Body Refinement for Longevity: From Health Cultivation Exercises to Overcoming All Techniques

A few days later, a piece of news spread like wildfire throughout the city.

Hundreds of miles outside the city, at Diaoya Mountain, three Red Spider Mother Beasts have gathered. They are all large beasts that are hundreds of years old, with thick skin and flesh like hellish demons, and their combat power is comparable to that of a martial arts master!

Martial Master Realm!

Martial artists are divided into three levels of mastery: Ming Jin (manifest strength), An Jin (hidden strength), and Hua Jin (transformative strength). Above that is Wu Zhe (martial artist), with each level progressing from one step to two steps to three steps, and finally Wu Shi (martial master).

Every bottleneck, every breakthrough, can stop most martial artists; those who break through the limits of their bodies to this point are few and far between.

A beast at the Martial Master level is even stronger. It can do little damage to heavy armored cavalry, let alone the giant crossbows of the Imperial City.

This is no longer a strange beast; calling it a steel monster would be no exaggeration!

But what's even more terrifying is that this female red spider has an extremely strong reproductive capacity, mating more than ten times a day and giving birth to hundreds of male red spiders.

If left unchecked, the number of red spiders will surely surge like a monstrous wave, and Black Lion City will be ravaged by them, leaving not a single survivor.

This is an uncontrollable disaster!

As expected, at noon, an official announcement caused a stir in the city!

The general meaning is: When disaster strikes, men should go to war!

Each family shall retain one male member, and all other able-bodied men shall be conscripted into the army to hunt down the female beast! It shall be a fight to the death!

Anyone who disobeys will be killed on the street!

It is currently the rainy season, and the mother beast is still in a weak reproductive period, making it the perfect time to kill this beast.

The government was well aware of the urgency of the situation and acted swiftly, organizing manpower to recruit soldiers on the same day!

At the Shen family home, Chen Han sat with his family in silence, the atmosphere so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Chen Han's lips were tightly closed, his gaze was deep, and he seemed to be lost in thought.

Finally, Shen Wu spoke up: "Xiao Chen, I'm leaving the family to you. I don't have much to say."

"If you go and come back, you'll receive twenty taels of silver; if you don't... fifty taels of silver."

Shen Wuren seemed to have aged ten years overnight, with more white hair at his temples. His gaze was now filled with silence, a far cry from his former spirited self. The Shen family lad who used to train with increasing vigor and fight anyone who disagreed with him had grown old.

At this moment, he is a middle-aged uncle who worries about his descendants and squeezes out the last bit of value from himself.

"Father!"

Shen Wan'er, Shen Yue, and Madam Lu were already sobbing uncontrollably, unable to catch their breath.

Today may be the last time we say goodbye.

Chen Han didn't speak, much less refuse.

Now, he is the pillar of this family. As long as he doesn't fall, the family can continue to live well.

Before leaving, Shen Wuren simply asked Chen Han to stay behind, his eyes pleading, "Little Chen, I misjudged you before and gave you a lot of attitude. I apologize... Wan'er is not in good health, and Yue'er is still young..."

Chen Han naturally understood what the other party meant. In chaotic times, it was not uncommon for people to abandon their families for personal gain.

Shen Wuren was clearly worried about this.

"Father, you don't need to say any more nonsense. I, Chen Han, am definitely not that kind of person."

Chen Han interrupted directly, "Don't worry, as long as I have food to eat, I will never let them go hungry."

Shen Wuren was taken aback at first, then his face lit up with a smile, "Alright, alright, Xiao Chen, you're all doing well..."

Shen Wuren left, and the three women bid him farewell with tears in their eyes, hoping to meet again in the future. Chen Han remained silent with his lips tightly closed, watching the slightly hunched figure disappear into the street, and a complex mix of emotions welled up in his heart.

He speaks very little, his mood is complicated, and he becomes completely silent when he is in a bad mood.

The meaning was all in his eyes. There were no words, yet it spoke volumes. This was the greatest confidence that allowed Shen Wuren to join the army.

······

Time flies, and half a month has passed.

Chen Han and Shen Wan'er continued their daily arduous work life, but the fact that they could still have enough to eat was the envy of their neighbors.

This is largely due to the foundation laid by Shen Wuren in his early years.

Brother Wang across the street hasn't been able to afford food for several days and has been forced to eat rice bran to stave off hunger.

A few days ago, I sold my daughter to a wealthy family to work as a maid. I got five bushels of rice from the sale, so at least she won't starve to death with them.

His wife would often deliberately open her shirt in the dark alleys around the neighborhood, flirting with passersby, and she didn't even spare Chen Han, their neighbor.

I heard that for just a dozen or so coins you can go back inside and have some fun.

Businesses in the inner city have also been affected like never before, but the overall system has not yet collapsed as completely as it has in the outer city.

The Red Spider incident was a matter of life and death for most of them. Only a small number of high-ranking nobles who possessed advanced martial arts skills were able to lead their martial arts teams across the wilderness to escape to other cities.

On the contrary, the Black Mountain Gang secretly sent many martial artists and warriors to join the army to fight against the Red Spider.

Their relationship with Black Lion City was one of mutual dependence; if Black Lion City were to fall, they could flee to other cities like high-ranking officials and nobles.

However, it is impossible for him to make a comeback. If he tries to return to his old ways, he will inevitably be suppressed by the local government, army, and local bullies.

They wouldn't leave Black Lion City unless absolutely necessary.

The surrounding cities and the capital of Xu Kingdom also sent a lot of troops to support them. The heavily armored cavalrymen riding black horses were tall and strong. A hundred of them formed a square formation and guarded the gate of Black Lion City, which really shocked Chen Han, who was watching the excitement at the time.

Meanwhile, the outer city was in complete chaos. After learning about the Red Spider Catastrophe, some civilians who were unable to cross the wilderness began to rob, rape, and even kill in the streets!

If it weren't for the people in the inner city who patrolled regularly, the entire outer city would probably have become a dead zone.

Tai Chi Health Preservation Exercise (Proficient): 90/500

That evening, after Chen Han finished eating the last piece of the strange beast meat, he tried to cultivate his martial arts again, and the progress bar finally stopped at ninety.

On average, one pound of meat can produce thirty skill points in liver.

But once the meat is gone, without meat, one cannot cultivate, and the bones and muscles will stagnate and remodel.

Chen Han originally thought that this amount of flesh would be enough to rebuild his bones and muscles, but this stage was too exhausting in terms of energy and blood. Often, a fistful of flesh was only enough for him to practice Tai Chi health cultivation for two hours.

This is a stark contrast to his previous life in the Chen family.

"Money...sigh, this is difficult."

Chen Han pondered for a moment, but couldn't come up with a good way to make money.

That's true. He's been short of money for so long. If he had a way, he would have thought of it long ago. The last time he had two hundred taels of silver was when he killed someone for Master Xiong and lost an arm.

It's true that no one can get rich without unexpected wealth.

"How about we go find another low-level leader of the Black Mountain Gang and kill him?"

The moment the thought crossed his mind, Chen Han dismissed it. He had already lost an arm to barely kill Xiong Ye, a mere Ming Jin martial artist. If he were unlucky enough to provoke an An Jin master, he would be doomed.

Tai Chi health exercises have indeed brought about tremendous changes in his body, and his tendons, muscles, and bones are approaching the state of a normal person.

But that's not enough, far from enough; it hasn't even reached one-tenth of its pre-injury condition.

Even without a sneak attack, he couldn't possibly defeat a Ming Jin martial artist.

dong dong dong~

A knock on the door made Chen Han's heart skip a beat.

The area outside the city is in chaos right now. He personally witnessed people being stabbed in the street and women being forcibly abducted. Chen Han's family doesn't even dare to leave their house.

"Young Chen, it's time to pay your wedding gift today."

It's the Black Mountain Gang!

Chen Han opened the door, and sure enough, a rough-looking man appeared in front of him.

She had distinct features, prominent cheekbones, and a red blush on her lips, as if she had applied rouge. She was playing with a flower fan in her hand, and her every move exuded a delicate, demure air that made people uncomfortable.

His name is Hou Chun. He was sent by Heishan Town to replace Xiong Ye as the new leader of this area. Although he is not as vicious as Xiong Ye, he is still a ruthless character.

His skill in extracting marrow from bones is not much worse than that of Master Xiong.

If the situation in the city changed, he would become even more ruthless, almost driving people to their deaths.

"My lord, hehehe, didn't we just hand it over a few days ago? You're so busy with affairs of state, perhaps you've forgotten."

Chen Han chuckled sheepishly.

A few days ago, Hou Chun led a group of people to our door to collect a full ten taels of silver! If we didn't pay, they would confiscate our property.

Chen Han had no choice but to empty his pockets to barely raise the money.

Hou Chun's approach was clearly targeted at the problem. He charged a few hundred coins to poor families, while he calculated to charge more to those who were better off, like Chen Han.

We're going to drain his entire fortune!

Moreover, Shen Wuren went to join the army. The pillar of the family for decades left just like that, so the money naturally dwindled.

These past few days, Chen Han hasn't practiced martial arts at all; he's even replaced his wheat flour diet with unpalatable bean rice.

After a few meals, Shen Yue's voice became hoarse, which Chen Han found distressing.

At this moment, the Marquis completely ignored him, bypassed Chen Han and entered the courtyard. A large group of burly men followed him in, including another Ming Jin martial artist!

The Marquis looked around, assessing the family's circumstances, and pondered how to squeeze every last drop out of them.

Most of the soldiers and warriors in the city have gone to hunt down the Red Spider, and they have also sent out a lot of their own men. At present, the city is in a three-way standoff.

The various martial arts schools, led by the Chen family, a family with a long tradition of martial arts training, the powerful and wealthy in the inner city who control martial arts resources, and finally the Black Mountain Gang.

Therefore, although they were short of money, they dared not go too far, at least not like those lowly people who openly robbed in the streets.

"Oh?"

At that moment, Shen Yue came into his line of sight.

"This little girl is so pretty."

He took small steps toward the little girl and examined her closely, while Shen Yue ran behind Chen Han in fear.

Hou Chun suddenly laughed and murmured, "The world is in trouble. Perhaps one day a strange beast will enter the city. Why don't I let this little girl come with me as a concubine? I'll guarantee her safety and a life free from want."

"Fifty taels of silver, how about that?"