"Your Majesty, the Defender General of Iron Wall City requests reinforcements. They are short on provisions, weapons, medicinal herbs, and other supplies. The two hundred thousand Imperial Guard troops will arrive soon, and the shortages of food and materials will become even more severe."
Minister of War Jiang Mingyuan bowed, his face grave.
Emperor Xia’s voice was hoarse. "Short on money, short on food, short on supplies... The Inner Treasury is nearly empty, and the National Treasury’s expenditures have long exceeded its revenue. Where are we supposed to get more of anything?"
He viciously slammed the Vermilion Brush down on the map. Ink splattered, blackening the name ’Iron Wall City,’ as if portending something grim.
"A bunch of incompetents, all of them!" Emperor Xia’s expression was ugly. The two hundred thousand Imperial Guard troops hadn’t even reached the Northern Territory yet, and the Da Kuo Royal Court had already given him a "big surprise." How could he bear this humiliation?
The officials in the hall fell silent as cicadas in winter. They even quieted their breathing, but no one dared to speak.
Emperor Xia sank wearily back onto the Throne, rubbing his throbbing temples, not knowing what to do.
Lately, he felt as if he had aged ten years—no, twenty, or even thirty.
Gray hairs had begun to appear at his temples, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were as deep as carvings, and even the hand that held his brush had started to tremble slightly.
Experiencing so many setbacks in such a short time was becoming too much for even Emperor Xia to bear.
’Could it be... that I was truly wrong?’ A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
Fighting a war on two fronts seemed to be stretching their capabilities thin, especially after the successive thefts from the Inner Treasury and the National Treasury.
But the moment this thought appeared, he ruthlessly stamped it out. ’Since I’ve already made the decision, I can’t waver. Otherwise, how can I expect to win?’
Finally, Emperor Xia gritted his teeth and commanded, "Issue a decree! Order the various prefectures in Jiangnan and the Central Plains to conscript another one hundred thousand laborers to transport provisions and supplies north. Also, mobilize another one hundred thousand Imperial Guard troops to reinforce the Southern Border."
"Your Majesty, the most critical issues right now are provisions and resources. What are we to do about the Southern Border?" an old general couldn’t help but advise.
"So what?" Emperor Xia sneered. "The Southern King is as rich as a nation, who in the world doesn’t know that? Let him figure out how to raise the funds. The state is in peril; it’s time he contributed something."
No one dared to respond, unsure of what to say.
On one hand, he was ordering the Southern King to commit men and resources to fight the Southern Barbarian Hundred Races; on the other, he was denying him provisions and supplies. How could anyone fight a proper war under these conditions?
The Southern King’s mansion was indeed wealthy, but that money hadn’t just appeared out of thin air. It was the accumulation of several generations of his family.
Emperor Xia’s actions were rather excessive. If the Southern King’s household found out, would they still fight with all their might?
"All of you, withdraw. I am tired," Emperor Xia said with a wave of his hand.
As if granted a pardon, the officials bowed and withdrew, their expressions rather peculiar.
Silence returned to the hall, leaving only the CRACKLE of the flickering candlelight.
Emperor Xia sat alone on the Throne, gazing at the cold, round moon outside the hall. He suddenly felt that being the Emperor was a truly thankless and frustrating job.
Meanwhile, inside Wenhua Hall, it was another world entirely.
In the Practice Room, Xia Wuyang sat cross-legged, the aura around his body retracted, making him seem like a common stone.
But if one could see through his body, they would witness two completely different yet perfectly integrated scenes, a sight that would be utterly shocking.
Within his Dantian, the River True Qi slowly rotated. The azure True Qi, like a misty tide, filled the entire Dantian.
A three-kilometer-long Spiritual Vein originated from his Dantian, extended up along his spine, and formed a tiny vortex near the Jade Pillow Acupoint at the back of his head. It continuously drew in and expelled the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, looking quite extraordinary.
That was the first River Spirit Vein. Though not yet fully formed, it had already taken shape, and the True Qi made a faint sound as it coursed through it.
And within his skin, muscles, meridians, bones, and viscera... there was yet another scene.
Qi Blood, glowing with a faint luster, rushed through his meridians like molten lava. With every circulation, his physique grew stronger by a sliver.
Faint patterns, barely visible, appeared on the surface of his skin, vaguely forming the image of an entwined dragon and tiger.
His bones also carried a crystalline sheen, and from within them resonated the sounds of a dragon’s roar and a tiger’s howl.
His internal organs pulsed powerfully, each contraction sounding like rolling, muffled thunder.
...
These were signs that he was about to break through to the Body Refining True Monarch Realm; he was only a single step away.
Even more astonishing was Xia Wuyang’s Sea of Consciousness. At this moment, as a new day dawned, his Sea of Consciousness changed once again.
Three hundred and eighty points of Spiritual Power hung like a brilliant Star River in the void of his Sea of Consciousness. The newest point had just finished condensing, emitting a gentle, moon-like luster that illuminated the vast space.
The arrival of this point of Spiritual Power triggered a long-awaited moment of epiphany, accumulated by his Seven-Aperture Exquisite Talent. It was the very opportunity Xia Wuyang had been dreaming of.
BUZZ...
It was as if ten thousand ancient bells were chiming in his mind. Xia Wuyang had been ready for a long time.
In an instant, countless insights came flooding in like an open sluice gate, surging forth without end.
The fluid transformations of the Dragon Tiger Fist, the supreme defense of the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield—every Mantra, every Force Transmission Technique, and every barrier of the two Cultivation Techniques... unfolded clearly in his consciousness, as plain as the lines on his own palm.
’I see now... The essence of the Dragon Tiger Fist lies not in its form, but in its intent. A dragon soars through the nine heavens, agile and unpredictable; a tiger crouches in the mountain forest, fierce and tyrannical. The secret of the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield lies not in its hardness, but in its resilience—the Golden Bell Shielding Body, perfectly complete, a union of hard and soft. The two seem to be polar opposites, but in reality, they are yin and yang, complementing each other. If they can be fused... their power will be boundless!’
Xia Wuyang’s Heart Spirit sank completely into the deduction, arriving at the final moments of fusing the two great Body Refining Techniques.
Empowered by the epiphany, the two Cultivation Techniques began to deconstruct, reassemble, and fuse at an astonishing speed... undergoing an incredible transformation.
The Dragon Scale Tiger Armor from the Dragon Tiger Fist combined with the Copper Skin and Iron Bones of the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield, forming the Dragon and Tiger Golden Bell Spirit Body.
Not only was the skin as tough as dragon scales and the bones as hard as Tiger Bone, but it also possessed both the flexibility of a dragon and the ferocity of a tiger. A perfect union of hard and soft, it was impenetrable and far surpassed all imagination.
The Golden Bell Shield’s Tiger Roar Sound Wave fused with the Dragon Tiger Fist’s Dragon Tiger Roar, transforming into the Dragon’s Roar and Tiger’s Howl.
The range of the Sound Attack increased threefold, and its Intimidation effect increased fivefold. It could even inflict damage directly upon the Soul: the Dragon’s Chant Enchants the Gods, and the Tiger’s Roar Shatters the Soul, working in perfect concert.
The Bone Refining Skill, the Viscera Refining Secret Technique, the True Essence of Marrow Refining... every part of the two Cultivation Techniques found its most perfect point of union at this moment, merging as seamlessly as milk and water, becoming a single, flawless whole from top to bottom.
An unknown amount of time passed before a brand-new Cultivation Technique slowly took form in Xia Wuyang’s mind.
It radiated a faint silver light, and the characters of the technique were not static, but swam and shifted like a dragon and tiger.
Its very first line revealed an extraordinary aura, far beyond what any ordinary Body Refining Technique could compare to.
"Dragon and Tiger unite, Golden Bell shields the body; hard and soft in harmony, Impervious to All Techniques!"
’This technique shall be named... the Dragon and Tiger Golden Bell Body!’
...
Understanding washed over Xia Wuyang, and everything became clear.
This new Cultivation Technique had completely transcended the mundane, stepping into the realm of Spiritual Techniques!
Moreover, it was a High Level Spiritual Technique, not some Middle-Low Level one. It surpassed the Enchanting Heart Treasure Manual and even the River Scripture, of which he only had the Upper Part. It had a full eighteen layers. If cultivated to Great Success, one could reach the Eight Spirits Body Refining True Monarch Realm, which was equivalent to the High Level True Monarch level.

Comments

Loading...