"Martial... Martial Master Zheng..."
The Black Robe's voice was dry and hoarse, filled with unprecedented terror.
His earlier composure and mockery had vanished without a trace, cold sweat instantly soaking through his inner garments.
He tried to force a smile, but it looked even uglier than crying.
"Th-this is a misunder... misunderstanding..."
Zheng Shan did not look at him. His gaze first lingered on Wang Yuan for a moment.
Only after seeing that he was unharmed did he slowly turn toward the Black Robe.
His voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable authority as it drifted forth:
"A misunderstanding?"
"Your Incense God Cult hunted my disciple, and that was also a misunderstanding?"
Before his words had even faded, Zheng Shan moved.
He did not take a step. He merely transformed into a black shadow and appeared behind the Black Robe in an instant.
Zheng Shan casually raised his right hand and lightly pressed it onto the Black Robe's body.
There was no earth-shattering display, no violent surge of blood and qi.
Yet the Black Robe felt an irresistible, terrifying force condensed to the utmost extreme descend upon his entire body in an instant.
Crack! Crack! Crack...
A string of dense bone-breaking sounds that made one's scalp tingle erupted from within the Black Robe like popping beans.
He could not even let out a single scream.
Like soft mud stripped of every bone in his body, he collapsed to the ground at once.
Black Blood seeped from his seven orifices. His eyes remained wide with terror, but his breath was already gone.
Every sinew and bone in his body had been shattered by Zheng Shan's seemingly casual press!
The might of a Hua Jin Martial Master was terrifying indeed!
Even a Grand Martial Artist at the Third Blood Change would have no chance of survival before this palm.
Wang Yuan's heart and soul swayed at the sight. Was this the power beyond the Blood Exchange Realm?
It was practically an inhuman method!
Only then did Zheng Shan slowly step forward. He bent down and searched the Black Robe's limp corpse for a moment, pulling out an item sealed within a special wooden box.
Opening the wooden box, he found three dark-red incense sticks similar to those he had seen on the previous corpse.
Only, their color was deeper, and their fragrance more restrained, yet they faintly gave off a strange allure that stirred one's blood and qi.
"Chaotic Blood Incense..."
Zheng Shan looked at the incense sticks in his hand, a trace of disgust and coldness flashing through his eyes.
"Refined through evil arts, using martial artists' blood and qi as fuel..."
"Smelling it can stimulate a sharp surge in blood and qi in a short time. It is indeed remarkably effective for martial artists below the Third Blood Change, like a great tonic."
"But this incense contains impurities and evil toxins. Using it is like drinking poison to quench thirst—it exhausts one's potential and damages one's foundation."
"Long-term use may even cause one to lose one's mind and become a monster that knows only slaughter."
"The Incense God Cult... truly never changes its wicked ways!"
He snorted coldly, closed the wooden box, and tucked it into his robes.
"Master!"
"Father!"
Zheng Ying and Shi Long hurried forward to pay their respects.
Zheng Shan waved a hand, his gaze falling upon Wang Yuan with a trace of reproach.
Yet there was even more concern in it:
"You brat, do not be so reckless again next time. If we had arrived one step later..."
Warmth surged through Wang Yuan's heart. He hurriedly bowed. "This disciple knows his mistake. Sorry for the trouble, Master, Senior Brother, and Senior Sister. I made you worry."
Zheng Shan nodded and said no more.
He glanced at the two corpses on the ground. One had already been corroded by Bone Dissolving Water by more than half. He instructed Shi Long:
"Clean this up."
"All of you, hurry back."
"Yes, Master!" Shi Long answered in a deep voice.
The night deepened. This sudden crisis vanished into nothingness because Zheng Shan had arrived in time.
Wang Yuan also hurried home. Otherwise, his family would worry themselves sick.
Though this outing had been full of twists and turns, he had at least gained one hundred taels of silver and a leg technique.
Moreover, this incident had made Wang Yuan realize a truth:
"Having someone powerful behind your back feels really great!"
A Grand Martial Artist as powerful as someone at the Third Blood Change had provoked him, and now he too had become a corpse.
No wonder everyone had looked so envious when he became Zheng Shan's disciple.
It turned out that a True Disciple of a Hua Jin Martial Master could really strut sideways through the Outer City.
Under the deep night sky, Wang Yuan walked home to Bluestone Alley beneath the cold moonlight.
Sure enough, his father, mother, and elder sister were still waiting anxiously in the main room, the dim halo of the oil lamp reflecting their worried faces.
Though he had deliberately cleaned away the bloodstains, the traces of battle were difficult to conceal.
When she saw Wang Yuan return covered in dust, Madam Zhou immediately stepped forward, grabbed him, and looked him over from head to toe.
"Yuan'er, why are you back so late? Nothing happened, did it?"
Wang Gui and Wang Yu also watched him nervously.
Warmth passed through Wang Yuan's heart. A relaxed smile appeared on his face as he gave the excuse he had prepared long ago.
"Father, Mother, Sis, I made you worry."
"It was nothing. I just practiced a little late, then happened to run into several senior brothers and sisters. They insisted on taking me to a restaurant for a meal to welcome me, so that delayed me."
Hearing that his senior brothers and sisters from the Fist Academy had treated him, Wang Gui and Madam Zhou visibly relaxed, relieved smiles appearing on their faces.
To them, being valued and invited by such "important figures" from the Fist Academy was proof that their son had a promising future.
Wang Yu patted her chest as well, finally putting her mind at ease.
After reassuring his family and watching them return to their rooms to rest, Wang Yuan finally went back to his own cramped little room.
He shut the door, cutting off the sounds outside.
The relaxed expression on his face gradually faded, replaced by calm contemplation.
Tonight's experience, especially the sinister and eerie Incense God Cult and the terrifying strength his master Zheng Shan had displayed, gave him a clearer understanding of this world.
Gaoye City was very chaotic. He did not know what the Inner City was like, but the Outer City was truly a mess.
Moreover, Bluestone Alley was located in the East District of the Outer City. It was a notorious slum, where fish and dragons mingled together and order was in shambles.
Gangs like the Black Tiger Gang were still manageable.
But even an evil cult like the Incense God Cult could hide and operate here. That showed just how vile the environment was.
"I can't keep living here."
Wang Yuan thought to himself.
He had to save enough money and move as soon as possible!
For the time being, he did not dare dream of the Inner City. That was where the Three Great Families and the true nobility lived.
But at the very least, he had to move to the South District of the Outer City first.
The South District was relatively prosperous, and its order was much better. Panshi Fist Academy was there as well, making it far safer.
He touched the hard book and the heavy money pouch in his robes.
One hundred taels of silver was an enormous sum.
But if he wanted to buy a decent property in the South District, it was probably nowhere near enough.
He needed more.
As his thoughts turned, Wang Yuan took out the Chasing Wind Leg manual he had looted from the Black Robe.
By the faint moonlight filtering through the gap in the window, he carefully opened it.
The manual's pages were yellowed, covered in neat, densely packed small characters recording the mental cultivation formula and methods of circulating qi.
Beside them were simply sketched human diagrams showing various leg techniques and the paths through which blood and qi circulated.
He read it carefully. This Chasing Wind Leg had three levels:
The first level, Minor Accomplishment. Once mastered, one's leg techniques would become swift, moving like a fleeing rabbit, greatly enhancing one's ability to charge and evade while strengthening the muscles and tendons in the legs.
The second level, Major Accomplishment. Both legs would become like the wind, ever-changing and impossible to predict.
The third level, Perfection. It was known as "Wind-Sweeping Clouds." Its leg force was fierce enough to raise gusts of wind, capable of both attack and defense, with its speed ascending another level.
But the manual also noted at the end that this leg technique was ultimately only an external martial art focused on speed and skill.
At most, it could only be cultivated to a level corresponding to the Third Blood Change. It could not use this to condense Force Power and step into the realm of Force Entry.
"Unable to enter Force Entry..."
Wang Yuan felt slightly regretful, but quickly accepted it.
After all, he had obtained this martial art for free, and it happened to make up for his current weakness in movement and speed.
Panshi Fist emphasized steadiness and power, while Chasing Wind Leg emphasized swiftness and agility.
If he could combine them, his actual combat ability would surely increase greatly!
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