Name: Lin Feng Cultivation: Body Tempering Seventh Level Skills: Archery Lv. 4 (0/100000), Iron Shirt Lv. 5 (50000/1000000), Bone Corroding Seven Kill Palm Lv. 1 (0/100) Talents: Infallible Shot, Swift Shadow Soul Chaser, Poison, Copper Skin, Iron Bones, Steel Tendons, Powerful Shot, Averting Evil.
His thoughts shifted again.
Lin Feng checked the description of Bone Corroding Seven Kill Palm.
Bone Corroding Seven Kill Palm: Palm force gathers seven times in succession into a single strike, unleashing tremendous power. (Skill cap: Level 3; cannot grant talents.)
Lin Feng stared at this and paused.
A low skill cap, and no talents?
Lin Feng understood.
It seemed not every skill could grow endlessly like Iron Shirt.
Some skills apparently had little room for growth.
Of course, Lin Feng wasn't discouraged.
Even if a martial art had no room to grow, he could still grind out proficiency!
That meant he could master this Third-grade Martial Art very quickly!
At that moment, the One-armed Elder beside him said, "Bone Corroding Seven Kill Palm is immensely powerful. All Three Captains of the Demon Suppression Division practice it."
"I personally instructed each of them in Bone Corroding Seven Kill Palm."
"Captain Zhao was the fastest. It took him three days to get started, one hundred and eighty days to reach Minor Success, and three hundred days to achieve Great Success!"
"I know you have exceptional talent for comprehending martial arts, but this technique is extremely difficult to master. Feel free to ask me for guidance."
After the One-armed Elder finished speaking,
Captain Chen looked mildly surprised.
Not just anyone was qualified to receive instruction from the One-armed Elder.
When the Three Captains practiced Bone Corroding Seven Kill Palm, they were already Captains and experts in the Houtian Realm!
Even so, the fastest among them had needed a full three hundred days to achieve Great Success. That showed just how difficult it was.
Lin Feng said, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior, but I don't think I'll need to trouble you."
The moment he'd received Bone Corroding Seven Kill Palm, his panel had automatically registered it as mastered.
And it would take only 100 proficiency points to reach Minor Success.
Lin Feng figured he could probably reach Minor Success with ease in less than a day!
The One-armed Elder paused, clearly not expecting Lin Feng to refuse.
He was so confident he could practice even a Third-grade Martial Art without instruction?
What confidence!
The One-armed Elder said no more.
Perhaps Lin Feng had considerable experience with body-tempering martial arts, but this was a palm technique.
And unlike Iron Shirt, the difficulty of a Third-grade Martial Art was in an entirely different league from that of a First-Grade Martial Art!
The Three Captains had been just as confident at first, insisting they didn't need his guidance.
But before long, they'd come crawling back, humbly asking for instruction.
The One-armed Elder figured Lin Feng would be back before long, too.
With the Third-grade Martial Art settled,
Lin Feng and Captain Chen said goodbye to the One-armed Elder and headed toward the armory.
He still had three Second-tier Weapons to collect.
As they walked,
Captain Chen said, "Lin Feng, you performed exceptionally this time. It's time your rank was promoted."
"With your strength, making you a Squad Leader would be selling you short!"
"So I'm promoting you to Squad Leader ahead of schedule!"
Lin Feng's eyes lit up.
He'd gone from an ordinary Constable to a Squad Leader in one leap!
That was a huge step forward!
Even his father had only been a lowly Squad Leader before he died.
The two arrived at the armory.
A Demon Suppression Guard had already prepared three Second-tier Weapons.
They were armor, a bow, and arrows.
Lin Feng took the three Second-tier Weapons, his gaze shifting.
They were incredibly heavy in his hands!
Captain Chen explained, "These Second-tier Weapons are made primarily from Mysterious Iron, but they also contain a substantial amount of Gold Essence!"
"This Second-tier armor will keep you alive for a while against anyone short of a late-stage Houtian expert!"
"As for the bow and arrows, as long as you're strong enough, even an early-stage Houtian enemy won't be able to withstand them!"
Captain Chen patted Lin Feng on the shoulder and smiled. "With this equipment, you can somewhat make up for the gap between you and Houtian Realm experts."
"But remember, don't let the equipment make you complacent. You still need to work hard to improve your own cultivation."
Lin Feng nodded.
Naturally, he would keep improving his cultivation.
Just then,
two Demon Suppression Guards hurried over from a distance. Their eyes were fixed on Captain Chen, their expressions grave.
These were the men who had reported directly to Captain Xu and Captain Zhao.
As soon as they reached them, one immediately called out, "Captain Chen!"
"There are signs of the Black Lotus Cult near North of the City! Captain Xu and Captain Zhao have asked you to hurry to the Council Hall to discuss it!"
At those words, Lin Feng and Captain Chen both changed color.
Lin Feng had never heard of the Black Lotus Cult.
But the messenger had mentioned North of the City!
His home was in North of the City.
Lin Feng was at the Demon Suppression Division, but his younger sister was still at home.
Beside him, Captain Chen's expression darkened. "The Black Lotus Cult?!"
"All right, I understand. I'll head there at once!"
Captain Chen turned to Lin Feng. "Lin Feng, focus on your cultivation for now. We can discuss anything else later."
With that, he darted away like a gale.
Clearly, the matter was urgent—extremely urgent!
After Captain Chen left, Lin Feng's heart sank like iron.
He'd never heard of the Black Lotus Cult, but from the name, it sounded like some kind of evil sect.
Now they'd appeared in North of the City. What had happened?
Thinking of his younger sister, Lin Qingxue, Lin Feng grew increasingly uneasy!
He immediately tightened his grip on the bow he'd just received.
I need to go back and check. Lin Feng thought.
Then he put on the Second-tier armor, picked up the bow and arrows, gathered all his rewards, and left the Demon Suppression Division.
He headed straight for North of the City!
Lin Feng moved at a brisk pace.
What was the point of becoming stronger?
So he could survive in a chaotic age!
And protect the only family he had left in this world!
Once he left the Demon Suppression Division, the closer he got to home, the colder his gaze became.
There seemed to be more and more people wailing in the streets...
They were everywhere!
And along the way, Lin Feng saw at least a hundred charred corpses...
They looked nothing like ordinary fire victims. Each corpse had a lotus pattern carved into it.
Lin Feng said nothing, only quickened his pace.
Soon, he reached the street where his home was.
But the moment he arrived, Lin Feng froze.
A huge crowd had gathered outside his house!
At least a hundred people had surrounded it, blocking the entrance completely!
Lin Feng's heart sank!
With so many people gathered around, had something happened at home?
Remembering the charred corpses he'd seen on the way, Lin Feng's breathing grew tight.
As he approached, he heard the neighbors discussing it.
"Good heavens! Isn't that the Vice Head of Black Tiger Martial Arts School? What's such an important figure doing at the Lin Family's home?!"
"Ah, you don't know? I have a relative in the Demon Suppression Division. I heard the Lin Family's eldest son, Lin Feng, placed first in the Demon Suppression Division's examination and was even taken on as a Guest Elder by Black Tiger Martial Arts School!"
"What? He's that impressive?!"
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