The bandit leader... for now, let's just call him the bandit chief. At this moment, he was like a wounded ferocious tiger trapped in a desperate corner, his momentum soaring like a rainbow. The crimson blotches formed by blood soaking into his coarse clothes were still spreading: he had been fleeing your pursuit all along, and after his earlier battle with He Yi, he had lacked the strength to spare any attention for his wounds or use Force Qi to seal them.
Beneath the rooftop, you heard the screams of the wealthy household's women and the curious questions of its children, as well as seven or eight servants shouting in the courtyard for you and the bandit chief to hurry down and obey the law...
The bandit chief spat out a mouthful of phlegm laced with Red-White Vital Energy, boring a hole straight through a servant's head and frightening the rest into scattering in all directions.
You and the bandit chief began fighting.
Every one of his strikes was heavy and powerful, numbing both your hands from the force, but he was clearly not as formidable as he had been half a month ago. Either his injuries were to blame, or he was conserving Force Qi.
Clang! Clang! Bang! Saber light and saber shadows flashed as the two great sabers collided head-on. Two different currents of Force Qi made the surrounding air hum without end, while the spreading gusts whipped both your clothes into loud flapping.
You fought and retreated, the tiles beneath your feet cracking and shattering one after another. Amid a continuous series of crackles, the bandit chief suddenly raised his saber and hacked you back dozens of steps!
Your right foot stepped into empty air, throwing your body off balance. You were nearly about to fall the very next instant, but in that urgent moment, you erupted. A massive amount of Force Qi instantly condensed into a foothold in the air. You stepped on it, then immediately held your saber crosswise before you, blocking the bandit chief's full-force thrust!
This was the bandit chief's killing blow. Crimson Vital Energy churned around him like ocean waves, and you could feel the blade of your Zhanming Saber trembling, as if it would be chopped apart the next moment.
Then, in the next instant, your arms and body were sent flying as though struck by a charging elephant, blasted away by an irresistible force. With a bang, you flew backward, smashed through a wooden door in the mansion below, skidded several meters across the floor, and crashed the woman's dressing table to pieces amid her screams.
At this moment, your entire body was numb with pain, your bones nearly falling apart, yet a trace of lucky delight rose in your heart: Good thing I condensed Force Qi and planted that step firmly. Otherwise, with nowhere to borrow force while falling, I would have panicked and been pierced through the chest by the bandit chief's saber. I would definitely have died!
At least you had survived. You staggered to your feet and reached for the Zhanming Saber beside you, ignoring the woman's screams as you used Force Qi to regulate your breathing and condition, preparing for the bandit chief's arrival.
More than ten seconds later, you cursed and rushed out through the door you had smashed open. After that ultimate strike, the bandit chief had exhausted all his Force Qi. He had begun fleeing again.
This time, he had no more chances. When you found the bandit chief in an alley, bereft of his strength, he lasted only a dozen exchanges before you shattered the bones in his fingers, sending his long saber flying from his grasp.
You slashed again. The bandit chief raised his left arm. You viciously cleaved through his flesh, yet when your blade struck his arm bone, it felt as though you had hit solid rock—astonishingly hard. He really had reached the stage of Vital Energy Infused into Bone.
Unfortunately—you drew back your saber and chopped again. Three consecutive slashes, and amid the bandit chief's furious roar, you severed his arm bone. Without Force Qi, a First-Rate Martial Artist lost more than half his strength. He could now only be considered a Second-Rate Martial Artist.
Crack! Crack! Crack! You forcibly chopped off the head of this powerful First-Rate Martial Artist. Seeing that his eyes were still glaring even in death, you kindly helped him close them.
Then you searched the corpse. Apart from silver, you astonishingly found a Grandmaster Martial Art manual!
Although the common Iron Body Technique could allow martial artists with sufficient Talent Aptitude to become Martial Masters, Grandmasters, and even Great Grandmasters, there were always superior martial arts that provided greater boosts, giving those with only Second-Rate talent the hope of becoming Martial Masters.
And giving those with only First-Rate talent the hope of becoming Grandmasters!
You briefly flipped through this Grandmaster Martial Art manual and discovered that it did not belong to a native Qing Kingdom sect, but came from the Hongniu Sect of the neighboring Wu Kingdom.
It seemed the bandit chief's progress in Vital Energy Infused into Bone might not have been very deep. His great combat power may have come from the powerful bonuses granted by a Grandmaster-level martial art.
You kept the manual but did not intend to switch cultivation methods. First, you notified the city guards to deal with the bandits. Only after some time had passed and the turmoil in East Forest City gradually subsided did you begin seeking information on the Hongniu Sect of Wu Kingdom.
You spent silver at the intelligence organization Golden Wind Tower to purchase information. You learned that over a decade ago, a disciple named He Ping'an had defected from the Hongniu Sect. You believed the bandit chief was this man—the age matched, the martial art matched, and as for his appearance... Golden Wind Tower was not that thorough and had no relevant records.
In the 283rd year, East Forest City received a new City Lord. The new City Lord fawned over you even more than the old one had. He clearly regarded you as one of the foremost experts among First-Rate Martial Artists.
The depth of the Flowing River Technique finally reached perfection, and your Force Qi received another additional boost.
In the 284th year, you were twenty-nine years old, your Foundation was 143%, and your Extreme Viscera Enhancement progress was nearing seventy percent.
You did not undergo Cultivation Dissipation to switch to that Grandmaster-level martial art, because you knew the main body would not choose the martial advancement option. Better wait until the next simulation, when your Talent Aptitude was higher, before switching cultivation methods.
(Mainly because the characteristics of this martial art were far too obvious, and you feared the Hongniu Sect would "reclaim its martial arts.")
That same year, you heard that the Daoist Sect would hold a Grandmaster Assembly, widely inviting Grandmasters from every nation to participate.
The Daoist Sect was the Qing Kingdom's sect that safeguarded the nation, sharing its fortunes with the state. Rumor had it that the Daoist Sect had never lost the inheritance of Great Grandmasters, and that several Great Grandmasters of the current generation were even cultivating in seclusion.
For this Grandmaster Assembly, aside from the sects within its own borders, the Daoist Sect had also invited the various sects of the two neighboring nations, Wu Kingdom and Ning Kingdom.
But you knew it was a trap. The Grandmaster Assembly was actually a trap, intended to bury a group of Wu Kingdom Grandmasters.
As for why... how did you know? You had not chosen to inherit memories.
Still, based on information from previous simulations, after that group of Grandmasters had been tricked to their deaths, a reclusive Great Grandmaster of Wu Kingdom emerged because of it.
After emerging, he did not head straight for the Daoist Sect. Instead, he assisted the army in breaking cities.
Therefore, you guessed that the Grandmaster Assembly's trap was connected to Qing Kingdom. This was not one sect stabbing another in the back, but an entire nation resorting to underhanded schemes.
But it did not matter. What the hell did this have to do with me? you thought.
The people you cared about—Old Man Wang, Uncle Ji, and the others—had already been sent into Qingcheng by you, where they had the means to make a living. The Wu Kingdom army could not breach Qingcheng, because Zhu Baowen would act.
In Da Qing 285, Wu Kingdom massacred Qing Kingdom villages along the border, but you felt this was Qing Kingdom staging its own performance. Though you had no proof.
In Da Qing 287, a young man suddenly came to visit the residence where you lived, seeking guidance from you, an esteemed senior. Looking closely, you saw: Ye Hongqi.
After recalling things for a moment, it seemed that in the simulation, this young man and several others had formed a team with you and taken down the Fierce Tiger King. (In truth, it had all depended on Ye Hongqi suddenly breaking through and erupting with power.)
As an esteemed senior, you earnestly gave him guidance. Your attitude was exceptionally warm, leaving the young genius endlessly grateful.