Becoming a god by following the natural order and seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Chapter 18 Tempering Muscles and Bones!

Armed forces camp, drill ground.

As night fell, only a few torches crackled and burned on the sidelines, illuminating a figure standing as still as a pine tree in the center.

Chen Sheng was in the most difficult and obscure "Mysterious Cover Stance" of the "Golden Bell Body Forging Method", his posture was strange, but his blood and qi surged like an undercurrent.

Four days have quietly passed since Wu Kuang officially took office as the magistrate of Changshan County.

Chen Sheng was appointed as the commander of the northern city's military forces, holding the rank of ninth grade.

However, although the appointment was made, he did not take up his post immediately. Instead, he devoted himself to cultivation. After nearly two months of uninterrupted hard work, coupled with the continuous supply of resources such as Qi and Blood Pills, he finally ushered in a moment of harvest.

[Basic knife skills perfected (25/2000)]

[Golden Bell Body Tempering Method, Minor Success (496/500)]

[The Secret Technique of Fishing for Toads (Minor Success) (2/500)]

[Minor Mastery of the Three Ultimate Demon-Slaying Sword Techniques (36/500)]

My self-created basic knife skills have been completely mastered.

This sword technique, which originated from battlefield combat and was refined and summarized by him through countless trials, has no fancy moves, but it is powerful and versatile, combining offense and defense, and has no weaknesses.

Using this solid foundation as a springboard, his understanding of the way of the sword reached new heights.

This is why he was able to make such rapid progress in practicing the "Three Ultimate Sword Techniques for Subduing Demons" bestowed by Wu Kuang.

This sharp sword technique, obtained from Buddhism, is perfectly suited to his Buddhist body-forging skills. Although he has only been practicing it for a short time and has not yet achieved true mastery, the fierce sword intent it contains—to slay evil spirits and move forward without hesitation—has already begun to take shape and is incredibly powerful.

What delighted him even more was that he had finally mastered the secret technique of "Fishing for Toads" and even broke through to the minor mastery level in one fell swoop!

Although he had only just begun to master the technique, he could already clearly feel its subtle and profound effects on him—it was fundamentally improving his physical constitution and even making his blood circulation and internal energy condensation faster than before.

The only thing that made him feel that the progress was a little slow was the "Golden Bell Body Forging Method".

Even though he was diligent and never slacked off, he was still just one step away from breaking through to the "Great Completion" realm, and that was the crux of the problem that prevented him from taking up his post in Beicheng.

He knew perfectly well that the North City Military Camp was a deeply entrenched and dangerous place, full of arrogant soldiers and troublemakers planted by local forces.

[Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune] The heavenly book has also clearly warned: At the beginning of his tenure, some people were very dissatisfied with his sudden rise to power as an outsider and deliberately provoked him, wanting to give him a hard time and embarrass him.

His next task was to stir up trouble in the murky waters of Beicheng and implement Wu Kuang's will, which allowed no room for error.

He needs to use overwhelming strength and overwhelming force to completely subdue, cleanse, and reorganize the Northern City Martial Camp!
All of this is predicated on breaking through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage—the Bone Forging Realm! Only by completing this physical transformation and experiencing a surge in strength can one possess the confidence to suppress everything.

Therefore, he remained exceptionally calm and composed, unmoved by any external storms, and focused entirely on overcoming the bottleneck.

Fortunately, the practice of the "Golden Bell Body Forging Method" has reached its final stage.

He predicted that he would succeed as early as tonight, or at the latest tomorrow!

That will be the time when he draws his sword and reveals his full brilliance.

Furthermore, through the sporadic hints from the "Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune" celestial book over the past few days, he had roughly figured out Yang Hu's current situation and thoughts. This person had indeed developed considerable ambitions, but had no intention of betraying the Seven Star Gang, and his deep-seated hatred for the Seven Star Gang was genuine.

As for Yang Hu's opinion on "Chen Sheng", it is quite complicated.

His attitude was a mixture of disdain stemming from past impressions and the affection and respect he had accumulated over the years for his former master. These conflicting emotions made his attitude appear somewhat contradictory.

Chen Sheng could understand this after a little thought; if he were in that situation, he would probably do the same.

After all, the last impression Yang Hu left on the original owner was that of a sickly scholar who needed protection. In this world where martial prowess reigns supreme, it was already remarkable that Yang Hu, who had been tempered by the blood and fire of gangs for several months after losing the pressure of his father, did not directly harbor any malicious intentions.

Moreover, he might be involved in the secrets of a "treasure".

Unfortunately, the Heavenly Book of Good Fortune and Avoidance of Misfortune has not provided any clear guidance regarding this "treasure" to date, and neither the methods of seeking good fortune nor avoiding misfortune have yielded any results.

It seems that either the opportunity for the future has not yet been triggered, or... that warm jade is indeed nothing special.

"Commander." Just as Chen Sheng was focused on circulating his qi and blood, Yan Ming's voice rang out from the side, carrying a hint of anxious anticipation.

"Hmm." Chen Sheng didn't open his eyes, he just responded with a sound.

"Commander, when exactly do you plan to take up your post?"

Yan Ming finally couldn't hold back and spoke a few words faster: "You don't know, those people in the North City Camp have become even more arrogant and domineering since you haven't arrived for so long! They not only ostracized the brothers we brought, but also... they spread rumors everywhere, saying that you... saying that you are afraid of the two deputy commanders in the camp and dare not show your face!"

He became increasingly angry as he spoke, almost venting all the frustration he had accumulated over the past few days.

Unlike Chen Sheng's composure, Yan Ming and his thirty-odd old subordinates assigned to the North City Martial Camp have been living like they're in a year these past few days. At first, they were somewhat wary of Chen Sheng, but when they saw that he never showed up, they became even more unscrupulous, and as a result, they suffered a lot of exclusion and contempt.

This was not the first time he had come to plead with Chen Sheng.

He knew that with Chen Sheng's strength, he could definitely overpower the two deputy commanders, and he couldn't understand why the commanders had been holding back.

"understood."

Chen Sheng's voice remained calm and unwavering: "You may go back first. Tomorrow, I will go to take up my post."

Upon hearing this, Yan Ming was first taken aback, then overjoyed, as if he had instantly found his pillar of support, and quickly bowed:

"Yes! I'll take my leave! I'll go back and tell the brothers right away!"

The footsteps faded into the distance, and the training ground returned to silence.

Chen Sheng focused his attention once again entirely on the surging blood and qi within his body and on that thin yet resilient bottleneck.

[Golden Bell Body Tempering Method, Minor Success (497/500)]

……

[Golden Bell Body Tempering Method, Minor Success (498/500)]

……

[Golden Bell Body Tempering Method, Minor Success (499/500)]

By this time, the night was deep and the bright moon hung high in the sky.

Seeing that the progress was just one step away from perfection, Chen Sheng calmed his mind and skillfully took out a blood-red pill the size of a longan from his pocket and put it into his mouth.

The pill melted instantly upon entering the mouth, and a scorching yet incredibly pure medicinal power exploded forth, surging like a tidal wave into every part of the body!
Chen Sheng dared not delay and immediately set up the "Mysterious Shield Stance" again, guiding the powerful medicinal force, combined with his own boiling blood and qi, to launch an attack on the final barrier.

An hour later.

Chen Sheng's accumulated qi and blood had reached their peak, like boiling lava! A rich bronze luster flowed continuously over his skin, becoming increasingly deep and restrained, as if refined steel was undergoing its final forging.

The progress bar, which had been stagnant for so long, finally jumped slightly—

[Mastery of the Golden Bell Body Forging Method (1/1000)]

boom!
It was like a dam bursting, or a volcanic eruption!
A sense of power far greater than ever before instantly swept over his entire body.

The bronze luster around his body suddenly receded, deeply embedding itself into his skin, muscles, and bones. His internal energy and blood surged forth like a floodgate opened, bursting open a vital meridian, and then spreading, scouring, and tempering along his entire body's bones with unstoppable force!
Every inch of bone was emitting a subtle yet dense hum, as if it were being repeatedly forged by an invisible giant hammer, removing impurities, condensing essence, and becoming more and more resilient, dense, and containing terrifying power.

Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage, Bone Forging Realm, Success!

Chen Sheng slowly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them. Feeling the transformative changes within his body, a cold smile finally appeared on his lips.

Tomorrow, the military camp in the north of the city will have a new look.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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