Destroying the Fierce Wind Bandits, Realm Advancement

"Boom!"

A thunderclap from clear skies, its sound shaking the very soul.

The blade cut a perfect arc, a streak of lightning mixed within the flash, easily tearing through the True Qi defense of the Golden Armor Silver Soldier Art.

This time, the True Qi was completely ripped apart, but it only left a shallow bloodstain on Wang Dingtian's throat.

Wang Dingtian had cultivated the Golden Armor Silver Soldier Art for years, his Physique naturally robust. To kill him, it was still a fraction short!

"System, upgrade Thunderous Strike."

"Deduct 800 Experience Points. Thunderous Strike has been upgraded to the Minor Accomplishment realm."

Feeling the stinging pain on his neck, Wang Dingtian's composure finally shattered.

Where did this guy come from? Why was every strike stronger than the last?

If he took one more hit like that, would his head still be attached to his body?

As if seeking the same answer, Li Yan raised his saber again.

This time, before the blade was even fully raised, an incredibly violent aura enveloped Wang Dingtian.

This strike was truly even stronger!

"Slow, wait!" In an instant, Wang Dingtian finally panicked and quickly tried to stop the blow. "Wan Sanhuo, I promise I won't bother you again. There's plenty of gold and treasure here, you can have it all!"

"You've already killed two of my brothers, and you haven't suffered any losses..."

Before he could finish, Li Yan took a deep breath, concentrating his Spirit.

The Thunderous Strike martial art was of too high a grade. Although he had raised its proficiency to Minor Accomplishment, he found that unleashing its true power was still too demanding for his current cultivation.

If not for the True Qi from the Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art being far greater than other martial arts, he wouldn't have been able to... at Qi Condensation sixth level...

Taking a deep breath, the sound of thunder roared once more. This time, the Waning Moon, crackling with lightning, directly severed Wang Dingtian's head.

His head flew off. Wang Dingtian died with his eyes wide open, filled with disbelief.

His expression seemed to question heaven and earth: Why? Why did he, at the Fifth Level of Meridian Opening, have to die at the hands of someone at Qi Condensation third level?

Li Yan couldn't be bothered to look at Wang Dingtian's death. His gaze fell upon the glowing orbs that dropped from the corpse.

This was the first time he had killed someone in the Meridian Opening Realm. He wondered what the spoils would be.

[Strength +55]

[Speed +37]

[Physique +82]

[Spirit +35]

[True Qi +36]

[Congratulations on obtaining the martial art Golden Armor Silver Soldier Art]

[Congratulations on obtaining the martial art Immeasurable Mountain Shaking Fist]

Good heavens, as expected of an expert in the Meridian Opening Realm, a true jackpot!

Not to mention the basic Attributes far exceeding those of ordinary Qi Condensation realm cultivators, he even got two martial arts.

At this rate, who in the martial arts world in the future could match his collection of martial arts?

However, dealing with Wang Dingtian wasn't the end!

Tonight, he had used up all the Medicine he had. If he couldn't earn it back, it would be a huge loss.

His gaze swept around. My brothers, I'm sorry to you, but it's mainly your First Boss who wronged you. Because he lost, you can only die.

Brandishing his saber, Li Yan moved towards the other bandits. A slaughter more terrifying than Dark Cloud Peak began.

When the sun rose, the mountain spring water flowing down from Feng Hui Mountain had turned a deep crimson. The entire mountainside exuded a lingering scent of blood, an intensity only found on a battlefield.

At the foot of the mountain, beside the blood-red stream, Li Yan was quietly recuperating.

After a full day of slaughter, over 600 more souls had fallen by Li Yan's blade. The increase in his Attributes and Experience Points was also the greatest he had ever seen.

The Medicine obtained from Li Fucai was now completely depleted. With potential major battles looming, improving his strength was urgent.

Just then, several sets of footsteps rapidly approached.

"Sir!"

Li Yan turned and saw the bottom five ranked individuals from the eighteen on Three Fiends Ridge arriving.

That day on Three Fiends Ridge, Li Yan had given them Medicine and tricked them into believing it was the Three Corpses Brain God Pill.

Given his previous history of poisoning, they hadn't suspected this so-called Three Corpses Brain God Pill.

Though reluctant, to avoid the corpse worms devouring their brains, they could only obey Li Yan for the time being.

"How is it on your end?"

"Reporting, Mr. Wan, Big Brother and the others have already infiltrated Dongjiang City. Dongjiang City is currently in chaos and hasn't attracted anyone's attention."

"Mm... Thank you for your hard work. This Feng Hui Mountain is now littered with corpses. I'll have to trouble you to take care of it, burn this mountain down."

"Not at all!"

Several people clasped their fists in greeting, then turned and left.

After they departed, Li Yan closed his eyes again and summoned his system panel.

Name: Li Yan

Realm: Qi Condensation Triple Layer

Strength: 455

Speed: 387

Physique: 422

Spirit: 97

True Qi: 97

Martial Arts: Hundred Beasts Marrow Quenching Scripture Fifth Layer (123/1600); Hundred Battles Saber Return to Truth; Falling Star Spear Fragment (Not Learned) (Complete/1000); Golden Armor Silver Soldier Art (Not Learned) (0/500); Immeasurable Mountain Shaking Fist (Not Learned) (0/300); Tearing Wind Claws Minor Accomplishment (347/400); Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art Third Layer (555/4000); Wind Chasing Wave Treading Mastered (273/800); Thunderous Strike Minor Accomplishment (157/2000)

Secret Skill: Hundred Blades: Bloodbath Initial Glimpse (171/500)

Remaining Experience Points: 15830

For now, Li Yan's top priority was to increase his combat power.

With the boost to his Physique attribute this time, breaking through to the next Realm was naturally not an issue.

"System, upgrade Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art!"

"Ding! Consumed 3445 Experience Points. Congratulations on Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art breaking through to the Fourth Layer."

"Martial Arts: Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art Fourth Layer (0/10000) 12385"

As the prompt sounded, torrents of True Qi surged from his dantian, flowing through his meridians like growing vines before returning to the acupoints throughout his body.

Thanks to the massive slaughter he had committed earlier and the support of numerous attribute points, his Physique was more than sufficient to withstand the impact of this breakthrough.

However, just as Li Yan was preparing to continue his breakthrough, he was startled by the unusual amount of Experience Points required.

The previous four layers each required an additional thousand Experience Points compared to the one before, but breaking through to the fifth layer demanded more than double the previous amount.

This strange Experience Point requirement filled Li Yan with a hint of doubt, and he forcibly suppressed the thought of breaking through on the spot.

Just then, a blaze of fire illuminated the area. Li Yan turned his head to see the flames already beginning to consume Feng Hui Mountain, clearly indicating that the eighteen brothers had made their move.

Ever since he left the Abyssal Mine, the Fierce Wind Bandits on Feng Hui Mountain had been hounding him.

They had pursued and attacked him relentlessly, and he had personally encountered and fought three of their leaders, ultimately killing them all.

Although Wang Dingtian had died ignominiously, and his methods were not honorable, what did it matter? They were already enemies, locked in a life-or-death struggle, and any means were justifiable in the face of death.

What a formidable Fierce Wind Bandits, to have been wiped out so cleanly and efficiently.

Once this great fire died down, and after a few more bouts of wind and rain, the martial world would be no different, save for an unnamed pile of dry bones on a mountain.

The martial world he walked was one sung in blood and fire by Li Yan.