"With my strength now, perhaps I could kill the Green Tiger Gang's leader in just five moves!"
"Even with his saber in hand, I doubt he'd last ten!"
Liu Chu's eyes shone as he reassessed his strength. A surge of confidence welled up within him!
His saber mastery had surpassed his expectations. His strength had increased dramatically.
The Green Tiger Gang's leader, who had once barely been able to fight him, would now struggle to last ten moves against him.
"I can start practicing the Thunderclap Blade Technique!"
Liu Chu took out the manual and began practicing the Thunderclap Blade Technique.
The Green Tiger Gang's leader had obtained this technique from somewhere unknown. Its matching cultivation method was the Rolling Thunder Nourishing Practice.
The Green Tiger Gang's leader had passed them on to some of the gang's elite members, including Hall Master Ruan Jin and another hall master.
In the end, the two had relied on this cultivation method to break through the barrier, enter the Grade-Entry Realm, and become hall masters!
Liu Chu wasn't practicing the Rolling Thunder Nourishing Practice for now. He hadn't yet cultivated the Dragon-Tiger Nourishing Practice to perfection, and couldn't spare the time or energy to practice another nourishing technique.
"The Thunderclap Blade Technique is more extreme than the Dragon-Tiger Blade-Breaking Technique. It focuses heavily on speed, so it isn't as balanced as the Duanmen Saber Technique..."
As Liu Chu performed the technique, he noticed its relentless emphasis on speed. His saber swept out like a bolt of lightning.
Liu Chu moved with the saber. Its gleam flashed through the hall in streaks of cold light, swift as thunder, accompanied by a roaring crack.
The blade-light grew faster and faster, until all he could see were afterimages. Each strike flashed by like a shooting star, its path impossible to follow!
In just three short days,
Liu Chu smiled. "Fourfold comprehension really is extraordinary. In just three days, I've cultivated the Thunderclap Blade Technique to the Minor Accomplishment Realm!"
He opened the Attribute Panel:
Host: Liu Chu Comprehension Multiplier: 4x (Available sacrifices: 30 Treasure Fish / 300 taels of silver, or ten years of lifespan) Dragon-Tiger Nourishing Practice (Great Accomplishment Realm 89%) Dragon-Tiger Combat Technique (Perfection) Dragon-Tiger Blade-Breaking Technique (Perfection) Thunderclap Blade Technique (Minor Accomplishment Realm 1%) ...
According to the attribute panel, the Thunderclap Blade Technique had reached the Minor Accomplishment Realm in a mere three days!
This was not only thanks to his fourfold comprehension boost. Having cultivated the Dragon-Tiger Blade-Breaking Technique to perfection had also given him profound insights into the art of the saber.
Whether it was fist and palm techniques, movement techniques, or saber and sword techniques, mastering one to perfection naturally gave a deeper understanding of that category of martial arts.
With such insight, learning a new technique of the same kind became much easier!
Of course, cultivating a martial art to the Minor Accomplishment Realm in just three days was still incredibly difficult.
The fact that Liu Chu had cultivated the Thunderclap Blade Technique to the Minor Accomplishment Realm so quickly was partly due to the insights gained from mastering a saber technique. But the key was his fourfold comprehension!
Only by combining the two could he achieve such a terrifying rate of progress!
"The Dragon-Tiger Nourishing Practice is almost perfected, too. I feel like I'm on the verge of breaking through to the Eighth-Rank Tendon Refining Realm. Perhaps the moment the technique is perfected, I'll be able to break through the Tendon Refining barrier!"
Liu Chu looked again at the Dragon-Tiger Nourishing Practice on the panel, his heart full of anticipation.
His nourishing technique was progressing rapidly as well.
It only seemed a little slower because his saber technique was progressing even faster.
Even so, he was just one step away from perfection!
"Let's see how many Treasure Fish we've gathered!"
Liu Chu went to the courtyard where the gang stored its Treasure Fish. It was now heavily guarded, watched over by a hall master and more than a dozen gang members!
"Leader!"
"Leader!"
The gang members immediately bowed respectfully when they saw Liu Chu.
Liu Chu nodded. Looking at the Treasure Fish in the courtyard pond, he smiled with satisfaction. "We've gathered eight Treasure Fish. No need to rush. We can take our time. Thirty won't take long to collect..."
The Treasure Fish darted through the clear water, chasing and playing. Now and then, one leaped above the surface, splashing water and sending ripples across the pond.
Liu Chu admired the delightful sight, feeling at ease.
His strength had greatly increased, and he had also recruited some former members of the Golden Fish Gang. He no longer feared that the Black Dragon Gang's hall masters, core members, or ordinary members would disobey him or secretly try to overthrow him.
He could say that he had finally secured his position and gained the confidence of a gang leader!
"Once I break through the Tendon Refining barrier, my strength will rise again. Even if I want to conquer other gangs and expand our power, I'll be able to make it happen!"
Liu Chu thought to himself.
Of course, he wasn't obsessed with power. He had subdued the Green Tiger Gang and established the Black Dragon Gang only to acquire more cultivation resources!
Whether it was silver, Treasure Fish, or cultivation methods, having a force at his disposal naturally made things much easier!
Take the Treasure Fish, for instance. He didn't need to run around gathering them himself. One order, and his subordinates would get it done.
Besides, the Black Dragon Gang brought in money every day, and as its leader, he naturally took the lion's share.
It was money earned while sitting back and relaxing!
As he enjoyed the moment, quietly admiring the Treasure Fish, someone suddenly hurried over with urgent news.
"Leader, we have a serious problem!"
Han Qi rushed into the courtyard, his face dark. He reported to Liu Chu, "Hall Master Feng Sheng was patrolling our territory when he clashed with those bastards from the Wild Wolf Gang. Two of their hall masters seriously wounded him..."
"Hmm? The Wild Wolf Gang!"
Liu Chu furrowed his brow, suspicion rising in his heart.
He had only just become the gang leader, yet this kind of trouble had already found him. Something seemed off!
"Where is Feng Sheng?"
Liu Chu asked.
"I had people carry him to the main hall. I was going to report to you, but I found out you weren't here, so I came looking for you myself..."
Han Qi said.
During this time, apart from cultivating, he had been helping Liu Chu review and manage the gang's affairs.
Although the Black Dragon Gang had absorbed the Green Tiger Gang and the Golden Fish Gang, it was still, at heart, only a small gang. Its scale was modest.
In his spare time from cultivation, Han Qi helped Liu Chu shoulder half the burden. With two people handling the gang's affairs, their cultivation was hardly affected.
By comparison, the other hall masters had to lead people on patrol, collect protection fees, and handle gang conflicts. Their duties took up far more time and energy.
"Gather the hall masters at once. We're holding a meeting in the main hall!"
Liu Chu gave the order, then went alone to the main hall.
The atmosphere in the main hall was tense.
Feng Sheng lay on a stretcher, his face pale and a white bandage wrapped around his forehead. He was clearly badly hurt.
Ruan Jin and the two other hall masters stood to either side, all looking furious.
"Tell me what happened."
Liu Chu looked at the three hall masters.
"Reporting to the leader, the Wild Wolf Gang provoked us first. Hall Master Feng Sheng was patrolling our territory when two of their hall masters crossed beyond the Wild Wolf Gang's turf and entered ours."
"If they'd merely been passing through, that would have been one thing. But they actually tried to collect protection fees from people on our turf. Hall Master Feng Sheng warned them, but they attacked and wounded him..."
Ruan Jin answered from beginning to end.
He had recovered from his injuries during this time. He hadn't expected Feng Sheng to take his place and get hurt in turn.
After hearing him out, Liu Chu pondered for a moment, then asked, "What do you think?"
"The Wild Wolf Gang is probably testing us!"
One of the hall masters stepped forward and looked at the leader. "Although you displayed your strength in front of everyone, only members of our gang witnessed it. Other gangs might think we staged the whole thing ourselves."
"They may believe the Green Tiger Gang's leader died unexpectedly, and that we were afraid another gang would devour us. So we had someone pretend to be a new leader to intimidate the other gangs..."
Liu Chu nodded slightly, then looked at the other two hall masters. "What do you think?"
"I agree. Quite a few gangs may have their doubts. It's just that the Wild Wolf Gang's leader is an impulsive man, so they were the first to make a move."
Another hall master agreed.
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