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Azure Dragon Saint
墨書 Inktalez
In early August, the scorching heat had receded, and the coolness of autumn was gradually rising.
Under a lush Old Wutong Tree in Taiping Town Academy, a group of young students was gathered around a Young Scholar, listening intently to his lecture.
The young man, around seventeen or eighteen years old, wore a white long robe. With sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, he was exceptionally handsome, resembling the jade youth described in ancient texts.
However, upon closer inspection, his complexion appeared somewhat pale and sickly.
At this moment, he struck the table with a wooden block, his face animated as he gestured with his hands and said loudly:
"That monkey, in a fit of anger, returned to Flower-Fruit Mountain and summoned everyone to declare himself king. At that time, there were several other great demons in the mountain, all with considerable powers, among whom..."
Just then, a beautiful young girl in a light green long dress rushed over anxiously, interrupting him. She said:
"Young Master, Young Master, Feng Qi has arrived! If you don’t meet him within a moment, he will—he will..."
Upon hearing this, the young man's brows furrowed as he replied, "In that case, we will stop here for today."
The students were caught up in the excitement and were reluctant to let him leave. They pleaded:
"Mr. Li, please continue for a while longer!"
The young man's surname was Li; his name was Li Rui. After hearing their pleas, he chuckled lightly and said, "I have matters to attend to today; I will make it up tomorrow. You all may disperse now."
The students sighed helplessly and had no choice but to rise and leave one by one.
"Ping'er, let’s go."
Li Rui called out to the girl and asked no further questions as he walked out of the Academy.
The two walked out of the schoolhouse and, after a short distance along the stone-paved road, arrived in front of a large estate.
The courtyard was nearly a hundred feet square, likely the largest residence in the town. Two stone lions stood at the entrance, and on the beam above the door, the words "Li Residence" were written in large gold letters.
No doubt about it, this was Li Rui's home.
As they entered and made their way inside, they found a group of people waiting in the main hall.
Several bodyguards stood in the hall, and at the top seat sat a man with a face full of flesh, dressed in luxurious golden clothing—he was Feng Qi, the Young Master that Ping'er had mentioned.
Upon seeing Li Rui, Feng Qi immediately stood up and approached. Without waiting for Li Rui to speak, he lifted his foot and kicked Li Rui.
"Bang!"
Li Rui was caught off guard and received a solid kick, flying nearly ten feet backward before crashing heavily to the ground. He thought to himself:
Here it comes; he finally couldn't hold back!
In an instant, he landed hard on the ground, his pale face quickly turning purple as if he had a breath stuck in his chest. It took him a while to react.
Ping'er seemed startled by this sudden attack; after a moment, she finally reacted and shouted:
"What are you doing?"
She hurried over to Li Rui's side, helped him up, and anxiously asked:
"Young Master, how are you? Are you alright?"
At this moment, Li Rui finally caught his breath, coughing as he comforted her, "No, I'm fine."
"Useless!"
Feng Qi stepped forward, a look of mockery and disdain on his face.
"You... how dare you treat the young master like this, you..."
Ping'er shouted at him, somewhat out of breath.
"Shut up! A little girl like you has no say here!"
Feng Qi waved his hand, and the nearby lackeys immediately stepped in to pull Ping'er aside.
"Let go of me, you bastards! Let me go!"
Ping'er struggled fiercely, and Li Rui couldn't help but shout:
"Enough!"
The room fell silent as Li Rui continued, "Ping'er, step aside. You have no place in this."
After using his gaze to drive away the two lackeys, Li Rui turned to Feng Qi and said:
"What are you going crazy for? Have you forgotten my status?"
"Status? What status do you have? Just a useless piece of trash!"
Feng Qi seemed to be stepped on a sore spot by these words, his entire demeanor turning fierce and menacing.
"My ancestors are..."
"If you say another word, I will kick you to death. Do you believe me?"
Feng Qi's gaze turned icy cold.
Li Rui couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, but he immediately fell silent. Although he had intentionally provoked him, there was a limit to how far he could go.
"Hmph..."
Feng Qi let out a cold laugh, pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, and threw it at Li Rui's face, saying:
"I just found out that over the past two years, you've taken so many Elixirs from me. A waste is still a waste; despite using so many good things, you're still only at Refining Body Level Three. Do you know that if you sold these items, you wouldn't be able to pay me back!"
Li Rui unfolded the paper, revealing a long list mostly filled with Peiyuan Pill and Refining Body ointments.
"Ah, so many! Where am I supposed to get that much money all of a sudden? Besides, these items were given to me as gifts!"
Although he was aware of the situation, Li Rui pretended to panic; after all, he still needed to endure for a while longer.
"Gifts? What makes you think you're worthy of that? Now, immediately, pay me back! Otherwise, heh heh..."
With a clang, Feng Qi drew a shiny Longsword from one of the guards beside him and placed the blade against Li Rui's neck, saying:
"Then use your life to repay me!"
"I... have no money."
"Uh?"
Feng Qi gently pressed down with the longsword in hand, causing Li Rui to hurriedly say, "I can pay! I... I can use this house to settle the debt, can't I?"
"The house? Not enough."
Feng Qi smirked and shook his head.
"Then... then can I use the land deed? Can I use my family's land deed to settle the debt?"
"Land deed? Are you still half-asleep? Your family's land deed was sold to us a long time ago."
"Then, then..."
"No need to go back and forth. Besides this house, you have nothing left. Oh... this maid also counts as your property, but she's not worth much. Now, how do you plan to repay the debt?"
"I... can't repay it anymore."
Li Rui simply adopted a posture of giving up.
"Oh, then how about I come up with a way for you to repay it?"
Feng Qi leaned down closer to Li Rui.
"What method?"
"I heard that your ancestors left a Fortune for the descendants of the family. If you share this Fortune with us, I will wipe your debts clean. Not only that, but I can also persuade a few uncles to return all the property you sold to my family. What do you think?"
Oh, the fox's tail has finally been revealed; they are too impatient! I've played along with you for so long, and it's quite exhausting!
Li Rui secretly laughed in his heart but pretended to be confused and said, "What Fortune? I don't know."
"Do you... want to die?"
Feng Qi's expression turned cold, and he applied more pressure with his hand, causing the sharp blade to draw blood from Li Rui's neck.
"I-I really don't know!"
Li Rui continued to feign confusion on his face while secretly mocking—if you dare to kill me, then you have guts!
Even if I lent you thirteen thousand four hundred thirty-eight lives, you wouldn't dare to kill me!
Feng Qi's breathing quickly became heavy, indicating that he was extremely agitated.
"Fine! Fine! Do you think I really don't dare to kill you? How about I cut off one of your hands first?"
He straightened up, raising his sword to strike.
"You bastard, do you dare!"
At that moment, Ping'er suddenly rushed up and stood in front of him.
"Oh?"
Feng Qi coldly sized up Ping'er and suddenly burst into laughter, saying:
"This girl is quite loyal and not bad looking. Since your young master hasn't paid up yet, why don't I collect some interest from you first!"
With that, he pulled Ping'er into his embrace and said:
"Come on, let me taste your flavor! Haha..."
"Bastard, what are you doing? Let go of me!"
Ping'er struggled desperately but couldn't break free.
"Hey, you... scoundrel!"
At that moment, Li Rui could no longer hold back and stood up to intervene, but was immediately restrained by two lackeys brought by Feng Qi, unable to help but curse loudly.
"Haha, Li Rui, if you can't pay back the money, I'll just enjoy your maid first as interest!"
Feng Qi laughed heartily and reached out to tear at her clothes. With a ripping sound, Ping'er's left sleeve was torn away, revealing her fair arm like a lotus root.
"Ah!"
Ping'er screamed in terror.
"Fuck you..."
Li Rui cursed loudly, a barrage of profanity pouring out like a machine gun, but he couldn't break free from the grip of the two henchmen.
"Haha..."
Feng Qi laughed excitedly, and with a tearing sound, Ping'er's right arm was exposed.
"Ah, Young Master, save me, Young Master, save me."
Ping'er cried, her tears flowing like rain.
"Feng Qi, your ancestors have nothing to their name; they are all just worthless beasts living off a single hole!"
"Hahaha..."
"Tear!"
Ping'er's skirt was torn, revealing a section of her fair skin.
"My ancestors!"
Feng Qi, however, seemed not to hear and placed his hand on Ping'er's chest and abdomen, laughing heartily: "Come on, let's appreciate the maid's figure next..."
He pretended to tear more.
"Scoundrel!"
At that moment, a loud shout came from outside the door, and a dark figure crashed in, forcefully sending Feng Qi flying, who then collided with a nearby chair, causing a chaotic clatter and leaving a mess.
"Who gave you the guts to treat Young Master Li like this?"
A tall figure dressed in a long robe with a black base and golden edges walked in, glaring fiercely at Feng Qi.
"?"
Feng Qi clearly felt some fear towards Feng Yi and stammered without saying anything.
"Take your lackeys and get out quickly. I'll deal with you when I get back!"
Feng Yi coldly reprimanded, and Feng Qi's lackey hurriedly supported him as they quickly ran out.
"Sorry, Young Master Li. My brother is a bit reckless. I apologize on his behalf, and I will definitely teach him a lesson when we return."
"Brother Feng, your brother indeed behaves improperly and should be properly disciplined. It's fortunate that you arrived in time; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"
Li Rui said while using gestures to comfort Ping'er, who was hiding behind him.
Feng Yi's eyes unconsciously softened slightly, but his expression remained unchanged as he cupped his fists again.
"Yes, yes, I will certainly educate him well when I return. I didn't expect the matter regarding the Elixir to be discovered by the uncles; after all, this isn't solely my issue. Others in the family also need these items, so it's normal for them to have some opinions. I just didn't expect them to incite Feng Qi to cause trouble."
"Sigh, Brother Feng must find this matter difficult as well. Don't worry; I will find a way to return some wealth to you soon so that you can give them an explanation."
"Brother Li is being too kind. Regarding this matter, I believe Grandfather will agree with my approach. Once I see him, it should be resolved smoothly."
"Thank you, Brother Feng, for your consideration. However, now that Ping'er has been frightened, it is not appropriate to entertain you, my apologies."
"It’s nothing, nothing at all. Young Master Li should comfort Ping'er well. I will take my leave now."
"Don't see me off."
"Farewell."
After Feng Yi left, Li Rui softly comforted Ping'er for a moment, then sent her back to her room before returning to his own.
The Feng brothers had a deep connection with the Li Family. For several generations, starting from Feng Qi's grandfather, their family had been servants of the Li Family.
However, times have changed, and the Li Family was gradually declining. By the time of Li Rui's grandfather, he lacked the talent for martial arts, while Feng San, a servant, was exceptionally gifted.
At seventeen, he completed body refinement; at eighteen, he opened his Qi Sea; and by twenty-five, he advanced to Cleansing the Marrow. He was taken in by the largest sect within Liu Pingzhou and soared to prominence, establishing the now-powerful Feng family.
The Li Family had indeed treated the Feng family well.
When Feng Yi's grandfather showed his talents, Li Rui's ancestors supported him with everything from martial arts techniques to medicinal herbs and even took the initiative to free him from servitude to help him join a sect.
Without the support of the Li Family, he would have had no resources and no inheritance; how could he have progressed so smoothly?
However, once he became prominent, it was unclear whether it was resentment from his past as a servant or a desire for the so-called opportunities associated with Li Rui's ancestors that led him to harbor ill intentions toward the Li Family.
While Li Rui's grandfather was still around, there were connections left by predecessors to provide support and a master-servant relationship kept him in check. He was not yet fully developed and dared not act recklessly for the sake of his reputation.
Once Li Rui's grandfather passed away, he began secretly undermining the Li Family in various ways, causing Li Rui's parents to struggle increasingly as their family lineage continued to decline.
Two years ago, he even sent someone to ambush Li Rui's parents while they were on their way to acquire medicinal herbs, causing them to go missing without a trace.
After that, the Li family's business rapidly began to decline under his oppression, incurring losses. Li Rui, with his low cultivation level, was powerless and could only cooperate by transferring these assets at a low price to his family in exchange for cultivation resources and temporary safety.
Li Rui knew that the Feng Family had always coveted the so-called fortune left by his ancestors. To this end, they even specially recruited a sect member named Feng Yi to play the good guy. For his own safety, Li Rui had no choice but to cooperate and put on a show for them to buy himself some time for growth.
Li Rui shouldn't have known about these matters, but he was a reborn individual with a great secret. Since his rebirth, Li Rui's eyes could see what ordinary people could not and perceive things others could not.
Within a hundred feet, Li Rui's gaze could penetrate walls and obstacles without hindrance; even his hearing was enhanced.
This information was actually gathered by Li Rui while they were secretly plotting.
For example, right now, Li Rui could clearly see that in a nearby side hall, the brothers Feng Yi and Feng Qi were setting up a banquet and discussing the performance they had just staged.
The Li Residence was so large that Li Rui obviously couldn't occupy it all by himself, so he lent part of it to the Feng Family. In fact, most of the people living here now were from the Feng Family.
"Indeed, this child is as my father predicted; he would rather die than reveal any information, even disregarding his own maid. It seems he is also a person with a cruel nature who cannot be left alive."
"Well, we have to wait until we get what we want first. This waste can be kept alive for now; after all, he poses no threat. We will use various means; as long as we don't completely tear our faces apart, there will be a time when we can pry open his mouth."
"Sigh, I just don't know how long we have to drag this out with him; it's really disgusting!"
At that moment, the door creaked open, and Ping'er, who was supposed to be "healing" in the room, swayed in gracefully.
She had changed into a light pink long dress. Compared to her pure appearance in front of Li Rui, she now exuded more charm and confidence.
"Greetings to both young masters."
She greeted the two brothers calmly.
"Ping'er, I apologize for the trouble this time. Please sit down and let Qi toast you as an apology."
Feng Yi hurriedly smiled and invited her to sit.
"It's nothing. This is what Ping'er should do."
Ping'er smiled gently and sat down gracefully.
Li Rui, seeing this, chuckled and shook his head, muttering to himself:
"Life is like a play, all about acting! Brother has been reborn, yet I can't make the girl beside me fall head over heels for me. Compared to other predecessors who have crossed over, shouldn't my character be upgraded?"
"This move is indeed ruthless. Who would have thought that the pure maid beside me is actually a green tea bitch? Fortunately, I have the perspective of a god, destined to laugh until the end in this play."
"If it were in my previous life, with my acting skills, I would definitely be an award-winning actor, able to contribute many good films for the masses."
While joking to himself like this, Li Rui lost interest in watching further and simply stood up to walk towards the Training Room, thinking:
"You don't need to rush. Soon, this young master will give you a surprise."
Li Rui currently lived in the residence of the Li Family's generations of heads of the family. The reason for moving here was because of the nearby Training Room.
This Training Room was about twenty meters in diameter, with no windows on any side, only a thick stone door. It relied on some narrow and winding ventilation ducts for air circulation. Once the door was closed, it had excellent soundproofing.
Inside, dozens of luminous stones were used for lighting, but at the very center was a Luminous Pearl.
Inside, there were wooden stakes, sandbags, Stone Locks, various weapons, and other items, all arranged quite thoroughly.
Li Rui walked to the stone table against the wall, which was piled with various odds and ends, and began to remove his clothes one by one, leaving only one piece on.
Then, Li Rui picked up a nearby medicine bottle and poured out three Peiyuan Pills that emitted a faint green aura, swallowing them down.
Finally, Li Rui opened a wooden box beside him and carefully applied the golden Refining Ointment all over his body. He then moved to the center of the open space and assumed a posture reminiscent of Tai Chi's starting position.
Closing his eyes, Li Rui slowly adjusted his breathing, entering a state of cultivation.
"Breathe"
"Breathe"
"Breathe"
As Li Rui breathed, a strange humming sound began to resonate in the surrounding air. His muscles and bones started to vibrate in an unusual high-speed rhythm.
At the same time, a peculiar aura began to manifest around Li Rui.
If the Feng Brothers were present, they would surely be shocked by the overwhelming presence emanating from Li Rui, questioning their understanding of him. This was far from the useless person they knew who was still at the third level of Body Refinement. This aura was much stronger than that of their Peak of Body Refinement.
At this moment, Li Rui was not only controlling the flow of Inner Qi within his Meridians and the vibrations of his muscles and bones but also visualizing the image of an Azure Dragon in his mind.
The dragon coiled into a ball, its scales transitioning from azure to purple gold, with black pupils, golden irises, and light purple sclera.
The shape in which this dragon coiled corresponded perfectly with the locations of all the Meridians and acupoints within Li Rui's body.
It moved lightly, and Li Rui's body began to perform a set of movements.
At this moment, Li Rui's spirit, Inner Qi, and vital energy were united as one. As the technique operated, it formed strange runes that resonated deeply with his vital energy, Inner Qi, every cell within Li Rui's body, and even the Earthly Qi from the outside.
This was the technique Li Rui practiced, the Azure Dragon Breathing Technique, an incredible foundational skill.
The human body's meridians and acupoints are incredibly complex, with a total of 129,600 acupoints.
During the Refining Body stage, a person's perception of their own meridians is quite vague; they can only sense the main meridians at the 360 primary acupoints.
For an ordinary person in Refining Body, breaking through these 360 primary acupoints is considered reaching the Peak of Body Refinement. After that, they must focus on Qi Hai, and the remaining acupoints can only be gradually opened as their realm improves.
However, the Azure Dragon Breathing Technique can open all acupoints during the Refining Body stage, achieving a truly perfect foundation!
Although it cannot allow Li Rui to clearly sense other acupoints, it can resonate through a series of magical runes, vibrating and gradually opening these acupoints and unlocking every bit of potential within his body.
Even more remarkably, this technique draws from the nurturing state of the Azure Dragon before its birth in the primordial membrane. Its aura is completely reclusive; without operating the technique, others cannot sense the practitioner's level at all.
Li Rui was actually at the twelfth layer of Refining Body, on the verge of completion, yet he deliberately displayed an aura of the third layer of Refining Body to confuse the Feng Family.
This technique was undoubtedly created by top-tier experts with profound insights. Its cultivation difficulty is dozens of times greater than that of ordinary techniques; most people cannot even begin to practice it.
Just considering the resources Li Rui consumed would have allowed an ordinary person to reach full completion in Refining Body ten times over!
Moreover, this technique could truly be considered a Fortune left behind by Li Rui's ancestors. It was hidden within the orb atop the Training Room; however, this information was deeply concealed and unreadable by others. Only Li Rui's special eyes could see it.
The Fortune that the Feng Family desperately sought was right before them, yet they failed to recognize it.
The value of this cultivation method can definitely create a storm of bloodshed in the world. If Li Rui were to let it out, even a hundred Feng Family members would not be able to protect it!
Of course, Li Rui would not do that, as it could very likely lead to his own downfall.
As the cultivation method operated, the Peiyuan Pill that Li Rui had previously swallowed, the Refining Ointment from outside, and even the Earthly Qi from the surroundings were gradually absorbed into his blood vessels, merging little by little with Li Rui's body as the blood flowed.
Among them, a portion of the refined energy transformed into Inner Qi within the Meridians, wandering between the acupoints and gently knocking on the doors of these points with a mysterious vibration.
Suddenly, an auxiliary acupoint near the Huiyin Acupoint was opened by the vibration. Following that, several other auxiliary acupoints in the hands and feet also opened one after another until an auxiliary point related to the Pool Aperture in the Brain Palace was also shaken open.
At this point, all 129,600 acupoints were fully opened.
Li Rui stepped into the Peak of Body Refinement, a sense of completeness surged in his heart. His whole body trembled as he entered a mysterious and indescribable state.
Warmth, comfort, relaxation, and freedom.
Li Rui felt as if he were in a magical ocean without gravity or buoyancy, unrestricted and freely drifting and swimming inside, chasing after shining stars.
Until he truly grasped a star, Li Rui's body shook violently, and the entire ocean quickly receded away. Li Rui woke up.
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