The Innate Realm

Li Musheng tucked the banknote into his robe and swept his gaze around.

The situation in the courtyard had changed drastically. The Scum River Seven Bandits had been subdued through acupoint sealing, and the disciples and apprentices were no longer in mortal danger.

However, everyone was now staring at Li Musheng, their eyes filled with strange emotions—shock, unfamiliarity, disbelief, and more.

Li Musheng paid them no mind. During his fifteen years at the martial arts school, the aptitude he had displayed had been far too poor, and he had never been well liked by the people there. Thus, he was not familiar with any of them.

"Old Man Yu, since you've been so straightforward, I'll lend you another hand."

Li Musheng raised an eyebrow and suddenly thrust his palm toward someone beside him.

Yu Zhentian did not understand what he meant, but in the next instant, his expression changed dramatically as he hurriedly shouted:

"Stop!"

Yet Li Musheng did not pause. His palm continued descending straight toward Yu Xian's head.

Clearly, with the strength Li Musheng had displayed earlier, once that palm landed, Yu Xian would undoubtedly die.

At that moment, Yu Xian, whose limbs had supposedly been broken and whose breath had been weak, suddenly snapped his eyes open.

Powerful force erupted from his feet. With a heavy stomp, he shattered and sent the floor tiles flying, while his body slid backward across the ground at high speed, attempting to evade Li Musheng's palm.

However, he had clearly overthought it. No matter how swiftly he reacted, how could he possibly escape Li Musheng's hand?

Before he had even slid halfway back, he felt the inner force in his dantian suddenly stagnate. His body went numb in an instant, and he crashed to the ground, unable to move.

For a moment, terror rose in Yu Xian's eyes as he lay on the ground, for from beginning to end, he had not seen how the other party had sealed his acupoints.

"What is going on?"

Yu Zhentian rushed to Yu Xian's side at once.

After seeing him act perfectly unharmed just now, no matter how slow Yu Zhentian was, he knew there was something wrong with his eldest son.

Without even looking at the man on the ground, Li Musheng stroked his chin and said:

"The Scum River Seven Bandits should have seven members, by all accounts. I'm guessing this is the last one among them."

At those words, Yu Zhentian reached for Yu Xian's face.

Sure enough, he tore off a human-skin mask, revealing the face of an unfamiliar middle-aged man who appeared to be over fifty.

At the sight, the expressions of the other bandits, including Scum Third, all sank.

"You're Bandit Chief Zha, the leader of the Scum River Seven Bandits?"

A chill instantly rose down Yu Zhentian's back. This man was not only highly skilled in martial arts, but truly sinister as well.

He had actually impersonated Yu Xian and deceived him. If Li Musheng had not exposed him, he would surely have been ambushed by the man. Even if he did not die, he would have suffered grave injuries.

At that thought, Yu Zhentian's beard and hair bristled. In fury, he seized Bandit Chief Zha from the ground and demanded:

"Where is my son now?"

But Bandit Chief Zha merely met his gaze. He was completely unable to speak.

Yu Zhentian was deeply astonished. Li Musheng's acupoint-sealing finger technique was truly unheard of—within an instant, it had even sealed the mute acupoint!

He immediately circulated inner force into his fingers, intending to undo Bandit Chief Zha's mute acupoint.

But to his shock, Bandit Chief Zha's mute acupoint was as unshakable as a boulder. His inner force could not budge in the slightest the energy locking the acupoint.

"Let me do it."

Li Musheng lightly flicked a finger. Bandit Chief Zha felt his throat loosen, and he could finally make a sound. Staring at Li Musheng, he cried out:

"Martial true qi... a Xiantian Realm expert? Who exactly are you?"

The martial path was broadly divided into three great realms: the Houtian Realm, the Innate Realm, and the Heavenly Human Realm!

The Houtian Realm focused on tempering one's sinews, bones, skin, and flesh, generating inner force to course through the meridians throughout the body.

Only by opening the Twelve Regular Meridians and clearing the Governor and Conception Channels could one draw martial true qi into the body and step into the Innate Realm.

In a remote little city such as Shun'an City, even Houtian Realm experts were seldom seen. Martial artists capable of stepping into the Innate Realm were even rarer than phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

As a mere half-step Xiantian Realm martial artist, Bandit Chief Zha had never imagined that he would encounter a genuine Xiantian Realm expert here.

Li Musheng glanced at Bandit Chief Zha in Yu Zhentian's grasp, completely ignoring him as he said:

"These people are no good. Whether you kill them or carve them up is up to you."

Yu Zhentian watched Li Musheng cautiously. After his expression shifted rapidly for a while, he nodded.

Li Musheng said nothing more and turned toward the martial arts school's rear courtyard.

Halfway there, he looked back at Zhang Dazhuang, who was still standing there in a daze:

"Brother Zhang, there's nothing left for you here. Aren't you leaving?"

At that, Zhang Dazhuang vigorously rubbed his cheeks with both hands. His gaze lingered briefly on Yu Zhentian and Bandit Chief Zha before he quickly followed Li Musheng.

How could he not understand by now that Li Musheng had deliberately told him to carry Yu Ermei earlier? In truth, he had been saving his life.

Otherwise, if he had fallen into the hands of Bandit Chief Zha, who had impersonated Yu Xian, how could he possibly have had any chance of surviving?

In truth, however, Zhang Dazhuang had thought too much into it. Even if he had fallen into Bandit Chief Zha's hands, so long as Li Musheng did not want him dead, he would not have been able to die even if he wanted to.

As for why Li Musheng had done that earlier, it was simply because he had never intended to flee in the first place.

Not long afterward, Li Musheng arrived at a shabby, cramped little room in the farthest corner of the rear courtyard and began packing his belongings.

Zhang Dazhuang stood outside the door, peering in for a while. Not knowing what to say, he could only ask cautiously and curiously:

"Asheng, how did you suddenly become so formidable? Even the notoriously vicious Scum River Seven Bandits were no match for you."

"Take a guess."

"Could it be that you secretly took some peerless master as your teacher? Or found a secret manual of divine martial arts? Or perhaps..."

Li Musheng slung his packed bundle over his shoulder and smiled.

"None of those. It's all because I'm extraordinarily gifted and taught myself!"

At those words, Zhang Dazhuang instinctively rolled his eyes.

Everyone knew that throughout the Yu Family Martial Arts School, he and Li Musheng had possessed the worst aptitude. After practicing martial arts for so many years, neither had made the slightest progress, and their status in the school was even lower than that of servants.

But when he remembered Li Musheng's current strength, he hurriedly controlled his expression, afraid that if he displeased the man, Li Musheng would send him flying with a single slap!

"I knew you wouldn't believe me, but that's simply the truth!"

Li Musheng spread his hands. After searching with his head lowered for a while, he finally pulled a stack of wrinkled rough paper from beneath the foot of a bed that was missing half a leg.

He stuffed the rough paper into Zhang Dazhuang's hands and said openly:

"Before we part, I don't have much to give you. This contains a divine martial art called Indestructible Vajra. It happens to suit you, so I'm giving it to you!"

Zhang Dazhuang accepted the rough paper, both delighted and hesitant. He was somewhat unsure whether the divine martial art written on such cheap paper was real or not.

But soon, he sighed and shook his head.

"Asheng, I appreciate your kindness, but I know my own situation. My natural aptitude is too poor. I probably can't master this divine martial art."

Li Musheng patted his shoulder and smiled.

"Don't worry. This martial art doesn't require any talent for martial arts or exceptional natural aptitude. It only depends on the practitioner's perseverance and temperament. As long as you keep practicing, you'll have no problem protecting yourself in the martial world someday."