Foundation Laid, Heading to the Prefecture City

# Chapter 8: Foundation First Laid, Riding to Prefecture City

Having broken through to the Bone Refining Realm and received the Xuntian Guard selection notice, Li Yifan understood clearly that Black Mountain City—this newbie village—could no longer provide the soil for his rapid growth. But before leaving, he needed to maximize its remaining value, especially the martial arts resources that could patch his shortcomings.

He now had Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber (Yellow Grade, Greater Mastery) for offense, Basic Breathing Technique (Yellow Grade, Greater Mastery) for internal energy, and his Bone Refining Realm physique for defense. Only in movement technique and speed—relying on crude footwork he'd figured out himself—did he have an obvious weakness. In his battle with Zhao Kuang, if not for his superior saber realm compensating for his lacking footwork, the outcome would have been far more dangerous.

That day, Li Yifan summoned Green Robe Gang leader Liu Qing to the county office's second hall.

Liu Qing now faced Li Yifan with utmost deference, hardly daring to breathe. He bowed and said, "Master Li, what are your orders?"

Li Yifan didn't beat around the bush. "Gang Leader Liu, your Green Robe Gang has held its ground in Black Mountain City for years. You must have some cards tucked away. I'd like to examine your gang's collection of martial arts manuals—especially movement techniques. Would that be convenient?"

Liu Qing's heart first tightened, then relaxed. The tension came from the fact that the gang's manuals were their foundation; the relief came from Li Yifan only wanting to "examine" them, not demand them outright. He dared not refuse. "Master Li, you flatter me! For you to grace those manuals with your attention is their fortune! I'll return to headquarters at once and bring all the gang's manuals for your perusal!"

Within an hour, Liu Qing was back with an exquisite iron case, personally presenting it to Li Yifan. Inside lay three thread-bound ancient books and several rolls of beast hide.

"Master Li, these are all the techniques our gang has collected." Liu Qing introduced them. "This Green Wood Art is an internal energy cultivation method, Yellow Grade. Pity it only has the first two layers, enough to reach at most the Meridian Opening Realm. This Raging Wind Palm is a palm technique, Yellow Grade. And a few unranked fist and kick techniques. As for movement..." He picked up the most ancient-looking beast hide scroll and said respectfully, "This is Spirit Fox Steps, acquired by our ancestors by chance. Though incomplete, it's rated Yellow Grade. It emphasizes nimble dodging and short-range burst movement. But it requires considerable comprehension to master—few in the gang have ever succeeded."

Li Yifan's eyes lit up. Spirit Fox Steps, Yellow Grade—exactly what he needed! He took the beast hide. It felt smooth to the touch, covered in complex footwork diagrams drawn with some kind of pigment, along with dense annotations.

"Good. I'll study these manuals for three days, then return them intact." Li Yifan said.

Liu Qing repeatedly murmured his deference, left the manuals, and tactfully withdrew.

Li Yifan first picked up the Spirit Fox Steps fragment and studied it carefully. The footwork was indeed exquisite, emphasizing perfect coordination between breath and steps. Moving like a spirit fox, unpredictable, especially skilled at dodging and weaving within confined spaces—it perfectly suited his close-combat style.

[Skill detected: Spirit Fox Steps (Yellow Grade / Fragment). Learn?]

"Learn!"

With the mental confirmation, all the essentials of Spirit Fox Steps flooded into his mind like a tide. The complex footwork diagrams became clear and understandable. A new skill immediately appeared on his panel:

[Skill: Spirit Fox Steps (Yellow Grade / Fragment) - Beginner (0/200)]

Li Yifan immediately began practicing in the small courtyard according to the diagrams and mental method. At first he was somewhat clumsy, but soon the precise body control brought by his Greater Mastery Basic Breathing Technique showed its advantage, allowing him to quickly adjust his breathing and muscle exertion. His figure flashed rapidly within the small space, leaving afterimages. Though far from reaching the "spirit fox" level, it was already vastly superior to his previous instinct-based footwork.

[Skill: Spirit Fox Steps proficiency +3...+5... Your comprehension is astonishing. You have grasped the essence of the footwork.]

He then flipped through Green Wood Art and Raging Wind Palm. Green Wood Art, though Yellow Grade, only had two layers with limited potential. Its attribute leaned toward gentleness, not matching his current fierce saber style, so he only memorized the mental method for reference without delving deeper. Raging Wind Palm was too low-grade to help much.

For the next three days, Li Yifan didn't leave his quarters. Aside from necessary breathing exercises to consolidate his early Bone Refining Realm cultivation, he poured all his energy into training Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber and Spirit Fox Steps.

He incorporated some force-applying techniques from Raging Wind Palm and other manuals into his saber art, constantly refining every stance and move of Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber, pursuing greater speed, precision, and ruthlessness! At the same time, he set up simple obstacles in the courtyard and repeatedly practiced Spirit Fox Steps, combining it with his saber technique, training to strike while moving at high speed—offense and defense as one.

[Skill: Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber proficiency +25...+30... Thoroughly comprehended. Saber technique approaches perfection.]

[Skill: Spirit Fox Steps proficiency +15...+20... Footwork and body movement integrated. Rapid progress.]

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the morning of the fourth day, Li Yifan stood in the courtyard, holding his waist saber, eyes slightly closed. Suddenly, he moved! His figure flickered like a ghost, Spirit Fox Steps unfolding as if a true spirit fox were playing in the forest—extremely fast, with turns that showed no warning! At the same time, the waist saber in his hand flowed with his steps. Blade light flashed, chopping, slashing, thrusting—every strike was fierce, yet perfectly matched with his footwork, as if the saber had become part of his body.

Abruptly, he halted his form. Facing a locust tree as thick as a bowl in the courtyard, he executed the strongest move of Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber—"Leaping Tiger Descends the Mountain." But this strike was completely different from before! The saber momentum carried a hint of flawless perfection, a natural, seamless artistic conception!

Shiiing!

Blade light flashed and vanished!

Li Yifan sheathed his saber and stood still.

The locust tree trembled slightly, then slowly slid apart at the cut. The cross-section was smooth as a mirror!

[Skill: Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber upgraded to: Perfection (1/). Saber technique has reached this skill's theoretical peak. Every stance and move carries true intent.]

[Skill: Spirit Fox Steps upgraded to: Minor Mastery (55/500). Body movement nimble. Short-range burst and evasion ability significantly enhanced.]

Done! Before departure, the goal was achieved!

After Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber reached Perfection, no matter how much Li Yifan trained, the proficiency no longer increased. He knew this was the limit of this technique. But he suspected it might be due to the technique's grade—he wondered if higher-grade techniques could continue improving even after reaching Perfection.

Li Yifan sensed the changes within himself. His early Bone Refining Realm cultivation was as solid as a mountain. Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber at Perfection made his strikes more powerful than ever. Spirit Fox Steps at Minor Mastery filled the gap in his movement technique. At this moment, his combat power had undergone a qualitative leap compared to three days ago. If he faced Zhao Kuang again, he was confident he could kill him within ten moves!

He returned the manuals to Liu Qing intact. Liu Qing verified them and was moved to tears of gratitude.

Before leaving, Li Yifan made his final arrangements. He clearly informed Prefect Wang and Liu Qing that Black Mountain City would be jointly governed by them from now on, but they must act according to the law. If they oppressed the people or committed crimes, when he returned, he would show no mercy. The two naturally agreed obsequiously, daring no dissent. From the confiscated assets and the Green Robe Gang's tribute, he took twenty thousand taels of silver notes to use in the prefecture city.

Everything was ready.

That day, the sky was clear and bright. Li Yifan, alone, led a fine horse and left Black Mountain City. He didn't alert many people—only Prefect Wang, Liu Qing, and a few others saw him off.

Standing outside the city gate, looking back at this small city where he had crossed over, struggled to survive, and eventually dominated, Li Yifan felt no great attachment—only anticipation for the road ahead.

Qingzhou Prefecture City. There lay a broader world, stronger opponents, higher-grade techniques, and... infinite possibilities leading to the peak of martial arts.

"Hyah!"

He squeezed his horse's flanks. The steed neighed and galloped away, raising dust.

Not long after Li Yifan left, someone discovered Zhao Hu's body in his home...