Over three months passed. During this time, Xi Chen have learnt many information regarding the martial world and has better understanding of the power structure of Red Bull Kingdom since his first visit to the Unknown Man's Trade Market.
The top of the power is still the Royal Family of of Red Bull Kingdom. And the reason why the kingdom is name in such is because the Royal Family Technique manifest a giant red bull of Qi when they perform their skills.
During his visits to the Black market, he had developed a relationship with Old Ghost that of a seller and buyer. They only needed to communicate through a messenger bird without needing for Xi Chen to visit the Black market frequently. He had already bought a secluded manor near a mountain and had already moved in with his brothers. Well the money is from selling his techniques. But he did not sell his martial skills because that would be like selling out his secrets and weakness.
After communicating with Old Ghost frequently, he learnt many things of Green River Town including the great 3 families of Green River Town.
Xi Chen sat cross-legged within the jade pine Grove behind his secluded mountain courtyard, his two younger brothers, Xi Bing and Xi Xuan, still asleep inside their modest wooden cottage. Neither had begun any martial training; Xi Chen had kept them away from cultivation, wanting them to enjoy a normal childhood for as long as possible. He planned to start guiding them in martial arts once they turned fifteen—until then, their days were meant for study, games, and simple joys. Each breath he drew rippled with quiet control. A circle of polished stones hummed faintly around him, responding to his inner rhythm. His body had recently undergone a profound change—he had broken through to the Bone Refinement Realm. His meridians felt sturdier, his senses sharper, and his strength more condensed. The transition left his body sore but filled with quiet energy, a sign of new power settling in.
"Panel." He call out.
Panel-
Martial Skill: Hundred Fist Arts(124/1000), Ten Fist Arts(completed), Simple Fist Arts(completed).
Cultivation Technique: Scarlet Bone Blooming Method(1/250), Red Demon Body Tempering Technique(completed),Fiery Body Tempering Technique(completed),Furnace Body Tempering Technique(completed).
Martial Realm: Bone Refinement Realm.
Combat Power Realm: High Bone Refinement Realm.
But, peace was a fragile illusion.
One morning, as the golden light of dawn filtered through the bamboo shutters of his cottage, a messenger bird landed on his windowsill. It was from Old Gui. Tied to its leg was a strip of harden paper, scorched around the edges:
"Li Chongba has emerged from seclusion. Acquired Qi Realm, grade ten. The balance is broken. Beware."
Xi Chen read the note twice, his fingers tightening.
Li Chongba–the iron-fisted patriarch of the Li family—vanished half a year ago, rumors swirling that he'd sought a breakthrough in some hidden spiritual ground. Many assumed he was dead. Other whispered that he'd gone mad. But now, if this message was true, he had not only survived—he had reached the peak of Acquired Qi Realm. Grade ten. An apex few ever attained.
Xi Chen's mind raced. The town could not remain unchanged.
But he still did not care much about it.
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Green River Town, once a quiet but prosperous settlement located in the Giant Forest Province of the Red Bull Kingdom, ruled by the imperial Huanglong family, was now a cauldron on the brink of boiling over. The Meng family's dominance had held the balance for a time, keeping the town's delicate alliances intact, but their strength rested more on knowledge and formation Arts than sheer force. The three great clans—Li,Lin, and Meng—had coexistence under an uneasy truce for years. But among them, the Meng family had gradually risen as the town's dominant force. They presided not only over scholarly affairs and mystic formations but also wielded significant influence over town policies, spiritual education, and artifact management. Though Green River Town had a Martial school, it was largely ceremonial—open to commoners but devoid of any real cultivation techniques. Only basic fighting skills were taught there, and nothing that could lead to even the lowest stage of Mortal realm. The Lin family maintained strong trade networks and spiritual herb cultivation, while the Li family controlled martial enforcement—but their influence had waned in recent years, particularly during Li Chongba's mysterious absence.
But Li Chongba's breakthrough changed everything.
He emerged from his ancestral estate like a reborn dragon. His presence alone bent tree branches and rippled the air. Witnesses claimed this voice carried from one end of the market square to the other. He declared the time of shared leadership was over. Green River Town would be ruled by strength. And strength, now, belonged to the Li family.
Tensions ignited overnight.
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The clang of hammer against iron echoed rhythmically across the narrow glade behind the new Xi household. Wisps of stream rose in the morning air as Xi Chen, bare-chested and soaked in sweat, raised his hammer once more and brought it down with precise, unwavering. Sparks danced as glowing metal bent beneath his will.
Xi Bing and Xi Xuan sat a few feet away, finishing their morning porridge. The younger, Xi Xuan, stared wide-eyed at the glowing blade on the anvil.
"Big bother, when can we learn how to do it?" he asked, his voice full of awe.
Xi Chen smiled without turning around. "When you are fifteen, like I promised."
Xi Bing nodded thoughtfully. "Will we learn to fight too?"
"Yes" Xi Chen said as he quenched the blade in oil, steam hissing. "But not just to fight. You will learn to protect, to endure, and to survive. Fighting is the last thing you do, not the first."
The boys nodded, not fully understanding—but trusting.
Xi Chen wiped his brow and set the blade aside, letting it cool beside the other commissioned tools and simple weapons ordered by traders and farmers. While conflict stirred elsewhere in Green River Town, the forge remained his world—a world of heat, effort, and quiet growth.
He had no involvement in the politics of the three great clans. The Li, the Lin, and the Meng their chess games of power, none of which interested him. He avoided their eyes, avoided unnecessary visits to the main square, and most of all, avoided drawing any attention to himself.
Few even knew his name beyond "that blacksmith with two little brothers."
Xi Chen liked it that way.
His days followed a simple rhythm:rise at dawn, train his body and refine his bones, forge tools and weapons by noon, and spend the evenings teaching his brothers reading, calligraphy, and stories of ancient heroes. He learned this stuffs from his blacksmith master.
In the afternoons, he would travel into the forested ridge near the base of the mountains to gather herbs, rare minerals, and also spiritual plants. Such resources were scarce and hard to come by. Days often passes with nothing but empty hands and dirt-stained boots. When he was lucky, he might return with a palm-sized shard of low ungraded spiritual plants or a few resilient herbs suitable for body suitable for body tempering brews. Even those were treasures I his eyes.
No one followed him. No one questioned his solitude.
The only man who truly saw through his disguise was Old Gui, the elusive merchant of the Unknown Man's Trade Market. He and Xi Chen shared a brief, infrequent conversations—but the old man never pried.
"Still Tempering yourself in the shadows, boy?" Old Gui once said with a grin, adjusting his blindfold that he started wearing recently.
"Still waiting for the storm to pass," Xi Chen had replied.
"Storms don't pass. They either breaks you, or you break through them. But your patience is.... rare. Rarer than most of the treasures here."
Xi Chen simply nodded and left with his purchases—a sealed gourd of bone broth, which is useful for his Bone Refinement Realm.
Six weeks passed in quiet.
Outside, Green River Town teeters on the brink of Civil conflict.
Li Chongba's reappearance after six months in seclusion had sent tremors through the town. His successful breakthrough to grade ten of the Acquired Qi Realm had instantly shifted the balance of power. Once considered a declining force, the Li clan now radiated a new sense of intimidation and authority.
The Meng clan, long dominant in scholarly pursuits, spiritual formations, and council influence, found itself suddenly on the defensive. Meng Yao, patriarch and scholar, convened an emergency assembly with their inner circle, activating ancient defensive formations around their archive and barracks.
Meanwhile, the Lin clan tried to position itself neutrally—though not without risk. Lin Zhenyu, senior cultivator and master of trade, bolstered guard patrols around their spiritual herb gardens and sealed deals with outside merchants to maintain supplies should conflict worsen.
Tensions surged as both Meng and Li vied for support from neutral guilds and influential households. A few minor families pledged loyalty to Li Chongba, seduced by his raw power and promises of protection. The Meng countered by exposing shady dealings and reigniting ancestral alliances.
Street clashes became common—quick skirmishes between low-level retainers. Markets became quieter. Gossip thickened like smoke.
And yet, in the midst of the chaos, Xi Chen remained unseen.
One afternoon, while passing by Old Han's apothecary to purchase ointment for his brothers' minor injuries, Xi Chen overheard an argument between a Li clan enforcer and the frail shopkeeper. The enforcer demanded dues for "protection," accusing Old Han of favoring the Meng.
Xi Chen did not intervene directly. That evening, he visited a different Li clan outpost in the lower quarter and handed a pouch of silver coins to a junior steward.
"This is for Old Han," he said simply. "Ensure he is left in peace."
The steward, caught off guard, accepted the coin with a respectful nod. Xi Chen left before any further questions could be asked.
By morning, the harassment ceased. Old Han, none the wiser, assumed his small prayers had been answered.
Xi Chen said nothing of it. Just another quiet act.
But he knew the fire was building.
One evening, news reached him via a wandering peddler: the Meng clan had successfully defended an assassination attempt on one of their elders. Rumors blamed the Li clan. The Lin clan, meanwhile, was accused by both sides of conspiring in secret. Green River Town's streets were tense, its alleys filled with hidden eyes.
Xi Chen stood outside his cottage, arms folded. The wind shifted, and the smell of distant smoke reached him.
Not yet, he thought. I'm not ready.
He would not be dragged into it. Not until he stood at the summit of the Acquired Qi Realm. Then—only then—would he reveal what he truly was.
Until that day came, he remained the quiet blacksmith.
And the storm, uncaring, continued to build.