Gou Zai Wudao Shi Lian Shen

"A strange beast?"

Lu Chen's eyes flickered slightly, and the teacup in his hand paused gently.

These strange beasts are different from ordinary wild animals.

Nourished by the spiritual energy of mountains and rivers and the essence of herbs, their flesh and blood contain a vitality far exceeding that of ordinary wild beasts.

For warriors who rely on blood essence, the blood essence of exotic beasts is an extremely rare and highly nourishing substance.

If one could refine the essence blood of a mature beast, it would be worth at least dozens of Blood Qi Powders.

It can even help a martial artist who has mastered the Blood Transformation skill to reach the peak of Blood Transformation.

With the martial arts examination approaching in June, various factions will naturally not let such an opportunity pass them by.

Wang Zhong nodded and added, "I encountered several groups of people on the way while I was transporting medicinal herbs."

"Qianhe Martial Arts School, Weiyuan Hall, Huang Family, and some other small families I don't recognize are all sending people into the mountains."

"They say they're gathering herbs, but they're really mostly looking to hunt strange beasts."

"If any family can obtain a piece of the essence blood of a rare beast, their disciple may be able to advance another step before June."

"Move blood from minor success to major success, move blood from major success to the peak."

"Taking this step could very well lead to Wu Ke's success."

Lu Chen asked in detail, "Are there any strange beasts appearing in the herb garden?"

Wang Zhong chuckled and shook his head: "The herb garden is in a remote area, and few exotic beasts visit it. Otherwise, we would have moved long ago!"

Wang Zhong thought for a moment, then said to Lu Chen, "Lu Chen, I've also been sending people from the herb garden into the mountains to try their luck. If they find any trace of strange beasts, I'll let you know."

"If you can hunt one, you can advance further before the martial arts exam!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen nodded and thanked him, "Thank you, Brother Wang."

After Wang Zhong left, Lu Chen continued to practice the Vajra Palm technique.

After achieving a certain level of proficiency, his palms became tough and thick, covered with dark gold calluses. Even a blade couldn't pierce his flesh.

Now, he is just one step away from achieving great success.

He took a deep breath and slowly dipped his hands into the body-tempering liquid prepared by Master Ge Ye.

laugh--

The moment his palms entered the vat, the liquid medicine surged up like boiling oil.

A burning pain, several times stronger than usual, suddenly shot into my palm.

It's like countless red-hot needles piercing the skin and flesh through the palm lines, then drilling inch by inch into the bone crevices along the knuckles, metacarpal bones, and wrist veins.

Lu Chen frowned slightly.

With his current physique, ordinary knife and fist wounds would hardly make him change color, but this palm-training medicine was not an external injury, but rather burned from the palm into the bone.

He did not withdraw his hand.

Instead, he slowly closed his eyes and activated his Qi and blood according to the Qi and blood circulation diagram of the Vajra Palm, using the medicinal liquid to temper his palm.

The body's Qi and blood flow like a great river.

Strands of blood and energy flowed from the shoulders and back into the arms, then down the wrists and into the palms.

The medicinal properties are like fire, and the qi and blood are like a furnace.

The two bones meet between the metacarpals, instantly intensifying the pain.

Lu Chen felt as if his palms were being repeatedly forged in a blacksmith's furnace.

The skin and flesh swelled, the fascia tightened, and a slight tingling and stinging sensation came from the finger bones.

He gritted his teeth and repeatedly circulated his qi and blood according to the method of the Vajra Palm.

Palm, back of hand, knuckles, wrist bones.

No detail is overlooked.

Time passed little by little.

The dark golden liquid in the medicine jar gradually faded, while Lu Chen's forehead was bulging with veins and he was sweating profusely.

His palms were red and swollen, with dark gold calluses covering them like a thick layer of armor. However, under the continuous erosion of the medicine, the calluses began to crack open piece by piece.

The crack revealed newly formed skin and flesh underneath.

The skin was not the usual blood color, but rather had a faint golden sheen.

The old cocoon falls off, and a new skin grows.

Immediately, a familiar transparent light screen appeared before his eyes:

【Mighty Vajra Palm: Mastery】

[Progress: 1/1000]

Lu Chen's eyes brightened slightly as he looked at his hands.

The skin and flesh of the palm are smooth and thick, the old calluses have been completely removed, the new palm lines are deep and clear, the knuckles are like iron, and the metacarpal bones are strong.

An unprecedented sense of power emanated from my hands.

It was as if he could shatter swords with a single palm strike if he so desired.

Now, his hands are no less than deadly weapons.

a few days later.

The sky was overcast, with a thin layer of dark clouds pressing down over Chixia County.

"Lu Gongfeng!"

Wang Qinian hurriedly entered the courtyard, his expression somewhat strange.

"There's a boy from the mountains who says he's from your village and insists on seeing you."

Lu Chen was sitting at the stone table wiping the medicine off his palms when he heard this, and paused in his actions.

"From the same village?"

He looked up. "What's your name?"

"Lu Yuan."

Upon hearing the name, Lu Chen's eyes flickered, and he immediately stood up.

"Bring him in."

Before long, a dusty boy was brought into the backyard.

The boy was pale, covered in sweat, and had bloody scratches on his forehead from tree branches. His eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating that he had run all the way from the mountains without daring to rest.

He was Lu Yuan, who lived in the same village as Lu Chen.

They were once selected by the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School to leave Lujia Village and learn martial arts at the school.

Three months later, Lu Yuan failed the martial arts school's assessment and was eliminated, returning to the mountains.

"Brother Lu Chen!"

Lu Yuan's eyes instantly reddened when he saw Lu Chen.

He rushed forward and knelt down with a thud.

"Brother Lu Chen, please save my father!"

Lu Chen's expression changed, and he quickly reached out to help him up, asking with concern:

"Lu Yuan, what happened?"

"Get up and speak!"

"What happened to Uncle Lu Qiao?"

Lu Yuan hurriedly replied, "My father has been kidnapped by the people from Qianhe Martial Arts School!"

Lu Chen's eyes suddenly turned cold, and at the same time, he was somewhat puzzled:

"Qianhe Martial Arts School?"

Why did they arrest Uncle Lu Qiao?

Lu Yuan organized his thoughts and explained in detail: "A few days ago, people from the Thousand Crane Martial Arts School came to Lu Family Village."

"They said that strange beasts had been spotted in Chixia Mountain, and they needed to find a hunter familiar with the mountain paths to guide them."

"They initially promised to give us money."

"But my father refused to go when he heard it was about chasing strange beasts."

"He said that thing was too dangerous; even martial arts practitioners might not survive if they encountered it, and ordinary hunters would just be throwing their lives away."

"result……"

As Lu Yuan spoke, he clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palms.

"Then they made their move."

"A martial artist from the Qianhe Martial Arts School kicked my father over in front of everyone in the village."

"They even said my dad wouldn't listen to reason and would have to suffer the consequences."

"In the end, they forcibly dragged my father away and forced him to lead the way into the mountains."

Lu Chen's face darkened, his eyes blazing with anger: "This is outrageous!"

Lu Yuan's shoulders trembled violently as he pleaded, "Brother Lu Chen, I know you're capable now."

"Now that you've become the patron of Wang's Yam Shop, even the martial arts masters in the city are no match for you."

"Please, please think of something to save my father!"

"The poisonous insects and miasma in the deep mountains are deadly."

"That strange beast is even more dangerous; even a Blood Transporter would have a slim chance of survival if they encountered it."

"They sent my dad, who has never practiced martial arts, to the front to scout ahead. Isn't that just sending him to his death?"

Lu Chen reached out and pressed down on Lu Yuan's trembling shoulder, his gaze firm yet cold: "Don't worry, Lu Yuan."

"I'll figure something out; I'll definitely rescue Uncle Lu Qiao!"