Instructor Yang wielded his weapon and charged at the bandits in the rear.
Meanwhile, after witnessing the Scarred Twin Heroes being slain in the flash of a spark, the bandits in the back lost their composure, dropped their weapons one after another, and fled in a panic.
Yet Instructor Yang was, after all, a Tendon Refining Realm martial artist, so dealing with these fleeing martial artists remained a simple matter.
Furthermore, though the martial artists hired by the wealthy merchant possessed mediocre strength at best, under Instructor Yang's leadership they easily managed to cut down the group of armor-abandoning, fleeing bandits.
Before long, Instructor Yang had thoroughly slaughtered all the fleeing bandits.
Cutting a piece of cloth from a dead body, Instructor Yang used it to wipe the blood clean from his weapon.
Approaching Su Xian, a trace of shock written across his gaze, he bowed and said,
"Senior, it has been resolved."
"Senior, this is five thousand liang of silver!"
At that moment, the wealthy merchant stepped over to Su Xian, produced a large stack of silver notes, and handed them to Su Xian.
"This is a fourth-grade martial skill passed down in my family, named the Thunderous Star Shattering Fist!"
"These are its duplicate and original manuscripts; Senior may examine them."
"Once you confirm everything is in order, you can simply return the original to me."
The wealthy merchant adopted a very humble posture, for he understood that the person before him was an existence he could not afford to provoke.
Most likely, a Bone Tempering Realm powerhouse!
Faced with such a powerhouse, one had to show sufficient respect!
Su Xian nodded slightly, accepted the silver notes, and then picked up the original manuscript to flip through it.
Before long, he had recorded the Thunderous Star Shattering Fist into the Demon Strategy!
This Thunderous Star Shattering Fist bore quite a grand-sounding name, but as for its might, one could only say it was passable among fourth-grade martial skills.
It was somewhat weaker than the Flowing Fire Burning Wind Seven Slashes Technique that Su Xian had comprehended, though not by much.
The Thunderous Star Shattering Fist centered on attacking the opponent with extreme speed, where ultimate speed brought forth ultimate power.
Legend had it that a single punch thrown resembled a flash of lightning, leaving ordinary people utterly unable to react.
"Alright, not bad!" Su Xian felt quite satisfied as well, and tossed the original manuscript back to the wealthy merchant.
"My lord! Then shall we set off now?"
Having caught the original manual and tucked it away carefully, the wealthy merchant asked Su Xian with utmost caution.
Though he was the nominal master of this escort journey, he knew full well that the person before him could take his life at any moment.
"Very well, let us set off."
Su Xian glanced at them twice, nodded, and returned to the fifth carriage.
Along the way, the countless martial artists hired by the wealthy merchant concealed frantic shock within the gazes they cast at Su Xian.
The Scarred Twin Heroes possessed immense renown around Blackwater County, yet these two powerhouses had failed to last even three exchanges against the man before him. Just how terrifying was that?
The numerous martial artists all swallowed hard. Had this Su Fan not made a move, their entire party would undoubtedly have been doomed!
"Big Brother Su, I never imagined you could be so strong!"
Atop the fifth carriage, Deng Lin stared at Su Xian before him, brimming with excitement!
Although he knew Big Brother Su possessed formidable strength, he never expected him to dispatch the Scarred Twin Heroes with such utter ease!
One had to bear in mind that even Bone Tempering Realm martial artists could find themselves hard-pressed to escape from those two alive.
Did this not imply that Big Brother Su's strength even surpassed that of a Bone Tempering Realm powerhouse?
"Mm."
With a calm expression and a slight nod, Su Xian sat upon the fifth carriage, preparing to pour Demon Lifespan into the newly acquired Thunderous Star Shattering Fist!
"Set off!"
With Su Xian's consent, the wealthy merchant first retrieved the attendant from the hands of the older of the Scarred Twin Heroes.
Following that, Instructor Yang dispatched men to loot the corpses of the numerous bandits.
Only then did they resume their journey toward Lingyun County.
Seated atop the fifth carriage, Su Xian sank his mind deep into the Demon Strategy.
[In the first year, you practiced the Thunderous Star Shattering Fist unceasingly, and finally brought it to the entry level.] [In the fifth year, relying on the fist-technique foundation you had previously established, you advanced the Thunderous Star Shattering Fist to the minor accomplishment realm.] [In the ninth year, practicing diligently with nine hours of fist training every day, you finally advanced the Thunderous Star Shattering Fist to the major accomplishment realm!] [In the seventeenth year, still continuing your relentless fist training, you finally advanced the Thunderous Star Shattering Fist to perfection in this very year! When striking, it resembled flashing lightning, becoming too fast to react to!] [In the eighteenth year, you integrated the profound meanings of the Blazing Sun Tiger Subduing Fist into the Thunderous Star Shattering Fist; although merely a second-grade martial skill, you gained notable insights. The Thunderous Star Shattering Fist transformed into the Explosive Thunder Blazing Sun Fist! Its might rose slightly!]
Following the investment of eighteen years of Demon Lifespan, Su Xian instantly elevated the Thunderous Star Shattering Fist to the realm of perfection.
He blended the profound meanings of his previous Blazing Sun Tiger Subduing Fist into it, merging the two into one and refining them into the Explosive Thunder Blazing Sun Fist.
This fist technique combined the profound meanings of both fist styles!
Not only did every strike carry the power of lightning capable of paralyzing an opponent, but the contained blazing sun energy could also inflict severe damage upon enemies.
With the forces of lightning and blazing sun combined, this fist technique's lethality against the Demon Race saw a massive enhancement!
Su Xian closed his eyes, absorbing all the various profound meanings of the Explosive Thunder Blazing Sun Fist within his mind.
Eighteen years of arduous practice felt as though he had truly experienced it himself, imbuing every casual movement with profound martial principles.
As he lightly swung his right fist, a white flash of lightning flickered and vanished.
"Mm! Not bad!"
Witnessing this scene, Su Xian nodded slightly. From this moment onward, even in close-quarters combat, he possessed sufficient means.
Gazing at that fleeting flash of electric light, Deng Lin beside him swallowed hard.
From that instantaneous bolt of lightning, he sensed the threat of death.
"Big Brother Su's strength is truly terrifying! Even this gentle punch made me feel the threat of death!"
Deng Lin stared at Su Xian beside him, a bead of cold sweat trickling down his forehead.
Anyone sitting next to a powerhouse capable of taking their life at any second would find themselves breaking out in cold sweat.
"It feels as though the profound meanings within this Explosive Thunder Blazing Sun Fist can even be integrated into my Flowing Fire Burning Wind Seven Slashes Technique!"
"The extreme speed of the explosive thunder might just be able to heighten the might of my blade technique!"
Su Xian pondered this, and under the infusion of thirty-six years of Demon Lifespan, a brand-new blade martial skill was forged!
Fourth-grade martial skill: Lightning Flowing Fire Slash!
It fused the Flowing Fire Burning Wind Seven Slashes Technique Su Xian had learned with the profound meanings of the Explosive Thunder Blazing Sun Fist!
The Lightning Flowing Fire Slash divided into four basic stances: Wind, Fire, Thunder, and Sun.
These four basic stances could further be combined at will, morphing into numerous variations.
The ultimate technique involved uniting all four stances into one, unleashing boundless might!
Su Xian estimated that even if an initial Viscera Nourishing Realm powerhouse appeared, they would still have to temporarily avoid the sharp edge of this four-in-one might!
"It seems I truly possess exceptional talent in martial skills!" Su Xian felt a surge of quiet joy in his heart!
In a mere thirty-six years, he had fused two fourth-grade martial skills and created the Lightning Flowing Fire Slash, a technique formidable enough to rival the Viscera Nourishing Realm!
If this did not make him a genius, what did?
In the hands of an ordinary person, such an achievement would likely remain out of reach for a lifetime!
"Exhilarating!"
Su Xian exhaled a breath of stale air, a smile gracing his face.
Next came staying in Lingyun County for a few days, acquiring that fourth-grade body-tempering martial skill, cultivating it to perfection, and finally raising his cultivation to the peak Bone Tempering Realm!
After that, he could search for a cultivation method and martial skill sufficient to allow him to break through to the Viscera Nourishing Realm!
With no bandits blocking the path, the journey of Su Xian and his party proceeded at a swift pace.
Before long, they arrived at the entrance of Lingyun County.
Before you continue