Chapter Forty-Two: Tyrant's Physique—Li Tianxing

Yang Cheng encouraged everyone, then had Zhong Qiang lead the twelve strong men from Li Family Village to rest in the west wing. In the morning, Su Yue’e would assess their strengths and assign them tasks accordingly.

Since the three young men brought by Li Tianxing would be guided by Li Tianjun, it was only natural to let them and their mothers live together in a small courtyard.

After everyone had dispersed, Yang Cheng spoke with Li Tianjun for a while. Back in the Xuantian Sect, Li Tianjun had been a standout among the Fusion Stage cultivators and was exceptionally skilled in military matters. Yang Cheng made a prompt decision to appoint him as the leader of the Yang family’s martial artists and guards.

After all, Lu Baichuan was a venerated member of the family, not a subordinate; he couldn’t be tasked with these everyday affairs indefinitely. Although Li Tianjun’s cultivation wasn’t as strong as a Golden Core stage cultivator, he differed from the solitary itinerant cultivators like Lu Baichuan. Having been an outer sect disciple and even the head among them at a major sect, with experience in sect wars, he was well versed in management.

Counting Zhong Qiang and the eight others loyal to Yang Cheng, Li Tianjun now had his own trusted team. This would make future endeavors much more convenient. Any confidential matters could be entrusted to these reliable individuals.

Yang Cheng’s requirement for Li Tianjun was to expand the guard to a hundred men. Li Tianjun was no longer a slave and could handle slave transactions himself. His judgment in selecting cultivators was superior to Yang Cheng’s. Moreover, he was responsible for assessing the guards, picking only the trustworthy to join the Yang family, and continuously strengthening the family’s martial force.

Li Tianjun accepted this heavy responsibility with deep gratitude for the young master’s trust, vowing not to disappoint Yang Cheng’s expectations. Although the Yang family was small, with such confidence from the young master, he could give full play to his abilities without restraint.

They talked late into the night, until Little Lan returned to take Li Tianjun to his quarters.

Yang Cheng then went to find Lu Baichuan, needing to inform him of these matters.

Lu Baichuan readily agreed, relieved by the decision. If not for seeing that Yang Cheng was understaffed, with his carefree nature, he wouldn’t have wanted to deal with such mundane affairs.

Their conversation soon shifted to the newly acquired cultivation methods. Hua Mingzhu had produced over ten manuals, some superior, some mediocre. Lu Baichuan, passionate about cultivation, studied each one thoroughly, making adjustments based on his understanding to compensate for various shortcomings.

According to the characteristics of each manual, Lu Baichuan gave them new names. Since the originals were unknown, he might as well make them his own. He pulled out a pile of silk scrolls and pointed to one, saying, “This one harnesses fire as its power; I’ll call it ‘Blazing Flame Art.’ This one is a spear technique; its movements whistle through the wind, so I’ve named it ‘Wind-Splitting Spear.’ Here’s ‘Heart-Refining Sword Manual,’ ‘Heavenly Thunder Seal,’ ‘Vanishing Sword,’ ‘Five Elements Spear,’ ‘Shadowless Blade’...”

Yang Cheng interrupted, “Hey, Brother Lu, about this ‘Wind-Splitting Spear’—does the spear always whistle through the wind? Isn’t that a bit silly? It looks impressive, but wouldn’t it just warn your opponent?”

Lu Baichuan was speechless.

“Well, I’ll make some adjustments. That’s why it’s a low-level technique in the first place,” he replied helplessly. “I asked Zhu’er—she said she has about twenty more methods in mind but no time to write them down. Naming them gives me a headache; it’s harder than reading the manuals! I thought your ‘Ripple Step’ today was well named. In the future, you should handle the naming.”

Yang Cheng was at a loss for words.

Lu Baichuan then sighed, “I’m truly fortunate to have such a peerless genius as my disciple. Never mind the future, when she will undoubtedly become famous. Even now, just from reading these methods, I’ve gained so much and improved greatly. Sometimes I wonder whether I’m still teaching her, or she’s teaching me.”

“Oh, I didn’t expect you to think that way,” Yang Cheng teased, then suddenly recalled something, “Brother Lu, speaking of geniuses, I wanted to ask you—what exactly is a special constitution?”

“Among cultivators, there are two types of people naturally suited to the path—far beyond the reach of ordinary folk. The first are those with extraordinary talent and comprehension, like Chen’er and Zhu’er. The second type has a special constitution—people born with bodies different from the norm. Some are incredibly tough, their defenses almost unbreakable without much physical training; others, even without cultivation, can naturally absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth, essentially cultivating all the time.”

He paused, then continued, “But such people are extremely rare, mostly heard of in legends. Why do you ask?”

Yang Cheng smiled mysteriously. “Today, Tianjun brought a boy with a special constitution, named Li Tianxing. I hear he possesses the ‘Tyrant’s Body.’”

“What? The Tyrant’s Body!” Lu Baichuan exclaimed in shock.

“Yes, is it really that impressive?” Yang Cheng asked.

“The Tyrant’s Body is said to be an extremely domineering constitution. Once awakened, the body becomes so resilient it can withstand divine weapons and blades—a rarity that might not appear in a hundred years. The ones I’ve heard of were all legendary figures in the cultivation world. Still, Tianjun may not recognize it correctly—he could be mistaken. Come, let me take a look.”

“What’s the rush? It’s late, they’re all resting. Don’t go frightening the child. Besides, with him training under Tianjun in the Yang family from now on, he’s not going anywhere. You can check on him any time.”

“You’re right, I was being hasty,” Lu Baichuan laughed, then looked at Yang Cheng. “If the boy truly has the Tyrant’s Body, in any sect, he’d be a rare prodigy, cultivated to become the sect leader. Such talent is almost unheard of—but it’s not certain yet.”

Yang Cheng scratched his head. “True. But since Tianjun has joined me, whether his kinsman is a prodigy or not, I’ll nurture him carefully all the same.”

“Perhaps by sowing good causes, you’ll reap good results,” Lu Baichuan murmured. Then he warned, “But remember: even if it’s true, this mustn’t be revealed. Look at Mingzhu and the others—they all started from humble beginnings and were ignored by the world. Once their talents are discovered, sects and families will try to win them over or fear them. According to the way of major forces, if they can’t recruit such prodigies, they won’t allow them to grow freely. When that day comes, it will be more than you can handle.”

Yang Cheng replied firmly, “Where they choose to go is their own decision. But if any sect or family tries to harm me just because they want to stay, I won’t compromise. And by then, I may not be so easy to deal with either.”

Lu Baichuan nodded. For someone usually so greedy and cautious, this resolve was surprising. He went on, “Especially Zhu’er—her talent is unheard of. Apart from the few who already know, no one else must find out. If word spreads, the entire cultivation world would see her as a threat, and she’d have the whole world as her enemy.”

Yang Cheng thought to himself: indeed, Hua Mingzhu is like the protagonist of this world, born with her own cheat codes.

The conversation shifted back to the cultivation methods. Yang Cheng remarked, “These silk scrolls are too inconvenient. For one or two people, it’s fine, but as the number grows, copying and handing them around will be a problem, not to mention preservation. If the Yang family’s martial artists keep increasing, circulation will be very troublesome. I’ve got an idea—perhaps we could print them in the future.”

“Print them? How would you do that?” Lu Baichuan asked.

Yang Cheng smiled. “Just a little trick I know. I’ll experiment with it in the coming days—who knows, it might bring me another great opportunity.”