9: Chapter 9 Tide Shadow Thousand Hands

In the boundless reed marsh, Jiang Hanzhou sat upright on a small boat, shirtless, with steam rising from his body.

After this period of rest and recuperation, his physique had changed significantly from before.

His previously thin shoulders were now broad and sturdy, and the muscle lines on his chest and arms were clear yet not overly bulky, rising and falling slightly with his breathing as if containing the resilience of a river current.

Long-term labor on the river and his martial cultivation had tanned his skin to an even, deep wheat color, which glowed with a healthy luster under the sunlight filtering through the reeds.

Although his face had been worn sharp by the river winds, his features remained clear and bright, and his nose bridge was straight.

In particular, his eyes were as calm as deep pools, occasionally flashing with sharp light, revealing a composure and handsomeness that belied his age.

He chose to Cultivate here precisely because his Tidal Breathing Technique was at its final stage, the Qi Nurturing Realm reaching Perfection, just one step away.

At this moment, he closed his eyes and focused his mind, his blood and Qi surging like boiling river water.

Beneath his skin, countless tiny streams of heat seemed to weave back and forth, sometimes like the rising spring tide, gently washing over his limbs and bones.

At other times, they were like the undercurrents before a storm, accumulating power deep within his muscles and bones.

Beads of sweat had just seeped out of his skin when they were turned into faint white mist by the steaming blood and Qi, swirling around his lean upper body and blending with the mist on the river surface.

On the small wooden board in front of him sat a bowl of Warm Sun Broth that still retained its warmth.

This was an energy-replenishing concoction he had brewed after spending seventy taels of silver on medicinal herbs and combining what he had learned at the Medicinal Cuisine Hall through repeated experimentation.

Coupled with the fact that he had mastered many water-based skills, he had recently been catching Spirit Fish from time to time.

Combined with these, the Warm Sun Broth had a mild yet long-lasting medicinal effect, perfect for breaking through his current bottleneck.

When the timing reached its peak, Jiang Hanzhou suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze like lightning.

Without hesitation, he picked up the ceramic bowl and drained the thick, mellow medicinal broth in one gulp!

"Boom—!"

The broth entered his stomach, like a spark thrown into hot oil.

A scorching yet mellow torrent exploded from his Dantian, instantly sweeping through his entire body.

The previously steady flow of his blood and Qi was like a deep pool into which a boulder had been thrown, suddenly boiling over!

White steam rose from the top of Jiang Hanzhou's head like a pillar of smoke, and the flow of blood and Qi beneath his skin became even more visible, even faintly emitting a soft "swish-swish" sound like the tide!

That was the outward manifestation of blood and Qi being extremely full and on the verge of a qualitative change.

He gritted his teeth, using his powerful willpower to guide this violent medicinal force to fuse with his own blood and Qi, washing over the final obstructions of the Tidal Breathing Technique again and again.

As the tide rose and fell, his breathing and heartbeat gradually synchronized with the sound of the real river waves in the distance, as if his entire person had become a part of this reed marsh.

Breathing with the river, pulsing in rhythm with it.

I don't know how much time passed, but just then, a line of wild geese flying south passed by in the sky, their clear cries piercing through the clouds and mist.

The moment the sound of the geese entered his ears—

Jiang Hanzhou opened his mouth abruptly, and a white stream of Qi, condensed into substance, whistled out, shooting straight for nearly a zhang before slowly dissipating into the wind.

At the same time, the Late Bloomer fate that had been silent in his mind suddenly erupted with unprecedented, brilliant light!

A stream of incredibly clear information poured into his consciousness:

【You have practiced the Tidal Breathing Technique for 105 years and finally reached the Perfection Realm. After experiencing the tempering of various Martial Skills and the passage of time, the Late Bloomer fate has promoted to the third rank! The next rank requires accumulating 900 years of "Martial Arts Comprehension". Current progress: 0/900 years】

Success!

Jiang Hanzhou's heart was instantly filled with wild joy.

The Tidal Breathing Technique provided 105 years, and the dozen or so ordinary Martial Skills he had painstakingly cultivated previously provided a cumulative 95 years; a full two hundred years of "time" accumulation had finally allowed this seemingly slow fate to take another step forward!

Just when he hadn't had time to fully comprehend the mysterious changes brought about by the promotion of his fate—

A flash of inspiration in his mind split the Chaos like lightning!

An incredibly strong and clear thought emerged naturally, as if it were the echo of the deepest longing in his subconscious:

【I need a true Martial Skill!】

As soon as this thought arose, a sudden change occurred!

An invisible light screen seemed to unfold before his eyes, clearly listing the names of all the Martial Skills he had reached Perfection in:

Net Casting Fist, Fishing Eagle Plunging into Water Hand, Still Wave Stance, Fish Dragon Transformation, Firewood Chopping Knife, Swimming, Mud Leg Steps, Raging Wave Chant, Wave-Treading Step, Silk-Entangling Net Hand, Flying Shuttle Thorn... nearly twenty in total!

Covering every aspect including punches, kicks, movement techniques, water skills, weapons, force generation, and force discharge...

Although they were all unranked, shallow skills, they were all cultivated bit by bit through his hard work, already deeply ingrained in his bones and memorized by heart.

At this moment, these Martial Skills seemed to be summoned by an invisible force, lighting up one by one on the light screen, turning into streams of light shadows with different styles but the same water-based origin.

There was the expansive opening and closing of the Net Casting Fist, the swift precision of the Fishing Eagle Plunging into Water Hand, the steadiness of the Still Wave Stance, the nimble agility of the Fish Dragon Transformation, the fluttering of the Wave-Treading Step, the density of the Silk-Entangling Net Hand, the speed of the Flying Shuttle Thorn...

Nearly twenty shadows swirled rapidly in his consciousness space; at first, their trajectories were chaotic, but soon they were attracted by an invisible core.

The scene was like a galaxy rotating and returning to a black hole, and like a hundred rivers surging into the vast sea!

"Hum—!"

His consciousness space shook violently, and all the light shadows disappeared completely.

In their place was information about a brand-new Martial Skill, deeply branded into his Divine Soul:

【Tidal Shadow Thousand Hands】

【Rank: Profound Rank Low Grade】

【Description: Formed by integrating the essence of various water-based Martial Skills, the Moves change like the unpredictable tide, and the force stacks like a thousand waves. It can be performed empty-handed, transforming into various forms of fists, palms, fingers, and claws, and can also perfectly adapt to light weapons such as the water-dividing thorn, fishing fork, and short knife. Between movement and stillness, it possesses the effects of area coverage, single-point thrusting, movement evasion, and water combat mastery, especially adept at borrowing the power of water and neutralizing enemy force, hiding killing intent within continuous offensives.】

Success! A Profound Rank Martial Skill!

Jiang Hanzhou opened his eyes, his gaze shining with divine light, as if Tide light and shadow flashed and disappeared.

He slowly raised his palm and gently clenched his five fingers; a faint sound of tides could be heard in the air, and the flow of blood and Qi beneath his skin seemed to become more agile and flexible, as if it could erupt with brand-new power at any moment with the intention of the new Martial Skill.

He couldn't be happier, but he sat down in an instant, calmly calculating in his heart:

"My blood and Qi are already at Perfection, and the Tidal Breathing Technique cannot be improved further. To enter the Iron Bone Realm, I need a new Cultivation Technique to rely on."

He looked at the sparkling river surface and pondered: "Should I go to Old Qu to report my situation, or..."

He stood up abruptly and looked at an inconspicuous island in the Three Rivers Estuary.

"Or... go to the black market."