Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 73: Chapter 71: Horizontal Training Upgrade, Realm Breakthrough

’A drop of blood... to claim ownership?’

Even now, Miss Ling found the whole thing utterly absurd.

And yet, right before her eyes...

Whether it was the Wan Ze and Lei Ming she knew or their two senior brothers with their powerful auras, all of them had lost any semblance of an expert’s demeanor. They were just huddled in a group...

Four heads were bowed, breaths held, staring intently at the Rain Bell in the cup as if waiting for a miracle.

The Rain Bell lay quietly at the bottom of the cup, the drop of blood slowly spreading across it.

"Did it change?" Zhai Jia asked in a hushed voice, craning his neck and straining his eyes to get a better look.

Lei Ming squinted, starting to wonder if he was getting farsighted. He hesitated for a long moment before saying, "It’s... unchanged? The color... no, the shape? Uh, the patterns? They don’t seem to have changed either."

His tone grew increasingly uncertain.

Nearby, Zhai Yu stared at the Rain Bell without a word, his thin lips pressed together. He felt a subtle humiliation, as if his intelligence were being dragged through the mud.

Watching this comical scene, Miss Ling couldn’t help but quietly reach out and gently tug the corner of Wan Ze’s shirt. He was standing closest to her bed.

Wan Ze snapped out of it and glanced at her, a question in his eyes.

Leaning forward to see past him, Miss Ling softly asked the most critical question: "So... was there any change?"

"..."

Her one question plunged all four men into silence.

A subtle, awkward atmosphere filled the air.

"So... did we get it wrong?" Lei Ming scratched the back of his head, his voice barely a whisper.

Zhai Jia’s expression soured. He shot to his feet, slammed his hand on the table, and snarled, "I can’t believe I fell for their bullshit! Those sons of bitches from Guandong, don’t they even bother to think before they make up stories? How could we believe this crap?"

Even the ever-composed Zhai Yu couldn’t help but mutter, "Fuck."

"So what the hell are those Guandong guys smoking?" Lei Ming was baffled. "All this trouble for something completely baseless?"

Wan Ze remained silent, lost in thought.

He had successfully used Stealing Celestial Secret on this Rain Bell once before, so he knew for a fact that it wasn’t as simple as it appeared.

The Rain Bell was no ordinary object, but it was hard to say if it truly held a secret.

But clearly, the "blood bonding" theory proposed by the Divine Spear Horse’s group was a dead end.

Regardless of whether Miss Ling was a descendant of Master Zhang of the Celestial Harmony Palace, her blood could not unveil the Rain Bell’s supposed secret.

He thought, ’Perhaps it’s because the Rain Bell was once in Master Zhang’s possession and was nurtured by him. That might be why I was able to trigger Stealing Celestial Secret.’

But this was all just speculation.

"We were played... So the blood bonding is a complete fake." Zhai Jia laughed in exasperation. Pacing back and forth, he cursed, "What the hell is going on inside those Guandong people’s heads?"

Their initial excitement was doused by a bucket of cold water, and everyone’s interest instantly evaporated.

Just then, Wan Ze suddenly spoke up. "Our approach might be wrong, but their motive didn’t appear out of thin air. We should first figure out why they were even thinking along these lines... Was there some record in an ancient text, or were they just guessing? Didn’t the Song Family get involved too? Maybe they know something."

Zhai Jia paused to think, then nodded after a moment. "That makes sense. We can’t let them make fools of us for nothing. I’ll go ask around when I get back."

As they discussed their plans and prepared to leave, "Um, Mr. Wan..." Miss Ling suddenly called out timidly.

Zhai Jia and the others stopped and looked back.

Wan Ze didn’t understand.

Only Lei Ming had a strange smile on his face as he started pulling Zhai Jia and the others out first.

"Let’s go, let’s go. We’ll leave first so we’re not in the way."

He even thoughtfully pulled the door almost shut.

"What is it?" Wan Ze asked.

Miss Ling bit her lip, hesitating. "I... I’m still worried... Could I hire you to be my personal bodyguard for a few days? I’ll pay. Any price is fine."

"I’m sorry, Miss Ling. I need to focus on my training, so I’m afraid I don’t have the time." Wan Ze shook his head. It was the truth. He had a lot of tasks piled up, and every one of them was a time-consuming grind.

However, seeing Miss Ling’s distressed state, he thought for a moment before continuing, "But there’s another option. Our Dragon Eagle organization has a guesthouse... It’s at 76 East Mountain Road, right across the street from where we usually train, so security is guaranteed. If you don’t want to go home for now, you can stay there. If anything happens, we can get to you right away."

Miss Ling, who had looked disappointed a moment ago, immediately brightened and nodded quickly. "Okay! I’ll do what you say!"

"I’ll go let them know. You get some rest." With that, Wan Ze left the hospital room.

In the hallway, Zhai Jia was grilling Lei Ming with a gossipy expression. "What’s the situation? What’s going on? And why are you smiling like that? Spit it out!"

When Wan Ze emerged, Lei Ming nudged Zhai Jia with his elbow, then gave Wan Ze a knowing grin. "Ah Ze, not bad. Looks like Miss Ling trusts you completely now... a classic hero rescuing the damsel in distress."

"Good character can’t be helped," Wan Ze said with a straight face, leaving Lei Ming speechless.

Zhai Jia froze for a second, then burst out laughing. "PFFT!" He clapped Lei Ming on the back. "You really believe in the whole ’hero rescues the damsel’ thing? That only works if you’ve got the looks for it!"

Lei Ming felt his eye twitch. "..."

Even the corners of Zhai Yu’s mouth twitched in a nearly imperceptible smile.

Joking around, the four of them reached the hospital entrance.

Zhai Yu and Zhai Jia had to go interrogate Huo Wen to dig up more clues, so they parted ways with Lei Ming and Wan Ze.

...

"PAK!"

"Not bad, not bad at all! Ah Ze, the power in your Iron Mountain Fist is a lot more ferocious than last time!"

In a training room in the Inner Courtyard.

Lei Ming stood opposite Wan Ze, lavishing him with praise.

It had been a while since his last visit, and he hadn’t expected his junior brother, Wan Ze, to have made so much progress.

That last punch seemed straightforward, but the moment it connected, it felt like a mountain was about to come crashing down on him.

’The kid is a goddamn genius!’

"The more you practice, the more natural it becomes," Wan Ze said with a small smile, retracting his fist and exhaling.

"Exactly!" Lei Ming agreed wholeheartedly, his expression turning serious. "In Dragon Eagle, the core of the Blood Tempering Realm is polishing the Iron Mountain Fist. Its genius is that it’s both a fundamental technique and a deadly combat art. The fist’s momentum is like a mountain, its intent majestic. It can be used for Qi and Blood Refining, and in battle, you can use its momentum to overwhelm your opponent. You’ve already got the momentum, it’s just..."

He paused, searching for the right words. "It’s just that your ’mountain momentum’ isn’t stable enough yet. You’ve probably just grasped the basics. It needs more time to mature."

Wan Ze listened quietly without arguing.

Lei Ming’s Perception was sharp.

He was indeed trying to control his Momentum.

Ever since his Thunderbolt Breathing Technique unlocked the Ultimate Realm, his control over his own aura had increased dramatically. He could usually conceal most of it, and only when he exerted his full power in combat would the Mountain Thunder Momentum—a fusion of his Breathing Technique and Iron Mountain Fist—erupt.

"I understand, Brother Lei," Wan Ze said, a flicker of fighting spirit igniting in his eyes.

"Alright, now it’s your turn to attack me. Don’t hold back, give me your best shot." Seeing Wan Ze’s enthusiasm, Lei Ming laughed, planted his feet, raised his arms in the defensive stance of the Iron Mountain Fist, and beckoned to him.

"Alright!"

Wan Ze didn’t hold back. He sank into his stance, feet pushing off the ground with the Unity of Waist and Horse, and threw a concise, lightning-fast hook straight at Lei Ming’s center.

There was nothing flashy about it.

It was simply fast, precise, and heavy!

Lei Ming’s eyes narrowed. Not daring to be careless, he met Wan Ze’s fist with his right palm in a sealing motion, precisely deflecting and redirecting it to the side in an attempt to use Transformation Force.

However, the instant his palm met the fist, his heart skipped a beat.

The force that shot through his palm wasn’t a simple impact, but a Penetrating Force, as solid as iron!

A faint CRACK echoed from the bones in his blocking arm, and a sharp, piercing pain shot through him.

A muscle in his cheek twitched almost imperceptibly. But, too proud to show it, he swallowed the grunt of pain that rose in his throat.

Using the momentum from the deflected blow, he took a quick half-step forward, leaning in to use his body to crowd Wan Ze and neutralize any follow-up attack, his left elbow held in reserve.

But Wan Ze’s reaction was faster.

Instead of retracting his deflected fist, Wan Ze followed the momentum, pressing down with his forearm and converting the punch into a body check. With his shoulder and elbow, he drove forward in another ferocious close-quarters strike.

"BANG!"

Amid the dull thud of impact, Lei Ming felt the qi and blood in his chest churn. His defensive stance wavered, rocked by the brutish yet exquisitely controlled power.

He made a split-second decision. Instead of taking the hit, he retreated a step to create distance, then stood with his fists drawn and hands clasped behind his back. He did his best to maintain a calm, detached expression as he nodded slightly. "Hmm... Not bad. Your Fist Force is heavy and powerful, and your transitions are fast. You’re naturally strong, a prime specimen for practicing fist arts. Keep polishing your skills, and in time... Ah Ze, your future will be limitless."

"Why’d we stop?" Wan Ze was just getting warmed up and was taken aback. "I was just getting into it," he said, confused.

"Ah... I just remembered, Master gave me an errand to run," Lei Ming said, his expression unchanged and his tone casual. He even brushed some imaginary dust off his clothes, putting on the air of a sagely senior brother who had finished his lesson and was now gracefully retreating. "Hmm... you should spend some more time contemplating what we just did, especially the transition between exerting force and retracting your stance."

With that, he turned around.

As he walked out of the courtyard, his back projected an air of profound, unshakable calm.

Though Wan Ze found it a bit abrupt, he didn’t suspect a thing. He just shook his head and refocused, continuing to practice and contemplate his Fist Force alone in the courtyard.

What he didn’t know was that as soon as Lei Ming rounded a corner and was out of his sight, the senior brother’s composure completely crumbled. He slumped against the wall, grimacing and sucking in sharp breaths of air as he clutched his throbbing, shaking arm.

"HSSS... Oww, he’s a monster! What did they feed this kid growing up?"

"How long has it been? In a pure contest of Power, I can barely hold my own against him... If I had taken that second hit head-on, my guard would have completely shattered! My god!"

He rubbed his numb arm and glanced back toward the Inner Courtyard with lingering fear. Shaking his head, he quickly slipped away.

...

Inside the room.

[Illustrated Guide: Horizontal Training Technique] (Intermediate, Mastered)

[Effect 1: Small increase to physical Power]

[Effect 2: Iron Hide (Physical Strength +0.02; Endurance +0.02)]

[Effect 3: Iron Skin Evolution--Iron Armor (Endurance +0.04)]

[Skill High Level Satisfying Conditions: Rub body with sandpaper 500 times (118/500), and withstand 3 beatings (3/3)]

Wan Ze silently reviewed the progress for his Horizontal Training Technique, then turned and took a sheet of sandpaper out of his bag.

This was far more painful than using Rough Cloth, and it wasn’t just a few scrubs, either—he was aiming for hundreds...

Before long, the sound of pained, hissing breaths filled the room.

「Two hours later.」

Wan Ze’s entire body was bright red, like a boiled shrimp. He endured the stinging pain, which felt like countless ants crawling over and biting his open wounds.

...

[Rub body with sandpaper 500 times (418/500)]

...

’Almost there!’

He gritted his teeth and continued to scour his skin with the sandpaper.

The red welts on his body soon began to bleed. When the skin broke, he would simply move to a new spot and continue scouring...

Soon, he was almost completely covered in blood.

But, thankfully, the task was complete.

...

[Illustrated Guide: Horizontal Training Technique] (High Level, Mastered)

[Effect 1: Small increase to physical Power]

[Effect 2: Iron Hide (Physical Strength +0.02; Endurance +0.02)]

[Effect 3: Iron Skin Evolution--Iron Armor (Endurance +0.04)]

[Effect 4: Steel Bones (All Attributes +0.02, and additional Endurance +0.05; additional Power +0.02)]

[Skill Special Level Satisfying Conditions: Rub body with sandpaper 10,000 times (0/10,000), and withstand 10 beatings (0/10)]

...

"HSSS!"

Almost at the same instant he gained 0.07 points of Endurance, Wan Ze suddenly felt a cool sensation spreading through the burning, torn wounds on his body.

What surprised him even more was that his wounds began to scab over automatically.

Within the span of a few breaths, the scabs vanished, and his body was restored to its original state, his skin smooth and flawless.

He immediately looked at his Cultivation status.

[Realm: Blood Tempering Third Transformation]

"I did it!"

’By this calculation, I should be a little stronger than Brother Lei now...’

’But I’m still a long way from Brother Zhai and the others.’

’It’s a long road ahead... but I just have to keep at it!’

Now, Wan Ze was the only one left in the room.

White light streamed down from the ceiling, falling on his bare torso and highlighting a wild, explosive beauty!

"BOOM!!!"

Just then, a deep, thunderous boom echoed from the distance without any warning!