Blood Poison Spider Fourth Level

He temporarily set aside blacksmithing and medicine, focusing all his attention on cultivating his internal energy.

His mastery of the Three Talents Slash was already complete, and his Shocking Force and Entangling Force were sufficient to handle ordinary opponents. Now, the most crucial task was to elevate his internal energy cultivation by another level.

Late August, Year 24 of Jiajing, the autumn chill was deepening.

The Black Bear Breathing Technique, which he had started practicing the latest, was the first to break through to the fourth level.

Lin Zhao--

Black Bear Strength: Fourth Level (Peak), Special Effect: Primary Divine Strength.

[Primary Divine Strength]: His bones and muscles were far tougher than ordinary people's, and his strength doubled during bursts of power. He could wrestle with Black Bear demonic beasts barehanded and fight them without being at a disadvantage.

"Lower-tier techniques indeed have the fastest progression. Coupled with the secret medicine refined from Black Bear essence blood, this breathing technique has actually become my second perfected skill," Lin Zhao said with a slight smile, feeling the potent internal energy flowing through his palms.

The secret medicine he used was extraordinary, derived from the essence blood of Northern Black Bears, which, after reaching adulthood, could rival Entering Martial Masters. It was reasonable for him to achieve such progress.

"As per the usual routine, let's test my strength." He pushed open the door of the quiet room, the scent of sandalwood still lingering in the tiled corridor.

He walked through the side courtyard to the animal pen where three Mystic Arm Snow Apes were kept.

Inside the ten-foot-high wooden fence, dry grass was spread, and a faint animal scent filled the air.

"Yuan Da, come here," Lin Zhao called out softly.

The leading Mystic Arm Snow Ape waddled closer, its round body swaying, and nudged his palm affectionately with its snout.

These three Mystic Arm Snow Apes were nearly four years old, each weighing over a thousand pounds. Their bodies were three times larger than ordinary snow apes, their fur was a dark snow color, shiny and smooth, and their sharp claws glinted with cold light.

If they hadn't kept Tie Shan occupied during his fight last month, Lin Zhao might not have won so easily.

Although he had sustained injuries in the battle, thanks to careful recuperation and their formidable self-healing abilities, he had fully recovered.

With their current strength, they were comparable to mid-tier Entering Martial Masters in the jianghu. Once they reached adulthood, ordinary high-tier Entering Martial Masters would likely struggle against them.

Especially Yuan Er and Yuan San, the two males, possessed extraordinary talent and could even contend with high-tier Entering Martial Masters in the future.

"How can ordinary cavalry compare to demonic beast cavalry? In ancient times, fierce generals drove demonic beasts into battle. With these three Mystic Arm Snow Apes, even if I don't seek dominion, I have more than enough to protect myself," Lin Zhao said, gently stroking Yuan Er's head. Although they consumed over a hundred pounds of meat daily, this combat power was worth any amount of silver.

He fetched a hemp rope as thick as a bowl and threw it to Yuan Da. "Bite down hard."

Yuan Er and Yuan San crowded closer. The former clung to the wooden fence, eager to try, but Lin Zhao waved them off. "Let Yuan Da go first. If it loses, then it's your turn."

Yuan Da seemed to understand, letting out a dissatisfied low growl—though not fully adult, with its thousand-pound body, why would it fear a mere human?

Lin Zhao gripped the other end of the rope, thinking, I need to see if this 'Primary Divine Strength' lives up to its name.

"Begin!"

As soon as the word left his lips, he yanked back with all his might. The Black Bear internal energy surged from his dantian, flowing into his arms, his muscles instantly knotting like ancient, gnarled tree roots. Yuan Da was no weaker, its claws digging deep into the dry grass as it pulled its head back fiercely. The rope stretched taut, creaking ominously.

This was inherently an unequal contest—Yuan Da alone weighed a thousand pounds, enough to drag down an ordinary person even if it stood still.

However, Lin Zhao was now at the level of a mid-tier Entering Martial Master. With the fourth level of the Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique as his foundation, augmented by the divine strength of the Black Bear Strength, he was actually in a stalemate with Yuan Da.

On the bluestone ground, shallow furrows appeared at Lin Zhao's feet, his face flushed red. Yuan Da panted heavily, hot breath mixed with white mist spewing out, its paws crushing the dry grass into powder.

The man and ape strained against each other for about the time it takes five incense sticks to burn. Finally, Lin Zhao's strength gave out, and he stumbled backward, pulled by Yuan Da.

"It seems 'Black Bear' refers to ordinary Black Bear demonic beasts, not an unusual breed like this one," he said, rubbing his sore arm, yet feeling quite pleased—this kind of strength already placed him among the elite of his peers in the martial world.

After a short rest, Lin Zhao returned to his quiet room to continue cultivating the Blood Poison Spider Breathing Technique.

This technique required assistance from poisonous substances and lacked secret medicine support, making its progress much slower than the Black Bear Strength. It was still over a thousand proficiency points away from the fourth level.

Fortunately, he had already mastered the knack of internal energy cultivation. His internal energy flowed more smoothly with each breath, so he didn't find it tedious.

September, Year 24 of Jiajing, the autumn harvest season.

In Qixia Valley, the wheat fields rippled like golden waves. Farmers swung their sickles, harvesting with joyful shouts.

This spring, Lin Zhao had ordered dozens of acres of barren land to be reclaimed and taught the tenant farmers to improve the soil with ash and manure. The yield per mu had increased by two dan compared to last year, a ten percent overall increase.

However, Great Ming's agricultural technology was limited, and there was little room for further increase solely through soil improvement.

To further boost grain production, he would either have to expand cultivation or increase manpower—the number of tenant farmers in his territory was already insufficient to meet the labor demands of the mill and iron mine.

In the current world, lords had only three ways to increase their population: official enfeoffment, purchasing slaves, or accepting refugees.

But Qixia Valley was remote, and most refugees headed to the more prosperous Zhenbei Prefecture or Yongping Prefecture, rarely coming this far.

Helpless, Lin Zhao had to instruct his steward to go to the Yongping Prefecture slave market to select servants. Most of them were displaced due to border conflicts, many were injured or ill. The strong and healthy ones had long been snapped up by the nobility. He could only pick the best of the bunch; as long as they had no contagious diseases, he bought them all and assigned them to work at the mill and iron mine.

With the steward managing the household affairs, Lin Zhao continued to live a secluded life, meditating during the day and personally checking the sentry posts at night.

The threat from Night Raven Tower had not been eliminated. If that "Mystic Shadow," a Grandmaster Warrior of the Heavenly Gang Realm, were to appear in person, he might not be able to defeat them.

Only by quickly cultivating his internal energy to its peak could he have a greater chance.

One early morning, a clear shout echoed from the quiet room.

Lin Zhao opened his eyes, a sharp glint appearing within them. The hairs on his arms stood on end, and a wisp of pale gray internal energy coiled around his fingertips—the Blood Poison Spider Breathing Technique had finally broken through to the fourth level!

Lin Zhao--

Blood Poison Spider Breathing Technique: Fourth Level (1/20000), Special Effects: Subtle Vibration Sense, Intuitive Awareness.

"Good heavens! This Blood Poison Spider Breathing Technique actually has two special effects?" Lin Zhao stared at the pale gray aura circulating in his dantian, his eyes filled with astonishment.

He concentrated and carefully probed, activating the first-level special effect with his internal breath. A profound sense instantly spread through his mind--

[Subtle Vibration Sense]: Nourishes the body's fine hairs with internal breath, allowing the detection of subtle vibrations in gaseous, liquid, and solid states. Current sensory radius is ten zhang, with even greater sensitivity to liquid and solid state vibrations.

"This is practically a rare perceptual divine ability in the martial world!" Lin Zhao abruptly stood up and walked to the wall of the quiet room, placing the back of his hand against the blue brick.

In an instant, the internal breath from his dantian flowed through his meridians to his entire body. His fine hairs stood on end, sensing the surrounding movements like countless tiny needles-- the "rustling" vibration of snow rabbits gnawing on dry grass outside the courtyard, the "rustling" vibration of a mole digging in the corner, the "tinkling" sound of wind chimes swaying on the eaves, and even the "thudding" sensation of a kitchen worker chopping vegetables ten zhang away, all clearly transmitted into his mind, more precise than hearing with his own ears.

"With this ability, when I encounter a strong enemy again, I'll be able to predict the trajectory of their attacks just by sensing the vibrations!" He couldn't help but clench his fist, recalling Iron Mountain's swift punches-- if he had had this special effect back then, he would have sensed the vibration of the opponent's muscles before the punch even landed, and wouldn't have been beaten until his ribs felt like they would shatter?

"That Xie Hongling woman is truly wasting a treasure. Such a divine secret technique, and she only uses it for poisoning. It rightfully belongs to me!"

After his excitement settled slightly, he probed the second-level special effect, his mind instantly sharpening--

[Intuitive Awareness]: Uses internal breath to nurture intuition, providing a vague premonition of danger, allowing one to seek advantages and avoid harm, and predict potential calamities. However, the perception is vague and general, not absolutely precise; as one's internal breath progresses, the precision of the intuitive awareness will also increase.

"This... isn't this what the old timers in the martial world call 'Danger Avoidance Intuition'?" Lin Zhao gasped.

Although it was at a beginner level, just this premonition alone could allow him to sense hidden killing intent in advance and avoid hidden cold arrows. It was practically a life-saving tool!

With the two special effects stacked, his strength had more than doubled; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he had undergone a complete transformation.

"It seems cultivation requires embracing everything, regardless of whether it's crude or profound. Let's just practice it to the extreme first!" He made up his mind. In the future, at the auction in Xuanyao Tavern in Northern Garrison City, he would need to find more bloodline secret techniques-- lower-tier ones would be fine. With his current cultivation speed, he could reach their limits in a few months, making them more cost-effective than high-priced upper-tier secret techniques.

Unable to wait any longer, Lin Zhao headed straight for the beast pen in the backyard.

He took some cotton to stuff into his ears and covered his eyes with a blue cloth, completely cutting off his sight and hearing, relying solely on "Subtle Vibration Sense" and "Intuitive Awareness" to react.

"Yuan Da, Yuan Er, Yuan San, come at me together-- go easy on me, don't hurt me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt the heavy footsteps vibrating behind him-- it was Yuan Er!

It couldn't wait any longer, its four claws dug into the ground, and it lunged forward with a gust of wind.

Lin Zhao's body hairs instantly captured the vibration of the airflow. The Mystic Wolf Strength and Bone Softening Technique internal breath in his dantian circulated simultaneously. His body slid three feet to the side like a willow catkin, perfectly evading Yuan Er's claws.

Before Yuan San could retract its attack, he grabbed its wrist bone and used its momentum to push-- with a "bang," Yuan San crashed into Yuan Da, which was rushing to its aid. The two Mystic Arm Snow Apes rolled into a ball, letting out aggrieved low growls.

Immediately after, he felt the vibration of a powerful wind attacking from behind-- it was Yuan Er! Lin Zhao clearly sensed its charging trajectory through the vibrations. He tapped his toes, his body soaring into the air, and simultaneously swept his right leg horizontally, striking Yuan Er squarely.

Yuan Er let out a "howl" and fell onto its back, sliding several zhang across the dry grass.

Blindfolded and standing in the center of the beast pen, Lin Zhao stood with his hands behind his back. The autumn wind blew, rustling his robes.

Although he could not see or hear, the movements within ten zhang of his body were all within his perception-- the swaying of the grass, the rise and fall of the Mystic Arm Snow Apes' breathing, and even the clanking vibrations of the armor plates of the distant guards on patrol were as clear as a painting.

"Is this what it feels like to control the whole situation?" He laughed heartily, the pent-up frustration from Night Raven Tower completely dissipating from his chest.

Putting away his playful mood, Lin Zhao returned to the quiet room.

The Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique was only a step away from the fifth level, and he dared not slacken-- he had cultivated diligently these past few months, sleeping only two hours a day, relying entirely on secret medicines and meat for sustenance. If not for the flame of revenge burning in his heart, he would have collapsed long ago.

"Once the Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique breaks through, I'll rest briefly, and then I'll settle the score with Night Raven Tower!"

The late autumn wind carried a chill, and the harvest moon passed in the blink of an eye.

The territory was filled with peace and harmony. The tenant farmers were busy drying their grain, and the blacksmith's forge still burned brightly. Only Lin Zhao's quiet room had dense internal breath fluctuations every day.

On the last day of the month, Steward Fu hurried in with news: "Young Master! Lord Zhao has woken up!"

Lin Zhao abruptly stood up and rushed to Zhao Tieying's residence.

A charcoal fire burned in the room to ward off the cold. Zhao Tieying lay on the bed, his temples streaked with white hair, his face pale as paper. His once upright physique now seemed somewhat hunched.

Seeing Lin Zhao enter, his emaciated hand trembled as he reached out, his voice hoarse, "Young Master... it's good that you're alright... If I had died, it would have been difficult to explain to the Old General..."

Lin Zhao quickly stepped forward and took his hand-- his palm was cold, and his knuckles were covered in calluses.

"Uncle Zhao, what nonsense are you speaking!" he said sternly. "You just need to recuperate with peace of mind. There are still three 'Pulse Renewing and Qi Solidifying Pills' that were obtained from the Imperial Hospital. They will definitely help you recover! In the future, I'll need you to watch with me as the Lin Family rises again, and make those who harmed us pay with blood!"

Tears welled up in Zhao Tieying's eyes, and he slowly nodded.

He knew his cultivation was ruined-- the penetrating wound in his abdomen had damaged his internal organs and the meridians through which internal breath circulated. Even if he healed, he would never be able to circulate internal breath again.

But looking at Lin Zhao's determined eyes, a surge of warmth filled his heart: "Your subordinate... will definitely wait for that day."