Chapter 165: Chapter 140: Man Proposes, God Disposes

Being consumed by raging flames—the very thought was chilling. The agony would be unbearable.

The Bi Fang was the Flame Venerable and thus fearless before fire, able to use flames to forge its Physical Body without restraint. He, however, was a far cry from that.

But Song Changsheng was never one to give up easily. Having paid such a steep price, he was determined to try, no matter what.

He planned to cultivate two Body Forging Techniques simultaneously: one to temper his muscles externally, and one to refine his tendons and bones internally!

The White Tiger Race’s Body Forging Technique was primarily expressed through physical movements: running, jumping, pouncing...

When combined with the Body Forging Technique, these seemingly ordinary movements produced astonishing results. After every session, Song Changsheng was so utterly exhausted he wanted nothing more than to collapse on the spot.

The Bi Fang Race’s technique, however, was different. Song Changsheng took out the Alchemy Furnace he had stolen from Dongtian Xie. An item used by a Purple Mansion Cultivator was naturally no Mortal Grade trinket—this was a Tier Two Top-Grade Alchemy Furnace.

He ignited the space within the Alchemy Furnace with his own Spiritual Fire, then stepped inside, completely naked. He then guided the Spiritual Fire from the acupoints all over his body inward to forge his tendons and bones.

His endurance was limited, so he could only last for a little over ten breaths before being forced to retreat. After a short rest, he would go back in, repeating the cycle endlessly.

As a result, whenever Song Qingluo or the other shop assistants passed the backyard, they would often hear waves of guttural, suppressed roars. If he hadn’t warned them in advance, they would have burst in long ago.

Time flew by in a flash. On the ninth day of Song Changsheng’s seclusion, Song Qingluo knocked on his door. "Young Clan Leader," he said respectfully, "a message has arrived from the clan. It says it’s for your eyes only."

Song Changsheng had just finished practicing the White Tiger Race’s Body Forging Technique and was drenched in foul-smelling sweat. With a wave of his hand, he gathered the ambient Water Spirit Qi into a large sphere. It hovered over his head, sprinkling water down like a shower.

During this time, not only had his physical strength improved, but his understanding of the Water and Fire Control Technique had also reached a new level. He could now freely command the world’s water and fire elements. Even Water and Fire Magic cast by other cultivators was now subject to his influence.

After freshening up, Song Changsheng opened the door. "Where is the clan’s message?"

Song Qingluo quickly handed over the "message" in his hands.

This so-called "message" was, in fact, a Jade Sword less than a foot long. It was a type of Communication Flying Sword. The sender could store their words within it as Divine Thought to transmit information.

Depending on the type of Communication Flying Sword, messages could be either single-use or permanent.

This Jade Sword was the single-use type; it would shatter after being "listened" to once.

After taking the sword, Song Changsheng first inspected the Restriction placed upon it. Once he confirmed there were no issues, he undid it. A stream of Divine Thought instantly flooded his Sea of Consciousness.

After absorbing the contents of the message, a long-held doubt in Song Changsheng’s heart was finally resolved.

’The Luoxia City auction had been such a grand event. Even the Earth Fire Sect and the Seven Eminent Clans sent representatives. The clan has spies in the city, so it’s impossible they didn’t hear the news. Why didn’t anyone show up?’

At the time, he had assumed some major catastrophe had befallen the clan. That was why, after returning to the shop, he had asked Clan Elder Song Xiantu to send a message asking what had happened. However, due to the great distance, the round trip for the message took over ten days, and the reply had only just arrived.

The "message" was from Grand Elder Song Xianyun. He began by lavishing praise on Song Changsheng for killing Cheng Yufei. Then, he followed with a light reprimand, telling him not to be so reckless in the future and asking if he had been injured.

Toward the end of the "message," Song Xianyun finally explained why the clan had not sent anyone to the auction.

It turned out the clan had been brooding over the attack on Song Luyao and decided to give their enemies a taste of their own medicine. Led by the Grand Elder himself, with Song Luzhou and Xia Yunxue assisting, they had set an ambush along Cheng Yufei’s expected route.

One cultivator at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, one at the Late Stage, and one at the Middle Stage—this was all the manpower the clan could spare at the moment. That was why no one was sent to the auction.

At this point in the "message," Song Xianyun sounded as if he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. They had lain in ambush for a full month without seeing any sign of Cheng Yufei.

Just when they thought Cheng Yufei had either changed his route or sensed their presence, an urgent message arrived from the clan. Only then did they learn that Cheng Yufei was already dead and gone.

As for who killed him, neither the Earth Fire Sect nor the Song Clan had a clue. Following the time-honored tradition of blaming each other whenever the true culprit was unknown, the furious and frustrated Earth Fire Sect immediately pinned the murder on the Song Clan.

For a time, friction between the two sides was constant. While it didn’t escalate into a full-blown war between Foundation Establishment Cultivators, it still led to significant casualties.

The Song Clan was initially furious at the Earth Fire Sect for these baseless accusations. In Song Luzhou’s words: "We wanted to kill him, sure, but it wasn’t our turn yet, was it? Why are they barking up the wrong tree?"

As such, the entire clan was fired up, eager to teach the Earth Fire Sect a lesson they wouldn’t forget.

But when Song Xiantu’s message arrived, the Clan Elder Council fell into a sudden silence. It turned out the Earth Fire Sect was like a blind squirrel that had found a nut; their wild accusation was actually correct. It really *was* one of them who had done it...

Reading this, Song Changsheng too felt a sense of exasperated amusement. ’No wonder the clan hadn’t sent anyone to the auction,’ he mused. ’They were planning to swoop in for the kill, but I ended up unintentionally ruining their plans.’