Mid-Stage Anjin Rank, Achieved!

The fourth day since Tian Ping'an ceased to be 'at peace'.

Late evening.

The Shen family courtyard.

The night wind swept through the hall, making the green grass beneath the eaves shiver.

Madam Zheng pulled her thin clothes tighter around her shoulders as she stepped out of the kitchen. Looking at Shen Xiuhan, who was training hard in the courtyard, she said softly, “Dalang, there is meat soup and flatbread keeping warm in the pot. Don't forget to eat it while it's hot after you finish your training.”

Shen Xiuhan was sinking his waist and hips, standing in a stance in the courtyard. Hearing her, he replied in a deep voice, “I know, Mother. Go get some rest.”

Madam Zheng then turned and went back inside.

Shen Xiuhan finished his set of stance work. Only when warmth surged through his limbs and bones did he slowly pull back his posture, exhaling a mouthful of turbid air from his chest.

Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a small porcelain bottle and poured out a pill.

It was one of the two bottles of grand pills he had looted from Tian Ping'an.

Afew days ago, he had consulted Jiang Qinghong and learned that one of the two bottles was called the Meridian-Opening Acupoint-Clearing Pill, while the other was the Essence-Sea Acupoint-Forging Pill.

Both types of pills were standard-issue medicine for Anjin Rank martial artists in the Longxiang Army. They were extremely precious; each person was only allocated one bottle of five pills every three months.

Some time ago, Ding Ning had privately shared three pills with Jiang Qinghong, which were supposedly saved from her own frugal usage.

Meanwhile, Shen Xiuhan's two bottles contained a total of eight pills. Normally, each bottle should have had five, but Tian Ping'an had likely consumed two, leaving them one short each.

Still, it was enough for him to squander for a while.

“The Tinggong acupoint is already overflowing like mercury... It is time.”

Shen Xiuhan let out a breath, his gaze turning solemn as he popped the pill into his mouth, placing it under his tongue.

The medicinal power slowly dissolved, seeping into the depths of his organs like a warm current.

Shen Xiuhan closed his eyes, sat cross-legged, and focused his mind to circulate his heart method.

In an instant!

A series of muffled rumbles echoed within his body—heavy, dense, and continuous, like muffled thunder rolling incessantly in his abdominal cavity.

Within the three acupoints—Taichong, Guanyuan, and Tinggong—the majestic force surged like a volcano on the verge of eruption, boiling and churning ever more violently!

His body temperature suddenly soared, turning his skin beet-red like a cooked shrimp roasted over a furnace. Bean-sized sweat droplets seeped from his pores, only to be instantly vaporized into wisps of white steam by his rising heat.

Amidst the swirling mist, countless tiny snakes seemed to writhe frantically beneath his bare shoulders and back, and his muscles and bones let out a low hum.

“Boom!”

Like a clap of spring thunder, a massive explosion suddenly erupted from the Mingmen acupoint near his lower back and tailbone!

The explosions continued in rapid succession, sounding like heavy hammers pounding on a drum.

Shen Xiuhan's body trembled slightly, his thick brows furrowing tightly as a flash of pain crossed his face.

Gritting his teeth hard, he swallowed the pill under his tongue straight down into his stomach.

The medicinal effect surged instantly!

“Crack!”

Under the relentless impact of this continuous Anjin force, the Mingmen acupoint was blasted open like rotting wood meeting a sharp axe!

Sizzle...

The moment the acupoint was opened, all the pores across Shen Xiuhan's body flew wide open.

A layer of dark, foul-smelling sweat mixed with fine grayish-black impurities squeezed out from his flesh and skin, instantly solidifying into a layer of grime on his body.

A turbid stench diffused through the courtyard.

Yet beneath this filth, the force within Shen Xiuhan's body was undergoing an earth-shattering transformation.

The Taichong, Guanyuan, and Tinggong acupoints, along with the newly opened Mingmen acupoint.

The four major acupoints aligned like a constellation of stars in the night sky, connecting and resonating in an incredibly miraculous fashion.

The Anjin force circulated back and forth among the four acupoints in an endless cycle, becoming as heavy as liquid silver and as dense as lead and mercury.

As the final wisp of Anjin force slowly settled into the Mingmen acupoint, Shen Xiuhan suddenly snapped his eyes open and gently raised his left hand.

“Whoosh!”

A force more than twice as powerful as before surged out of his body, transforming into a visible shockwave that erupted outward!

Rustle...

The fierce wind swept across the ground, sending dry twigs, fallen leaves, dust, and bird droppings swirling into the air.

The Mingmen acupoint was broken through!

“Phew...”

Shen Xiuhan exhaled a long breath of turbid air, a look of delight flashing in his eyes.

As he thought this, a sudden gust of night wind blew by, sending the foul stench from his body straight into his nose, so thick it felt almost tangible.

Shen Xiuhan's face warped in disgust!

Not daring to linger, he turned and strode toward the water well in the courtyard.

The blue stones by the well were slick. He grabbed the wooden bucket, tossed it into the well, and with a flick of his arm, the bucket hit the water with a splash. Pulling it up, he poured the full bucket of well water right over his head.

The cold well water cascaded down his back, washing away the layer of black grime on his skin.

Shen Xiuhan took some soap and scrubbed himself repeatedly, working up a thick, gray lather all over his body.

As he scrubbed, he shook his head helplessly, thinking to himself:

He scrubbed for a full fifteen minutes and went through three buckets of water before the foul odor finally began to fade.

He lifted his sleeve and sniffed, and only after confirming there was no lingering smell did he let out a long sigh of relief.

After eating his dinner, Shen Xiuhan sat cross-legged and continued to meditate to stabilize his cultivation.

...

The waves stirred up by the martial feast gradually settled into silence.

Changyun and Changshui counties returned to their usual tranquility.

While stabilizing his realm, Shen Xiuhan visited the martial arts hall every day or two to help supervise the disciples.

The Mei Courtyard had enjoyed immense popularity recently. The outer courtyard had admitted over forty new disciples, bringing the total to nearly seventy. The spacious outer courtyard was almost too crowded to stand.

Fortunately, over the past few days, the tuition terms of more than ten disciples had expired. Having failed to cultivate blood qi, they had no choice but to leave the martial arts hall in disappointment.

However, there was also good news.

A local youth named Sun Yi and a female disciple from another county named Huang Shutong had successively broken through the Blood Tempering stage.

It was not because of their exceptional talent, but because they originally hailed from martial families and already had some training foundation before joining the hall, allowing them to break through very quickly.

Since Mei Shuangfeng was in secluded cultivation, Jiang Qinghong had to accept them on her master's behalf, bringing them into the inner courtyard.

For the past few days, Shen Xiuhan's main task had been teaching the two of them.

According to his deduction, although their families had some modest wealth, they were not major clans, and the monthly stipends provided to them would be limited.

In about two or three months, they would likely have to start looking for temporary placements to earn resources for their cultivation.

Thinking of this, Shen Xiuhan could not help but sigh with emotion, momentarily seeing his past self in them.

Of course, he did not stop his own training while sighing.

Two days ago, Shen Xiuhan had taken another Meridian-Opening Acupoint-Clearing Pill.

The fifth acupoint, the Huiyin acupoint, had also made some progress.

In the blink of an eye, another three days passed.

At the third quarter of the hour of Shen.

Inside the inner courtyard of the Mei Family Martial Arts Hall.

Twilight had not yet arrived, and the setting sun still hung from the corners of the eaves.

“Senior Brother...”

A figure in pale yellow stepped lightly toward him. It was Huang Shutong. She tilted her face up, her eyes filled with anticipation as she said in a crisp voice, “Senior Brother Shen, when can you teach me combat techniques? First Senior Sister said that once we enter the inner courtyard, we can cultivate our hall's Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force...”

Shen Xiuhan pondered slightly and said, “In a day or two.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother!”

Huang Shutong's eyes curved into crescents. With a slight roll of her eyes, she suddenly took a step forward and grabbed the corner of his sleeve. “Senior Brother, it must have been very tiring teaching Sun Yi and me these past few days. Do you have some free time today? I heard a new eatery has opened in the east of the city, and the flavor is excellent...”

“I have important matters to attend to today. Another day.”

Before she could finish, Shen Xiuhan shook his head, offered an apologetic smile, and turned to walk out of the martial arts hall.

Huang Shutong's smile froze, and the brightness in her eyes dimmed bit by bit, like a candle flame flickered by the wind.

Nearby, the teenage boy Sun Yi quietly crept closer, wearing a flattering smile as he said eagerly, “Senior Sister, if Senior Brother doesn't want to go, I am willing to accompany you...”

“Get lost!!”

...

Outside the martial arts hall.

Shen Xiuhan stepped over the threshold, his expression gradually turning cold. He paused for a moment before turning and walking toward the west pier.

There...

A cluster of pale golden light points was flickering faintly in the twilight.