Hearing Su Xian's words, Liu Xuan, head of the Liu Family, fell silent.
The Liu Family had been in Blackwater County for many years, and they owned many shops.
If he left just like that, he would truly be reluctant to part with them.
Besides, with the Tiger Demon gone, they should have enough time to sell off their local businesses,
then use the money to gather their guards and leave. That would be much safer.
Looking at the reluctance on Liu Xuan's face and the expressions of the surrounding Liu Family members,
Su Xian immediately understood their decision and shook his head.
If you hesitate when it's time to act, you'll only invite trouble. In this world, staying alive was what mattered most.
It seemed the Liu Family head didn't dare to take a gamble after all.
After all, if they left tonight, they could only take a small portion of their wealth.
They would have to settle in another county, where they knew no one,
and start over from scratch. Everything would be unknown.
The risk was too great!
"In that case, I'll be going."
"If you truly can't hold out, hand that Fierce Tiger Descending Mountain Map over to the Black Tiger Gang leader."
Su Xian turned and leaped away several times, vanishing from sight.
Before leaving, Su Xian had given the Liu Family a word of advice.
After all, compared to a map they couldn't make heads or tails of, the lives of their entire family were far more important!
Su Xian estimated that if the Liu Family didn't leave tonight, they wouldn't be able to get out of Blackwater County later.
He had killed the Tiger Demon, and he didn't know whether the Black Tiger Gang leader would be angry.
After all, the Tiger Demon seemed quite talented. It might even have been a prodigy of the Demon Race in Green Dragon Mountain, yet it had died in Blackwater County.
The Black Tiger Gang leader had been working with the Demon Race in Green Dragon Mountain. The Tiger Demon's death would probably be laid at his door.
When that happened, Su Xian couldn't say whether the Black Tiger Gang leader would still have the time to squabble with a small family like the Liu Family.
After making a circuit around Blackwater County, Su Xian returned home.
Looking at the 3,500 taels in silver notes in his arms, he nodded with satisfaction.
This much silver was more than enough for him to get that Fourth-grade Martial Skill for body tempering!
And he might even come away with something else!
Su Xian looked at the precious saber in his hand and shook his head. The blade was good, but it stood out too much and was easy to recognize.
It seemed he would have to find an ordinary saber tomorrow to use as a disguise.
Seeing the 597 years of Demon Lifespan in the Demon Strategy, Su Xian couldn't help smiling.
Tonight's haul had been excellent. The Tiger Demon had had a full 168 years of Remaining Lifespan!
"With all these years of lifespan left, should I push those martial skills to Fourth Grade?"
Su Xian gazed at the 597 years of Demon Lifespan and fell into thought.
At present, his martial skill repertoire was fairly comprehensive, but everything was only Third Grade.
Even though Su Xian had pushed them all to perfection,
now that he was a Fourth-grade Bone Tempering Realm martial artist, they were barely enough.
After thinking it over, Su Xian shook his head and put the idea aside.
Based on what he had learned from studying the Demon Strategy during this time, after a martial skill reached perfection,
if he could integrate the essence of other martial skills into it, it could undergo an even greater transformation.
Just as he had once perfected Wind and Cloud Six Turns,
then integrated the essence of the Tiger Subduing Demon Saber Technique into it, elevating it into Gale Six Slashes!
At present, if he wanted to push Gale Six Slashes to Fourth Grade,
Su Xian estimated that he would need other Third-grade saber techniques as ingredients!
At that thought, Su Xian quickly changed into another set of clothes,
put on a new mask, and prepared to visit the Black Market to hunt for a few Third-grade martial skills. If he found a Fourth-grade one, even better.
Before long, Su Xian appeared outside the Black Market in Blackwater County.
After entering, Su Xian went straight to the familiar stallholder's usual spot,
but there was no one there now.
"Didn't he come, or did he leave?" Su Xian wondered, looking at the empty stall.
Shaking his head, Su Xian began wandering around the Black Market.
Before long, he found a Third-grade saber technique called Flowing Fire Demon Severing Art,
which suited his current needs perfectly.
As for other martial skills, even after searching the entire Black Market in Blackwater County, Su Xian couldn't find any that met his requirements.
The martial skills these people had put out for sale were Third Grade at best, and most of those were quite weak even by Third-grade standards.
After spending 600 taels of silver to buy Flowing Fire Demon Severing Art, Su Xian entered it into the panel.
He planned to go home and see whether he could integrate its essence into Gale Six Slashes.
Back at home, Su Xian poured Demon Lifespan into Flowing Fire Demon Severing Art.
[First year: Since you have already perfected the Third-grade Gale Six Slashes, you quickly master the basics of Flowing Fire Demon Severing Art.]
[Fourth year: Relying on the foundation you laid before, you train Flowing Fire Demon Severing Art to great mastery!]
[Sixth year: You perfect Flowing Fire Demon Severing Art! As your saber technique sweeps through the air, flames flow! Its power is boundless!]
[Eighth year: You refine the essence of Flowing Fire Demon Severing Art into Gale Six Slashes! Your Gale Six Slashes undergoes a transformation, becoming the Fourth-grade Flowing Fire Burning Wind Seven Slashes Technique!]
Su Xian stopped pouring Demon Lifespan into the technique.
In the next instant, he completely absorbed the many insights of Flowing Fire Burning Wind Seven Slashes Technique.
"Eight years, and I perfected Flowing Fire Demon Severing Art, then integrated it into Gale Six Slashes and elevated it into a Fourth-grade Martial Skill!"
Looking at the record, Su Xian couldn't help sighing to himself.
It seemed his talent for martial skills really was excellent. He had grasped a Fourth-grade Martial Skill in just eight years.
According to what he had learned so far,
even a Bone Tempering Realm martial artist would need decades to train a Fourth-grade Martial Skill to great mastery.
Perfecting it would take even longer.
Yet he had spent only eight years,
and directly fused Gale Six Slashes with Flowing Fire Demon Severing Art, transforming and elevating them into the Fourth-grade Flowing Fire Burning Wind Seven Slashes Technique!
Su Xian examined the Fourth-grade Flowing Fire Burning Wind Seven Slashes Technique.
Combining Flowing Fire Demon Severing Art with Gale Six Slashes had made this technique even more powerful,
and it had gained an additional move!
Holding his precious saber, Su Xian circulated his qi and blood. A red glow appeared along the blade, like flowing fire.
The temperature around him rose. He swung the saber in a light slash, and burning winds erupted, scorching the air until it warped.
"Not bad! It's definitely much stronger than Gale Six Slashes was!"
Feeling the power of this new Fourth-grade Martial Skill, Su Xian nodded with a smile.
This technique could finally bring out the full strength of his Bone Tempering Realm!
If he encountered that Tiger Demon again, Su Xian could deal with it much more easily.
"Perhaps I should improve a few more martial skills!"
A thought struck Su Xian. In eight years, he had transformed Wind and Cloud Six Turns into Flowing Fire Burning Wind Seven Slashes Technique.
And he still had 589 years of Demon Lifespan left—more than enough to raise all his other martial skills to Fourth Grade!
Su Xian opened the Demon Strategy and poured Demon Lifespan into Cloud Chasing Steps.
After spending 15 years of Demon Lifespan,
Su Xian successfully fused Nine Revolutions Spirit Fox with Cloud Chasing Steps, transforming them into a Fourth-grade Martial Skill:
Nine Revolutions Illusory Cloud Steps!
Before you continue