Chapter 63: Minor Accomplishment in Fist Technique, White Ape Arms, Water-Snake Waist

"Vigorous vital energy and a solid foundation... He is truly cut out for martial arts."

Zhou Chong spoke with absolute sincerity. Had this youth been placed within the Weapon Forging Workshop, he would undoubtedly have been groomed as a core disciple.

"A few months ago, this person was nothing more than a wretched gambler trapped in the dirt. In just a few short months, he has transformed completely as if reborn. He is truly extraordinary, and we must make every effort to befriend him."

Since the goal was to win him over, what did a few worthless medicinal herbs matter?

...

Several heavy chests were filled to the brim with various precious medicinal herbs.

Xia He carefully carried them into the spacious courtyard of his home.

After some sorting, he finally had no shortage of the medicinal herbs required to brew the blood-enriching soup.

"It is hardly any wonder that ordinary people progress so slowly in martial arts. If I had to rely on my meager military pay of a dozen taels a month, I reckon it would take me several years just to gather these herbs."

Xia He sighed inwardly.

The difficulty of practicing martial arts lay not only in innate talent, but also in resources, money, and provisions.

For the next many days, Xia He resumed his martial arts training in a steady, methodical routine.

Every single day at the garrison drill grounds, he practiced the saber techniques he had comprehended from the Blood Refining Manual.

Once the day's training concluded, he would have Wang the Fat strike his chest and abdomen repeatedly, after which he would fetch iron sand and a large ceramic vat, jumping into it daily to friction-polish his entire body of muscles.

Wang the Fat watched with a pounding heart, finding such a training method utterly terrifying and agonizing to behold.

Every time Xia He climbed out of the heap of iron sand, his upper body was dyed a brilliant, fiery red, making him look precisely like a freshly roasted red-skinned duck.

Such high-intensity martial arts training was truly more than an ordinary person could endure.

Yet, because Xia He could witness his proficiency increasing day by day, the process did not feel particularly monotonous.

With early spring fast approaching, he had to seize every moment to elevate his strength.

Combined with the White Ape Breathing Technique and driven by high-intensity training, ten days flashed by in the blink of an eye, and the Spirit Serpent Fist finally reached the mastery threshold!

As expected, a supreme martial art was extraordinary indeed.

"According to what that martial arts school disciple said previously, it takes ordinary disciples of the Spirit Serpent Martial Arts School anywhere from half a year to a full year just to cross the threshold. Ten days can be considered exceptionally fast..."

Xia He looked at the attribute panel, deep in thought.

The Spirit Serpent Fist was divided into three stages, with the first stage corresponding to the Skin Refining realm, known as the Spirit Serpent.

"At this rate of progress, advancing further before early spring arrives will likely prove impossible."

He still had a single attribute point remaining from before, and he decided to apply it right here.

As the attribute point vanished, his physique underwent another qualitative transformation almost instantly!

[Skill: Blood Refining - Supreme - Spirit Serpent Fist (Spirit Python)]
[Progress: 0/1000]
[Effect: Body like a wandering python, indestructible]

The first tier of the Spirit Serpent Fist was named "Spirit Serpent Cloaked in Scales."

When a martial artist successfully broke through to this level, a layer of tough defense resembling scales would condense across the surface of their skin.

This defense was not merely restricted to the epidermis, but penetrated deep into the musculature, integrating seamlessly with the body. It granted the naturally resilient skin an even greater capacity to withstand external physical impacts, thereby further reinforcing and enhancing the Skin Refining stage.

Upon reaching the second tier—"Spirit Python Transmuting Blood"—the transformations brought by the technique were even more breathtaking.

At this stage, the power of the spirit python gradually permeated the vital energy, slowly altering the practitioner's flesh and blood structure.

Gradually, the practitioner's physique grew as lithe and flexible as a slithering python, every movement fluid and natural without the slightest trace of stagnation.

Simultaneously, the vital energy within the body grew increasingly turbulent and surging, resembling a blazing fire that continuously provided a powerful source of momentum for the body.

One could easily imagine what astonishing effects would manifest if this fist technique were ever pushed to its ultimate peak—"Spirit Dragon Shifting Form."

Legend had it that upon reaching this realm, a practitioner could not only completely alter their physical form and characteristics, but even acquire formidable variant abilities akin to the legendary "blood of tigers and wolves."

At this moment, Xia He was immersed in the wondrous sensation brought by the Spirit Serpent Fist. He felt a profound numbness spread across his body, yet at the same time, a surging, boundless strength filled his limbs and bones, seemingly inexhaustible.

When combined with the White Ape Breathing Technique, his arms felt as though they had transformed into the immensely powerful limbs of a white ape; his waist, meanwhile, possessed the lithe flexibility of a water snake, capable of evading enemy attacks with a gentle twist.

"White ape arms, water snake waist?"

Xia He finally understood why mastering a supreme martial art alongside a breathing technique was a prerequisite for Bone Refining.

"Having reached the second tier, my body can now withstand the punishing trial of having a thunder pearl enter the system."

Xia He had previously lacked the courage to use the treasure obtained from the belly of the thunder mink, but now, he had nothing to fear.

"In just a few more days, I will be able to refine my bones!"

"Once my bones are refined, I will no longer need to fear that Wolf Guard."

Xia He wiped away his sweat, sat down to the side, and picked up a small booklet.

It contained the records of the lightness skill *Eight-Step Cicada Chase*, which Yang Qing'er had previously memorized and recited.

He had always relegated lightness skills to the very end of his priorities.

However, now that he had some free time, he could afford to carve out a portion of it for cultivation.

Not far away from him, in a dark, shadowed corner, a pair of unblinking eyes stared fixedly in his direction.

In the shadows, Yang Qing'er wore a deeply complicated expression, her heart a tangled knot of conflicting emotions.

Ever since she accidentally exposed her true identity that day, Yang Qing'er had plunged into a state of profound terror and anxiety.

Every single day felt like an agonizing ordeal, dragging on as if it were a year.

True to his word, Xia He returned here punctually every day, bringing Yang Qing'er her antidote.

During this period, Yang Qing'er had also covertly met up with her elder sister on several occasions. Yet, paralyzed by the fear for her own life, she could only speak in vague ambiguities and brush the matter off with perfunctory excuses each time.

Upon returning, she still had to recount the entire conversation word for word to Xia He.

Seeing that early spring was approaching and His Highness was growing impatient to launch troops into battle, she had nonetheless failed to extract a single shred of useful intelligence from Xia He.

Though her sister inevitably felt disappointed, she harbored very little suspicion toward her.

As time ticked away day by day, the situation grew increasingly tense, and the pressure weighing upon Yang Qing'er escalated commensurately.

Yet lately, her sister had failed to show her face altogether, leaving Yang Qing'er feeling progressively more helpless and isolated.

On the one hand, her conscience truly rebelled against betraying her sister and His Highness;

On the other hand, she simply wanted to stay alive. After all, she was in the prime of her youth, with countless wonderful experiences and sights yet untried and unseen—how could she possibly be reconciled to dying here?

That man out in the courtyard was a veritable martial arts maniac; aside from training, his only other activity upon returning was eating.

He spoke very few words even to her, his demeanor blanketed in absolute indifference.

At this moment, Xia He sat bare-chested, his bronze-hued skin glowing with a healthy radiance beneath the moonlight.

Every muscle on his body was sharply defined, and glistening beads of sweat slid down his broad shoulders, traced across his solid chest, and trickled downward along the deep grooves of his abdominal muscles.

Such raw, masculine beauty left Yang Qing'er, spying from her hiding place, utterly mesmerized, causing an inexplicable wave of feverish heat to flush through her body involuntarily.

Yang Qing'er swallowed hard on instinct, her gaze entirely incapable of tearing away from the figure brimming with masculine charm.

Her mind began to conjure up a series of vivid, unrestrained fantasies of its own accord, and her thighs unconsciously pressed tightly together.

Just as she was thoroughly lost in her own reverie, a sudden, thunderous crash shattered the tranquility—the door to the room was rudely and without warning kicked wide open!