Breaking Through the Limit
The commandant quickly spotted a hole in Qin Yan's story. His gaze sharpened as he studied Qin Yan closely:
"Where did a kid in his teens get so much money to buy land?"
At this, the old village chief stepped forward and said with a smile, "General, there's something you don't know.
A band of mountain bandits from Black Wind Mountain had been robbing people everywhere. This boy Qin Yan wiped out the whole gang by himself.
The money was naturally the spoils he took from the bandits."
"You're saying this boy wiped out the bandits of Black Wind Mountain?" The commandant's pupils contracted at those words, and stormy waves surged in his heart.
"To wipe out a band of mountain bandits at fourteen—what astonishing mettle!"
He knew of Black Wind Mountain, a band of outlaws that had risen to prominence in recent years. Cao Lian was fairly strong; he hadn't expected this boy to have killed him too.
The young man before him was truly beyond his expectations.
Taking a deep breath, the commandant looked at Qin Yan, his eyes filled with appreciation for his talent.
"Kid, have you considered joining the army? With your talent, your future accomplishments might be no less than mine."
The commandant spoke earnestly. "You have a chivalrous heart and like to stand up against injustice.
But there are laws in this world. Chivalrous men use martial might to break the law; that is not the proper path.
Join the army and serve the Great Li Dynasty. Sweep away those who commit evil for the common people, and restore a bright, clear sky to this world!"
Hearing this, Qin Yan couldn't help rolling his eyes inwardly.
Just how rotten had the Great Li Dynasty become?
Those at the very bottom felt it most keenly. The entire dynasty was rotten from top to bottom.
How was this bearded man still so naive?
"Sorry, General. I'm just an ordinary commoner. All I'll do in this life is tend my little plot of land and muddle through my days."
Qin Yan's tone was calm, but his words made the old village chief beside him frantic.
"Foolish boy! The general thinks so highly of you, and you don't even know to appreciate it!"
With that, the old village chief looked apologetically at the commandant. "General, the boy doesn't know any better. Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against him."
Seeing how resolute he was, the commandant could only sigh inwardly in regret.
He patted Qin Yan on the shoulder. "It's all right, kid. If you change your mind in the future, come find me in the Green Mountain Army.
"My name is Lu Xiao!"
"Remember, don't do anything illegal or forbidden, or I, the commandant, will come looking for you."
Lu Xiao gave Qin Yan a long look, then led his men away!
"Commandant, if that boy really killed the bandits of Black Wind Mountain, then he could very well be the one who killed the people from the Mu Lineage too!"
A personal guard looked at Lu Xiao in puzzlement.
"That's all just speculation. As I saw it, there wasn't a single injury on that boy. I even patted him to test him.
"His body was as strong as a wild ox, and his muscles and bones were unusually tough.
"Even I might not be his match!
"When that child looked at us, there wasn't a trace of fear or respect in his eyes. He even seemed eager to try.
"He was thinking about how to defeat us, or even kill us!"
Lu Xiao's voice was low. "If we pushed him too far, he'd be a tremendous danger to all of Qinghe Town, and even Youshan Prefecture.
"As for the Mu Lineage's people, they're dead, and that's that. It doesn't have much to do with us anyway.
"Let the authorities deal with the headache."
Lu Xiao spoke without a care. He had never been able to stand those local gentry and aristocrats who oppressed the common people.
If more people like that died, it would be good for the Great Li Dynasty as it was now!
During this disaster, Qinghe Town had shut its gates and the major trading houses had driven up prices. Their many actions had caused the disaster to keep growing worse.
Quite a few people had even been reduced to selling their sons and daughters, which greatly displeased him.
A trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes at the state of the imperial court, but more than that, he felt lost.
"Boss, will those people from the authorities come after us?"
Watching Lu Xiao and the others leave, Zong Xiaoshan quietly edged closer and asked in a low voice.
"Not for now. Who knows what'll happen later?"
Qin Yan murmured. He had considered joining the army and using military merit to raise his status and build his influence.
But considering the Great Li Dynasty's current state, Qin Yan had decisively rejected the idea.
He might have been able to become a minor official, but the great clans had a complete stranglehold on the paths to advancement.
No matter how hard he worked, he would most likely end up sewing a wedding dress for someone else.
Unless he could find a backer with exceptionally strong connections, even after more than a decade of hard work, he would at most become a low-ranking officer.
But if he built himself up on his own, he would have plenty of room to maneuver.
The worst outcome would be taking to the mountains as an outlaw.
As long as he was given time, he would still have the strength to rule over a region in the future.
By comparison, joining the army wasn't worth it.
Most importantly, he didn't like being under someone else's thumb.
He never regretted what he had done!
But to avoid having the blame pinned on him, Qin Yan decided to seek out his hapless gang leader and see whether he could use his connections to deal with the trouble from the Mu Lineage first!
The gates of Qinghe Town remained closed.
During this time, Qin Yan had continued trying to break through his limits, repeatedly squatting with a thousand-jin boulder on his shoulders.
Six hundred and seventy!
Six hundred and seventy-one!
Eight hundred and ninety-six!
Sweat poured down Qin Yan's face like rain. Streams of warmth coursed through his body, but they couldn't ward off the exhaustion and soreness in his muscles.
He could already feel that his body had reached its limit. His heart was pounding violently, and the skin all over his body was turning bloodred.
"Boss, how about taking a break?"
Seeing Qin Yan like this, Zong Xiaoshan felt his heart pound in alarm.
Steam was rising all over Qin Yan's body, and his muscles had swollen to their utmost.
It gave Zong Xiaoshan the feeling that he might burst at any moment.
Eight hundred and ninety-seven!
Veins bulged all over Qin Yan's body, and his vision blurred for an instant.
In the end, he withstood the immense pressure and raised the boulder he had been carrying over his head.
At that instant, Qin Yan felt a force burst forth from deep within his body, and his exhaustion eased for a brief moment.
A blazing light burst from Qin Yan's eyes. This was the feeling of a breakthrough he had been seeking all along.
Nine hundred and eighty-one!
Qin Yan's limbs trembled constantly as he squeezed every last bit of potential from himself.
Nine hundred and ninety-three!
At this moment, Qin Yan's consciousness had already begun to grow hazy.
Then he felt an unprecedented sense of comfort, as though he were bathing in a gentle spring breeze.
Streams of strength welled up inside his body.
The aching and soreness in his limbs and bones eased at that moment.
[Body broke through its limit. Maximum strength increased by 0.5] [Mental will continuously tempered. Maximum spirit increased by 0.5] [Self-comprehended skill: Heart Burst] Effect: Breaks through the body's limits, increasing strength and speed by 100% for 10 minutes. [Qin Yan] [Talent: Infinite Physique] Strength: 9.9→10.4 Speed: 9.1→9.1 Spirit: 8.8→9.3
Brilliant light burst from Qin Yan's eyes. His heart pounded wildly, and the thousand-jin boulder in his hands suddenly felt incomparably light.
"Ha!"
Qin Yan's swollen muscles abruptly contracted, becoming incredibly compact in an instant, as though a layer of hard armor had formed over his entire body.
Boom!
The thousand-jin boulder flew from his hands and smashed through a tall tree in the distance.
Everyone was struck dumb by the sight.
A monster!
An immortal!
A demon?