Chapter 20: Opportunity

  Tang An stood in the large square on the main peak of Shu Mountain, "Guantian Peak". In front of him was a large black and gold signboard with three big words: "Trial Sword Hall", and below it were three small words: "Pursuing Wind Sword".

  Guantian Peak is the highest peak of Shu Mountain, and [Trial Sword Hall] is also the largest among the seven peaks of Shu Mountain. [Trial Sword Hall] occupies a vast area, almost covering the entire Guantian Peak. Moreover, since most inner disciples have gone to secular places for tempering, there are indeed very few people on this mountain.

  Tang An occupied a very large room by himself. Inside, there were exquisite red sandalwood tables and chairs, beautiful calligraphy and painting screens, everything was complete, compared to when he was cultivating outside the sect gate, it was comfortable beyond measure, but Tang An would rather not have these things.

  Tang An came to Shu Mountain to learn martial arts, not to enjoy life as a young master! Tang An entered the inner door, but Cang Feng did not teach him Shu Mountain's martial arts and did not let him leave the mountain. Tang An was no fool, he naturally knew what Cang Feng was thinking. This was an attempt to keep Tang An captive, letting him grow old and die on Shu Mountain!

  Tang An still goes to the stream in the valley every day, just like when he was training outside the gate, to temper his body and cultivate his internal strength. However, he usually avoids others and sneaks away to train. After all, although those disciples don't know about Tang An losing his internal power, if the news reaches Cang Feng's ears, Tang An will immediately fall into danger.

  Not far from the Guantian Peak, there is a waterfall, with water flowing straight down and a fierce momentum. At this moment in the severe winter season, thousands of miles are frozen, but only here, the water flow is still surging.

  The water flows rapidly downward, striking against the rocks above, and also covering the surrounding area with a layer of white mist.

  Tang An had cultivated his internal energy to a high level, and was not afraid of the cold. At this moment, he was only wearing a pair of shorts, standing under the rushing water, punching out one fist after another against the waterfall. His movements were very stable, with each punch having a clear rhythm, and from time to time, you could hear the sounds of "whoosh" and "thud". These were the two distinct sounds of his fists piercing through the air and the water flow.

  The waterfall's impact force was enormous, and as soon as Tang An's fist entered the water, it was pressed down by the turbulent flow of the waterfall. With each punch, he tried his best to increase his speed and strength, attempting to make his fist withstand the waterfall's impact for a little while longer.

  He no longer chose to bear the heavy burden of refinement, for he found that such training caused great damage to his tendons and bones, and its effects were not very good. He didn't have another Yuan Dan to waste either.

  Tang An has been practicing here for almost half a month. In this half month, Tang An did not slack off at all.

  Tang An had obtained the complete Shu Mountain entry mind method and had now cultivated to the peak of "Heavenly Man Second Layer, Washing Marrow and Forging Bones".

  The sky had darkened somewhat, and Tang An's movements as he practiced under the waterfall also began to slow down gradually.

  One day of training, even with his iron-like physique, he felt somewhat fatigued. The reason he chose to practice his fist and leg techniques under the waterfall was that the impact of the water flow could help him better connect the strength of his limbs and waist, and by adding internal energy circulation, continuously adjusting his body, making all the joints in his body form a whole, and better exerting his overall strength.

  "Alright, this is the last punch for today! The thousandth punch!"

  A loud crash

  Tang An's fist heavily punched into the waterfall. As soon as he threw this punch, he suddenly felt that the flow of internal energy throughout his body had become much smoother, and some previously blocked areas in his meridians had disappeared. His hand stabbed into the waterfall, and he also felt that it was not as difficult as before - he could actually hold on for a little while!

  He was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly overjoyed, and he clenched his fist tightly again, swinging it out once more. His fist indeed moved faster now, with greater explosive force.

  He lifted his foot again.

  He kicked it suddenly.

  The water flow suddenly made a loud "boom"!

  The leg strength instantly tore through the rushing water, and a heart-wrenching sound was emitted from the waves, transmitted far away, extremely sharp.

  Then Tang An kicked out three legs again. From a distance, only the shadow of Tang An's leg was seen flying, just like a big knife, chopping into the water!

  He finally stepped over the second heavy [Tian Ren Er Zhong, Xi Mao Fa Jing], his meridians had been cultivated to a perfect state, and all the congested places were completely opened up!

  As long as he continues to cultivate, the meridians will gradually expand and become stronger under the nourishment of internal energy, and the storage capacity of internal energy will also deepen with the increase in power.

  After March...

  It's already March, and the spring atmosphere is strong. The snow on the mountain top has melted, and the water flow of the waterfall is much larger than three months ago. The mist surrounding the area is also thicker, and in no time, Tang An's hair was wet and dripping.

  For three months, Tang An's body has not become stronger, but the previous fierce appearance has been introverted a lot, making him look much thinner. However, this is just an appearance, Tang An can feel the powerful explosive force contained in his body, which is one step higher than three months ago.

  After entering the third layer of Tianren, Tang An felt that his tendons and bones had become even stronger. His body's explosive power had now exceeded 800 jin. In these three months, his strength had increased by another 300 jin. He had already stabilized at the third layer of Tianren.

  The third layer of Tianren's extreme limit is the giant power of 1000 catties. At Tang An's current cultivation speed, in just three more months, he will be able to break through and enter the fourth layer of Tianren. This has only taken a year, and he has already entered a realm that ordinary Jianghu people need to cultivate for tens of years. This speed is truly unbelievable! However, most of the credit must go to that small Peiyuan Dan. Although the medicine is excellent, it can only lay the foundation for the body. Without Tang An's own high-intensity cultivation, it would not be possible for the medicine to take effect so perfectly!

  "The bottleneck between the third and fourth stages of Tianren must be enormous! This bottleneck has stopped most people from reaching the realm of a great master. However, I won't belittle myself, I've cultivated so hard, accumulating strength quietly, I don't believe this small bottleneck can hold me back!"

  Tang An thought of this, and the sword light in his hand suddenly burst out with a cold glow!

  The sword light flashed, and Tang An's back foot stomped heavily on the ground, instantly emitting a loud "slap" sound. In an instant, he rushed forward like an arrow off the string.

  "Roar of the Tiger!"

  Tang An let out a loud shout, and his true energy surged within him, pouring into the long sword in his hand.

  "Boom!"

  The sword chopped onto the giant stone and instantly blasted open its surface. All that could be seen was a burst of flying debris.

  After a closer look, there was suddenly a long slit on top of the giant stone.

  Ke Tang An shook his head, clearly very dissatisfied with this sword of his.

  "There is no swordsmanship that matches internal energy, relying on self-cultivation. How can this swordsmanship possibly progress? Mount Shu doesn't pass down the secret manual of my swordsmanship, and the system's task has yet to appear. If I continue to stay in Mount Shu, I'm afraid there will be no day for me to make a breakthrough. It seems it's time to leave Mount Shu."

  Just then, Tang An suddenly heard a loud noise.

  "Big brother, I will never marry that good-for-nothing! If you all force me again, I'd rather die!" The woman was originally Wang Rui's fiancée, arranged to be married since childhood, Mu family's eldest miss, Mu Hongyu!

  "Little sister, how long do you want to be so willful? Your marriage was personally agreed upon by your father! Even if Wang Cui is not a good person, our Mu family absolutely cannot go back on our word! Your marriage with Wang Cui was decided the day you were born, and both families have acknowledged it. The news has even spread throughout Shu Mountain! If you want to call off the engagement, where will your father's old face be placed? Where will our Mu family's reputation be placed?"

  At this point, Tang An's mouth corners curled up with a hint of mockery.

  "So that's how it is. It's just a political marriage after all. What if Wang Rui is a spoiled brat? Even if he's an idiot, you still have to marry him, Mu Hongyu. You're not marrying him as a person, but the power of the Wang family!"

  "You're my own brother, yet you're pushing me to death's door. I'm your own sister... every word you say is for the sake of our Mu family, am I not a member of the Mu family? I don't want a brother like you! Grandfather drove Aunt away from home back then and she hasn't returned in ten years. Are you and Father going to drive me away like Aunt, so that I won't even want to return home?"

  As soon as he heard his sister mention their aunt's past, Namu's face sank and he didn't care that he had come to persuade her. He threatened: "If you really don't care about the overall situation and do something like your aunt did, then our Namu family will consider not having a daughter like you! I'll consider it as if I never had a sister like you! My words are clear, think carefully for yourself. This Wang Rui, you must marry him, if you don't, I'll have someone tie you up and when the time comes, you'll be married anyway, even if you die, no one will say anything about our Namu family!"

  After finishing speaking, the man swung his sleeves and turned away with a huff. The young lady of the Mu family, however, stood frozen in place, her face pale, her eyes vacant and filled with despair, to the point where even her tears, which had been falling like rain, came to a sudden stop...

  "I'm your own sister! You're actually willing to sacrifice me for the sake of getting along with a useless piece of trash, without even caring whether I live or die?"

  Muhong Yu's body kept trembling, and it was unclear whether it was due to anger or despair. The White Jade Long Sword in her hand hummed with a mournful tone, as if also lamenting for its master.

  Watching her brother walk further and further away, it was as if from this moment on, he had left his own world. Mu Hongyu also stepped out of the familiar world she had known since childhood. In front of her, there seemed to be only darkness left. Perhaps death was the only way out for her. As for marrying Wang Rui, she would rather die than do it.

  "Right! I can go find Auntie!"

  Muhongyu suddenly remembered the night before her aunt left home fifteen years ago, as if she had handed herself a letter.

  That day, the sky was very dark, and Mu Hongyu could no longer remember her aunt's appearance, but her aunt's words were like a drumbeat in her ears every day. She had thought that she would never understand her aunt's words. But today, Mu Hongyu suddenly understood.

  "Xiao Yu, they've all gone mad! In order to pave the way for their own path, they can't wait to take out everything! Money, they don't lack, power, they're stronger than us. What do you think your grandfather and father would take out? Now it's me, later it'll be you! Do you say that the women of our Mu family are too stubborn? No! It's these men of the Mu family who are too incompetent! I, Mu Niuliang, will never let others arrange my fate, even if they're my father and brother!"

  "Auntie was right, they are using my fate to pave the way for themselves! But what did I get? Nothing at all! I absolutely will not accept this outcome!"

  At this thought, Mu Hongyu's eyes sparkled with an intense and crazy light!

  But in Tang An's eyes, her radiant light was more like dying embers making a final struggle!

  Watching Mu Hongyu leave in a hurry, Tang An slowly emerged from behind the slope.

  "Are you paving the way? You want to leave Shu Mountain, and I don't either. Since they don't even trust a child like me, they must be even more distrustful of you. Maybe someone is already watching you, preventing you from escaping."

  But thinking of this, Tang An suddenly had a sudden realization: "Wait! I think I've made a mistake somewhere!"

  Tang An's mind suddenly flashed with an idea, and then he couldn't stay for a moment, rushing towards Murong Yu like flying.

  "They didn't send anyone to monitor her before. Her father is a prominent figure in Qinghe Town, and her brother is an inner disciple of Shushan. They are the orthodox family of Shushan's orthodox school. Such a family, Wang Ruitu would never dare to send someone to monitor her normally, preventing her from escaping! But after today, it will be different! Wang Ruitu won't, but that doesn't mean her brother won't, her father won't!"

  Shu Mountain, Tang An can't stay any longer! If he wants to go further, he must leave Shu Mountain!

  Cang Feng can keep him safe for the time being, but he cannot keep him safe forever! Wang Feng did something to him, and Shu Shan cannot get justice back for him. He vowed that he would take matters into his own hands and get justice back himself in the future!

  And that might be Tang An's only chance to leave Shu Mountain!

  Thinking of this, Tang An immediately went back, packed his bags and hurried down the mountain to find Mu Hongyu.