"Mmph! Mmph!"

  "Shut up! Why are you making noise?"

  "Mm sss gohhnngg…"

  Senior Sister was fierce. Overbearing.

  She had Han pinned down, giving him no room to resist.

  But Han started struggling—because their current position was… far too questionable.

  Bai Ruoyue had one arm locked around his neck and the other clamped over his mouth, while he was tilted backward, with her leaning over his face.

  What the hell is this?

  Yet, the more Han struggled, the more excited Bai Ruoyue became.

  Instead of letting him go, she pressed down even harder, pinning him in place.

  In the end, Han gave up.

  He was just a small-time Meridian Realm martial artist.

  His arms and legs weren’t strong enough to fight back against Senior Sister.

  What else could he do?

  Nothing.

  Absolutely nothing.

  Tired. Might as well accept my fate.

  "Hmph!" Bai Ruoyue smirked victoriously, standing tall like a conqueror.

  "No matter how fast you progress, you’re still not my match."

  "I can crush you effortlessly!"

  "Ahem."

  A sudden cough echoed behind her.

  Bai Ruoyue’s expression froze.

  She turned her head.

  "AH! Father!"

  She jumped in shock.

  At some point, Bai Tian had arrived.

  "And what, exactly… are you two doing?" Bai Tian asked, his voice calm, but heavy.

  Bai Ruoyue glanced at her ‘weak and helpless’ Junior Brother in her arms.

  Her face immediately turned bright red—like a ripe apple.

  She sprang to her feet so fast that Han nearly fell over.

  Luckily, his core strength was excellent, and he managed to stay upright.

  But his expression was one of pure despair.

  Damn it. Caught by Master.

  "Ruoyue. Come with me." Bai Tian said seriously before turning to leave.

  "You just HAD to yell, didn’t you?"

  Bai Ruoyue shot Han a murderous glare.

  Then—BAM, BAM!

  She landed two solid punches on him before storming after her father without another word.

  This time, she really used force.

  Han winced in pain.

  What do you mean, ‘why did I yell’?! You were the one doing that to me! I’m the victim here!

  I struggled. You got excited. That’s why things turned out like this!

  Just as Bai Ruoyue was about to leave the room, she suddenly stopped, turned back, and glared at Han.

  Her voice was deadly serious.

  "What happened today… not. A. Word."

  "If you say anything—I’ll kill you!"

  Han sighed dramatically.

  "I’ve been bullied…"

  "YOU STILL DARE TO SPEAK?!"

  Bai Ruoyue’s face burned even redder.

  She fled the room immediately.

  Han let out another deep sigh.

  Whose fault was this?

  …No one's.

  Actually—

  Let’s just blame Brother Shu for everything.

  Yes. All Brother Shu’s fault.

  One day, he was definitely going to chop that tree down.

  Still, being told to keep quiet about what happened…

  Han frowned in thought.

  That phrase… sounded familiar.

  Someone else had told him something very similar before.

  Han thought for a moment—then realization struck.

  Oh no.

  Not again.

  —

  He Feng was beaming with joy, surrounded by fellow disciples.

  After days of relentless training, his efforts had finally paid off—he had broken through to the Greater Meridian Realm, catching up to Su Changan.

  For any martial artist, a breakthrough was a momentous occasion—a milestone in their life’s journey.

  Bai Tian, as his teacher, was proud.

  One by one, his disciples were proving themselves.

  His greatest regret in life was fading.

  As long as he could guide them all to a level where they could stand on their own, he would have no more regrets.

  And in the world of martial arts, the standard for "graduation" was reaching the Bone Refinement Realm—a universally recognized milestone.

  Even in the great sects, disciples who reached Bone Refinement were considered full-fledged warriors.

  They could either take on leadership roles within the sect or be sent out into the world to carry out important duties.

  A Bone Refinement warrior held status wherever they went.

  Of course, in smaller towns and sects, where the strongest fighters were merely Viscera Realm warriors, expecting them to reach Bone Refinement was unrealistic.

  The atmosphere was warm, lively—until Bai Tian noticed Han was missing.

  "Where’s your Junior Brother?" Bai Tian asked.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Bai Ruoyue’s eyes flickered—but for once, she said nothing.

  "Junior Brother is probably still training," Shen Yu answered.

  Bai Tian nodded and focused his senses.

  Martial artists didn’t cultivate their souls, but through martial training, their spirit and will naturally grew stronger.

  At higher levels, their spiritual energy could be harnessed just like a cultivator’s mental force.

  Some martial techniques even required spiritual power to be fully mastered.

  Bai Tian’s expression suddenly changed—his eyes filled with joy.

  "Today is truly a day of double celebration."

  "What do you mean?" Bai Ruoyue asked.

  "Come," Bai Tian said, leading the way.

  —

  Han was alone, training in a secluded corner.

  He moved like a serpentine beast, flexible yet unyielding.

  With each punch and kick, powerful gusts of air erupted around him.

  Upon closer inspection, beneath his skin, something stirred—as if dragons were writhing within his flesh and bones.

  Their forms glowed faintly blue, tough and powerful—his very tendons had transformed.

  Tendons like dragon sinews.

  Within his body, his meridians expanded.

  His qi surged like a raging river, roaring with unstoppable momentum.

  The sound of crashing waves filled the air, as if his energy itself could be heard.

  To Bai Tian and the others, a phantom image appeared behind Han.

  A towering black mist churned like an endless sea.

  Two glowing eyes pierced through the darkness.

  A sea-overturning demonic dragon loomed within the haze, radiating terrifying, ancient power.

  Aside from Bai Tian and Bai Ruoyue, the others felt an overwhelming pressure settle over them.

  Suddenly—

  Han’s body coiled—then snapped like a bowstring.

  "TWANG!"

  A piercing sound rang through the air, shaking the ground.

  Even the leaves of a nearby tree trembled before falling in waves, while several branches snapped clean off.

  Then came a low, guttural dragon’s roar—a sound that struck deep into the soul.

  For a brief moment, it felt as if they had been transported back to the ancient world, where demonic beasts ruled the earth.

  Tendons like bowstrings. Meridians like rivers.

  Greater Meridian Realm—achieved!

  Han stood still for a long moment before exhaling slowly and turning to face them.

  "Congratulations to Senior Brother He Feng on his breakthrough."

  He Feng’s physical strength had clearly improved significantly overnight.

  Even though he hadn’t been told, he immediately realized that He Feng had broken through.

  He Feng smiled wryly.

  "Compared to you, my little breakthrough is nothing…"

  The excitement of his own achievement suddenly felt… less important.

  —

  "Impressive, impressive," Su Changan sighed.

  "Junior Brother is now on par with us."

  "Only Senior Sister and Second Brother are still ahead of him."

  Shen Long forced a bitter laugh.

  "Don’t include me. I don’t deserve that title."

  "The only one who can hold Junior Brother down now is Senior Sister."

  Bai Ruoyue's eyes twitched.

  Especially at the words "hold him down."

  "Who wants to suppress him?"

  Bai Ruoyue scoffed, though the events of three days ago were still fresh in her mind, lingering like an unresolved grievance.

  Han, however, simply flashed her a smile—and just like that, a faint blush crept up her face.

  Oh? Blushing, are we?

  Bai Tian noticed everything and immediately spoke.

  "You’ve reached the Greater Meridian Realm. Once you refine your strength to its peak, you’ll be ready to begin training for the Viscera Realm."

  "The Viscera Realm requires tempering the five internal organs with martial techniques and qi. This process is extremely delicate—you must proceed with utmost caution."

  "The viscera are nothing like the skin, muscles, or tendons—they are fragile. If you are careless during refinement, you could permanently damage them, severely depleting your vitality."

  "In the worst case, it could cripple your martial path or even cut your life short."

  "At this stage, do not rush—focus on stability above all else."

  Bai Tian’s tone was serious, addressing not only Han but everyone else as well.

  Han would be the first to reach the Viscera Realm, but the others weren’t far behind.

  Han nodded—he fully understood the gravity of this step.

  His knowledge from his previous life made him well aware of just how crucial the five viscera were.

  Compared to injuries to the skin or tendons, internal organ damage was on an entirely different level.

  These organs were simply too vital.

  "This stage of cultivation must be approached carefully," Bai Ruoyue agreed.

  "Even under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t expect to fully refine my viscera until I’m twenty."

  Bai Ruoyue had reached the Viscera Realm at sixteen.

  It had taken her four years to complete two realms of training.

  But now, she expected it would take another four years to fully refine her viscera.

  Even with her talent, the difficulty of this stage was undeniable.

  Of course, that was before.

  Now, with the treasures they had obtained from Black Mountain, Bai Ruoyue’s progress would definitely accelerate—she wouldn’t have to wait until twenty anymore.

  But still, her talent was unparalleled in Black Cloud Town.

  Han thought to himself:

  Master Bai reached the Visceral Realm at nineteen, making him one of the top geniuses in town.

  But that was still within the realm of ‘normal genius.’

  Bai Ruoyue, though?

  She was on a whole different level—absolute domination.

  Han sighed internally.

  At eighteen, he was nowhere near as strong as Bai Ruoyue had been at eighteen.

  But he had already thought this through—one day, when his name was carved into the Heaven and Earth Mortal Ranking, Bai Ruoyue's status would skyrocket just because she was connected to him.

  One day, people would say:

  "Zhou Tianjun? Meh, nothing special. If we all went back to when we were eighteen, I could crush him with just one finger."

  And it would sound incredibly badass.

  Han had been staring at Bai Ruoyue for a while now.

  She suddenly glared at him and turned away sharply.

  "Junior Brother," He Feng laughed, "with your current level, you could start teaching the apprentices now."

  "You must’ve heard—they worship you."

  Han shook his head.

  "I’ve only been training in martial arts for two months. I’d rather not mislead them."

  In these two months, Han had absorbed all the foundational knowledge he needed.

  He could train himself just fine.

  But teaching others?

  Absolutely not.

  He Feng and the others had been studying martial arts for years—they were highly skilled in the techniques taught to the apprentices.

  Teaching came naturally to them.

  But being talented didn't automatically make someone a good teacher.

  Bai Tian, however, offered a different perspective.

  "If you have time, you should give it a try."

  "Guiding others is also a form of martial cultivation. It will force you to view the path from a different perspective—and you may uncover insights you hadn’t considered before."

  "But for now, focus primarily on your own training."

  Han nodded.

  Maybe, one day, when he unlocked a ‘Martial Arts Grandmaster’ cheat ability, he’d start teaching others.

  But if that didn’t happen…

  Forget it.

  —

  That night, when Lu Qingmo heard about Han’s breakthrough, she merely nodded and offered a few words of praise—nothing more.

  By now, she had been shocked so many times that a mere breakthrough barely registered.

  Thinking about it carefully, it had already been almost a month since his last breakthrough.

  This was completely reasonable.

  If she kept getting surprised every time, wouldn’t that make her, a disciple of Xuandu Temple, seem like she lacked experience?

  Instead, she changed the topic.

  "Regarding the ambush you encountered, Elder Ye has sent his response."

  "So far, no definitive leads. But after reviewing the details, Elder Ye agrees that something is off—someone is clearly betraying us from within."

  "He will continue investigating the team that was responsible for inspecting the counties."

  "He also wanted me to pass on his apologies—this may take time, but he will find the traitor."

  Han frowned slightly, then shook his head.

  "Elder Ye is too kind. This isn’t his fault."

  This outcome wasn’t unexpected.

  It was obvious that someone had colluded with the Celestial Mother Sect—but the Iron Brothers’ memories hadn’t contained any direct evidence of the traitor’s identity.

  Even they hadn’t known.

  Their only clue had been the paired tracking artifact.

  But magical tools like that were easy to destroy.

  Anyone who had survived for this long as an infiltrator would know how to cover their tracks.

  Tracking down the traitor wouldn’t be easy.

  Han, of course, suspected Sun Tong and his accomplice.

  He was almost certain it was them.

  But his suspicions alone weren’t enough.

  He couldn’t just go to Elder Ye and say:

  "I think those two are shady, and they touched my horse. That’s enough reason to kill them and search their souls."

  That wasn’t how things worked.

  —

  While Han was still in the martial hall, he suddenly sensed a fluctuation from within his spatial pouch.

  His spiritual awareness extended inside—and to his surprise, it was the token given to him by the Shrimp and Crab Generals.

  "They’re trying to contact me?"

  Han raised an eyebrow.

  He hadn’t expected this thing to be capable of two-way communication.

  He immediately headed toward Cloud River, activating his omniscient perspective to locate the Shrimp and Crab Generals.

  But to his surprise—

  He also saw the Dragon Maiden’s profile appear.

  Oh.

  So she was the one looking for him.

  When Han arrived, the Dragon Maiden greeted him with a radiant smile.

  "Sir Zhou, we meet again."

  Han returned her greeting before asking:

  "What brings you to me today?"

  "I just came from Black Mountain and happened to pass by Black Cloud Town—so I thought I’d stop by to see you," she said with a smile.

  "Also, tonight, there will be a Water Origin Gathering. Would you be interested in attending?"

  Water Origin Gathering?

  Han frowned slightly and asked what it was.

  "Every so often, the water essence from Cloud River and the surrounding lakes converges, forming a mystical domain where Water Origin Treasures are born."

  "During this time, countless aquatic races gather, each competing for these treasures with their own methods."

  "Additionally, it’s a grand occasion where creatures from all over the Five Lakes and Four Seas come together to trade and exchange goods."

  "If you’re interested, I’d be happy to take you there."

  Han pondered for a moment.

  A gathering filled with rare treasures?

  He was very tempted.

  Especially since one of the items was the Holy Water of Life—which could protect the viscera during refinement.

  Not to mention, his cheat ability refreshed tomorrow.

  This might be the perfect chance to use it.

  But first…

  Better call Aunt Yun and ask.