Counterkill

Sword Piercing Fist had actually reached Perfection?

Li Gan muttered to himself.

At the same time, he savored a trace of strange fist intent—profound and mysterious, carrying an illusory quality, yet undeniably real.

I never expected Sword Piercing Fist, such an ordinary fist art, to undergo such miraculous changes after reaching Perfection. It's truly incredible.

Li Gan was inwardly astonished.

Suddenly, he lightly threw a punch. His fist was like a sword, his Internal Qi condensed as it sliced through the air, several times fiercer than before his breakthrough.

Then he practiced Sword Piercing Fist once more, and his heart was even more shaken.

That was because the cultivation effect of Perfection-level Sword Piercing Fist was far better than before. A single round of the fist art could actually complete one Grand Heavenly Cycle.

Previously, it had taken several rounds. This meant that Perfection-level Sword Piercing Fist had increased his cultivation efficiency severalfold.

As he cultivated, his comprehension of that mysterious fist intent became increasingly clear and distinct.

Even the most ordinary fist art can become extraordinary when cultivated to the utmost limit.

Light flickered in Li Gan's eyes.

At that moment, his desire to pursue more profound Martial Arts was no longer quite so strong.

Because Sword Piercing Fist still had plenty of room for improvement.

That was right.

Even Perfection-level Sword Piercing Fist could still be improved.

After all, so-called Perfection was only relative to the fist art itself.

Once it surpassed the fist art itself, it was like opening up room to rise and entering a higher realm.

Ever since Li Gan's Sword Piercing Fist reached Perfection, the progress of his Postnatal Realm cultivation had accelerated considerably.

Basically, he could raise it by roughly one point every two days.

That was four or five times faster than before reaching Perfection.

Since Li Gan had ample time, he began trying to derive a purely Sword Art from Sword Piercing Fist in his spare time.

Before his fist art had reached Perfection, he definitely would not have had such ability.

But after entering Perfection, his understanding and comprehension of Sword Piercing Fist underwent a transformation as complete as shedding his mortal body and exchanging his bones.

Through daily deduction and refinement, he gradually perfected this Sword Art.

At least in his view, this Sword Art he had developed himself would greatly improve his practical combat ability.

To that end, he rummaged through a pile of junk in the Bell Tower and found a rusty Short Sword. After carefully polishing it and making a simple scabbard, it became the weapon he carried close to his body.

Night fell.

The Bell Tower was pitch-black.

Only a faint glimmer of night light shone in through the window.

From afar came the indistinct sound of a night watchman's bronze gong.

It was already the third quarter of the Hour of the Rat.

Li Gan looked at the information on the System Panel, his heart feeling quite fulfilled.

Host: Li Gan.

Cultivation Base: Postnatal Realm (First Layer 48/100).

Sacrificial Tool: Chen Bell (Treasure 783/1000).

Martial Arts: Sword Piercing Fist (Perfection).

His Postnatal Realm First Layer cultivation was already nearing the halfway mark.

Time to sleep.

Li Gan lay on the bed and closed his eyes.

His sleep quality was excellent now. Whenever he wanted to sleep, he slept, and insomnia was absolutely out of the question.

Moreover, he basically needed only about two hours of sleep each day for it to be completely sufficient.

He did not know how much time had passed.

Li Gan suddenly opened his eyes.

He had not awakened naturally.

Rather, a very faint sound had startled him awake.

His hand instinctively gripped the Short Sword lying beside him.

The door was gently pushed open.

A soft night breeze blew inside.

Right after that, a figure flashed in like a ghost and lunged toward Li Gan by the bed.

It was incredibly fast.

And utterly silent.

One hand reached directly for Li Gan's throat.

But suddenly, Li Gan opened his eyes. At the same time, the sword in his hand trembled and stabbed swiftly toward the incoming Shadow.

The Shadow had not expected Li Gan to already be awake, much less to counterattack so quickly. He was greatly surprised, but he had absolute confidence in his own strength. With a flick of his wrist, Internal Qi surged from his palm as he grabbed for the thrusting sword.

He was a Ranked Martial Artist, while Li Gan was merely a Menial Disciple who had entered the sect a little over two years ago and had not even cultivated Internal Force.

But suddenly, a clear Bell Sound exploded in his mind, causing his body to stiffen abruptly. The Internal Qi under his control scattered, and just as his hand grasped empty air, he felt a faint chill in his chest.

His eyes immediately widened.

The next moment, an enraged growl erupted from the Shadow's throat. Like an injured beast, he burst forth with vigorous Internal Qi. With a shake of his palm, he tore through the air and struck at Li Gan.

But Li Gan rolled over, drew out his Short Sword, and slipped to the other side of the bed like a loach. The Short Sword in his hand stabbed viciously toward the Shadow's back.

Bang!

The Shadow's palm strike missed, and the entire bed was blasted apart by his powerful Internal Qi.

But that was only his final strike.

The sword in his chest was rapidly draining his strength.

Pfft!

Li Gan stabbed again, driving the sword viciously in through the spine and then slashing sideways. Bone split apart.

The Shadow only felt himself lose control of his body before he fell straight to the ground. All that remained was his heavy breathing and the gurgling sounds coming from his throat.

Before long, the Shadow's breathing grew weaker and weaker until, at last, there was no movement at all.

Li Gan stood nearby without approaching.

At that moment, his hands and feet were icy cold, his scalp tingling, and he was even trembling a little.

This was the first time he had killed someone.

While acting, he had been incomparably calm, without a trace of fear.

But after truly counterkilling his opponent, he felt intense lingering dread.

Huff, huff, huff.

He took deep breaths again and again, forcing himself to calm down.

Li Gan finally settled down as well. Although he had not completely relaxed, that extreme tension from just now was gone.

He began to think through the entire sequence of events.

This Shadow was one hundred percent a Ranked Martial Artist. Judging from the power unleashed by that palm strike, he might even have been at the Second Layer of Postnatal Realm or higher.

Fortunately, Li Gan had used the invisible soundwave attack of the Sacrificial Tool Chen Bell without the slightest hesitation.

It caused the other man's body to stiffen for an instant, giving Li Gan the chance to launch a surprise counterkill while catching him unprepared.

Otherwise, if they had fought head-on, the outcome would have been hard to predict.

The man probably never imagined, even at death, that Li Gan had already become a Ranked Martial Artist.

Suddenly remembering something, he hurried silently to the doorway and listened for movement outside.

After a long while, he determined there should be no one else before lighting the oil lamp.

Under the orange-yellow lamplight, the situation inside the room came into view.

Li Gan looked at the completely collapsed wooden bed and shook his head. It was probably unusable now.

Fortunately, there was another bed, the one Elder Song had originally slept in.

Suppressing the thick smell of blood, Li Gan turned the intruder over. He was still wearing a black face covering, and after Li Gan pulled it down, an aged face was revealed.

It was actually him?

Li Gan was greatly surprised.

It was Steward Zhao from the Chore Hall.

After secretly searching for so long without finding anything, this man had finally been unable to hold back. He had come at night intending to seize Li Gan and interrogate him.

Unfortunately, he could never have imagined that Li Gan was already a Ranked Martial Artist.

One careless misstep, and he had been counterkilled.

Looking at Steward Zhao's corpse, Li Gan pondered how to deal with it.

Before disposing of the body, he ought to search it first. Perhaps there might be some gains?

Very quickly, Li Gan found a pile of items.

Three medicine bottles.

A small booklet.

A Contribution Token.

A dagger.

Several banknotes.

Well, well, it actually has more than five hundred Contribution Points.

Li Gan was quite startled as he looked at the number displayed on the Contribution Token.

Unfortunately, with Steward Zhao dead, this Contribution Token was useless.

Only the owner of the token could transfer its Contribution Points.

He set the Contribution Token aside, then inspected the three medicine bottles. One contained Blood Vitality Pills, with nine pills remaining inside.

One contained powder. Judging from the label on the bottle, it was Golden Sore Medicine, used to treat external injuries.

The other contained medicinal ointment called Gold Jade Ointment.

The dagger was very sharp.

The banknotes amounted to several hundred taels.

Finally, Li Gan picked up the small booklet, anticipation rising in his heart. Could it be a Martial Arts manual?

Bright Jade Palm.

Li Gan saw the three large characters and his eyes immediately lit up.

It really was a Martial Arts manual.

Unfortunately, it was not an Internal Cultivation Technique, but a palm art.