The Female Thief Lacks Martial Ethics

[In the first year, you began absorbing the essence of various precious medicines. Following the incantations of the Qingqiu Body Tempering Technique, you directed the Qi and Blood Force within your body to carry their medicinal power to every part of you. Qingqiu Body Tempering Technique, Beginner!]

[In the second year, you began officially cultivating the Qingqiu Body Tempering Technique. Though you no longer had medicines to aid you, your progress was still impressive.]

[In the twelfth year, after another round of cultivation, you gained a sliver of insight. The Qi and Blood Force within your body surged through you, beginning to strengthen your physique. Qingqiu Body Tempering Technique, Minor Accomplishment!]

[In the twenty-seventh year, without medicines to aid you, you could only slowly strengthen your physique with the Qi and Blood Force within your body. At last, on this day, all the Qi and Blood Force in your body rushed to your right hand. A sudden insight struck you: it was as if you could control everything about your right hand at will, from skin to bone. With a mere thought, you could make it hard as steel, strong enough to snap an iron sword with your bare hands. Qingqiu Body Tempering Technique, Great Accomplishment!]

[In the thirty-seventh year, after a full ten years spent trying to strengthen your right hand again, you had made no progress at all, no matter how hard you tried. You understood that your current level was the limit of what this incomplete technique could achieve. But you refused to give up. You began cultivating in seclusion, trying to work out the next step of the Qingqiu Body Tempering Technique.]

[In the seventy-fifth year, you finally caught that fleeting glimmer of inspiration. You recited the incantations of the Qingqiu Body Tempering Technique, now thoroughly familiar to you, but with a subtly different cadence.

The range of your body's strengthening did not increase, but you found a new path: through a special mental method, you could change which parts of your body were strengthened. The areas hardened like iron were no longer fixed; in the blink of an eye, you could shift them anywhere on your body.

Your face, chest, even your crotch!

Qingqiu Body Tempering Technique, Great Accomplishment!]

[In the seventy-sixth year, you chose not to keep comprehending the Qingqiu Body Tempering Technique in an attempt to complete it.

You had already realized that, at your current level, the technique had reached the limits of what it could do.

To take it a step further and bring about a qualitative improvement to your entire body, you needed a higher level of energy. The Qi and Blood Force clearly could not push you any further.

So you began carefully sensing the meridians linked to the Qingqiu Body Tempering Technique.]

[In the eightieth year, you clearly sensed the meridians linked to the Qingqiu Body Tempering Technique. There were six in all. Besides the five meridians you had already opened, there were actually two new meridians.]

[In the hundredth year, without precious medicines to help you, you spent twenty years trying to open the sixth meridian, but managed only to make a tiny crack in it. You guessed that it would take at least three hundred years to open it completely.]

Simulation ended!

This time, Shen Lin hadn't poured all his demonic lifespans into it. He'd only spent a hundred years to test the waters.

The result showed that it had been a wise decision.

If he'd invested all his demonic lifespans, he might have managed to open the sixth meridian.

But then he would have wasted more than two hundred years of demonic lifespan.

If a Meridian Unblocking Pill could solve the problem, why waste demonic lifespan brute-forcing it?

He still hadn't claimed the rewards for the demons he'd killed earlier.

Shen Lin figured that so many demonic corpses ought to be worth at least one Meridian Unblocking Pill.

Next, he'd wait until he traded for a Meridian Unblocking Pill before simulating the Qingqiu Body Tempering Technique again.

For now, he had to deal with the trouble right in front of him.

The instant his awareness returned, everything around him went back to normal, and time began to flow again.

The deep-green bathwater had become crystal clear, all its medicinal power absorbed by Shen Lin.

At that moment, the clear water parted to either side as a slender sword, brimming with killing intent, shot straight across the surface toward Shen Lin's chest.

Looking at the black-clad figure before him, who had come at him without a word and with murder in her eyes, Shen Lin couldn't help sighing.

Beneath those bright eyes was a fair, bewitching face.

Shen Lin figured that was why she'd attacked him without hesitation.

Who could have guessed that the Flying Thief who had committed several crimes in Qiulin County and killed a martial artist serving as a guard would be such a bewitching woman?

Only...

You broke into my home, then took off your face covering right in front of me, as if no one else were there, showing me your true face...

And now you want to kill me?

Shen Lin furrowed his brow and willed his body to move, but he remained leaning against the edge of the bath, motionless.

The next moment, the slender sword struck Shen Lin in the chest.

Seeing that her sword had landed squarely, the black-clad Flying Thief relaxed a little.

But when the blade struck Shen Lin's flesh, it only sank in slightly.

Then the sword began to bend, as if it had struck not flesh and blood, but a thick slab of steel.

The sight left the Flying Thief frozen in place, her eyes full of confusion.

But the next instant, a sharp whoosh brought her back to her senses, and she hurriedly raised her left hand to block.

Thud!

After a muffled impact, the Flying Thief drifted back to her original spot like a falling leaf.

Shen Lin slowly drew back his fist and rose from the bath.

Water streamed down the clearly defined muscles of his body, a work of art brimming with explosive strength.

"Listen..."

Shen Lin slowly stepped out of the bath and stood before the Flying Thief, his face full of displeasure. "I bought this house fair and square with my own money. You—"

He hadn't finished speaking when the Flying Thief attacked again.

When she'd seen Shen Lin's naked body, the Flying Thief's face had turned bright red. She'd instinctively turned away and had even thought about leaving at once.

But she seemed to remember that she'd revealed her true face, and forced herself to stop.

Then she saw Shen Lin slowly moving his feet.

His target was the long sword leaning against the wall.

In an instant, she thought it through and lunged at him.

Her opponent was naked, while she had a sword in her hand.

Though he'd just blocked her sword with his bare body, every body-tempering technique had a vulnerable spot.

Whoosh!

Shen Lin turned his head, dodging the sword aimed at his throat.

Though his opponent was a woman, her strength was nothing to scoff at.

Shen Lin had managed to block her last strike with the Qingqiu Body Tempering Technique, but the force had rattled his internal organs and left him feeling awful.

Her strike had only been a little weaker than his own.

Its force was roughly on par with Shen Lin's strength back when he'd opened four meridians.

Unarmed, he was at too much of a disadvantage!

With that thought, Shen Lin bent low to dodge another strike and rushed toward his sword.

But the next moment, he felt a chill at his back. A sense of foreboding made him abandon the idea and dodge to the side.

"Holy crap! What, are you trying to give me the thousand-year death?"

The female thief didn't reply. Her face only grew redder as the long sword in her hand slashed toward...

Little Shen Lin!