Myths Begin From Boys' Gong

That very night, news of Xiong Fei's assassination by an unknown person spread throughout Kaiyan County, causing a stir among various powerful forces, who dispatched their troops to gather information and find the person behind the scenes.

Xiong Fei was by no means an unknown figure. On the contrary, he was considered a first-class expert, second only to Fang Laogu and Zheng Lie. In the county town, there were not many people who could truly fight him head-on.

However, the fact that such a master and strongman was assassinated and died in such a gruesome manner naturally alerted the people in the city.

No one can be sure whether Xiongfei is being targeted for revenge or if someone is deliberately targeting the experts in Kaiyan County. If it is the latter, Xiongfei's fate today may be their fate tomorrow.

To this end, the Ghost Hand Constable was specially invited to investigate the matter, and a reward of ten thousand taels of silver and a Xuanqing Sword Technique were offered as a bonus. Anyone who could find the ferocious beast would become rich overnight.

Unfortunately, no one could get their hands on such a good thing. Even if some individuals wanted to cheat for the bonus, they would never dare to make a move under the combined forces of all the major and minor powers in the vast Kaiyan County.

As for Meng Zhao, after assisting Cai Qi in killing Xiong Fei, he stayed in the county town for two days before returning to Xiaohan Village and transporting his wealth back to the village in batches.

The method used was quite simple: they would openly transport back a batch of daily necessities to serve as capital for their business, but the vast majority of these were gold and silver jewelry. Only a small portion, which was displayed to others, consisted of various daily necessities.

He also used silver to pave the way and bribe a high-ranking official on patrol to let him through the city gate.

Thus, his vast wealth in the county town was divided into two parts for his collection: one part in the county town and one part in Xiaohan Village.

Aside from these trivial matters, he devoted all his energy to creating martial arts and cultivating.

He used the Divine Wind Force and the Void Cloud Force, combined with leg and palm techniques, to create a Wind God Leg and a Cloud Dispelling Palm, which he imitated like a cat imitating a tiger.

These two martial arts styles are certainly very different from the original martial arts of Xiong Ba, but their core essence is completely the same.

Focusing on the profound meanings of wind and clouds, and after some refinement, it can be said to be quite successful.

The only drawback is the difficulty in obtaining the secret medicine, which has made it hard for Meng Zhao to make progress in this area, thus affecting his martial arts development.

It's not that he lacks ability; it's simply that the martial arts secrets of this Tianyuan Kingdom are closely related to martial arts elixirs.

The secret medicine contains the key to transforming the fake into the real, which is equivalent to the existence of certain rules.

Even though Meng Zhao cultivated to the level of an unparalleled celestial being in his previous life and possessed martial arts capable of challenging the realm of gods and demons, he still couldn't fully grasp the rules and laws. Naturally, his research in this area was also hampered.

However, he was clever and did not get caught up in the obsession of thoroughly researching all the secrets of the elixir. Instead, he planned to focus on experimentation and practice, using extensive real-world comparisons and references to develop a elixir formula that best suited him.

Therefore, after a brief stay in Xiaohan Village and handing over the so-called small shop business to San Gouzi, he returned to Daokaiyan County under the pretext of going to the city to make a living.

This time, Meng Zhao acted much bolder.

He gathered information through the underground black market and selected twenty people as his experimental subjects.

These twenty people are generally young, have potential, but lack background and upward mobility.

Meng Zhao then secretly entrusted them with some of the key techniques of the Divine Wind Force and the Void Cloud Force that he had created, as well as the secret medicine formulas composed of different medicinal materials that he had researched, through various unexpected means.

Then, like an old farmer who has planted seeds and is waiting for the harvest next year, he carefully nurtures them, secretly monitors them, and constantly makes annotations, revising and perfecting his martial arts and secret medicine prescriptions.

Thus, three months passed in a flash.

The entire Kaiyan County had almost forgotten all the things that had happened in the county before. Xiongfei's death had long since become a thing of the past. Apart from Xiongfei's family, no one mentioned it anymore, let alone searched for the so-called murderer.

If there are any other strange or bizarre things happening, it's that there have been quite a few cases of young people dying suddenly.

This unusual situation attracted the attention of the Kaiyan County government and various powerful figures.

The investigation revealed that these people died because their internal energy circulated too violently during martial arts practice, and the effects of the secret medicine were too intense, causing them to suffer from qi deviation and die.

Such a way of dying is not unusual; what is unusual is that within a short period of time, several very similar cases have occurred in this small county.

The government and powerful figures in the county had reached a consensus: someone was using these young people to practice martial arts.

Either the martial arts technique is flawed, or the secret medicine is faulty. We need to keep trying and finding the most correct path.

Similar examples are already commonplace in the vast Tianyuan martial arts world.

The reason why the martial arts of various schools and families are relatively systematic and complete is that they have been explored and tested by countless predecessors and gradually found the optimal solution.

Martial arts are not necessarily more powerful the older they are. On the contrary, the most primitive martial arts often have more flaws, but they point to the essence and core. Later, through the changes of time, continuous research and trial and error, they became refined divine skills.

Furthermore, the secret medicine formulas of the past were generally quite simple, and most of them were based on a single medicinal herb or a creature such as a snow toad, because they were often potent enough to fully meet the needs of cultivation.

In contrast, the reason why modern prescriptions are so complicated is that as times have changed, powerful and ancient medicinal materials have been exhausted and resources are nearly depleted. Therefore, different medicinal materials are specially combined in a principal, assistant, adjuvant, and guide manner to maximize the potency of the medicine.

Because of this historical background, all the major forces, and even some people with special martial arts lineages, are well aware that practicing martial arts cannot be done rigidly; it requires constant innovation and improvement.

The current situation in the county town is most likely due to someone using these innocent novices to practice their skills.

These people are talented and perceptive, but they lack opportunities and background resources.

Meng Zhao's method was to give them such an opportunity. Therefore, even if some of these people were smart enough to guess that there was a problem, they would rush forward like moths to a flame.

As for the potential risk of death from going astray, what doesn't involve risk these days?

Even if you're just a low-level gang member, cheering them on, you could still get hacked to death.

It's better to take a chance. If we can actually master some skills, that will be a sign of the family's prosperity, and it can be passed down for generations.

Therefore, when the county government and various powerful figures spread the news that someone was using Kaiyan County as a testing ground for martial arts practice, it didn't raise any alarm among the townspeople. Instead, countless young people eagerly awaited the arrival of that powerful figure, hoping to attract their attention. It's undeniably tragic; knowing something was amiss, knowing it was wrong, they still stubbornly persisted, gambling on a chance to defy fate.

After investigating the matter, the important figures in the city merely offered a warning and then ignored it.

Firstly, it wouldn't affect them much anyway; their families wouldn't be used as training materials, and it wouldn't impact their power in any way.

Secondly, they have no idea who the person practicing the skill is or how high their skill level is. What if it's some kind of top-tier big shot? If the people in their county are shouting to kill them and it provokes retaliation, they won't be able to withstand the threat they bring without some resources.

Thirdly, the vast majority of these young people who get the opportunity will not rise to prominence, and 99% of them will die. The lucky few are as insignificant as dust in such a large county town, and cannot make any waves.

Therefore, these forces do not harbor much hostility towards it.

Meng Zhao was like a shadow in the night, completely hidden in the darkness where people could not see him, watching all of this, and at the same time, happily acting as a harvester, picking the fruits one by one.

In a very short period of time, he not only greatly optimized the two martial arts he created, but also improved and perfected the prescription for the secret medicine eight times.

Take the two internal martial arts, Divine Wind Force and Void Cloud Force, for example. Combined with the secret medicine formula, either one of them can be considered a first-class, superior martial art. There is no falsehood in either of them, and they are full of unique characteristics, which are incomparable to mediocre martial arts.

Two top-notch martial arts skills, both internal martial arts, could practically create a family that would last for three hundred years.

However, this was not Meng Zhao's ultimate goal.

Through this period of research, Meng Zhao's understanding of Tianyuan Martial Arts has become increasingly profound.

This is a martial arts system that emphasizes martial arts skills, resources, and talent.

Without martial arts skills, one cannot enter the path of martial arts; without resources, the path of martial arts is fraught with difficulties; without talent, one is destined to have a limited potential.

Once these three elements are combined, they can create a martial artist like the current strongest warrior in the world, Shi Luohan.

Martial arts foundation is talent, and talent also needs corresponding martial arts to develop and unlock.

Some people are extremely talented, but their studies don't match their abilities, so they often achieve less with more effort. It's not bad if they only realize 40% or 50% of their full potential.

Some people may have average talent, but if their learning matches their abilities, they can often achieve some success, or even surpass the expectations of others.

However, if someone has extremely high talent and is perfectly suited to martial arts, then they can become a so-called martial arts god bone, with unlimited potential and the possibility of competing for the position of number one in the world.

The number one Arhat in the world is just like that. He was born an Arhat, not because he had an Arhat body, but because of his special talent. Combined with the right martial arts, he was able to fully develop his potential, just like an Arhat descending to earth. That's why he has such a name and such power.

If Meng Zhao wants to compete for the title of the best in the world, he must put aside his arrogance as a former top expert, delve into this system, explore its potential, and only after reaching the highest level can he talk about surpassing and transcending it.

I don't know if it's fate or if there's some predetermined destiny at play.

Meng Zhao initially treated the so-called Three-Part Return to Origin martial arts path as a joke, but after this period of practice and observation, he concluded that it was indeed an extremely suitable path for this body.

The phrase "Three Elements Return to Origin" refers to the convergence of cold, wind, and clouds. It can mean that one of the three elements is chosen and combined separately, or that one of the three elements is chosen and merged together.

Ultimately, the resulting Guiyuan Jin (Returning to Origin Force) should be the most refined, pure, vast, and profound Qi, which, while not the most suitable for this body, is still quite well-suited.

Therefore, Meng Zhao also attaches great importance to the final piece of the puzzle of the Three-Part Return to Origin, the Seven-Turn Cold Toad Devouring Divine Skill.

Through both overt and covert means, he gathered various pieces of information about the Fang family. He unexpectedly obtained a piece of news and began to secretly act as a driving force, hoping that things would ultimately turn out as he expected, allowing him to achieve his goals...

In a servant's room in the Fang family villa, Fang Han, a servant of the Fang family, was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed and his palms facing each other in front of his chest. As he breathed, mist rose and circulated between his mouth and nose.

Beneath the base of his tongue pressed a white pill that gradually shrank and eventually vanished.

It is a secret medicine for martial arts practiced in conjunction with internal energy cultivation techniques.

Fang Han is a servant of the Fang family, a position he has held since childhood. He is clever, enthusiastic, and ambitious. As a servant, he is inherently unwilling to accept his lowly status and always yearns to gain freedom and control his own destiny.

Unfortunately, the Fang family did not give him this opportunity unless he made a great contribution.

However, as a servant in the Fang family villa, the person he usually saw most often was Fang Zijun, the fifth son of the Fang family, who was unpredictable in his temper. How could he possibly have any opportunity to make a contribution?

Not to mention that he was valued by the Fang family and promoted.

Until one night, he obtained a martial art called Canyun Gong, along with a secret medicine formula. He was overjoyed, feeling that he had encountered an unprecedented opportunity, even the possibility of defying fate.

No one helped him cultivate or learn, but he gained some understanding of martial arts through the influence of the Fang family and even mastered the Cloud-Gazing Skill.

As for the secret medicine, he was a servant of the Fang family. Although he seemed to be of lowly status, he actually had a lot of lucrative opportunities and could afford to supply it for a short period of time.

Therefore, he devoted himself to cultivation and diligent practice. In a short period of time, although he could not be called a master, he had already entered the basics of martial arts and generated internal energy. Every move he made was enhanced by internal energy, and his strength, flexibility, and defensive capabilities were greatly increased.

Fang Han was also quite cunning. Despite having acquired superb martial arts skills, he never revealed them and continued to serve as a lowly servant, working diligently every day at the Fang family's villa.

Afterwards, news of the martial arts training that caused a sensation throughout Kaiyan County reached his ears, making him instantly understand why the opportunity had fallen into his hands.

This is clearly a case of a master using him to analyze the shortcomings of the Canyun Gong, using him as a guinea pig for experiments.

Even knowing this, Fang Han, like everyone else, had no regrets.

He practiced his skills every single day without fail. (End of Chapter)