Fugitive

First, there's the Golden Armor Technique, practiced daily from five to seven in the morning and eight to eleven, with the hour in between reserved for breakfast.

Next is the Primordial Chaos Art, practiced every night from eight to one in the morning.

From one to six in the afternoon, it's time to practice five different Martial Arts, with the time allocated to each adjusted based on its progress.

(Eleven to one in the afternoon and six to eight in the evening are for meals and rest. Heads may roll, blood may flow, but naps are non-negotiable!)

Early the next morning, before dawn, Zhao Ping'an had already finished his ablutions and was standing on the training ground behind his pavilion.

This training ground wasn't large, only thirty meters long and twenty meters wide. At the edges, iron stakes he'd brought were firmly hammered into the ground.

In the distance stood rows of targets, ranging in diameter from one meter to ten centimeters, for him to practice his hidden weapons.

As for his movement techniques, the hills outside Mount Wu'an served as the perfect long-distance running grounds, wherever he pleased.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

Under the gradually brightening sky, rhythmic impact sounds echoed through the empty training ground, drawing the attention of countless early-rising medicinal farmers and shift-changing guards.

Unfortunately, the tall pavilion blocked their view, so they saw nothing but heard the sounds.

They also knew what that place was, and no one dared to approach it privately.

On the eighth day of his training, Zhao Ping'an had cultivated the second-rate Martial Art Willow Leaf Dart to the perfected stage. Afterward, he spent 10% of his Deduction Points and, after less than ten minutes of deduction, upgraded Willow Leaf Dart to the first-rate Martial Art Soul Chasing Flying Blade.

[Soul Chasing Flying Blade (First-rate Martial Art): 0/500 (Uninitiated, Simplified) Hit a one-meter diameter target twenty meters away with pebbles 100 times to increase cultivation progress by 1 point]

Compared to Willow Leaf Dart, Soul Chasing Flying Blade could already imbue Xiantian True Qi onto the flying blade, achieving a qualitative breakthrough in attack speed, range, and power.

Zhao Ping'an, having perfected Willow Leaf Dart, could already hit stationary targets within thirty meters with a hundred percent accuracy. For fast-moving targets, he could predict their evasion trajectory and achieve an accuracy rate of over 50%.

Of course, this was closely related to his powerful Great Grandmaster physique.

A normal perfected Willow Leaf Dart could only achieve a hundred percent accuracy on stationary targets within ten meters, and its accuracy against fast-moving targets was only around 30%.

About half a month later, the night before Zhao Ping'an was to escort the first batch of mature spirit herbs to South Ridge City, he had once again cultivated the first-rate Martial Arts Mystic Pupil Soul Bewildering Technique, Iron Mountain Palm, and Soul Chasing Flying Blade to the perfected stage, meeting the conditions to deduce them into Human-level Martial Arts.

Each Martial Art only required 20% of his Deduction Points to reach the Human-level Martial Art standard. That afternoon, he spent 60% of his Deduction Points and nearly fifty minutes to deduce all three Martial Arts to the Human level.

[Soul Capturing Mystic Pupil (Human-level Martial Art): 0/700 (Uninitiated, Simplified) Stare intently at the center hole of a copper coin one meter away for 1 minute to increase cultivation progress by 1 point]

[Void Splitting Palm (Human-level Martial Art): 0/700 (Uninitiated, Simplified) Strike an iron stake with both palms 100 times to increase cultivation progress by 1 point]

[Absolute Shadow Flying Blade (Human-level Martial Art): 0/700 (Uninitiated, Simplified) Hit a one-meter diameter target thirty meters away with pebbles 100 times to increase cultivation progress by 1 point]

The advanced Martial Arts saw another qualitative breakthrough in power, but for Zhao Ping'an, it was still not enough.

That night, after dinner, Zhao Ping'an absorbed the remaining eight third-tier spirit herbs, along with ten third-tier spirit herbs that his Master, Zheng Hetong, had sent over from another region to be sold in South Ridge City. This boosted his Deduction Points, which were less than half, to over 90%.

The reason was simple: his Golden Armor Technique was nearing perfection.

As he had predicted, the next morning, Zhao Ping'an's Golden Armor Technique successfully reached the ninth major perfected stage, and his physical body began to rapidly strengthen and improve.

As the sun rose, his physical cultivation officially broke through to the Martial Venerable realm.

"It's a pity the Deduction Points are still a bit short, and the third-tier spirit herbs are likely ineffective now..."

Facing the rising sun and feeling the boundless power within him, Zhao Ping'an murmured with a hint of regret, his body slowly beginning to move.

A physical breakthrough was unlike a breakthrough in internal Gang Qi; the sudden surge of immense strength could easily lead to embarrassing situations if not accustomed to it.

Although the third-tier spirit herbs had lost their effectiveness, Zhao Ping'an had no intention of leaving Mount Wu'an immediately to seek higher-tier spirit herbs in larger cities.

He felt his cultivation was still insufficient.

Time flowed by, calm and undisturbed.

Zhao Ping'an only returned to South Ridge City at the end of each month to gather with his Master, Mistress, and fellow disciples, and to deliver the spirit herbs that had matured that month to the alchemy workshop. The rest of his time was spent on Mount Wu'an, cultivating day after day.

Half a year later, Zhao Ping'an, who had just finished his morning practice and was eating breakfast, suddenly received a letter. Its contents greatly surprised him.

"A Grandmaster Realm Level Six fugitive? Tian Yiming? The bounty is five fourth-tier spirit herbs?"

The letter was sent in the name of the City Lord's Mansion. Its main content was a request for Zhao Ping'an to help the City Lord's Mansion capture the fugitive Tian Yiming.

It clearly detailed Tian Yiming's cultivation technique characteristics, the crime he committed, his last known location, and the reward for his capture. Finally, a bounty poster was attached, featuring a very clear portrait of Tian Yiming.

It was quite ridiculous, really. Tian Yiming was originally a deputy general in the Profound Water Army, the royal guard of the Profound Water Dynasty. However, while on duty guarding the city gate at night, he got drunk and made a mistake, allowing a thief to sneak into the royal palace through the gate he was guarding.

As fate would have it, the Eighth Prince of the Profound Water Dynasty couldn't sleep that night and happened to be out for a stroll. He saw the thief and shouted out.

A thief who dared to enter the royal palace, guarded by a Great Grandmaster and several Grandmasters, naturally wouldn't have weak cultivation. He had also reached the Grandmaster realm. Seeing the large group of guards rushing over, the thief, filled with resentment, shot a hidden weapon at the Eighth Prince.

With only a Xiantian Peak guard by his side, the Eighth Prince had no power to resist. He was shot through the chest on the spot. Fortunately, he received timely medical attention, and his life was saved, but multiple meridians were broken, rendering him hopeless of ever breaking through to the Innate Realm. His life was effectively ruined.

The ruler of the Profound Water Dynasty was furious and ordered an immediate investigation. Tian Yiming, feeling guilty and having no close relatives, immediately fled when the investigators began to focus on him.

After wandering for over a month, he arrived at South Ridge City, a place not far from the border, intending to use it as a transit point to escape the Profound Water Dynasty.