The Female Thief Lacks Martial Ethics

[Year 1: You began absorbing the essence from various precious medicinal ingredients, using the incantations from the Qingqiu Body Tempering Art to guide your vital energy and deliver the medicinal effects throughout your body. Qingqiu Body Tempering Art, Beginner!]

[Year 2: You officially began cultivating the Qingqiu Body Tempering Art. Although you no longer had the assistance of medicinal ingredients, your progress remained considerable.]

[Year 12: After another cultivation session, you gained a moment of enlightenment. Your vital energy circulated rapidly, beginning to strengthen your physique. Qingqiu Body Tempering Art, Minor Accomplishment!]

[Year 27: Without medicinal assistance, you could only slowly strengthen your body using your vital energy. Finally, on this day, all your vital energy surged towards your right hand. You suddenly had a flash of insight, as if you could control every aspect of your right hand, from skin to bone. With a mere thought, you could make it incredibly hard, capable of breaking iron swords with your bare hands. Qingqiu Body Tempering Art, Great Accomplishment!]

[Year 37: For a full decade, you attempted to further strengthen your right hand, but no matter how hard you tried, there was no effect. You understood that your current realm was the limit of this incomplete cultivation technique. However, unwilling to accept this, you began a period of closed-door meditation, attempting to deduce the next stage of the Qingqiu Body Tempering Art.]

[Year 75: You finally captured that fleeting spark of inspiration. You recited the now incredibly familiar incantations of the Qingqiu Body Tempering Art, but with a slightly different nuance.

The range of your physical enhancement did not increase, but you found a unique path, enabling you to alter the range of enhancement with a special mental technique. Parts as hard as iron were no longer restricted and could be instantly transferred to any part of your body.

Your face, chest, even your groin!

Qingqiu Body Tempering Art, Great Accomplishment!]

[Year 76: You did not choose to continue comprehending the Qingqiu Body Tempering Art, attempting to perfect it.

This was because you realized that at your current level, the Qingqiu Body Tempering Art had reached its efficacy limit.

If you wished for it to advance further, for your entire body to undergo a qualitative improvement, a higher-tier energy would be required. Vital energy was clearly no longer sufficient to push it forward.

Therefore, you began to meticulously sense the meridians connected to the Qingqiu Body Tempering Art.]

[Year 80: You clearly sensed the meridians connected to the Qingqiu Body Tempering Art; there were a total of six. Besides the five meridians you had already opened, there were surprisingly two new meridians.]

[Year 100: Due to the lack of precious medicines to aid you, after twenty years of attempts, the sixth meridian only had a small opening. You estimated that it would take at least three hundred years to fully open it.]

Deduction complete!

This time, Shen Lin did not invest all the lifespan of the demons and monsters, only spending a century to test the waters.

The final result proved it was a wise decision.

If he had invested all the demons' and monsters' lifespans, he might have been able to open the sixth meridian.

However, that would have resulted in wasting over two hundred years of demon and monster lifespan.

Why spend demon and monster lifespan to brute force something that could be resolved with a Meridian-Opening Pill?

He hadn't even received the rewards for the demons and monsters he had previously killed.

Shen Lin estimated that the numerous demon and monster corpses should be enough to exchange for a Meridian-Opening Pill.

Next, after exchanging for the Meridian-Opening Pill, he would continue to deduce the Qingqiu Body Tempering Art.

For now, he had to deal with the immediate trouble.

The moment his consciousness returned, everything around him reverted to normal, and time began to flow.

The deep green pool, having had all its medicinal properties absorbed by Shen Lin, had become incredibly clear.

At this moment, the clear pool water parted to the sides, and a slender sword, exuding an astonishing aura, pierced straight towards Shen Lin's chest, skimming the water's surface.

Looking at the black-clothed individual who exuded killing intent and attacked without a word, Shen Lin couldn't help but sigh.

Beneath those bright eyes was a fair and charming face.

Shen Lin felt that this was the reason the other party had no hesitation in trying to kill him.

Who would have guessed that the flying thief who had committed several crimes in Qiulin County and killed a Martial Artist guard was such a charming woman?

It's just...

You broke into my house, casually removed your mask, and revealed your true face...

And now you want to kill me?

Frowning, Shen Lin had a thought, but his body remained leaning against the side of the pool, not moving at all.

The next moment, the slender sword landed on Shen Lin's chest.

Seeing her sword strike true, the black-clothed flying thief's eyes relaxed slightly.

However, when the slender sword landed on Shen Lin's flesh and blood, it only indented slightly.

Then, the sword blade began to bend, as if it wasn't flesh and blood, but a thick steel plate.

This scene stunned the thief, her eyes filled with confusion.

But the next moment, a whistling sound brought her back to her senses, and she quickly raised her left hand to block in front of her.

Bang!

After a dull thud, the thief's figure, like a falling leaf, was gently blown back to her original position.

Shen Lin slowly retracted his fist and rose from the pool.

The pool water flowed slowly down his well-defined muscles, his physique like a work of art, chiseled and full of explosive power.

"I say..."

Shen Lin slowly stepped out of the pool and stood in front of the thief, a look of annoyance on his face. "This mansion, I bought it with real money, and you, you guy..."

But before he could finish speaking, the thief opposite him attacked again.

After seeing Shen Lin's bare body, the thief's face turned red, and she subconsciously averted her gaze, even wanting to leave immediately.

But as if realizing her true appearance had been exposed, she abruptly stopped.

Then, she saw Shen Lin opposite her slowly moving his feet.

His target was a long sword leaning against the wall.

In an instant, her thoughts raced, and she quickly attacked.

The opponent was naked, while she held a long sword in her hand.

Although the opponent had just blocked her sword with his bare body, such tough body-refining techniques always had a weak spot.

Swish!

Shen Lin turned his head, dodging a sword aimed at his throat.

Despite being a woman, her strength could not be underestimated.

With that last strike, although Shen Lin blocked it relying on the Qingqiu Body Tempering Art, his internal organs were severely shaken and felt incredibly uncomfortable.

The force of that sword was only slightly weaker than his current strength.

It was roughly equivalent to the level Shen Lin had reached after opening four meridians previously.

Being unarmed put him at a significant disadvantage!

With this thought, Shen Lin bent down to dodge another sword strike and lunged towards his own sword.

However, in the next moment, he felt a chill run down his back. An ominous premonition made him abandon his plan and dodge to the side.

"Holy crap! Are you trying to do the Thousand Year Kill on me?!"

The female thief didn't respond, only her face became even more flushed as her long sword slashed towards...

Little Shen Lin!