《From Cellar to Throne: Zen's Quest for Immortality》


 Chapter 1 Repaying Cruelty With Kindness (Part One)

    Chapter 1 Repaying Cruelty With Kindness (Part One)


    It was ate autumn morning. As the dawn chased the dark shadows, the sun added some warmth to


    the chilly air.


    An oilmp in the cer of Luo''s House lit up. A young man named Zen Luo sat upright in front of a


    table, shading most of the light of the oilmp. Quietly he pulled out a battered thread-bound book.


    Zen Luo was a lean, average-looking young man who had just turned 17. However, there was


    something mellow about him. In contrast, his eyes were so radiant that even in the dim light projected


    by the oilmp, they glowed with charm.


    "It has taken me a month to finish Heavenly Principles. Its arguments are all very well, but, what I find


    most revolting are those four words, repaying cruelty with kindness," Zen Luo whispered as he stared


    at the bean-sized me of the oilmp. Mncholy was written all over his face. "Had my father not


    been so kind-hearted as to believe those four words, I, the direct descendant of my n, would not


    have ended up like this, and father would still be alive¡­"


    The sudden noise of the cer door being unlocked interrupted his flow of thoughts. Zen Luo reced


    the mncholy he was feeling with a solemn expression. He promptly blew out the oilmp and


    covered himself with the shabby cotton quilt.


    The door of the cer flew open and footsteps began drawing close. The man in charge stepped


    forward and stomped his foot on Zen Luo''s bed before shrieking at him, "Still in bed? Dreaming about


    being the young master of the Luo n? Get the fuck up!"


    The man was a steward in the Luo n. He looked rather wretched. He had a wart on his forehead


    that often invoked disgust from people.


    Zen Luo sat up and rubbed his eyes. He pushed off the quilt, before turning and nting his feet on the


    ground. Silently, he slid on his clothing, socks, and shoes. Although his clothes were old, Zen Luo kept


    them neatly. He was very meticulous by nature.


    The steward rolled his eyes, criticized Zen, and then waved his hand. Several men surrounded Zen


    and forcibly put a thick leather armor and shackles on him.


    After they were done, Zen Luo followed the servants as they walked out of the cer and toward Luo''s


    Martial Arts Hall.


    The Luo n owned hundreds of mines and millions of acres of fertilend. As a big and powerful


    n, they were well-known in C County.


    However, the entire Eastern Region had thousands of county cities, including countless wealthy


    families and the Luo n was almost insignificant in the Eastern Region.


    Zen Luo was escorted by some men as he climbed out of the gloomy cer. This was a daily ritual with


    which Zen was quite familiar. The walk to the Martial Arts Hall meant navigating through numerous


    pavilions, bridges, and galleries.


    The Martial Arts Hall was an open area. It was a ce where the children of the Luo n woulde


    for practice. The entrance was decorated with white marble sculptures of a male lion and a female lion.


    The ground was onerge, ck basalt b. Standing at the entrance of the building, one could feel


    the power emanating from the Hall.


    In the middle of the Martial Arts Hall, dozens of children from the Luo n practiced martial arts under


    the guidance of a teacher. They were all dressed alike, in gray robes.


    They bawled and their boxes whirred again and again.


    In order to win a position in the family, every child needed to study diligently and practice hard. These


    children looked like they were more than 10 years of age.


    On thiste autumn day, the wind began to howl around the training children. Nevertheless, sweat


    beaded on their foreheads. The contrasting heat and cold filled the Hall with steaming white mist.


    On the other side of the Martial Arts Hall stood over a dozen men who were dressed like Zen Luo, in


    leather armor and shackles. These men were dejected, bleeding, and wounded all over their bodies.


    Zen Luo was escorted into the Martial Arts Hall. The guard ced him amongst the injured men.


    Since most of these men had been bought by the Luo n from local prisons, they were now the


    ves of the Luo n. These ves yed the roles of live targets for the Luo n children for the


    purpose of training and testing their own strength. These children could assault these ves arbitrarily.


    Several live targets were killed or disabled during such assaults. Over time, the number added up and


    it was difficult to gauge how many had lost their lives in the Hall.


    Zen Luo was not a death row inmate and thus, was not bought by the family. He was the eldest child in


    the eldest branch of the Luo n. The rest of the n used to call him the young master. He was once


    noble, and his peers would bow and salute him with respect. Even the family elders were polite to him.


    However, something disastrous happened in C County two years ago. Zen Luo''s father, the head of the


    Luo n, had been poisoned by his brother. He died on the spot.


    Immediately after, the eldest branch of the Luo n was set up by the other three branches. They


    framed a case against Zen Luo''s father. ording to their usations, Zen''s father was a rebel. The


    family didn''t survive the allegations, and the eldest branch became no longer powerful.


    Zen Luo, the former young master, was alsobeled a rebel and became a ve of the Luo n. He


    became a tool, and was beaten up at the whim of the other children in the Luo n as part of their


    martial arts practice.


    Zen Luo had lived like this for two years. He had lost count of how many fists and insults he had


    endured during this time.


    "Today''s boxing practice is over. You can select a ve for the next practice now! Hitting the human


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    body allows you to fully understand actualbat skills, get familiar with the weaknesses of the human


    body, and the body structure!"


    After the teacher had finished speaking, the children started selecting their ves. Soon, the sounds of


    ves begging and pleading for mercy could be heard in the Hall. The Luo children did not treat ves


    as humans. They were trained to hit the flesh without mercy.


    Many of them tried to find Zen Luo. The act of beating up a former young master with as much


    aggression as they could muster gave them a greater sense of aplishment!


    When being used as a sandbag, Zen Luo protected vital parts of his body with calmness. Since it had


    been two years, he was now quite used to it.


    Before long, a few people came through the entrance of the Martial Arts Hall. A young man who was


    dressed finely led this group of neers.


    "The young master ising!"


    "Young master, your practice has finallye to a halt. You seem to feel refreshed in spirit. You must


    have progressed greatly in your ability and power!"


    "Our young master is intelligent. He is the talent of our Luo n. He must have grown stronger and


    has surely entered the higher level of bone refining."


    The children who noticed the young master entering stopped their practice and began patronizing.


    Some even walked up to the young master as they generously threw praises his way. It was obvious


    that they all wanted to tter the young master.


    Zen Luo''s eyes fell on the young man, and his imperceptible anger rose quietly. The young teenager


    being called the young master by the Luo children, was Perrin Luo. He was the oldest son in the


    second branch of the Luo n. He was the same age as Zen Luo.


    Zen Luo was relegated to very and Perrin Luo reced Zen as the young master of the Luo n.


    Zen Luo had heard that Perrin Luo had been staying in a secluded ce to practice some time ago. He


    had disappeared for a long time. It seemed as though he had improved a lot after the practice.


    Perrin Luo was very sensitive and he turned to look at Zen Luo when he became aware of his cousin''s


    hate-filled re. He smirked as he walked straight toward Zen Luo and said," Zen Luo, I practiced for a


    long time. I didn''t expect to see you alive when I returned."


    "Thanks for caring about me. I''m fucking alive." Zen Luo answered in a muffled voice.


    "How dare you! What kind of tone is that? How dare you speak this way to the young master?"


    "You are just a ve here, kneel! Fall to the ground quickly and apologize to our young master or you


    will regret being alive."


    Several children of the Luo n shouted as though Zen Luo had done something very unforgivable to


    them.


    Zen Luo looked around indifferently. These people used to behave like little dogs in front of him in the


    past. They were too scared to even breathe in his presence when he was the young master. Once he


    lost power, their attitudes changed. It had been so sudden. Now, they were Perrin Luo''s dogs.


    Perrin Luo waved his hand to stop the excited Luo children from defending him. He spoke to Zen Luo


    with a triumphant smile," Zen Luo, do you know why I left for the practice?"


    Zen Luo did not speak. He just looked at Perrin Luo expressionlessly.

 Chapter 2 Repaying Cruelty With Kindness (Part Two)

    Chapter 2 Repaying Cruelty With Kindness (Part Two)


    "You should know that our family has two Magical Pills. Well, I took one of them some time ago." Perrin


    Luo said with pride, "This pill is really extraordinary. The pure magical power empowered all my flesh,


    and helped me to improve from the flesh refining level to the bone refining level. And to think the


    efficacy of the pill works only one-tenth! The rest remains in my body and supplies my flesh endlessly. I


    just need to cross a fine line to get to the organ refining level, and the marrow refining level will be just


    around the corner!"


    Zen gritted his teeth when he heard Perrin Luo. These two pills were the most valuable treasure of the


    Luo n. They were holy pills left by Luo''s ancestors. They were stored carefully in a sacred ce


    only known by a handful of people in the family. Most people were not allowed to see or use these pills.


    ording to the old doctrine, only those who reached the bone refining level before the age of 16 were


    eligible to use the Magical Pills.


    The practice of the body includes five levels starting with the skin refining level. Those who mastered it


    would move to the second, the flesh refining level. Bone refining was the third level. The final two levels


    were organ refining and marrow refining. Each of the five levels was different, and it was incredibly


    difficult for most people to master each level without decades of practicing.


    It was a miracle if a person reached the third level before he turned 30. The entire n would


    recognize such a person as being talented.


    ording to the doctrine, only those who reached the third level before turning 16 were eligible to use


    the Magical Pills!


    People who reached the bone refining level before that age were undoubtedly strong. In all these


    centuries, no one in the entire C County had seen someone like that. That was the reason why the


    Magical Pills hadn''t been used in the past three hundred years.


    Before the adversity, Zen Luo had been recognized as a promising child.


    At the age of 14, he entered the top of the flesh refining level. For his talent and efforts, he had been


    praised by the king of C County. The king had said that Zen was the hope of Luo n''s prosperity, the


    one favored by God, and the talent amongst talents!


    However, it was a pity that at such a crucial time, the family suffered from internal strife and his father


    had been killed by his own brothers. Zen Luo had been banished to very, and had be a


    sandbag and a prisoner. Since he couldn''t practice any more, he had lost the chance to take the pill.


    Perrin Luo was ordinary and didn''t have any talent. He had just reached the level of flesh refining at 16.


    He was not eligible to use the Magical Pills but he still took one.


    This Magical Pill rightfully belonged to Zen Luo. Unexpectedly, it was taken by this moron who had no


    talent. Even though Zen Luo had two years to calm himself and ept the fate of his family, his heart


    wasn''t at peace. He could not help but get angry. "Perrin Luo, you son of a bitch! How dare you ignore


    the ancestors'' doctrine and take the holy pill without permission?"


    "Well, you are as insignificant as the insects in the crevices. A good-for-nothing! I have stepped into the


    peak of the bone refining level. I can hold a thousand pounds in one hand! You are a ve. I can crush


    you with one hand. Today, I finished the practice, and in order to congratte myself, I want to find a


    sandbag for me!" Perrin Luo ignored what Zen Luo had said and pointed at someone randomly. "Okay,


    I choose you!"


    He did not choose Zen Luo, but found a middle-aged man. The middle-aged man saw Perrin Luo


    pointing at him and trembled. Although he wore a thick leather armor, which could resist a lot of


    damage, the man was fearful for his life. Perrin Luo had reached the bone refining level, and the armor


    would not protect him. The man could not help shivering and peeing.


    Then Perrin Luo took a deep breath before assuming the unique posture of the Purple Light Fist. This


    was exclusive Kung Fu of the Luo n. He was trying to show off, and used his inner strength to the


    best, which covered his body in purple light.


    "Please... Please...young master! I beg for your mercy!" When the ve saw Perrin Luo''s momentum,


    his eyes revealed a desperate look. He would die if smashed by Perrin''s fist. He fell to his knees as he


    continued groveling for mercy.


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    "Boom!"


    Perrin Luo would never listen to the begging of a ve. He punched his chest. The leather


    safeguarding his chest copsed abruptly. The man flew back with the impact and hit a wall in the


    Martial Arts Hall. His lifeless body fell to the ground with a dull thud.


    One punch by Perrin had killed the ve.


    "Your fist is very powerful! Young master! Nobody from among our n''s youngsters can be stronger


    than you."


    "Our young master will ensure that the Luo n thrives, and he will carry the whole family forward."


    Impressed and even fearful, the children patronized the young master.


    Perrin Luo seemed to be very satisfied with the effect of this punch. He then turned to look at Zen Luo


    viciously.


    Zen Luo stepped back. Although he was much stronger than the middle-aged man, he could not take


    Perrin Luo''s punch.


    Perrin Luoughed and reached out to fiercely tap Zen Luo''s shoulder twice. "Rx, I will not kill you


    so quickly. I want you to watch me, and know that I, Perrin Luo, am much stronger than you!"


    Perrin Luo stopped talking and turned to leave. Just then, he remembered something and turned


    around and said, "Yeah, I forgot one thing. I heard that my genius cousin isn''t doing well in Cloud Sect


    because she offended an influential person. She has been sent to Hell Mountain as punishment. I will


    rescue her when I reach the organ refining level, ha ha ha..."


    Upon hearing these words, Zen Luo''s chest tightened and his heart beat quickened.

 Chapter 3 Weapon Refining Method ( Part One)

    Chapter 3 Weapon Refining Method ( Part One)


    Zen didn''t care about being relegated to a ve, or being a punchbag for children of the Luo n, or


    even losing the Magical Pill, which he was robbed of by Perrin.


    His biggest weakness was his sister, Yan Luo!


    Yan Luo was the only hope for the oldest branch of the Luo family. Extraordinarily talented, she left


    home at the age of thirteen when Cloud Sect selected her as a disciple. She survived the coup within


    the Luo n for this reason.


    In the past two years, Zen, as a ve, was unable to learn anything about his sister''s whereabouts.


    Now that Perrin hadmented about Yan''s current situation, Zen found himself feeling anxious about


    her well-being.


    Lost in thoughts of his sister, Zen was vulnerable and took several devastating blows from the Luo


    children. He finally gained control of his mind after several whacks.


    In the evening, Zen returned to the cer. He limped as excruciating pain flooded through his body.


    "This drug will help you recover!" The steward for the Luo n threw the drug at Zen before turning to


    leave.


    After all, human punchbags were not made of steel. If they didn''t get the wound healing medicines,


    they would die from internal injuries after a few days. So the steward distributed drugs to the ves to


    help them recover as soon as possible.


    However, these healing drugs were not very effective.


    Zen opened the paper bag and was astonished to see only one pill inside. "Darren Fang! Why do I only


    have one pill today?" Zen asked.


    "You should be grateful for what you have now. What''s the issue? Is it not enough for you?" The


    steward mocked.


    "It is stipted that three healing pills be distributed to each ve every day. But now there is only one.


    Obviously, you are embezzling the pills. It''s a felony to embezzle from the Luo family. How dare you do


    that, Darren Fang? Aren''t you afraid of death?" Zen shouted as he fixed his eyes on Darren Fang.


    "Hey! Of course, I am afraid of death, but I''m not afraid of you. You are just a ve. What can you do?


    You want to rebel? I hate your attitude. Do you still think of yourself as the young master? Look in the


    mirror and face your reality, Zen. Ha ha ha!" Darren didn''t quite like Zen and took this opportunity to


    inflict insult on the former young master.


    After hearing these words, Zen calmed down instead of getting angry. Zenposed himself before


    ring at Darren Fang. He intended to convey his hate through his clear eyes, unflinching re, and


    expressionless face.


    The effect was achieved as Darren Fang felt ufortable when he saw Zen''s reaction. When he


    noted the fire dancing in Zen''s eyes, he got scared. Instead of backing off, Darren walked up to Zen


    and poked Zen''s chest as he said, "What are you staring at? You want a piece of me? Do you think you


    can take me?"


    Zen emitted an intense power from his chest all of a sudden. Darren''s body trembled as the power


    spread throughout his whole body. It wasn''t long before Darren Fang''s knees gave way and he


    staggered before falling to the ground.


    "You ... You ... you are a ve. Do you want to rebel?" Darren Fang stood up and tried to be


    authoritative. However, his panicked expression conveyed his true feelings.


    Zen took two steps forward, cracked his knuckles, and snapped back, "A steward who isn''t even a


    member of the Luo n dares to be so arrogant? Do you think I will not beat you?"


    Darren Fang did not want to stay in this situation any longer. So he turned and fled as soon as


    possible. He red at Zen as soon as the cer''s iron gate snapped close.


    "Viinous behavior!" "Viinous behavior?" Zen sneered as he shook his head. He didn''t feel as


    though the steward was worth his time.


    He sat down quietly, took out the fire starter to ignite the oilmp, and turned a few pages of the book


    hastily. Zen was frustrated as he couldn''t focus. His thoughts kept drifting back to his sister, Yan and


    what Perrin had said.


    ''I cannot stay here anymore.'' Zen frowned as he thought about his dilemma. ''I have just reached the


    flesh refining level. It will be hard for me to leave this cer, let alone go to Cloud Sect to rescue Yan.''


    Zen paced in the small cer. His chest tightened and his heart beat quickened. He looked like a


    restless beast trying to find a way out.


    Over the past two years, Zen hade to ept his fate. He had not been motivated to think of


    alternatives. As time passed, he felt stripped of his talent and confidence.


    This eventually led toplete disbelief in his powers. Zen stood in the center of the room rationalizing


    with himself. ''I''m a ve now. Years of being forced to be the human punchbag for children in the Luo


    n has weakened me. What''s worse is that my daily injuries have prevented me from practicing when


    I return to the cer. But if I stay here, I will be killed by one of these children sooner orter. I need to


    take drastic measures.''


    The more he thought about it, the more anxious Zen became. He cast his gaze toward the table where


    the dreadful book, Heavenly Principlesy quietly.


    "This damn book is nothing but a bunch of life theories. And so far, none have worked out for my father,


    nor me. Reading it does me no good. Why should I keep reading it?" Anger and helplessness


    consumed Zen. He stomped toward the book, grabbed it from the table, and held it over themp till it


    began to sizzle and crackle.


    A smile grew on Zen''s lips as the book was ignited.


    However, a momentter, Zen regretted his action. He whispered in despair, "Zen, Zen, why did you


    bother to get angry at a book?" Looking at the burning book, Zen regretted,ining, "This book


    teaches people to be good. It tells people what is shameful and wrong, as well as what is wise and


    right. The book cannot be med for adversities. You should me yourself for not being strong


    enough, for being like a littlemb that is easily controlled by others."


    Unfortunately, by then the book had be a pile of ashes.


    Suddenly, Zen saw a ray of golden light sh from the ashes. For a moment, Zen was dumbstruck.


    "What is that?"


    Zen pushed the ashes aside, and picked up the small piece of gold that had emitted the ray of light.


    Zen studied the thin gold foil.


    He hadn''te across this gold foil when he was reading this book. Presumably it had been hidden in


    the inneryer of the book.


    ''What is the use of a piece of gold foil?


    For a great family like the Luo n, gold is as worthless as y.''


    However, when Zen focused on the gold, a strange vision appeared!


    The gold foil was engraved with countless words, shaped like tadpoles. Zen didn''t understand any of


    them.


    As his eyes swept across the gold foil, it disintegrated in his hands. Thousands of small pieces of gold,


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    each carrying a word came flying toward him.


    Face, eyes, neck, arms, body, legs ...


    Every part of Zen''s body was covered by these small gold fragments.

 Chapter 4 Weapon Refining Method (Part Two)

    Chapter 4 Weapon Refining Method (Part Two)


    Thest piece of small gold foil pushed its way past his scalp and burrowed into Zen''s brain. Zen felt as


    though he had been hit by arge iron hammer. His whole body shook violently as the fragments of


    gold foil joined together before emitting a bright light.


    After the golden light gradually faded, these small gold fragments prated Zen''s body. Some


    memories, which did not belong to him, emerged out of the void.


    "Grand Weapon Refining Method..."


    "The First Ancient Weapon Refining Method..."


    "Use the flesh as a weapon. Use your body as the soul, temper and practice thoroughly, clean the body


    for great vitality ..."


    ''Is this the weapon refining method?''


    Although Zen didn''t know how to refine a weapon, he clearly knew that bing a weapon refining


    master was a rewarding career. Despite all the strong financial resources the Luo n had, they


    couldn''t even hire a weapon refining master of the lowest level. That was enough to show how


    advantageous it was to be a weapon refining master.


    But use the flesh as a weapon? What did that mean?


    ''Does this method imply that I need to refine myself to be an effective weapon?''


    As soon as the thought crossed Zen''s mind, something incredible happened.


    His body temperature rose sharply. He inhaled deeply with surprise when he first felt hot and then cold


    and then hot again.


    So hot! Zen felt ufortable as his body temperature rose. Soon he felt as though he was burning


    from the inside out.


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    Quickly, he rushed to the water tank at the end of the cer. This was where they left water for Zen to


    use for his daily routines.


    He jumped into the tank without thinking.


    He closed his eyes as his body sank deeper into the tank. The water around him began sizzling.


    As the water bubbled and frothed, the tank began to shake. Soon, steam began billowing out of the


    tank. Before Zen''s body could cool itself, all the water in the tank had evaporated. The whole cer


    filled with mist.


    The water failed to lower Zen''s body temperature. On the contrary, Zen felt as though his body


    temperature was still rising. Unable to take it anymore, he writhed at the bottom of the now-empty tank.


    Slowly cracks appeared on Zen''s skin and a dark red light, like a piece of red hot iron, broke through.


    He thrashed around at the bottom of the tank as the mist swirled around him.


    Not just his body, Zen''s mind was also undergoing incredible changes.


    Suddenly a huge ck furnace with nine dragon reliefs on the wall came to his mind.


    Each dragon was painted with different colors, including cyan, ck, white, purple ... Each of the


    dragons had bared their fangs and seemed to be wing at the air around them.


    Eight of them closed their eyes, while the dragon at the bottom opened its eyes and stared at Zen.


    With deep eyes that reflected the experience and wisdom of having survived tens of millions of years,


    or hundreds of millions of years, the dragon looked at Zen without emotion. He could feel the power


    emanating from the dragon.


    "Cackle, cackle, cackle, cackle ..."


    Zen''s soul trembled under the intense gaze of the dragon. Soon he felt as though his soul would split


    wide open.


    Just as Zen felt as though every inch of him was about to shatter, he heard whispersing from the


    dragon. Then the giant furnace spun around continuously, and the mes lit up in the furnace.


    A giant ck me rose.


    Zen had never seen anything like this before. The me flickered ferociously in the dark, quiet cer.


    For a moment, Zen felt as though it would burn everything in the world!


    The giant furnace covered Zen and shortly after, he felt the zing fire wrap itself around his soul. It


    happened so quickly that Zen had no time to marvel at what he had seen.


    Any ordinary person would have been devoured by the me. Only someone very special would be


    able to endure the pain of their soul burning. Zen couldn''t lose consciousness to this unbearable pain


    because it was his soul suffering, and this all happened in his mind. The only thing he could do was to


    grit his teeth and hope it would finish soon.


    "Ah ah ah, let me die!"


    Soon, Zen''s limit had been reached and he screamed in agony. He would have done anything, even


    embrace death, to relieve himself of the pain he felt.


    But for him, death was a luxury. In this state, a person couldn''t do anything, not even bite his tongue to


    As soon as his soul could not sustain the pain and was about to break, the furnace emitted a colorful


    glow to repair Zen''s soul immediately.


    Burning, crushing, repairing and then burning, crushing and repairing all over again ...


    the torturous cycle seemed to be repeating itself endlessly.


    Zen didn''t know how long this deadly pain continued. It stopped finally.


    He took a long breath and weed the respite. He barely had time to get over the experience when


    he found his soul exuding a golden light.


    After a long time, Zen finally sobered up slowly.


    In his mind, the giant furnace had stopped revolving, but the ck me in the furnace never


    extinguished. The fire was under control and looked less horrible.


    Zen had already understood that his soul and body had been refined in that furnace.


    In the great world, wonders never ceased to happen. Some weapon refining masters used all kinds of


    strange ways to refine weapons. Some mastersmitted innumerable murders to gather human


    blood for refining. What was worse, some masters even stole the souls of humans to fuel their


    weapons, thus making them a kind of evil weapon.


    However, this weapon refining theory advocated refining a person''s own body and turning it into a


    magical weapon. Zen had never heard of it before. It seemed so crazy ...


    Misfortune might be a blessing in disguise, and vice versa. After calming down, Zen figured that what


    had happened to him might not have been a bad thing!


    A magical weapon needed to go through five stages in this world, with the first being the mysterious


    weapon stage. After this, the weapon would be a spiritual weapon, a fairy weapon, a sacred


    weapon, and a divine weapon in session. Each of these stages was further divided into top, middle,


    and lower grades. All had extremely high value.


    Zen''s body had just been refined into a magical weapon. Even though it was on the lowest level of a


    mysterious weapon, Zen felt powerful.


    It was a strange thing to think of himself as a magical weapon. Zen''s face revealed a bitter smile.


    As he turned to look out from the only vent in the cer, Zen saw that dawn was breaking. He had been


    so consumed by his experience that he had lost all sense of time.


    Despite his sleepless night and this strange, harrowing experience, Zen didn''t feel tired. Instead, his


    spirit felt rested, even uplifted.


    After taking a deep breath, he calmed down. All the anxiety that had prevailed the previous night had


    disappeared. What the book said was absolutely true, everything happens as per destiny. Even eating


    and drinking are pre-determined. Only with a stable mind, can one deal with every difficulty.


    After he cleaned the ashes of the burned book carefully and moved the water tank back to its original


    ce, the sound of the cer door being unlocked filled the silence. Zen frowned. It was time to receive


    a beating.

 Chapter 5 A Marvelous Body (Part One)

    Chapter 5 A Marvelous Body (Part One)


    Since Zen had taught Darren a lesson the evening before, the steward didn''t show up in the morning.


    Several of his aplices, however, came to dress Zen in the customary leather armor before


    escorting him to the Martial Arts Hall.


    As usual, a group of children from the Luo n were practicing. Despite the morning mist and chill,


    they concentrated on their lesson at the Martial Arts Hall.


    They didn''t wear any protection on their arms as they beat a row of stone men in the corner with their


    fists. Despite how hard the stone men were, these children smashed their targets with great power and


    precision.


    The ves stood on the other side of the Hall. Gloom and hopelessness reflected in their expressions


    as they watched the force being used by the children.


    The never-ending cycle of being hit and kicked every day and night made their life really unbearable.


    Most nights, theyy in bed, tossing and turning. As they writhed in pain, sleep would elude them.


    Unfortunately, they had no freedom at all. They had been bought by the Luo n and they had no


    choice but to bear the beating.


    "All ves get ready!" Corey, the trainer shouted.


    All the ves snapped out of their contemtion when they heard Corey. He was a cruel trainer. If he


    noticed any of the ves making even the slightest of mistakes, he would lose his temper and whip


    them. Corey''s whip was not an ordinary whip, and a thin-skinned person could easily have their skin


    peeled away with one strike of the whip.


    The Luo children were familiar with this part of their routine. Quietly, they made their way to the ves


    and began selecting. A strong teenager named Melvin Luo chose Zen.


    Other ves nced at Zen with sympathy-filled eyes.


    Melvin Luo''s talent was ordinary since he was still at the skin refining level. However, his inner divine


    strength was powerful, and his strength was equal to anyone at the meat refining level. He was


    ferocious and brutal, and several ves had died or been seriously injured by him. To be chosen as


    Melvin''s punchbag was indeed, unfortunate.


    Melvin Luo shook his fist and moved his body a little bit before looking at Zen. His eyes gleamed with


    excitement. Death row inmates had been difficult to procure in recent times. Their number dwindled


    even more as other families were alsopeting to buy them. Human punchbags used by the Luo


    n were deprived of adequate supplements. Therefore, ves were a scarce resource in the Luo


    n.


    Beating a ve not only exercised their bodies, but also helped the children to vent their feelings.


    Another reason why Melvin Luo felt excited was because his punchbag was once the young master of


    the Luo n.


    The young master was at a much higher level than Melvin, and now Zen would be begging for mercy


    under Melvin''s fists. The thought pleased Melvin.


    Zen frowned. Melvin was known for his strength. Zen had suffered gravely from his beating thest


    time. Zen had taken half a month to recover from the internal injuries he had sustained.


    However, having spent two years of his life as a human punchbag had taught him how to calm himself


    in any situation. He quickly took a few deep breaths and then arranged his leather armor before facing


    Melvin Luo.


    Melvin Luo came toward him with all his strength. He had been practicing a very fierce form of boxing,


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    called Bullish Punch, and he was eager to test it on his human punchbag.


    Melvin Luo came at Zen like a raging bull. His first punchnded straight on Zen''s chest. Everyone


    watched wide-eyed as a burst of wind enveloped Zen.


    In the face of this momentum, Zen took a deep breath, and stiffened his chest so that he could use the


    protection of the leather armor to counteract the power of this punch.


    "Puff!"


    Although the thick leather armor helped slow down the power of Melvin''s fist, Zen still felt pain explode


    throughout his body. The strength with which Melvin had hit Zen made him feel as though he had been


    struck on the chest with a huge hammer. At this moment, he quickly exhaled the air from his chest and


    let his chest tten as much as possible.


    "Unload power!"


    With the air quickly expelled from the chest, it formed a buffer zone, which offset the opponent''s power.


    This was Zen''s secret of survival during his two years as a human punchbag.


    However, Melvin Luo''s fist force was too intense, and after the second offset, Zen felt as though the


    pain was unbearable. Zen forced a bitter smile as his whole body trembled with the impact. Like a


    broken kite line, Zen flew back suddenly.


    As Zeny on the ground, he let the dizziness he was feeling overtake him. He thought it was over. He


    was afraid that this punch had caused serious internal injuries. However, he was surprised when a


    momentter, he realized that he was not feeling any pain.


    In fact, Zen felt nothing. Then a strange warmth emerged from his chest. As soon as those warm


    currents flowed through him, Zen''s body reacted. He felt as though his body was like a hungry wolf,


    swallowing that warmth greedily.


    The warmth then spread across his whole body, right down to the smallest cell. Enveloped in this


    warmth, Zen feltfortable.


    ''What is going on?'' Zen thought as he felt the warm currents on his flesh!


    Although Zen was a ve, he was once a young master of the Luo n. The knowledge he had


    gained during that time had been immense. He knew that this was no ordinary reaction.


    Pills that could refresh one''s body were very rare, just like the Magical Pills that the Luo n had. It


    was said that the pills could cause various effects on the body. However, the ingredients for the Magical


    Pills were rare toe by. That exined why it had taken hundreds of years for a family as rich as


    the Luo n to procure only two of these pills. They were precious, indeed.


    Their effect on the body was a rare phenomenon as well. Zeny on the ground thinking for a while.


    Soon he linked his reaction to the strange experience he had endured the night before.


    ''Use the flesh as a weapon. Use your body as the soul, temper and practice thoroughly, clean the body


    for great vitality ...'' Zen remembered part of what he had learned the previous night.


    Was this what it meant by ''temper''? He needed to be beaten?


    Just as recorded in the piece of gold foil, his body had be a mysterious weapon. Refining a device


    was perhaps, part of the process. Was tempering a process that refined the top mysterious weapons?


    Through the beating he had sustained, Zen''s body had produced the warm current required to wash


    the flesh of his body! It seemed that being beaten was equal to taking the Magical Pills constantly.


    Thinking of this, Zen''s mind became a chaotic mess. He felt excited and his heart beat faster at the


    implications.


    In order to confirm his theory, Zen stood up.


    Although he was not injured, and Melvin Luo''s punch had helped him, he still pretended as though he


    were in pain. It looked as though Zen was struggling to stand and even trembled to avoid other people


    from wondering why he hadn''t been hurt.


    When Melvin Luo saw Zen stand, his expression turned to one of surprise. He had thought that his


    punch would kill or cripple Zen. However, Zen was still able to stand, which embarrassed Melvin Luo.


    "Hey, no wonder you are at the peak of the flesh refining level! You are resistant to attacks! That''s


    great. Now I get to hit you again!" Melvin Luo rushed forward to punch Zen.


    "Boom!"


    Zen was hit hard again. This time he flew back and rolled on the ground as though he were a man-


    shaped sandbag. Zen was secretly thrilled when instead of pain, he felt the warm currents again. The


    warmth spread throughout his body, constantly revitalizing his organs. The warm currents turned into


    small snakes crawling into his internal organs, his veins, constantly refining his flesh body and


    refreshing his organs.

 Chapter 6 A Marvelous Body (Part Two)

    Chapter 6 A Marvelous Body (Part Two)


    ''I feel so invincible, '' Zen thought as the warmth enveloped him like a gentle spring breeze. His whole


    body felt at ease and his eyes shone with excitement. In fact, the more punches he received, the more


    brightly his eyes shone.


    "Go to hell!"


    "Boom!"


    "I will beat you to death!"


    "Bang!"


    Each punch by Melvin revitalized Zen. Melvin Luo worked so hard to break his opponent, and yet, his


    actions were equivalent to those of a hard-working cksmith''s. Each blow shaped Zen''s body into the


    ''Mysterious Weapon''.


    After a long while, Melvin Luo stopped. Although Zeny on the ground, he looked unharmed. Melvin


    panted as he red at Zen. He was bewildered by this experience. He had heard that Zen could bear


    heavy beatings, but he had not expected Zen to be this tenacious. He had endured so many punches


    from Melvin and yet, he was able to stand on his own, even though he appeared to struggle and


    tremble with the effort.


    Melvin Luo had no idea that Zen was just pretending to be weak. He actually enjoyed his punches.


    The ves standing by shook their heads. They couldn''t understand why Zen would continue to defy


    Melvin by trying to stand after each blow. If Zen was smart, like they were, he would stay on the ground


    as though defeated. That way the guards would send him back to the cer where he could rest and


    avoid further injury. And yet, despite that intrinsic survival instinct, Zen stood up repeatedly, and faced


    each blow by Melvin. Perhaps he enjoyed being a punchbag? Did he like being beaten by other


    people?


    Zen did not get up after thest blow by Melvin. Instead, hey on the ground enjoying the warmth that


    had spread through every part of his body. He felt so serene and invincible!


    Another reason that Zen stayed on the ground, was to avoid doubt. No ve would be able to take


    such a beating without being seriously injured. And if he were to stand repeatedly and not be injured,


    people would begin to wonder how he was able to withstand such a beating.


    So to avoid suspicion, Zen decided to stay on the ground and relish the warmth. He knew he would be


    beaten again tomorrow.


    Upon seeing that Zen was no longer attempting to stand, Melvin Luo felt relieved. If Zen had stood up


    again, Melvin would have been disgraced.


    At night, Zen limped back to the cer. The minute the cer door mmed shut, he stopped feigning


    being hurt. On the contrary, he felt immediately alive, as though he was bubbling with energy.


    Darren didn''t show up in the evening either. He ordered his aplices to bring three wound-healing


    pills to Zen. Zen smiled as he looked in the paper bag. It seemed as though Darren had learned his


    lesson and wouldn''t embezzle his drugs.


    ''Could yesterday''s small action have scared Darren this much? Would he be better behaved now?'' Zen


    shook his head as he didn''t believe that Darren would reform this quickly.


    He had a feeling that a viin like Darren would be plotting something else. He would never give up so


    easily, and was probably nning something more dire like perhaps, poisoning Zen.


    ''Who cares?'' Zen knew that he needed to be more watchful. But he also knew that people like Darren


    were cowardly. He decided not to take him seriously. He thought, ''I will take measures ording to the


    actual situation.''


    Then he threw away the pills as he didn''t need them anymore.


    As his mind calmed, Zen began focusing on other things. A full day of fighting meant that he was dirty.


    He walked toward the water tank and quickly removed his clothes. Zen then scooped cold water in his


    palms and poured it over his head.


    Crash....


    The clear cold water trailed down from Zen''s head and pooled into a dark muddy mess at his feet.


    When Zen looked down, he was surprised to see that the dirty water was mixed with some light white


    things.


    Just as he had suspected, the beating Zen had received had forced out the impurities from his body.


    What was flesh refining level?


    It was the level where impurities were expelled from the body.


    What was the bone refining level?


    It was the level where impurities were removed from the bones.


    What was the organ refining level?


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    It meant...


    These five levels of refining were a crucial process that would purify the whole body; starting from the


    skin to the flesh followed by bones and organs. It was a step-by-step outside to inside refinement


    process that would stop once the impurities were cleared from the spinal marrow. Inpleting all the


    levels, a person could break through his flesh body, attain a life of sublimation, and be elevated to a


    higher level.


    The biggest difference between Zen and others was that other people needed to rely on their exercise


    regimes to remove impurities from their bodies. This was a slow and time consuming process that


    could take a few years or decades or even a lifetime, depending on the person.


    However, Zen''s experience from the previous night meant that he now needed to be beaten to reach


    the higher levels. With those warm currents around his body, which had the same effect as the Magical


    Pills, he could discharge impurities from his body quicker.


    Compared to other people who through hard work, discharged a small amount of impurities each year,


    Zen''s refining was a thousand times faster!


    Zen had teaued at the top of the flesh refining level before, but then because of the two years he


    had spent being a punchbag, there was no time for him to practice, and he stayed at the flesh refining


    level.


    But after today''s beating, some impurities in his body had been washed out. He felt as though his body


    had undergone a qualitative change; his flesh was very pure already and the light white impurities that


    were released when he washed up, led him to believe he had been further purified.


    Impurities removed from the flesh were usually pure ck dirt, and those pale white impurities were


    supposedly discharged from his bones. This was the proof he needed to be sure that he had entered


    the bone refining level.


    Enthused and invigorated, Zen removed his iron bed and made ce in the cer for practice. He


    began with the Purple Light Fist. His whole body was bathed in a purple light as he concentrated. It


    was roughly the same as the purple light around Perrin Luo earlier that day.


    Suddenly Zen released all his energy with a punch. The silence in the cer was reced with a sharp


    ringing sound.


    "Boom!"


    Another powerful sound was generated with the scattered air flows. It stirred the candles, paper, and


    other small objects in the cer.


    Unfortunately, the cer was narrow, which meant that Zen didn''t have much space. There was no


    stone lock nor a stone man on which he could try out his strength. Zen also didn''t want to make much


    noise as that would alert the guards.


    However, he basked in the satisfaction that he had reached the bone refining level.

 Chapter 7 Zen Pummeled The Stewards (Part One)

    Chapter 7 Zen Pummeled The Stewards (Part One)


    Zen was so excited that he could barely sleep for more than half an hour.


    The following morning, Zen was made to wear the leather armor before being escorted from the cer


    in handcuffs.


    Now that he had entered the bone refining level, his body produced a qualitative change. Although


    subtle, the change could be noticed in the way he walked. His gait was more rxed, more


    coordinated, and morebor-saving for him.


    If it hadn''t been for the cuffs that limited his movements, Zen felt as though he could have made a run


    for it.


    Zen was surprised when he saw that instead of the Martial Arts Hall, the guards were taking him


    elsewhere.


    Although the Luo residence upied arge area, it was nned well. In addition to the Martial Arts


    Hall, the residence had a Council Pavilion, nting Park, and Weapon Refining workshop. Everything


    was well-nned and built in the vestibule part of the residence.


    Zen looked around as he walked. He remembered that this path led to the inner area of the residence.


    Once they reached, the guards guided him down a narrower path that seemed to lead to the backyard


    of the Luo residence!


    Zen''s brow wrinkled, but he did not say anything. ''Let''s wait and see where they are taking me, '' he


    thought.


    Zen had not been to the backyard in a long time. He quietly observed the changes as he walked. The


    houses for his uncles and their families had been added to the Luo residence, along with several


    pavilions, and open halls. Once outside, Zen noticed that they had even made a few ponds, built


    bridges over them, and added a waterside pavilion pool.


    The workmanship for these new buildings was exquisite. Each new building had high roofs supported


    by intricately carved beams. Dragons painted in gold glimmered under the early morning sun.


    After seeing what his uncles had done to the residence, Zen could not help but wonder. Although the


    Luo''s were a rich family, only the stronger people survived in this world. For a warrior, glory and wealth


    should be thest things to think about. If a family like his was content with the present glory and


    wealth and didn''t pursue something more important, it wouldn''t end up well surely.


    Therefore, he believed that the Luo n would be ruined by his uncles sooner orter.


    After the guards led Zen through a garden with a pond, they guided him through a narrow passage that


    led to a second yard.


    There he saw two people enjoying tea.


    When Zen looked carefully, he realized that one of them was Darren, the steward who had disappeared


    for two days. The other person was dressed in rich, satin clothing. He looked much older than fifty. Zen


    raised a brow as he recognized the second man to be Grey Huang. At one point, he too, had been a


    servant in the Luo n.


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    Grey Huang''s wife had been the nanny to Andrew Luo. He was Zen''s younger uncle''s oldest son. Grey


    Huang was very good at patronizing. Perhaps that was what finally led to the elevation in his status


    within the Luo n.


    From what Zen had heard from the gossip of the guards, his two uncles had been growing in influence


    and power. Since Grey Huang worked for them, his status had risen as well. He was a senior steward


    in the Luo n now. Since Grey was ambitious and thought highly of himself, he didn''t pay much


    attention to Luo''s coteral rtives.


    Zen had heard about his arrogance before.


    From where he was standing, Zen could hear what Darren said to Grey Huang, "This house awarded


    by Master Andrew really is a masterpiece. If my memory serves me right, the jade dragon carved on


    the door que is made from corundum seed. That is very good material, right?"


    Grey Huang chuckled and replied, "Only you would notice this kind of things. If you look carefully, you''ll


    see other treasures aside from this jade dragon. The roof has been designed with encaustic tiles. And


    that copper lion statue was made by the best craftsmen of C County..."


    Darren appreciated each artifact. It seemed as though no expense had been spared. Thoughtfully he


    said to Grey, "Your house is perfect, but itcks one thing."


    "I have everything I want in my house. Why do you say something iscking?" Grey Huang replied


    proudly.


    Darren chortled as he replied," Youck capable servants. You need someone who is smart and


    hardworking. Someone knowledgeable enough to help you with your daily diet. I have just the right


    person for you!"


    "Really? Who is this person?" Grey Huang asked out of curiosity.


    Darren pointed toward the yard''s entrance and said, "Grey, look!"


    Grey Huang turned in the direction where Darren was pointing and saw Zen. Standing in handcuffs was


    the former, famous young master of the Luo n. How could he not recognize Zen?


    Zen heard what Darren and Grey Huang were talking about. His blood boiled at Darren''s suggestion.


    ''How dare those two dogs take such liberties?''


    Although Zen was a ve, Darren had no right to offer him as a servant to a steward in the Luo n.


    Grey''s family name was not even Luo! Zen was very offended.


    Even the coteral rtives in Luo n did not dare to be too unreasonable in front of him, after all


    Zen was still the oldest son of the oldest branch of the Luo n.


    ''How dare Darren urge Grey Huang to take him as a servant?'' he thought.


    Grey Huang studied Zen from head to toe. A smile filled his old wrinkled face. "Employing this kid to


    take care of my diet is not a bad idea. But will my master, Master Andrew be okay with it?"


    "Don''t worry, Grey, you take care of all the affairs of the Luo n. You can easily dispatch Zen from the


    Martial Arts Hall and reassign him to your residence. Zen is an insignificant ve now. Being beaten at


    the Martial Arts Hall as a punchbag every day is his only purpose here. It will be more convenient for


    him to be your servant. His worst job will be cleaning fecal matter." Grey Huang couldn''t help but smile


    at the thought.


    People like Grey Huang who had climbed from the bottom of society to the top, took their reputation


    seriously. And now, the former young master of the Luo n was going to clean his dirt. It was indeed


    an interesting proposal. Grey Huang nodded to show his agreement.


    "You won''t be sorry!" Darren said with a smile when he saw Grey''s reaction. Then Darren nodded and


    stood before ordering one of the guards to escort Zen in.


    However, Zen was rooted to his spot. He was reluctant to move a muscle till Darren''s men attempted to


    push him.

 Chapter 8 Zen Pummeled The Stewards (Part Two)

    Chapter 8 Zen Pummeled The Stewards (Part Two)


    Although these people had strength, they could not move Zen who had reached the bone refining level.


    Zen''s feet were like a wedge smashed by a hammer, deeply nailed to the ground. The servants used


    all their strength, and yet, they couldn''t move Zen. Their bodies were covered in sweat with the effort.


    They even panted as though out of breath and energy. Seeing this, Darren said, "Zen, I am giving you


    a chance to serve Grey. It''s better than being beaten every day. Don''t be difficult!"


    Fierceness shed in Zen''s eyes. He took a deep breath and contracted his ribs. Since he had reached


    the bone refining level, he could muster his energy to retaliate. He stood still and directed his energy


    out like thunder. The ground shook violently, like an explosion. All the servants, including Grey and


    Darren covered their ears as a loud pitch followed the tremors.


    "Grey Huang! Darren Fang!" Zen shouted. "Even if my uncle, Bryson Luo were here, he wouldn''t dare


    to ask me to be his servant. You two are merely servants in the Luo n. You have the guts to be so


    arrogant? I do not know who gave you the courage to dare to think of such nonsense."


    Zen''s power scared Darren and he took a step back. Grey Huang stood still.


    Darren had intentionally brought Zen here. His purpose was to let Grey Huang deal with Zen. When he


    saw Zen''s angry face, he knew he was close to sess, because Grey''s biggest taboo was others


    trying to disrespect him. Zen was definitely in real trouble now.


    Grey Huang stood motionlessly. He seemed calm. With narrowed eyes he said, "Zen, do not forget


    your situation now. You are a servant not the young master. Perrin is the young master now. It is your


    honor to serve me."


    "Shut up!"


    Zen forcibly pushed the servants that had grabbed him.


    Grey Huang patiently witnessed Zen''s struggle before asking, "Do you want to rebel? In ordance


    with the n''s rules, you will be executed for rebelling."


    Zenughed loudly while walking forward. He sneered, "Family rules? How can an outsider like you


    dare to talk about my family rules in front of me? Let me teach you what my family''s rules are!"


    As Zen readied himself to beat Grey Huang, he maximized his strength.


    "Zen, don''t you dare! If you hit me, Master Andrew will never let you go. Besides, you are just a


    powerless punchbag in the Luo n. Aren''t you afraid of being beaten to death?" Grey Huang said


    calmly.


    "Ouch!"


    The sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed through the yard. Zen pped Grey across the face. There


    was no restraining him now. He took another step forward, grabbed Grey''s cor and hit him across the


    face a few more times.


    Grey Huang''s wrinkled face paled with Zen''s onught. The former young master''s fingerprints were


    clearly imprinted on Grey Huang''s half swollen face. With each p, a fine spray of blood had burst


    out. Zen smiled as he noticed that Grey''s face now looked like a pig''s, swollen and red. Darren''s whole


    body trembled when he saw what happened.


    "ording to the Luo n''s rules, those who talk a lot of nonsense and reproach others with no


    evidence shall be punished."


    "Ouch!"


    "ording to the Luo n''s rules, those who oppress others and are conceited shall be punished."


    "Ouch!"


    "ording to the Luo n''s rules, those who sow discord and turn matters upside down shall be


    punished."


    "Ouch!"


    ""ording to the Luo n''s rules..."


    "Ouch!"


    Every p was so hard that it made Grey Huang spit blood. Darren was trembling by now.


    It was so terrible...


    Darren and Grey were surprised. Zen had been a ve for such a long time. He had been obedient


    and he had quietly swallowed all insults. How dare he p Grey?


    What they hadn''t thought of was that Zen was not being obedient. He simply chose to be non-fussed


    about the insults.


    Hearing all themotion, several children of the Luo n gathered in the yard. They witnessed Zen''s


    actions. Each one of them was equally surprised.


    Grey had acted in an outrageous way due to his connection to Andrew Luo. He was delusional enough


    to believe himself to be equal to a master in the Luo family. Some of these children had been bullied by


    Grey Huang, but they hadn''t retaliated because of his current position.


    Grey Huang was unaware of how much he was hated by the people who served him. He was equally


    oblivious to the hatred these children felt toward him. Today, someone had decided to teach him a


    lesson.


    But...


    these children, though young, were capable of understanding that arrogance was rted to allegiance


    and support. Grey Huang had grown arrogant because of his rtionship with Andrew Luo.


    Although Grey Huang behaved arrogantly in front of other people, when in the presence of the second


    branch and the third branch of the Luo n, he behaved in an extremely humble manner.


    Regardless, it was not appropriate for a ve to beat the steward in this way.


    Zen was in big trouble now. Everyone knew that what Zen had done would lead to his death.


    Zen pped Grey a few times before stopping. Grey Huang''s face was by now, a bloody and badly


    mutted mess. Even his neatly tied hair had be a mess of blood and tissue.


    Grey Huang weakly opened his mouth to threaten Zen after his unfortunate beating. "You, you wait and


    see how..."


    Before Grey Huang could finish, Zen pped him on the face again. Grey Huang fell to the ground.


    After teaching Grey Huang a lesson, Zen''s gaze turned toward Darren.


    Upon realizing his fate, Darren could not help but tremble. "Zen Luo, keep in mind that you are just a


    ve." Darren yelled and stepped backwards.


    "What''s wrong with being a ve?" Zen stalked Darren slowly as he spoke.


    "Don''t you dare to offend me! My position is higher than yours!" Darren shouted in an attempt to deter


    Zen.


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    "What is a low position? What is a high position? My family name is Luo. Even though I am a ve, I''m


    still a Luo! And you forget that my fist is stronger than yours. I am above you! My strength is more than


    yours. I am above you! My Kung Fu is better than yours. I am above you!"


    Zen forcefully muttered from between clenched teeth as he took meaningful and threatening steps


    toward Darren. Heshed out quickly and grabbed Darren. Having reached the bone refining level, Zen


    had gained more confidence. His strength had grown as well. Zen felt the power run through him as he


    raised his hand to strike Darren.


    The p was so hard, and the sound of the impact so loud that even the onlookers were terrified.


    Once Zen had beaten Darren, he threw him toward Grey Huang. Both servants screamed in pain as


    their bodies collided. Zen lifted his chin in superiority as he said, "Let today be a lesson to you both.


    Remember to respect other people not just their positions!"


    Then he turned around and walked away. The Luo children and servants who had crowded around the


    three men to watch the spectacle, immediately cleared a path when they saw Zen heading for the


    door.

 Chapter 9 Crisis (Part One)

    Chapter 9 Crisis (Part One)


    The next morning, to Zen''s surprise, no guard appeared to dress and escort him to the Martial Arts


    Hall. Since the beating process was crucial to his refinement as a mysterious weapon, Zen dressed


    and walked to the Hall.


    As he marched, Zen thought over the disturbing behavior of his two uncles and their sons. They


    seemed to be defying the rules of the Luo n. Especially Perrin and Andrew never cared about the


    family rules. Perhaps this was the reason why some servants in the Luo n had dared to be


    arrogant and haughty.


    However, even if others disregarded the rules set by the Luo n, it didn''t mean Zen would ignore the


    values he grew up with. It also did not mean that others should expect Zen to look the other way if they


    openly unted the Luo n''s rules. He was not pedantic, but Zen did have morals and values that he


    respected.


    When Zen reached the Hall, he noticed that the atmosphere was somewhat different from usual.


    By now word had spread that Zen had beaten Darren and Grey the previous day.


    Two years ago, Zen had be a convicted person after false allegations were levied against him and


    his family. He then became a ve for the Luo n. Like other convicted ves, he was made to work


    as a human punchbag in the Martial Arts Hall. He always stayed indifferent to violence. No matter how


    much the Luo children attacked and beat him, he endured, let go of his anger, and remained quiet, as if


    he were a docile sheep.


    People had forgotten that Zen was the young master of the Luo n. They had also forgotten his


    strength. He was one of the youngest to reach the flesh refining level.


    After the previous day''s incident, the children realized that Zen would not always tolerate everything


    that came his way. The children could assault him without repercussion as they were members of the


    Luo n.


    Other people who were not part of the n were not going to get away with treating Zen however they


    chose.


    Because of this, the Luo children now began looking at Zen with respect. When the trainer, Corey,


    asked the Luo children to pick their punchbags, no one dared to select Zen. This came as a surprise to


    Zen. He knew how important this beating was to the refining process, and he had been looking forward


    to being beaten today.


    Zen smiled bitterly.


    What he needed was to exercise and refine his body, but when the Luo children didn''t select him as


    their punchbag, Zen found himself in a dilemma.


    He could not ask the children to beat him. Being a punchbag was not a fun job, and it would seem very


    odd for a punchbag to invite a beating. He could not reveal why he needed to be beaten either.


    Once all the punchbags had been selected, Zen found that he was the only one left in the corner of the


    Martial Arts Hall. Zen was very unhappy indeed. The Luo children should not be so frightened!


    He walked toward Melvin Luo who was practicing with a stone man and said, "Melvin, what good is it to


    fight with a stone man? I''ll help you practice."


    "Well..." Melvin said with a frown. After hisst encounter with Zen, and having heard about the beating


    Zen gave to Grey and Darren, Melvin wasn''t so sure that he wanted to get into a fight with the former


    young master.


    "I am a punchbag. It is my duty to help you practice! Don''t worry, my leather is thick. It can protect me."


    Zen patted his chest as he spoke.


    After hearing what Zen said, Melvin felt embarrassed. What would people say about Melvin if he were


    to refuse beating a punchbag? The Luo children who practiced daily were supposed to be stronger,


    meaner, and more resilient than the punchbags who were battered and bruised daily. Would he look


    weak? Would the other children make fun of him? Could he risk angering Zen and getting a beating


    simr to Darren and Grey?


    Regardless of what the others would say, Melvin still felt worried. He wasn''t as strong as before. If he


    could get 100 marks because of his strength earlier, now he could only get 50 or 60 marks.


    Melvin shrugged as he epted Zen''s offer. He couldn''t possibly look bad in front of the other children.


    Once the practice started, Zen realized why Melvin had hesitated. The strength with which Melvin was


    hitting Zen was insufficient to refine his body. The effect this beating had on his body was not the same


    as thest time when Melvin had beaten Zen. This dissatisfied Zen.


    "More Strength! Hit hard right here!


    Your fist is too slow. What are you worried about?


    Now that is much better, but it is still not as good as yesterday."


    Seeing a punchbag tutoring a Luo child was unusual indeed. It was also rare to see a punchbag asking


    to be beaten harder. A group of children in the Martial Arts Hall were astonished by what they were


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    witnessing. Their mouths hung open as they watched the practice session between Zen and Melvin.


    They could not guess what Zen was thinking.


    However, Melvin didn''t pay attention to the other children. At first, he was upset with what Zen was


    saying. He felt as though Zen was taunting him. However, when Melvin noticed that he was slowly


    bing better, he put aside his anger and focused. His limbs felt morefortable now, and his


    power seemed to have returned to normal level.


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    "Boom!"


    The power of Melvin''s fist passed from Zen''s chest to his inner flesh. Zen fell to the floor and thrashed


    in agony until the warmth began flowing through his body. As this continued, Zen felt the impurities in


    his bones being refined, like reeling silk from cocoons.


    Each punch purified his bones. With an increase in his bone strength, Zen could feel that he was


    getting tougher.


    Melvin''s punches were like a Magical Pill for Zen''s body. The joy of this qualitative change could not be


    described with words. After each punch, Zen remembered to feign being in agony. Pain showed on his


    face, but secretly, he rejoiced in the refinement that his body was undergoing. It took all of his will


    power to stop from shouting ''let your fists hit me more violently!''


    Zen smiled as the guards went to refill the copper pot. The copper pot was used to keep track of time.


    The pot had a small opening from which water would trickle out. It took an hour for the pot to get empty.


    Zen had been eagerly counting how many times the guards had refilled it. Since the pot had been


    refilled three times, it meant that three hours had passed.


    The thought brought joy to Zen as it meant that the Luo servants would be bringing food, both for the


    children and their punchbags. Usually, Zen like all other punchbags was unhappy as the Luo children


    were served delicious delicacies, while the punchbags got cold water and hard bread.


    This time, however, Zen was too hungry to care about the food. After three hours of refining and


    practicing, he was very starving. Since the refinement process used a lot of physical energy, he didn''t


    care that the food was unptable. Zen grabbed the bread and was about to stuff it into his mouth


    when he was interrupted.


    A porcin basin full of exquisite and fragrant meat suddenly appeared in front of Zen.


    When he looked up, Zen was surprised to see that Melvin was standing before him. "Let''s eat


    together," Melvin said as he handed his rice bowl to Zen.


    Instead of refusing, Zen smiled gratefully and grabbed a handful of meat.


    "You beat Grey. Young Master Andrew will get you into trouble for that," Melvin whispered.


    Zen gobbled his food. Since he was a punchbag, he didn''t get good food. It had been a while since


    anyone offered him delicious meat. While chewing, Zen nodded. He knew that Melvin was simply


    reminding him of what was going to happen.


    After all, he was the former young master of the Luo n, and so he knew these rules better than


    anyone else.

 Chapter 10 Crisis (Part Two)

    Chapter 10 Crisis (Part Two)


    His uncles had left him unchecked for all these years. It wasn''t because they were being merciful. It


    was simply because they didn''t see him as a threat. Making Zen a punchbag also gave them the


    satisfaction that Zen wasn''t getting any practice. On the contrary, the beatings would weaken, or even


    kill him over time. This was why he had stayed in the Luo n for all this time.


    Zen was quite aware that if he were to fight back, his uncles would not hesitate to kill him.


    "However, you helped us get even with Grey. We don''t approve of that old man. And his actions have


    only gotten more evil over time." Melvin said with a suggestive smile.


    Except the second and third branches of the Luo n, all other children secretly admired Zen for


    standing up to a bully like Grey.


    While the other children in the Martial Arts Hall had not openly thanked Zen, they agreed with what


    Melvin had said.


    The years that followed the coup in the Luo n were not very happy ones. The behavior of the two


    branches could only be described as evil. A substantial deduction had been made in the various


    monthly allowances for the coteral rtives. Even the quantity of drugs for practicing and refining


    had been reduced. A few servants had be arrogant toward the Luo n members as well.


    Almost all of the good things were being given to Perrin and Andrew. It was no doubt that other Luo


    children would feel mistreated.


    Everyone now yearned for the time when Zen''s father was the head of the n. At that time, the n


    system was very rigid. Although strict, Zen''s father was fair. There wasn''t much intrigue in the Luo


    n, nor did anyone dare to take advantage of situations. Servants were not rude to other people


    either.


    It was a pity that the new branches ruling the Luo n were not as fair and disciplined.


    This kind of nostalgia remained in the heart of the children in the Luo n. They were afraid to talk with


    each other about it for fear of a falling out between the families. They also didn''t want to leave evidence


    of discontent that could be used against them for fear of being punished by established rules.


    Over these past two years, the Luo n had certainly waned! Zen had ns. He knew that if


    presented with the chance, he would gather his strength and grow his power to be able to clean the


    n of these "rotten" members.


    ...


    ...


    In front of the magnificent mansion of the third branch of the Luo n, Grey stood with his head


    wrapped in gauze. So wounded was he that only his nose, eyes, and mouth could be seen.


    A thudding sound was heard as he dramatically fell to his knees. With a low snarl, he cried out, "Master


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    Andrew, rule in my favor please!"


    A teenager dressed in cyan leant back in his chair at Grey''s pitiful cry. Andrew was the second young


    master of the Luo n. He was a handsome man but, extremely arrogant and self-conceited.


    "I heard that you wanted Zen to be your servant so that he could take care of your diet." Andrew tilted


    his head andughed at the ludicrous idea.


    "Master Andrew, it''s not true ..." Grey denied with a feigned sob.


    Andrew Luo did not listen to Grey''s exnation. Instead, heughed, "Although Zen''s family was


    discredited and he was demoted to the position of a ve, he is still a Luo. You forgot that he was once


    the young master of the Luo n. It would be inappropriate if I, the second young master of the Luo


    n were to ask him to be my ve. You are a fool to think you could do such a thing and not face


    repercussions. Did you burn your brain with a high fever? You deserved the beating."


    Grey kowtowed in front of Andrew humbly before continuing to defend his actions. "Master Andrew, I


    admit I might have been at fault, but you have to help me and judge in my favor ..." As Grey feigned


    more tears, he made an inconspicuous gesture.


    Within moments, a middle-aged woman rushed to his side. She quietly knelt next to Grey.


    The middle-aged woman was Grey''s wife. She had been Andrew''s nanny ever since the death of his


    biological mother in his early childhood. Andrew had a very good rtionship with Grey''s wife. They


    were almost as close as a natural mother and son.


    "Auntie, you do not need to kneel down. Please, stand. Grey, you may stand as well!" Andrew waved


    his hand as he spoke.


    "Master Andrew, you agreed?" Grey''s voice showed a hint of excitement.


    Andrew stood from his chair and took a few steps before stopping and speaking, "Cousin Perrin said


    that he didn''t kill Zen because he wanted Zen to see how strong our families would be. However, Zen is


    not important at all. With cousin Perrin preparing to leave for Cloud Sect, I will help Perrin to dispose of


    Zen!"


    Grey understood what Andrew was going to do. The bandages around Grey''s mouth stretched as he


    grinned in satisfaction. He eximed, "Thank you so much, Master Andrew!"


    "But, we need to wait and solve this at ater time," Andrew said as he ced his hand on his


    forehead. He turned to Grey and continued, "I just took thest Magical Pill. It is important for me to


    practice after taking the pill. It is the only way the pill will be able to refine and clean my body. How


    about we take revenge on Family Practicing Day? I will choose Zen as my opponent during the death


    match held that day. Then I will have the perfect opportunity to kill him with my own hands."


    An evil smile grew on Andrew''s face at the thought of getting even with Zen.


    Family Practicing Day was an important asion as on that day, the skills of all the children would be


    inspected by the elders of the Luo n.


    At the same time, Family Practicing Day also presented a good opportunity for ves.


    If the ves survived the death matches held on Family Practicing Day, they would be granted their


    freedom.


    Even the most lowly ves desired their freedom. If the Luo n did not offer them an opportunity to


    regain their freedom, ves would soon crumble under the hopelessness of their situation. They would


    have no incentive to live through the daily beatings at the Martial Arts Hall.


    By setting this rule, all ves gained a trace of hope. They struggled through their daily monotony,


    hoping to live despite the terrible beatings as eventually, Family Practicing Day woulde and they


    would have a real chance to secure their freedom.


    However, the nature of the death match was not fair. Since salves were beaten every day, they suffered


    from various injuries and diseases. They stood no chance when attacked by healthy and well-trained


    elite children of the Luo n.


    A lot of ves had died on Family Practicing Day in the past. In the meantime, the Luo children''s skills


    and abilities were tested on that day and the best ones would be rewarded with different prizes.


    Therefore, every Luo child would definitely try their best to win the match.


    "Good idea, Master Andrew. So be it. Let that kid live another month!" Grey kowtowed before Andrew a


    few more times before quickly standing. Beneath the severalyers of medicated gauze, Grey''s eyes


    shone with intensity and hatred.


    When Andrew left, the middle-aged woman turned to plead with Grey. "Zen is a poor teenager. Why do


    you have to force him to his death? He should not have hit you, I agree. But teaching him a little lesson


    is enough. You don''t have to kill him."


    Grey snorted when he heard his wife. He red at her as he replied, "You are just a woman! You don''t


    know anything except petty kindness."


    Scolded by her husband, the middle-aged woman cowered. She tried to respond, but had nothing to


    say. Finally, she closed her mouth and bowed her head.

 Chapter 11 Efforts (Part One)

    Chapter 11 Efforts (Part One)


    Zen poured a vat of cold water over himself and watched the milky impurities flow along the water as it


    hit the ground.


    Since he had reached the bone refining level, his flesh had no impurities left to remove. The milky white


    pollutants that were being washed out were being expelled from his bones.


    Zen closed his eyes and relished how refreshed his body felt after washing away all the impurities.


    Ever since he beat Darren, the steward had note to Zen''s cell. Thisck of supervision meant that


    Zen had more freedom.


    Every evening, Zen leaned his iron bed against the cer wall and then usedyers of batt to wrap the


    bed frame to make a simple practice stake.


    Since he ced the bed frame close to the cer''s stone wall, most of the power from his fists were


    absorbed by the thick wall. Zen had taken the precaution of wrapping the bed frame in cotton so that


    the sound of his fist hitting the iron frame was reduced to a minimum. Since he was in a cer far from


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    the main buildings, no one could hear that he was secretly practicing.


    He began his practice by using the ''Purple Light Fist'', which had been inherited by the Luo n


    hundreds of years ago. Today, it was a lost knowledge, and only a handful of people knew its secrets.


    Even the coteral rtives of the Luo n did not get the opportunity to learn the secrets of the


    Purple Light Fist.


    A smirk yed on Zen''s lips. Since reaching the bone refining level, theplicated techniques of the


    Purple Light Fist were not as challenging as before. As he had been unable to practice for these past


    two years, he knew he would still find it demanding. However, with his new-found powers, he could now


    y and deconstruct at will.


    "Purple Fist Strength!"


    "Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!"


    Seven muffled sounds echoed through Zen''s otherwise quiet cell.


    Purple Fist Strength was the most profound part of Purple Light Fist. Each punch was capable of


    causing multiple injuries to people. The number of injuries showed the level of use of ''Purple Fist


    Strength''.


    Seven muffled sounds indicated that this punch had caused seven injuries. Zen was not satisfied with


    this result.


    Zen''s father had told him that he was able to cause eight massive injuries when he used Purple Light


    Strength at the bone refining level. However, Zen could only cause seven serious injuries even though


    he was at the same level as his father. His understanding of the Purple Fist Strength was not


    impressive enough. Obviously, he needed to make a better effort.


    Since each punch hit the top of the batt, only muffled sounds could be heard.


    Zen''s power and strength had grown immensely since he reached the bone refining level.


    Perrin had already stepped into the peak of the bone refining level. Thus, the strength of each of


    Perrin''s punches had an impact equivalent to almost one thousand pounds.


    But Zen had just reached the bone refining level. He estimated that his boxing strength was about 700


    to 800 pounds.


    This was insufficient to fight against Perrin.


    Zen desperately wanted to enter Cloud Sect.


    His heart felt as heavy as stone when he thought about his sister who had been banished to Hell


    mountain.


    Yan had always been obedient and well-behaved. It was impossible for her to be a troublemaker. She


    must have been set up to earn such a terrible punishment. Zen needed to enter Cloud Sect as soon as


    possible. This was the only way to protect Yan!


    "Bang bang bang!" The strength with which Zenshed out increased little by little.


    Cloud Sect was thergest martial arts school in the Imperial Capital. They recruited many students on


    a wide scale every year.


    Young people throughout the Imperial Capital also desired being selected by Cloud Sect. Not only did it


    have the best resources, but the Sect also had the most experienced and professional coaches who


    could teach them a lot.


    However, the prerequisites for being admitted into Cloud Sect were extremely strict.


    Each student there needed to be very talented, like Yan, who had been easily admitted.


    Needless to say, most students at Cloud Sect were very strong. They were better than other children in


    every way possible. Zen''s feat of reaching the bone refining level was just not enough.


    ''I am now being refined. My body level is changing day-by-day. But if I want to upgrade rapidly, I need


    to practice harder!''


    At this thought, Zen gritted his teeth and threw a hard punch at the bed frame.


    Ever since he was a young boy, Zen had desired perfecting the ultimate martial arts. His pursuit of this


    form had molded him into a conscientious and meticulous teenager. He had improved step-by-step.


    When alive, Zen''s father had praised him for his perseverance.


    But ever since the death of his father and his banishment from the Luo n, Zen as a ve, had


    stalled in his growth. Not only did he have few chances to practice, but his mood had also been greatly


    affected.


    But now, Zen had regained his confidence. He also had new goals. Now was the right time for him to


    catch up.


    He didn''t sleep the whole night.


    Zen lost count of how many punches he had thrown at the bed frame. But he could see that the impact


    of his boxing had been such that the batt was now attached to the wall. He had to pry the cotton away


    and pull it apart gently.


    During the daytime, he became more active in his pursuit of continuous refining.


    In order to practice as much as possible, Zen walked to the Martial Arts Hall every day, even though


    the guards no longer came to fetch him.


    He volunteered for the Luo children to beat him. This was undoubtedly a risky step as people might


    learn the truth.


    After all, he was now being beaten more often and more severely than the other ves. However, he


    answers.


    Regardless, Zen continued. He had decided not to care too much about possible oues. He knew


    he needed to be beaten extensively in order to refine his body as soon as possible. Otherwise, he


    would not be able to enhance his strength within a short time.


    Some Luo children did find Zen''s behavior to be strange. They also frowned when they saw how badly


    he was being beaten. Despite the situation, Zen''s demeanor seemed cheerful, which was contrary to


    how ves usually behaved. Instead, he seemed as confident as any of the Luo children, almost as if


    he were beating other people!

 Chapter 12 Efforts (Part Two)

    Chapter 12 Efforts (Part Two)


    What settled some of the Luo children''s concerns was the fact that Zen had been a punchbag for two


    years. Considering that he was still alive and well, they assumed he had strong life vitality. Fortunately


    for Zen, these children were not interested in demystifying how a punchbag could survive under these


    circumstances. After all, they were required to practice beating people. It was not needed for them to


    study their targets. Even if Zen had special protective skills, they showed no interest in learning more


    about these skills.


    During this time, Zen''s impurities were being washed out more and more. Every time he took a bath,


    the water flowing on the ground was almost as rich as milk.


    Soon, Zen''s n showed results. The amount of impurities being removed from Zen''s body on a daily


    basis was equivalent to the ones being removed from others on a monthly basis. This satisfied Zen as


    it meant that each day''s practice had the same effect on him as that of people who practiced for


    months. This practice speed seemed like a miracle!


    Motivated, Zen exhausted himself. He volunteered to be beaten during the day and spent his nights


    practicing. He didn''t stop, not even for a few seconds.


    The improvement in Zen''s body and knowledge of martial arts fed his spirit. Even though he was barely


    sleeping, his eyes were clear and bright as always.


    Another reason why he was so full of energy and his spirit was flourishing was the existence of the


    mysterious ''Nine dragon furnace''. The refining furnace was purifying his soul. Each time, the pain was


    the same. Zen felt as though his soul was being crushed a thousand times, and each time, he


    copsed and wished for death.


    And yet, when the episode ended and Zen realized that he had survived that kind of pain, his spirit


    grew by leaps and bounds. He knew that his soul was also being refined!


    Among all the parts of the human body, the soul was the most difficult to purify. Everyone could


    exercise their body. Even people who did not practice martial arts could exercise themselves too.


    The soul, however, was hidden in a secret ce. It was invisible and untouchable. As said in


    Buddhism, the soul was an illusory shore, which was difficult for the average person to reach.


    Allegedly, Cloud Sect had higher-level methods and theories that could affect people''s souls. Amongst


    these were the soul refining books.


    These mysterious realms, Zen could not reach, and he did not want to think about it. Instead, Zen


    focused on refining his body every day.


    Time passed quickly. It had been twenty days since he beat Grey and Darren.


    "Boom!"


    Another punch thrown by Zen hit the thick stone wall.


    Zen was dumbstruck! He had only used seventy percent of his strength in this punch. However, his


    power was so extreme that the cer wall cracked. Zen knew that if he were to use all his strength, the


    wall would copse.


    While worrisome, this thought made Zen smile. It had been almost a month since he started practicing


    and he had improved significantly!


    When he began, Zen had just entered the bone refining level. With just a short amount of practice time,


    he felt as though he had reached the peak of bone refining level. The cleansing his bones had


    undergone showed in the results of his punches. The strength of his punches was almost up to a


    thousand pounds. A thousand pounds! That was the weight of an ancient tripod.


    For warriors, the strength of a tripod was a watershed moment. Only after reaching the strength of a


    tripod could a person be said to have officially be a warrior.


    And Zen had achieved all this in less than a month. Such development and quick improvement had


    never been witnessed in the Luo n. Even if a person searched the entire empire, it would be difficult


    to find another person as skilled as Zen.


    After all, refining the body by way of removing impurities from the body through perseverance, meant


    decades of practice as the body only released a pitiful amount of impurities a day.


    However, to refine the body by being beaten every day was a thousand times faster ...


    Today, when Zen went to the Martial Arts Hall, he noticed something had changed.


    Although the children were reluctant to use him as a punchbag, after Zen insisted, they did throw him a


    volley of punches. Zen felt no pain. It was almost as though the power of these children had


    diminished.


    Zen was about to tell them to hit harder, but he remained quiet. He observed for some time and


    realized that the children were not holding back. They were using all of their strength to hit. Then why


    was it that he was not feeling their power?


    What was worse was that every punch produced much less warmth in his body.


    If previous attacks produced a thumb-sized warm current, current attacks only produced warmth the


    size of the little finger. With less warmth refining his body naturally, Zen became worried that its


    efficiency was diminishing.


    After returning to the cer that evening, Zen watched the impurities being washed away. His


    suspicions were confirmed when he saw that the amount of impurities being forced out of his body had


    reduced by about half.


    These changes made Zen anxious. He had no idea what was wrong.


    Could it be that his body was bing harder?


    ording to the mysterious weapon refining theories, his body strength was nowparable with a


    low-grade mysterious weapon.


    After profound and continual refining, the strength of a mysterious weapon would gradually increase.


    However, if the strength of the weapon had reached a certain extent, the effect of general refining


    would be low.


    Most of the students in Martial Arts Hall were at the skin refining level. Even Melvin, whose inner divine


    strength was so powerful that he wasparable to someone at the flesh refining level.


    Now, hundreds of pounds of strength were hitting Zen''s body at the Martial Arts Hall. However, that


    seemed insufficient as the effect was too little for his body. It looked as though Zen needed to find more


    powerful people to beat him to continue refining his body if he wanted to produce better results.


    But Zen didn''t know how to find someone who had more strength. It was impossible to ask the elders in


    the family to refine his body...


    Family Practicing Day was only a few days away. On this day, all students would try their best and work


    at full strength. The punches that woulde his way would certainly be more powerful. Most


    importantly, if he survived the day, he would be able to gain his freedom and leave the Luo family.


    Since Zen could barely feel any pain from the beatings given by the Luo children, he wasn''t worried


    about being hurt on Family Practicing Day.


    Zen sat before the dimmp in his cer. His bright eyes shone with fortitude in the light as he thought


    over his ns.


    It had been two years since his family was wrongly used. Zen had remained a docile ve all this


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    time. However, he had not forgotten the pain and hatred he felt when his father had been killed. He


    lived with shame before, as he was too weak. Now, Zen was fortunate to have found the magical


    refining theory, which was creating his special constitution. He had to grab this opportunity!

 Chapter 13 Family Practicing Day (Part One)

    Chapter 13 Family Practicing Day (Part One)


    Winter had been unusually cold this year. Frigid air blew in from the vast frozennd in the north,


    whitening most of the Empire''snd.


    Heavy snow like cotton quilts covered the ground. The spacious drill ground in front of the Luo


    residence was also wrapped in a thick nket of snow.


    On Family Practicing Day, servants of the Luo n cleaned up the snow on the drill ground. Twelve


    teams of Luo children stood in a neat queue, awaiting the review of the Luo n elders.


    The Luo n originally had thirteen branches. Ever since the allegations against Zen''s family and the


    dissolution of their branch, only twelve branches remained.


    In order to encourage all the Luo children to practice diligently, Family Practicing Day was held once a


    year. This day was important for both, the Luo children and the human punchbags.


    Based on the performance of each branch of the Luo n, resource allocation for the subsequent year


    would be decided. Good performance would naturally imply that the winning branch would get more


    resources, such as useful pills that improved the speed of body refining, and the rejuvenation


    medicines that quickly healed wounds.


    For ves, this day determined their life or death, and freedom.


    Zen and the other ves headed toward the drill ground. Today, every punchbag looked serious. Their


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    determination was clearly visible in their expressions. Each of them was aware of the significance of


    this day.


    There were only two options for a ve in a death match, win a free life or die trying.


    For the Luo children, the death match was a test. Winning meant that they got rewarded and earned


    the support of the whole family. The consequence of losing was limited to feeling ashamed.


    Most elite children already had good strength. Both their skills and power were better than ordinary


    person''s. However, many of them still lost at this crucial time due to low exposure to actualbat. It


    was thus, amon thing to see the elite children lose in thispetition.


    The original intention behind setting the rules of the death match was to maximize the potential of the


    ves by motivating them to fight the Luo children eagerly. This was the only way for the Luo children


    to get realbat training experience.


    A few moments after the ves arrived, a middle-aged man wearing a green robe entered the ground.


    Zen''s uncle, Ken Luo, had long beard and a face as smooth as jade.


    Upon seeing him, Zen''s eyes shed with hatred. He remembered how Ken Luo had yed a part in


    the death of his father. This man pretended to be a modest gentleman, but he used tricks to poison his


    oldest brother. To Zen, he was nothing more than a hypocrite.


    If Zen had greater confidence in his strength, he wouldn''t have hesitated to kill Ken Luo. However, Ken


    Luo was a master at the organ refining level. His entrails had been refined thoroughly. Furthermore, his


    strength wasparable with the weight of three ancient tripods. It was said that he could tear a tiger


    and a leopard with his bare hands, and smash the great walls with his fleshy fist.


    Ken Luo stood on the high tform, took a deep breath, and then spoke, "Today we have good news.


    My nephew, the young master of the Luo n, has been admitted to Cloud Sect. He is now their inner


    disciple."


    Ken Luo didn''t speak loudly, but everyone could hear him clearly. Since he was a master at the organ


    refining level, all his internal organs had been honed. Even though he had whispered, his voice was still


    vivid.


    Upon hearing the announcement, envy reflected on the faces of the Luo children.


    Perrin being admitted to Cloud Sect was almost an expected thing. Cloud Sect''s disciples were divided


    into many levels. Many people passed all the assessments and stood out from theirpetitors.


    However, all they got was an outer disciple''s position. In essence, that meant that these disciples did


    not get the best resources.


    How was it that Perrin was able to improve quickly enough to be exceptionally qualified as an inner


    disciple? This was beyond the expectation of all present. It was no wonder that they were jealous.


    Zen was also wondering the same. Could it be that the Magical Pill Perrin took was so effective and


    powerful that it helped Perrin gain admittance as an inner disciple at Cloud Sect? Worried and anxious,


    Zen clenched his fists.


    The reason why his uncles hadn''t killed him yet was that they thought Zen was no threat to the Luo


    n. However, Yan was an exceptional talent. She was a threat to them. When the coup happened,


    Yan escaped because she was at Cloud Sect. But now that Perrin was at Cloud Sect, his presence


    would definitely be unfavorable to her. Thinking about the threat to his sister, Zen knew he had to go to


    Cloud Sect as quickly as possible!


    "Perrin is the pride of the family. However, we must not focus on his achievement. Today is Family


    Practicing Day. The Luo children must choose a ve for the death match. If you win against the ve


    in the death match, next year, the winners will get double the quota of Refining Pills. Furthermore, the


    winners'' monthly money will also be doubled. There is another bonus as well, a Purple Pill..."


    Upon hearing about the several attractive rewards being offered to the winners of the death match, the


    Luo children began talking amongst themselves. Their excitement was palpable.


    The ves, however, looked gloomy. The greater the rewards, the more challenging the death match.


    Spurred by greed, the Luo children would be more ruthless. Although the ves had only a low


    chance of survival, now, that chance had be even smaller.


    After Ken Luo finished his speech, he walked back toward his high chair. The steward, Grey walked on


    to the elevated terrace. His eyes swept through the ves and stopped at Zen. Viciousness shed in


    his eyes as he thought, ''Boy, you will die today!''


    That done, Grey spoke loudly, "Now the Luo children can begin selecting their punchbags. The first


    Andrew leaped onto the arena on the ground. After paying due respect to his father, Ken Luo, he


    turned to pick his punchbag.

 Chapter 14 Family Practicing Day (Part Two)

    Chapter 14 Family Practicing Day (Part Two)


    It wasn''t long before Andrew''s eyes fell on Zen. When their gaze met, a small smile yed on Zen''s


    face. A month ago he beat Grey. Zen thought that Andrew would retaliate immediately. However,


    Andrew had bid his time quietly. Zen now knew why. Andrew had been waiting for Family Practicing


    Day. He had nned to choose Zen as his punchbag in the death match so that Andrew could beat


    him to death without raising anyone''s suspicions.


    To his surprise, Andrew did not pick Zen. Instead, he selected a sturdy man standing behind Zen.


    A frown grew on Zen''s face.


    The Luo n had recently bought this sturdy middle-aged man. Although a condemned prisoner, he


    did not suffer any serious internal injuries. He looked strong and healthy. Zen guessed that he was at


    the flesh refining level.


    Once Andrew had selected his target, the middle-aged man didn''t hesitate. He jumped in to the arena.


    His eyes shed with a primeval fierceness. In a death match, there were no escapes. Flinching could


    mean death for the punchbag. Rather than passively awaiting destruction, it was better to fight with all


    of one''s strength. That was the only way to increase the odds of survival for a punchbag.


    There was not much etiquette involved in a fight to the death either.


    The middle-aged man made a pre-emptive move in the arena. He rushed toward Andrew with all of his


    strength. Since he was quite well-built, the middle-aged man ran across the arena like a raging bull.


    The mysterious rock that made up the floor of the arena burst out with a ''boom'' sound.


    Andrew chuckled as a purple light condensed in his hand. His fingers sped into an arch as he waited


    for his target. When the middle-aged man closed in on Andrew, he dodged and threw the light toward


    the rushing target. As Andrew stepped aside, the Purple Fist Strength hit the middle-aged man.


    "Poof!"


    The impact of the Purple Fist Strength didn''t show instantly. However, it was severe enough to stop the


    middle-aged man suddenly. He couldn''t hit Andrew, so he turned around and prepared to rush him


    again.


    Unaware that he had been injured, the man took a step. "Bang bang bang bang bang bang." Six dull


    bursts of sound came from his body. Blood began spraying out from six areas on the middle-aged


    man''s body.


    His eyes widened, and disbelief reflected on his face. When he opened his mouth to speak, there was


    only a gurgling sound. Gradually, his eyes dulled and he crashed to the ground.


    It had taken Andrew only one punch to kill a sturdy, healthy man!


    All the children watching the match burst into cheers. Even some of the onlookers began apuding.


    In the midst of all this noise, no one noticed the handful of Luo children who looked indifferent.


    Andrew, as the oldest son of the third branch, had a reputation. Everyone knew that he had been


    refining his body with all kinds of powerful pills since his childhood. They knew that was his secret to


    refine his body so quickly.


    However, the progress could not be this fast. The only exnation was that Andrew had taken the


    second Magical Pill. Since Perrin had taken the first, this was the only remaining pill. And now, it had


    been consumed by Andrew.


    Zen shook his head at the thought, and a bitter smile emerged on his face. His uncles had done the


    unthinkable. No one had dared to take these two Magical Pills in the Luo n for hundreds of years.


    After taking control of the family, his uncles had shared the pills.


    When Zen first heard that Perrin had taken the pill, his fury came from his heart. But now, Zen felt calm


    at the revtion that Andrew had taken thest Magical Pill.


    The pill was said to be powerful and effective. And the Luo n only had two of these pills. Now, there


    were none left.


    Zen didn''t feel as though he were at a disadvantage. While the Magical Pill had its effects, Zen''s


    refinement process ensured that he could continue to clean his body. In result, the Magical Pill was not


    significant to Zen anymore. That didn''t stop Zen from feeling disappointment at his uncles'' behavior.


    Just then, Grey''s voice rang out, "The winner of the first death match is Master Andrew!"


    Andrew flexed his wrist and shouted toward Grey who was standing on the high tform, "I am still


    warming up. I want to challenge one more person."


    Grey was secretly delighted at the thought that the moment when Andrew would avenge him had finally


    arrived. He grinned and replied, "Master Andrew, you can choose another ve if you want the


    challenge."


    Andrew turned to face the ves. He pointed at the ves randomly. As and when Andrew pointed at a


    target, that person''s face paled. They had all witnessed Andrew''s strength. The targets knew that there


    was no escaping death if Andrew picked them. Andrew''s fingers were now like the sickle of death, the


    person who was chosen by him would go to see the King of Hell.


    Finally, Andrew''s eyes stayed fixed on Zen. He hooked his fingers andughed, "You,e on!"


    Everyone looked where Andrew was pointing. An audible gasp could be heard when they realized he


    was pointing at Zen!


    A death match for a ve could only have one of two oues - either the target won, or he died


    trying.


    Zen was considered a part of the Luo n, even after the rebellion. In these past two years that he had


    been relegated as a ve, none of the children had truly hurt him. They hadn''t shown this kind of


    mercy and thoughtfulness toward the other punchbags, however.


    But today, Andrew had selected Zen. This was beyond everyone''s expectations. Some shook their


    heads in pity when they realized that Zen would probably die today.


    "Finally,e!"


    Zen didn''t hesitate. Nor did he say anything. He simply walked out from where the ves stood,


    climbed into the arena with no expression on his face. As he approached Andrew, Zen arched his


    hands and said, "Master Andrew, please."


    "Cousin Zen, why are you being so polite?" Andrew replied as he squinted at Zen.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

 Chapter 15 Fatal Blow (Part One)

    Chapter 15 Fatal Blow (Part One)


    Cousin...


    Zen hadn''t heard anyone call him ''Cousin'' in a long time.


    He remembered when Andrew was younger, he would chase Zen all around the Luo residence, calling


    him ''Cousin Zen''.


    If anyone bullied Andrew, he would seek Zen''s help.


    When Zen heard the word ''Cousin'', he couldn''t help but be transported back to a time in his childhood


    that was filled with sweet memories. What a beautiful time it had been!


    He never dreamed that when he grew up, family fights would break out in the Luo n and his father


    and his uncles would be estranged. These past two years had been tragic indeed.


    Zen nodded and changed his address as well. "Cousin Andrew, let''s start!"


    "Well, it is said that you haven''t epted your identity as a ve. I found that hard to believe. But now


    that you''re addressing me as ''Cousin'', it seems as though the rumors are true. I called you ''Cousin Zen''


    as a test. Did you really think you have the same privilege? Ha ha ha! I''m going to end this today! You


    will die by my hand." With that said, Andrew sneered and suddenly gave off an aggressive appearance.


    Upon hearing the insulting remarks by Andrew, a wave of anger swelled in Zen''s heart. His face


    became cold and indifferent. All traces of residual family affection in his heart vanished!


    Andrew covered his whole body with purple lights. After taking a cursory step forward, he rushed to


    attack Zen.


    "Bang!"


    The energy Andrew channeled hit Zen on his chest. The force was so strong that Zen felt unbnced.


    He took a few steps to steady himself. It was obvious that Andrew had reached the bone refining level


    by virtue of the Magic Pill.


    Over the past few days, Zen had been disappointed with the rate of refining. His body had


    strengthened so much that when the Luo children hit Zen, his body did not produce the warm currents


    he needed to continue refining his bones. However, Andrew had struck him so hard that Zen''s body


    produced the warm currents.


    A small smile yed on Zen''s lips as he weed the opportunity to remove more impurities from his


    body.


    The feeling of warm currents flowing through his body, removing pollutants, and healing his core, was


    so cool!


    While Zen was secretly pleased, Andrew drew on his rage to attack Zen with all his strength. He didn''t


    want to give Zen any reprieve.


    He threw a short straight punch at Zen''s chest, followed by a powerful fist. Before Zen could react,


    Andrew directed a bursting strength at Zen''s body.


    Andrew then bombarded Zen with abination of an elbow attack, a side kick, and a front snap kick...


    All sorts of fierce attacks were aimed at Zen.


    Streams of warm currents flowed between Zen''s bones. Their intensity was such that it felt as though


    floodgates had opened. Zen could feel the impurities in his bones being squeezed out and washed


    away, little by little, by the warm currents.


    "Well done! Just kill him, Master Andrew!" Grey Huang shouted and screamed from outside the arena.


    He looked excited, as though he were beating Zen himself.


    Some children from the Luo n were also cheering for Andrew. However, many children were


    standing still and silently praying for Zen.


    Most of the children came from other branches of the Luo n. Deep in their hearts, they missed the


    time when Zen''s father headed the Luo n as he had been fair and sympathetic. Everyone enjoyed


    the same opportunity to practice. Everyone''s achievements depended on their talent rather than birth.


    Everyone had a chance to make a difference, even if he came from an insignificant branch of the Luo


    n.


    However, everything had changed once the second and the third branches grabbed the reins of the


    Luo n. People from these two branches were very privileged and usurped all resources, while


    children from the rest of the Luo n were left struggling.


    Zen, the former young master, was thest person left from his branch. Since his uncles had spared


    him, all hope depended on Zen''s survival. The children knew that if he died, all chances of a fair and


    just leader ruling the Luo n would be gone forever.


    Meanwhile, Zen continued to take Andrew''s assault.


    Ken Luo, Andrew''s father, frowned as he watched the battle. He knew his son very well. After taking


    the Magical Pill, Andrew had reached the bone refining level. His strength had increased tremendously.


    The impact of his fist strength had weighed a thousand pounds. He was almost as powerful as


    Hercules!


    He was confident that his son was the second most powerful person in the younger generation within


    the Luo n. Perrin was the only person who could defeat Andrew.


    Ken watched as Andrew hurled dozens of punches at Zen. His attacks were fierce and strong, and full


    of power. While Zen was losing ground, he hadn''t been injured severely yet.


    Why hadn''t Zen been defeated?


    There was a saying in the realm of martial arts that attacking was the best form of defense.


    The reason why this theory was widely epted was that attacking was far easier than defending.


    Even the strongest person could not withstand continuous fierce attacks from his opponents.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    Strong as Ken was, he shouldn''t be able to stand such violent attacks from Andrew. This was why


    methods of practicing a strong body such as King Kong Cover and Sun Holy Body were so valuable.


    Zen had taken such furious blows, and yet he could still stand...


    Did it mean that Zen had learned special methods of refining his body? Or had Zen''s father, his elder


    brother, discovered a way to refine the body, kept it secret from the rest of the family, but taught it to


    Zen before he died?


    Considering the fact that Zen Luo had been beaten indiscriminately in the Martial Arts Hall for two


    years and he was still alive and kicking, it was obvious that Zen knew something that the others didn''t.


    Ken''s eyes shone when he thought he had discovered Zen''s secret!


    At this time, seeing that his continuous blows were ineffective, Andrew became impatient. His punches


    were getting harder and harder, and he tried all kinds of vicious attacks on Zen''s body.


    "Purple Fist Strength!"


    "Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang!" The six-fold force burst through Zen''s body.


    He had thought that the destructive power of the Purple Fist Strength would beat Zen. However, to his


    surprise, Zen was still standing in front of him, firm and undefeated. His eyes were getting brighter and


    brighter. Andrew felt terribly uneasy.


    This guy was so strange. How could his body withstand such fierce attacks?


    Looking at Zen''s sly smile, Andrew became more flustered. He had reached the bone refining level and


    had great power. He was much stronger than Zen. He should have easily knocked Zen down with a


    single, well-ced blow. But why had he failed?


    Why was Zen smiling? Was he sneering at Andrew''s ipetence?


    Such a look reced the panic Andrew was feeling with indignation. His eyes zed with fury.

 Chapter 16 Fatal Blow (Part Two)

    Chapter 16 Fatal Blow (Part Two)


    The more he thought about it, the more certain Andrew became that his only alternative was to use a


    secret weapon to deal with Zen! Andrew took out a small box from his pocket. It was the size of a


    pper. It was engraved with a trail of glittering symbols. He aimed the front of the box at Zen and


    quickly pressed the trigger behind the box. At the same time, Andrew roared, "Go to hell!"


    When Andrew took out the small box, Zen was startled. As the former young master of the Luo n,


    he knew that the box was the Thunder Rob Halberd, one of the best defensive weapons in the family!


    It was a secret weapon made by a talisman. A powerful thunderbolt was sealed inside the Thunder Rob


    Halberd. It could deliver an instant kill to the enemy with a surprise attack.


    But it was meant for single use only. It was most certainly very expensive. Thus, it was given to the


    younger generation of the family for personal defense.


    ''Andrew is so sinister and vicious that he will attack me with such a nasty thing when desperate.'' Zen


    thought. Strong as his body was, he would never be spared by the Thunder Rob Halberd.


    Just as this thought shed through Zen''s mind, a thunder halberd formed, and lightning burst out of


    the Thunder Rob Halberd. It was headed straight for Zen.


    Zen nimbly rolled on the ground at the critical moment to dodge the attack. The lightning released from


    the Thunder Rob Halberd shed over his head with a deafening crackling sound, burning a few


    strands of his hair.


    Then, a ve outside the arena screamed. The thunder halberd had hit him. Instantly, a fierce fire


    spread across his body. The fire turned the ve to ashes.


    Everyone paled at the sight of the ve''s misery. Andrew had gone too far this time. His Thunder Rob


    Halberd could have hit anyone in the arena. What if it hadn''t hit the ve, but it hit a Luo child instead?


    Andrew had never taken the lives of the rest of the Luo family seriously.


    Zen rose from the ground. His face was stony and cold. He clenched his fist and said, "You have been


    hitting me for so long. Are you satisfied? It is my turn, right?"


    "No!" Seeing the sudden power change in the arena, Ken Luo screamed and jumped down from the


    high stands. He had discovered the anomalies of Zen''s body. It had to be a conspiracy that helped Zen


    live for so long.


    Unfortunately, though Ken Luo was fast, he had to travel a long distance to get to the arena. The time it


    took for Ken to get there was sufficient for Zen to pounce on Andrew and attack him.


    "Purple Fist Strength!"


    Before Andrew could process what had happened, Zen punched him. The punch hit key parts of


    Andrew''s body. The muffled sounds of seven instantaneous explosions came from Andrew''s body.


    "Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang."


    After the muffled sounds, seven areas on Andrew''s body began to bleed. Zen had aimed for the roots


    of both arms and legs, as well as other important parts.


    These injuries would not endanger Andrew''s life, but he wouldn''t be able to cultivate for the rest of his


    life.


    Just one fist!


    The arrogant second young master of the Luo n had been defeated by one attack.


    Silence engulfed the arena.


    Who would have thought that a ve who had been beaten randomly for the past two years would


    have such great strength?


    Some of the Luo children who had offended Zen during his time as a ve shuddered as a chill


    traveled down their backs. They thought Zen was weak and allowed himself to be bullied. They didn''t


    expect that he concealed such great strength.


    ''He defeated Andrew with only one fist. What if he attacks me?'' they thought.


    Andrew''s expression turned toplete disbelief. He had thought that Zen was like a three-year-old


    child before him given his strength at the bone refining level. Andrew had assumed it would be very


    easy to defeat him. How could he have been so wrong? He had taken the Magical Pill, and his


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    cultivation speed was infinitely superior to Zen''s...


    Andrew''s legs felt weak, and he fell to the ground. Ken rushed to him and scooped Andrew in his arms.


    "Andrew, my son! Are you all right?"


    "I don''t hurt important organs. He won''t die." Zen mumbled.


    Ken raised his head. His gentle and elegant face was now twisted with rage. He pointed at Zen and


    said, "Why did you hurt my son, you wicked little bastard?"


    "Uncle Ken, everyone knows that a battle is dangerous. This is a death match. We are supposed to be


    fighting till one of us dies. You should know better than me how ves have injured Luo children in the


    arena in the past!" Zen continued solemnly, "now that I have won against Andrew Luo, ording to


    family rules, I am no longer a ve. I am free to leave the Luo residence!"


    "Ha ha ha. I''ve been kind enough to let you live for all these years. I haven''t expected you to grow to


    this level." Ken stopped long enough to help Andrew stand. Then heughed and continued, "Do you


    think I''m going to let you go? Don''t even think about it!"


    Zen''s face fell. He said, "Uncle Ken, ording to the n''s rules, if I win during the fight, I will be free."


    "Rules?" A sneer reced the anger on Ken''s face. He taunted Zen," Only your good-for-nothing father


    would act ording to the n''s rules. I''ll tell you who makes the rules now. Me! I make the rules in


    the Luo n!"


    Zen''s face convulsed with rage when he heard what his uncle had to say.


    He had longed to kill the man standing in front of him for what Ken had done to Zen''s family. However,


    he had reminded himself to be patient and to wait for the right moment.


    Because he knew that his strength was insufficient to avenge his father''s death. To achieve this goal,


    Zen needed to leave the Luo n. He needed practice and sufficient time to grow stronger!


    Zen had pinned his hopes on Family Practicing Day. He had thought that he would win in the death


    match and then im his freedom. It had never crossed his mind that Ken Luo was going to cheat him


    at this crucial time.


    He had endured for such a long time, that these cruel words from his uncle dashed all of Zen''s hopes.


    He thought over all the suffering he had endured over the past two years before breaking out into an


    angryugh. "me me for being naive and childish. It is ridiculous that I believed that you, such a


    despicable person, would abide by the rules of the family. I was silly to think that you will be merciful


    and that you will remember that I''m one of the Luo n and care of me. You killed your older brother,


    usurped power, and took the holy medicine for yourself illegally. Youmitted all kinds of crimes. You


    don''t deserve to be called human! You are a bastard! One day, I will cut off your head with my own


    hands and avenge my father!"

 Chapter 17 Organ Refining Level (Part One)

    Chapter 17 Organ Refining Level (Part One)


    "This is how you talk to your elders? Where are your manners, Zen?" chided one of the elders


    frowning.


    "Hold your tongue!" Zen snapped, "When my father was killed, the third, fourth, fifth branches¡­ the


    entire Luo n, what were you doing? My father was good to all of you, always. How can you be so


    ungrateful? All of you were aplices in his murder!"


    announced Zen in a sharp, angry tone. His grievance had simmered for two years, turning to hatred in


    the darkest recesses of his hardened heart. And now, it was erupting. His eyes were full of icy disdain


    as he took a long look around the ce. As his gaze met each person there, they turned their heads or


    looked down to avoid his gaze.


    Ken didn''t want to talk about this anymore. "Cut the crap, brat. Let''s get down to business. Tell you


    what, turn over the refining method, and I promise you will have a quick and painless death. Your body


    will remain whole, and you can even have a plot in our n graveyard. How does that sound to you?"


    he threatened. The next moment numerous hair-like lines of purple light lit up on his arms, scattering


    into the air.


    "You want to know my refining method? Ha! Dream on!" With that, Zen kicked off hard against the


    arena''s edge to propel himself into a sprint. It seemed his only choice would be to fight his way out,


    since he wouldn''t be able to walk out of here.


    Although Zen was fast, Ken was faster. He was after all a famous expert, and he was able to remain at


    the organ refining level for a long time. He moved swiftly, with a purple shadow. He stopped Zen easily.


    "You are too green, boy. There is no way for you to escape. I''ll give you another chance to turn over


    your refining method! Or I will make you wish you were never born, but, you will suffer before that!


    Then, when I am finished, I tear you to pieces and burn you until you are nothing more than ashes."


    "Fuck off!"


    replied Zen as he swung to punch Ken.


    As Zen''s fist came closer, Ken brushed it aside effortlessly, avoiding the brunt of the punch. As he did,


    Ken twisted tond dozen of blows over Zen''s torso.


    "Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Boom! Boom! Boom ..."


    Being much stronger than the Luo children, the swing Ken took at Zen came at a far greater force. A


    man fighting at the level of organ refining had three times the strength of those at bone refining level.


    The terrifying force as the fist mmed into Zen flooded his body. Within a few seconds pain turned


    into a familiar warm current, and even though his body was transforming the power lightning fast, there


    were too many powerful punches and they exceeded Zen''s limit. The untransformed forces were


    damaging him.


    "Aah!"


    Zen screeched as his body was thrown to the ground. As he rolled and got to his feet, Zen spat out a


    mouthful of blood.


    Seeing that Zen was able to get to his feet even after the clobbering Ken just gave, made his heart


    jump. "Amazing! Your skills in self-protection are amazing. Just tell us how, and I might let you live."


    "Ha! Why would I believe you? Lyinges as easy as farts slip out for a man like you. I would never


    believe a word that falls out of your mouth." Zen countered while trying to steady hisbored breathing.


    There was an incredible sensation of relief filling his body. It was as if the beatings Zen took from


    Andrew and Ken had washed the impurities out of his bonespletely.


    After a month of beatings, Zen had reached the summit of the bone refining level, andtely, he noticed


    that his progress had slowed down. Day after day he was bing stronger which meant the demand


    for that warm current kept increasing. Very soon those children''s beatings wouldn''t be able to satisfy


    his body.


    Now, the beating he just received was turning into a warm current, flooding his body and washing out


    what remained of the impurities in his bones.


    Every bone was refined and strengthened.


    Savoring the spiritual feeling, he became re-invigorated as though he was in tune with his bones and


    each of them was at hismand. As his bones became refined and stronger, Zen''s breathing


    changed too. Every inhtion and exhtion now took half time more than before. He now could take


    a very long breath. With each breath, his body was cleansing itself.


    This was the sign he had achieved the level of organ refining!


    As the strong power rushed through his body, his heart was singing with joy, but he managed to keep a


    straight face, giving nothing away.


    "Well, you are a tough one! Let''s see how well you hold up with a few hours of interrogation." Closing in


    on Zen again, Ken intended to capture him this time.


    At that moment, things took an unexpected turn.


    The instant Ken got close enough, Zen''s fist shot out as fast as a lightning bolt at Ken.


    The blow came out of the blue, catching Ken full in the face.


    When Zen entered the organ refining level, he gained better control of his bones and was able to


    summon more strength than earlier. But since Ken was unaware of it, he underestimated Zen''s


    capability.


    The blow Zen delivered sent Ken flying back 30 feet. Hended heavily on the floor and rolled several


    times before he was able to regain his bnce and scramble back to his feet.


    "You! You are in the organ refining level!" said Ken while pressing his hand tightly against his chest and


    blood gushed out of his mouth. There was disbelief written all over his face.


    Zen sneered coldly at him.


    ncing over at the rest of the men, he challenged, "Who else dares to try and stop me?"


    Standing straighter, Zen no longer masked his power.


    Silence fell over the yard; no one moved or even breathed for fear of making a sound.


    Since Ken was no match for him, who else could stand a chance?


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    From a corner came a voice, "I dare," someone said, "and will."

 Chapter 18 Organ Refining Level (Part Two)

    Chapter 18 Organ Refining Level (Part Two)


    The crowd parted and a middle-aged man stepped out. He had a charming face, was dressed in


    brilliant white and moved with the grace of an immortal.


    "Bryson Luo!"


    spat Zen frowning when he saw the man approaching.


    Right at that moment, his oldest uncle, Bryson, was thest person he wanted to face. Bryson was the


    mastermind behind his father''s death. His younger uncle Ken was just an aplice.


    With Bryson''s appearance, an obvious strain fell over the yard. Zen bent his knees slightly, putting


    every muscle and bone in his body on alert.


    Bryson had achieved a level far above the marrow refining level. He hadn''t reached the nature level


    yet, but Bryson was only half a step until he reached it!


    Zen just reached the level of organ refining. There was the whole marrow refining level between them!


    It was an unbridgeable gap, and they weren''t in the same league.


    But Zen wasn''t about to give up!


    If he didn''t have it in him to fight, he would have caved two years ago.


    Fate had pitied him, giving Zen one chance to turn his life around. He wouldn''t die here. Zen had to


    seize the opportunity. Zen frantically pumped himself up. His desire to survive red up inside him.


    Zen remained silent as he took a deep breath. Without any preamble he mustered all his strength and


    broke into a desperate run.


    But, before he could get even a 20-foot lead, a sword covered in a purple light shot out of the sky in


    front of him and cut deeply into the earth, blocking his way.


    Twisting to avoid the sword, Zen changed direction in a sh, but, as he did, another sword appeared


    in front of him. One after another sword plunged into the earth, blocking his way, and forcing him to


    step back.


    The expression on Zen''s face was grim as he was forced to back up until he was in the spot he was


    before. When a person reached the nature level, life energy itself could be harnessed. Since Bryson


    was only half a step into the nature level, he was unable to control the life energy very well. But, the


    force of the energy he managed was already horrifying.


    With his hands sped casually behind him, Bryson said, "I spared your life so your branch of the


    family line could continue. But, apparently you don''t know how to behave yourself. You wounded your


    uncle and tried to flee from your n. Since you want death so badly, here it is!"


    All around swords that had been plunged into the earth swirled up into the air and shot in Zen''s


    direction. Surrounded by swords, Zen''s eyes widened. Even though his defense was as hard as a


    mysterious weapon, Bryson could shred him to pieces as easily as a knife could go through paper.


    ''How could he die here, like this?'' he wondered as frustration and anger welled up inside him.


    Just then, Ken broke in, "Bryson, don''t kill him! Not yet."


    Bryson halted the swords inches from their target, and asked, "Why?"


    "The kid must have had some special experience. His body is much stronger than ordinary men. And


    you realize, Perrin and Andrew used Magical Pills so that they can refine faster than normal speed, but


    even they couldn''tpare with him."


    Bryson aimed one sword in between Zen''s eyes, and emotionlessly asked, "So, what is your secret?"


    Zen sneered. If he was doomed to die here, why should he tell them? He wouldn''t say a word.


    At that point, the que hanging over the door of Luo house exploded. A bronze furnace fell from the


    sky, crashing to the ground with a deafening tter. The Luo children automatically covered their ears


    to shut out the terrible noise.


    The furnace hurtled down the steps, sending all the children shrieking as they took off sprinting in every


    direction.


    "Who did this?"


    Bryson snorted. All the swords changed targets and shot at the furnace that was rolling.


    Bang! Boom! Bang! ng!


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    Purple swords hit the furnace, slicing into it, each making a sharp, cracking sound. But the furnace kept


    hurdling closer, not slowing.


    When it reached the foot of the steps, it stopped and made an odd spin on the spot. Then it rolled at


    Zen. Seeing this, Bryson cursed and turned to grasp at Zen.


    The furnace was faster though. When it got close to Zen, a scrawny hand shot out and dragged him


    inside the metal hull.


    "You are not going anywhere!" Watching as Zen was taken by the man inside the furnace, Bryson


    reached out and caught the furnace by the rim, stopping it on the spot.


    Suddenly, the scrawny hand struck again, this time it thrust at Bryson like a sharp talon.


    Bryson reacted quickly, backhanding the appendageing at him. The two hands collided, and the


    recoil sent Bryson stumbling back several steps. Bryson''s face darkened. "Evil Lan?"


    Almost immediately an old man leaned out of the furnace. He was extremely thin, his bones standing


    out against the sunken skin.


    His head sticking out of the furnace, Evil Lanughed, "Ha! Very lucky! Very lucky! This boy has a


    special scent. A scent that smells just like the weapons I built. He will make the perfect material for my


    weapon. I will take this boy!"

 Chapter 19 Evil Weapon Refiner (Part One)

    Chapter 19 Evil Weapon Refiner (Part One)


    Evil Lan was a weapon refiner in C County.


    In the Eastern Region, a popr profession was a weapon refiner. Most of the ns treated weapon


    refiners like exalted guests in the hopes that they would build many remarkable armaments for them.


    However, most of the ns in the Eastern Region loathed Evil Lan. They detested his techniques.


    Instead of wanting to roll out the red carpet, anyone who knew him yearned to eliminate him.


    There was a reason why so many people were eager to see Evil Lan dead. He used notably evil means


    to build his weapons. Evil Lan would pour blood from living people into his furnace while creating


    weaponry. Sometimes, he would even pull live people straight into his furnace like a sacrifice of some


    evil religion.


    Although several ns in the Eastern Region attempted to catch Evil Lan, they failed due to Evil Lan''s


    vast power. He also happened to be as slippery as an eel.


    It was quite puzzling to the n when Evil Lan showed up and grabbed Zen.


    "Release him Evil Lan! This kid is a member of the Luo n!" said Bryson. His guard was up because


    even though Bryson was just half of a step into the nature level, Evil Lan was a formidable adversary.


    Snickering Evil Lan asked, "Why would you be pointing your swords at him if he is a member of the Luo


    n?" He added, "I want to handle this for you since you want to kill him so badly. Don''t you think it


    would be a better solution?"


    "Damn it, Evil Lan! He is a member of my family and has rebelled against us, so, it should be me who


    deals with him! Anyone who dares provoke the Luo n has a bad end. I advise you don''t go against


    me!" Bryson threatened. Floating near Evil Lan and ready to strike were swords imbued with a purple


    aura.


    "If Mike Luo were here, I would hesitate. But, since it''s only you... Ha-ha! I don''t care about you! None


    of the Luo n deserves my care!" countered Evil Lan whileughing loudly.


    "You weasel! That''splete bullshit! I''ll kill you myself!" shouted Bryson. His face was darkening with


    anger, and with a clear sound, the purple swords shot forward, hurdling at Evil Lan.


    "That''s rich! We''ll see if you can kill me! Ha-ha-ha!" Evil Lan jumped back into the bronze furnace. His


    Seeing the huge bronze furnace plunging at them, the Luo children scattered, screaming. Several were


    too slow to escape, and as the furnace struck fleeing children, they bled profusely, making it impossible


    to know whether or not they would survive.


    While chasing therge metal object, Bryson manipted the ming purple swords, hacking at the


    bronze furnace. Although the swords were eminently sharp, they couldn''t even make one dent in the


    hull and made a series of clinking sounds against the metal target.


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    As more and more children were run down, the massive furnace created significant mayhem in the


    yard. After a while, the bronze furnace turned in another direction and rolled out of sight.


    Watching the contraption roll away, Bryson clenched his teeth. He wanted to give chase, but Ken


    stopped him and said, "Brother, Evil Lan is dangerous, think of what he could do! Don''t go after him."


    "And what about that rebel, Zen?" asked Bryson tly.


    Ken sneered, "That maniac, Evil Lan, is insane! When he takes someone, they end up burning to death


    in the bowels of his furnace, so, there is no chance of survival for Zen!"


    ncing around, Bryson nodded. He wasn''t sure why, but he had a vague sense of apprehension.


    Looking at Ken, he snapped, "We need to treat the injured, dispatch my medicine unit!"


    In the yard, there were dozens of injured Luo children who had broken ribs and limbs crying in misery.


    Many uninjured ones looked on the scene, filled with discouragement.


    The ongoing feud between Zen and his uncles, Bryson and Ken, was adding to the demise of the Luo


    n.


    When Zen''s father, Mike, was still alive, evil guys such as Evil Lan never dared to cause trouble like


    today.


    Many other factors contributed to the downfall of the Luo n.


    At one time, the Luo n could boast that it was the top n of C County, but, it had slipped so far that


    the tribe wasn''t even in the top three.


    In the past, the Luo n members could walk the streets, and no one dared provoke them.


    Now, they weren''t respected or feared in town or at thepound and at times had even to bribe the


    Luo n servants to get results.


    None of the Luo children felt the Luo n would be able to rise above the situation they had fallen into.


    ...


    ...


    Squatting in the belly of the metal furnace, Zen remained silent.


    Naturally, as the former young master of the n, Zen knew about Evil Lan. His father, Mike, had told


    him more than once that if he caught Evil Lan, he would sh Evil Lan in half with his cyan-de


    sword.


    Zen heard about many of the monstrous atrocities that Evil Lanmitted, including that he performed


    human sacrifices to build his weaponry.


    After everything else that had happened to Zen, he thought being taken hostage by Evil Lan, was the


    worst luck.

 Chapter 20 Evil Weapon Refiner (Part Two)

    Chapter 20 Evil Weapon Refiner (Part Two)


    Between rolling over and over as the furnace tumbled and smelling the fusty stench of Evil Lan''s body,


    Zen wanted to retch.


    After rolling on for a while, they suddenly stopped. The gleam of excitement shed in Evil Lan''s eyes


    as he came up and leaned in close to Zen to inhale his scent. Evil Lan questioned, "I have nevere


    across a person with a body as special as yours. You are surreal! Your fragrance is so simr to my


    mysterious weapon!"


    "You''re kidding, right? Look at me; I have limbs! Touch me, and you''ll see, I am flesh, just like you! How


    can I be anything but a real human?" demanded Zen seriously. "I won''t be helpful to you in refining


    weapons, and I advise you let me go," Zen calmly informed Evil Lan. Not expecting Evil Lan''s nose to


    be so sensitive that he would be able to smell Zen''s subtle scent unnerved him, but, he remained calm


    and collected outwardly.


    "Ha-ha-ha! Are you kidding? Let you go?" cackled Evil Lan wildly. "Hell no! I am so excited to find


    someone who has a body as unique as you have! I wonder what powerful item will result from tossing


    you into my weapon-refining furnace? I''m really looking forward to this!" Evil Lan said while reaching


    out with chains to secure Zen''s hands to the inside hull of the bronze furnace before he jumped out.


    Inside the metal beast, Zen lurched side to side and then began being bounced around slightly as Evil


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    Lan lifted it off the ground, and took off running with his furnace on his back. They were moving even


    faster than they had been with Evil Lan inside.


    At least now that Zen didn''t have to suffer the foul stench of Evil Lan and wasn''t being tossed around,


    he was morefortable. He was able to crane his head out of the bronze furnace to see the


    surrounding scenery.


    Tugging at his restraints, Zen realized they were too strong to be broken, so, he knew they weren''t gold


    or iron. As he looked around the furnace, Zen''s mind whirred as he tried to think of a way to escape.


    The insane man wasn''t even afraid of Zen''s uncle, Bryson! Considering how much stronger Bryson


    waspared to Zen, how would he escape this? Instead of wasting energy worrying, Zen decided he


    would wait and see what happened.


    Trees were a blur to Zen, making him realize Evil Lan was running very fast, even barefoot. He could


    hear cawing and hooting while the trees became denser. The air was a touch cooler, and the light was


    dimmer, all of which told Zen they were deep in the thick forest.


    Eventually, it grew brighter again as they came back out of the forest. Craning his neck, Zen saw a cliff


    rising in front of them, and quicklying closer. But, Evil Lan wasn''t stopping or slowing down, and


    when they came to the precipice, he clutched the bronze furnace tighter as he flung himself over the


    edge.


    ''Holy shit! How will we survive jumping off the cliff?'' wondered Zen. Terrified, Zen grasped the chains in


    the bronze furnace. Suddenly, he lurched to a stop telling him they weren''t falling anymore.


    Clinging to the furnace with his right hand, Evil Lan grasped one stone after another with his left hand


    from a mass of thorn-like rocks protruding from the cliff as he descended the face of the mountain.


    Midway down the cliff was a towering tree. Evil Lan stepped onto a sturdy, twisted part of the trunk and


    reached out his free hand to move the thick branches, revealing the opening of arge cave.


    The mouth of the cave was so small that the bronze furnace could barely make it through, but as they


    went deeper into it, space opened up and became more extensive.


    ''No wonder Evil Lan has sessfully escaped every attack ns in the C Countyunched. This


    secret ce is obscure! It''s perfect!'' Zen considered.


    Deeper in the cave, the ceiling was dozens of feet higher. The walls were shimmering with dark red


    glowing light. mes radiated faintly from the ground, making it the perfect ce for refining weapons.


    In the center was a dark weapon-refining furnace on four legs. Eight spikes protruded from the wall,


    and there was a person skewered on each.


    The blood was being slowly drained as the victims hung off the spikes. The horrific sight of the


    emaciated, almost skeletal people turned Zen''s stomach. Although they appeared to be dead, the


    abdomens heaved as they breathed. They were living people!


    Not far from the furnace, were about a dozen cast iron cages, three feet wide, holding one person


    each. Most of them had a dull look in their eyes and were curled up, shivering uncontrobly.


    It was apparent that Evil Lan was more despicable than people said. Zen was stunned at Evil Lan''s


    methodology.


    "Thud!"


    The bronze furnace hit the ground. Evil Lan climbed into it, sniffing like an animal at Zen''s flesh.


    Smirking like the Cheshire cat, he gloated, "I figured if I used flesh and blood to refine weapons and


    sealed in the grudges of people, then the mysterious weapon''s power would increase with those strong


    hatreds in it!" Evil Lan added, "With your flesh and blood smelling so simr to the mysterious weapon,


    putting your body into the furnace with my Hell Fire Sword to refine, will likely transform the sword into


    a spiritual weapon!"

 Chapter 21 Refining The Body With Fire (Part One)

    Chapter 21 Refining The Body With Fire (Part One)


    As a level one weapons refiner, Evil Lan always refined weapons using very sinister refining methods,


    and it was those same principles he employed to create three mysterious weapons of the highest


    caliber. Although Evil Lan was impressed with them all, he was proudest of the ''Hell Fire Sword'' one of


    the top three he produced.


    Hungry as he was, Evil Lan wanted to refine something stronger than mysterious weapons. His


    greatest ambition was to perfect some beyond that. He aspired to create spiritual weaponry!


    Currently, in the world, graded weapons were worth a big fortune which only proved how desirable they


    were. Spiritual weaponry was much more valuable!


    As one of the powerful and wealthy families in C County, the Luo n possessed only one top grade


    mysterious weapon," the Green Wind Rider Sword" which belonged to Zen''s father, Mike Luo. The first-


    rate enigmatic sword had no equal in the C County, and Mike rarely used it. So, most of the time, it was


    well kept in a top secret spot at the Luo n, which only served to make the sword appear more


    iprehensible. It was a highly sought treasure. Since killing Mike, Bryson Luo had been searching


    for the unique sword, but, his efforts had been in vain so far, with no trace or clues to where it might be


    found.


    Although the sword was the highest quality for mysterious weapons, it was not a spiritual weapon after


    all. Every n vied to own one, however, if an individual from an ordinary family were to obtain even


    one spiritual weapon, it would be devastating not only for the person who had it but for the entire n.


    If someone in the Luo n were to get a hold of one, the weapon would have to be obediently handed


    over, or catastrophe would befall the whole family!


    Along with cons there were pros to owning a spiritual weapon, and they brought equally wondrous


    treasure as they did devastation. The special qualities the spiritual weapons could be imbued with


    varied, and some possessed the ability to elerate the speed Kung Fu was learned, while others


    improved the owner''sbat skills exponentially... the remarkable abilities they each held made


    people greedily try to secure them despite the possibility of ruin to their entire family tree.


    While Zen listened to Evil Lan, he smiled bitterly. Zen''s voice dripped with cynicism as he said," Crucial


    either, there''s no way to refine the most perfect treasure. These are universal principles to refining


    weapons, which I''m sure you understand better than I do. So, it''s difficult to understand how you expect


    to be able to refine a spiritual weapon using only my flesh and blood! You can''t be serious? That''s


    beyond ridiculous..."


    Although there was a time when Zen was able to indulge in reading books on many topics, including


    ones about alchemy and the known weapon refining theories, he wasn''t very knowledgeable about


    either alchemy or weapons refinery. Zen was so obsessed with mastering martial arts that he didn''t pay


    any particr attention to other matters.


    However, with the situation he was in now he was desperate, and if there was even just the slightest


    flicker of hope to persuade Evil Lan to change his mind, he would take it.


    "Well, it appears you grasp a little information concerning refining weapons! No matter what, it won''t


    help you," spat Evil Lan contemptuously. Evil Lan was busily utching the chains from the inside of


    the furnace as he spoke. When he had the nking chains freed, he yanked hard, making Zen stumble


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    after the insane man. Evil Lan pulled Zen out of the copper furnace, and when Evil Lan hurled him into


    a nearby cage, he made a deafening "thud" sound that echoed through the cavern as hended


    heavily. Looking up at his captor as he was propelled into the small metal prison, Zen saw a smile


    growing on Evil Lan''s face as he proimed," The rare, precious materials I require are too far away


    and I am not strong enough to procure them. The fire I am using is second rate. To be able to cultivate


    a spiritual weapon, I have to utilize a more creative route and employ dark magic since it is the only


    chance I will have in producing a spiritual weapon. Throwing you in the weapon refining furnace is


    merely another step to refining the spiritual weapon. Hey! Let''s hope for the best! After all, your flesh


    and blood are very special indeed. Who knows, maybe I will be lucky as always."


    Let''s hope for the best...


    This was a truth every weapon refiner believed, and the phrase they uttered worldwide.


    No one would deny that refining weapons with fire relied on ny percent strength and ten percent


    luck.


    To most people, it would seem that luck did not y much of a factor in the process.


    Still, some weapon refiners created some of the best treasures because of that ten percent luck.


    Others however, spent a lifetime following the standard rules, only to end up with nothing to show for


    their work. In the long run, it all came down to fortune, and some refiners had none or ran out of their


    luck.


    From that angle, luck was slightly relevant while at the same time, it might be considered the most


    critical part of the whole process.


    Weapon refiners would say," Let''s hope for the best" while refining the weapons because in their


    hearts, luck was important.


    The tradition was the same as uttering "God bless us" which was used by some religious factions.


    As he thought about everything, Zen couldn''t believe how his life came down to just being a gamble on


    luck to Evil Lan. A profound unwillingness to ept the reality arose in Zen''s heart, but, heughed


    bitterly to himself, thinking, ''There''s nothing I can do to change this.''


    All he could do was sit there and me himself for being too weak.


    Although Zen was making fast progress in the past month, and he was able to improve from the flesh


    refining level to the organ refining level, it wasn''t enough.

 Chapter 22 Refining The Body With Fire (Part Two)

    Chapter 22 Refining The Body With Fire (Part Two)


    Add to that, the fact that there was still a considerable gap between how far along he''d progressed next


    to what Evil Lan and Bryson could do. His growth had been too slow.


    Fate could be a cruel mistress! It was only recently, Zen had finally gotten the chance to hone his skills,


    practice and strengthen himself, and he was hopeful that he could go so much further, bing more


    powerful. Now, he was at the mercy of Evil Lan, and his situation was desperate.


    While Zen bemoaned his predicament, Evil Lan was busy in the cave. Whatever he was preparing, it


    took a long time and was loud. First, Evil Lan was in the corner, hammering away, and then he


    disappeared into the weapon refining furnace carrying some object. Zen couldn''t see what he was


    doing in there. After a while, Evil Lan came out, sat in front of the stove in an odd pose and pped his


    hands.


    As Evil Lan sat pping, the dark weapon refining furnace was lit up. Complex yet elegant runes


    appeared one after another, as though blooming along the surface of the furnace wall, emitting a


    dazzling red glow, and lighting up the entire cave.


    Hanging, skewered by spears on the walls, living creatures contorted in pain. Their anguished screams


    filled the room as their blood flowed along the spikes, while it was all sucked into the weapon refining


    furnace.


    The blood flowed along the currents on the weapon refining furnace wall and filled the fragments,


    making the red light more vivid and fascinating.


    After he fired up the furnace, Evil Lan picked up a sword. The ck and white sword in Evil Lan''s


    hands must be the Hell Fire Sword which was a top grade of the mysterious weapon.


    Evil Lan held the Hell Fire Sword for a while, gazing with pride and tenderness like the cold metal


    object were a son. His eyes softened, and his stance rxed as he stroked it as though he were


    touching a lover. Watching the scene unnoticed from the off to the side, Zen observed Evil Lan''s


    reaction. It startled Zen to see such fondness on such an evil face. Zen''s heart lurched, and he had an


    unshakable feeling that troubley ahead. Evil Lan was a madman.


    After taking his time polishing the mysterious weapon, Evil Lan turned his head toward Zen. There was


    a peculiar smile on his face, and he gave Zen an odd look. He walked over, and as he pulled Zen out of


    the cage, he said," You should feel honored to be integrated into my Hell Fire Sword."


    Realizing it was senseless to respond to this madman, Evil Lan, Zen just shook his head slowly and


    followed his insane captor. Given how much more powerful Evil Lan was, Zen thought of himself as


    unlucky. Seeing no way out, Zen sighed thinking that soon he would be consumed by the fire until


    nothing but ashes remained. It was a pity that his hatred had not been reported, and he was not even


    capable of revenge. Zen was helpless to anything and felt resentment at the injustice of God. Damn,


    his weak skills!


    At least he wouldn''t make it easy for Evil Lan, who had to drag Zen the entire way. They stopped in


    front of the weapon refining furnace, and Evil Lan repositioned himself before forcing Zen into the


    furnace.


    Within the bowels of the refinery, the hearth was dark; all Zen could see were remnants burning in the


    fire, and a table sitting in the center of the furnace.


    Coming in behind Zen, Evil Lan ced his Hell Fire Sword on the table, turned, giving Zen a ruthless


    smile before leaving.


    When Evil Lan reached the mouth of the furnace, he stopped suddenly as though he''d forgotten


    something. He turned back, and with a flick of his fingers, some yellow powder appeared and covered


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    Zen.


    As Zen breathed in, he inhaled a small amount of the fragrant yellow powder, and even though it was a


    tiny portion, it made Zen feel weak all over. He recognized the dust as the Bone-smashing Powder with


    Ten vors. This was a truly vile drug that overpowered a victim paralyzing tendons, muscles, and


    bones in a short time, resulting in weak limbs.


    Rather than give up and be burned alive, Zen had decided that at the chance, he would steal the Hell


    Fire Sword, smash the weapons refining furnace and do all he could to defeat Evil Lan. ''Damn it all to


    hell!'' he thought, as he watched his n go up in smoke, all because of the damned Bone-smashing


    Powder with Ten vors. Zen felt like his body turning weak, soft and worse, it affected his internal life


    energy, leaving him unable to lift a finger.


    ''Is this it? Does my life end here?


    Once a predator, now the prey. I have only myself to me for being this weak! My w was I let


    myself be bullied, and now I can''t even reconcile myself with events.''


    He gritted his teeth, and a desperate look was on his face. In the midst of his thoughts, a me burst up


    in the middle of the weapons refining furnace.


    The bright, yellow mes reminded Zen of a fiery yellow lotus, and Zen realized they must be the fire of


    Evil Lan.


    The fire spread almost instantly when it appeared, filling the space of the weapon refining furnace. Zen


    felt the heat on his face, and quickly realized he was enveloped in the mes.


    "Ss-izz-zle!"


    He heard the sound as his clothes ignited, and instantly burned to ashes.


    As the mes engulfed his flesh, he felt the heat, and as he began to sweat, Zen shut his eyes, bit


    down preparing for pain. After what felt like a long time, he didn''t feel any pain and wondered, ''What''s


    going on?


    That''s strange!'' There was a slight amount of heat, not even enough to make him feel more than minor


    difort.

 Chapter 23 Refining The Body With Fire (Part Three)

    Chapter 23 Refining The Body With Fire (Part Three)


    Questioning theck of sensations thoroughly confused Zen, and his eyes flew open so he could see.


    When he looked down, he saw that although he was nude because his clothes were turned to ashes,


    his body was intact. Not only that but, his hair wasn''t even singed! Zen was thoroughly confused!


    "Is it because I am not afraid of the burning fire?" he whispered.


    An idea came to mind suddenly. It was a long shot, but Zen was desperate since he thought he was


    going to die. He filled his heart with ecstasy.


    Although he wasn''t sure, what he was witnessing now was rted to the unbelievable scene that


    happened the day he was in the cer. Zen knew something incredible urred after that. ''Is it


    because I am actually a mysterious weapon, that the fire is not burning me?''


    He wondered as the fire outside of the furnace grew higher.


    Golden mes were constantly shooting through the air, shifting intorge invisible hands and


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    pummeling Zen as they neared him. More mes were doing the same to the Hell Fire Sword lying on


    the table simultaneously. The greater the fire grew, the hotter Zen was, and yet, oddly, he still only felt a


    twinge of irritation.


    Unlike Zen, the Hell Fire Sword was affected and as the body and hilt of the sword glowed red as the


    metal heated, the ck and white runes along the sword''s length sparkled with a peculiar gleam, as


    though it was absorbing the fire''s energy.


    ''While refining a weapon, the most important element of the process is controlling when to burn it with


    fire, and then infusing the fire''s energy into the sword while it is red hot. What an interesting and unique


    method! Now, the mes are engulfing the Hell Fire Sword, here and there...'' Zen contemted


    silently. It was notable to mention that although Zen was within the furnace, engulfed in mes himself,


    he was watching the refining process in its entirety with interest.


    While Zen stood there in the midst, mesmerized by the refining process, Evil Lan''s surprised voice


    came from outside therge kiln. Clearly, he sensed something unusual.


    Since the process had continued long enough for the hot mes to burn the Hell Fire Sword into


    malleable glowing metal, Evil Lan expected Zen to be ashes, but, when he looked in and saw an


    unscathed Zen, Evil Lan wondered, ''How can the young man still be alive?


    Although the boy is human, he carries the scent of a mysterious weapon. Something must be wrong. I


    wonder, could it be that the boy is as strong as a piece of mysterious weapon?''


    Thinking of the possibility excited Evil Lan, and his face lit up. Given the fact that he never used


    established techniques, preferring to employ more sinister methods, Evil Lan relished this. The more


    bizarre the material, the more he savored it.


    As a matter of fact, he incorporated the hard and soft raw elements into his beloved Hell Fire Sword.


    Now, considering that ''hard'' and ''soft'' were opposing principles by nature, weapon refiners would


    usually avoidbining these two materials together. However, Evil Lan went against the well-known


    procedures and supplies, to refine his first-ss mysterious weapon, and his method proved suitable,


    luckily.


    All due to his hope for the best!


    Seeing the strange power Zen possessed thrilled him that much more. While the fire he had burning


    was second grade, it was still ten times more powerful than a general fire. Even his fire didn''t harm the


    young man! Evil Lan was absolutely thrilled.


    Observing the young man standing there as mes continued to lick his unharmed skin, Evil Lan was


    both pleasantly surprised and depressed at the time. Obviously, Zen''s body was a great treasure that


    didn''t fear the fire, or had his ck magic failed him? What should he do now?


    After pondering over it for a while, Evil Lan reached into his pocket and he took a pill out. The pill was


    blue-gray with striations reminiscent of me on the surface of the medicine.


    "The Fire Melting Pill!"


    Evil Lan eximed. This third-grade pill was worth a city, and it could raise a fire to the next level in a


    short period of time. To get this one pill, he exchanged a top rate mysterious weapon which disturbed


    him for a long time.


    Not willing to waste the precious Fire Melting Pill, Evil Lan had kept it for many years now.


    Hesitation filled his eyes as he turned it over, and he knew utilizing it today could be quite a gamble as


    he rolled it between his fingers and considered whether or not he should. Reminding himself, Evil Lan


    thought, ''Each time I took a big gamble, I sessfully forged a prime mysterious weapon. This time, if I


    win the bet, it will raise the Hell Fire Sword to a higher level. Hmmm, possibly, even making it a spiritual


    weapon...''


    As soon as the thought popped into his mind, Evil Lan''s heart thudded hard against the walls of his


    chest in anticipation. Evil Lan didn''t need any further encouragement to pop the Fire Melting Pill into his


    mouth, excitedly, believing he would be as sessful this time as he had been previously.


    As soon as Evil Lan swallowed the Fire Melting Pill, his throat was as hot as the zing fire. While fire


    spurted from his eyes, ears, nostrils and mouth, he roared. The fire within now flowed through his body


    until it jetted from him and into the weapon refining furnace.


    Thanks to the power of the Fire Melting Pill, Evil Lan''s fire was much stronger and had increased by


    one rank. As it zed, the entire cave was full of exceptional heat, and the living people in his many


    cages far from the heat burned, filling the cave with the screams of tortured victims and smells of flesh


    crisping.

 Chapter 24 Black Flames And Dragon Scales

    Chapter 24 ck mes And Dragon Scales


    The vivid yellow lotus mes became unusual golden red, and each re emitted intense heat.


    Since the fire''s strength had grown steeply, it would be impossible to withstand, and Zen''s face paled


    as he watched the red lotus mes shot at him.


    As expected, the fire was far more potent than it was earlier.


    Searing pain coursed through Zen as the golden-red mes mmed him. Just like the day he was in


    the cer, Zen''s body inexplicably turned to dark red.


    Usually, any average person ravaged in such a high-temperature fire would mummify as the moisture


    sizzled into the air leaving the dried husk burning until it exploded raining ashes and soot everywhere.


    However, Zen''s body was anything but average. Instead of being destroyed by the lotus mes, he


    slowly turned red hot, glowing like an excellent mysterious weapon.


    Small golden foils thaty deep in Zen''s skin were drawn out and hovering over his skin. Now covered


    in gilded shimmering fragments, Zen''s entire body sparkled brilliantly gleaming.


    While his body glowed bright red, the golden flecks became ornate obscure tadpole text and spun. The


    speed they spun increased faster and faster at a hypnotic rate until, unexpectedly, small whirlpools


    formed on the surface of Zen''s skin.


    As the whirlpools grew, the suction they produced drew the lotus mes from the furnace to Zen and


    sucked into the whirlpools.


    The fire was refining his body!


    Surprisingly, his body drove all the fire into him.


    One after another, mes were absorbed into Zen''s body through every pore on him, including his


    arms, legs, and neck ...


    It was more excruciating than any pain he had experienced of his flesh. As the lotus mes went


    through his skin, they burned every inch from outside to the inside of him.


    To endure the searing pain, Zen clenched his mouth.


    What he sustained physically was mildpared to what his soul had suffered from the ck me


    back when he was in the cer.


    Zen felt the toxic Bone-smashing Powder with Ten vors gradually fading beneath the burning fires.


    While his body reacted to the mes, Zen felt a giant furnacee to life in his mind. It had always


    been there, dormant and quiet until touched by the ck me. Suddenly, the calm furnace zed out


    of control, mes growing and zing. The mes hit Zen''s consciousness and shed out his brows!


    There in front of Zen, the ck me appeared like a living creature.


    An odd cry ripped from the ck me when it emerged before it rushed at the Hell Fire Sword.


    When the Hell Fire Sword was forged by Evil Lan, it glowed red as though it was sitting in a zing fire


    for a long time. As soon as the ck me touched this allegedly top grade, priceless mysterious


    weapon -- the Hell Fire Sword, it melted instantly leaving a few drops of hot metal where it had been


    A look of shock was on Zen''s face when he saw the power of the ck me, and he wondered, ''What


    the hell is this ck me? How can it wreak such horror?''


    After the Hell Fire Sword melted, the eerie mes rolled the iron that remained before vanishing into


    Zen''s sea of consciousness. Panic swept over him. He knew his body was as hard as a mysterious


    weapon; however, he couldn''t put the molten metal in his head, could he?


    It astonished Zen that he was fine, and could see in his mind that the ck me sent the drops of iron


    to the cyan dragon on the wall of the ancient tripod.


    In his mind, therge vessel was decorated by nine dragons with their eyes closed, except the cyan


    dragon. As Zen watched, he saw the dragon lift its head, roar loudly and consume the drops of iron.


    After swallowing the iron drops, magical changes urred, and the dragon''s dull gray scales changed.


    A single scale on the dragon''s tail began emitting a green brilliance, giving it the appearance of a


    wless emerald.


    It was unexpected when the remnants from the Hell Fire Sword activated a scale of the dragon


    engraving!


    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    What Zen was seeing unfold in his mind amazed him.


    Simultaneously, Zen felt a surge from the scale, and strength flooding into his body.


    His vigor increased radically because of the scale and Zen could feel the intense power as it grew!


    All the events left Zen wondering, ''Is it feasible for me to activate many, or even all of the dragon scales


    while the ck me devours more mysterious weapons?


    That''s it! Yes, that''s it!'' Zen''s face brimmed with ecstasy as he put the pieces together. His experience


    being forged in the fires of the kiln gave Zen a deeper understanding of the great furnace.


    If one dragon scale forcibly increased his power several times, what would happen if tens of thousands


    of the cyan dragon scales were all stimted? Not only the cyan dragon but, above that dragon, he


    saw white, purple, ck and blue dragons...


    Counting nine dragons carved into the great furnace left Zen wondering, how incredible his might would


    be if he stimted the scales of all of them!


    Zen wet his lips nervously and shook his head, struggling to wrap his head around the fantastic idea.


    This was all so far beyond his vision.


    As he pondered what he knew, he realized how difficult it was to trigger the dragon scales.


    ording to Evil Lan, the Hell Fire Sword was a topmost mysterious weapon and extremely valuable.


    Since it was only the essence of such a treasure that initiated a single dragon scale, Zen imagined how


    many it would take to light up thousands of them. ''Even if all the treasures in the entire eastern region


    were smelted, it would barely light up all the cyan dragon''s scales, and not even touch the other eight


    dragons above the cyan dragon, ''


    concluded Zen silently as he discerned. He needed to analyze everything thoroughly and not act


    hastily.


    Determined to guard himself against arrogance and impatience, Zen sat cross-legged in the zing


    fire, as the golden whirlpools on his skin sucked in more lotus mes, and continued to forge his body.


    Outside the furnace, Evil Lan was looking in, with an expression of doubt as he watched the strange


    scene. Unable to sense the presence of his Hell Fire Sword any more, he wondered if it had been


    merged into the boy. Evil Lan couldn''t sense the boy''s life energy either though.


    Noticing that the fires he released into the furnace were dwindling, Evil Lan was curious about what


    was going on in there.


    Maybe, he managed to create his spiritual weapon! Was it possible he seeded?


    As every weapon refiner knew, when the refining process nearedpletion, it entered the condensing


    stage which was when the treasure absorbed arge quantity of fire before it came out.


    The amount of fire consumed during the condensing stage varied depending on the rank of the


    treasure. The higher the level, the more fire the weapon would devour.


    Thinking back to when he forged the Hell Fire Sword, Evil Lan remembered that during the condensing


    stage it absorbed fire for two hours before it waspleted.


    Three hours had already passed today...


    Since the higher the ss of the weapon meant the more fire it needed to absorb in the condensing


    stage, and therefore the more time it took, Evil Lan thought it was highly likely that the new treasure in


    the furnace was a spiritual weapon!


    Thinking about it excited Evil Lan and his heart suddenly started racing as he concluded, ''Yes! It has to


    be! Only a spiritual weapon can absorb as much fire as this throughout the condensation process.''


    Without hesitation, Evil Lan immediately breathed more fire from his body into the furnace immediately.


    Though Evil Lan sent a ton of fire into the furnace, it appeared there was a small ck hole in the


    furnace which devoured as much fire as Evil Lan sent in.


    Six hourster, Evil Lan was panting and drenched in sweat.


    As a weapon refiner, Evil Lan was further along than other refiners and maintained more control over


    fire than the others his rank. While being a half-step into the nature level, releasing too much fire at


    once was still difficult for him.


    At the same time, Evil Lan was concerned about whether or not he had done enough. A weapon refiner


    knew precisely how vital the condensing stage was. If he didn''t correctly refine the weapon during the


    condensing stage, the weapon within the furnace wouldn''t be forged sessfully!


    Impatient as he was, Evil Lan could only grit his teeth as he waited and fed the dying fires.


    Twenty hourster......


    Squeezing the final fires out of his body, when Evil Lan couldn''t keep himself up anymore, he plopped


    down to the ground, exhausted and gasping for air.


    He sat slumped on the ground gulping in air and recovering for some time, and then, he got up slowly.


    Evil Lan took several ck pills out and popped them into his mouth. It wasn''t too long for him to feel


    rejuvenated, and replenished after he swallowed the pills and headed for the furnace.


    Still unsure whether or not he had seeded, Evil Lan had a puzzled look on his face as he stood in


    front of the furnace.


    Reaching out tentatively, Evil Lan turned the handle and opened the door. He could not sense anything


    still, which gave him an unsettling sensation. Just as the door swung open fully, a golden fist mmed


    into his face with the brutal force.

 Chapter 25 Freedom (Part One)

    Chapter 25 Freedom (Part One)


    Since Evil Lan had been half-step into the nature level, he reacted promptly to danger. Faced with an


    oing punch from Zen, he pedaled his feet and quickly flew back to elude the blow.


    However, Zen was quicker. His fist made contact with Evil Lan''s body. Since Evil Lan had moved


    backward, the movement had offset some of the power from Zen. Upon impact, however, Evil Lan''s


    face suddenly became red, veins throbbed on his forehead, and his blood rushed around. Evil Lan spat


    out the blood pooling in his mouth. He stared at Zen before saying, "You are still alive!"


    "Well, thanks to you, I am not dead yet!" Zen replied. With fists clenched, Zen remained outwardly


    just stepped into the organ refining level, and he could withstand a weight of 3000 pounds. Moreover,


    with the dragon scale on the cyan dragon relief, his strength could be tripled. Since he had nned to


    catch Evil Lan off-guard, Zen''s punch carried almost all of his full strength.


    He hadn''t expected that Evil Lan would react so promptly. He had almost avoided being hit by Zen''s


    punch.


    Evil Lan was even more shocked than Zen. ''This young man is just at the beginning of the organ


    refining level. Logically, my strength is superior to him. I should have no trouble killing him. But his


    strength increased rapidly after he emerged from the weapon refining furnace. Could this be human


    refining? What is going on?'' Evil Lan frowned in confusion as he thought about what had just


    happened.


    If he hadn''t been quick enough, Evil Lan might have been killed by the first punch thrown by this young


    man. That would be an unbearable shame to Evil Lan. That could not happen again!


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    "Where is the Hell Fire Sword?" Evil Lan asked. Although Evil Lan had many things to worry about, the


    whereabouts of his sword concerned him the most.


    Zen lifted his shoulders and spread his hands. A smile stretched across Zen''s face, exposing two rows


    of white teeth. Then he said, "You don''t know? Apparently, I ate it!"


    "You ate it? You are lying to me." Evil Lan roared. His eyes widened, and an expression of total


    disbelief filled his face. The Hell Fire Sword was a top grade mysterious weapon. How could it have


    been eaten? That too by a person? A human stomach could not digest a sword let alone a mysterious


    one! Evil Lan''s eyes roamed over Zen. The young man waspletely naked. There was no ce to


    hide the Hell Fire Sword. The weapon refining furnace was also empty. Since the sword was nowhere


    to be found, Evil Lan was certain that Zen had done something to it. But all other factors concluded


    otherwise. And yet, Evil Lan couldn''t believe Zen.


    He screamed with anger, "Where is my Hell Fire Sword?"


    "I''m not kidding. I really did eat it," said Zen. Zen was telling the truth. The Hell Fire Sword had turned


    into hot metal essence by the ck me. Then the cyan dragon in his mind had swallowed it. In other


    words, it had indeed been ''eaten'' by him.


    "Well, since you say that you ate the Hell Fire Sword, I will open your body to see if it is inside your


    stomach or not!" said Evil Lan viciously. As soon as Evil Lan finished speaking, his body moved rapidly,


    and his hands, like dead branches, flew toward Zen''s chest. He was going to rip open Zen''s stomach


    with his bare hands!


    Of course, Zen wouldn''t just stand still and wait for Evil Lan to kill him. After staying inside the weapon


    refining furnace for such a long time, Zen felt as though his physical strength had increased to another


    level again. His body felt as strong as a middle-grade mysterious weapon! He shuffled his feet lightly to


    invigorate the life energy inside his body. Soon his bones rattled and the sound, as loud as thunder,


    echoed in the caves.


    "Purple Fist Strength!"


    He would have to fight Evil Lan! Zen was not weak. His body had be a mysterious weapon, and


    so, he was confident of his abilities. And the fire from Evil Lan had calcinated his body further. As for


    strength, although Zen was only at the beginning of the organ refining level, with the help of the


    awakening power of the dragon scale, he could beat someone who was half-step into the nature level.


    He could by no means allow himself to be trampled upon.


    What was more, Evil Lan had been burning him for twenty hours. That was nearly a whole day and a


    night. After twenty hours of weapon refining, Zen thought that Evil Lan''s strength might have


    diminished and he would be like a spent arrow.


    The moment the two men were about to fight head-on, Evil Lan moved aside quickly, his body drawing


    an arc in the air. And then he brought down his arm, as swiftly and precisely as a sword.


    "me Sword!"


    "Ping!"


    Evil Lan was indeed strong and powerful since he had been half-step into the nature level. His attack


    was also fueled with the burning power of his life fire. His hand tore open a crack in Zen''s skin like a


    sword would do.


    They both were shocked!


    What surprised Evil Lan was that Zen''s body was unusually hard. Evil Lan''s attack had managed to


    open only a crack on Zen''s skin! From what he could remember, even the bodies of special races on


    the savagend were not as hard as Zen''s. His me Sword contained the strength of his fire. The


    force he used could rive the muscles of iron.


    But the moment that his sword cut through Zen''s body and touched Zen''s bones, a sound like that of


    steel colliding could be heard. ''What happened? Is the young man''s body a mysterious weapon?''


    thought Evil Lan.


    What surprised Zen was that Evil Lan had been agile enough to escape. No matter how hard Zen tried,


    he could not even capture Evil Lan''s shadow. This frustrated Zen.

 Chapter 26 Freedom (Part Two)

    Chapter 26 Freedom (Part Two)


    "Hum, despite being at the organ refining level, you are physically hard. Nheless, you are going to


    die here today. I will refine your body when you die topensate for my losses!" said Evil Lan. With


    these words, he swooped toward Zen with a burst of shadows.


    "Ping!" The sword cut Zen.


    Another incision was seen on him. A momentter, blood gushed from Zen''s wound.


    "Bang!"


    "Bump!"


    Every time Evil Lan attacked him, a terrible wound could be seen on Zen''s body.


    The situation was disheartening for Zen. Although he was physically strong, he was not as fast as Evil


    Lan. With the advantage of speed on Evil Lan''s side, Zen felt that there was a very real chance that


    Evil Lan might kill him.


    In this case, he had no choice but to take a risk!


    All of a sudden, Zen closed his eyes, and his arms fell to his sides. It seemed as though he had been


    defeated.


    Since he couldn''t catch Evil Lan, it was useless to keep trying.


    "Giving up so soon, poor young man?" Evil Lan said contemptuously. Evil Lan was battle-hardened.


    When he saw that Zen had given up resisting, he raised an eyebrow. He knew better than to drop his


    guard for even a second. Without any hesitation, he continued to sh Zen at very high speed. Two


    more wounds were seen on Zen.


    "Hey, hey, let me see what else you can endure!" Evil Lan continued.


    His shrillugh echoed off the walls as he lunged at Zen again. This time he seemed to sh at Zen


    one more time. Just as he neared Zen, Evil Lan changed direction and went round to Zen''s back. Then


    his hands burst with blossoming lotus fire.


    With another shrillugh, Evil Lan approached Zen again. This time, he aimed for Zen''s head. He was


    going to rip Zen''s head off!


    ''The right time ising!'' Zen thought.


    When Evil Lan was only seconds'' away, Zen suddenly opened his eyes. He had been patiently waiting


    for this opportunity. Before Evil Lan couldnd his attack, Zen covered his head with his arms.


    The moment Evil Lan touched Zen''s arms, the young man grasped and squeezed Evil Lan''s arms. At


    the same time, he firmly sped Evil Lan''s skinny arms. After that, Zen shouted," Get off my back!"


    "Bump!"


    Zen threw Evil Lan to the ground with all of his strength. Although the cave was made up of hard stone,


    it could not withstand this enormous momentum. Under the impact of the explosion, the ground was


    torn apart, and in the middle of the huge holey Evil Lan.


    Dazed, Evil Lan took a moment topose himself before struggling to climb out of the hole. Zen,


    however, simply did not give him the opportunity. ''This crazy man is very strong and fast. If I let him


    climb out of this hole, I may not be able to catch him again. Opportunity knocks only once! I can''t give


    him a chance.'' Zen rationalized.


    Zen was like a mad beast. He squatted over Evil Lan and unleashed at least a dozen punches in quick


    session. The strength of each punch thrown by Zen weighed about thousands of pounds.


    He panted from the exertion. After wiping his brow, Zen looked at Evil Lan who was lying in the rubble


    in the hole. Zen narrowed his eyes when he felt as though Evil Lan was no longer breathing.


    He had beaten someone who was half-way to mastering the nature level? Considering that Zen only


    had the strength of a person at the organ refining level, this was undoubtedly a very difficult feat.


    Evil Lan had depleted the fire inside his body, as he had been refining for nearly a day and a night. And


    then, he had been attacked by Zen.


    In this case, he had still counterattacked sessfully. If Zen reacted a little slower, his neck would have


    been broken by Evil Lan. In that case, Zen would have died, not Evil Lan.


    Life was so unpredictable! It was impossible to figure out when and where disaster would strike.


    It took a moment for the development to sink in. Zen had just defeated a notorious nature level master,


    with his bare hands.


    Zen congratted himself before calming down. He needed to check the eight living people pinned to


    the weapon refining furnace. When Zen began walking toward them, it looked like they were dead. It


    almost seemed as though their flesh and blood had been sucked away from their bones.


    When he went to investigate the iron cages closer, Zen saw that those people had been burned to


    death by Evil Lan''s fire. Their bodies looked so horrible that Zen closed his eyes and turned away.


    ''Poor people!''


    Zen silently mourned for the people in his heart. Afterposing himself, Zen began wandering around


    the vast cave. Although he had examined the cave twice now, he saw nothing of value except some


    broken copper and iron.N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    Now in the center of the cave, Zen frowned as he thought about what he had found. If a general


    weapon refiner was wealthy, then an established weapon refiner like Evil Lan could not be so poor.


    There must be some treasures!


    After searching for a while longer, a thought urred to Zen. He rushed to the hole and dragged Evil


    Lan''s body out. Evil Lan''s body had now be a skeleton. There was not a single part of the body


    that was left intact.


    Zen''s gaze fell on Evil Lan''s right hand. On the middle finger was a ck ring.


    An idea spurred Zen to reach for the ring from Evil Lan''s middle finger. However, as soon as Zen


    touched the ring, a sense of coolness enveloped his fingers.


    Sure enough, this was a space ring!

 Chapter 27 Freedom (Part Three)

    Chapter 27 Freedom (Part Three)


    The space ring was indeed special. As the name implied, the ring contained a space in it. A space


    where a person could hide something of value.


    This kind of space ring was an incredible one! Even though it looked like a small space ring, and the


    storage space was also small, the value could beparable to that of a top grade mysterious


    weapon.


    No one had ever owned such a treasure in the Luo n!


    Although Zen had never seen a real one space ring before, he had learned about such magical items


    from books.


    Since Evil Lan was now dead and his soul had vanished, this space ring had be an object without


    a master. That meant that Zen could be the master of this space ring.


    Something clicked in his mind, and Zen felt his spirit merging with the cold spirit that hade from the


    space ring. Then Zen saw all the things Evil Lan had saved in the ring.


    The space inside the space ring was notrge. He estimated that the space was norger than a few


    square meters. This was surprisingly little for a space ring. However, there were many treasures inside.


    Evil Lan had stored in the ring various precious ores used in weapon refining. This included pure iron,


    red seal stone, blood amber steel, and many others. They had all been piled up neatly in the corner.


    These ores were certainly very precious treasures for weapon refiners! They were also very expensive.


    Zen estimated that he could sell them for a good price.


    Beside the ores, there were also semi-transparent spars. Spars were also known as cubic crystals. Zen


    knew this from his studies as well.


    This kind of cubic crystal was the real currency in the Empire. Gold and silver weremon people''s


    currency, and they used it for trading. But for the cultivators, gold was as worthless as dirt. But cubic


    crystals were different!


    Although these cubic crystals seemed like the regr kind, they could store pure life energy, which was


    a must for masters at the nature level.


    Because cubic crystals were easy to cut and carry, they had gradually be the preferred currency


    of the world of cultivators.


    Zen estimated that there were hundreds of cubic crystals in the ring. This was a considerable sum. So


    Evil Lan was not poor!


    In addition, there were other treasures such as a long sword with demonic gleam, a bloody red


    hammer, etc. The grade of these treasures was not low. Since Zen was not a specialist, he gauged that


    they were probably middle-grade mysterious weapons.


    On the other side of the space ring, there were a variety of refining books, as well as some unknown


    pills. While all these treasures and seeminglymon items had been ced together, in an


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    unorganized pile, a knife thaty hidden in the pile caught Zen''s attention.


    The knife appeared to be very old. The surface of the knife was pitted, and the handle was broken.


    Even though the de of the knife waspletely rolled up, Zen could see that in some ces it was


    charred.


    Despite its appearance, Zen felt as though the knife had a very special magic power. It was this special


    magic power that had a strong attraction to Zen. This broken knife was definitely precious! Maybe it


    would be of some use to him.


    Thinking of that, Zen reached in and took the broken knife out of the space ring. Then he examined it


    carefully. The longer he held it, Zen felt as though the knife was bing clearer and sharper. After a


    while, it looked as if it could cut anything in the world. "What a knife!"


    The knife, even though broken, still had a strong vor. Its grade must be unimaginably high. Surely


    Evil Lan also knew that this knife was not amon object. Probably he hadn''t found a good way to fix


    this knife till now. No wonder he had saved it inside the space ring.


    ''Since Evil Lan couldn''t fix it, I am afraid that I have no way to fix it either.'' Zen told himself. After


    ying around the knife for a while, he put it back into the space ring and walked out of the cave.


    He followed the long winding path, all the way to the outermost part of the cave. Once there, Zen


    stepped on the big tree and began to climb. He needed to get to the top of the cliff. There was a


    handrail alongside the cliff section, which saved him a lot of effort. After borrowing force from the


    handrail several times, Zen quickly reached the top of the cliff.


    Once on top of the cliff, Zen took a deep breath of fresh air and bathed in the warm sunshine. A big


    smile finally lit up his face.


    He had been lucky to leave the Luo n safely, escape from Evil Lan, and get so many treasures from


    Evil Lan.


    More importantly, he had attained his freedom.


    After being a prisoner in the cer of the Luo n for two years, Zen had finally escaped. He was free.


    He could go anywhere he wanted!


    He looked to his right and then dashed forward.


    Although he was in a good mood, Zen was not intoxicated by it. He knew that he had more important


    things to do.


    His next destination was the Imperial Capital.


    More specifically, he had to reach the center of the legendary Burning Sky Empire, as that was where


    Cloud Sect was located. And his sister Yan was trapped in the Hell mountain at Cloud Sect.

 Chapter 28 The Imperial Capital (Part One)

    Chapter 28 The Imperial Capital (Part One)


    After traversing towering mountains and rolling hills, hiking over ins, passing many cities and various


    counties, Zen finally arrived in the Imperial Capital.


    Standing in front of the high golden gate of the city, Zen was in awe. His mouth fell open in a silent


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ''wow''. Because he had thought that the C County was arge city. And he was surprised to see this


    golden gate which was several hundred feet high.


    Having read many books on the Imperial Capital, in which writers borated on the grandeur of the


    capital, Zen was mentally prepared for the magnificence and luxury of the capital. However, he was still


    profoundly shocked when he first stepped into the Imperial Capital and felt like a country bumpkin


    visiting a city for the first time.


    The books Zen had read were very detailed, and some had illustrations of thendscapes in the


    Imperial Capital, including illustrations like the golden gate towering over Zen now. The name of the


    gate was Heaven''s Arch, which was four hundred feet high and one hundred feet wide.


    Thirty years ago, the Princess Qi of Ogre was married to the Prince of the Burning Empire, and the


    princess Qi brought the Heaven''s Arch with her as her dowry.


    Even though Zen had imagined how the Heaven''s Arch would look many times in the past, seeing the


    golden archway in person, he finally understood why this was the dowry Princess Qi brought with her.


    The Heaven''s Arch was made of gold, and gemstones were iid over it, making gleam shine in the


    sun, with a rainbow of sparkling colors reflecting off it. Perhaps, Ogre wanted to make sure that the


    people in the Eastern Region knew every time they walked through this expensive dowry how poor


    they were.


    After passing through the Heaven''s Arch, Zen walked along the Imperial Capital''s main street, enjoying


    the local sights. As he walked, Zen even chanced to see the Incandescent Pavilion that stood


    majestically over 1000 feet high. He saw the enormous Temple of Dragon and several chariots flying


    by.


    Though intrigued, Zen did not stop to enjoy these stunning spectacles. His interest was in finding the


    Cloud Sect, and Zen wouldn''t stop until he reached his destination.


    Periodically stopping as he strolled down the street slowed Zen''s trip. Because he asked anyone he


    could about the Cloud Sect. Finally, he came to the Cloud Sect after searching for an entire day.


    The tremendous Cloud Sect made up nearly a quarter of the Imperial Capital, which was several times


    counted, the area of the Cloud Sect would be muchrger.


    Compared with the luxuriousness of the dazzling Heaven''s Arch, the gate leading to the Cloud Sect


    seemed in. Aside from two words inrge lettering at the top of the gate, there were no decorations.


    Surrounding the entrance wererge green trees that had green vines entwined. Each factor added to


    the charm of the ancient building.


    In front of the gate, two lines formed for sign-ups.


    The one to the left had only no more than ten people, while the line on the right extended for miles. At a


    nce, it was difficult to see where this group''s line ended. Zen counted quickly in his head and


    surmised that there were more than a thousand people waiting to the right.


    He did not know the difference between these two lines, so, he went to the left first. There were not so


    many people and soon, it was Zen''s turn.


    The receptionist in charge of enrolling the students nced up at Zen, and extended his hand as he


    demanded," Please, show me your noble n certificate."


    "Noble n certificate?" echoed Zen in a surprised manner.


    Seeing Zen''s nk look, the receptionist pointed down at his table while he exined," This line is only


    for applicants from noble ns. If you do not have a noble n certificate, you need to be in that line."


    As he spoke, the receptionist pointed to the long line to the right.


    That cleared up any confusion Zen had about why there weren''t many people standing in line here. It


    was dedicated to serving those of noble ns.


    The noble n was a special ss bestowed on families by the emperor.


    Throughout the entire Empire, there were only a small number of powerful families which were deemed


    noble n, and most of those families were located in the Imperial Capital.


    Since the Luo n of C County was not one of the noble ns, Zen could not show the noble n


    certificate to the receptionist.


    Watching the scene unfolded, people standing in the long line burst intoughter with contemptuous


    looks on their faces. Waiting in line like that was boring, aside from gossiping with each other to pass


    the time, there was nothing to do. Zen''s actions broke the monotony and were entertaining for the


    people standing there waiting for their turns.


    "Where did this bumpkine from?"


    "He didn''t know what the noble n certificate was. How dare hee to the Cloud Sect? Do you see


    what kind of peoplee to the Cloud Sect these days? That''s funny."


    Ignoring the taunts, Zen didn''t acknowledge the harassing opinions and gave the receptionist a nod


    before walking to the end of the line on the right. Contemptuous res from other hopeful applicants


    followed Zen.


    The past two years that Zen lived as a ve in the Luo n, and his harrowing escape from death had


    numbed Zen to the sort of insignificant provocations and ridicules these strangers tossed at him. Right


    now, nothing could annoy him.


    The line was moving slowly, and since Zen didn''t know anyone there, he decided to use the time to


    refresh himself and closed his eyes.


    "Is this your first time here to take the initial exam?" came a gentle voice unexpectedly from in front of


    Zen.

 Chapter 29 The Imperial Capital (Part Two)

    Chapter 29 The Imperial Capital (Part Two)


    Keeping his eyes closed, Zen nodded. A few secondster, he opened his eyes and saw a young man


    standing in front of him. Zen noticed the young man had a benign face and was about eighteen or


    neen years old.


    When the young man saw Zen''s eyes open, he smiled slightly and said, "This is my second time!"


    "What''s the initial exam?" Sensing kindness in the young man, Zen feltfortable enough to ask. He


    knew the Cloud Sect''s requirements for disciples to be recruited were very strict, and applicants had to


    pass multiple exams to qualify for admittance to the Cloud College. However, he was not from the


    Imperial Capital, so he wasn''t very clear about the processes used in selecting recruits for the Cloud


    Sect.


    The young man smiled congenially and said, "The Cloud Sect is a prominent ce famous for having


    the finest refining instructors in the world. Countless people want to join the Cloud Sect, and each


    needs to be assessed. Since there are too many candidates, the Cloud Sect stiptes that, except for


    people from the noble ns, applicants must pass the initial exam before they be eligible to take


    the Cloud Sect''s exams."


    "Thank you for sharing that. If you don''t mind, would you tell me, what are the contents of the initial


    exam?" Zen had heard it was difficult to gain admission into the Cloud Sect. After listening to this young


    man exin the exams, Zen realized there were a lot of rules which made him wonder what Perrin had


    sacrificed. Because Perrin not only got into the Cloud Sect but also was recruited as an inner disciple


    immediately.


    Chuckling, the young man said, "At the professed initial exam, they will gather us together for a race.


    The Cloud Sect specifies that those who are permitted to participate in the initial exam need to be at


    the bone refining level at least, and although people who have reached the organ or marrow refining


    levels can participate, the requirements for each level vary. For example, applicants at the bone


    refining level need to run a predetermined distance, but, applicants at the organ refining level need to


    run further..."


    ''Is it just running?'' wondered Zen. As he thought, he blinked. The initial exam sounded easy. After all,


    everyone could run. When Zen arrived at the organ refining level, his breaths were longer, allowing him


    to run longer and farther.


    Now that he knew what the initial exam entailed, Zen was more at ease, and he chatted with the young


    man as they waited. Through their conversation, Zen learned the young man''s name was Nory Mo, and


    he was part of a small n here in the Imperial Capital.


    The Cloud Sect''s initial exam was held once a month. Nory failedst month, so he was here for his


    second attempt at the exam this year.


    The two men became engrossed in discussing trivia. The line moved along, and before they knew it, it


    was Nory''s turn. And Zen was the next.


    After registering his name, the receptionist handed Zen a jade pendant that had his identity information


    recorded on it.


    As he carefully put the jade pendant away, Nory said, "Zen, make sure you rest well tonight. Running


    may sound simple, but the trail the Cloud Sect has is unique. You''ll be able to receive more details the


    day after tomorrow." Nory thought for a moment and then he added, "Zen, you''re not from the Imperial


    Capital. If you don''t have anywhere to stay, you cane and stay at my ce."


    Indeed, Nory Mo was a warm-hearted person.


    However, as kind as Nory was, Zen politely declined his invitation. After living in very for the past two


    years, he understood how cold the world was, and through his experience, he knew there was a price


    for everything. While he wouldn''t suspect everyonepletely, Zen also would not trust anyone easily.


    Just then a group of people came through the gate from the Cloud Sect. A few were wearing ck


    robes, but most of them wore white robes.


    Noticing Zen watching them thoughtfully, Nory offered, "The ones donned in white robes are the outer


    disciples. We will earn the right to wear those if we pass the initial exam and the Cloud Sect''s test."


    "What about the ck robes?" asked Zen.


    "ck robes? They are the inner disciples! The standings of the inner disciples, as well as the pills they


    receive every month, are superior to the disciples in white robes. My father''s goal for me is that I can


    be an inner disciple and wear a ck robe," stated Nory with a look longing on his face.


    Acknowledging Nory with a nod, Zen reflected on the day Ken dered that Perrin was enrolled as an


    inner disciple. What was the reason behind that? Was it for the effects of the Magical Pill that Perrin


    could progress more rapidly with his refining skills?


    While Zen was lost in thought, six or seven disciples dressed in ck robes walked towards him. One


    of them stared at Zen with a strange look on his face. "Zen! Well, isn''t this a surprise? You''re not dead!


    Do you want to study at the Cloud Sect? How dare youe to sign up for the exam? That''s absurd!


    Ha!"


    Hearing his name, Zen squinted, looking at the man who was shouting at him. Inside, his chest


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    constricted with disgust when he got a good look at the man. What a coincidence! He was just thinking


    of him, and now, surprisingly, Perrin was standing in front of him.

 Chapter 30 Provocation (Part One)

    Chapter 30 Provocation (Part One)


    Zen knew that he would meet Perrin at Cloud Sect sooner orter. However, he did not expect to


    encounter Perrin even before he had taken the initial exam.


    After hearing what Perrin said, Zen realized that his cousin knew about the events that transpired on


    Family Practicing Day. If that was true, then Perrin would be aware that Zen had maimed Andrew in


    such a way that he would be unable to cultivate permanently.


    "Cloud Sect is open to people from all over the world. You can join it, so can I!" Zen said calmly.


    Perrinughed and replied, "You are the rebel of the Luo n. After all that you have done, everyone


    in the n wants to kill you. You want to join Cloud Sect? Dream on! I''m gonna maim you today!"


    Then, Perrin''s body shone with a purple light. He stepped toward Zen with a contemptuous sneer.


    Zen snorted. Perrin was behaving just as he had predicted! All of Zen''s muscles tightened as he took a


    defensive stance. Perrin''s strength seemed to have improved with his training at Cloud Sect. But Perrin


    didn''t know that Zen had be stronger as well! ''I have already defeated Evil Lan, a master who was


    mid-way to the nature level. How can Perrin beat me?'' Zen thought.


    Just then, a ck-robed disciple caught Perrin''s left arm and said, "Hey, Perrin, calm down! We are at


    Cloud Sect. You''ve got to be careful not to vite the rules, or you will receive severe punishment."


    Perrin frowned when being reminded of the rules. Apparently, the penalty for breaking Cloud Sect''s


    Then, a young man with distinguished bearing, named Billy, walked out from amongst the ck-robed


    disciples. It appeared as though Billy was the big shot amongst these guys. He said," Perrin, has this


    guy ever shed with you?"


    Perrin bowed respectfully to Billy before nodding and replying, "Yes, he is a rebel of my n. As the


    young master of the Luo n, I am obliged to punish him."


    "Kill him then! Though the rules of Cloud Sect are strict, this guy has just registered for the initial exam.


    Thus, it doesn''t break the rules if you kill him, and I can cope with any trouble that you may encounter


    after that," Billy said impassively. It sounded almost as though Billy could determine whether Zen would


    live or die.


    Perrin had intended to fight with Zen, but he gave up this idea after hearing what Billy Wang said. It


    was all known that there was no free lunch, so Perrin didn''t want to owe Billy one due to Zen. So Perrin


    turned to Billy and said, "I''m in no hurry! I''d like to see if this guy can pass the exams to enter Cloud


    Sect. If he fails, I will kill him as easily as I can kill an ant. If he seeds, I will be able to find many


    opportunities to kill him in the future."


    Then Perrin turned to Zen and said, "I will let you live for a few more days. Don''t getfortable


    though. I will kill you someday soon!"


    Zen split his sidesughing at Perrin''s threat. He pointed at Perrin with his index finger and said, "a-


    hah! That''splete bullshit! Perrin, did no one from the Luo n tell you the truth? I defeated Ken


    Luo not just Andrew! How can you kill me?"


    After saying that, Zen exuded an aura using his full strength. His body had been refined and burned by


    Evil Lan''s fire for twenty hours. The intensity of his body had thus reached the level of a mid-grade


    mysterious weapon.


    Although Zen was still at the organ-refining level, his exuding strength was so powerful that Perrin felt


    as though a tsunami was crushing him. The intensity was too much to bear, and Perrin found himself


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    short of breath.


    Perrin took a step back when faced with Zen''s power. Two days ago, a Luo n carrier pigeon had


    brought a letter to Perrin. The note had been very brief. It had only mentioned that Zen had made


    Andrew unable to use his power any more. It said nothing about the fact that Zen had beaten Ken Luo.


    Not long ago, Zen had been at the flesh refining level. But now, it seemed as though his strength had


    increased tremendously.


    Originally, Perrin was quite confident about his ability to beat Zen. He had taken the Magical Pill, which


    had led to an incredible improvement in his cultivating speed. Moreover, as Perrin had built a friendly


    rtionship with Billy, he had been epted as an inner disciple at Cloud Sect.


    In the past, Perrin''s strength had been far superior to Zen''s, and so he had never felt threatened by


    Zen.


    Since it was said in the letter from the Luo n that Zen must have died because he had been


    grabbed by an evil weapon refiner Evil Lan, Perrin didn''t pay much attention to it. He had almost


    forgotten about Zen.


    However, Perrin didn''t expect that Zen was still alive and would show up in front of him. Furthermore,


    Zen''s strength had improved to the extent where Perrin was worried that Zen was no longer weaker


    than him.


    Seeing Zen''s arrogance, the faces of several inner disciples standing by Perrin''s side darkened.


    Zen was even not a disciple of Cloud Sect. Even if Zen sessfully passed the exams and entered


    Cloud Sect, he would only be an outer disciple. How could he be so arrogant in front of a group of the


    inner disciples?


    The only thing they were eager to do now was to teach Zen a lesson with their fists.


    They all stared at Billy because of his status in the group.


    Billy smiled calmly before speaking to Perrin. "Perrin, it seems that this barking dog of your n is a bit


    fierce and annoying. What are you waiting for? Go beat him!"


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