Foolish Woman

Looking at the Status Panel, where every cultivation method had reached Great Accomplishment, even Shen Fan couldn't help feeling a little proud, despite his usually steady temperament.

All three Innate Cultivation Methods had reached Great Accomplishment. After a little more practice, there would be no further room for improvement.

Unless he found new techniques—and higher-level ones at that—the Innate Cultivation Methods had little left to offer him.

Mastering all three had only added eighty years to his lifespan, which had increased his aptitude by two points.

By now, Shen Fan understood that his Golden Finger essentially had two functions.

One was that breaking through a cultivation method's realm increased his lifespan. The other was that a longer lifespan improved his aptitude. Together, the two effects gave him such overwhelming power!

But, fundamentally, Shen Fan realized that the Golden Finger's greatest benefit was how increased lifespan improved his aptitude.

In the later stages, the lifespan gained from breakthroughs in cultivation methods might not even match what he gained from breakthroughs in cultivation realms. He had already suspected as much when he reached the Innate Realm.

Innate Martial Artists lived for two hundred years, while those in the Core Formation Realm could live for as long as three hundred and fifty. Every breakthrough into a new Great Realm brought a greater increase in lifespan!

The further one progressed, the more pronounced the effect became.

So what Shen Fan wanted now was a more advanced cultivation method, one that would let him break through to a higher realm. That was the fastest way to gain lifespan—and the fastest way to improve his aptitude.

Still, if cultivation methods were readily available, Shen Fan would keep practicing more of them. Even the tiniest scrap of meat was still meat!

Besides, the more methods he cultivated, the more well-rounded he would become, and the greater his combat strength.

Previously, he had been invincible in the Innate Realm with nothing but the Cold Shadow Art because he had laid a deep foundation in the Blood Refining Realm.

If he wanted the same result in the realms ahead, Shen Fan would have to follow the same path.

"Cultivation methods... I'm still short on them. If I weren't, I wouldn't have so many headaches!" Shen Fan felt a little frustrated.

Only after venturing out on his own did he realize how hard it was to fend for himself.

Back at the Martial Hall, finding a cultivation method had been much easier. But now he was all alone, and he found himself hesitant about everything he did.

Gradually, Shen Fan even began to consider joining a major power and using its resources to quietly cultivate until he reached Great Accomplishment.

But he still wasn't sure which faction would be best to join.

The realm was in chaos, and the Vassal Kings held the greatest power. These princes controlled the most resources and the best cultivation methods, allowing them to raise the finest talent and take the lead in the struggles to come!

So the Prince's Mansion was still Shen Fan's best option.

He was currently in Lanzhou, so the best choice would be to join King Lanling's household. But then Shen Fan thought of the conditions involved: he would need someone to recommend him.

Connections were precisely what he lacked most. So he could only set the idea aside for now and see if any other options presented themselves.

After leaving the Wooden House where he had been in seclusion for so long, Shen Fan wandered through every corner of Black Wind Stockade. Only a handful of people recognized him and greeted him respectfully.

Most of the others, especially the low-ranking bandits, had no idea who Shen Fan was.

That was by design. He knew he would leave sooner or later, and the Black Wind Bandits were nothing more than a tool in his hands!

When that tool could no longer keep up with him, it would be time to discard it.

The fewer people who knew him, the fewer ties he would have to leave behind.

Black Wind Stockade had been established for quite some time. Many of the people here had families; though it was called a stockade, it was more like a secluded village, full of the signs of everyday life.

The women washed clothes and cooked, the men practiced martial arts, and the children ran around, playing.

Shen Fan walked slowly, savoring the unusual peace of the moment.

But before long, he noticed a sudden commotion at the stockade gate.

People carrying weapons could be seen rushing past.

"Hm? What's going on? Has someone come to attack the Black Wind Bandits?"

Puzzled, Shen Fan followed the crowd.

At that moment, surrounded by the Black Wind Bandits, stood Liu Yucheng and Xiao Yuxian, the two who had narrowly escaped with their lives.

After Liu Yucheng escaped, he had quickly found Xiao Yuxian. To evade the pursuit from Nine Lions City, the two had fled into the mountains.

By chance, they stumbled across the Black Wind Bandits hiding there. After observing them for several days, Liu Yucheng had already learned that none of these bandits were Innate Martial Artists!

So, to give Xiao Yuxian a more comfortable life, Liu Yucheng chose to act.

He brought Xiao Yuxian and stormed straight into the stockade.

Their plan was to kill some of the bandits as a warning, then take control of the stockade and wait there for Old Man Snow Mountain, an Elder of the Qingcheng Sect, with whom they had made an arrangement.

"Humph! You ants, hurry up and call out your leader! Do you really want me to slaughter every last one of you?"

Releasing his Innate Might, Liu Yucheng declared, standing tall and imposing.

Xiao Yuxian, beside him, looked thoroughly impatient.

"Senior Brother, why don't we just fight our way in? This is such a hassle. They're all weaklings you could kill with a flick of your hand!"

After hiding in the mountains for several days, Xiao Yuxian was sick of it. She desperately wanted a bath and a delicious meal.

"Senior Brother, just attack already. Kill all the men and leave a few women to wait on us!"

Xiao Yuxian delivered the cold, merciless words without a trace of warmth.

Liu Yucheng hesitated. That hadn't been his intention, but when he saw his junior sister's expression grow colder and the bandits around them refuse to surrender, he made his decision.

"Since you won't do as I say, then you can all die!"

As he spoke, Liu Yucheng released his True Qi without holding back. Empowered by it, every move he made carried tremendous force.

He could shatter gold and break stone with ease.

These men were only in the Qi and Blood Great Realm. How could they possibly stand against him? In just a few breaths, he had wounded more than a dozen of them.

The ground soon filled with people writhing and groaning. Unless a master treated them, the True Qi from the Beast King Art would remain in their bodies and torment them to death!

Shen Fan frowned as he watched and was just about to step in when an aura made him stop.

"Who dares hurt my brothers?" Like a fierce tiger leaping down the mountain, Liu Yunfeng made a graceful vault and landed squarely in front of Liu Yucheng.

Seeing Liu Yucheng's bloodied hand, Liu Yunfeng's face darkened. He demanded angrily, "Who are you? You've gone too far! You hurt my brother for no reason. What's the meaning of this?"

Liu Yucheng was about to answer, but Xiao Yuxian jumped in first.

"You're the leader here, right? Good, you're just in time. Surrender now, and my Senior Brother will at least give you a quick death. Otherwise, heh heh!"

Xiao Yuxian spoke arrogantly, showing no regard for anyone present—even though Liu Yunfeng had already displayed his Innate Aura!

Liu Yucheng furrowed his brow and glanced at his smug junior sister, but still said nothing.

"Very well, very well. Let's see what you two can do!"

Liu Yunfeng curled his hands into claws, using the moves of the Black Tiger Fiend, and charged at Liu Yucheng.

Shen Fan nodded slightly from the sidelines. He had taught Liu Yunfeng the Black Tiger Fiend himself, hoping to improve the bandits' strength.

He hadn't expected Liu Yunfeng to break through in such a short time. It was a pleasant surprise.

At least now he had an Innate Martial Artist under him. He wasn't a commander with no troops anymore.

But Liu Yunfeng had only broken through recently, and he was no match for Liu Yucheng, who had cultivated the Beast King Art and reached the Innate Second Layer.

After just a few moves, he fell behind.

"Humph. If that's all you've got, then you can die!" Liu Yucheng roared and suddenly unleashed his full strength. A pitch-black fist shot toward Liu Yunfeng's head, right before his horrified eyes.

Without an intervention, Liu Yunfeng was as good as dead.

But Shen Fan was here, so that could never happen.

He drifted lightly between the two, placed one hand on Liu Yucheng's fist, and instantly dispersed the force of his True Qi. With his other hand, he steadied Liu Yunfeng, who was about to fall.

Looking at Liu Yucheng's stunned face, he said calmly, "That's enough."

Liu Yucheng nodded instinctively. For some reason, the young man before him made him feel the same pressure as his Master.

Liu Yucheng's Master was the Qingcheng Sect Master, an expert in the True Condensation Late Stage!

"Senior, you—" Liu Yucheng quietly swallowed and tried to sound out Shen Fan's intentions.

But Xiao Yuxian seemed to have lost her mind. She pointed at Shen Fan and launched into a tirade. "You shameless bastard! You actually ambushed my Senior Brother!

"Senior Brother, get up! Use your fists to beat this arrogant fool to death!

"And everyone in this stockade is rotten to the core. Kill them all!"

After Xiao Yuxian finished, she noticed everyone staring blankly at her and felt puzzled.

Then she suddenly felt a chill. Looking down, she saw that ice was spreading up her body from the soles of her feet!