Humble Tranquility Cottage.

This was the name Su Yi chose for his new residence.

“Humble” because it was rustic.

“Tranquility” because it was quiet and harmonious. 

Feng Xiaoran was delighted about their new residence. Her slender figure darted gracefully through the garden like a rejoicing butterfly. The depths of her big eyes shone with delight.

Feng Xiaofeng was happy too.

Of those immersed in the vicissitudes of the mundane world, who didn’t like this sort of tranquil, elegant courtyard?

It was a world apart from the sibling’s former home in Willow Alley, as wide as the gap between heaven and earth.

Huang Qianjun ordered about a deft group of hourly servants. They were arranging the furniture and various fixtures of daily life he’d just purchased.

Meanwhile, Su Yi just lazed in a wicker chair beneath a wisteria-covered gazebo, his eyes closed in contentment. 

I’m still missing a few attendants! Su Yi thought it rather regrettable. 

It would be lovely to have a gentle-natured servant girl to make me tea, and another with soft, jade-like hands to pound my back and knead my shoulders when I relax. It would be even better if I had a beautiful master of the zither, a musician who doubled as a feast for the eyes…

And I ought to have a clever girl to take responsibility for my three daily meals, and someone to clean and fold my laundry, and someone to tend to the flower garden, and someone to keep the residence in order….

Right, and someone beautiful by my side to order about as the need arises, someone who can discern my intentions at a single glance. But now….

…

Su Yi glanced at the distant, busy Huang Qianjun. He couldn’t help but shake his head.

Su Yi’s assiduous self-discipline in cultivation was only matched by his laziness in his daily life. He hated trouble.

Forget it. No ordinary servant could catch my eye. I’d rather skip it altogether than just find someone to make up the numbers. In the end, Su Yi gave up on the idea of seeking out a group of servant girls.

Once everything was in order, Huang Qianjun sent the hourly workers on their way, then returned with a smile. “Brother Su, please take a look around. Is there anything else you need me to add?”

Su Yi opened his eyes, lazily sat up, then surveyed the area. “This will do. There’s no other work for you.”

Huang Qianjun hesitated, then said, “Do you need me to arrange a cook or servants to handle miscellaneous chores?”

Su Yi shook his head. “No need. I’m about to start treating Junior Apprentice Brother Feng’s legs. Unless something comes up, you are not to disturb me.”

Huang Qianjun hurriedly nodded. Su Yi then got up and walked into Feng Xiaofeng’s room.

Two hours passed.

When Su Yi pushed open the door and emerged, there was a hint of exhaustion on his brow. Back in the room, Feng Xiaofeng lay in bed, already fast asleep.

“Big Brother Su Yi, how are my brother’s legs?” Feng Xiaoran was already waiting outside, and the moment she saw Su Yi emerge, she started asking questions

“He’ll be able to stand and walk in less than half a month.” Su Yi smiled and tousled Feng Xiaoran’s hair.

Earlier, he’d used his cultivation to manipulate silver needles, performing a round of acupuncture on Feng Xiaofeng’s legs and fully reawakening their vital energy.

Over the next half month, all he needed to do was have Feng Xiaofeng take spiritual medicines. This would reform his ruined bones and muscles, step by step.

“Wonderful!” Feng Xiaoran’s big eyes sparkled, her face bright with joy.

“Xiaoran, come with me to my room. I’ll teach you to cultivate.” Su Yi then went directly back to his own quarters. Feng Xiaoran hurried after him, her heart filled with incomparable excitement. 

Huang Qianjun was currently resting in the courtyard. When he saw this, he couldn’t help but feel jealous. With Brother Su’s guidance, that girl’s attainments in the Martial Dao are sure to be enormous!

From that day forth—

Su Yi and company settled into the Humble Tranquility Cottage.

Su Yi’s life was simple. When he wasn’t cultivating, he was treating Feng Xiaofeng’s legs or instructing Feng Xiaoran’s cultivation.

Sometimes, in the darkness of the night, Su Yi and Qing Wan would converse. He’d ask about her cultivation and give her pointers.

Su Yi was gratified to discover that although Qing Wan was still timid, bashful, and reserved whenever she spoke to him, they seemed a bit closer than before.

Two days passed in a flash.

That morning, when Su Yi woke from his meditation, his eyes seemed to flash with sharp, dazzling light before regaining their usual calm.

His energy, which moments ago had surged like a soaring dragon, gradually calmed down too. 

Full mastery of the Refining Bone Stage!

Relying on his ample supply of spiritual medicines and the subtle wondrousness of the Pine and Crane Body Refining Technique, Su Yi finally managed to reach the “bones like jade, marrow like frost” level.

With this, he’d effectively reached the pinnacle of the Blood Circulation Realm too!

If you cut open his flesh, you’d discover that the bones below sparkled like jade, as pure and clear as crystals, yet as strong as fully tempered profound iron. It would be hard to damage them even with a sword or saber. 

And within his bones, his marrow was as translucent as frost, yet it emanated a life force so vibrant and flourishing, it was shocking!

“I haven’t been burning through five stalks of tier-one spiritual medicine a day for nothing,” said Su Yi, a hint of a satisfied grin on his lips. 

Wealth, companions, methods, and land. Of them, “wealth” came first.

When he had sufficient spiritual medicines to support his cultivation, Su Yi had no need to fear failing to make progress in his cultivation.

More importantly, in the four stages of the Blood Circulation Realm, he’d tempered his body to the point that his foundations far surpassed his past self at the same stage!

Why was it that although his cultivation was obviously weak, his combat strength was downright perverted?

This could all be traced back to his foundations in the Martial Dao.

With what was arguably the number one foundational technique in the Wilds, the Pine and Crane Body Refining Technique, combined with his past life’s 108,000 years of knowledge and experience, the power of his Martial Dao was far beyond others’ comprehension!

If you compared others’ attainments in the Blood Circulation Realm to rivers, lakes, and oceans, then Su Yi’s Blood Circulation Realm was like the radiant starry sky overhead.

Heaven and earth. They weren’t to be spoken of in the same sentence! 

“The next step is the Qi Accumulation Realm.” Su Yi was a bit eager.

The Qi Accumulation Realm was divided into three stages: Unblocking Acupoints, Opening Meridians, and Astral Manifestation. They corresponded to the early, middle, and late stages of the Qi Accumulation Realm.

In a backwater like Guangling City, reaching the peak of this realm was already enough to qualify you as a lofty expert. 

In the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital, it made you a first-rate warrior.

But there was an enormous range of ability even among martial artists of the same realm.

The Blood Circulation Realm was about tempering the flesh, the skin, muscles, sinews, and bones. The Qi Accumulation Realm was different; it involved cleaning the acupoints and meridians and tempering astral energies. It was extremely subtle and profound.

It was difficult to cultivate until “the acupoints were clear and unblocked, the meridians were open and fully linked, and the body was connected with heaven and earth, inside and out, coinciding with each of its ten thousand aspects.”

If you couldn’t take this step, there was no need to even discuss Astral Manifestation.

To the best of Su Yi’s knowledge, within the Great Zhou, only the Ten Great Academies, peak-level clans, and the armies under the kings and marquis’ banners had complete methods for cultivating the Qi Accumulation Realm.

Furthermore, all of these methods were different. You couldn’t lump them all together.

A faction of Blueriver Sword Manor’s strength did have a Qi Accumulation Realm cultivation method, but it wasn’t top level.

As such, upon reaching the pinnacle of the Blood Circulation Realm, disciples with lofty ambitions would often seek out other paths.

For example, taking Heaven’s Origin Academy’s entrance test to continue their cultivation there.

Alternatively, they’d join a king or marquis’ army and accumulate military merit to win access to a peak-level Qi Accumulation Realm cultivation method.

But regardless of whether they went to Heaven’s Origin Academy or joined up with a noble, fortune only smiled upon a lucky few. The overwhelming majority of youths were doomed to practice only ordinary Qi Accumulation cultivation methods. ‘

All of this meant that there were enormous differences in strength between different Qi Accumulation Realm experts.

The strongest martial artists of the early-stage Qi Accumulation Realm could easily slaughter ordinary peak Qi Accumulation Realm experts.

There were even a few monstrous Qi Accumulation Realm experts who could contend with Martial Dao Grandmasters.

Like Qing Jin.

Of course, to Su Yi, this was no problem at all. He cultivated the Pine and Crane Body Refining Technique, a foundational technique specialized in the Four Realms of the Martial Dao. It had no equal in the Great Zhou.

When Xiao Tianque witnessed Su Yi practicing along the banks of the Great Azure, he was stunned witless. He even suspected this was an immortal art of legend!

The human body has seven hundred and twenty acupoints. Of them, one hundred and eight are spiritual apertures.

The one hundred and eight spiritual apertures are also called ‘the keys to cultivation.’

In my past life, although I refined and opened all of my spiritual apertures, only seventy-two of them gave rise to true spirituality. Upon reaching the Imperial Realm, I expended countless treasures of heaven and earth to make up for this deficiency. I succeeded, but just barely. However, the problem had already affected the very foundations of my cultivation….

This time, I naturally can’t allow such a flaw to occur again, Su Yi muttered to himself. 

When all one hundred and eight spiritual apertures gave rise to spirituality, this was known as “full spiritual awakening of the acupoints.”

Upon reaching that level, every spiritual aperture was like a miniature hidden realm, giving rise to miraculous phenomena. Such spiritual apertures were connected to heaven and earth, and they reflected the light of the Grand Dao!

But this level of attainment in the Martial Dao was rare and almost unprecedented even in the Nine Provinces of the Wilds. Ten thousand geniuses might try without a single success.

In his past life, of Su Yi’s nine inheriting disciples, only the youngest, Qing Tang, had achieved “full spiritual awakening of the acupoints” under his guidance. All one hundred and eight of her spiritual apertures awakened, like stars within the body, giving rise to the “Starcloud Tidal Wave”, a mysterious phenomenon.

At the time, Qing Tang was only seven years old, and she’d only been under his tutelage for three months, yet she had already revealed unique, peerless talent. 

“Hah, Qing Tang…” When he thought of her, Su Yi couldn’t help but mock himself. His gaze was utterly conflicted.

But soon, he shook his head and gave her no further thought.

He got out of bed, pushed open the door, and left the room.

The gentle light of dawn bathed the world below, and a gentle breeze drifted by, rustling the flowers and grasses of the courtyard and filling the air with the delicate fragrance of vegetation. It was soothing and pleasant.

Huang Qianjun was currently seated at the courtyard’s stone table, setting out bowls and chopsticks. A steaming hot breakfast was already laid out on the table.

Every morning, he had the city’s “Fragrant Cloud” deliver a wide array of foods. Breakfast was, of course, one of those problems that wasn’t a problem so long as you had money. 

From not far away, Feng Xiaoran pushed Feng Xiaofeng’s wheelchair out of his room.

She wore a blue shirt and an apricot yellow dress. She was slender, petite, and adorable, and even her complexion looked better than before. Her outline seemed to have filled out a bit; she no longer looked at all gaunt and pallid.

Feng Xiaofeng was in high spirits too, and his earlier gloominess had vanished without a trace. Every inch of him seemed vibrant and full of life. 

When he saw this, Su Yi couldn’t help but smile.

That same morning.

Yuan Luoxi and Cheng Wuyong rode on swift steeds and proceeded to Willow Alley. Yuan Luoxi had obviously dressed up for the occasion.

The gentle sunlight shone down on her valiant figure, giving her an additional touch of radiant beauty.

Of course, in a run-down place like Willow Alley, where the streets were covered in filth and the poor gathered, she was jarringly out of place.