Urgency

With Zhou Yang as an inside man, Zhang San quickly found Chen Chong's residence.

Staring at the room in the distance, where a faint light still glowed, Zhang San asked Zhou Yang, "Are you sure?"

"My lord, I'm sure. I've been here a long time, and I often help those people with odd jobs. I know every little thing that doesn't concern me like the back of my hand."

"Just two days ago, I even helped Senior Brother Chen Chong clean his room!" Zhou Yang wore a smug look, not realizing that this only made Zhang San dislike him more.

"Enough. Wait here. I'll be back soon!"

Zhang San crept toward Chen Chong's room.

Only Zhou Yang remained where he was.

Just then, Shen Fan had finished practicing and happened to pass by. His room was in this area too.

Seeing someone skulking around, Shen Fan couldn't help feeling curious.

"Who's that? Wandering around here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?" Shen Fan slowly walked over.

Because he practiced martial arts, Shen Fan's footsteps were extremely light, almost soundless.

Even when Shen Fan had come to stand behind Zhou Yang, Zhou Yang still hadn't noticed him.

Only after getting close did Shen Fan get a clear look at the man's face.

"Hm, it's him!"

Shen Fan frowned. He recognized Zhou Yang, after all; the kid had offended him once before.

"But isn't this guy an apprentice? What's he doing over here? And why does he look so shady?"

Shen Fan was just about to call out and question him when a scream suddenly came from a nearby room.

"He did it! This expert from the City Lord's Mansion really is formidable!" Zhou Yang couldn't help muttering to himself.

But Shen Fan, standing behind him, heard every word.

"This guy... he's a traitor?" Shen Fan's expression darkened. He glanced at the commotion in the nearby house, then at the man before him, who was gesticulating excitedly.

In the end, he steeled himself, clenched his fist, gathered all his strength, and struck Zhou Yang in the back.

Zhou Yang was still celebrating when a sharp pain shot through his chest. Then he gradually lost consciousness.

Shen Fan's full-strength blow had punched straight through Zhou Yang's body. How could he possibly survive that?

Withdrew his hand, now covered in blood, Shen Fan leaped away and vanished without leaving a trace.

When Zhang San returned, he saw Zhou Yang's mutilated corpse and immediately ran.

"Damn it, that idiot's dead! Have the people from Ox Demon Martial Arts School already found me? No, I have to get out of here fast!

"If they surround me, I'm done for!"

At the thought, Zhang San quickened his pace. Since he remembered the route he'd taken, he soon escaped the martial hall.

But some nearby disciples had still heard the commotion, and before long, someone noticed something was wrong.

By the time everyone arrived, all they could do was stare at Chen Chong's decapitated body, his eyes still open in death.

"Damn it, someone came to assassinate him! Poor Senior Brother Chen Chong. He had such talent, and now he's gone just like that!"

"Yeah, what are we supposed to do? The villain got away, and who knows if he'll come back. Even Senior Brother Chen Chong, with his Muscle Refining strength, couldn't fight back at all. What chance do the rest of us have?"

At those words, the pupils of the disciples gathered around shrank, and their expressions grew uneasy.

Shen Fan was among them. Hearing this, he suddenly felt a sense of urgency.

"No. It's better to rely on myself than beg for help. I need to speed things up. Fortunately, several of my techniques are already at the threshold. I should break through soon!"

With that, Shen Fan immediately left, returned to his room, and practiced martial arts through the night.

Looking at the faint glow around the various techniques on his Status Panel, Shen Fan knew he was about to make another major leap.

Perhaps the pressure of death had drawn out Shen Fan's potential. Early the next morning, he felt the opportunity to break through.

First was Thousand Mechanisms Hand. This third-rate technique broke through naturally, advancing from Minor Accomplishment to Great Accomplishment. Shen Fan felt his fingers grow exceptionally nimble and strong, as a powerful surge of qi and blood spread from them throughout his body.

The qi and blood continued to grow stronger, tempering his bones.

Then came two other techniques. Iron Shirt advanced from Beginner to Minor Accomplishment, and Startling Swan Art also reached Minor Accomplishment. Their two distinct streams of qi and blood tempered his bones again, and his bones gradually absorbed their unique properties.

Once the tempering from those two streams of qi and blood was complete, Shen Fan suddenly felt his bones beginning to change.

Unfortunately, Shen Fan couldn't look within himself. Otherwise, he would have seen his bones take on a faint sheen. The impurities inside them evaporated under the force of his powerful qi and blood, their color growing lighter and lighter until they were as white and translucent as jade.

Skin like ice and bones like jade—nothing could better describe him.

Shen Fan felt that something about his body had changed, though he couldn't say what. He only knew that the feeling of lightness was wonderfully comfortable.

He brought up the Status Panel and smiled.

Host: Shen Fan

Aptitude: 23 (Martial Dao Prodigy)

Lifespan: 180

Martial Path: Savage Bull Fist (Great Accomplishment), True Combined Strength (Great Accomplishment), Three Yuan Art (Great Accomplishment), Ape Strike Technique (Great Accomplishment), Thousand Mechanisms Hand (Great Accomplishment), Iron Shirt (Minor Accomplishment), Startling Swan Art (Minor Accomplishment), Evergreen Cultivation Method (Not Yet Initiated)

Realm: Bone Forging

After Thousand Mechanisms Hand and Iron Shirt, both third-rate techniques, and Startling Swan Art, a second-rate technique, broke through, Shen Fan's lifespan increased by another twenty years, and his aptitude rose by one point.

His cultivation speed increased again.

Though his realm was still Bone Forging, Shen Fan felt that he could now beat ten of his former self. He still wasn't sure whether he could take on a Blood Condensation expert.

Still, it didn't matter much. He could already feel that he was nearing the end of Bone Forging. He could faintly sense the power of the next level. The qi and blood within his bones were constantly surging against them; as soon as he released it, he would be able to project his qi and blood outside his body and achieve Blood Condensation!

"But I shouldn't get distracted by other techniques for now. I'll focus on training hard in Startling Swan Art. Once I reach Blood Condensation, I'll look for better techniques!"

Shen Fan made plans for the days ahead. He could quickly master low-level techniques, and it wouldn't take long for him to reach Great Accomplishment in them either.

But the benefits they brought were negligible. The gains from breakthroughs in low-level techniques had become so small they could almost be ignored.

This time, the improvement from a third-rate technique had been nowhere near that of a second-rate one, even when the former reached Great Accomplishment.

Shen Fan guessed that the gap between techniques of different grades would grow wider and wider at higher levels, and the benefits they brought him would be worlds apart.

At the very least, for the same amount of practice, a high-level technique was far more worthwhile than a low-level one!

As he was thinking, Shen Fan suddenly sensed someone approaching his room, so he quickly calmed the surging qi and blood within him.

With the Three Yuan Art, Shen Fan easily concealed his presence.

This Health Cultivation Method kept bringing him more and more pleasant surprises.

"Is Shen Fan there?" a disciple called from outside.

"I'm here. What is it?"

"Junior Brother Shen, Steward Zhang has something to say. He's called everyone to gather."

"Okay, I understand. I'll be there right away!"

"Good. I won't keep you, then." The footsteps outside gradually faded away.

Shen Fan stood to one side, thinking it over carefully. In the end, he shook his head and decided to go take a look.