A hidden corner.
Lu Chen wore a contemplative expression as he looked at the panel before him.
Since it had already been very late after last night's deed, he had not immediately gone to Canglang Martial Hall. Instead, he had rested overnight in a corner of the city.
Now that daylight had come, an idea suddenly surfaced as he looked at the panel.
He had already cultivated six martial arts to perfection. Could he fuse these martial arts together?
Perhaps by fusing them, he could create a Third-rate martial skill of his own.
Were not all martial arts under heaven created by people?
[Consume 200 Merit Points to fuse martial arts?]
The moment the thought crossed his mind, a line of words suddenly appeared.
Lu Chen's expression stiffened slightly.
Then he immediately answered in his mind.
"Consume!"
Whoosh!
The panel before him rapidly blurred the next moment.
The six martial arts displayed upon it seemed to rearrange and combine. Countless fragments of knowledge swiftly fused and automatically deduced one another, while batches of entirely new martial knowledge emerged in his mind, densely packed and flooding his brain.
Around three to five minutes passed.
At last, everything settled.
[Martial Art Name: Four Absolute Martial Arts] [Rank: Third-rate] [Realm: Perfection]
A new line of text appeared before his eyes.
Delight flashed through Lu Chen's eyes.
It really worked?
The fusion had succeeded?
He looked at the panel again.
Name: Lu Chen Cultivation: Third-Rank (3%) Mental Cultivation Method: None Martial Arts: Four Absolute Martial Arts (Perfection) Talents: Convince with Virtue, Bronze Skin Iron Bones Merit Points: 290 ...
The entire panel had changed completely.
Even his cultivation had changed again, officially entering the Third-Rank Realm. As for the origin of the name Four Absolute Martial Arts, it was very simple.
It encompassed four supreme techniques at once: fist, palm, claw, and blade.
An unprecedented power instantly surged into Lu Chen's heart.
"Just as I expected, those unranked martial arts can no longer keep up with my physical qualities. If I want to raise my realm, I must rely on Ranked Martial Skills, and even mental cultivation methods!"
His heart churned violently.
He had only just fused a Third-rate martial skill, yet his realm had already reached Third Rank.
If he could obtain a mental cultivation method as well, he might perhaps charge straight into Fourth Rank!
He became even more eager to visit Canglang Martial Hall. Without wasting another moment, his body flashed, and he swiftly left the area.
The instant he departed, he discovered that government soldiers were everywhere throughout the city.
At the same time, all kinds of news were spreading.
It was all about last night's bloody case in the southern district.
When he heard that the authorities had arrested more than a thousand people, labeled them rioters, claimed that he had incited the rioters into rebellion, and demanded that he immediately turn himself in—otherwise all the rioters would be executed—Lu Chen's heart turned cold.
"Courting death!"
The authorities had truly reached the point of stopping at nothing to achieve their ends.
To force him to reveal himself, they had actually arrested so many people.
Yet at the same time, he heard another piece of news.
"Have you heard? Yesterday, more than thirty people had all their blood drained and turned into dried corpses. They say Lu Chen did it too."
"What? More than thirty people had their blood drained? That can't be possible, can it?"
"This is new information released by the authorities. They say Lu Chen is utterly depraved. Not only is he skilled at inciting others into rebellion, he also secretly drinks human blood. He has to drink the blood of more than ten people every day. By now, he is no longer a normal human at all, but a genuine demon."
"No way, right?"
"How could it not be? Those shriveled corpses are all laid out at the authorities' office now. Anyone who doesn't believe it can go take a look..."
The crowd was stunned.
If they had previously felt a sense of satisfaction at Lu Chen's actions,
then now, most of them were somewhat afraid.
After all, this was truly drinking blood!
Lu Chen could not help frowning.
Drinking human blood?
Who was framing him?
They were actually pinning such a charge on him?
It seemed the situation within the city far exceeded his expectations.
But for now, he still needed to get a mental cultivation method as quickly as possible...
Canglang Martial Hall.
Within its spacious courtyard.
Several lean disciples stood before a woman dressed in fitted black clothes.
"Senior Sister, this cannot go on. More disciples left the martial hall again today."
"Yes, Senior Sister, we have to think of something..."
"Rising Sun Martial Hall is pressing us harder and harder. If this continues, we truly won't be able to hold on."
The newly appointed hall master, Su Yingxue, looked sorrowfully at the disciples before her.
Their once-grand Canglang Martial Hall had been left cold as tea after her father's death. Under the pressure of Rising Sun Martial Hall, disciples had continually departed, until only a few strays remained.
The martial hall was practically existing in name only. Even she had repeatedly suffered humiliation at the hands of Rising Sun Martial Hall, which demanded that she hand over the hall's core mental cultivation method.
She could block them for a time, but she could not block them forever.
Without a true expert guarding the martial hall, Canglang Martial Hall was like a three-year-old child carrying gold through a bustling market. Who knew how many people were secretly eyeing them, wanting to obtain their mental cultivation method?
For this reason, she had gone out into the streets several times to recruit experts, hoping to find formidable people to guard the martial hall.
But unfortunately, once they heard that she had offended Rising Sun Martial Hall, no one dared come.
Even those who did come were all coveting her mental cultivation method and seeking to swindle it from her.
"Have I truly fallen so low that I cannot even protect my own family's mental cultivation method?"
Su Yingxue murmured inwardly.
"Senior Sister, I heard that Rising Sun Martial Hall's Young Hall Master has died. Their hall master, Zhao Hu, has been in a frenzy these past few days. He may personally come after you."
A junior brother spoke worriedly.
"Personally come after me? Zhao Hu only defeated my father last time by resorting to trickery, causing my father's tragic death. If he is so eager to make a move against me again this time, I fear his friends in the Martial World will not let him off easily either."
Su Yingxue revealed a cold smile.
Zhao Hu was, after all, the hall master of a martial hall. He had a great family estate and a reputation in the Martial World.
When he fought her father last time, he had secretly cheated to defeat him. If he now impatiently entered the fray himself to deal with a weak woman like her, once word spread, it would inevitably give others an excuse.
Since you, Zhao Hu, could forcefully strike and seize another person's mental cultivation method,
then why could others not rely on their strength to seize yours?
Zhao Hu absolutely did not dare touch such a bottom line of the Martial World. "However, he may not dare act against me in the short term, but given enough time, I fear he will still make a move in secret..."
A trace of worry appeared in Su Yingxue's eyes. "But how could it be easy to find an expert?"
Whoosh!
Just then.
A figure descended into the rear courtyard without warning.
He wore black clothes and a black robe. His features were refined, and he was still quite young.
"I can help you deal with Zhao Hu."
The man suddenly spoke.
Su Yingxue was startled and swiftly turned around.
Who was it?
Who could land behind her without making a sound?
The other disciples were all greatly shocked as well and hurriedly looked up. They had been focused on speaking with their senior sister and had not noticed that someone had appeared in the courtyard.
"You are..."
Su Yingxue's pupils contracted as she stared at the figure. She recognized his face almost instantly and cried out, "Lu Chen? You're that Lu Chen?"
Yesterday, Lu Chen's portrait had been plastered all over the city for a full manhunt.
Naturally, she had seen it as well.
But she had never expected this person to appear inside her own martial hall.
"What?"
Everyone beside her shuddered in fright.
That Lu Chen who had committed crimes time and again and killed countless people?
They even said he had been possessed by a demon and had drained the blood of more than thirty people last night... Yet he had actually appeared inside the martial hall?
Before you continue