Among the Mountain Bandits, their leader was at Body Tempering Stage Six, with two others at Body Refining Fifth Level. The rest hadn't even reached the Body Refining Stage, and there might have been countless of them.
A band of bandits like this was something even disciples at Body Tempering Stage Six wouldn't dare take on, let alone those in the Late Body Refining Stage.
Though the bandits hadn't reached the Late Body Refining Stage, they were extremely experienced in actual combat. Never mind anything else—the Killing Intent radiating from them alone was enough to make people of the same realm tremble in fear.
"I'll go with you. It's always good to have someone watching your back. We can deliver this Earth Splitting Bear when we get back, too," Lin Yang said.
Yun Shu glanced at the sky, then smiled. "Let's not go just yet. I'll head back with you and set out early tomorrow morning."
"That works, too. I think we should find another helper..."
"No." Yun Shu shook his head. "The two of us are enough."
If they found a helper, they'd have to share the money with him. They already didn't have much to begin with, and having to hand over a portion would make Yun Shu's heart ache.
Seeing this, Lin Yang didn't try to persuade him further. He trusted that Yun Shu had always been meticulous and never did anything without being sure of success.
Since Yun Shu was confident, Lin Yang would risk his life to accompany him.
By the time the two returned to the sect, it was already night.
Under cover of darkness, the two made their way to the Scripture Pavilion once more.
"I'm here to turn in a mission." Yun Shu lightly tapped the desk.
The Fat Steward's body jolted. Only after a long moment did he lift his head and look at Yun Shu.
"So it's you." The Fat Steward smiled faintly. "Hand over the token, and the Jade Token, too."
Yun Shu did as he asked.
The Fat Steward casually made a few marks on the Jade Token, then said, "I knew I wasn't wrong about you. I knew you could complete these missions. From the moment you entered the Outer Sect, I knew you'd achieve great things one day."
Yun Shu: "..." That wasn't what you said last night. It had only been a day.
"This is the Earth Splitting Black Bear. Take a look and verify it."
"No need, no need." The Fat Steward chuckled as he took out a Jade Box. "Here are twenty Qi Nurturing Pills. Take them."
After all, the more missions completed here, the larger his commission.
Three missions completed in one day—this was a God of Wealth!
At this rate, thanks to Yun Shu, he could at least double his commission for the month.
The twenty pills already included the value of the demon bear's remains.
The price was quite fair.
Yun Shu naturally had no objections.
After leaving the Scripture Pavilion, Yun Shu counted their spoils.
"We got fifty-five Qi Nurturing Pills today. I'll keep fifty and give you five." As he spoke, Yun Shu handed over a bottle of Qi Nurturing Pills.
It was only right that three missions would bring in this many rewards.
Looking at the five Qi Nurturing Pills in his hand, Lin Yang felt a jumble of emotions.
Normally, this was about how much he earned from a single mission.
For the better missions, he had to work with others, and his share might be worth even less.
Yun Shu had risen at a startling pace. He'd grown to the point where Lin Yang could only look up to him.
"Okay, I'll take them. See you at the Mountain Gate early tomorrow morning," Lin Yang said.
He didn't stand on ceremony. He also knew Yun Shu was a man of principle. If he refused, Yun Shu might not invite him to work on a mission together next time.
Now he felt that following Yun Shu was far better than taking missions on his own, working himself to the bone, risking his life, and still not getting much in the way of resources.
"Mm." Yun Shu nodded.
There was still a long time before dawn.
Yun Shu arrived at the Training Ground early.
The Training Ground was almost completely deserted.
He held a Long Sword in his hand and practiced again and again.
He had just converted all fifty Qi Nurturing Pills into Energy Points, gaining a full hundred and fifty.
Adding what he'd had before, he now had more than a hundred and sixty.
He could finally raise his Sword Intent's level.
Yun Shu had always believed that cultivation had both a horizontal and a vertical dimension. The vertical dimension meant advancing in strength, from the Body Refining Stage to Qi Refining, and then beyond.
Improving Sword Intent was a horizontal progression. It required the support of one's realm to unleash its full power.
At his current level, First-Tier Sword Intent was no longer enough.
Perhaps it was enough, but if he was going on an adventure, he still needed to strengthen some of his trump cards.
Now that he had the means, he would improve it.
"Ding, you used Sword Intent once. Proficiency +1."
"..."
"Ding, you used Sword Intent once. Proficiency +1."
A rich aura of "intent" swirled around him, and the figure appeared in his mind.
It was an unfathomable realm. The powerful expert had struck with only a single sword, yet that strike seemed to contain countless details. Yun Shu was trying to comprehend that realm by continually increasing his proficiency.
Whether his strength was formidable or not no longer mattered. Understanding the sword was something accumulated over a long time and without any fixed pattern. Though that sword strike looked simple, it held the complete understanding of the sword possessed by a cultivator—a Sword Cultivator.
Yun Shu was only copying what he saw, but he was doing a convincing job of it.
He started with the basics, imitating that one sword strike, moving from resemblance in form to resemblance in spirit.
"Ding, you used Sword Intent once. Proficiency +1."
"..."
"Ding, you used Sword Intent once. Proficiency +1."
He didn't know how many times he'd swung his sword. The Energy Points on his panel kept refreshing at a furious pace. Every swing gave him a new understanding of the sword itself, a wonderfully strange sensation.
Though his outward appearance hadn't changed in the slightest, Yun Shu could say with certainty that his understanding of the sword had grown stronger and deeper.
It had truly become a sword for killing.
A sword swing seemed simple, but every strike followed a traceable path.
It was as though a sheer cliff stood before him. His Long Sword fell, gathering countless forces, and the cliff split in two. The power of a single strike was terrifying beyond compare.
"Ding, you used Sword Intent once. Proficiency +1. Current proficiency: 100. You have reached Second Tier."
Yun Shu stopped and didn't continue practicing. Any further training would yield limited improvement. He needed to get used to his current level of Sword Intent first, ideally adapting to it in a short time. Only then could he truly turn his Long Sword into a sword for killing.
Yun Shu wasn't in a hurry to test it. Instead, he set the sword aside. Swinging it had demanded intense concentration, and it had drained a fair amount of his energy, vitality, and spirit.
He needed to recover for a while.
He began cultivating the Body Refining Technique.
The Body Refining Technique was nothing more than the most basic Martial Arts.
It consumed very little Energy Points or stamina, and even helped restore some of his strength.
"Ding, you used the Body Refining Technique once. Proficiency +1."
"..."
"Ding, you practiced the Body Refining Technique once. Proficiency +1."
By the time he practiced the Body Refining Technique for the second time, he had already reached Body Refining Stage Seven.
His blood and qi surged at Body Refining Stage Seven. Coupled with the meridians he'd widened while practicing Sword Intent, he was like a Fierce Beast in human form, radiating an intensely dangerous aura.
The benefits of the Body Refining Technique were obvious.
After Yun Shu practiced for a while, he had reached the peak of Body Refining Stage Seven.
He hadn't used up many Energy Points, either.
Now, his strong muscles and surging blood and qi gradually settled.
"There must be a reason so few people cultivate the Body Refining Technique to Great Accomplishment. This kind of Body Refining method really doesn't suit the Immortal Sect's image of immortal elegance."
But, well, he was definitely tougher now.
The benefits of being a Body Cultivator were obvious.
Yun Shu rested for a while. By then, the sky was just beginning to brighten, and people started arriving in twos and threes.
Yun Shu found a secluded spot and rested briefly before beginning to practice Sword Intent.
His Long Sword gave a soft hum as he slashed into the empty space before him.
The blood and qi throughout his body surged without pause, flowing into that single strike.
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