Town Mountain Skill

Two small panels updated.

[Realm: Mortal Martial Great Completion (625/1000)]
[Broken Fist Standing Meditation: Great Completion (625/1000)]
[Effects: Physique +15, Damage Resistance +15, Bonus Damage +15, Critical Hit +2]

The progress points had originally been 525. Killing that group of people boosted them by 100 points, causing Cui Hao's breathing to deepen.

What surprised him even more was the Stealth skill. Standing in the courtyard's shadows now, his body seemed to merge with the darkness, his breathing barely audible. This feeling of being in his element signified that Stealth had reached Great Completion.

[Stealth: Great Completion (1/1000)]
[Effects: Scent -15, Light as a Swallow +15, Shadow Utilization +15]

Compared to Minor Completion, all three effects increased by 5. His chances of pulling off another "bad deed" just got much better.

"Brother Hao…" Su Yun asked immediately as she pushed open the door and entered, "Are you hurt?"

"No," Cui Hao shook his head and carefully instructed, "Lingdang will be back on her own later. She doesn't know I was the one who saved those people, so don't tell her about this. Some people died in the Wusheng Sect, and someone might investigate."

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

About fifteen minutes later, Lingdang stumbled back, looking disheveled. Seeing Big Brother Cui and Su Yun waiting for her outside the small courtyard gate, tears began to stream down her face.

Su Yun stepped forward and caught Lingdang, "Where have you been?"

Lingdang, snot and tears flowing, choked out, "I was…"

"Let's talk inside," Su Yun interrupted, "It's not safe out here."

They went into the courtyard, bolted the wooden gate, and entered the house. Lingdang described what had happened.

After listening, Cui Hao felt relieved. Lingdang's mind was in a haze; she only knew that people had died and she had escaped with a group of others. She didn't remember anything else.

Confirming that Lingdang wouldn't cause any problems, Cui Hao spent the rest of the night quietly inventorying his gains in the kitchen.

One three-foot-long saber, over 45 taels of silver, more than 700 copper coins, ten packets of Qi and Blood Powder, and six pills of Qi and Blood Pill.

Finally, there was a brown beast-skin scroll. Unrolling it, he saw it was the Town Mountain Skill.

'Internal cultivation as heavy as a mountain, peerless defense. Moves like a Black Tortoise, steady as Mount Tai.'

'Yue' referred to the internal organs. This was an internal cultivation method, with only the first three levels.

"Not bad!" Cui Hao was satisfied with the Town Mountain Skill. With his physique buffs, he was already quite resilient. Now, with an internal cultivation method, he would be even more durable and less likely to die.

He immediately sat down cross-legged and began cultivating according to the method on the beast-skin scroll. Closing his eyes and focusing his mind, his breathing gradually became long and strange. As he inhaled, his chest and abdomen sank deeply; as he exhaled, a low hum emanated from his throat, like the low growl of a Black Tortoise. A surge of hot inner energy rose from his dantian, coiling up his spine like the pillar of a Black Tortoise, slow but powerful.

Here, a new panel generated.

[Town Mountain Skill (Incomplete): Novice (1/100)]

Although he had only just begun, Cui Hao could feel the extraordinary nature of this skill—it tempered the internal organs, a true internal cultivation method!

Unknowingly, dawn broke. Cui Hao wasn't tired at all; instead, he felt invigorated.

Worried that someone might come looking for him regarding last night's incident at the granary, Cui Hao stayed home after breakfast and headed to the martial arts school at noon.

"Brother Hao…" Lin Da said, wiping sweat from his brow upon seeing Cui Hao arrive, "Master said to see him in the training room when you got here."

Cui Hao passed through the moon gate and had just stepped into the inner courtyard when a strong, pungent medicinal smell hit him. Approaching the training room, he cupped his fists outside the door and said, "Master."

"Come in," Xu Dian's voice came from inside.

Cui Hao responded and pushed the door open. Inside, the training room was equipped with various training apparatus, sandbags, and weapon racks. Xu Dian, dressed in white martial attire, was wiping sweat from his forehead with a towel.

"Not bad. For your first time participating in the preliminary exam, you managed to secure a ranking. Your standing meditation has reached Great Completion, hasn't it?"

"Master sees clearly," Cui Hao bowed with clasped fists, "This disciple's standing meditation has indeed broken through to Great Completion."

"Good." Xu Dian nodded with satisfaction. Although this disciple's aptitude was slightly lacking, his comprehension far surpassed ordinary people.

Next, Xu Dian checked Cui Hao's Mortal Martial tempering progress. Reasonably satisfied with the results, he turned and took a dark-colored beast-skin scroll from a wooden cabinet beside him, handing it over. "Keep this safe. If you don't understand anything, feel free to ask me anytime."

"This is…?" Cui Hao took it with both hands, feeling its slight weight.

"The Fundamental Diagram of Force of Broken Fist," Xu Dian said slowly, "it details the fundamental flow and changes of Broken Fist's internal energy, as well as secret techniques for tempering qi and blood."

Cui Hao's heart stirred upon hearing this, and he instantly understood the importance of the Fundamental Diagram of Force.

This must also be Xu Dian's most treasured secret!

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

"You may go back now," Xu Dian waved to Cui Hao. "Study this Fundamental Diagram of Force carefully. The sooner you enter Clear Force, the greater your chance of breaking through to Dark Force."

Cui Hao cupped his hands and took his leave.

After only an hour at the martial arts school, he left early in the afternoon and arrived at Xuanhu Hall's Pharmacy.

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

And several packets of medicinal herbs, carefully wrapped in oiled paper.

Returning to the village, he laid out the medicine furnace and herbs one by one in the courtyard.

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

Sovereign herb: Blood Essence Grass.

Its color was like congealed blood, its leaves were thick, and it felt slightly warm to the touch. Its medicinal properties were hot and fierce, greatly supplementing qi and blood. It was the source of qi and blood in the formula, like a raging fire. Using it alone could easily harm the body.

Minister herb: Ginseng.

Its roots were distinct, already taking on a humanoid shape, indicating it was old. It was warm in nature, supplementing qi and consolidating essence. It could guide qi and blood to circulate through the limbs and bones, helping to dissolve the fierce medicinal power of the Blood Essence Grass and direct it, preventing stagnation.

Assistant herb: Dewdrop Flower (dried).

Its petals were slightly curled, pale purple in color, emitting a faint, cool fragrance. It was cool in nature, calming the mind and spirit. It was specifically used to neutralize the hot and toxic properties of the Blood Essence Grass, preventing restlessness and loss of control over qi and blood after consumption.

Assistant herb: Poria (sliced).

White in color and hard in texture. It was neutral in nature, strengthening the spleen and removing dampness. It could guide away the damp-turbid qi that might arise from excessive supplementation, ensuring nourishment without stagnation.

Guide herb: A jar of three-year-aged Yellow Wine.

Used to harmonize the powdered herbs and act as a medicinal guide, gently stimulating the efficacy of all the ingredients.

The properties and functions of each herb clearly appeared in his mind, giving him more confidence in the preparation process.

According to the prescription, Blood Essence Grass and Ginseng needed to be dried and ground, and they must be "baked" rather than "sun-dried" to maximize their medicinal effects and prevent the loss of essence.

The newly purchased medicine furnace, with its multi-layered structure, was perfect for this purpose.

Dewdrop Flower and Poria were already processed by the Pharmacy; he only needed to prepare the Blood Essence Grass and Ginseng.

Controlling the heat was crucial. Even a slight mistake could greatly reduce the medicinal effect, or worse, render the herbs useless.

The herbs were expensive, so Cui Hao did not act rashly. He specifically found some leaves to practice the drying technique first, observing the effects of different fire intensities and durations on the texture, color, and aroma of the leaves.

With great patience, he repeated the process, once, twice, thrice... The courtyard was filled only with the faint crackling of the charcoal fire in the medicine furnace, and the occasional soft sounds of adjusting the heat or turning the leaves.

Just as Cui Hao felt he had gained some insight into controlling the heat and was about to try it with the actual medicinal herbs—Lin Da arrived.

"What is it?"

"Chief Escort Li of the Wangyuan Escort Agency," Lin Da stepped forward and lowered his voice. "He was beaten to death in his home this evening."

"Also, Patriarch Liu of the Immortal Brewery," he continued. "He also died suddenly this evening."

"Master wants me to tell you to be extremely careful these days."

Cui Hao's heart stirred. He had a vague feeling that Qingyuan City was not right.

Logically, the bombing of the city guards should have led to swift investigations, with people arrested and beheaded.

But the authorities had done little besides increasing taxes on the citizens and raising prices for cultivation resources. This was not right... It felt like there was a layer of fog, but he couldn't see through it or break through it.

At the same time, inside the City Guard's headquarters.

Fan Xin was steaming, having just finished his training.

Not far away, his personal guard, Xiao Hu, who had been waiting for over an hour, slowly approached. "My Lord, we've found something out."

"Speak."

"Last night, a ship from the Shi family returned from the west. Our men disguised themselves as laborers and unloaded many medicinal preparation materials from the ship. They were secretly sent to the Yu family's farm outside the city."

"The west..." Fan Xin hit the nail on the head. "Is it related to the Wusheng Sect?"

"No evidence yet."

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

Xiao Hu acknowledged.