Iron Gang Skill

After looking through the Body Refining Technique once, Zhou Yi opened the modifier.

Name; Zhou Yi

Race; Human

Strength; 9

Speed; 6

Physique; 9

Spirit; 1.2

Mental Technique: Tongming Record+ (Mastery) Primordial Pile (Perfect)

Martial Arts; Jade Lock Skill (Perfect) Star Picking Steps (Perfect) Wave Breaking Saber Technique (Perfect)

Breath Concealment Technique (Perfect) Vajra Skill (Perfect) Iron Gang Skill+ (Not Initiated)

Yin Energy; 270

Exotic Qi: Qi (5)

Seeing the newly added Iron Gang Skill after the martial arts section, Zhou Yi focused his mind on the plus sign.

The Iron Gang Skill changed from Not Initiated to Initiated, but the attributes it provided were pitifully few. Strength and physique had only increased by 0.1, while speed had risen quite a bit, increasing by 0.5.

Zhou Yi gritted his teeth and raised the Iron Gang Skill to perfection in one go. Unlike the last time he had upgraded the Vajra Skill, although he had once again raised a Body Refining Technique to perfection at once, he did not feel his muscles tearing apart. Instead, his whole body felt slightly numb and tingly.

Was it because my body had become stronger? Zhou Yi pondered inwardly.

Zhou Yi then opened the modifier again.

Name; Zhou Yi

Race; Human

Strength; 10 (Cannot be improved)

Speed; 10 (Cannot be improved)

Physique; 10 (Cannot be improved)

Spirit; 1.2

Mental Technique: Tongming Record+ (Mastery) Primordial Pile (Perfect)

Martial Arts; Jade Lock Skill (Perfect) Star Picking Steps (Perfect) Wave Breaking Saber Technique (Perfect)

Breath Concealment Technique (Perfect) Vajra Skill (Perfect) Iron Gang Skill (Perfect)

Yin Energy; 270

Exotic Qi: Qi (5)

Seeing that every attribute on the panel could no longer be improved, Zhou Yi knew that his body had reached its limit. Without further hesitation, he prepared to raise his realm in one fell swoop as well.

Zhou Yi focused his mind on the plus sign behind the Tongming Record. The Yin Energy on the modifier panel rapidly drained away like flowing water.

The qi and blood within him also gathered from every corner of his body toward his dantian, guided by a strange force inside him.

This breakthrough seemed to take especially long. By the time Zhou Yi opened his eyes, he discovered that the room had already become pitch-black.

Before he could properly savor the sensation brought by his breakthrough, a voice sounded in his mind.

Panel upgrading, progress one percent...

Zhou Yi watched the system's upgrade progress for a while. After waiting for ages, it only ticked up to two percent.

Zhou Yi stopped waiting. He jumped off the bed and clenched his fist. His physical abilities were at least five times stronger than before, but the panel was still upgrading, so he could not see the exact attributes.

I wonder whether Master and the others have returned yet. Just as Zhou Yi was thinking, someone suddenly knocked on his front door.

Knock, knock, knock~

"Boss, it's Lin Cheng! Open the door!"

Zhou Yi walked over and opened the door. "What happened? Why are you in such a panic?"

Lin Cheng's face was filled with anxiety as he said to Zhou Yi, "Old Qin and Captain Qu asked for you. And Captain Qu seems to be injured."

"What?!" Zhou Yi had seen Qu Yong's strength before. An ordinary Crimson Grade eerie entity should not have been able to injure his master. He could not help thinking of the foggy eerie entity they had encountered during the day.

Zhou Yi did not dare dwell on it. He turned and rushed inside to grab Han Guang, then followed Lin Cheng to find Old Qin and his master.

When they arrived at Old Qin's residence, Zhou Yi saw his master sitting in a chair to one side. His hands trembled slightly, and his face was pale as if drained of all blood.

Old Qin looked equally bedraggled, sitting beside his master with an exhausted expression.

Just as Zhou Yi was about to speak, his master forced a smile onto his face and spoke first. "You're here."

"Master, Old Qin, what happened to you two? Was it because of that foggy eerie entity from earlier today?" Zhou Yi asked anxiously.

His master glanced at Old Qin without saying anything. Zhou Yi then turned his gaze toward Old Qin.

Old Qin looked at Zhou Yi, then shook his head. "That was not some foggy eerie entity. It was the Red and White Fiends."

"The Red and White Fiends?" Zhou Yi asked in confusion.

Old Qin continued explaining to Zhou Yi, "That's right, the Red and White Fiends. What you and your master encountered was the White Fiend. Your master and I went to Gualin Mountain to investigate and discovered the Red Fiend as well. The Red Fiend and White Fiend were joining together. Your master and I had planned to return first and discuss how to deal with those two eerie entities, but they discovered us. Your master was injured while covering my retreat."

Zhou Yi continued asking, "Old Qin, why didn't that White Fiend attack Master and me during the day?"

"That was because of the Red Fiend. Once the White Fiend emerges, it will inevitably seek out the Red Fiend at once to join with her."

"Old Qin, where did these Red and White Fiends come from?"

"The White Fiend is actually what we commonly call a water ghost. A White Fiend alone is not frightening, even if it is a Crimson Grade eerie entity. But the Red Fiend is different. The Red Fiend represents a woman who died unexpectedly during a joyous occasion. It is an eerie entity transformed from the immense resentment she harbored at death, and it is Crimson Grade from the moment it is born. Separately, the two are still fairly manageable, but once they become entangled, their strength increases enormously. It is far more than a simple one plus one equals two."

For some reason, as Zhou Yi listened to Old Qin explain the origins of the Red and White Fiends, Scholar Xu and Jiang Yu'er suddenly came to mind. Scholar Xu had been drowned by people Shopkeeper Liu hired, matching the White Fiend. Jiang Yu'er had died with grievances in her heart, and after her death, Scholar Xu had dressed her in bridal robes. The two had become husband and wife...

But Zhou Yi did not dare be certain that the Red and White Fiends were Scholar Xu and Jiang Yu'er.

As Zhou Yi was thinking, Qu Yong, who was sitting nearby, suddenly looked at him with delight. "Zhou Yi, have you broken through to the Vitality Realm?"

"Yes, Master. Old Qin gave me a Fire Date earlier," Zhou Yi explained to Qu Yong.

Qu Yong had originally wanted to ask whether Zhou Yi had tempered his physical body to its utmost limit, but upon hearing that Old Qin had given him a Fire Date, he did not ask further. He merely turned his head toward Old Qin, his eyes filled with doubt.

Seeing Qu Yong look at him, Old Qin nodded in response.

When Qu Yong saw Old Qin nod, he understood that Zhou Yi was telling the truth. The worry in his heart finally eased. He had always feared that Zhou Yi would walk his old path. Even as joy surged through his heart, a wave of loss welled up within him.

Zhou Yi saw the joy on his master's face, but there was also a trace of loss in his eyes. Zhou Yi did not know why, but he did not ask aloud, deciding that he would question Old Qin after his master left.

"Old Qin, as for the Red and White Fiends, how should we..." Zhou Yi wanted to ask Old Qin how to resolve the matter of the Red and White Fiends.

Hearing Zhou Yi's question, both his master and Old Qin straightened up and sat quietly in their chairs, deep in thought.

After a long while, Old Qin finally said, "We can only seek aid from Luoshi City!"

After saying that, Old Qin glanced at Qu Yong. Qu Yong nodded at him, agreeing with the method. The village would inevitably have to bleed heavily this time, but at least as long as they still had their lives, money could be earned again.

Qu Yong had originally wanted to tell Zhou Yi about the matters he needed to pay attention to in the Vitality Realm, but his injuries were rather serious. Helplessly, he could only bid Old Qin farewell and planned to teach Zhou Yi after recovering.

Before leaving, Qu Yong asked Old Qin for a bottle of Blood Replenishing Pills.