Chapter Eighty-One: Quiet Cultivation

Through experimentation, he discovered that the talisman truly had a limited number of uses; depending on the length of each use, the degree of its spiritual glow's dimming also varied. By the most conservative estimate, if used for about a quarter of an hour each time, it could perhaps be used three or four times at most—any more and it would become ineffective.

Beyond that, Hu San also found that the first level of his Watercloud Technique could barely sustain the talisman for long. Merely activating it would drain a third of his mana, and although maintaining it consumed less, it was still far from sustainable.

By his reckoning, he could at best power one talisman for about a quarter of an hour before his mana would be exhausted.

“This is a treasure—I must use it sparingly,” he thought.

Having verified the effects of the Divine Movement Art and the cultivator’s talisman, Hu San’s anticipation for the second spell recorded in the Watercloud Technique grew immensely.

The second technique did not disappoint. It was the signature spell of the Watercloud Technique—the Watercloud Art!

One could say that this foundational cultivation method owed ninety-nine percent of its value among basic cultivation arts to this very spell.

The Watercloud Art gathered the essence of water from heaven and earth, condensing it into a watery barrier around the caster’s body. Its primary effects were to lighten physical burdens and increase the caster’s speed and agility.

Of course, this was only the most elementary use. The true allure, for Hu San, was that at higher levels, the watery barrier could fully support the caster’s body—meaning, it could form a white cloud beneath one’s feet, lifting the caster aloft.

And what was that, if not the legendary art of riding clouds and mist?

In every story Hu San had heard, no immortal was ever without the power to soar upon clouds.

The mere thought of being able to ride the clouds made him, despite his now calculating and reserved nature, grin from ear to ear, barely restraining his excitement.

“This is fortune itself! I’ll have to allocate more of the warm current to the Watercloud Technique in the future—just the thought of riding the clouds is exhilarating.”

Unable to wait, he transformed his internal warm current into cool mana to replenish himself, then plunged into the Watercloud Art, practicing it with such focus that he forgot to eat or sleep.

Yet to his frustration, whether due to poor comprehension or insufficient cultivation, after several days of effort, he could only conjure a faint mist around himself.

It did marginally enhance his agility and evasiveness, but with his fifteen-man strength and mastery of the seventh level of the Greenwood Canon, the increase was negligible.

Uncertain whether he was even practicing correctly, Hu San was forced to let go of his cloud-riding dreams for now.

By this time, Hu San had been at Wolfheart Stronghold for half a year; it was now late summer or early autumn. Having eliminated both the Black Wolf from the monster forest and two elite fighters of the Chen family from the Da Wan Kingdom, he had faced many dangers but reaped tremendous rewards.

He had obtained a cultivator’s technique, advanced his Greenwood Canon and physical strength to formidable heights, and could truly say that his progress over the past half year had been nothing short of meteoric.

Yet, the more one gained, the heavier the burdens that followed.

Just the deaths of the Black Wolf and the cultivator Chen Hai were enough to spell trouble if anyone investigated—let alone that two first-rate masters from the Chen family of Qinghe County had also perished here. Whether seeking vengeance for their previous defeat or for other reasons, the Chen family would surely come for revenge.

Thus, it was time for the chief of Wolfheart Stronghold to vanish.

Whatever the case, Hu San would never let the deaths of the Black Wolf or Chen Hai be traced back to him. Otherwise, only endless trouble awaited. In these circumstances, letting the non-existent chief of Wolfheart Stronghold take the blame was the perfect solution.

After all this, the true strength of Wolfheart Stronghold had been greatly diminished. Most of the trained fighters had died in conflicts involving Hu San, leaving only a few experienced old bandits.

With his intimate knowledge of the stronghold’s defenses, Hu San secretly returned to Wolf Fang Stronghold, led its elite in a swift raid, and wiped out Wolfheart Stronghold in one fell swoop.

Naturally, the mysterious chief of Wolfheart Stronghold also disappeared without a trace. No one knew where he had gone.

But no one cared anymore. Without a martial leader, Wolfheart Stronghold was defenseless against Hu San’s calculated assault and was completely erased.

Except for a few stubborn diehards, most survivors threw in their lot with Wolf Fang Stronghold.

So it was that, in the deep autumn of that year, Hu San seamlessly unified the region, absorbing Wolfheart Stronghold into his domain.

From then on, the name Wolfheart Stronghold vanished, leaving only the might of Wolf Fang Stronghold. As its chief, not yet fourteen, Hu San’s reputation spread throughout the Qilian Mountains.

As autumn faded, even the Chen family of Qinghe County, anxious over their lost masters, had to bide their time, planning to act only after the winter beast tide in the monster forest.

With the backing of Wuzang Kingdom, Hu San worried less about the Chen family. After all, all blame could be pinned on the Black Wolf, and Hu San had every reason to believe that even Chen Hai’s sect would have a hard time connecting the dots to him.

Of course, the methods of cultivators are manifold, and they might yet discover the truth, but Hu San knew that one Chen Hai was of little consequence.

So, everything passed quietly.

With winter’s arrival, the beasts of the monster forest swarmed out. Perhaps owing to last year’s great battle with the kingdom’s army, the beast tide was not as fierce as expected.

Wolf Fang Stronghold enjoyed a much calmer winter than before. After all he had been through, Hu San needed a respite, and spent the whole winter at the stronghold, quietly studying the Watercloud Technique and Greenwood Canon, avoiding further clashes with beast-tide experts.

Hunting couldn’t be avoided, given his cultivation methods, but he targeted only beast kings. Out of caution, he rarely acted against monsters who had awakened intelligence and demonic power—though such beings were rare in the beast tide anyway.

Through a winter of secluded cultivation, nourished by the flesh and blood of beast kings, Hu San restored his Greenwood Canon to the peak of the seventh level.

His physical strength remained at the peak of fifteen men’s power; he sensed that another step would bring a qualitative change, but the barrier was formidable—he could feel the gulf clearly.

Meanwhile, his cultivation in the Watercloud Technique also advanced greatly. Although, since his early-stage mana did little to improve his combat power, he hadn’t focused much of the warm current on it, but still managed to raise it from the first to the second layer within half a year.

The changes were all as he expected.

His mana had doubled, becoming clear and distinct, and his ability to sustain talismans had likely improved—though he had not tested it, given their limited uses.

With his cultivation at the second layer, the Watercloud Art’s effects increased. He could now fully shroud himself in mist, gaining a slight boost in speed and mobility, though he was still far from floating in the air.

Winter passed, and spring returned—the season for harvesting wild herbs had come again. The merchant caravans, having spent the winter at Wolf Fang Stronghold due to the beast tide, were now laden with goods, having traded all their silver and grain for Qilian Mountain specialties, and prepared to return to Wuzang Kingdom.

As with many strongholds, Wuzang Kingdom would support Wolf Fang Stronghold and station their own martial artists there, just as a deputy chief had been placed in Wolfheart Stronghold, and as Wubear had been in Wubear Stronghold.

Hu San understood this well and had no intention of undermining it behind the scenes.

His sworn brothers had all become martial artists, but their cultivation was shallow; without him, they might not be able to hold so large a stronghold in the Qilian Mountains.

If Wolf Fang Stronghold were lost, Hu San would have to worry for his family in Wolfname Village and could not pursue his own path to longevity at ease. Thus, he welcomed Wuzang’s martial artists and readily handed over the post of deputy chief.

The man’s name was Zheng Ming, a second-rate martial artist at the fourth level—well-suited to the position. Having glimpsed a fraction of Hu San’s strength, Zheng Ming had no other ambitions and was content to serve steadily.

Hu San also promoted Lin Hu to third chief. Lin Hu had shown remarkable aptitude in cultivating inner breath, reaching the second level of martial arts within two years, and with Hu San’s support, his appointment, though a bit of a stretch, was accepted without question.

Over the winter, Hu San further integrated the stronghold’s forces. Those who had fought by his side all received great rewards: Zhao Feng, Tan Yue, Lei Ming, Liang Chuan, Zhou Zhu, and others rose to become leaders of the stronghold. Including third chief Lin Hu, Hu San’s influence now spanned the entire Wolf Fang Stronghold.

With all preparations complete, Hu San was ready to leave. After witnessing a cultivator’s power, he could never resign himself to being a mountain lord for life in the Qilian Mountains.

It was the right time: spring’s arrival and the departure of the Wuzang merchant caravan. Hu San joined them, not forgetting Wubear’s promise about the bear-fist technique hidden in his ancestral home—a shamanic foundational art.

Though he now possessed the Watercloud Technique and was a cultivator at the second layer, his spiritual roots were poor, and the technique itself was likely not of the highest grade. In a real confrontation, he would likely be the one on the losing end.

Moreover, compared to the path of cultivation, Hu San was more interested in shamanic arts. Ever since leaving his village, his survival had depended on his formidable physique, and now, having pushed the Greenwood Canon to its peak, he appreciated the power of shamanic foundational arts all the more.

On the endless road to immortality, the more trump cards, the better—one can never have too many skills. Thus, Hu San’s first task upon leaving the mountains was to fulfill his agreement with Wubear.