Heat

The courtyard.

Qi Yu looked at his own hand.

He slightly clenched his fist. Beneath his skin, the muscle fibers twisted together like steel wires, showing a faint black metallic sheen.

The color was completely different from that of his arm, as though he were wearing a glove.

He recalled that in the game before he crossed over, nothing like this had appeared...

Clearly, the game was the game, and reality was reality. The game was merely an extremely simplified version of reality. He could use some information gained from the game to get a general understanding of this world, but he could not rely on it.

Over the past few days, aside from continuing to comprehend the Spirit Serpent Skill, he had also been observing.

He observed the Ninth Rank guards in the estate and the Ninth Rank martial artists passing through the bustling streets.

Ninth Rank martial artists were easy to identify. As long as their lower combat-power limit was a single digit, that was what they were.

He had watched for several days...

The lowest was 4, and the highest was 7, the same as Old Gu.

He had not seen a single person whose lower combat-power value was "8" or "9," much less "10."

A difference of one point was linked to one's foundation, and it also seemed to produce some minor change.

He carefully recalled it.

He had not seen such an obvious... metallic sheen even on Uncle Song.

No.

It was not a question of whether it was obvious.

It simply did not exist.

At most, the places where the skin had been toughened showed an obvious sense of density and weight, yet... there had been no discoloration like this.

"Uncle Song probably wasn't serious."

Qi Yu reached a conclusion, then picked up his handwritten copy of the Spirit Serpent Skill boxing manual and began consulting it alongside Song Xue's cultivation notes.

Combat methods, combat methods...

Perhaps minor mastery could still be achieved through practice, but great mastery required combat.

Without fighting, one could not even enter the door.

At the same time, Qi Yu thought of an idea: Could he cultivate other low-level techniques, exchange them for Skill Points, and then add those points to his main cultivation technique?

As he was thinking, two tall, burly men entered the courtyard. They wore padded cotton jackets and cowhide belts.

"Young Master."

The two men saluted at the same time and looked toward the youth sitting beneath a bare old tree, quietly reading in the sunlight. "Brother Ding said you needed sparring partners, so he sent us to spar with you."

The two looked at the youth before them.

Nowadays, everyone outside was spreading all sorts of stories about the young master.

They did not believe them.

They knew perfectly well how spoiled the young master was. Once, after drinking wine and stumbling out with unsteady legs, he had fallen straight into the flowerbed beside the door. Another time, he had competed with a young master from the Wang Family for a woman's favor. When the two sides brought their people to fight, the young master had only run a few steps before gasping for breath. In the end, four men had carried a sedan chair and borne him over to watch the duel...

All those incidents remained vivid in their minds.

As for the claims being publicized outside, they, as guards, had made some guesses as well.

There was no smoke without fire. It was probably that shrewd First Madam building up the young master's reputation.

However, they had indeed seen Old Gu's arm knocked out of alignment and him lying in bed recuperating.

Thus, there was only one conclusion: the young master had taken up martial arts, and Madam had spent a great deal to prepare some secret medicine that temporarily enhanced him. First, it let the young master have a taste of martial arts; second, it temporarily raised his value so they could find him a decent young mistress; third, it was for the martial examination in a little over two months.

Qi Yu glanced at the two men.

One had "6~11" floating above his head, while the other had "7~12."

These two already counted as capable experts among the guards.

He waved them over and said, "Come."

A moment later...

One guard clutched the back of his hand, swollen like a steamed bun. The other supported his lower back, his body covered in dust from the ground. He had clearly been thrown down and had only just climbed back to his feet.

"Young Master is a martial arts prodigy! This humble one is impressed! Impressed!" One guard bared his teeth and sucked in a breath, not forgetting to flatter him.

"Thanks for the effort," Qi Yu said. "Go call an Eighth Rank over."

The two guards nodded repeatedly.

Though the young master could not manage affairs, he could still mobilize the family's guards.

The two hurriedly acknowledged him and withdrew. Just after they left the courtyard gate, however, they saw two richly dressed women standing beside it.

The leading Madam Liu wore a brocade robe and had her hair piled high. Her expression was calm, while the maidservant at her side was Qing Dai.

The other woman was likewise adorned with gold and jade. A jade ring on her fingertip glimmered faintly, clearly marking her as the mistress of a wealthy household.

The two guards hurriedly saluted.

Madam Liu's gaze swept over their injuries, and she said calmly, "Since you were injured sparring with Yu'er, go to the treasury and each collect two taels of silver. Rest for three days."

The two were overjoyed when they heard this. Two taels of silver could almost equal a month's wages.

Their pain immediately eased by three-tenths.

"Thank you, Madam!"

"Thank you, Madam!"

The visitor was none other than Second Madam Qian, Zhou Shi.

The day before yesterday, Zhou Shi had heard of the reputation of the Qi Family's Third Young Master at Pin Hai Restaurant. After sending someone to inquire at Hui Chun Medical Hall, she had taken an interest. Today, she happened to witness Qi Yu defeating two guards. Now, she was examining Qi Yu closely with the look of someone inspecting a prospective son-in-law, taking in the youth's figure, bearing, and appearance.

"Mother?"

Qi Yu's voice came from the courtyard.

He had originally been planning to look for his mother and see whether she could help him collect a few cultivation manuals. They did not need to be complete or profound; he only needed the most basic methods of practice.

But now, an unfamiliar woman was standing beside his mother, so he closed his mouth for the moment.

In the courtyard, A Bi, who was inseparable from the young master and always stood ready, also hurriedly bowed and said sweetly, "Greetings, Madam."

Zhou Shi glanced at A Bi and frowned slightly, but said nothing.

Madam Liu did not introduce her. She merely said gently, "Madam Qian and I happened to be passing by. Yu'er performed quite well just now. Continue practicing; don't mind us."

As she spoke, she looked toward Zhou Shi and smiled as she boasted, "This child has been practicing martial arts for less than a month, yet he has advanced by leaps and bounds. At first, I thought the family guards were holding back for him, but I never expected it to be genuine ability. Alas... he wasted quite a bit of time before. I only hope it isn't too late now."

"Not at all," Zhou Shi said with a smile. "I think this child is quite good."

As they chatted, the two continued walking along the bluestone path.

The maidservants followed close behind.

Having witnessed the youth's heroic appearance with her own eyes, Zhou Shi was somewhat moved and began chatting idly with Madam Liu.

Both women were seasoned players in palace intrigues. At that moment, they began speaking in the manner of people discussing business.

The Qi Family's core industry was "medicine."

The Qian Family's core industry was "commerce."

There were plenty of areas in which the two sides could cooperate.

Moreover, both families were in somewhat similar situations. Both were seeking more family property for their sons, and to a certain extent, they could support each other.

Both sides were quite satisfied with their discussion. When they parted, Second Madam Qian took a portrait of Qi Yu back for her daughter to see, while saying that in two days, she would send over her daughter's portrait for Qi Yu to look at as well.

In the courtyard.

The Surname Sun Guard arrived.

He was an Eighth Rank expert among the Qi Family's guards.

Qi Yu glanced at him. Combat power: 24~36.

The Surname Sun Guard clasped his fists in salute, then removed the Goose Feather Saber from his waist and set it aside. His combat power changed accordingly: 18~30.

"If Young Master wishes to break through to Eighth Rank, you must comprehend the boiling of blood qi in battle..."

As he spoke, the Surname Sun Guard rolled up his sleeves, revealing a sturdy arm. He suddenly circulated his power, and his skin instantly flushed red. In the chill of the twelfth lunar month, a faint white mist rose from him.

There was not much mist, and it dispersed after rising only a few inches.

"Boiling blood qi—this is the sign of the Bloodburst Realm. When you can control this heat at will and possess the strength of a savage bear with the lift of your hand, you will have succeeded."

As he spoke, the Surname Sun Guard stopped circulating his power and regulated his breathing. The mist vanished at once.

Qi Yu had seen this in the Spirit Serpent Skill.

He naturally knew that the most obvious difference between the Eighth Rank Bloodburst Realm and the Ninth Rank Leather Armor Realm was that Eighth Rank produced a strange "heat" within the body. Once this heat appeared, the entire body would grow hot, and even steam might rise from it...

This phenomenon was most pronounced in winter.

Martial artists also called this rising vapor "blood qi."

The more "heat" one had, the denser the "blood qi." To a certain extent, this allowed one to see directly how powerful an Eighth Rank martial artist was.

"Come."

Qi Yu beckoned him over.

The Surname Sun Guard said, "Young Master, pardon me."

With that, he surged forward, but did not dare to use his heat.

Boom!!

In the next instant, the Surname Sun Guard felt a tremendous force strike his body. He staggered back three or four steps before stopping, a fierce ache spreading through the arm he had used to block.

He looked up in astonishment. Only after experiencing it himself did he understand how terrifying the young master's strength was.

Was this really Ninth Rank?

Even with secret medicine, it should not be this exaggerated, should it?

"Come."

Qi Yu said it again.

The Surname Sun martial artist drew a deep breath. His skin flushed red, and his blood qi surged.

"Young Master, pardon me!"