Two Secret Manuals, Vajra Tiger Subduing!

"Is there something strange about this manual?"

Su Mu took half a step closer and lowered his voice to ask.

The stall owner clearly froze. He looked up slightly at Su Mu, as if trying to guess the thoughts of the person before him, but unfortunately, all he could see was the white fox mask covering Su Mu's face.

"Your Excellency isn't from Qingyun County?"

"So what if I am, so what if I'm not?" Su Mu's heart grew more certain that Tiger Subduing Fist had a background.

Hearing the ambiguous answer, the stall owner took the person before him as an outsider. "This is the area of Qingzhou's Qingyun County. Besides the Qingyun County government and the Black Mountain Army that has risen rapidly in recent years, there are five major powers."

"These five major powers are one family, one temple, one tower, and two gangs."

"The family is the Xiao Family of Qingyun, the temple is Vajra Temple, the tower is Hundred Pills Tower, and the two gangs are Clear Wind Gang and White Jade Gang. Your Excellency's manual might be related to Vajra Temple."

The stall owner explained in a low voice. These were not secrets; anyone could find out if they inquired. After speaking, the stall owner fell silent.

The government and the Black Mountain Army, the five major powers.

The stall owner's words were vague, but Su Mu was almost certain that the Tiger Subduing Fist he had obtained was mostly a martial art from Vajra Temple.

"Thank you for telling me."

Having received his answer, Su Mu quickly withdrew his hand from Tiger Subduing Fist and began to select other manuals. The stall owner quickly put the manual away.

He first chose a movement technique. Su Mu selected a movement technique called Startled Sparrow Steps from the stall. After that, Su Mu had intended to choose a weapon-based martial art.

However, there were only two weapon-based martial arts in this stall. After browsing the first three pages, Su Mu found that both weapon-based martial arts were inferior to the previous fist technique. Moreover, they were for weapons like hooks and short blades, which Su Mu wasn't particularly interested in.

"I'd better choose a fist technique or a leg technique."

After much deliberation, Su Mu frowned beneath his white fox mask. Looking around, he found that the Rock Shattering Fist he had flipped through initially was the most suitable.

"These two will do."

Su Mu successfully traded one manual for two. After the transaction was complete, he immediately got up and left.

"Tiger Subduing Fist is a martial art from the Vajra Temple lineage. Among Ninth Rank martial arts, its power is top-tier. Once mastered, it's hard to find an equal at the same level. It's just that this bald monk's martial art is too difficult to cultivate. I can find an opportunity to sell it to someone else. I wonder how this guy got his hands on it."

"This person probably comes from a remote place outside Qingyun County... Little do they know that cultivating one martial art to mastery is far stronger than half-baked skills in multiple arts. Cultivating one martial art requires immense energy and time, taking several years at least, or even more than a decade. This guy is truly strange, wanting to cultivate multiple martial arts simultaneously."

"But it's also possible that he can't cultivate Tiger Subduing Fist, which is why he wants to trade it..."

Watching Su Mu leave, the stall owner shook his head and muttered to himself.

Su Mu was unaware of the stall owner's thoughts. Even if he knew, he would only dismiss them. This top-tier Ninth Rank martial art, which others considered difficult to cultivate, was not too challenging for Su Mu.

After leaving the stall, Su Mu continued to wander through the Black Market. Since he was here, browsing more could broaden his horizons. When he had walked around and was about to leave, just as he turned.

A thin figure walked quickly towards him. The person had their head down, seemingly rushing and not noticing, and collided head-on with Su Mu.

Instinctively, as a Ninth Rank martial artist, Su Mu's internal Qi flowed, his body only swayed slightly, his stance sinking like a tiger crouching in the forest, unmoving.

In contrast, the thin figure seemed to have hit a wall. They let out a muffled groan, staggered back several steps, and almost fell to the ground.

"Are you alright?"

Su Mu reached out to help, but the thin figure flinched back a step, appearing timid.

"Sorry, sorry."

After several apologies, the person hurried past and left.

Watching the figure depart, Su Mu looked puzzled. He had a feeling something was off about this person. He subtly checked his clothes; the manuals were still there, and no money or items were missing.

"I'm probably overthinking it."

Shortly after, Su Mu discreetly headed towards the Black Market exit. At the exit, a few vendors looked at Su Mu with pity as he left.

"That guy has been targeted by those three... I'm afraid he won't be able to leave this wilderness."

Leaving the Black Market, in the wilderness, a cold glint flashed across Su Mu's face beneath the white fox mask, his brow furrowed slightly.

With the Five Animal Frolics mastered and Tiger Subduing Fist mastered, coupled with months of continuous consumption of the Three-Perfection Body Strengthening Soup and enhanced comprehension, Su Mu's hearing and sight far surpassed ordinary people.

The footsteps behind him, though light, could not escape his ears.

Su Mu paused and turned to look.

Not far away, amidst the shadows of the night forest, a thin figure emerged. Su Mu's pupils contracted slightly. He recognized the figure at a glance as the person he had bumped into in the Black Market earlier.

"It seems I wasn't overthinking... This person was deliberate just now. I've been targeted."

Su Mu thought for a moment and figured out the trick. The other party had likely used the "accidental" collision to test his strength.

His subconscious use of internal Qi allowed the other party to gauge that he was a Qi Refining Martial Artist.

Since they had figured out his approximate strength, they still dared to rob and kill him. The group targeting him was by no means comparable to the Scarred Man Sun Li had hired to intercept him.

To intercept a Qi Refining Martial Artist, there must be at least one Qi Refining Martial Artist among them.

"This place is not suitable for lingering, let's go."

Thinking this, Su Mu did not wish to fight these unknown, ruthless killers directly in the forest. If he could escape, it would be best to escape.

Of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing is the best. Su Mu quickened his pace, employing the Deer Play from the Five Animal Frolics, turning himself into a deer darting through the forest.

"He bought two manuals worth two hundred taels right off the bat. This guy definitely has more than two hundred taels on him. Although this target is a bit tricky, after this job, I'll be living the good life all year."

Ten feet behind him, the slender figure's eyes gleamed with greed.

"I bumped into him just now on purpose. Judging by his reaction, he should only be a beginner Ninth Rank, a martial artist who has only completed his first Qi refinement. Big brother is close to completing his second refinement, and with the two of us, we can definitely take this guy down."

Just as Su Mu had guessed, he had indeed done it intentionally. He had staged the "accidental" collision to test Su Mu's strength.

When people encounter a sudden impact, they instinctively protect themselves. He could then judge Su Mu's strength based on his reaction. He could feel the fierce force within Su Mu's body just now, which was clearly a characteristic of the first Qi refinement.

The first Qi refinement is Ming Jin (Manifest Force), where the force can shatter stone and is characterized by wide, powerful movements. Martial artists at this level would have a harder time against someone wearing armor.

The second Qi refinement is An Jin (Hidden Force), which is Yin and can penetrate armor to a certain extent, injuring people through it.

But it was clear from Su Mu's reaction that the force within his body was still at the Ming Jin level.

"Not good, this fat sheep wants to escape. I can't wait any longer."

Immediately, the slender figure sprinted, simultaneously reaching into his clothes and pulling out a wooden whistle. Several continuous whistles, long and short, echoed through the forest.

Within moments of the whistles sounding, Su Mu heard two more whistles from two different directions in front of him. The whistles, long and short, were clearly exchanging information.

Su Mu stopped in his tracks, realizing he had been surrounded. He was not familiar with this wilderness, while his opponents were clearly very familiar with the area. Escape was likely impossible.

"Listening to the whistles, the other two are still some distance away..."

"Defeat them one by one!"

Su Mu knew he absolutely could not let the three of them converge and form a encirclement. He would kill the one behind him first!

Seeing that Su Mu had started to flee, the slender figure no longer concealed himself and pursued Su Mu relentlessly. When he saw Su Mu charging into a dense forest, a cruel smile spread across his lips.

He knew that forest was a prime spot for murder, as the three of them had killed many people there.

"You've actually chosen a good burial ground for yourself."

But the moment the slender figure stepped into the dense forest, he felt a chill run down his spine. Under the shadows of the trees not far away, a figure's eyes flashed with cold light, and his entire being exuded a ferocious aura, like a tiger ready to devour someone.

"This person isn't a Ranked Martial Artist... but even a lion needs full effort to catch a rabbit!"

The nearly perfect Five Animal Frolics allowed Su Mu to control the muscles in his body to an extremely high degree, while the perfected Tiger Subduing Fist enabled Su Mu to quickly mobilize the qi and blood and force within his body.

Gulp.

The slender, ferocious man's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. He felt as if he were being stared at by a terrifying beast.

The next second.

The heart beneath his chest suddenly lurched. In his eyes, a figure lunged like a fierce tiger.

ROAR!

The fist strike was accompanied by a tiger's roar, seizing the initiative. This was a bonus effect of the perfected Tiger Subduing Fist.

The slender, ferocious man was greatly alarmed and hastily reached for the saber at his waist. However, he was momentarily dazed by the tiger's roar. By the time he recovered and swung his saber, it was too late.

Seizing this fleeting moment of fatal distraction, Su Mu instantly crossed several yards and closed the distance.

Vajra Tiger Subduing!

He unleashed a killing move from the start. Su Mu's ten fingers clenched like iron pincers into tiger claws. Beneath the mask, Su Mu's eyes were wide with fury, like an enraged Vajra. His waist was slightly bowed, and with his waist and arms, his right claw struck out with a roar.

Before the slender, ferocious man could swing his saber, Su Mu's claw, striking later but arriving first, landed squarely on his throat.

Crack.

His throat bone was instantly shattered. Then, a claw tore through flesh, piercing directly through the slender man's neck. A tiger claw emerged from the back of his neck.

"This, this..."

The slender, ferocious man's eyes widened to their limit, his face filled with terror and disbelief. His mouth opened as if to say something.

The next second, Su Mu's right arm exerted force, pulling his hand out of the bloody hole.

Instantly, blood splattered out.

The slender, ferocious man's body trembled, his pupils dilated, and then he slumped to the ground with a thud.

After killing a villain with a single blow, Su Mu looked down at the fallen corpse, quite surprised. He hadn't expected the power of the Tiger Subduing Fist to be so terrifying.

"As expected of a Ranked martial art."

Su Mu thought to himself. He glanced at his blood-stained right claw. After killing again, he no longer felt the panic and helplessness he had the first time.

Beneath the mask, Su Mu's eyes flashed with ferocity. He felt no psychological burden killing these bandits who robbed and murdered.

Hoo!

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

As he exhaled, the qi and blood and force within Su Mu's body circulated faster, becoming hot and fiery. Then, like a roused forest tiger, he looked towards the depths of the wilderness.

"Two left..."