Chapter 313 - 158: Inner Strength

Fatty Fang followed the sound of the voice, his expression slightly complicated.

"Cousin."

The newcomer was a girl of sixteen or seventeen. She wore a long dress of superior quality and exquisite tailoring, giving her a noble yet understated air that made her refined face appear all the more fair and delicate.

"Cheng, that’s my cousin, Song Yingzhi."

Fatty Fang scratched his head to hide his embarrassment.

Chen Cheng, however, paid it no mind, continuing to walk forward without a change in expression.

"Young Master Chen."

Song Yingzhi approached, gave a slight nod and a small curtsy, a perfectly measured smile blooming on her face.

A young maidservant followed beside her, looking to be no older than thirteen or fourteen. Her round face still had a touch of baby fat, but her bright, dark eyes were restless, sizing up Chen Cheng with a lively and curious gaze.

"Miss Song."

Chen Cheng gave a simple reply, his tone calm and purely polite.

"A few days ago, I heard from my cousin that Young Master Chen has condensed your Sixth Pillar of Blood Qi. That’s truly wonderful news, congratulations."

Song Yingzhi said with a beaming smile:

"It’s better to meet by chance than by invitation. I happen to be on my way to a banquet at the Fuyun Building up ahead. Why don’t you and my cousin join me, Young Master Chen? The more the merrier..."

"Miss."

The maidservant, Yue’Er, suddenly spoke up, her cheeks puffing out slightly as if she wanted to say something but held back.

"No, thank you. I have things to attend to at home."

Chen Cheng casually declined without breaking his stride. He gave a wave to Fatty Fang and departed alone.

Watching his straight back gradually disappear into the crowd, a flicker of disappointment and loss clearly crossed Song Yingzhi’s eyes, but she quickly suppressed the emotion and her expression returned to normal.

"Miss, really! You were clearly going to a matchmaking meeting..."

Yue’Er pouted and muttered under her breath:

"Having your cousin tag along is one thing, but how could you also invite Young Master Chen? Aren’t you afraid the master will be angry!"

"Another matchmaking meeting?"

Fatty Fang looked at Song Yingzhi, his lips twisted in a grimace, and said irritably:

"What kind of character are you meeting this time? How many has it been in the last month? Are you really that desperate to marry yourself off?"

Song Yingzhi didn’t answer, and her face betrayed no emotion.

Fatty Fang’s mouth moved, but he didn’t say anything more.

In fact, Fatty Fang knew exactly what Song Yingzhi was thinking.

She had a very detached view of romance and only wanted to marry a man who could help the Song Family grow and prosper.

A Martial Artist was undoubtedly her best choice.

Unfortunately, the Song Family was only a minor family, so she could only search for a promising prospect with growth potential before the Martial Selection began.

Once the Martial Selection was over, all the listed Martial Artists who had shone brilliantly and made a name for themselves in Zhao City would be snatched up by the major families. What chance would Song Yingzhi have then?

Because of this, Fatty Fang really couldn’t bring himself to blame her for it.

"Cousin, I don’t mean anything by it, I just feel bad for you... You’re clearly so outstanding, but the people you meet are all second-rate characters, a far cry from my brother Cheng..."

As Fatty Fang spoke, he suddenly remembered Chen Cheng’s breakthrough and immediately corrected himself:

"No, it’s not a far cry! Those guys you met before aren’t even worthy of carrying my brother Cheng’s shoes!"

"Young Master, this time is different!"

Yue’Er blinked and said:

"This time, it’s a connection through the Master’s superior. He introduced a very powerful Martial Artist. I heard that in last year’s Martial Selection, he missed the list by just one spot. He’s a sure thing for this year!"

"Who is it?" Fatty Fang frowned, looking at Song Yingzhi.

"From Qisong Hall, Meng Yan," Song Yingzhi said.

"It’s him..."

Fatty Fang clicked his tongue, his brow relaxing a little.

"Qisong Hall is just so-so, but that Meng Yan fellow isn’t bad. He was already at Seven Blood Transforming Force last year, and he’s good-looking too. He’s eleven or twelve years older than you, but I suppose that’s acceptable."

Song Yingzhi smiled, but her eyes held a trace of imperceptible sadness.

...

「Seven days later.」

After lunch, Chen Cheng rested for a moment before heading to the inner courtyard alone, where he focused his mind on honing his Foundation Establishment Tai Chi.

As he moved through the forms one by one, his skin, great tendons, muscles, and bones all perfectly aligned with the infinite and endless Foundation Establishment True Intent.

Every movement was a supreme pursuit of stretching and extending, as if he were meticulously measuring the very limits of his body, inch by inch, and then pushing past them bit by bit.

His Heart Spirit gradually merged with the True Intent Realm. In a trance, he felt as if he had transformed into a boundless void.

Raising a hand, he could touch the sea of stars; breathing, he could channel the Great Dao of heaven and earth.

[Foundation Establishment Tai Chi]: Perfection, Traits (Loose Transparency, Entwining, Rigid and Soft), Limit-Breaking (Available)

[Loose Transparency: The great tendons throughout the body become extremely supple and sensitive, instinctively buffering against external strikes. It can disperse 30% of an impact’s force evenly throughout the body. Punches and kicks from those of the Same Tier will find it difficult to inflict fundamental damage.]

[Entwining: The muscles throughout the body extend and stretch, their fibers becoming like whips that coil around the bones. Combat techniques gain an entwining and twisting momentum. Force is transmitted through each joint to the very tip, increasing explosive power by 30%.]

[Rigid and Soft: The hardness and resilience of all hard bones increase by 30%. The flexibility of all cartilage increases by 30%.]

’It’s done...’

Chen Cheng slowly exhaled a turbid breath. It was like a bolt of white silk, rising a full zhang in a pillar of afternoon light and lingering for a long time before dissipating.

His movements did not stop; after finishing a round of Foundation Establishment Tai Chi, he practiced one set each of the Thunder Treading Skill and Hidden Dragon Fist.

He could clearly feel the subtle transformation of his entire skeleton.

His hard bones had become harder and more resilient, correspondingly increasing both his resistance to blows and his striking power.

His cartilage had become more flexible. The most direct result was that his joints were more mobile and his coordination more precise. The most difficult movements in the three martial arts he had just practiced were now easier and more fluid to execute than before, and even consumed slightly less stamina.