The house is crowded and slightly cramped, with the fire in the stove burning vigorously, the air filled with steam.

Chen Tang felt a bit hot, so he stepped outside to get some air.

The cold wind hit him, his pores opened up, and he instantly felt refreshed.

Chen Tang picked up a wooden stick in the yard and repeatedly practiced the Eight Basic Saber Techniques as much as possible to familiarize himself with them.

No matter how well he practiced the Tiger Subduing Fist, even if he cultivated to the Copper Skin, he was still flesh and blood, unable to catch a blade with bare hands.

The so-called "knife passes without a trace" only works when the opponent doesn't exert force.

If the opponent swung with full force and he couldn't dodge, he'd still end up bleeding and injured.

Quickly mastering a weapon would better defend and protect himself.

Mei Yingxue didn't stay long before getting up to bid farewell.

Upon entering the courtyard, seeing Chen Tang using the stick as a sword and gesturing in mid-air, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Despite facing such a predicament and suffering this calamity, he still hadn't given up, his mind still intent on martial arts training.

This determination and dedication to martial arts far surpassed mine by who knows how much.

But this swordsmanship looks so simple; even if practiced for years, what use does it have?

Besides, his body is still...

Afterwards, I will ask my father if our family's Plum Blossom Pile Technique can be taught to him, maybe it'll help him nurture his body.

If he could recover to 50-60% of before, that would be a blessing.

Mei Yingxue, with a heavy heart, smiled and nodded at Chen Tang, then said goodbye and left.

The chubby old man, unable to show off earlier, was countered by Chen Tang with a sentence; now he was sulking inside the house.

Qingmu saw off Mei Yingxue and also returned inside.

Zhiwei, however, stood in the yard, watching Chen Tang practice his sword techniques, her eyes sparkling with interest.

"Thinking of practicing martial arts?"

Chen Tang noticed Zhiwei's expression and smiled, saying, "You recover first, adjust your body well, eat well until you're chubby, and then train in martial arts once you have a foundation."

Zhiwei had numerous new and old injuries; she was malnourished, skin and bones, weak to the point of not being able to work, let alone train in martial arts.

"Mm."

Zhiwei nodded vigorously.

For some reason, she hesitated, hung her head in indecision for a long while, then looked up and said, "Brother Atang, I actually know a sword move myself. Do you want to learn it? I can teach you."

"Oh?"

Chen Tang found Zhiwei's earnest yet torn look amusing and asked, "You got separated from your family when you were young, where did you learn the swordplay?"

Zhiwei looked perplexed, thought for a long time, then said, "At that time, I hadn't been separated yet. I saw a person at home whose appearance I can't remember clearly, but I remember his very kind smile. He played with me for a long time holding a chopstick."

"Later, while dining with my family, I was playing with that chopstick in the same way as when playing with that person. My mother was shocked and asked me where I learned that sword move from."

"Only then did I know it was a sword move."

Initially, Chen Tang wasn't interested in whatever sword move Zhiwei mentioned.

But hearing this part, a curiosity arose.

Zhiwei said, "Over these years, although I've been wandering, whenever I had the chance, I would find a branch and play a little. I no longer remember that person, but I remember that sword move very clearly."

"Come, let me see what's special about your sword move."

Chen Tang said with a smile, picking up a branch in the yard and handing it to Zhiwei.

With nothing else to do, he might as well play along with Zhiwei, and relax a little.

Zhiwei held the branch across her chest, taking a stance.

"Not bad, not bad."

Chen Tang nodded repeatedly, smiling: "With a sword in hand, you truly carry yourself with an extraordinary air."

Zhiwei caught on that Chen Tang was teasing her and laughed along.

"You can start now."

Chen Tang waited for a while, but Zhiwei remained motionless, leading him to urge her.

Zhiwei blushed and said, "Brother Atang, I can't attack; this sword move is only for defense."

"Haha, that's simple. I'll attack then, be careful!"

Chen Tang chuckled lightly, holding a branch, and according to the striking method in the basic sword techniques, he slowly aimed a chop at the top of Zhiwei's head.

He was worried about hurting Zhiwei, so he swung neither quickly nor with force.

Yet, Zhiwei still didn't budge.

Only when Chen Tang's branch was about to hit her face did Zhiwei take a sidestep, slightly tilting her body, and twisting her wrist, holding her branch to intercept the one in front, pushing it aside!

Chen Tang felt the branch in his hand become somewhat uncontrolled, deflecting to one side.

"Huh?"

Chen Tang looked surprised.

The force transmitted by Zhiwei's sword move was unexpectedly greater than he had imagined!

More importantly, as Chen Tang retracted his branch, recalling Zhiwei's sword form just now, he felt an inability to initiate an attack!

No matter the angle of his strike—chop, slash, thrust, hang, lift, wipe, point, or wrap—it seemed her sword move could fend them all off.

Chen Tang stood in a daze for a moment.

"Your sword move is indeed rather interesting."

It took him a moment, but then Chen Tang expressed his admiration.

"Brother Atang, I'll teach you."

Zhiwei, delighted by Chen Tang's acknowledgment, demonstrated the sword technique several times until Chen Tang thoroughly learned it.

After practicing a while longer, Chen Tang left the house, heading straight to the Three Thousand Snow Ridges.

This descent from the mountain was purely accidental.

He kept the thought of revenge in mind but didn't act rashly to cause trouble with Cui Zhao.

According to Li Junqing and Mei Yingxue, he supposedly had the strength of the Ninth Grade, with a high chance of winning against Cui Zhao.

But, as it slightly contradicted with what the Mountain Guest said, Chen Tang planned to ascend the Snow Mountain to clarify things, bringing bows and swords back with him.

If he truly was a Ninth Grade, wanting to surpass this realm, he had to cultivate the Bone Forging techniques.

Returning once again to the Three Thousand Snow Ridges, Chen Tang already knew the path lightly.

Before it got dark, he had climbed the Snow Mountain Peak to meet the Mountain Guest once more.

Xue Tuan'Er pounced over, playfully growling at him as if scolding him for staying so long in town.

"An unexpected occurrence happened upon descending, which led me back to Changze County."

Chen Tang looked at the Mountain Guest, asking, "Senior, I asked two people in town, both said my current cultivation is at the upper Ninth Grade and that I've achieved the Copper Skin realm."

"These days, indeed I've felt bottlenecked, strength growth being extremely slow."

The Mountain Guest replied, "By Qian Country standards, you do qualify for upper Ninth Grade, but you haven't yet met my standard for you."

"Nanxia divides by realms, Qian Country by grades—essentially similar. Each grade in Qian Country is subdivided into upper and lower levels, but in reality, there's a third realm called the Extreme Realm."

Chen Tang asked curiously, "Extreme Realm?"

The Mountain Guest explained, "You could divide the Ninth Grade into Small Success, Great Success, and Perfection, where the Extreme Realm corresponds to Perfection."

Chen Tang suddenly understood, then asked, "Why aren't the initial divisions instead by Small Success, Great Success, and Perfection?"

"Because reaching the Perfection realm is too difficult to cultivate."

The Mountain Guest continued, "For ordinary people, aiming for Perfection could waste too much time, outweighing its benefits."

"But you, favoured by fortune, possess the Entering the Divine State, along with the Mountain Lord Tiger Milk, Earth and Celestial Ginseng, and Monkey Wine, if you can't cultivate to the Extreme Realm, it would be wasting these treasures and your talents."

Chen Tang pondered and asked, "What features or marks does the Extreme Realm of the Ninth Grade have?"

The Mountain Guest said, "The upper Ninth Grade and Eighth Grade correspond to Copper Skin and Iron Bone, but should you cultivate to the Extreme Realm, you'll further transform and cultivate Ice Skin Jade Bone!"

"Externally, your skin appears no different from normal people's, even more fair and as delicate as a baby's, without any indication of martial arts. But in reality, this is the Extreme Realm, attaining a perfected level of returning to simplicity."

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