Six hours later, Zhang San, Xu, and the others arrived at the final rendezvous point—Solitary Mountain Manor.
Solitary Mountain Manor, located on a small hill protruding into Red Temple Lake on the lakeshore.
The manor was surrounded by water on three sides, offering a picturesque scenery, with a panoramic view of the lake bathed in autumn light.
The pathway down the mountain had also been well maintained, with evenly placed steps, evidently at great expense.
At this time, the more than twenty martial artists from the Town Martial Office who had come on this mission were all hiding in a small patch of woods not far from the mountain path.
By the time Zhang San and his companions arrived, nearly everyone else had already gathered.
Although Xu had also used the Swift Wind Technique, he still had to consider the physical condition of the three young men.
Running through the fierce winds, Xu's cultivation would naturally protect him from the gales, but the other three were not necessarily so fortunate.
Just like now, Big Head Wang was unscathed, even taking out some dry food and starting to eat.
Wang Ziteng, despite appearing a little disheveled, only had his hair in disarray and his clothes somewhat unkempt, as if he had been through a desperate whirlwind romance.
Then there was Zhang San, but let's not even look at him.
At that moment, Zhang San also realized his plight after the rapid forced march.
Zhang San found a small puddle and washed his travel-stained face, looking at his reflection that seemed as if it had been taken turns being ravaged.
To say he was as tired as a dog would be an understatement; he had never seen a dog worn out to such a state!
Zhang San sighed helplessly.
He leaned against a nearby tree, ate a few bites of dry food, then rested properly.
Officer Bai ordered everyone to rest for four hours, then launch the ambush while it was still dark.
Therefore, seizing the time to rest was the priority.
As for whether eating and then sleeping might be bad for the stomach, Zhang San felt that if he couldn't survive the ambush, he might be done for anyway; why would he worry about his stomach at such a time!
However, before Zhang San could even finish the dry food in his hand, he was so exhausted that he fell asleep.
Xu looked at Zhang San sympathetically and whispered to Wei, "Later, when we take action, help look out for the kid Zhang San."
Wei curled his lip, searching for a safe spot to take cover, scoffing as he did so.
"What do I care?"
Xu, feeling resigned, planned to keep an eye on Zhang San once the fighting erupted.
Zhang San, who had already entered dreamland, was naturally oblivious to Xu's kind intentions, and he had no idea why he had started dreaming again, especially dreams that began from when he was six years old.
In his dream, Zhang San was back to being a six-year-old.
But this six-year-old Zhang San was still in the world of the Great Sui.
After a heavy rain, Zhang San stepped out of his house, breathing in the fresh air mixed with the scent of wet earth.
At that moment, an old man with the aura of a Daoist immortal appeared in front of Zhang San without warning.
"I see that you have extraordinary bones and a remarkable talent. Come to the little bridge by the river behind your house at midnight tonight, and I will pass on to you the most powerful cultivation technique in the world!"
The ultimate cultivation technique!
Upon hearing these words, Zhang San was greatly moved!
Despite being only a six-year-old child, for some reason, it felt as though he had always been longing for a powerful cultivation technique, yearning for formidable strength.
However, when Zhang San wanted to ask what the cultivation technique was, he found that the old man had vanished without a trace.
In the blink of an eye, it was the dead of night; Zhang San secretly climbed over the backyard wall and slipped out to the bridge, where he found the old man sitting on a large blue rock by the river, waiting for him.
The old man smiled and beckoned to Zhang San, motioning for him to sit beside him.
"In this world, the most common are the ordinary people. If one wishes to look down upon the world, one must possess the might to do so! To achieve Transcendence and Saintliness, one requires the corresponding cultivation technique!"
"I possess a technique that allows one to inhale and exhale the Qi of all things in the world, to integrate it into one's own Qi. It can imitate the Qi of All Dharma and also possesses domineering might. It can lead to the creation of many paths without losing sight of the origin."
"Its name echoes throughout the ages, known as—'Tyrant Body Three Pills Technique'!"
"Do you wish to learn it?"
Zhang San faintly felt that he had heard such a sentence somewhere before.
But for some reason, the name of another Cultivation Technique suddenly flashed through his mind.
"Stronger than the 'Primordial Extreme Technique'?"
The old man couldn't help but burst into loud laughter upon hearing Zhang San's question.
"The 'Primordial Extreme Technique' is but a technique for the weak. Ten years of time, merely for the foundation, even if one makes rapid progress afterward, it is still only amassing depth to release in a shallow burst. It is not truly powerful."
"On the other hand, the 'Tyrant Body Three Pills Technique,' if practiced, can forge the world's sole tyrant body; in the Primordial Qi Realm, one can surpass three levels in battle; achieving the True Core, one is the strongest among one's peers."
"Tell me, what other Cultivation Technique in the world dares to be mentioned in the same breath as the 'Tyrant Body Three Pills Technique'?"
Upon hearing how powerful this Cultivation Technique was, Zhang San immediately began to learn from the old man.
For the following eight years, through freezing winters and scorching summers, every night Zhang San would go to the small river behind his house to practice the 'Tyrant Body Three Pills Technique' under the old man's guidance.
In those eight years, not only did Zhang San master the technique,
but he also ingrained the muscle memory of the technique's operation into his body.
Even if Zhang San didn't practice and was merely eating, drinking water, or using the restroom, the 'Tyrant Body Three Pills Technique' would circulate freely within his body, unobstructed.
However, just as Zhang San completed eight years of practice with the old man and fully mastered the 'Tyrant Body Three Pills Technique,' he suddenly heard rolling thunder.
Zhang San slowly opened his eyes and realized that what just happened was only a dream.
Big Head Wang, who was likely just asleep, snored so loudly that it woke him up.
Wei came over, took out five leaves, and placed one above Big Head Wang and the others around him, one in each cardinal direction. The five floating leaves formed a mystical Rune pathway, completely blocking out Big Head Wang's snoring.
Only the five leaves remained, floating around Big Head Wang, trembling continuously.
Zhang San wasn't sure if the experience in his dream was real or fake and immediately tried to sense the Qi within his body, only to find that he had but a smattering of Qi, scarcely stronger than that of a normal adult.
Zhang San let out a wry smile.
He had thought he'd obtained an unrivaled Cultivation Technique in his dream, only to wake up and realize that it was all just an illusion.
Zhang San got up and walked to a secluded spot to relieve himself.
The shadow that had long been hiding within Zhang San's own shadow saw him going to the restroom and frowned in concern.
What's the deal with this kid?
Always going to the restroom at such a young age, could there be a problem?
To make matters worse, Zhang San couldn't keep still while urinating; he aimed at a tree trunk and even kept trying to challenge himself to reach higher.
Under the moonlight, the watcher in the shadow had to keep shifting in the darkness, not daring to emerge, as the stream of urine moved dangerously close to him.
Finally, once the sound of the stream ceased, the shadow dared to peek out.
After Zhang San was done, a few drops of water splashed, falling into the shadow.
Zhang San felt a familiar chill.
With a sudden tension in his heart, he instinctively began to circulate his Cultivation Technique and gather his Qi, just as he did in the dream.
And in the next instant, a powerful and domineering aura spread from his body outwards.
The figure within the shadow could no longer concern itself with the bitter taste that had almost fallen into its mouth, because at this moment, it felt Zhang San's Qi pressuring to the point where it could hardly breathe.
At this time, a familiar sensation of surging Qi Flow pulsed through Zhang San's blood.
He could clearly feel the circulation of his Cultivation Technique within himself.
Tyrant Body Three Pills Technique!
========
[Note 4] Reference explanation
Red Temple Lake references the scenic spot near Hanzhong City, Nanzheng District, although there are some manors near the scenic area. Considering potential copyright infringement, the manor is named Solitary Mountain Manor, in line with the geographical features of the scene in the story.
[Note 5] Homage explanation
The supreme technique 'Tyrant Body Three Pills Technique,' mentioned in this chapter, comes from the renowned work 'The Legend of the Cultivation God' by Domestic Pig. This book only borrows the name without any other similar settings, as a homage to the great book that I started watching after first tipping it as a League Master! (Later, there will probably be more play on the "tyrant body" theme.)