A few stones lay in the courtyard. A figure took a stance and threw out a series of punches.
Clap-clap-clap!
Nine resounding strikes echoed around. The fist slammed into a stone, leaving a clear imprint.
Adjusting her stance, the figure delivered another strike.
Pop!
This time, there was only one clear sound, and it was much faster.
Crack!
The stone couldn't take it and shattered into pieces.
"Strong skin is useful after all," Mu Zi chuckled, dusting off her hands and mentally approving the result.
At the third level of Body Tempering, she wouldn't risk hitting stones with her bare fists—she could get injured.
More than twenty days had passed since she last chatted with Mu Lingsha. Since then, all her thoughts were consumed by cultivation.
With the help of a first-rank medicine, the Snow Fruit, Mu Zi broke through to the fourth level of Body Tempering in seven days.
This was one day faster than she had expected. But the cost was high: her supply of medicines had run out.
Without spiritual herbs, progress to the fifth level, the tempering of bones, inevitably slowed down.
But even without medicines, she was progressing quickly. In twenty days, her bones had hardened almost completely. According to her calculations, she would reach the fifth level in about ten days.
She also hadn't forgotten about martial arts, perfecting them in parallel.
Mu Zi's eyes narrowed, and she darted forward.
In motion, her steps found a rhythm, her body moving along a clear trajectory as if gliding.
Such a stride—in speed and agility—far surpassed a normal dash.
This was the Dancing Body Step.
This was the second martial technique Mu Zi had mastered—a second-rank movement art.
With the Dancing Body Step, her legs followed her will, and her body followed her spirit. Such agility in combat made her almost invulnerable.
At the highest level of mastery, a single step could cover several meters—almost like "shrinking the ground to an inch."
Mu Zi, however, just scoffed. "Shrinking the ground"? Bragging for beginners, nothing more.
But it was still a movement technique. Such arts are rare and valued higher than other techniques of the same rank, only surpassed by some secret methods.
Mu Lingsha had also mastered the Dancing Body Step—one of her main strengths.
In the recent hunting competition in Qingyang, she fought alongside Lin Dong. With her eighth level of Body Tempering, she managed to hold off a dozen opponents, giving Wu Yun a chance to steal the fire python-tiger cub.
It was the speed and agility of the Dancing Body Step that gave her the confidence to face so many enemies.
It's true that her skill in archery also helped. But this only emphasized the value of the Step.
Judging by Mu Zi's recent performance, her mastery of the Dancing Body Step surpassed Mu Lingsha's level, reaching perfection.
She wondered what her sister would think if she found out.
But perfecting the technique was only the limit of the art, not Mu Zi's limit.
Mu Zi suddenly shot forward, dashing ahead. Her steps were so swift that an ordinary person wouldn't be able to distinguish their movement.
She glided across the courtyard, and in her turns, her figure gained an ethereal lightness, like a leaf driven by the wind, but her speed never dropped for a moment.
In a flash, she broke out of the courtyard. Like a swift swallow, Mu Zi fluttered over the back hills of the Mu Manor. Her steps were silent, and even the guards she slipped past didn't notice her, mistaking her for a gust of wind.
Soon, a gurgling sound reached her ears. Rounding a hill, she saw a stream.
Stopping, Mu Zi exhaled. After a brief rest, she once again set her ethereal steps in motion, heading toward the water.
Her foot touched the surface. And in the next moment, something unexpected happened: Mu Zi didn't sink. Her body settled only slightly but held its ground, and the water barely covered her feet.
She walked on water, gliding forward. From a distance, it looked like a water fairy dancing on the surface.
Returning to the shore, Mu Zi regulated her breathing. Her face lit up with delight. The improved Dancing Body Step had reached such a level—she was satisfied.
The original second-rank technique had been transformed in her hands, becoming almost a new art.
"Gliding over waves without getting wet. I'll call it the Wave-walking Step," Mu Zi named the updated technique, feeling inspired.
The Wave-walking Step remained a second-rank technique but could rival third-rank arts, surpassing many of them.
And most importantly, the energy consumption remained at the second-rank level.
A small price for great power—a true masterpiece of martial arts.
This time, Mu Zi improved the technique almost exclusively through her comprehension. She activated the Rebirth Seal only for a short time to find the direction, and then she forged the path herself.
This was how she developed an approach to using the Seal.
By using it only to find ideas, she significantly saved energy.
Besides, by relying on her own comprehension, she trained. The Rebirth Seal was like a mentor, merely showing the way. This process tempered her potential.
When it reached its peak, Mu Zi could repeat this without the Seal.
"The Seal is good, but developing myself is no less important," she concluded.
"Although, of course, the main problem is poverty!"
Returning home, Mu Zi took out a jade box. Inside lay five Earth Fruits.
Looking at these third-rank medicines, she recalled the morning.
...
Clap-clap-clap-clap!
Mu Zi performed the Penetrating Fist with all nine sounds. Across from her, Mu Lingsha watched with an unreadable expression.
"Little sister, your talent for martial arts..." she began.
Amazement was written all over Mu Lingsha's face. When Mu Zi first took up the Penetrating Fist, she had produced the first resonance in just a few hours, shocking her sister.
And then her progress sped up like the wind. In a month, she perfected the technique, producing all nine sounds.
Such talent for martial arts was astonishing.
"And I'm only at eight!" Mu Lingsha mentally wailed, filled with mixed feelings.
But even this was a result of Mu Zi's restraint. If Mu Lingsha knew that she had improved the Penetrating Fist, what would her face look like?
Mu Lingsha hesitated, sighed, and finally made up her mind.
She took out a jade box and handed it to Mu Zi.
"What is this?" Mu Zi asked, frowning.
"Do you remember when I participated in the hunt?" Mu Lingsha began, but without waiting for a reply, she continued: "I captured a fire python-tiger cub. It was a great achievement. The head of the manor rewarded me with five Earth Fruits."
She pointed to the box in Mu Zi's hands.
"Sister, is this...?"
"I'm giving it to you," Mu Lingsha breathed out.
Looking at the box, Mu Zi felt a stir in her chest. She had seen how desperately her sister had cultivated. And now she was giving her the medicines she had worked so hard to get.
"Don't refuse! What I've given, I don't take back!" Mu Lingsha said firmly.
The decision hadn't been easy; she had hesitated for a long time. But now, having let go of the burden, she felt lighter.
"Ha, I'm almost at the ninth level of Body Tempering. I'll manage without them," she smiled.
Mu Zi, moved, countered: "But with these five fruits, you could quickly break through to Earth Yuan!"
This level, though not high, was already considered significant. In the Mu Manor, there were only eight Earth Yuan masters. If Mu Lingsha broke through, she would become a pillar of the clan.
Mu Lingsha smiled softly and spoke with warmth: "Little sister, my talent is nowhere near yours. Maybe I'll reach Heavenly Yuan, but that's my limit."
"But you're a true genius. Both in Yuan Li cultivation and in comprehending martial arts."
"I will probably spend my whole life protecting the Mu Manor. But you are different."
"You have a chance to go out into the world, to see its vastness, to compete with genuine geniuses!"
In recent days, rumors about the hunting competition had spread throughout the Mu Manor.
Lin Dong from Qingyang broke through to Earth Yuan and fought the Lei clan in front of everyone.
His opponent, Lei Li, also reached Earth Yuan and had a fourth-rank technique—the Thunderclap Lightning.
But Lin Dong, who was barely sixteen, easily defeated him.
His future seemed limitless.
"I wonder how my little sister will compare to such a genius?" Mu Lingsha thought.
Mu Zi accepted the box, feeling its weight in her hands.
"Thank you, sister," she said softly.
...
Leaving the memories behind, Mu Zi sat in the lotus position, took out an Earth Fruit, and held it to her forehead.
Soon, the fruit turned to dust.
Immersed in cultivation, she absorbed the energy returned by the Rebirth Seal.
Under the influence of the third-rank medicine, the barrier that would have taken her another ten days to overcome began to weaken.
A sharp pain shot through her body—her bones were slowly strengthening.
Drops of sweat beaded on Mu Zi's smooth forehead, but she gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound.
In perseverance and endurance, she would not yield to anyone.
Finally, the pain subsided. A clear crackling sound came from her body, and she grew slightly taller.
Opening her eyes, Mu Zi's gaze flashed with delight.
"Is this the fifth level of Body Tempering?"