Chapter Twenty-Nine: Turmoil at the Border, First Trial of the Dragon Fang

Time slipped by quietly, and in the blink of an eye, three months had passed.

The weekly half-day lessons had never been interrupted. Under my guidance and with access to abundant resources, the members of the “Dragon Fang” squad made astonishing progress. They could now stand in the “Primordial Stance” for a full hour without the slightest change in expression, and the sense of “qi” within them, once a mere trickle, had now become a surging stream. With every movement, each of them exuded a newfound steadiness and poise.

They had long since mastered the forms of the “Eight Directions Tremor.” Although they were still far from projecting their inner strength outward, they could now imbue their fists and kicks with it, achieving an initial level of practical application. Now, when Shi Lei struck the testing machine, the numerical force was little different from before, but the destructive power had more than tripled. The concentrated force within could pierce the surface and shatter the core directly.

They were like tempered blades, sharpened and ready, awaiting only the chance to taste blood.

And that chance came swiftly.

That day, I had just finished a lesson and was about to leave the base when Xiao Jingtian and Long Zhan approached me with grave expressions.

“Master, something’s happened,” Xiao Jingtian said bluntly, handing me an encrypted file.

I did not take it—simply listened in silence.

“On the southwestern border, an armed group composed of foreign mercenaries and drug lords, code-named ‘Vulture,’ crossed the border and abducted one of our geological survey teams—seven hostages in total. They’ve taken control of ‘Ghoul’s Cliff,’ a place of treacherous terrain, and are demanding a huge ransom as well as the release of a major drug lord we captured,” Long Zhan quickly briefed me, his eyes burning with fury.

“The leader of ‘Vulture’ is known as ‘Ghost,’ an infamous mercenary king wanted worldwide. He’s extremely cunning, adept in jungle warfare and all manner of tricks. Our previous small-scale rescue attempts all failed, and we lost two outstanding border guards in the process.”

Xiao Jingtian looked at me, his gaze solemn. “Master, we want to send in ‘Dragon Fang.’ This will be their first real battle since their transformation, and a true test of your teaching. But… this mission is perilous. I can’t guarantee their safety.”

I understood his meaning—he hoped I would accompany them and oversee the operation from behind the lines, just in case.

I looked at the map of “Ghoul’s Cliff” on the conference room screen, its peaks shrouded in mist, and thought of the innocent smile of Yi Yi in the backyard.

I had not wished to be stained by bloodshed again.

But then it occurred to me: if I taught them only cultivation and not combat, it would be building castles in the air. True pines cannot grow in a greenhouse. These fledgling eagles needed to test their talons in a real storm.

“I won’t go to the front lines,” I said. “The battlefield is theirs. I’ll stay in the command center and observe.”

“That’s enough!” Xiao Jingtian’s spirits lifted. “With you overseeing, my heart is at ease!”

That night, thirty “Dragon Fang” members, fully armed, assembled on the tarmac. Dressed in the latest combat uniforms, faces streaked with camouflage, their eyes were as cold as ice. Compared to three months ago, their presence was now restrained, like volcanoes on the verge of eruption.

Standing before them, I said only one thing.

“Remember, your path is to protect, not to kill. Saving lives is your primary duty. Go, and show these petty criminals the might of the Chinese dragon.”

“Yes, sir!”

Thirty figures swiftly boarded a silent transport jet, vanishing into the depths of the night.

Together with Xiao Jingtian, I entered the brightly lit operations command center. The massive screen displayed real-time images from the front, transmitted by drones.

Ghoul’s Cliff was true to its name—steep, shrouded in miasma, easy to defend and hard to attack.

The “Vulture” camp was set in a concealed cave halfway up the mountain, surrounded by both obvious and hidden sentries and a variety of deadly traps.

In the darkness, the thirty “Dragon Fang” members slipped like phantoms to the foot of the cliff.

Inside the command center, the atmosphere was tense to the extreme. Every staff officer stared at the screen; Xiao Jingtian’s palms were slick with sweat.

Only I remained calm, as if watching a film unrelated to myself.

“Report, ‘Dragon Fang’ has reached the designated position. Requesting permission to begin infiltration!” Long Zhan’s voice crackled through the communicator.

“Permission granted—commence the operation,” Xiao Jingtian ordered in a low voice.

The operation began.

Under normal infiltration methods, they would have spent ages clearing traps and neutralizing sentries. But this time, everything was different.

At the front, Shi Lei planted his feet firmly, eyes half-closed, as if listening intently. This was the “Listening Strength” technique I had taught them—through connecting their “qi” with the earth, sensing the faintest vibrations in the surroundings.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and whispered into the communicator, “Seven o’clock ahead, thirty centimeters underground, there’s a pressure mine. Three o’clock in the tree ahead, there’s an infrared sensor. We’ll go straight through the middle.”

The squad moved like a snake, gliding past one deadly trap after another with uncanny precision.

The command center erupted in amazement.

“How is this possible? Even our detection equipment isn’t that precise!” a young staff officer exclaimed.

Xiao Jingtian glanced at me, his gaze full of awe. He knew—this was the “living power” the Master had spoken of.

Soon, they encountered their first hidden sentry. The guard was blended with the shadows behind a boulder.

In the past, a “Dragon Fang” member would have used a silenced pistol or combat knife. This time, the assault team member crept close, and with two meters still between them, suddenly struck out with his palm.

The strike was soundless, but a surge of inner power struck the sentry’s back with perfect precision.

He stiffened and dropped without a sound, dead—yet with no mark upon his body.

“Beautiful!” someone in the command center couldn’t help but cheer quietly.

This was the “Shock Technique” from the “Eight Directions Tremor”—killing without a trace.

The infiltration proceeded almost unbelievably smoothly. In less than half an hour, “Dragon Fang” had reached the cave’s entrance.

“Report, we’ve reached the target area. The hostages are in the deepest part of the cave, guarded by ‘Ghost’ himself. There are eight heavily armed guards at the entrance,” Long Zhan’s voice came through.

“Prepare for a direct assault!” Xiao Jingtian was about to give the order.

But I suddenly spoke. “Wait.”

All eyes turned to me.

I gazed at the screen and said calmly, “Tell Long Zhan—frontal assault is the worst option. Have Shi Lei use the ‘Mountain Technique’ from ‘Eight Directions Tremor’ to strike the base of the large boulder above the entrance on the left.”

Everyone in the command center was stunned. Attack the boulder? For what purpose?

Xiao Jingtian, though puzzled, trusted me completely. “Long Zhan, follow Master’s orders!”

On the front line, Long Zhan was just as confused, but he hesitated not a moment.

“Shi Lei, execute the order!”

Shi Lei took a deep breath and stepped beneath the boulder, which was the size of a small car, settling into the stance of the “Primordial Foundation.” Clenching his fists, his inner “qi” surged, and an invisible vortex gathered at his knuckles.

With a shout, he struck the base of the boulder with all his might.

A dull, drum-like boom reverberated through the silent valley.

Then, to everyone’s shock, the massive rock trembled, then, with unstoppable force, crashed down—blocking most of the cave entrance.

Dust and rubble flew everywhere. The eight guards at the entrance, caught off guard by this sudden “act of God,” panicked and scattered.

“Now! Go!” Long Zhan seized the golden opportunity and roared.

The “Dragon Fang” squad surged forward like tigers descending a mountain, storming into the cave.

The command center was dead silent. Everyone stared at me as if beholding a deity.

With a single punch, a landslide—this was beyond anything they had ever imagined possible in martial arts.

I lifted my teacup and took a slow sip.

This was only the most rudimentary application of “inner strength.” The real battle was just beginning. That “Ghost” would not be so easily defeated.