Martial Arts

To his surprise, there was no Minor Body Tempering this time. It went straight to the finish line—a Great Body Tempering!

Who knew how long had passed? Just as Zhang Lin thought he was about to kick the bucket, the excruciating pain receded like the tide, though the ache had not completely vanished.

He lay on the floor, gasping for breath, his eyes bloodshot. Soon, the red glow sank back into his body, leaving only a layer of black filth that gave off a foul stench.

He did not want to move a single finger. He only wanted to lie flat!

"Two Great Body Temperings in one night are fucking lethal!"

He thought of the blue-white energy he had absorbed after killing the Yin Soul.

"Damn, that stinks!"

This time, he had expelled far more impurities from his body than the first time.

Dragging his exhausted body along, he scrubbed himself from head to toe, inside and out, seven or eight times before finally washing away the stench.

He drank a cup of tea and sorted through everything that had happened.

Putting together tonight's events, he discovered the second source of blue-white energy.

That was personally slaying Yin Souls!

Moreover, the blue-white energy gained from killing one himself was denser, and its body-tempering effect was more obvious. He had felt that deeply just moments ago.

Of course, the exact targets for such killings were still unclear. But one thing was certain: killing chickens gave him no blue-white energy, nor did swatting mosquitoes, flies, or other tiny bugs.

So he guessed that the targets might have to be evil entities.

"I can only wait for another chance to verify it!"

As for the first source, it came passively from other people.

He guessed that someone nearby must have recently killed an evil entity. When he approached them, he would obtain this inferior grade of blue-white energy.

Before long, his thoughts returned to Shopkeeper Li!

That day, Shopkeeper Li and the others had already agreed on the time to make their move: five days later!

One day had already passed!

With only four days left, he was panicking!

This world had the Immortal Cultivation Path. Although he had heard of it and seen cultivators before, he had no clue how to get started, and no one had taught him.

He had only heard that cultivators were elusive as ghosts and gods, rode clouds and mist, scattered beans to turn them into soldiers, slew demons and subdued monsters, and possessed formidable magical power.

Shopkeeper Li's group seemed to be exactly that sort of people!

"Damn Shopkeeper Li! Damn this world!"

Zhang Lin's heart had already gone cold by more than half yesterday.

He had nearly fallen into despair, but the scene of killing the Yin Soul earlier reignited his hope.

He immediately rummaged through chests and cabinets and pulled out a slightly yellowed book.

Grand Martial Arts Compendium!

He had bought it from Huashang Bookstore in the western district long ago and had already memorized it inside out.

Back then, Boss Zhao at the bookstore had sweet-talked him, claiming that the book had been unearthed from an ancient tomb. Though it had passed through who knew how many years, it remained perfectly preserved and was absolutely genuine.

Lured by those words, "absolutely genuine," he had believed Boss Zhao's nonsense. In a moment of hotheadedness, he had spent a full two months' wages to buy it.

The book introduced Martial Arts, and this was where he had first learned about body tempering.

Afterward, he had looked into related records. All he found was that Martial Arts had been a method of cultivation used by humanity ten thousand years ago. But later, heaven and earth underwent great changes, the road of Martial Arts was severed, and it swiftly declined until it vanished.

Now, only a very small number of Martial Arts manuals remained. Though they offered the tiniest bit of strengthening and conditioning, the effects were negligible.

Most Martial Arts books were either used to prop up table legs, burned as firewood, or simply pasted over windows!

Back then, Zhang Lin had cursed Boss Zhao behind his back more times than he could count. He had even made a straw doll and stabbed it twice every day.

What a damn piece of work!

At first, Zhang Lin had refused to believe it and practiced according to the book.

But in the end, he gave up.

There was no other reason. That thing really was fucking useless!

Yet today, the Martial Arts that had once been worth less than dog shit had saved him from the jaws of death!

The reason he had managed to blast apart the Yin Soul's long hair was that, at the very instant when a thousand pounds hung by a single thread, some circulation methods from Martial Arts had flashed through his mind. Then he suddenly felt a surge of blood energy erupt from within.

And then he instantly killed the Yin Soul!

Now, as he circulated the basic technique once more, that sensation of his blood pounding and swelling returned.

But it came quickly and went quickly.

"There's hope!"

Zhang You was overjoyed!

After his first Great Body Tempering, a force had already gathered inside his body.

It turned out that only under intense external pressure, guided by Martial Dao techniques, could it be fully released.

He now felt light all over. The effects of body tempering had already fed back into him!

He forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart and continued slowly familiarizing himself with the feeling.

Who knew how much time passed.

He suddenly opened his eyes. A faint aura spread from his body, carrying wisps of pale red mist.

"I did it!"

Zhang You's eyes widened in astonishment as he looked down at the changes occurring to his body.

Like he was admiring a work of art, he looked left and right, then pulled open his clothes and trousers for another look.

"It really... smells good!"

About a quarter of an hour later, his vision darkened, and he felt somewhat dazed.

At that moment, his blood energy also instantly dissipated.

"Damn, this drains the kidneys!"

He felt weak all over, his blood and vitality depleted.

But Zhang You now felt as if dark willows had given way to bright flowers and another village ahead. At the very least, he could see a path to survival, and he was full of drive.

The night passed as Zhang You practiced over and over again!

"Little Zhang, come out for a moment!"

At daybreak, Shopkeeper Li returned.

His chilling voice echoed through the courtyard.

Zhang You steadied himself, shook his head, patted his face, and walked out listlessly with two dark circles beneath his eyes.

"What happened?"

Shopkeeper Li frowned, expressionless, as though nothing could stir a ripple in him.

"Oh, I was just about to tell you. A thief came last night. After I spotted him, he smashed through the window and escaped. I was about to report it to the authorities."

He recited the lie he had prepared in advance.

"Did anything valuable go missing?"

Shopkeeper Li stared at Zhang You for a while before asking unhurriedly.

"I noticed him early, so... so nothing was stolen!"

"In that case, there's no need to report it. Hire a carpenter and have it repaired this afternoon. Take the money from the accounts office."

After saying that, Shopkeeper Li headed for his room.

Just as he opened the door, he suddenly turned back and added, "By the way, Little Zhang, the teahouse will be closed for half the day and reopen in the afternoon. Go to Huashang Bookstore in the western district now and help me collect something from Boss Zhao. When you're done, leave it outside my room."

With that, he shut the door.

"Collect something?"

Zhang You narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment before leaving for the western district.

He was happy enough to do so. He had not visited the bookstore in a long time; perhaps he could pick up some old treasures, especially anything related to Martial Dao.

Not long after he left, Shopkeeper Li emerged from his room, came to Zhang You's door, closed his eyes, and sniffed the air deeply.

Then he opened the door, entered the room, and sniffed again.

Afterward, he went to the spot in the courtyard where the Yin Soul had vanished last night and sniffed there as well.

Finally, he stood where he was, lifted his head, and broke into a grin.

"The little leek has grown! It smells even better now! Soon, soon!"

Wisps of black qi drifted around his body. Coupled with that one blood-red eye, he looked especially terrifying!