Qi Yuan Grass

Yi Jin Jing: Level 1, 730; Saint-grade passive skill. Although it isn't a God-grade cultivation technique, it's quite special. It includes another technique created by Old Ancestor Bodhidharma, the Marrow Cleansing Scripture, and therefore possesses the powerful ability to strengthen the body and cleanse the marrow. Its current level is 1, and it can increase the player's Inner Qi Points to three times their original amount. (Level 1 Yi Jin Jing restores 1 Inner Qi Point per minute.)

Although his proficiency had already reached 73 points, he wasn't far from the 100 points required to level up.

But according to Qin Shaofeng's estimate, without another three to five days of work, Yi Jin Jing probably wouldn't level up.

Qin Shaofeng was also somewhat puzzled by how Yi Jin Jing's proficiency increased. The only thing he could be sure of was that once his Inner Qi Points were completely depleted, Yi Jin Jing's proficiency would definitely increase by 1 point.

That was the clearest pattern Qin Shaofeng had discovered so far.

Still, Qin Shaofeng didn't dwell on it. Compared to other people, his Inner Qi Points were three times the usual amount, so he was already a little satisfied.

After finishing the rabbit meat and eating his fill, Qin Shaofeng began to rest.

He needed to get a good rest for tomorrow.

Of course, Qin Shaofeng wouldn't let his guard down just because of that. The Black Horn Mountain Range was dangerous everywhere, and true relaxation was beyond him.

The night was as dark as ink. The forest should have been quieter at night, in theory, but that wasn't the case in the Black Horn Mountain Range.

The Black Horn Mountain Range was just as lively at night. Some demonic beasts roamed after dark; in fact, the mountains were arguably at their most dangerous then.

Not far from Qin Shaofeng's cave, beneath a thicket of shrubs—

Thud! Thud!

Suddenly, two dark figures fell from a large tree. They hit the ground with two dull thumps.

Only after they landed did it become clear that the two dark figures were corpses!

"Are these the last two?"

A cold voice suddenly sounded from the previously silent thicket. Then another dark figure appeared.

The figure was dressed all in black and gave off not the slightest trace of aura. He seemed to blend completely into the night. Had he not appeared of his own accord, he would have been almost impossible to spot.

With a flash, another figure dropped from the tree. He was a somewhat gaunt, middle-aged man.

The gaunt man went straight to the black-clad figure, knelt on one knee, and reported, "Reporting to the captain: everyone in this area who intended to harm the young master has been killed. However, I discovered that they weren't the only ones who came. There should be others as well."

"There are others?" The black-clad figure spoke softly, then asked, "Do you know which faction they belong to? It shouldn't be the Zhang Family, should it?"

"That's right," the gaunt man replied. "These people aren't from the Zhang Family. They should be from the Black Hand Gang!"

"The Black Hand Gang?"

The black-clad figure, who had remained calm until then, finally showed a hint of agitation in his voice.

After thinking for a moment, the black-clad figure gave an order. "Pass down my command. Everyone needs to be careful. If it's the Black Hand Gang, then that man will probably show up too."

That man?

The gaunt man's heart jolted. It seemed something had suddenly occurred to him, and his expression changed. But in the end, he still answered,

"Understood!"

With that, the gaunt man immediately left, his figure disappearing into the vast darkness of night.

"I was careless!"

After a long while, the black-clad figure suddenly sighed. "I should have figured this out sooner. Zhang Chongshan wouldn't dare lay a hand on the young master, but the Black Hand Gang..."

His voice fell silent, but a moment later, the black-clad figure spoke again in a low voice.

Though he was only murmuring to himself, his tone was utterly resolute.

"Hmph. Even if the Black Hand Gang has come, my Dark Guards are no weaker, and I, Qin An, have nothing to fear from the Black Hand Butcher!"

Qin An?

The Dark Guards?

Naturally, the people who had appeared here were from the Qin Family, and they were no ordinary members of the family.

The Dark Guards were the strongest force in Old Master Qin's hands. As for Qin An, he was a master at the Xiantian Martial Master level.

Old Master Qin had said that Qin Shaofeng should set out on his own and gain experience for the Lianyang Academy admissions assessment. That didn't mean he truly wouldn't send anyone to protect Qin Shaofeng in secret.

Not only had Old Master Qin sent people to protect Qin Shaofeng, he had even dispatched Qin An, the Dark Guards' captain and the man he trusted most.

That showed just how deeply the old master cared about Qin Shaofeng's safety.

But now Qin An was in trouble.

The Black Hand Gang!

A notorious organization in the Lanjiang City region. Its members were wicked criminals who killed, robbed, raped, and pillaged, committing every evil imaginable.

Wu A'da and Wu A'er, the two men Zhang Lingtian had hired to deal with Qin Shaofeng, were members of the Black Hand Gang.

And they were no ordinary members, either. They were disciples of Wu Sancai, the Black Hand Gang's leader.

As for Wu Sancai, not many people knew that name.

But mention his other name, and there was probably no one in the Lanjiang City region who hadn't heard of him.

Wu Sancai was the master of Wu A'da and Wu A'er. He was known as the Black Hand Butcher and cultivated a Black Poison Palm technique. His hands had become like black, deadly poison. Not only had he reached the Xiantian Martial Master level, but his pair of Black Poison Hands were also vicious beyond compare.

His title, Black Hand Butcher, said it all about the kind of man he was.

Just as his name suggested, Wu Sancai, the Black Hand Butcher, killed without batting an eye. Since he first made his name, he had probably killed tens of thousands of people. He had long been a blight on the Lanjiang City region.

Previously, the City Lord of Lanjiang City and several nearby cities had joined forces and repeatedly tried to destroy the Black Hand Gang and kill Wu Sancai.

But every attempt had failed.

And each failure had come at a heavy cost.

As a result, Wu Sancai's name as the Black Hand Butcher had become increasingly well known—and feared.

Because of the recommendation quota, Zhang Chongshan hadn't dared make a move against Qin Shaofeng.

But after Wu A'da and Wu A'er went missing, Zhang Chongshan became convinced that Old Master Qin had been behind it. Now, when he thought of their master, Wu Sancai, he decided to kill two birds with one stone by using someone else to do the dirty work.

To that end, he had even paid a price high enough to tempt Wu Sancai.

Wu Sancai knew nothing of the power of Lianyang Academy's recommendation quota. With his disciples dead and Zhang Chongshan offering him a huge sum, he had brought his men from the Black Hand Gang to the Black Horn Mountain Range to assassinate Qin Shaofeng.

Although Old Master Qin's reputation preceded him, Wu Sancai knew he was no match for the old master.

But he had already decided that once he finished this job, he would leave the region and use the money Zhang Chongshan had given him to start over somewhere else.

What Wu Sancai hadn't expected was that Qin Shaofeng would be protected by the Dark Guards—and, most importantly, that Qin An himself would appear.

But giving up was clearly not in Wu Sancai's nature!

A great battle erupted in the forest beneath the night sky!

The next day, Qin Shaofeng got up as soon as the sky began to grow faintly bright.

After a night of rest, he was full of energy.

At that moment, he naturally had no idea that because of him, a fierce battle had broken out somewhere in the Black Horn Mountain Range the previous night.

And it seemed that battle still wasn't over!

But for now, Qin Shaofeng knew nothing about it.

After picking some wild fruit and eating a few pieces of roasted meat, Qin Shaofeng began his plan for the day.

His goal today was to reach Houtian Fourth Level!

Going from Houtian Third Level to Houtian Fourth Level required 3,000 experience points. With Qin Shaofeng's current title experience bonus, if he didn't kill monsters above his level, he would probably have to kill over a thousand demonic beasts.

That would be far too troublesome.

So Qin Shaofeng decided to hunt only intermediate-level four demonic beasts or those above that level today.

Thanks to his title, killing an intermediate-level three demonic beast now earned Qin Shaofeng 2 experience points, thanks to the system's generosity. On that basis, killing an intermediate-level four demonic beast above his level could earn him 8 experience points.

Killing an intermediate-level five demonic beast would earn him as many as 15 experience points.

At that rate, it wouldn't take long to rack up 3,000 experience points!

One level a day—that was absolutely doable!

Qin Shaofeng clenched his fists, his heart brimming with resolve.

Then he entered the territory of a group of intermediate-level four demonic beasts...

"Damn it! That old geezer actually sent Qin An and his Dark Guards to protect that little bastard. This is infuriating!"

In a certain patch of forest in the Black Horn Mountain Range, a man dressed in black robes was cursing furiously.

His aura was cold and sinister, and his voice was just as eerie. It was as if a shroud of death hung over him, causing the people beside him to instinctively keep their distance.

Needless to say, this black-robed man was Wu Sancai, the Black Hand Butcher.

In Wu Sancai's eyes, killing a mere Qin Shaofeng would have been as easy as reaching out for something. Even if the Qin Family's Dark Guards were secretly protecting him, that would only have made the job a little more troublesome.

But Qin An's appearance had caught Wu Sancai off guard.

Wu Sancai had never imagined that Qin An, Old Master Qin's most capable aide, would personally come to protect Qin Shaofeng.

"I miscalculated!"

A sigh came from beneath the black robe, but it soon turned into an eerie snicker.

"Ke ke! Old man Qin, don't tell me you think that just because you have Qin An, your little bastard of a precious grandson will be safe and sound? Is that even possible? I, the Black Hand Butcher, am no empty title! Just wait and regret it! Ke ke..."

With a strange laugh, a pale, sinister face suddenly appeared beneath the black robe.

And a pair of venomous eyes, like those of a poisonous snake!

The Black Hand Gang members around Wu Sancai couldn't help shivering. Their bodies involuntarily edged even farther away from him.

"System notification: Congratulations, the player has reached the experience requirement. Player Qin Shaofeng's level has increased to Houtian Fourth Level!"

"Hahaha! I leveled up again!"

At the sound of the system notification, Qin Shaofeng burst into laughter.

It was completely unexpected. He hadn't seen this coming at all.

It was only afternoon, and there were still one or two hours until nightfall.

The day wasn't even over, yet Qin Shaofeng had already leveled up.

He had already surpassed his goal.

It was all thanks to the God-grade skill Little Li Flying Dagger.

Although activating Little Li Flying Dagger consumed at least 100 Inner Qi Points, when facing intermediate-level four demonic beasts—and with Fiery Golden Eyes revealing their weaknesses, along with his own ability to perceive them—Qin Shaofeng could practically kill them in a single blow.

Of course, the main reason was that Qin Shaofeng had accidentally discovered a kind of medicinal herb.

Low-grade Qi Yuan Grass: Mortal-grade one-star medicinal herb. Can be used to make Qi Replenishing Pills. Direct consumption restores 10 Inner Qi Points.