Chapter Twenty-Two: Mercy

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“Dragons soar in the heavens, serpents dwell on the earth—one embodies yang, the other yin. Among the twelve sacred animal arts, only the union of dragon and serpent, yin and yang fused into one, can truly become a single whole…” As Song Mingyue practiced push-hands with Gao Wu, she softly explained the myriad transformations of dual cultivation with dragon and serpent.

Gao Wu paid little heed to these theories. What mattered was that Song Mingyue used her internal force to guide his strength into resonance, placing them both in a state of harmonious alignment. For the first time since he began practicing martial arts, he felt something so marvelous.

His grandfather possessed profound insight into martial arts, and Gao Wu had learned the essence of the Nine Forms of the Dragon from him, establishing a solid foundation. This alone put him ahead of ninety-nine percent of his peers. Having a warrior tutor him daily was a luxury most ordinary families could not afford.

Today, after practicing the Nine Forms of the Dragon with Song Mingyue, he realized how rough his own technique had been. Some muscles supposed to unleash force remained inert, while others strained unnecessarily. Throughout this process, Song Mingyue didn’t even need to correct him verbally; their subtle resonance in force revealed his flaws directly.

This left Gao Wu puzzled—if dual cultivation of dragon and serpent produced such remarkable effects, why had his grandfather never mentioned it? After all, Shang Qingjun practiced the Spirit Serpent Fist, another true serpent art, and possessed greater talent than him. Yet when they sparred, there was no such effect.

During a break, Gao Wu couldn’t help but ask Song Mingyue about this.

“Dual cultivation of dragon and serpent requires extremely stringent conditions. Only with a subtle spiritual resonance and genetic compatibility can we achieve this effect,” Song Mingyue explained.

Gao Wu was not entirely convinced, sensing she had withheld the crucial truth, but he refrained from pressing further. Respect was mutual; though Song Mingyue knew his physique was unique, she never probed for details. Likewise, he dared not ask overly private questions of her.

Altogether, Gao Wu and Song Mingyue practiced the Nine Forms of the Dragon five times, spending over an hour. By the last round, he was drenched in sweat. The training hall lacked heating, and steam rose from his body, while Song Mingyue’s expression remained unchanged, forming a sharp contrast.

“Go rest for a while. At nine, we’ll head to White Scale Lake,” Song Mingyue said, her bright eyes searching his face.

Gao Wu nodded, “No problem. I’ll follow your lead.”

After sparring with Song Mingyue, Gao Wu had grown deeply impressed by her strength. Clearly, there was a significant gap between them. More importantly, Song Mingyue was calm and rational, her plans meticulous and reliable. In such circumstances, all he needed to do was follow her pace.

Returning to his room, Gao Wu showered and changed into a fresh training outfit. The previous garments were placed in the laundry basket—servants would handle their cleaning. Such mundane conveniences, made possible by hired help, always reminded him how wonderful it was to have money.

After resting, Gao Wu felt warmth suffuse his body, his mind clear and refreshed. The effects of yesterday’s Blood Dragon serum seemed to have been fully activated during sparring. The high-energy meals from dinner were completely digested, his body entering a state of robust natural power.

Summoning the Infinite Merit Book, he saw his strength had increased by 0.1, a direct conversion from the Blood Dragon serum’s potency—not unexpected.

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What surprised him was an increase in his agility by 0.1. Agility was his lowest attribute, and this improvement likely stemmed from internal refinement and subtler force control, enhancing his coordination. The Nine Forms of the Dragon was still at the mastery level, but the brilliance of “mastery” shone brighter, suggesting significant progress. Even without the Infinite Merit Book, Gao Wu was certain of this.

Tonight’s hour of training had deepened his understanding of the Nine Forms of the Dragon—progress so tangible it was nearly visible. Finally, Gao Wu checked his lifespan, confirming all changes were positive, and exhaled in relief.

If he could advance like this every day, what heights would he reach in a year? Unimaginable… Of course, he knew such leaps were not possible daily. His current level was low, so every increment seemed momentous.

At nine in the evening, Gao Wu and Song Mingyue returned to the middle of the bridge. Seizing a moment when no one was around, they both dove into White Scale Lake.

As before, they were fiercely attacked by invisible spirits. Gao Wu recited the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation twice, finally breaking free with Song Mingyue. She fared slightly better this time, but her body was still frozen, only restored by his invocation of the divine incantation.

This time, Song Mingyue wore a wetsuit, sparing them certain embarrassments.

After seeing Song Mingyue off, Gao Wu returned to his dorm and consulted the Infinite Merit Book—his mental power had increased by another 0.1.

Such rapid growth in mental power underscored the terror of those spirits. Had he not possessed the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation, he would have died during his first rescue of Song Mingyue…

Reflecting on this, Gao Wu felt all he gained was well deserved.

He injected another Blood Dragon serum, consumed several energy bars, and practiced the Nine Forms of the Dragon several more times.

Upon waking the next day, Gao Wu felt every cell in his body rejoicing, a sense of exhilaration coursing through him. The improvement in the Nine Forms of the Dragon had enhanced his sleep quality. The serum and high energy intake naturally put his body into an excited state.

He silently recited the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation thirty times, letting the divine light circulate within him, dispelling anomalies and restoring natural relaxation.

In the morning, he filmed his training run and sent the video to Shen Yue via Fly Message.

He attended classes as usual, and at noon, he bought two hundred yuan worth of fruit and visited Monkey and Wang Tiesong in the hospital.

Both had been seriously injured by Bai Xiang, and as teammates, it was his duty to visit. He also wanted to help them as much as possible.

Monkey and Wang Tiesong were surprised to see Gao Wu. After their admission, school officials had visited once, but everything else was handled by the insurance company.

After this severe injury, their chances of returning to the martial arts team were slim, plunging them into despair for the future.

Though neither liked Gao Wu, they were both surprised and somewhat moved by his visit with fruit in hand.

“Old Gao…” Monkey struggled to sit up and grasped Gao Wu’s hand, too emotional to speak.

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After suffering this grave injury, his close friends from the martial arts team had vanished. His family was displeased with his injuries, blaming him for carelessness.

The past few days had weighed heavily on Monkey, the emotional strain even more unbearable than his physical wounds.

That Gao Wu, with whom he’d never gotten along, came to see them stirred Monkey’s feelings to the point of near tears.

Monkey had noticeably lost weight in just a few days. Though once lean and tough, his outstretched hand now seemed frail, his face thinner.

Wang Tiesong, on the adjacent bed, stared at Gao Wu. His chin was held firmly by a neck brace, rendering him unable to speak—he could only signal with his eyes.

Usually reserved, Wang Tiesong was clearly moved as well.

Gao Wu shook Monkey’s hand and patted Wang Tiesong’s shoulder. He knew their injuries were severe, but seeing them in person was a different experience.

Their poor relationship had always been mere mutual annoyance, never true enmity.

Two once vigorous youths, now weak and bedridden in patient garb, stirred a pang of sympathy in him.

While touching them, he secretly invoked the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation, bestowing its blessing on both Monkey and Wang Tiesong.

From experience, he knew the incantation could temporarily stimulate one’s vital essence—like when Song Mingyue was paralyzed by spirit chill, and the incantation dispelled her abnormal state.

For severe injuries, however, the incantation alone could not heal them. Only sustained, repeated chanting and prolonged blessing might yield results.

His blessing was merely a token gesture—helping as much as he could.

With two invocations, Gao Wu sensed both youths’ bodies had deteriorated to resemble those of middle-aged men—spirit depleted, vitality lacking, nothing like the robust energy of youth.

This was not just due to their injuries, but also from overuse of stimulants and potential overdrawn. The trauma had destroyed their foundation, exposing the consequences of reckless enhancement.

The incantation was not useless; it granted each youth a subtle source of mysterious power, their vitality visibly strengthened.

“To get me into the martial arts team, my family borrowed tens of thousands for medicine, exotic beast meat, and private tutoring. Now, after this injury, I doubt I’ll ever practice martial arts again…”

As Monkey spoke, his emotions overwhelmed him, and he broke down in tears.

Wang Tiesong’s eyes reddened as well. His family’s circumstances were similar, and recalling their sacrifices and his own years of toil turning to nothing, even this silent youth could not restrain his feelings.

Emotionally distraught, neither noticed the subtle changes deep within their bodies.

Gao Wu offered a few words of comfort. Once their emotions had calmed, he took his leave.

Leaving the hospital, Gao Wu checked the Infinite Merit Book—the visit had earned nearly two hundred merit points.

There was barely any traffic from short videos, so these merits must have come from Monkey and Wang Tiesong. The outcome exceeded his expectations…

(Requesting monthly votes and continued reading~)