Rampant Robbers, Qi and Blood Breaking Through

The Chu family residence was located in the affluent district of the city. Its gatehouse featured meticulously carved bricks and tiles, while the courtyards were adorned with trees and flowers, creating a serene atmosphere with little noise.

After receiving a reminder from Hu Xuezhi, Chu Ge became more vigilant.

Upon returning home, he instructed his servant, Hei Gouzi, to go out and gather information.

It was the height of winter. While the affluent district was still well-supplied, many other citizens in the city were facing dire poverty.

Some impoverished families were subsisting on millet daily, even resorting to eating the bark of locust trees, elm seeds, and wild vegetables like fishwort roots. Their lives were utterly miserable.

With the appearance of bandits now, their situations were likely to worsen.

Before long, Hei Gouzi returned from gathering news. He reported that a band of nomadic horse bandits had indeed appeared outside the city, wreaking havoc and preying on traveling merchants.

Even the Xu family within the city had their wealth stolen, and Master Xu had lost his life.

"Master Xu is dead? When did this happen?"

Chu Ge was surprised, his expression turning serious.

The Xu family was a prominent wealthy household in Lin Yuan City. Although not as rich as the wealthiest man, Wang Youcai, their fortune rivaled that of the Chu family. They had also hired many martial arts guards.

"Replying to young master, it happened yesterday," Hei Gouzi said, his expression filled with disbelief. "I heard he died in his own home, and the entire residence was ransacked.

And the women... the female relatives were... violated."

"The county yamen officials have now sealed off the Xu family residence, forbidding anyone from approaching to inquire or from neighbors spreading rumors. But given such a shocking event, how can they keep it quiet..."

"Those bandits are that brazen? They even... violated the female relatives."

Chu Ge's expression grew grim. It seemed Master Hu's warning had been rather mild.

Those bandits not only stole wealth but also took lives, and they dared to enter the city and raid a residence. They showed utter disregard for the law, trampling the authority of City Captain Tian Youji underfoot.

"Young master, should we perhaps hire some formidable guards? I heard that the martial arts masters in the city are starting to increase their prices." Hei Gouzi tentatively suggested, his expression anxious.

"Not necessary for now. Don't forget, your young master is a martial artist himself." Chu Ge waved his hand, dismissing Hei Gouzi and telling him to collect his reward. He then summoned Steward Fu.

The Chu family used to have guards, but they were all martial artists of the first realm, Muscle Training, and were quite old.

After he achieved success in his martial arts practice, he had given them money to return to their hometowns to live out their retirement. There was no need to rehire guards now.

Judging by the situation at the Xu family, ordinary martial artists of the first or second realm would be of little use against these bandits.

Martial artists of the third realm, Bone Tempering, were respected individuals who commanded high prices and couldn't be hired easily. Moreover, their strength was only comparable to his own.

For the past two years, he had been studying the unorthodox techniques he brought with him after his transmigration, which had mutated. He had already personally set up various defensive measures within his residence.

Items like Shadow Lanterns and Paper Cuttings served as early warning systems, which was the benefit of studying unorthodox arts.

However, in this world, Martial Arts were still paramount. Martial Arts could strengthen the body and prolong life, forming the foundation for one's existence.

Since powerful bandits were now targeting wealthy merchants in the city, Chu Ge felt personally threatened.

He planned to break through to the fourth realm of Martial Arts, Blood Change Realm, in the coming days, reaching the same level of strength as his master, Hu Xuezhi.

Shortly after.

Steward Fu arrived after being summoned by the servant Hei Gouzi.

The old steward, who had served Chu Ge for a long time, seemed to have guessed the purpose of Chu Ge's summons and brought a box of expensive Gold Paper.

"Young master, this is what the shopkeeper of Baolin Pavilion has been hoarding recently. Other old items are still being collected... But should we temporarily stop acquiring them?"

Chu Ge pondered for a moment, then waved his hand. "No need to stop. Continue collecting as usual. My recent cultivation has entered a critical juncture, and I cannot afford to slacken. If you are worried, you can go to Baolin Pavilion yourself."

He knew what the steward was concerned about.

However, Gold Paper was an important material for crafting Shadow Puppets and special paper talismans. Even a thin sheet was valuable.

Other old items could be used as resources to sacrifice to the Dragon Bell to refine Exotic Power.

This was related to his Martial Arts cultivation, so he naturally could not afford to be lax.

The more chaotic and unsafe the surrounding environment became, the more he needed to rapidly improve his strength and self-preservation methods. He must not panic or disrupt his cultivation progress, lest he put the cart before the horse.

Steward Fu could only accept the order and comply.

His young master had changed his ways over the past three years, developing a fondness for peculiar things. Not only did he enjoy collecting various strange old objects, but he also practiced martial arts.

However, as the young master of a prominent family, he had not fallen into bad habits like gambling or womanizing, which was ultimately a good thing.

He was just puzzled, what connection did collecting these strange things have with cultivation?

After retrieving the Gold Paper, Chu Ge entered the secret chamber where he studied his techniques and martial arts alone.

On the walls of the room, quite a few Shadow Puppets of varying ages were displayed.

Illuminated by the lamplight, they appeared eerie and strange, each face as lifelike as a real person's.

These were all Chu Ge's masterpieces.

The Five Mao Mountain Divine Skill, after its mutation, not only required the integration of Exotic Power for cultivation but also needed corresponding materials as mediums to unleash its wondrous techniques and achieve their full effect.

These Shadow Puppets were created by combining the skills of Shadow Puppetry and Paper Cutting Art.

Chu Ge placed the Gold Paper aside and walked to the desk. He picked up a damaged Wooden Fish that had been recently acquired. The Dragon Bell-like glow on his wrist, resembling a tattoo, flashed.

The Wooden Fish was then sacrificed into the bell's concave groove, and a line of information appeared.

"Linshan Temple Abbot's Wooden Fish: Description: (This Wooden Fish has been struck by monks during years of chanting and prayer. It has been consecrated. Unfortunately, it is damaged, but it seems to have been infused with some Exotic Power)."

In this world, ancient objects or those long influenced by spiritual energy would attract the infusion of Exotic Power from heaven and earth.

The only difference was the amount of Exotic Power.

Chu Ge had acquired many old items or objects with spiritual energy over the past few years, collecting Exotic Power to cultivate or to power the Shadow Puppets.

Exotic Power was a form of celestial energy that could only be accessed by experts in the Force Condensation Realm, a level beyond the four realms of Martial Arts, and it possessed infinite uses.

Injecting it into the body for cultivation was equivalent to a Force Condensation Realm expert tirelessly pouring their own power into him to enhance his Qi and Blood.

Infusing it into specially crafted Shadow Puppets would make them lifelike.

At this moment, he chose to sacrifice the Wooden Fish.

Instantly, the Wooden Fish was enveloped by the golden light from the bell, much like a spirit fish, and was being refined.

Outside the golden light, wisps of strange energy flowed and moved. These were the Exotic Powers he had accumulated, numbering over one hundred and fifty strands.

"Over one hundred and fifty strands of Exotic Power should be enough to help me advance my Qi and Blood, break through the Bone Tempering stage, and enter the final phase of Bone Tempering, refining my brain bone."

Chu Ge mused, taking out the sole surviving copy of the fourth volume of the Tiger Crouching Technique from his embrace, deep in thought.

Once the breakthrough to the Blood Change Realm failed, it could lead to a significant decline in Qi and Blood, or even a stroke or sudden death.

However, he was now fully prepared.

Among the four realms of Martial Arts, the first two, Skin Refining and Muscle Training, only required following different martial arts, practicing punches, kicks, and stances to strengthen Qi and Blood, as well as the skin, muscles, and bones, thereby completing the martial arts cultivation and increasing strength.

In the third realm, Bone Tempering, one needed to cooperate with a cultivation method to circulate Qi and Blood within the body to generate 'Qi'.

Only by combining this Qi with Qi and Blood could bones be meticulously tempered, and strength be channeled into the bone marrow and even all the cells of the body, thus increasing strength.

Once the entire body's bones were tempered, this Qi would have also grown stronger, leading to surging Qi and Blood throughout the body, allowing Qi energy to leave the body to injure others or protect oneself.

At this moment, Chu Ge's mind had reached a state of profound tranquility.

Through 'inner clarity' observation with his mind's eye, his internal physical condition became increasingly clear, like glowing circuits in the darkness.

Each muscle was slender yet tightly knit, brimming with resilience and potent strength. Waves of Qi and Blood surged within his body, and upon reaching the Yuzhen Acupoint at the nape of his neck, the Qi and Blood seemed to encounter an obstruction.

"To break through the Qi and Blood passage, I only need to open the Yuzhen Acupoint, reach the head, and temper the skull. Then, Qi and Blood can flow downwards naturally, forming a great circulation of Qi and Blood, cleansing the limbs and bones, nourishing the internal organs, and entering the Blood Change Realm."

Chu Ge contemplated, then opened his eyes and began to study the fourth volume of the Tiger Crouching Technique.

All authentic martial arts cultivation methods come with visualization diagrams to aid in practice.

These visualization diagrams are the essence of the techniques, difficult to replicate with mere brushstrokes. They are created by individuals who have mastered the techniques to perfection, pouring their essence, energy, and spirit into them, and can only be understood intuitively, not explained verbally.

Therefore, merely obtaining the core principles or incantations of the Tiger Crouching Technique would not allow one to cultivate it to its highest realm.

As Chu Ge concentrated on comprehending the text.

Soon, an image of a fierce tiger lying on a mountain ridge appeared in his mind.

The tiger had a large, round face, wide-open eyes, and its body was covered in alternating brown-yellow and black stripes. Its breathing was deep and suppressed.

It suddenly opened its basin-sized mouth, yawned, revealing a blood-red tongue, licked its dagger-like teeth, twitched its needle-like whiskers, shook its body, and suddenly stood up, letting out a roar that shook the mountain ridge like a thunderclap on a clear day.

"ROAR!!"

It was as if a bolt of lightning flashed through Chu Ge's mind. The Qi and Blood power throughout his body rapidly boiled, transforming into a fierce tiger roaring within him, charging directly towards the Yuzhen Acupoint.

Instantly, his face turned red, his hair stood on end without any wind, and even his opened eyes were filled with blood vessels, a truly astonishing sight.

The Yuzhen Acupoint was abruptly opened, and the boiling Qi and Blood power surged directly into his skull, but it only managed to penetrate halfway before showing signs of weakening.

At this moment, the Dragon Bell tattoo on Chu Ge's wrist flickered.

Over a hundred strands of Exotic Power, distinct from the Qi and Blood, appeared and permeated his skin, flesh, and limbs.

His entire body's muscles and bones emitted a faint golden light, rapidly converging towards his head, providing assistance during the breakthrough.

On the second floor of the Baolin Pavilion, the shopkeeper of Baolin Pavilion politely escorted Steward Fu to the staircase with a smile.

Steward Fu clasped his hands in a bow and said.

"Shopkeeper Lin, please trouble yourself with those old items my young master requested. Things have been rather unsettled lately. If you acquire anything, you can send it directly to the manor. The price is negotiable."

The round-faced shopkeeper replied with a genial smile, "Certainly, certainly. Young Master Chu's advance payment of one thousand taels for procurement has not yet been fully used. If I acquire any items, I will naturally send them to you immediately."

"A deposit of one thousand taels... This Young Master Chu is truly wealthy."

In the lobby on the first floor below the stairs, a guest who was pretending to admire the goods by the staircase overheard the conversation with their Eavesdropping Divine Skill, their eyes narrowing.

"I originally came to scout out Baolin Pavilion, but I didn't expect to catch a big fish. Killing two birds with one stone..."

A thousand taels of silver, if thrown out, would get a hundred men willing to die for it.

Nothing else, the Great Zhou Kingdom was in decline by this point.

The 'Dragon-Slaying Hero' who once annihilated the Yun Kingdom, Emperor Wu of Zhou, seemed to have grown increasingly lax in recent years. His foolish decisions were endless: setting up wine pools and meat forests within the palace, building temporary palaces everywhere for his pleasure. Not only was it a drain on resources and manpower, but when facing harassment and invasion from enemy nations, he relied entirely on conscripting laborers to fill the gaps on the front lines. Conscription happened almost every two years.

Many young and strong men either chose to enlist or pay ten taels of silver to be exempted from corvée labor.

These ten taels of silver were not easy for the vast majority of ordinary families to come up with. It was enough to buy ten piculs of rice, which could last a whole year.

This young master Chu, who was willing to spend a thousand taels of silver on some strange and antique trinkets, truly had an extraordinary fortune.

"It's good that he has money. It meets the Cult's requirements. This Baolin Pavilion is conspicuous, and they've hired many martial artists. However, this Chu family... I can check them out first."

After casually purchasing an item, the guest on the first floor silently followed Steward Fu and left.