Undercurrents Surge, First Glimmers of Brilliance

Chapter 15: Undercurrents Stir, First Edge Revealed

Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, Li Yifan had been with the Xuntian Guard for a month.

During this month, he led the two apprentice Xuntian Guards, Chen Feng and Zhang Tie, following Zhang Meng's squad on patrol in the eastern district, handling various petty disputes and accumulating merit and experience. At night, he returned to his small courtyard, training relentlessly.

The benefits of switching to the Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique grew more apparent day by day. The supremely yang and rigid Nine Yang True Qi was not only formidable in power but also far surpassed the Basic Breathing Technique in nourishing the physical body. His cultivation steadily advanced, brushing the threshold of Bone Forging Mid. The Nine Yang True Qi within him grew thicker and hotter, surging like an unending stream.

[Realm: Body Tempering · Bone Forging (Early Peak: 160/500). Nourished by Nine Yang True Qi, cultivation speed increased.]

[Skill: Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique (Yellow Grade Upper) - Minor Accomplishment (150/2000). True Qi thick and heavy, scorching properties notably enhanced.]

[Skill: Scorching Sun Finger (Yellow Grade Upper) - Minor Accomplishment (80/1000). Finger force condensed, piercing heat strong.]

[Skill: Spirit Fox Steps (Yellow Grade Mid) - Minor Accomplishment (120/500). Paired with True Qi, movement more agile.]

[Skill: Burning Wood Saber Technique (Yellow Grade Upper / Fragment) - Major Accomplishment (50/5000). Saber intent internalized, release and restraint at will.]

Under his guidance, Chen Feng and Zhang Tie also improved quickly, growing more convinced of Li Yifan's abilities. Squad members Sun Xiao Yi and Zhou Tie acknowledged this young but powerful vice-captain. Captain Zhang Meng had even praised Li Yifan's outstanding capability multiple times before Commander Wang.

Yet beneath the calm surface, undercurrents stirred. The largest local gang in the eastern district, the "Four Seas Gang," had been active lately. Its leader, Liu Sihai (Meridian Opening Early), seemed intent on expanding influence, leading to frequent friction with the Xuntian Guard. Commander Wang repeatedly warned all squads to stay vigilant.

That day, Zhang Meng's squad received an urgent mission: the "Yongfeng Granary" in the eastern city reported a break-in overnight, with a large batch of valuable medicinal herbs stolen. Signs of a struggle remained at the scene, and two Skin Refining guards on duty—one dead, one severely injured. According to the injured guard's vague account, the thief was highly skilled in martial arts with bizarre footwork, suspected to be at Bone Refining Realm or above.

"Yongfeng Granary is one of Medicine King Valley's holdings in Qingzhou Prefecture—deep backing. This is no small matter!" Zhang Meng's face was grim. "Brother Li, take Chen Feng and Zhang Tie to the scene first. Xiao Yi, Zhou Tie, and I will canvass the area for witnesses."

"Understood!" Li Yifan accepted the order and immediately headed east with Chen Feng and Zhang Tie.

The area outside Yongfeng Granary's warehouse was cordoned off. Entering the scene, a faint mix of blood and medicinal herbs hung in the air. The warehouse door had been violently forced open, the lock twisted. A dried bloodstain pooled on the floor, with a few throwing knives scattered nearby. The injured had been sent for treatment, and the body removed.

Li Yifan activated his Detection skill, sweeping the scene with sharp eyes. The break-in marks on the door were clean, as if cut by a blade, but the edges showed signs of burning? He crouched to examine the bloodstains and struggle marks closely.

[Skill: Detection Proficiency +15! Carefully observed the scene, analyzed traces.]

"Chen Feng, measure the depth and spacing of the footprints. Zhang Tie, check the scattered throwing knives for any special markings." Li Yifan gave calm orders.

"Yes!" The two moved at once.

Li Yifan stepped into the warehouse. The stolen herb cabinets were in disarray. He noticed several specific cabinets had been precisely opened, while others remained untouched. "The thief had a clear target and knew the layout... an inside job?" he speculated inwardly. At the same time, he keenly sensed a faint, lingering trace of yin-cold energy in the air, utterly different from the scorching heat of Nine Yang True Qi.

[Detected residual anomalous energy, yin-cold and obscure—seems inconsistent with the forceful style of the struggle marks?]

Just then, Chen Feng reported: "Sir, two different sets of footprints were found outside. One is deep and steady—likely the guard's. The other is shallow and drifting, with long strides—the thief's footwork seems exceptional! But... near those shallow prints, there are even fainter, almost imperceptible traces, with a... cold aura."

Zhang Tie added: "Sir, the throwing knives are ordinary darts, but one has a strange gray powder on it. Smells a bit fishy."

Clues converged! Li Yifan's mind raced: at least two perpetrators? One forceful, breaking in by force; one with bizarre footwork and a yin-cold aura, possibly skilled in poison or special techniques? A clear target—likely collusion from within!

At that moment, Zhang Meng returned with his men, his expression sour: "No one nearby saw anything unusual, but there's worse news. A minor Four Seas Gang leader was found dead this morning in a ditch south of the city. His death... resembles the granary guard's—killed by a single forceful blow, but the wound was blackened, suggesting poison."

A Four Seas Gang member dead? Similar method but with poison? Li Yifan immediately connected the two scenes: "Captain Zhang, these two incidents are probably linked! The granary theft isn't just simple burglary!"

Zhang Meng was startled: "What do you mean?"

"There might be more than one group of thieves, or internal conflict leading to a fight. Or maybe the Four Seas Gang is involved too?" Li Yifan voiced his speculation. "We need to investigate them as one case!"

After hearing the report, Commander Wang took it seriously, ordering Zhang Meng's squad to pursue the matter fully and coordinating other squads to assist. Li Yifan's sharp judgment earned recognition.

Over the next few days, Li Yifan led the squad in open and covert investigations. Using his Detection skill, he started from the Four Seas Gang leader's connections and recent activities, combined with the clues of the yin-cold aura and gray powder, and finally traced some leads pointing to an abandoned "Mortuary" in the northern city and a few suspicious foreign martial artists.

That night, under a moonless, windy sky, intelligence suggested the suspicious group might gather at the Mortuary. Commander Wang took personal command, sending Zhang Meng's squad to scout and, if necessary, make arrests.

The Mortuary was eerie and dilapidated, overgrown with weeds. Li Yifan had Chen Feng and Zhang Tie stand guard on the perimeter while he, Zhang Meng, and Zhou Tie slipped in silently.

The courtyard grass showed recent trampling. From the main hall came muffled, heated arguments.

"...The goods must be moved fast! That mad dog from the Four Seas Gang is dead—the Xuntian Guard will be onto us!"

"What's there to fear? Just a bunch of Body Tempering trash! And you—no restraint, using 'Corroding Heart Powder' and leaving traces!"

"Without poison? That bastard's dying counterattack nearly got me! Don't forget, the Master wants that batch of 'Red Yang Grass'! Miss by a hair, and we're both dead!"

Red Yang Grass? Li Yifan's heart stirred. That was one of the main herbs stolen from Yongfeng Granary—extremely yang in nature, a key ingredient for refining certain violent pills.

Suddenly, a sharp shout rang from the hall: "Who's out there?!"

They'd been spotted! A fierce palm wind shattered the window!

Zhang Meng growled: "Move!"

The three burst into the hall! Inside were four men—three in black martial garb, with fierce auras, all at Bone Forging! The leader had a pale face and sinister eyes, his aura at Bone Forging Late! Another wore a night suit, slight in build, with a yin-cold aura—the one Li Yifan had sensed!

"Xuntian Guard! Surrender now!" Zhang Meng drew his long saber, charging straight at the Sinister Man.

The Sinister Man sneered: "With you?" He struck out a palm, the wind carrying a foul stench—a poison palm!

Li Yifan faced the yin-cold Slight Man, whose footwork was ghostly, fingernails blackened and reeking of poison as he clawed at Li Yifan's throat—a poison claw technique!

"Watch out for poison!" Li Yifan warned, unfolding Spirit Fox Steps to dodge the claw, then pointing his Scorching Sun Finger straight at the opponent's wrist acupoint! His fingertip glowed red, the scorching wind pressing in!

The Slight Man hadn't expected Li Yifan's finger force to be so blazing and fierce, forced back repeatedly as his poison technique was suppressed! He let out a strange cry, and several gray shadows shot from his sleeve—poisoned darts!

Li Yifan kept his saber sheathed, using his fingers as blades, channeling the Burning Wood Saber Technique's force into his fingertips. He tapped out repeatedly, knocking all the darts away with sparks flying! At the same time, he circulated his Nine Yang True Qi, heat steaming from his body, greatly reducing the discomfort from the yin-cold poison technique.

[Nine Yang True Qi's supreme yang property has a suppressive effect on yin-cold poison techniques!]

On the other side, Zhang Meng was locked in fierce combat with the Sinister Man, while Zhou Tie held off a Bone Forging Mid opponent in a deadlock. Another black-clad man tried to escape through the back window but was spotted by Chen Feng and Zhang Tie on the perimeter. They sent a signal, and Sun Xiao Yi quickly led another nearby patrol squad to surround him.

Li Yifan's battle with the Slight Man grew intense. The opponent's poison claws were tricky, his footwork bizarre, but Li Yifan's Nine Yang True Qi blazed fiercely, and his Scorching Sun Finger suppressed him completely. After over a dozen exchanges, Li Yifan seized an opening and struck the opponent's chest Shanzhong Acupoint like lightning with his Scorching Sun Finger!

"Pfft!" The Slight Man staggered as if struck by a heavy blow. His Yin-Cold True Qi was scattered by the Nine Yang True Qi, and he spat a mouthful of black blood before collapsing weakly to the ground.

By then, Zhang Meng had also used his rich experience to slash the Sinister Man's arm with his saber, and Zhou Tie, with support from his teammates, subdued his opponent. The battle ended quickly—three of the four suspects were wounded, one captured.

After a night of interrogation (Commander Wang personally took part), the case came to light: this group were peripheral members of a Mysterious Organization, ordered to steal Red Yang Grass for refining some secret medicine. The Four Seas Gang's minor leader had tried to pull a double-cross, only to be silenced by them. The theft at Yongfeng Granary was their doing.

The case was solved, the culprits and stolen goods caught (some Red Yang Grass recovered). Li Yifan's keen insight and outstanding performance in the field—especially his use of Nine Yang True Qi to neutralize the poison technique—earned high praise from Commander Wang. In the Xuntian Guard's internal merit evaluation, because the case involved Medicine King Valley's assets and hinted at a potential threat from the Mysterious Organization, Li Yifan, as the key figure in cracking the case and the main combatant, received 200 contribution points alone. The other members of Zhang Meng's squad were awarded between 50 and 100 points each, based on their contributions.

Those 200 contribution points were worth the equivalent of 2,000 taels of silver! To put it in perspective, in Qingzhou Prefecture, an ordinary family of three spent only twenty or thirty taels a year. And the true value of contribution points far exceeded what silver could measure. They were the hard currency within the Xuntian Guard, redeemable for precious resources that money alone couldn't buy.

In the Xuntian Guard's armory, contribution points were the only way to exchange for cultivation techniques and manuals. An ordinary Yellow Grade technique might cost several hundred points; a Yellow Grade Mid technique jumped to over a thousand; and a Yellow Grade Upper technique like the Nine Yang Burning Heaven Technique that Li Yifan practiced often required several thousand points! As for Yellow Grade Peak techniques, they were astronomical—usually tens of thousands of points, plus strength and authority requirements. And techniques above Yellow Grade, the Xuan Grade, were beyond the reach of ordinary Xuntian Guards, demanding not only a sea of contribution points (tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands) but also corresponding rank and special merits to exchange.

Besides techniques, contribution points could also be used to exchange for divine weapons, pills to aid cultivation (like the Qi Gathering Pill for boosting cultivation, the Bone Tempering Pill, or the Revival Pill for healing injuries), rare materials to break through bottlenecks, and so on. Even the most basic Qi Gathering Pill might cost dozens of contribution points.

Getting 200 contribution points in one go was a huge starting fund for Li Yifan. It meant he now had initial capital to plan his growth path—whether saving up to exchange for the complete version of the Burning Wood Saber Technique (if it was Yellow Grade Upper, the price would be steep), or trading for a badly needed defensive technique, or even buying pills to speed up his cultivation.

After this battle, Li Yifan's reputation in Battalion C grew even louder, even drawing some attention from higher-ups. Not only had his strength been proven, but his case-solving abilities were also beginning to shine. Those 200 contribution points were a tangible recognition of his capability, opening a door to greater power.

Yet Li Yifan didn't let it go to his head. He knew full well that these people were just the periphery—the "Master" and the Mysterious Organization behind them were the real threat. Moreover, the Four Seas Gang's role in this matter was also worth pondering. The waters of Qingzhou Prefecture ran deeper than he'd imagined. Contribution points were nice, but only when turned into real strength could they help him weather the storms ahead. Looking at the temporary rune mark on the back of his hand, symbolizing the contribution points, he felt a heavy weight.

Back at the small courtyard, he settled his mind and continued his bitter training. Strength—that was the foundation for handling any storm. He felt that the bottleneck of Bone Forging Mid was about to break.