Chen Sanshi hadn't expected Fat Wang to have such a past.
Thinking about it now, though—how had someone stuck at the tempering bone stage become a general commanding ten thousand men?
Had his cultivation fallen?
As if reading his thoughts, Wang Zhi gave a bitter laugh. "This dog's life is still here, sure… but I'm basically crippled. My meridians and internal organs are ruined. Unless a god descends to heal me, I'll be stuck at the perfection stage of tempering bone for the rest of my life. No progress. Forget about ever returning to what I was."
So he really had fallen in cultivation.
Was that why he'd sunk into this lazy, greedy state?
No—not exactly.
Truth be told, despite his shady reputation for squeezing money out of people, Chen Sanshi had never seen Wang Zhi actually spend any of it. The man freeloaded meals wherever he could, scammed martial halls out of food and drink, and was now so notorious that every young master in town avoided him on sight.
Maybe… he'd been saving all that money to buy medicine and heal himself.
As they spoke, Wang Zhi's emotions gradually steadied.
He forced a smile. "I only taught you those techniques because, deep down, I still wanted to do something for Master. But it seems I'll never see him again. Still, as long as you're in Poyang, if you ever need me—just say the word."
Chen Sanshi didn't offer any empty comfort. They were both men. He just patted Wang Zhi's shoulder and took his leave.
After learning the secret history of the fifty-seventh year of the Yongchang Era, his desire to grow stronger burned hotter than ever.
Even Grand Commander Sun—someone of unmatched might—had once been too weak to protect his own son.
But once he'd reached beyond the Martial Saint realm, he'd been able to spear an imperial minister to death right in front of the emperor—and no one dared touch him.
In this world, strength was everything.
"Time to push harder," Chen Sanshi murmured.
At his current pace, in ten days or half a month at most, he could break through the tempering bones stage.
When he returned home, Sun Li and her brother were sitting in the courtyard.
"Elder Sister," Sun Buqi was still fuming, "why didn't you let me kill that bastard Tang?"
"What happened back then was indeed hateful," Sun Li said calmly, her eyes dark and unreadable. "But if it were you or me in his place—what choice would we have made?"
Her tone softened. "Instead of dwelling on the past, focus on your cultivation. Look at your little junior brother—he's guarding the Great Wall every day and still doesn't slack off. I'm sure his strength has improved again."
"Yeah, but he's got that Nine-Dragon Body. How could I ever compare?" Sun Buqi threw up his hands. "If anything, Elder Sister, you should be the one working harder. You're the Fire Lotus Martial Body—you've got a real chance."
"Fire Lotus Martial Body?"
Chen Sanshi seized the chance to ask. "I've heard of different martial bodies, but I don't really understand them. Could you explain it to me, Senior Sister?"
Among the Eight Great Garrisons, many extraordinary talents existed—it couldn't just be the Grand Commander and his late son. But with how isolated Poyang County was, Chen Sanshi didn't have reliable sources of information.
Sun Buqi grinned slyly. "Guess how long my sister's been practicing martial arts?"
Normally, martial artists started basic training around twelve, then began formal cultivation around fifteen.
Training too young could harm the body; this world's martial path demanded immense physical endurance.
Sun Li looked about nineteen, but Gu Xinlan had once mentioned she hadn't always liked martial training. Since Sun Buqi was teasing her like this, it probably hadn't been long.
Chen Sanshi ventured, "A year?"
Sun Buqi couldn't hold back his pride. "Exactly one year! The Fire Lotus Martial Body—also called the Innate Blade Body—grows fast with blade techniques.
"A year ago, my sister first picked up a blade. Now, one year later, she's at the perfection stage of tempering bone—almost at tempering organs.
"Still not as fast as you, though.
"There are a few people in the Eight Great Garrisons who can match you, but not many.
"For example, our eldest senior brother—the Primordial Body type. He reached tempering organs in six months, then transformation within one year.
"But cultivation speed isn't just about body type—it's also about comprehension.
"We've got one senior brother with an incredible physique but a dull mind. Theoretically, he could've reached tempering organs in seven months, but because he couldn't understand the manuals, it took him a full year and a half.
"Another senior brother had a weaker body type, but sharp insight—he reached tempering organs in eight months instead of one year.
"Comprehension is comprehension, physique is physique—they're not the same thing."
Chen Sanshi nodded thoughtfully.
That matched his own view. His cultivation speed was fast—he was talented—but he was far from the realm of "peerless genius." Within Poyang County, sure, he stood at the top. But across the whole Great Sheng Dynasty? Not even close.
Maybe it was because his body type wasn't complete.
Others had full, singular physiques.
But he didn't.
The Blood of the Dragon and Elephant, the Nine Dragons Tempering the Tendons—clearly, those were mismatched traits.
They definitely boosted cultivation speed, but without forming a complete physique, they couldn't compare to a pure, unified body type.
And on top of that, Chen Sanshi also had the Reading skill's Seven Orifices of Wisdom, plus the help of spiritual grain—no wonder his cultivation had advanced so fast.
When all was said and done, he was still a frog in a well, seeing only a corner of the sky.
Leaving Poyang County—that would be the real start of the world.
"Senior Brother Buqi," Chen Sanshi cupped his hands. "Earlier, your spearwork was extraordinary. Would you be willing to give me a few pointers?"
When sparring, it was best to pick someone whose cultivation wasn't too far apart.
The gap between him and Sun Li was too big.
But Sun Buqi had mastered the tempering bone stage—just one level higher. That made him the perfect partner.
"You sure about that?" Sun Buqi smirked, full of confidence. "I'll admit you're better than me with the bow, but your spear? No way it's on my level!"
They headed to the training field and picked a wide open space.
Sun Buqi saluted first. "You practice the Undying Golden Serpent Spear. I practice the Flying Serpent Sweeps the Wind Spear. Mine's faster—so watch yourself."
The next moment—
His spear lunged out like a black serpent taking flight, its tip striking so fast it blurred through the air.
"Good spear!"
Chen Sanshi had already seen Sun Buqi's fight with Wang Zhi before, so he was ready, yet the attack still came faster than he'd expected.
After all, this was the Sun family's young master.
Even if he acted lazy day to day, his talent couldn't be bad.
Thankfully, Chen Sanshi had the Blood of the Dragon and Elephant and the Nine Dragons Tempering the Tendons.
His strength didn't lose out in the slightest, and his speed barely kept up.
But as always, his approach was simple—if he didn't lose at the start, then he had a good chance of winning.
The sound of weapons slicing through the air echoed nonstop across the training field, forcing everyone within dozens of meters to stay far back.
"Is that the Undying Golden Serpent Spear?"
Sun Buqi's confidence quickly melted away.
He'd thought that with his superior technique and higher cultivation, he could finish the match within fifteen exchanges at worst.
Yet after twenty exchanges, he still hadn't won.
His opponent might have seemed a bit slower, but each time, Chen Sanshi perfectly matched and neutralized his attacks—no gaps, no flaws.
"I don't believe it!"
Sun Buqi roared, pushing his spearwork even harder. His moves grew faster, sharper, more chaotic.
Normally, this was when Chen Sanshi would seize an opening and counterattack.
But today, he wasn't fighting to win. He was keeping his qi and blood at their peak, pushing his body's rhythm to refine his spear control, to deepen his mastery.
During the fight, he could feel it clearly.
The Nine-Dragon Tendons absorbed the Dragon and Elephant's blood power, tempering his bones and tendons through that constant clash. Two different body traits blending and grinding together—he couldn't yet tell what they would finally become.
"Junior Brother, see? You still can't beat me!"
Sun Buqi's panic had turned to relief. For a moment, he'd thought Chen Sanshi might actually beat him across realms—but now that the tide steadied, his fighting spirit reignited.
"This idiot…"
Only Sun Li, watching from the side, saw what was really happening—her brother was being completely led around by Chen Sanshi's rhythm.
…
"Wait—how long has that kid been training, and he can already trade blows with the Sun family's young master?"
Nearby, Prefect Ji Guangxian had stopped to watch. He wasn't a martial man, so he couldn't see the deeper flow of the match, but the sight still impressed him. He turned to his bodyguard. "What's your read? Did I underestimate him?"
"They say he has the Nine-Dragon Body," the guard answered bluntly. "If nothing goes wrong, he'll at least reach the rank of garrison commander—leading ten thousand troops."
A full garrison commander—one of the elite generals of the frontier armies.
"Oh?" Ji Guangxian stroked his beard thoughtfully. "If that's the case, keeping him under me might really be a waste of talent.
"But… if I were to present him to Lord Gao of the Ministry of War—or even to His Highness the Crown Prince—wouldn't that be a fine merit to my name?"
"That might be difficult," the guard said carefully. "From what I can tell, he's dead set on joining the Eight Great Garrisons."
"This boy's still young—too naïve."
Ji Guangxian drawled, his tone half amused, half scheming. "The Elephant Sect grows old, and His Majesty ages by the day. In the end, this world will belong to the Crown Prince!
"Explain the situation properly—once he understands what's at stake, how could a smart man like him refuse?
"Besides, if he joins me, the Ji family's ancestral secret medicines will be at his disposal. No need to risk his life in the army for paltry rewards."
"Yes, my lord."
The guard bowed deeply. "I'll give it a try."