Ink Gold

That night, Officer Li delivered over a hundred catties of iron ingots to Li Qing's camp.

The Feng Kingdom strictly controlled resources like salt and iron, so this was all done in secret, without attracting any attention.

Officer Li entered the tent, looked around, and confirmed no one else was nearby. He then spoke in a low voice, "Er Niu, do you know about Ink Gold?"

Ink Gold?

Li Qing shook his head in confusion. He had never heard of such a thing in either of his lives.

As he spoke, Officer Li took out a piece of black metal, about the size of a fist, from his bosom.

"This is Ink Gold. The iron mine pit our border army guards, besides producing iron ore, occasionally yields this special material. However, it's extremely rare."

Li Qing looked at the piece of metal clutched tightly in the other man's hand. He recalled that when Master Gu was alive, the female Centurion had asked him to forge the Green Rainbow Sword, and she had mentioned a special ore.

It must have been this metal called Ink Gold that Officer Li held. He hadn't expected Officer Li to be so resourceful as to obtain such a thing.

However, Li Qing still feigned ignorance and asked, "What is Ink Gold generally used for?"

"This matter is of great importance, you absolutely must not mention it to a third person!" Li Gui said sternly, then lowered his voice slightly. "Ink Gold is much harder than ordinary iron ore. Weapons made from it are extremely sharp, and even ordinary iron armor cannot withstand them."

"I want you to help me smelt this Ink Gold into the edge of the Mountain-Splitting Axe. Can you do it?"

"Officer Li, I've never forged anything like this before. I don't know if I can do it," Li Qing replied, shaking his head.

"Master Gu once forged weapons with Ink Gold. You are his disciple; it should be fine. Just go ahead and do it!" Li Gui said with a frown.

Li Qing swallowed and replied, "Then I can only try. But I can't guarantee success."

"Just do your best. I'm not an unreasonable person." Li Gui finally smiled. He then handed the Ink Gold to Li Qing with great care, his eyes full of reluctance.

He had paid a considerable price to obtain this piece of Ink Gold, and it had taken considerable effort to conceal its existence.

Most of the Ink Gold excavated from the mine pit this time had gone into the pockets of that Centurion Qian Hong. For an ordinary officer like himself, getting one piece was already quite good.

"Remember, this matter must absolutely not be publicized, or both our lives will be forfeit!" Officer Li warned one last time before carefully exiting the tent.

And so, Li Qing, looking at the large pile of iron ingots that had appeared on the ground and the piece of Ink Gold in his hand, fell into deep thought.

"Is Ink Gold really that powerful?" Li Qing narrowed his eyes, recalling the prompts that had appeared when he successfully forged weapons.

The weapons he forged with ordinary iron ingots were called Mortal-grade Weapons. This meant there were weapons of higher quality?

"If Ink Gold is truly that magical, then forging an entire weapon with this material might truly elevate it beyond the category of Mortal-grade Weapons."

With this thought, Li Qing gently caressed the dark black metal. Its texture was smooth and warm, yet it remained cool in his palm even after a long time.

It was indeed a magical metal, unheard of!

However, Li Qing wasn't in a hurry to start forging. It was night, and the sound of blacksmithing would be very noticeable.

He carefully hid the Ink Gold, and after ensuring no one else would come looking for him, he once again entered the Eternal Night World.

The surroundings were still as cold as ever, but after practicing martial arts, Li Qing's body had become strong and robust, giving him a certain resistance to the cold.

This time, he didn't plan to continue practicing the True Intent of the Fierce Tiger. Instead, he unrolled the bamboo slip containing the Turtle Breath Technique.

"It's an internal martial art. The Yan family's collection is truly rich. But it's too slow to take effect. It might not even reach minor accomplishment in ten years. No wonder the Yan family was willing to give it away."

Martial arts in the Jianghu were mainly divided into two types: external training like the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique, and internal cultivation like the Turtle Breath Technique.

It was hard to say which was superior. Both were very powerful when mastered.

The former took effect quickly. Most martial artists in the Jianghu practiced external martial arts. However, as they aged and their Blood Essence weakened, their martial prowess would also decline.

This was why it was said that fists feared the young. A vigorous young man, relying on brute strength, could defeat an experienced master with random punches.

Internal martial arts were different. With age, the internal energy within the body would actually become deeper and more profound.

However, it took ten or even decades of practice for internal martial arts to show results. Coupled with the preciousness of each internal martial art, masters of internal arts were far rarer than masters of external arts.

"Generally, few people practice both internal and external martial arts simultaneously. It's too time-consuming and often leads to a situation where the gains do not outweigh the losses."

"The Yan family giving me all these techniques together... their intentions are not good."

Li Qing sighed and then began to read the bamboo slip carefully.

The Turtle Breath Technique was also divided into three levels: Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Perfection!

These three levels corresponded to experts of Outer Strength, Inner Strength, and Transforming Energy masters in the martial world, respectively!

However, because it was an internal martial art, even reaching Minor Accomplishment in the Turtle Breath Technique made it difficult to contend with experts of Outer Strength.

Experts of Outer Strength ultimately relied on their own physical strength. While the newly achieved Minor Accomplishment in internal arts provided some enhancement, there was still a gap.

Once Major Accomplishment was reached, these gaps would slowly be closed.

If one could cultivate internal martial arts to Perfection, reaching the level of a Transforming Energy master, they could even gain an advantage.

This was why Li Qing was so interested in the Turtle Breath Technique. He didn't lack time. Even with poor martial arts aptitude, if he practiced this internal martial art for one or two hundred years before emerging into the world, his internal energy would likely be beyond description!

Soon, Li Qing was immersed in the contents of the Turtle Breath Technique, his eyes shining, eagerly memorizing the internal martial art.

It took nearly four hours before Li Qing finally memorized the martial art.

But before he could even attempt to practice, a chaotic commotion erupted outside the courtyard.

"Yan San, get out! If you dare to have designs on my granddaughter again, I'll fight you to the death!"

Old Man An's furious voice echoed, and his tone made it clear what had happened.

Li Qing sighed inwardly, not intending to interfere.

He was a modern person, and he detested the ways of the Yan family and Yan San. If he became powerful enough in the future, he wouldn't mind eradicating this family, but it wasn't the time yet.