Town Mountain Skill

The two small panels updated.

[Realm: Mortal Martial Mastery (625/1000)]

[Broken Fist Stance Training: Mastery (625/1000)]

[Effects: Physique +15, Resistance to Blows +15, Bonus Damage +15, Critical Hit +2]

His progress points had been at 525. After killing a whole group of people, they'd shot up by 100, making Cui Hao breathe a little harder.

Even more exciting was his Stealth skill. Now, standing in the courtyard's shadows, his figure seemed to blend into the darkness, and even his breathing was barely audible.

That feeling of being right at home, like a fish in water, marked Stealth's arrival at the mastery stage.

[Stealth: Mastery (1/1000)]

[Effects: Scent -15, Light as a Swallow +15, Shadow Use +15]

Compared to the proficient stage, all three effects had increased by five. He'd have an even better shot at pulling off "bad deeds" next time.

"Brother Hao..." Su Yun came into the house and immediately asked with concern, "Are you hurt?"

"No." Cui Hao shook his head, then carefully reminded her, "Lingdang will come back by herself in a bit. She doesn't know I was the one who saved her, so don't tell her. Some Wusheng Sect members died. Someone might investigate."

"I understand. I won't say a thing."

A little over two quarters of an hour later, Lingdang staggered back, stumbling and swaying. When she saw Brother Cui and Su Yun waiting outside the courtyard, she burst into tears.

Su Yun hurried forward and caught Lingdang. "Where have you been?"

Lingdang was blubbering through her tears. "I was..."

"Let's go inside," Su Yun cut her off. "It's not safe out here."

They went into the courtyard, latched the wooden gate, and entered the house, where Lingdang recounted what had happened.

After hearing her out, Cui Hao felt relieved.

Lingdang's mind was in a haze. She only knew that people had died and that she'd escaped with a group of others. She knew nothing else.

Once he was sure Lingdang wouldn't cause any trouble, Cui Hao spent the latter half of the night quietly tallying his gains alone in the kitchen.

One three-foot-long saber, over forty-five taels of silver, more than seven hundred copper coins, ten packets of Qi and Blood Powder, and six Qi and Blood Pills.

Last was a brown animal-hide scroll. He unfolded it and saw the words: Town Mountain Skill.

"Internal cultivation, as weighty as a mountain; peerless defense. Move like the Black Tortoise, stand firm as Mount Tai."

"Mountain" referred to the five internal organs. This was an internal cultivation method, but it only contained the first three stages.

"Not bad!" Cui Hao was pleased with Town Mountain Skill. With his Physique boost, he was already quite resistant to blows. Now that he had an internal cultivation method, he'd become even tougher and harder to kill.

He immediately sat cross-legged and began cultivating according to the method described on the animal-hide scroll.

He closed his eyes and focused his mind. His breathing gradually grew long and strange: when he inhaled, his chest and abdomen sank inward; when he exhaled, a low hum sounded in his throat, like the Black Tortoise's deep rumble.

A stream of scorching inner breath rose from his dantian and wound upward along his spine, slow and powerful, like the Black Tortoise climbing a pillar.

A new panel appeared.

[Town Mountain Skill (Incomplete): Not Yet Initiated (1/100)]

Though he'd only just begun to grasp the method, Cui Hao could feel how extraordinary it was. It tempered the five internal organs—this was true internal cultivation!

Before he knew it, dawn had arrived. Cui Hao didn't feel tired at all; in fact, he was in great shape.

Worried that someone might come after him over last night's granary incident, Cui Hao stayed home after breakfast. At noon, he went into the city to the martial arts school.

"Brother Hao..." Lin Da wiped away his sweat when he saw Cui Hao. "Master said to see him in the training room when you arrived."

Cui Hao passed through the moon gate and had just stepped into the inner courtyard when a strong, pungent medicinal smell hit him.

He walked up to the training room and cupped his hands toward the closed door. "Master."

"Come in."

Xu Dian's voice came from inside.

Cui Hao answered and pushed the door open. The training room was equipped with all kinds of gear: sandbags, weapon racks, and more.

Xu Dian wore a white training outfit and was wiping the sweat from his brow with a towel.

"Not bad. You entered the preliminary examination for the first time and still managed to place. Your stance training must have reached mastery, right?"

"Master sees clearly." Cui Hao cupped his fists in salute. "This disciple's stance training has indeed reached mastery."

"Not bad."

Xu Dian nodded with satisfaction.

Though the disciple before him had somewhat mediocre natural talent, his comprehension was far beyond that of ordinary people.

Then Xu Dian checked Cui Hao's progress in Mortal Martial tempering.

He seemed satisfied with the results. Turning, he took a dark-colored animal-hide scroll from a wooden cabinet nearby and handed it over. "Keep this safe. Come to me anytime if there's something you don't understand."

"What is this...?" Cui Hao accepted it with both hands. It felt somewhat heavy.

"The Fundamental Diagram of Force for the Broken Fist," Xu Dian said slowly. "It details the fundamentals of how the Broken Fist's force circulates and changes, as well as a unique method for tempering your qi and blood."

Cui Hao's heart stirred at the words. He instantly understood the importance of the Fundamental Diagram of Force.

This must be Xu Dian's most closely guarded treasure!

Just then, Sun Cheng walked in. "Master, Doctor Kang is here."

"You can go back for now." Xu Dian waved Cui Hao off. "Study this Fundamental Diagram of Force carefully. The sooner you enter Bright Force, the better your odds of breaking through to Dark Force."

Cui Hao cupped his hands and took his leave.

He stayed at the martial arts school for only an hour, then left early that afternoon and headed to Xuanhu Hall.

Using the thirty taels of silver awarded by the authorities, he bought a heavy brass medicine furnace with a firebox and multiple compartments.

He also bought several packets of medicinal ingredients, each carefully wrapped in oil paper.

When he got back to the village, he laid out the furnace and ingredients one by one in the courtyard.

There weren't many ingredients, but each had its purpose.

Principal ingredient: Blood Essence Grass.

Its color was like coagulated blood, and its leaves were thick and warm to the touch. Its medicinal properties were potent, greatly replenishing qi and blood. It was the source of qi and blood in the formula, like a blazing fire; taken alone, it could easily harm the body.

Supporting ingredient: mountain ginseng.

Its roots were distinct, and it had taken on the shape of a human figure. It was clearly of considerable age. Mild in nature, it replenished qi and strengthened the body's foundation. It could carry qi and blood through the limbs and all the bones, helping Blood Essence Grass's fierce medicinal power disperse and circulate instead of stagnating.

Auxiliary ingredient: dried Dewdrop Flower.

Its petals were slightly curled and pale purple, with a clear, cool fragrance. Cool in nature, it calmed the mind and soothed the spirit. Its purpose was to counteract Blood Essence Grass's hot, toxic properties and keep martial artists from becoming restless and losing control of their qi and blood after taking it.

Auxiliary ingredient: sliced Poria.

White in color and hard in texture. Neutral in nature, it strengthened the spleen and dispelled dampness, helping guide away the turbid dampness that might result from powerful supplementation, so the tonic wouldn't become stagnant.

Guiding ingredient: a jug of three-year-aged Yellow Wine.

It would blend the powdered ingredients and serve as a medicinal catalyst, gently bringing out the potency of all the herbs.

The properties and effects of each ingredient surfaced clearly in his mind, giving him greater confidence in the preparation process.

According to the recipe, the Blood Essence Grass and mountain ginseng had to be dried and ground. They had to be "roasted," not "sun-dried," to preserve as much of their medicinal power as possible and prevent their essence from escaping.

The newly purchased medicine furnace, with its layered structure, was made for exactly this purpose.

The Dewdrop Flower and Poria had already been processed by the apothecary. He only needed to prepare the Blood Essence Grass and mountain ginseng.

Controlling the heat was key. The slightest mistake could greatly reduce the medicine's potency—or ruin the herbs entirely.

The ingredients were expensive, so Cui Hao didn't rush into it. He went out of his way to gather some leaves and practiced drying them first, observing how the size of the fire and length of time affected their texture, color, and smell.

He was exceptionally patient. Once, twice, three times... The only sounds in the courtyard were the faint crackle of charcoal in the medicine furnace and the soft rustling as he occasionally adjusted the heat and turned the leaves.

Just as Cui Hao felt he'd gotten the hang of controlling the heat and was preparing to try the real medicinal ingredients, Lin Da arrived.

"What is it?"

"Chief Escort Li of the Wangyuan Escort Agency," Lin Da said, stepping forward and lowering his voice. "He was beaten to death at home this evening."

"Also, the Liu Family Patriarch from the Immortal Brewery dropped dead this evening."

"Master told me to warn you to be extremely careful these days."

Cui Hao's heart stirred. He had a vague sense that something was wrong in Qingyuan City.

Normally, after the city guards were blown up, there should have been a swift investigation, with people arrested and beheaded.

But aside from raising taxes on the common people and increasing the price of cultivation supplies, the authorities hadn't done much. Something was off... It was as if a layer of mist hung over everything, impossible to see through or pierce.

At the same time, in the City Garrison.

Fan Xin was steaming with heat, having just finished his training.

Some distance away, Little Tiger, his personal guard, had been waiting for over an hour. He stepped forward. "My lord, we've uncovered something."

"Speak."

"Last night, a ship belonging to the Shi Family returned from the west. Our men disguised themselves as laborers and unloaded a large number of medicinal ingredients from it. The Shi Family secretly sent them to their farmstead outside the city, which belongs to the Yu Family."

"The west..." Fan Xin hit the mark at once. "Is it connected to the Wusheng Sect?"

"We don't have proof yet."

"Keep investigating!" Fan Xin's expression was grim. "Pang Gaoshan is dead, and I'm the prime suspect. Damn it, what rotten luck!"

Little Tiger acknowledged the order.