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A clear, loud rooster crow jolted Li Qing awake from his deep martial arts training.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, the stove fire dying down, yet Li Qing felt no chill.

After a night of continuous cultivation, he was surprised to find a strange sensation within his meridians.

As he guided it with his thoughts, it flowed through his body like a warm current. The feeling was subtle, faint as a thread, almost imperceptible if one didn't focus carefully.

After trying a few more times, Li Qing finally confirmed a fact.

"I've cultivated Internal Energy!"

Internal Energy!

It was the hallmark of internal martial arts. To cultivate Internal Energy meant one had truly begun to grasp the basics of the art.

Sensing the presence of Internal Energy, Li Qing was both astonished and overjoyed, unable to hide the smile on his face.

Unlike external martial arts, internal arts were heavily reliant on talent. Many people, even with a top-tier internal martial art manual, couldn't cultivate Internal Energy.

This was why Li Qing had temporarily given up on the Turtle Breath Technique before. Its progress was indeed too slow. For a long time, he saw no advancement, couldn't even get started, and had no direction for his efforts.

He never expected that practicing the Turtle Breath Technique simultaneously with the Golden Body Technique would create a synergistic effect, allowing him to cultivate Internal Energy in just one night.

Of course, Li Qing's previous hard work undoubtedly played a part.

Even so, if word got out that Li Qing could simultaneously cultivate both an external and an internal martial art, the entire martial world would go mad.

"This secret must be kept. If people found out, even those masters of Outer Strength might not be able to sit still!"

He didn't want to become an enemy of the martial world, living every day hunted by a horde of experts.

Having cultivated Internal Energy, Li Qing felt refreshed and left his home early, a lingering smile on his face.

"Master Li, good morning! Would you like a bowl of wontons?" the owner of the wonton stall next door said with a smile.

Li Qing returned the smile. "Sure! Two bowls of wontons, with extra chili oil!"

Before long, two steaming bowls of wontons were served, generously sprinkled with red chili oil. The aroma was intoxicating and whetted the appetite.

"Master Li, why isn't young Qi here today?" the wonton stall owner casually asked.

Hearing this, Li Qing paused for a moment before remembering that Qi Kang had left the previous night. He had subconsciously ordered two bowls of wontons.

"Ah, he said something came up back home. He probably won't be back in Shengtian for a while," Li Qing replied, his tone softening slightly as he started eating.

The owner just smiled, draped a rag over his shoulder, and went about his business.

As Li Qing focused on his two bowls of wontons, someone at a nearby table suddenly shouted excitedly:

"Ceasefire! Ceasefire! The court isn't fighting the Liang Kingdom anymore!"

The excited shouts initially drew some attention, but were quickly ignored by the other diners.

For the common folk in Shengtian, no matter how fierce the fighting on the border was, as long as it didn't reach Shengtian, it didn't affect their mood.

In their eyes, while the Liang Kingdom's army was formidable, they still lagged behind the Wu Li Army, composed of martial artists, of the Feng Dynasty. They had great confidence in the court.

Li Qing, however, pondered for a moment.

A ceasefire was within expectations. Neither side would likely make a move for the time being.

Under the current harsh winter, the horse bandits on the plains had also disappeared. Neither side could gain an advantage over the other. Further fighting would only lead to more casualties with little meaning.

As Li Qing had surmised, with the snow intensifying, the prairie horse bandits ceased their involvement in the war between the Liang Kingdom and the Feng Kingdom.

The Liang Kingdom and the Feng Kingdom finally reached an agreement to halt hostilities during the cold winter.

Previously, the Liang Kingdom had repeatedly used their Three-Bow Ballistae to blast open the gates of Wangyuan City on the border. However, under the tenacious defense of the Wu Li Army, they could only breach the city gates, not capture the city.

After a prolonged stalemate, both sides, having paid a considerable price, finally chose to lay down their arms and make peace.

Both sides had suffered significant losses. The Wu Li Army, totaling eighteen thousand men, had over six thousand casualties combined by the end of the war.

The Liang Kingdom, in its attempts to capture the city, had suffered even heavier losses, with over ten thousand casualties!

However, most of the Wu Li Army were martial artists. Nearly twenty Centurions of Outer Strength had died, and even a Centurion of Inner Strength had fallen on the battlefield.

These battle reports caused immense pain to the general commanding the Wu Li Army and considerable distress to the imperial court.

"Even masters of Inner Strength have fallen on the battlefield. The battlefield is truly terrifying," Li Qing muttered, looking at the battlefield intelligence he had personally gathered.

To the common people, these casualties might just be numbers.

But Li Qing knew that these casualty figures were not just numbers; they represented real, heavy costs.

The imperial court spent a considerable amount of money to train each soldier of the Wu Li Army, especially the Outer Strength martial artists and Inner Strength cultivators, each of whom was a significant financial drain.

Furthermore, when these soldiers died on the battlefield, generous pensions had to be awarded, which was another substantial cost, and one that was unavoidable!

"Regardless, the war is finally over," Li Qing said, slowly putting down the intelligence from the border region with a sigh.

Without Qi Kang by his side, Li Qing would now have to gather information himself.

This point made him feel slightly unaccustomed, and he suddenly found himself missing Qi Kang.

For the next few days, Li Qing worked at the blacksmith shop, forging iron to earn Lifespan, while also dedicating time to his martial arts practice.

Occasionally, he would visit an inn on the next street, listening to the patrons' conversations to gather news about recent events in the martial world.

Finally, news emerged about Little Cui Ridge.

"People are dead! People have died on Little Cui Mountain!"

Upon hearing this, the pupils of the martial artists drinking in the vicinity constricted.

Clearly, many people were already aware of the recent events concerning Little Cui Ridge; it was no longer a secret.

"Brother, could you elaborate a bit?"

"Yes, yes, quickly tell us what exactly happened on Little Cui Mountain. After so long, there's finally some news."

Faced with everyone's questions, the person who first broke the news maintained a mysterious expression, not rushing to speak.

However, the innkeeper, clearly adept at handling such situations, immediately said, "Esteemed guest, I'll cover your drinks today. Please tell everyone about what happened on Little Cui Mountain."

At this, the person finally showed a satisfied expression.

"Hahaha, it's not exactly a secret. You'll probably know in a few days even if I don't say anything."

"So, Little Cui Ridge..."

Seeking collection!