“Ice Chunk, if you keep pressing on the legs, it can really speed up the bl**d circulation. But if you only press one leg, it might cause an imbalance. I suggest you let me give the other leg a go too.”
Little Ke, the self-proclaimed gentleman, was spouting nonsense with a straight face.
“Really?”
Ying Bing squinted her phoenix eyes slightly, pursing her lips.
“Sis, just a little longer!”
“…..”
The cold touch of her hand, both delightful and firm, made Little Ke’s waist stop aching, his legs stop hurting, and his mind clear up; his IQ was reclaiming its territory like a victorious army.
So, there’s some truth to the idea that massages help health—little Ke was starting to ponder deeply.
Don’t be fooled by his two-and-a-half days of practicing the Nine Mystical Techniques; he hadn’t even scratched the surface, yet his progress was still notable.
However, when facing off against the Great Sage projection, the gap in ability was astonishing, like trying to see the stars while standing on the ground—absolutely mind-boggling.
At this rate, he could fully grasp this great divine form and secure himself in the top three of the Qianlong Conference, but it seemed a bit shaky.
Because his Consciousness Soul’s progress might be stuck at the same point too.
Last night during their dual cultivation, he noticed that Ice Chunk seemed to be on the verge of hitting a bottleneck with the Eight Apertures of Guan Shen, while he himself was practically treading water.
“I still have time. The Armament Conference and the Qianlong Conference aren’t seamlessly connected.”
“Let’s first get the basics of the Nine Mystical Techniques down!”
Little Ke casually touched a joint, giving it a little rub. It popped, and with that, a light bulb went off in his head.
Just then, Ice Chunk was caught off guard when he pressed her knee; her snow-white leg almost instinctively kicked out at him, nearly feeding him a mouthful of leg!
“Easy there!”
Ying Bing furrowed her delicate brows, confused as to why his strength was increasing.
Even an accidental massage had started to hurt her, suggesting that their physiques were drawing apart just a little bit.
But she had been tempering her “Ming Sha Jing Fan Shen” using her own Taiyin energy…
In the system rewards, there was also a divine object for tempering one’s physique—Jieshen Jade.
But that thing attracted heavenly tribulations to temper oneself. While the effect was immediate, it was also extremely dangerous; even she was cautiously considering whether to use it.
“Sorry, I got distracted.”
Little Ke sheepishly withdrew his hand.
“What were you thinking about?”
“Just about tempering my body. My progress has been a bit slow lately, and I wonder if after the Armament Conference, I could take it to the next level.”
Little Ke couldn’t help but feel a bit disheartened.
“What kind of mixed martial arts are you talking about?” Ying Bing’s brows knitted tighter.
Slower?
She didn’t know the term “Versailles,” but seeing Little Ke looking so dejected while saying this made her feel a little weird. She couldn’t help but want to give him a nudge with her small foot.
But she was also afraid he’d react with unexpected joy.
“Need the kind that depends on tribulations for tempering.”
Of course, he couldn’t just casually talk about the foundation of his martial arts with outsiders.
But Little Ke, like a bamboo tube spilling beans, blurted it out.
“Tribulation tempering…”
Summarizing the details of the Nine Mystical Techniques, he noticed Ice Chunk was staring off into space with her head bowed.
Oh right, he hadn’t probed her roots yet—referring to her martial arts level.
“Ice Chunk, do you have any tips for quick breakthroughs?”
“Martial arts like that need to take one step at a time, shortcuts are usually a no-go.” Ying Bing glanced elsewhere, softly saying.
“But I’ll think of something to help you.”
She… decided to first test the strength of the Jieshen Jade herself.
Her physique wasn’t as strong as the Childish Ghost’s, but she understood moderation better, making it easier to avoid injuring herself.
“So let’s hold off on the pressing for now…”
“?”
Little Ke looked down slightly and leaned back; when did his hand sneak into her blankets?!
“Not sure if there’s anything fun, but it won’t be boring.”
Ying Bing maintained her poker face while biting her lip.
“Then let’s switch things up next time.”
Friendly reminder: The top right corner has options like ‘Switch between Simplified and Traditional,’ ‘Adjust font size,’ and ‘Change background color’…
“Alright.”
“Let’s switch it up and press with this.”
Little Ke pulled out a few items from his sleeve and laid them out on the bed.
“?”
Ying Bing took a glance, her fingers involuntarily curling up.
They were all made of black cloud silk socks—some long and sheer, some tights, and even fishnet suspenders…
“Is there a shop run by South Border folks here?” Ying Bing asked, maintaining her expression.
“Nope, these are my recent crafting results!”
Little Ke wore a serious expression, beamed with pride, and appeared completely unbothered by any insecurity:
“Everyone knows that black cloud silk is a material that’s extremely difficult to forge, yet it’s widely used. A lot of soft armors, inner armors, and night stealth clothes are made from it.”
“Even tougher is refining the material; you have to eliminate all the impurities from the black gold to get pure black cloud gold.”
“And then you have to use incredibly precise forging techniques to draw the black cloud gold into threads, not a single step can go wrong—it’s a rigorous test of the artisan’s skills.”
“I’m the kind of person who enjoys challenging myself, so of course I had to pick the hardest!”
“Clearly, making socks out of black cloud silk isn’t a walk in the park!”
“Try them on! This is the pinnacle of my artisan spirit!”
Little Ke beamed with righteousness, pulling out a piece of fishnet suspender.
In his eyes burned what seemed to be… artisan spirit?
Well, he believed so.
“……”
Ying Bing’s eyes twitched slightly as her gaze moved from the socks back to her curled-up toes, which seemed to be a bit itchy.
“Little Ke, maybe let’s hold off on that.”
“Why?”
“Because after trying them on, they might suddenly disappear like the few items of underwear before them. You know what I mean?”
“!”
…….
The next day.
At the Tianshan Sword Manor, an atmosphere both ethereal and grand—a sea of people.
In front of the Sword Manor gate, carts and horses looked like a dragon while people flowed like rain. These were artisans from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, all eager to shine at the Armament Conference.
If their weapons stood out in the hands of a Qianlong prodigy, it would bring them fame.
Blacksmiths also craved recognition; with fame came a stream of valuable materials delivered right to their door, seeking them to forge weapons, leading to status, money, everything they pursued.
But alas.
No matter the competition, once it was associated with the words ‘fame,’ it always took some strange turns.
“Hahaha, three heads gone, Old Zhao, why are you still just a skinny dog?”
“What good does your muscle do? All dead weight; what’s the point?”
“Old Hu, you’re not on banned substances, are you? That divine power powder isn’t something to toy with; too much isn’t good for the brain!”
“Hmm? That kid, could he be here to compete?”
“Look at those twig arms and skinny legs; he must be a little rich kid here just to have fun!”
“Ugh, I’ve already bulked up this much; why can’t I attract any girls? Do they really only like those weak little rich kids?”
“You’re better off. Yesterday, some crossdresser slapped my b*tt in the street! And stared at me all weird!”
“…..”
Little Ke frowned; he was just handsome! What was his fault?
Is there still a law? Any justice?
Childish? Seriously? People were even comparing whose muscles were bigger?
Little Ke shook his head, refusing to stoop to their level, then pulled down the carriage curtain, blocking the gazes from outside the bronze carriage.
Just then, a commotion broke out ahead.
“What’s happening?”
“Seems like they caught someone carrying banned substances!”
…..
