News of the Itchy Soul Gu attack on Wude Palace naturally spread, but it failed to cause much of a stir. Few paid it any mind.
A disgraced, powerless prince wasn’t a big deal in the currently tumultuous Imperial Palace—so long as he wasn’t dead, he warranted no attention whatsoever.
At most, some Palace Attendants might have privately gossiped about whether the Third Prince had offended someone again or how unlucky he was, but that was the extent of it.
As for Prince Zhenbei’s Mansion, they were furious to learn that not only had Xia Wuchen been of no help, but he had also become a laughingstock in his own palace. Still, there was nothing they could do; they were in a sorry state themselves.
All they could do was redouble their own efforts to find the true culprit, though they remained utterly clueless, without a single lead.
Inside Wenhua Hall, Xia Wuyang listened to the chirping birds gossip about the grand spectacle at Wude Palace. He leisurely sipped his chilled plum soup, casually pulled Su Ling’Er close, and began to enjoy her "imported" cherry lips.
Outside the window, cicadas buzzed noisily as scorching heat rose from the ground under the fiery sun.
And so, the month of June in White Jade City slowly ticked by amidst undercurrents, slaughters, investigations, and a little prank-like act of revenge.
But a true storm was brewing much deeper, ready to erupt at any moment.
Thunderstorms grew frequent as June wore on.
In the evenings, heavy, lead-gray clouds would pile up from the horizon, pressing down upon the Imperial City. They grew ever thicker, and muffled thunder rumbled deep within them, like the suppressed roar of an ancient beast.
The air was so thick one could wring water from it. Not a wisp of wind stirred, and even the cicadas’ cries sounded feeble, as if they might draw their last breath at any moment.
The surface of Taiye Pool was deathly still, reflecting the somber sky like a vast, black jade on the verge of shattering.
Even at midnight, the weather remained oppressively muggy.
But deep within Wenhua Hall, the Practice Room was a haven of constant cool and quiet.
A thick, specially crafted stone door insulated the room from all outside noise and heat. The constant, gentle glow of a Luminous Pearl illuminated this small domain, making everything as bright as day.
The air was filled with a faint medicinal fragrance and the unique coolness of jade—the combined effect of the Cold Jade Meditation Mat and the Soothing Incense burning in a corner. This environment was also a considerable aid to cultivation.
Xia Wuyang sat cross-legged in the center of the Meditation Mat. His eyes were slightly closed, and his breathing was so long and faint as to be nonexistent; an ordinary person couldn’t have heard it even with their ear pressed against him.
The aura around him was retracted to its absolute limit, making him seem like a lifeless piece of ancient jade. Even his heartbeat was slow to the point of being nearly undetectable.
Only within his Sea of Consciousness was there a brilliant and active Star River that illuminated his entire being.
Four hundred and fifty points of Spiritual Power, like four hundred and fifty stars of varying sizes, spun and twinkled along some profound trajectory, radiating a magnificent light.
The ten newest points of starlight, located on the very periphery, were exceptionally bright. They linked and pulled at one another, forming a massive, slowly rotating vortex.
At the vortex’s center, it was not empty. Instead, two blurry phantoms imbued with a majestic will rose and fell, collided, and intertwined, deeply interconnected.
He had already achieved an epiphany regarding these two phantoms when his Spiritual Power reached four hundred and forty. Now, at four hundred and fifty, it was finally time to see the results.
These two phantoms were the amalgamation of the combat applications of the Dragon Tiger Fist and the Golden Bell Fist Technique. Previously, their cultivation methods had transformed and merged to become the Dragon and Tiger Golden Bell Body. Now, it was time for their combat applications to evolve and advance.
This time, however, they did not merge into one. Instead, they sublimated separately, becoming two distinct Spiritual Techniques.
One phantom took the form of a dragon and a tiger.
The Dragon Shadow was agile, riding the clouds and mist, its claws and fangs ferocious, carrying the domineering air of one who could tear the heavens and look down upon the world. The tiger shadow was magnificent, roaring from its crouch on the ground with a sound that shook the forests, filled with the ferocity and Power of the king of beasts. Dragon and tiger intertwined, moving with absolute freedom.
This was the essential will of the Dragon Tiger Fist’s combat application. Agility coexisted with dominance, and transformation advanced alongside Power. It was countless times more formidable than before.
The other phantom was a giant, inverted bell.
The body of the bell was ancient and unadorned, its surface inscribed with intricate cloud patterns and Sanskrit script—symbols of defensive runes in this world. It was heavy, steady, indestructible, and as impregnable as a fortress, like Mount Tai itself.
The bell’s shadow vibrated slightly, sending out invisible ripples that contained the core tenets of the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield’s combat application: using defense as offense, remaining immovable as a mountain, repelling all attacks. Golden Bell Shielding Body, Impervious to All Techniques.
These two phantoms were the fruit of Xia Wuyang’s long contemplation. As his Spiritual Power accumulated, his understanding of the Dragon and Tiger Golden Bell Body Cultivation Technique deepened, and after countless mental simulations, these Combat Techniques had naturally condensed within his Sea of Consciousness.
Now, with the opportunity of another epiphany—brought on by reaching four hundred and fifty points of Spiritual Power and triggered by his Seven-Aperture Exquisite Talent—these two long-contemplated Combat Techniques were completely activated and ignited, finally undergoing their transformation.
OM...
His Sea of Consciousness trembled violently, a sensation akin to sudden, profound enlightenment.
It was as if ten thousand Dragon’s Roars and Tiger’s Howls sounded at once, accompanied by the chiming of ten thousand ancient bells.
The two phantoms suddenly erupted in a blinding light, like two miniature suns exploding in the center of his Sea of Consciousness.
Countless insights, images, experiences, and secrets related to "combat" surged into the depths of Xia Wuyang’s consciousness and memory like a bursting dam, blooming magnificently.
This was no simple inheritance of moves but an infusion on a higher level. It was a comprehensive sublimation of everything related to combat: fighting will, force application techniques, timing, the use of Power—all aspects were covered. It could almost be called the pinnacle of unarmed combat.
Faintly, he seemed to "see" both the limitations and the path to sublimation for the Dragon Tiger Fist.
The Dragon Tiger Fist of the past, despite being hailed as a Top Level Mortal Technique, could not escape the shackles of mortality. It remained firmly within the mortal realm.
Though its moves were exquisite, the flow of Power was still traceable. It relied too much on the body’s brute strength and the infusion of Qi Blood, lacking a deeper resonance with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and his own Extraordinary Physique. Without Spirituality, its might was limited.
But now, illuminated by the light of his epiphany, those moves were dismantled, reassembled, and given a brand-new soul. It was as if they had come to life.
The dragon form no longer simply mimicked a dragon’s shape and Power. Instead, it began to pursue the unpredictable agility of a divine dragon that appears and vanishes without a trace. Its claw strikes tore not just through the air, but at the enemy’s weak points—their vitals and openings.
With every movement and turn, it seemed to be faintly accompanied by wind and thunder.
The tiger form was no longer just about pouncing and striking head-on. It now embodied the aura of the king of the forest: motionless one moment, striking like a thunderbolt the next. Its roar no longer contained simple sound waves but a tiger’s might that could shake the Soul and intimidate the Heart Spirit.
More importantly, the dragon and tiger were no longer separate entities. The previous feeling of them being stiffly cobbled together was gone.
The dragon’s agility provided the tiger’s dominance with more cunning and varied attack routes and Angles of Force. The tiger’s Power gave the dragon’s transformations an unrivaled destructive Foundation. Their synergy was far beyond what it had been before.
Dragon and tiger complemented each other, hardness and softness were balanced, and the virtual and the real gave birth to one another. A brand new offensive Combat Technique, born from the Dragon Tiger Fist yet far surpassing its original limits, was rapidly taking shape and undergoing a swift transformation.
This transformation far surpassed any previous refinement; the two couldn’t be compared. It was no exaggeration to call it a complete rebirth, a true Purifying the Marrow. It was an ascension, a breakthrough to a higher level, analogous to the transformation of a Human Race Martial Artist from a mortal into a True Monarch.

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