Nursing Wounds and Cheating Again

The Yang Sha Scripture, a Two-Star High-Grade Internal Energy Cultivation technique, has a total of eleven levels.

Lin Xiao is currently at the seventh level. Advancing to the eighth level requires 16 Potential Points, and advancing to the ninth level requires 18 Potential Points. However, advancing to the tenth level requires 21 Potential Points, while reaching the eleventh and final level of mastery requires a full 27 Potential Points.

Because it's the first time he's advancing, Lin Xiao needs to wait a day or two after each level increase to allow his meridians to adapt to the sudden surge of internal energy. This adaptation period also gets longer with each subsequent level.

More than half a month later, Lin Xiao sat cross-legged in his secluded cultivation chamber. Before him, visible only to him, was his status panel. It displayed the Yang Sha Scripture at the tenth level, with a green button indicating that reaching the next level required 27 Potential Points.

He took a deep breath and willed the button to be pressed. The 27 Potential Points vanished instantly, transforming into an invisible, transparent force that surged into his body.

If he could have observed his internal state at that moment, he would have seen a layer of transparent flame igniting within him out of nowhere. This flame flowed like water through his limbs and meridians, converging into streams, then into larger rivers, and finally pouring into his Dantian. There, it merged with his existing internal energy, forming an incredibly potent Yang Sha internal energy.

But that wasn't the end. Although the Yang Sha Technique had reached its eleventh and final level of mastery, it wasn't truly complete. This was because the technique itself was not ordinary Internal Energy Cultivation but a special kind.

Lin Xiao opened his status panel again. Out of his 136 Potential Points, 82 had been used to upgrade the Yang Sha Technique, leaving him with 54 Potential Points.

He then turned his attention to the Yin Sha Scripture. This Two-Star Mid-Grade Yin-attribute Internal Energy Cultivation technique had a total of nine levels, and he was currently only at the seventh. Advancing to the eighth level required not 16 points, but 18 points, which was more than the Yang Sha Technique of the same grade.

The point allocation rule wasn't that techniques of the same grade consumed the same amount of Potential Points. Instead, it was related to the type of technique and its total number of levels.

Generally, Internal Energy Cultivation techniques consumed more points than other martial arts. Similarly, for Two-Star Mid-Grade Internal Energy Cultivation techniques, some had a total of ten levels, while others only had eight. If the total consumption was the same, then the points allocated to each level would differ.

Lin Xiao didn't stop. He directly upgraded the Yin Sha Scripture to its ninth and final level of mastery, consuming a total of 43 Potential Points and leaving him with 11.

A total of 125 Potential Points had been converted into his cultivation, giving Lin Xiao a total of... a full 120 years of Yang Sha internal energy and 100 years of Yin Sha internal energy. Combined, this amounted to 220 years of cultivation. Calculated using the 60-year cycle of a Jiazi, this was equivalent to three and a half Jiazi of profound internal energy cultivation.

However, he couldn't fully utilize this over 220 years of internal energy yet. This was because the two types of energy were diametrically opposed. He still needed to integrate them, using a secret method recorded in the Yang Sha Scripture to refine the Yin Sha Scripture's energy, thereby merging the two.

In fact, Yang Sha's previous act of extracting the Yin Sha Maiden's cultivation was similar to his current situation. The Yang Sha Scripture and the Yin Sha Scripture could be cultivated simultaneously and then directly fused.

It was just that Yang Sha back then didn't have the ability to cultivate the Yin Sha Scripture concurrently while practicing the Yang Sha Scripture. Ultimately, his talent was insufficient. Judging by the fact that Yang Sha only reached mastery of the Yang Sha Scripture in his seventies, without this shortcut, he might never have achieved dual Yin-Yang mastery.

This cultivation method was a trap for anyone else, but it was different for Lin Xiao, who could cheat. With the guidance of the Yin Sha Maiden, he had absorbed her entire cultivation plus half of Yang Sha's cultivation, laying a solid foundation. Coupled with ample Potential Points, he had amassed this profound cultivation in less than half a year. Now, only the final step remained—fusing this cultivation.

This step could also be accomplished by cheating with Potential Points, but it required a full 50 Potential Points to achieve in one go. With only 11 Potential Points remaining, he naturally couldn't continue cheating.

However, even though he couldn't fuse them now, having over three Jiazi of cultivation was already incredibly exaggerated. Even if he couldn't unleash all of it, just being able to utilize the 120 years of cultivation from the mastered Yang Sha Scripture would be enough to make him a top-tier expert in the martial world.

When Lin Xiao officially emerged from seclusion, it was a month later. His injuries had also completely healed. He sat in a rocking chair in the main hall of the Xiao Yun Courtyard, basking in the sun and contemplating his next move.

Over the past month, his injuries had healed, and his gang had undergone significant changes. First and foremost, he was once again a commander without troops.

Most of his subordinates had died in the previous battle, and the remaining ones were severely injured. Even those who survived were essentially crippled and could no longer fight alongside him, forcing them to retreat to secondary roles.

There was nothing he could do about it. He could only try his best to arrange good jobs for them. For those who died, in addition to the gang's compensation, he had given their families a substantial amount of money for resettlement.

After this incident, if Lin Xiao had stepped forward, he could have attracted a large number of gang members to join him. After all, his feat of single-handedly fighting three experts from the Iron Boat Gang had proven his strength. Unfortunately, he had gone to recuperate and cheat to improve his cultivation, remaining out of sight for a full month. By the time his passion cooled, no one came. Thus, he was once again alone.

Of course, he didn't care. Subordinates were merely icing on the cake for him now; having strength was what mattered.

Since his cultivation wouldn't see breakthroughs in the short term, revenge had to be put on the agenda. He wouldn't mention the Iron Boat Gang for now, but Shi Zhongyu, who had plotted against him, absolutely could not be let off the hook.

However, he needed to carefully consider how to exact his revenge. Directly storming his place and killing him was a good idea, but it was a last resort. Before that, it would be best to eliminate him through conventional means if possible.

After rocking in the armchair for the entire morning, Lin Xiao changed his clothes and went out. He first visited Zhuang Jing, the Hall Master of the Great River Hall. Lin Xiao hailed from the Great River Hall, and his relationship with the Hall Master was naturally close. He needed to consolidate this relationship and also inquire about some matters.

Zhuang Jing was quite surprised by his visit. After the servant served tea, he dismissed the servant. He picked up his teacup and drank it down like a thirsty man. While chewing the tea leaves, he said:

"You brat definitely don't come here without a reason. Tell me, what do you need from me? But if you're asking me to help you deal with Shi Zhongyu, forget it."

He chewed and swallowed the tea leaves in a few bites, then took another sip of water, tilted his thick neck, gargled, and swallowed. He continued, "If you have concrete evidence, you won't even have to say it; I won't let such a traitor go. But without evidence, we can't do anything to him based solely on your word, understand?"

Lin Xiao smiled and nodded. "That's why I haven't mentioned this matter for the past month. I'm only here today to ask you some questions, Hall Master."

"Speak."

"I heard that the position of the next Gang Leader will be chosen from our gang's Three Heroes. I'd like to ask what the conditions are to become this successor?"