The Blade Catcher

Martial body tempering was meant to prepare one for cultivating inner force. Only by forging the physique to a sufficient degree could one cultivate inner force.

If the body was frail yet one forcibly cultivated inner force, it would inevitably recoil upon the body. In severe cases, it could even endanger one's life.

But Li Yuan's situation was entirely different from that of other martial artists. He had gone completely in reverse.

With Divine Wisdom's aid, he had raised Cinnabar Palm to its peak and mastered inner force in a very short time. At the time, his possession strength was still some distance from the level required to cultivate inner force, yet his complete mastery of the technique allowed him to control Shocking Force with ease!

This kept his Shocking Force from going out of control or causing any backlash whatsoever!

More than that, the powerful inner force circulated through his entire body, in turn continuously strengthening and tempering it, making him even more formidable!

Perhaps Shocking Force could not compare to Dragon's Bloodshed in destructive power, but it possessed an exceptionally special attribute: "tremor"!

The inner force that continuously gave off trembling power was like countless hammers striking without pause!

Shocking Force circulated through Li Yuan's body, endlessly hammering and tempering every muscle and bone within him!

A hundred hammerings forged steel!

Li Yuan's body was being tempered and strengthened every moment. Each day, it grew stronger than the one before!

Even the tiny muscles and bones deep within his body, which were extremely difficult to train, received thorough tempering. This brought his strength to an astonishing level.

The martial arts school kept equipment for testing disciples' strength. Li Yuan chose a time when no one was around to test himself, only to discover that his strength had already surpassed two thousand jin!

An ordinary Inner Force Realm martial artist would already be impressive with a thousand jin of strength, yet his had somehow exceeded that by double!

If he encountered zombies again, Li Yuan was confident that without using inner force, he could tear one in half with brute strength alone!

Yet this constantly growing strength had not come from nowhere. Strengthening and growing the body required ample nourishment, leaving Li Yuan easily hungry these days and with a far greater appetite than before!

At that moment, Li Yuan was seated in a restaurant in Jiujiang Commandery City, devouring food like mad. The table was covered in dishes, especially meat!

Li Yuan directly picked up a roasted suckling pig from a platter and hugged it as he gnawed away. He was not quite devouring a whole pig in three bites, but it was close enough. The sight left the nearby diners staring in stunned disbelief.

Even if some diners felt disgusted, once they saw Li Yuan's martial arts school disciple uniform, none dared come looking for trouble.

Ever since breaking through to the Inner Force Realm, Li Yuan had gone through several fierce battles. He even dared to strike fearlessly against Demons and Evil Creatures, and without realizing it, a formidable Sha Qi had gathered around him!

With Sha Qi upon him, some timid people did not even dare meet Li Yuan's gaze.

Just as Li Yuan was eating with great delight, someone else wearing a martial arts school disciple uniform entered through the restaurant doors. The man swept his eyes around the room, and when he spotted Li Yuan eating, his eyes lit up. He walked straight over and sat down at Li Yuan's table.

Li Yuan looked up and found that it was actually Wu Si'an. He grinned.

"Senior Brother Wu, have you eaten?"

"Want to have something with me?"

Wu Si'an smiled and shook his head. "No need. I came to discuss something with you."

Li Yuan had a favorable impression of Wu Si'an. Not only was Wu Si'an quite strong, but he also treated people well, making him someone worth befriending. Hearing that Wu Si'an wanted to discuss something with him, Li Yuan became somewhat interested.

"What good thing made you think of me?"

"Haha, of course it's a good thing. You know about the Special Capture Division, right?"

Li Yuan nodded. As the largest and strongest organization in Jiujiang Commandery, he had naturally heard of it.

"The Special Capture Division is the Xiang Kingdom's strongest force. Experts gather there like clouds, and every one of them is a powerful existence capable of easily suppressing Evil Creatures. Naturally, it also has plenty of good things."

"Interested in making a fortune with me?"

Making a fortune?

If there was profit to be made, Li Yuan naturally would not refuse. "If there are benefits, I'll certainly consider it. But what exactly is this about?"

Seeing that Li Yuan was interested, Wu Si'an immediately began explaining in detail.

"Li Yuan, you should know that the Special Capture Division used to be the Divine Constabulary Hall. After the great change in heaven and earth, when Evil Creatures began appearing in droves, countless top-tier martial artists joined it. Even those Spirit Masters who had kept themselves hidden all came forth."

"Today's Special Capture Division is no longer the Divine Constabulary Hall it once was. The matters it handles are no longer wandering bandits and ruthless outlaws, but incomparably dangerous Evil Creatures!"

"And when dealing with such lethal things, naturally no one is expected to work for nothing. As long as you complete a task issued by the Special Capture Division, you can earn contribution points and exchange them for some good things!"

Li Yuan's eyes lit up at that.

He immediately thought of the yellow talisman Wu Si'an had used when purging Hu Guangting's Corpse Poison!

That yellow talisman had been incredibly miraculous. It was clearly a good item.

And it had most likely been exchanged from the Special Capture Division!

Seeing the burning look in Li Yuan's eyes, Wu Si'an chuckled, knowing he had struck the right note. He continued.

"And most importantly, the Special Capture Division's tasks are not restricted to its own people. Even outsiders can accept them, so long as they are strong enough."

The Special Capture Division had always given Li Yuan the impression of being a tightly organized institution. That such an organization would open its tasks to outsiders struck him as strange. "Even outsiders can take them?"

Wu Si'an smiled faintly. "Why not? Demons, Ghosts, and all manner of monsters are emerging one after another outside. Even a colossal force like the Special Capture Division is hard-pressed to cope."

"If someone is willing to share some of their burden, they would be overjoyed. Why would they turn people away?"

Li Yuan slowly nodded. Wu Si'an's words made sense, and after their detailed discussion, Li Yuan thoroughly understood how it worked.

Outsiders could accept Special Capture Division tasks, but not just anyone was qualified to participate. They needed sufficient strength; at the very least, they had to possess Inner Force Realm strength. He met that requirement.

Put plainly, this path was like the blade catchers who had once operated under the Divine Constabulary Hall. They collected court bounties and hunted down lawbreakers in the martial world, trading their lives for money. But the Special Capture Division's blade catchers faced even greater danger—one careless mistake, and they would die.

Li Yuan had already made his decision. Danger was unavoidable. What place in this damned world was not dangerous?

Even staying in the vast city of Jiujiang Commandery was not completely safe. Who knew when the city might fall and everyone within perish, just as Ping'an County had back then.

Danger had never been the issue. So long as the pay increased!

Wu Si'an had explained it clearly. Completing Special Capture Division tasks would earn corresponding contribution points, which could then be used to exchange for the good things within the Special Capture Division.

As the Xiang Kingdom's largest institution of violence, the Special Capture Division had no shortage of good things. It possessed not only miraculous tools crafted by Spirit Masters, but also numerous martial arts manuals. There were even plenty of High-grade martial arts!

This was precisely what Li Yuan cared about. Just a few days ago, he had been wondering where he could find stronger martial arts manuals. Now an opportunity had come knocking at his door.

He had even less reason to refuse.

"Fine. I'll take the job."

Wu Si'an was overjoyed. He had specifically sought Li Yuan out and said so much because he hoped Li Yuan would join him in accepting Special Capture Division tasks. After all that persuasion, he had finally convinced him.

Ever since Li Yuan had begun to stand out at the martial arts school, Wu Si'an had kept an eye on him. After observing him for some time, he found Li Yuan's displayed strength and character both quite good.

That was why he had decided to work with Li Yuan. Special Capture Division tasks were no child's play, so one naturally needed someone trustworthy.

Wu Si'an's previous partner had already left with the deputy head instructor, and he now needed to find someone new.

Moreover, Wu Si'an thought highly of Li Yuan. Li Yuan had tremendous potential, and his future achievements would be beyond measure. If he could build a good relationship with such a person in advance, there was no way he could lose out.

Li Yuan also wished to work with Wu Si'an. Wu Si'an was obviously a seasoned hand at the Special Capture Division, and having someone to show him the way would be ideal.

While the two discussed the Special Capture Division, something major was also happening there.

Several travel-worn stewards hurried in from outside the Special Capture Division's central hall.

"Young Commander, we've returned."

Chu Han, who had been busy at work, turned around. Seeing that they were the stewards previously sent to hunt down the Corpse Fiend, he was slightly puzzled.

"You're back? Has the Corpse Fiend been dealt with?"

The stewards exchanged glances and smiled bitterly. "The Corpse Fiend has been killed, but not by us."

As soon as the words fell, a towering man radiating astonishing might slowly entered through the door, and he was actually carrying a head in his hand!

Looking closely, it was unmistakably the Corpse Fiend's head!