Cloud-white mountains and green hills stretched for more than ten thousand li; a boat drifted over calm waters beneath the sky.
Upon a great river.
A small skiff was floating downstream at an unhurried pace.
At the stern, an elderly-looking boatman rowed the oars.
At the bow, a young man with long hair casually draped over his shoulders lounged back with wild, carefree abandon.
Fang Hong sat reclined, using a tinderbox in his hand to set a martial arts manual alight.
"This trip to the county town delayed and wasted so many more days for me..."
"Good thing I got more than a dozen manuals and looted plenty of money and precious medicinal herbs, or I really would have suffered a huge loss!"
As the flames gradually grew, Fang Hong watched the Chasing Wind Swordplay in his hand slowly turn to ash and spoke with some frustration.
Half a month had already passed since he had killed that Crimson Spirit Sect disciple and the Liu Family brothers.
Yet he still had an estimated two-thirds of the journey to Star River Sect remaining.
That was because he had made another trip to the county town along the way.
Originally, after killing the Liu Family brothers, he had intended to continue on toward Star River Sect.
Had he done that, he would probably have nearly reached Star River Sect's territory by now.
But his principle was to be ruthless and merciless—to cut the grass at its roots and eliminate future troubles.
This time, he had shown mercy to the other members of the Liu Family.
With the Golden Finger, he was quite confident that those remnants of the Liu Family would never catch up to him in strength.
But what if someone among the remaining Liu Family members had heaven-defying luck, encountered some opportunity, and achieved something?
The Liu Family already dared to join forces with others to intercept and kill him now.
Wouldn't they create an even greater danger in the future?
Even if they might still be unable to kill him then.
What if they stirred up other matters just to disgust and vex him?
If he dealt with them, it would waste his time.
If he ignored them, they would keep disgusting and irritating him.
So, to spare himself trouble in the future.
Fang Hong had ultimately gone to the county town and silenced every single Liu Family member there.
It couldn't be helped. He would just have to endure hardship in the present for merit that would last a thousand autumns.
And sure enough, after going to the county town and silencing the entire Liu Family.
Fang Hong immediately felt his mind become clear and open.
His thoughts flowed freely, and he felt refreshed in both spirit and body.
Days when no enemies were thinking about him really did feel comfortable.
Fortunately, although the county-town trip had directly wasted seven or eight days.
It had not been without gains.
There was no need to mention money and valuables.
He had looted plenty of precious medicinal herbs that replenished vitality and blood and aided cultivation.
At the same time, he had found many martial arts manuals within the Liu Family.
Excluding the common techniques he had already learned, there were still more than a dozen—close to twenty—martial arts manuals for him to cultivate.
Though the quantity was high, the quality had not improved by much.
The highest-level manual, the Thunderclap Divine Sword, could only allow its practitioner to cultivate to Bone Refinement Great Accomplishment, close to perfection.
A small place was still a small place.
Even these relatively powerful clans and gangs mostly possessed only ordinary techniques circulated among the masses.
Truly formidable and profound techniques probably existed only within the imperial palace and the great sects.
This made Fang Hong want to join Star River Sect even sooner.
Fang Hong's strength had already reached Bone Refinement Great Accomplishment.
But regarding the subsequent Marrow Refinement realm, lacking manuals and techniques, he did not have much of an idea where to begin.
On the other hand, after obtaining these dozen or so manuals.
The number of techniques he had learned was already sufficient.
Although most of them were rather basic.
It was precisely because of this that his understanding of the more fundamental cultivation content.
The two realms of Flesh Refinement and Skin Refinement.
Had become sufficiently detailed and comprehensive.
It seemed, perhaps, maybe, that he could start creating the techniques he needed and wanted himself.
"I can't create the complete contents of a technique all at once, but I can first create the more basic Flesh Refinement and Skin Refinement portions."
Fang Hong's eyes gleamed as he thought.
"With dozens of techniques laying the foundation, plus all those fantastic ideas from novels in my previous life."
"Maybe I can create an extraordinarily powerful foundational cultivation technique."
Fang Hong looked somewhat excited. "With the Golden Finger, even if the technique I create is ridiculously difficult to cultivate."
"As long as it works in theory and can be successfully recorded by the Golden Finger, I can keep cultivating it."
"Besides, even if I fail to create the powerful technique I envision this time, it doesn't really matter."
"Creating techniques is not something especially urgent at my current level."
"There is still quite a distance to Star River Sect."
"It would be best if I can create a technique during this time, but if I can't, that's fine too. I'll treat it as laying a foundation for the future."
Having thought this far, Fang Hong immediately shook the ashes from his hand, ready to begin his journey of creating techniques.
But the moment he sat upright, he immediately felt that hard object against his chest.
Fang Hong raised a brow. "I nearly forgot about this thing."
Muttering to himself, Fang Hong pulled a grimy half turtle shell from his robe.
The turtle shell consisted only of half a carapace, with some lines engraved across it.
It appeared to be a damaged map.
Yet the terrain lines upon it were a chaotic mess, and Fang Hong was unfamiliar with terrain and such.
So he could not identify what place was depicted upon this half turtle shell.
This half turtle shell had been taken from the corpse of that Crimson Spirit Sect disciple.
Based on Fang Hong's experience reading novels and watching all kinds of television dramas in his previous life.
This turtle shell was bound to be connected to some treasure or hidden trove.
And though the shell looked grimy and inconspicuous.
With Fang Hong's current strength, he could not even break it apart.
Clearly, the turtle shell itself seemed to be a treasure.
Thus, Fang Hong had naturally kept it.
His strength was not yet sufficient.
This thing might be connected to some treasure or hidden trove, and the dangers involved would certainly be immense.
It was not something he could covet at present.
He would wait until there was an opportunity in the future.
If he gained it, it would be his fortune; if he lost it, it would be his fate.
What was his would not escape him, and even if it was gone, he would not feel heartache.
After all, he had the Golden Finger. Treasures and the like did not have much impact on him.
So after turning the turtle shell over in his hands for a while, Fang Hong put it away again.
Then he began to brainstorm without pause.
What, at its root, were the several known realms of martial artists—Flesh Refinement, Skin Refinement, and later Bone Refinement and Marrow Refinement?
They came down to eight words.
Strengthen vitality and blood, temper the body!
And looking only at the realms of Flesh Refinement and Skin Refinement.
They were nothing more than tempering and strengthening the skin and muscles throughout the body.
Then where should he begin in creating a technique?
Naturally, with the functions of skin and muscle!
Tsk, wasn't this exactly where the nine years of compulsory education from his previous life came in handy?
Skin referred to the layer covering the surface of the body, directly coming into contact with the external environment...
Before you continue