The spring snow had just cleared, and sunlight streamed through the glazed window lattice, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow on the floor.
Inside the Warm Pavilion, sixteen Jiangnan Beauties dressed in light gauze were either playing the zither, brewing tea, or dancing gracefully... Their postures were elegant and captivating.
They had all been newly selected for the palace in recent days. Each one had skin like cream, eyes like autumn pools, and were in the prime of their youth—so exquisitely beautiful they were simply breathtaking.
On the soft couch, Xia Wuyang leaned against a brocade cushion. His white hair was disheveled and his old eyes were cloudy. He looked like a man with one foot in the grave, as if he might collapse onto these Jiangnan Beauties at any moment and never get up again.
He had an arm around a young woman in a goose-yellow skirt on his left, sipping fine grape wine from her jade-like hand. To his right, a beauty in pink peeled a lychee with her slender fingers, placing the crystal-clear fruit into his mouth. It was the very picture of bliss.
"Your Highness, is this wine to your liking?" the young woman in yellow asked, her voice sweet and soft.
"Sweet, very sweet," Xia Wuyang chuckled, his wrinkled hand roaming mischievously over her waist as if he could no longer restrain himself. "But more than the wine, This Prince would rather taste your ’imported grapes.’ Now *that* would be a fine flavor..."
The young woman’s pretty face flushed red. With a coquettish protest, she began to squirm in his arms.
The surrounding beauties covered their mouths and giggled, and a heady, amorous atmosphere filled the hall.
Anyone who saw this scene would assume he was a muddle-headed, lecherous old good-for-nothing, merely clinging to life and not long for this world.
But what no one knew was that, at this very moment, a different, thrilling deduction was taking place in Xia Wuyang’s Sea of Consciousness. His outward appearance was nothing but a disguise, a mere act of instinct.
Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield... This Top Level Body Refining Mortal Technique, plundered from a secret chamber in Kunning Palace, was now flowing through his mind, word by word. It was one of the Cultivation Techniques he had obtained from Kunning Palace—a Top Level Mortal Technique, in no way inferior to the Dragon Tiger Fist.
’When I was looking through it after I got back, I suddenly discovered that it shared many compatibilities with the Dragon Tiger Fist. I immediately sensed they could be merged.’
So, he prepared to comprehend it thoroughly, to see if it could be fused with the Dragon Tiger Fist. This would allow it to transform to a higher level and help his Body Refining Cultivation also break through to the Extraordinary realm.
When that time came, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit would all be Extraordinary. His comprehensive strength would reach an incredible level, far surpassing the imagination of ordinary people.
Moreover, it was common knowledge that Body Refining Cultivation was the most difficult to advance, but once it was raised, the boost to combat power it provided was the greatest.
’Since I have the right conditions and enough resources at the moment, it’s only natural to improve it as much as I can.’
"The Tiger’s Roar refines the throat like a bell, its sound shaking a hundred li and intimidating the enemy’s Soul; the Golden Bell refines the body like steel, making it impervious to blades and spears, immune to water and fire, and difficult to harm..."
This Cultivation Technique followed a fierce and domineering path. It was divided into ten layers, corresponding to the realms from Ninth Grade to the Super Grade Realm.
Once cultivated to the peak, a faint golden Protective Qi Blood would manifest around the body, forming a Golden Bell Shielding Body that was difficult to injure with blades or swords. Furthermore, one could unleash a sonic Attack like a Tiger’s Roar that could shatter one’s spirit, its power immense and in no way inferior to the Dragon Tiger Fist.
The more Xia Wuyang studied it, the more amazed he became, and the more he grew to like it.
This Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield and his Dragon Tiger Fist shared many uncanny similarities, and their compatibility was quite high.
The Dragon Tiger Fist emphasized the Soaring Dragon and Leaping Tiger, balancing hardness and softness. The Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield, on the other hand, focused on the might of the Tiger’s Roar and the Golden Bell, representing the ultimate in hardness and strength.
Although the two had different focuses, their core was Body Refining. Both used the tiger as their symbolic image and pursued the ultimate enhancement of the physical body. Their potential was astonishing.
’More importantly, I’ve discovered that the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield’s Bone Refining Skill perfectly makes up for the Dragon Tiger Fist’s shortcomings in the Bone Refining stage. Meanwhile, the Dragon Tiger Fist’s Viscera Refining Secret Technique can compensate for the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield’s weakness in viscera cultivation... and there are many other similar complementary aspects.’
’If I can merge the two, the power will surely be beyond imagination, and it will definitely evolve to an extremely high level...’ A thought stirred in Xia Wuyang’s mind.
He had already intended to elevate the Dragon Tiger Fist to the level of a Spiritual Technique, but he had always lacked the right opportunity and had never succeeded.
Now, the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield had fallen into his lap. It was a godsend, perfectly suited for his comprehension and cultivation.
With this thought in mind, he continued to flirt with the beauties on the surface, but his Heart Spirit was already completely immersed in comprehension and deduction.
In his Sea of Consciousness, over three hundred points of Spiritual Power swirled like a Star River. His Seven-Aperture Exquisite Talent was operating at full capacity, pushing his Comprehension to its absolute limit.
Every form and every move of the Dragon Tiger Fist, every layer and every stage of the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield, was deconstructed, reassembled, clashed, and merged within his mind... erupting in a shower of brilliant sparks.
Time slipped by. The sun climbed high into the sky, then gradually began to set in the west.
The beauties took turns attending to him—feeding him wine and food, rubbing his shoulders and massaging his legs, and occasionally engaging in some "revelry."
Xia Wuyang refused no one, touching and kissing as he pleased. From time to time, he would feign exhaustion and collapse, only to be helped to the couch by a beauty to rest. But he would soon be "reinvigorated" and continue his debauchery, completely oblivious to the passage of time.
Everyone assumed the elder Crown Prince was once again wasting his days in debauchery, showing no regard for his own body.
Only Xia Wuyang himself knew that in these past few hours, his comprehension and deduction had reached the most critical stage.
’The Dragon Tiger Fist uses qi to control Power, while the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield uses form to solidify the body... The two seem to be polar opposites, but in reality, they are like yin and yang, complementing each other with numerous points of compatibility. If I can nourish the Golden Bell physique with Dragon and Tiger Qi Blood, and then use the Golden Bell physique to in turn nourish the Dragon and Tiger Qi Blood, I can create a self-sustaining cycle. The power will be beyond imagination...’
’In the Skin and Bone Refining stage, I can borrow the Golden Bell Shield’s method of Copper Skin and Iron Bones to refine my skin and bones to be three times tougher than those of an ordinary Martial Artist. In the Flesh and Tendon Refining stage, I’ll integrate the rhythm of the Dragon Tiger Fist’s Dragon’s Roar and Tiger’s Howl, making my muscles and tendons both strong and resilient. In the Organ and Viscera Refining stage...’
The deduction process flowed like a torrential river, unstoppable once it began. As for the comprehension part, it was merely a Top Level Mortal Technique, which he grasped with utter ease.
Finally, as the sun set behind West Mountain and the palace lanterns were being lit, a BOOM resounded in Xia Wuyang’s Sea of Consciousness. Everything clicked into place; he had found enough points of compatibility.
The prototype of a brand-new Cultivation Technique slowly emerged in his mind, though there was still a long way to go before the deduction was complete.
It retained the agility and variation of the Dragon Tiger Fist while incorporating the ferocity and solidity of the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield.
It possessed both the majestic momentum of a dragon soaring through the nine heavens and the unparalleled Defense of a tiger guarding a golden bell, combining the advantages of both.
More importantly, this new Cultivation Technique was already faintly touching upon the domain of Spiritual Techniques. If the deduction succeeded, it would undoubtedly be a Body Refining Spiritual Technique, and its Level would likely be quite high.
It just needed a period of refinement and the aid of an epiphany to take its final form. When that happened, his Body Refining Cultivation might naturally break through to the True Monarch Level, putting it on par with his Qi Refining Cultivation. At that point, with his Essence, Qi, and Spirit all Extraordinary, his comprehensive strength would skyrocket.
’It’s working...’ A trace of joy bloomed in Xia Wuyang’s heart. He could already see a path forward.
On the surface, however, he remained impassive. He simply yawned and said lazily to the beauties, "This Prince is tired. Help This Prince to the Practice Room to rest."

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