Golden Bell Shield, Sixth Layer

Martial Arts:

Golden Bell Shield (Not Initiated)

Blood Fiend Saber Technique (Mastery)

Current Cultivation: None

Add cultivation to martial arts to increase their progress.

Slay demons, devils, and evil spirits to obtain corresponding cultivation.

So the reason his vision had been blurry before was not because his head had been struck and damaged his eyes—it was a golden finger.

A golden finger that could drop cultivation by slaying demons and devils.

Wei Fan frowned slightly. His Golden Bell Shield had not even been initiated yet; going out to slay demons and devils now would be nothing but delivering himself to his death.

"Can't you tell? I'm forcing you. Old Man Zhang was killed because of you—that's the price of your meddling.

"If you hadn't meddled yesterday, at most I would have taken her body. But I've changed my mind now. I'll have her first, then send her to Master Hu Jiu to eat, and slowly play you to death.

"Try laying a hand on me again today. Do you believe that without me doing anything, your constable will strip you of that uniform?

"Yamen runner? How imposing."

Yang Jun walked over and slapped at Wei Fan's face. Wei Fan caught Yang Jun's hand, stopping the slap from landing.

Zhou Qi said, "Yang Jun, don't go too far. We're both yamen runners, after all. Wei Fan truly was in the wrong yesterday. I'll apologize to you on his behalf."

At that, Yang Jun's eyes widened as he barked, "Get lost! Since you didn't make a move yesterday, I won't trouble you. But as for Wei Fan, no one's pleas will save him!"

Wei Fan released Yang Jun's hand. "I admit I can't afford to offend the Fierce Tiger Gang. I acted impulsively yesterday. What will it take for you to let yesterday's matter go and spare Old Man Zhang's granddaughter?"

He kept his eyes on Yang Jun. The moment he finished speaking, the scene before him changed again.

Yang Jun: Ravishes, humiliates, plunders, forces decent women into prostitution, and has fed demons for three years. His heart has turned black!

Kill him to obtain three years of cultivation!

He was a red-named monster!

So people could count as demons too!

Yang Jun was not a martial artist. That meant this cultivation was not that kind of cultivation—or rather, Wei Fan's understanding of cultivation had been too narrow. He had assumed only martial artists possessed cultivation.

"Finally learned fear, have you? Here, lick Old Man Zhang's blood clean off this blade, and then I'll tell you.

"You'll kneel to lick it. Otherwise, I'll take this little girl right here in front of you."

Seeing that Wei Fan was no longer as unyielding as yesterday, Yang Jun handed over the blade stained with Old Man Zhang's blood, looking even more arrogant.

He had said he would slowly play Wei Fan to death. This was only the beginning.

Ravishes, humiliates, plunders, forces decent women into prostitution, and has fed demons for three years. His heart has turned black!

Kill him to obtain three years of cultivation!

Wei Fan stared at the words on the panel, a cold gleam flickering in his eyes as a trace of madness gradually surfaced.

Coming right up to his face to provoke him, was he? Wanted to play hard? Did he think he was the only one who knew how?

The Fierce Tiger Gang, the Tiger Demon?

Everyone only had one life. The Tiger Demon was not even here, and this bastard still wanted to play this way?

"Give me the blade!"

Wei Fan held out his hand. Smiling smugly, Yang Jun handed him the blade.

Did he think kneeling and licking it clean would be the end? Yang Jun had plenty more in store for him.

"Watch closely, brothers! Our Runner Wei is about to perform his special skill!"

Yang Jun laughed wildly. "Hurry up and kneel! Lick all that blood clean!"

He dearly wanted to see how the man who had saved Old Man Zhang and his granddaughter yesterday would react to licking Old Man Zhang's blood.

Just as he was thinking this, he saw Wei Fan take the blade, step forward, seize his neck with one hand, and fiercely thrust the blade in his other hand forward.

Squelch!

The sound of cloth and bone being sliced apart rang out. The sharp longsword instantly pierced through Yang Jun's chest, its tip bursting out through his back.

"Urgh... urgh..."

In an instant, Yang Jun's chest heaved violently like a leaking bellows. He stared in terror at Wei Fan, who stood inches away, his face filled with disbelief. Had this man's backbone never softened at all?

Blood Fiend Saber Technique!

Wei Fan pulled out the blade. Scalding blood sprayed out, splattering all over the ground.

Moving like a ghost, Wei Fan rushed forward and slashed again at the two men holding Old Man Zhang's granddaughter.

The bloodstained blade trembled with a low hum, blooming with a faint crimson gleam.

"Mastery-level Blood Fiend Saber Technique!"

Zhou Qi cried out in shock!

When the Head Instructor had passed down the Blood Fiend Saber Technique, Zhou Qi remembered him saying that entering the technique within three months was ordinary, while reaching minor accomplishment within three months meant one had talent for the saber.

Wei Fan had attained mastery in the Blood Fiend Saber Technique in three months. What did that make him?

Blade light flashed, chilling souls. One head, its eyes bulging wide, flew into the air, followed immediately by a second.

With a single slash, the two men holding Old Man Zhang's granddaughter had both been decapitated, their blood shooting skyward.

Before the spraying blood could fall, a large hand grabbed Old Man Zhang's granddaughter and pulled her over, sparing her from being drenched in blood.

She looked up at the man who had pulled her over with a complicated gaze of fear and gratitude. Smelling the bloody stench on the blade, she felt her stomach churn.

"Y-you killed Yang Jun and the others."

Zhou Qi staggered backward, beads of sweat the size of soybeans instantly appearing on his forehead.

In the alley before him, Yang Jun lay on the ground without a trace of life. Blood began spreading beneath him, while his unclosed eyes still held disbelief.

Zhou Qi's scalp went numb!

As far as he knew, more than one or two yamen runners had been seized by the Fierce Tiger Gang and fed to the Tiger Demon. Killing the brother-in-law of a Fierce Tiger Gang incense master was a tremendous disaster.

Moreover, rumors on the streets said that the Tiger Demon behind the Fierce Tiger Gang was not just one tiger, but an entire den.

"Yang Jun murdered someone, resisted arrest, and attempted to kill a hostage. He was executed by Runner Wei Fan."

Wei Fan gave the blade a light shake, flicking off the blood and revealing its snowy gleam. The killing intent around him gradually faded.

His icy gaze made Zhou Qi's entire body shudder. Zhou Qi came to his senses and hurriedly said:

"Y-yes... Yang Jun murdered someone, resisted arrest, and attempted to kill a hostage. He was executed by Runner Wei Fan. Wei Fan, you saved a life—this is a great merit. I'll go call people over right away!"

His voice trembled slightly. After speaking, he turned and ran out of the alley.

Wei Fan watched Zhou Qi's back disappear and ultimately did not make a move against him. Whether Zhou Qi lived or died would depend on the choice he made next.

"Do you have any family left?" Wei Fan bent down.

Old Man Zhang's granddaughter's cheeks were red and swollen, streaked with tears. "I do... I still have an older cousin."

"Go find her quickly. I'll take care of your grandfather's affairs."

He stuffed some money into the little girl's hand.

After she left, he found a spot in the alley and dropped down onto the ground, his face pale.

Blood Fiend Saber Technique!

This was the Demon-Slaying Saber Technique taught by the yamen, allowing runners who had yet to cultivate true qi to use the saber technique against demons and devils.

A saber technique capable of contending against demons without true qi could not be used without a price.

Before cultivating true qi, every use consumed one's life. Every slash cut away a portion of one's own blood qi.

Blood qi was the foundation of a person. Using too much of it would not only leave the body depleted, but could even cost one's life.

"You struck me with a club, and I returned it with a blade. Neither of us got the better deal."

Looking at Yang Jun's corpse, which had already begun to stiffen, Wei Fan looked toward the panel.

Killed Yang Jun, obtained three years of cultivation!

Killed Yang Ping, obtained half a year of cultivation!

Killed Yang Zhi, obtained half a year of cultivation!

Current Cultivation: 4 years

All three were surnamed Yang, and he had gained four years of cultivation!

Wei Fan's eyes lit up. He had not expected killing the other two to yield cultivation as well. Four years of cultivation should be enough to raise the Golden Bell Shield.

He needed to cultivate true qi first. Constantly burning blood qi to use the Blood Fiend Saber Technique was not a long-term solution. Many yamen runners had been unable to initiate the Golden Bell Shield precisely because they had used the Blood Fiend Saber Technique too often.

Put bluntly, yamen runners like them were consumables. After all, the world lacked everything except beasts of burden and cannon fodder.

"Four years of cultivation, all added to the Golden Bell Shield!"

As the thought arose in Wei Fan's mind, the panel flickered:

Deducting four years of cultivation. Adding it to the martial art Golden Bell Shield!

Your talent is decent. One year of cultivation: Golden Bell Shield breaks through to the second layer!

Two years of cultivation: immediately breaks through to the fourth layer!

Three years of cultivation: Golden Bell Shield breaks through to the fifth layer!

Four years of cultivation: Golden Bell Shield breaks through to the sixth layer!

Golden Bell Shield (Sixth Layer)

The results gained by adding cultivation were actually related to one's own talent as well. The original owner's failure to initiate the Golden Bell Shield after three months of training was not because his talent was poor.

When he had received the Golden Bell Shield, the Head Instructor had said that being able to initiate it within a year counted as talent in martial arts. Those with poor aptitude could not initiate it even after two or three years.

One year of cultivation had directly pushed the Golden Bell Shield to the second layer. After four years of cultivation, it had risen to the sixth layer.

The sixth layer of the Golden Bell Shield was a realm many people could never reach in their entire lives.

As the improvement took place, Wei Fan felt his dantian explode with a boom. Immediately afterward, a surging torrent of true qi swept forth, and his body began to undergo earthshaking changes.

His sinews and bones became solid, and his body grew stronger.

As a martial art that cultivated both internally and externally, the Golden Bell Shield did not merely cultivate true qi—it also tempered the body.

His depleted blood qi recovered, becoming full and vigorous once more, while his strength began to rise.