Breakthrough and the Fugitive

Night deep.

Nearby patrol members, holding lanterns, quickly rushed over.

But they were too slow, too late.

By the time they found Jiang Yan and the others, they had already carried the recently deceased man to the side of the road.

Jiang Yan's face was grim, not a trace of joy at killing the monster.

At night, it was too dangerous!

This was his first official patrol, and he'd already encountered a monster.

Although this monster could generally be dealt with by a few team members working together, a chill still ran down his spine.

Monsters were simply too numerous.

Snap!

Snap!

Snap!

Two figures carrying lanterns approached rapidly. Jiang Yan looked up and saw Tang Long and Fei Shan.

He glanced at the middle-aged man lying on the ground, forever unable to wake up, and a bitter smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Old Dan, are you guys okay?" Tang Long asked.

Shan Renhu shook his head, indicating they were fine, his face grim. "We're fine. Jiang Yan took care of the monster alone."

"But someone was still killed before."

He briefly recounted what had happened.

"Sigh." Tang Long sighed but said nothing else. He instructed a small team to carry the body back to the village, then ordered the arriving patrol members to return to their patrols.

Many of the patrol members who had arrived watched as a small team simply made a makeshift stretcher and carried the deceased away.

The new patrol members, their faces pale, their eyes filled with unconcealable worry and fear.

In just ten days, two people had already been killed.

After making arrangements, Tang Long walked towards Jiang Yan.

"Brother Jiang, we owe you this time. Otherwise, Old Dan and the others probably couldn't have dealt with that thing."

Jiang Yan shook his head. He looked at the inky black night sky, his voice low. "Brother Tang, what kind of monster was that? The moment we made contact, a strange force pressed down on us. If I hadn't just broken through and my strength increased greatly, I would have been killed directly."

After a moment of silence, "We call this kind of monster a Mountain Ghost."

"This kind of monster is not something ordinary patrol members can deal with. Only quasi-warriors who have touched the 'qi sensation' can contend with it."

"As for the strange force you mentioned, that is its innate ability. This ability has existed since its birth, like a bodily instinct."

"Fortunately, you made a decisive move and killed it immediately. Otherwise, the pressure would have felt heavier and heavier, as if you were carrying a mountain."

Jiang Yan's brow twitched.

"Heavier and heavier?"

"Yes, heavier and heavier!"

Tang Long let out a long breath and said seriously, "Some monsters have abilities we can't understand, making them impossible to guard against."

"Innate ability, impossible to guard against."

Jiang Yan softly repeated the eight characters, an indescribable sense of pressure assailing him from all directions.

He tightly gripped his sword hilt.

"I'm still... not strong enough."

Tang Long and Fei Shan left. They had other matters to attend to.

Rustle, rustle. Tang Long and Fei Shan returned to the village together. They had to guard against monsters sneaking into the village.

"Brother Tang, what do you think of Jiang Yan?" Fei Shan, who was usually taciturn, suddenly spoke.

"What about him?" Tang Long paused his steps, then continued walking forward.

"His aptitude."

Tang Long was silent for a moment. "Passable."

As if feeling it wasn't quite right, he added, "Breaking through the realm in ten days is considered excellent aptitude."

He seemed to realize something. "You think he might break through to the peak of Martial Apprentice within half a year and be specially summoned back by the gang headquarters."

"Are you trying to bet on him?"

Fei Shan didn't hide anything, nodding generously. "Yes, I want to lend him a hand. As long as he succeeds, he'll definitely get noticed by the gang bosses. It'll be much easier to get transferred back then."

Tang Long shook his head and strode forward. "You're dreaming!"

Practicing martial arts is like climbing a mountain; it gets harder and slower the higher you go. This damn place has no resources, and reaching the peak of Martial Apprentice is too difficult!

Fei Shan's expression was calm, as if he had long expected Tang Long's reaction. "No matter what you say, I have to try."

"You have to try. Staying here, sooner or later, you'll die at the hands of Monster."

Nothing else happened that night.

After Jiang Yan returned from his night watch, he went straight to rest, utterly exhausted.

In the afternoon, Jiang Yan finally felt rested.

According to the patrol team's rules, their small squad had to be on night watch for a week.

The sunlight was dazzling as Jiang Yan stood in the courtyard, sword in hand.

Sword up! Jiang Yan moved from stillness to motion, and for a moment, sword light flashed.

He wasn't practicing Chopping Iron Four Forms, but moved according to his own will, practicing basic stances one by one.

Chopping Iron Four Forms is a cultivation method for the Martial Apprentice stage. Its main purpose is to guide Yuan Qi into the body and strengthen the physique. Therefore, the choice of weapon at this stage has no significant impact.

But it is still four sword forms. As Jiang Yan improved his martial arts, he also gained many methods for circulating basic sword stances.

After a while, mist rose from Jiang Yan's head, indicating significant stamina depletion.

Martial Arts Modifier, he silently recited in his mind.

The panel appeared:

Character: Jiang Yan

Martial Arts:

Chopping Iron Four Forms: First Form Mastered

Upgrade (Yes) Deduce (No)

Monster Value: 12

Looking at the modifier panel, Jiang Yan frowned, feeling that the martial arts interface description was a bit too simple.

Sensing Jiang Yan's thoughts, the modifier panel flickered slightly and began to change:

Character: Jiang Yan

Martial Arts:

Chopping Iron Four Forms:

Level: Four Forms

State: First Form Mastered

Upgrade (Yes) Deduce (No)

Monster Value: 12

Astonished, then a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Then, Upgrade, Upgrade!

Last night's events had indeed stimulated him. There were many Monster, and he, although already a Martial Apprentice, faced even more danger!

Therefore, Upgrade!

He upgraded until he could upgrade no further.

The Monster value flickered continuously until it reached 0.

The panel was clear:

Character: Jiang Yan

Martial Arts:

Chopping Iron Four Forms:

Level: Four Forms

State: Fourth Form Mastered

Upgrade (No) Deduce (No)

Monster Value: 0

Chopping Iron Four Forms Mastered!

Chopping Iron Four Forms had a total of four forms. With all four forms mastered, his qi sensation was strong, and he had already broken through to the peak of Martial Apprentice, instantly advancing!

Jiang Yan believed that if he had enough Monster points and a cultivation method for the Body Refining Realm, he might have been able to directly enter Body Refining.

Inside his body, he could clearly feel a layer of power flowing like water. This was qi sensation.

A powerful force transmitted from every part of his body to his consciousness. At this moment, he was several times stronger than before.

Afterward, he began practicing his swordplay in the courtyard again.

He needed to get familiar with this newfound power as quickly as possible.

In the evening, Jiang Yan, with his long sword on his back, arrived at the plaza and sensed an unusual atmosphere.

He happened to see Meng Neng there as well and walked over to greet him, "Brother Meng, what's going on?"

Upon hearing Jiang Yan's voice, Meng Neng quickly turned around and pulled him to the edge of the plaza.

"What, another monster attack?"

"No... no."

Meng Neng's eyes held a hint of confusion as he whispered, "Someone ran away."

"A new recruit from the patrol team?"

"Yeah."

Jiang Yan looked up, a somber expression on his face.

The patrol team had suffered heavy casualties. Had someone finally buckled under the pressure and fled?

How foolish. There were even more monsters in the wilderness. Even martial artists, who had no need to, wouldn't venture out there. For an ordinary person to go into the wilderness... the outcome was predictable.

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