My cultivation method shines upon all heavens.

"Oh……"

Immediately, a thought struck him: "Refine it."

In an instant, a deep, resonant bear roar exploded in my mind.

Countless images, information, and insights flooded into my mind like a tidal wave—

In a daze, he became a lowly martial artist from a poor background.

Born in a shanty by the dock, dressed in patched clothes, he worked from a young age carrying stones and unloading cargo at the dock, and logging and chopping firewood in the mountains.

One day, while logging in the deep mountains, he encountered a wild bear.

That beast possessed immense strength, snapping a tree trunk as thick as a bowl in half with a single blow; its skin and flesh were as tough as iron, leaving no mark even when struck by a branch.

He hid behind the tree and watched for the entire afternoon, when suddenly a thought arose in his mind:

If people could be like that, why worry about not being able to survive in this chaotic world?

From that day on, he began to imitate Xiong Zi every day.

Lifting boulders as heavy as mountains, crashing into trees with thunderous force, and forging oneself with iron bones and muscles through self-punishment.

Without the guidance of a renowned teacher or the aid of elixirs, he used the most arduous and painstaking method to repeatedly work his skin, tendons, and flesh against his will.

Having exhausted half his life's efforts, he finally managed to transform his brute strength into a rudimentary set of boxing techniques, barely managing to protect himself and his family's lives...

Tempering the skin, strengthening the tendons, and building the muscles—he walked these three paths slowly and heavily, yet each step was firm and resolute…

At that moment, Lu Ming felt his muscles rapidly expand.

The shoulders, back, arms, waist, and abdomen quickly tightened and filled, and a powerful force, as strong as a mountain, slowly accumulated within the body.

If it weren't for the clothing covering the viewer, this dramatic turn of events would likely have drawn a large crowd of onlookers.

"The Muscle Strengthening Realm... that's it."

He was delighted and looked at the scroll before him; the numbers were already subtly changing.

[Martial Arts: Azure Ox Manual (Mid-grade Spiritual Scripture; Perfected 3300/4000)]

[Martial Arts: White Serpent Crossing (Low-grade Spiritual Scripture; Perfected 3900/4000)]

[Martial Arts: Bear Stance (Unranked; Perfect 300/400)]

[Skill: Crimson Scale Wine (Perfect 2000/4000)]

[Skill: Placenta Wine (Perfect 1600/4000)]

[Skill: Bloodlust Wine (Mastered 2800/3000)]

"The insights gained from the 'Hollow Bear Strength' technique in the Skin Tempering and Tendon Changing stages have actually directly accelerated the progress of the Green Ox Record and the White Snake Crossing... Is it a case of applying the same principle to other situations?"

Lu Ming pondered to himself:

"Moreover, the Heavenly Heart Scroll does indeed have the ability to categorize and organize similar martial arts."

He looked at the words "Fellow cultivators of all heavens: 999999999+" and suddenly realized.

This "Hanging Bear Strength" was created by Shi Hang himself, and given that he had only ever cultivated to the point of building muscle, it was absolutely impossible for it to have spread so widely throughout the myriad realms.

The only explanation is that the Heavenly Heart Scroll categorized all bear-shaped martial arts techniques into the same type.

"Hey, are you going to buy it or not?"

Seeing that Lu Ming was standing there motionless, the stall owner suddenly felt that there seemed to be a subtle change in the aura of the other party, and couldn't help but urge him on.

Lu Ming snapped out of his daze, gently placed the boxing gloves back on the stall, and raised an eyebrow:

"Sorry, I don't want it."

The stall owner was taken aback, then seemed to understand something, and spat fiercely onto the ground:

"Hmph, trying to play hard to get with me? Don't come back begging me if you dare!"

Lu Ming smiled and turned to leave.

Now that he has achieved his goal, he is ready to head home.

He walked along the path to the underworld for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, then, after turning a corner, he suddenly stopped and spoke without turning his head:

"I wonder which brother is trying to rob us?"

After a while, a man in black, also wearing a straw hat, emerged from the shadows around the corner behind him.

He raised his hands in surrender, a hint of a smile in his voice:

"Young Master Lu, please calm down, I mean no harm."

Lu Ming turned around and, using the pale green light of the ghost lamp, glanced at the other person, a hint of surprise in his eyes:

"You're the same stall owner from before. Do you recognize me?"

He finally understood where the other party's confidence in demanding a Spirit Scripture-level martial art came from.

Clearly, the other party had already recognized his identity.

"Hehe, Young Master Lu."

The stall owner took off his straw hat, revealing a square face that appeared honest and simple.

"The martial arts practiced by everyone in the Yin Hu Guard are incredibly diverse, but the smell of alcohol on you is as conspicuous as a beacon in the dark to those who are paying attention."

Lu Ming suddenly realized his mistake and cried out inwardly at his carelessness.

The smell of alcohol on him was impossible to wash off, and in a chaotic place like the night market, it was impossible to hide it.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at the stall owner, and spoke with a hint of amusement:

"Then, may I ask what brings you here with me?"

The stall owner pulled out the stone covered in runes from his pocket, a slightly embarrassed smile spreading across his face:

"Young Master Lu, are you still interested in this? You can take it with just one jar of Zihe wine. I'll provide the brewing ingredients myself; I just ask that you put your skills to good use."

In his excitement, he blurted out the truth:

"I'm not bragging, but this stone is what I used to intercept and kill a martial arts master from a powerful family in Bohai..."

He abruptly covered his mouth halfway through his sentence, a sheepish smile spreading across his face.

Lu Ming remained calm and unconcerned.

Since ancient times, soldiers and bandits have been inseparable, and in this chaotic world, these rogue soldiers can switch roles with ease.

However, the fact that this person knew he could brew Zihe wine clearly indicates that he was no ordinary person.

He narrowed his eyes and stared intently at the other person.

The stall owner seemed to have guessed his thoughts, and forced a fawning smile onto his face:

"I am Chen Rui, a squad leader of the Tiger-Feeding Battalion, and I have some... relationship with Lord Chen Xuan."

Lu Ming suddenly realized.

Looking at Chen Rui's body, his skin was firm and his muscles and bones were relaxed, clearly indicating that he was at a critical stage of the Yi Jin stage, which was why he was so eager to ask for the Zihe wine.

His initial request for a Spiritual Scripture-level martial arts technique was probably just a momentary act of greed; he was just trying to get something out of nothing.

"Alright. For Lord Chen's sake, I agree."

After a moment of contemplation, he slowly nodded.

The stone was, after all, the thing that caused the strange movement in the Heavenly Heart Scroll, so it would be good to take it back and study it.

Moreover, brewing a jar of Zihe wine was just a piece of cake for him.

Chen Rui was overjoyed and casually tossed the stone to Lu Ming:

"I will deliver the medicinal herbs to the winery later. Thank you for your help, Young Master Lu!"

Having said that, he turned and left decisively, disappearing into the night without looking back.

No one knew better than him how highly Chen Xuan regarded Lu Ming's brewing skills.

For him, currying favor with a master distiller was out of the question, but befriending a brewer would be a very worthwhile deal.

Lu Ming took the stone, watched the other person's departing figure, and a smile flickered across his heart:

"Heh, it's definitely better to be in logistics. Brewing wine means resources are delivered right to your door. All this fighting and killing all the time...it's too dangerous."

He tucked the stone into his pocket and walked away.

……

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

As promised, Lu Ming delivered the brewed Zihe wine to Chen Rui, and then focused all his attention on his private brewing.

He filled the gourd he carried with him with the medicinal herbs he bought at the night market and the supplies he had embezzled from the distillery.

Washing the raw materials, steaming, mixing the yeast, controlling the temperature, sealing the jars... every step of the process is infused with the winemaking insights imparted by the Tianxin Tujuan (a traditional Chinese winemaking scroll).

Ultimately, he brewed a beverage that combined the medicinal effects of red scales, purple river, and violent blood.

Strictly speaking, it's not a completely new brewing recipe; it's just that Lu Ming combined the three ingredients using his unique blending techniques.

He named it Crimson Blood Wine.

With the combined aid of Crimson Blood Wine and Body Tempering Pill, his skills improved rapidly over the past seven days, almost all of them reaching perfection.

Furthermore, after the completion of the "Hang Xiong Jin" skill, new options emerged on the "Tian Xin Tu Juan" (Heavenly Heart Scroll):

[In the northern barbarian lands, Shi Hanshan comprehended the low-grade spiritual classic "Giant Bear Body" from the "Barbarian Bear Strength," which can increase muscle strength threefold.]

[Cross-Celestial Dissemination Rate: ★★, Refine?]

In the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Beasts, Xiong Lie comprehended the mid-grade spiritual classic, the "Mysterious Bear Scripture," from the "Fierce Bear Technique." Practicing it can increase one's qi and blood threefold, and muscle density threefold.

[Cross-Celestial Reach: ★★★, Refine?]

[In the Zhenyue Divine Court, True Lord Huangpi comprehended the superior spiritual classic "Shaking Mountain Palm" from the "Bear Strength." Practicing it can increase one's Qi and Blood by three times, muscle strength by three times, and attacks will have an earth-shattering shockwave, increasing damage tenfold.]

[Cross-Celestial Dissemination Rate: ★★★★★, Refine?]

Lu Ming chose the "Shaking Mountain Palm" without hesitation.

The moment of refining, the blood and qi in his body surged and churned like the Yangtze River.

Muscle fibers rearrange, thicken, and strengthen silently.

His body did not become bloated; instead, it became even more solid, like cast iron.

He exuded a calm and dignified aura, and every gesture he made carried an unshakable foundation like a mountain.

He looked at the scroll; the text on it had been completely updated:

[Martial Arts: Azure Ox Manual (Mid-grade Spiritual Scripture; Perfected 4000/4000)]

[Martial Arts: White Serpent Crossing (Low-grade Spiritual Scripture; Perfected 4000/4000)]

[Martial Arts: Shaking Mountain Palm (Superior Spiritual Scripture; Minor Mastery 1500/2000)]

[Skill: Crimson Scale Wine (Perfect 4000/4000)]

[Skill: Placenta Wine (Perfect 4000/4000)]

[Skill: Bloodlust Wine (Perfect 3000/4000)]

Looking at the progress made these past few days, he felt joy, but also a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of mixed emotions, including regret and reflection).

"Is the Earth Book truly so wondrous? Even with the assistance of geniuses from all the heavens and myriad realms, it is impossible to create one?"

Both the Green Ox Record and the White Snake Crossing have been perfected, but they have been unable to develop martial arts at the Earth Book level for a long time.

He couldn't help but yearn for the so-called "treasure raft characteristics," but he also knew that the road ahead would be long.

"Lu Ming, stop daydreaming!"

Fan Wu ran into the distillery, panting heavily:

"Centurion Chen has repeatedly urged you to brew one more jar of Red Scale Wine each day, as the army is already in short supply."

"If possible, brew another jar of Zihe wine every month. He promised that we can name any conditions we want."

Lu Ming looked up, somewhat puzzled:

"What's going on? Wasn't it said that my brewed wine was being boycotted and no one was applying for it?"

A hint of amusement flickered in Fan Wu's eyes:

"Hehe, did you go to the night market and trade a jar of Crimson Scale Wine for something? After that guy took it back, he drank it with his brothers and found that the medicine was very potent, not inferior to a top-grade Blood-Circulating Pill at all."

"And for some reason, a sergeant named Chen Rui is also going around the army boasting that the wine you brew is a rare treasure and has a better cost performance than ordinary pills."

He became increasingly smug as he spoke, his lips curling into a wide smile.

"These past few days, more and more soldiers have been requesting your wine, and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Now, almost everyone who comes to the Tiger Feeding Camp specifically asks for your Crimson Scale Wine... It's infuriating those two old men; their faces have turned green!"

Looking at Fan Wu's smug grin, Lu Ming finally understood the cause and effect.

It was both unexpected and reasonable.

With his current brewing skills, the medicinal wine he produces will naturally have extraordinary effects.

"Hehe, this is interesting."

He smiled slightly, just as he was about to think about what conditions to ask Chen Xuan, when his expression suddenly changed.

"Awooo—!"

The howls of wolves grew louder and louder as they approached.

Immediately, the chaotic sounds of rushing and soldiers' footsteps mingled together, pouring in from the perimeter of the camp, growing closer and louder.