ranks near the top in Holy City. The Secret Technique they’ve mastered is renowned for its Power because their path among the Six Secret Treasures is the Yellow Court..."

"Right now, we’re just trainees at the martial arts hall. Once we complete our Qi and Blood Refining and officially become Martial Artists, we’ll be qualified to access the Dragon Eagle’s core Secret Technique."

"The Three Body Refining Gates are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Dragon Eagle Secret Technique. Its real purpose relates to the Six Secret Treasures of the human body. They say that breaking open a secret treasure allows you to achieve the Unity of Heaven and Man!"

Sun Fan had started her cultivation at the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall two years before him. Plus, with her family background, she naturally knew far more than he did.

This was the first time Wan Ze had such a clear understanding of the realms of the Martial Dao.

But the first hurdle before him was money!

Money was the biggest obstacle to his daily training. To perform Qi and Blood Tempering, he first had to consume massive quantities of meat!

With his current earning potential, it wasn’t nearly enough!

He had to go on that trip to Black Mountain on Tuesday!

「Night fell outside the apartment complex.」

Wan Ze waved goodbye, and after watching Sun Fan’s car leave, he turned to go home.

"Brother, I want to eat your cooking!"

"Didn’t Mom say she was coming home early today?"

"Nooo, I don’t wanna! Your cooking is way better."

"..." Wan Ze picked a black hoodie out of his closet, stuffed something into the pocket, and headed for the door. "I’ve got something to do tonight. We can talk when I get back."

"But, Brother, it’s already dark out! Isn’t it dangerous to go out alone at night? Do you want me to come with you?"

"You?"

Wan Ze chuckled. Of course he knew what his little sister was thinking. He patted her head. "If Mom and Dad get back, just tell them I’m busy with something for the martial arts hall and will be home soon."

"You really don’t want me to come?"

"Definitely next time."

"..."

...

A sickly gray moonlight spilled onto Ning’an Street. The shops on both sides were deserted, and the darkness in the distance seemed endless.

In an alley, a young man’s forehead was covered in sweat. He seemed to be hiding something in his shirt, kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy.

"Brother Jiu, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong... Please give me one more chance..."

But the thugs in front of him had no intention of being merciful. With a wave from their leader, the thugs rushed forward like hungry wolves, brutally kicking the boy to the ground while cursing, "That’ll teach you for being a fucking snitch! You tipped them off, didn’t you!"

The leader watched with a blank expression. He unhurriedly pulled out a cigarette and lit it with a CLICK. Exhaling a cloud of smoke, he said, "Ah Qi, you know the gang’s rules, but you did it anyway... To be honest, I’m very disappointed."

"Brother Jiu, Luoshu is my only friend... I can’t just... let him die," the boy said, his face covered in blood.

"Heh, then there’s nothing left to discuss." The leader let out an exasperated laugh, not bothering to waste any more words. He turned around and tossed out a single sentence: "Make it clean."

"Don’t worry, Brother Jiu."

The thugs sneered and pounced. The boy screamed in terror, "He Luoshu will avenge me!"

"Avenge your mo— BANG!"

In the blink of an eye, the sneering thug was sent flying by a sudden kick.

The boy covered his face, but the expected kick never came. Peeking through the gaps between his fingers, he saw a figure in a black hoodie standing in front of him, casually twirling a wooden stick.

"A-Ah Shu..." he blurted out instinctively. The back of this person looked so familiar.

Unexpectedly, the thugs on the other side thought the newcomer was He Luoshu and became hesitant and uncertain. Even the man called Brother Jiu turned his head back in surprise.

"He Luoshu?"

But the words had barely left his lips.

The mysterious, masked man in the hoodie had already charged forward. Brother Jiu’s expression turned icy. "Hiding your face? Waste him!"

The closest thug was tall and lunged forward like a hungry wolf, driving a knee toward the hooded man’s groin.

But the wooden stick jabbed down like lightning, striking the man’s knee.

"CRACK!"

The sound of shattering bone exploded, followed by a scream. The hooded man pressed his advantage, striding forward. His left hand rose, and a Splitting Fist that could shatter a stone tablet sent the man flying.

"THUD!"

A heavy thud echoed as he hit the ground.

All the thugs were dumbfounded, including Brother Jiu. They all stopped in their tracks.

’Is... is he even human?’

"You just you wait!"

Brother Jiu roared and turned to run.

And just as they were about to turn and flee, the wooden stick in the hooded man’s hand moved like a longsword—slashing, thrusting, tapping, and smashing!

"THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!"

In the blink of an eye, all five of them were on the ground.

The hooded man rubbed his wrist and looked back. The boy who had been beaten dropped to his knees with a thud. "Thank you for saving my life, great hero..."

But before he could say more,

The hooded man turned and walked away.

"Benefactor—"

The boy scrambled to his feet to chase after him. At first, he thought the man was He Luoshu, but his friend could never possess this level of skill...

But when he remembered the gang wanted to kill the He Family, he instinctively wanted to ask this heroic expert for help, but the man didn’t give him a chance to speak.

The boy couldn’t catch up and felt vexed.

He looked back at the men on the ground, remaining silent for a long moment. Then, he picked up a rock from the ground and slowly walked toward them...

...

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

A few sudden claps of thunder exploded in the sky.

Wan Ze stood downstairs from his apartment building, looking up blankly at the overcast sky. "It’s going to rain..."

He muttered to himself.

With that, he turned and entered the building.

...

"Brother! Brother! You’re back! Quick, look..."

Wan Xiaoyu was jumping around on the sofa. Their parents were sitting together watching TV. Wan Ze placed his keys on the shoe cabinet, slipped on his slippers, and walked over. The family of four was happy and harmonious.

Outside the window, the rain grew heavier, as if it were about to swallow the entire city.