Blade Momentum Outlook, Constable Extortion!

"With the Thunderclap Blade Technique perfected, my strength has seen a massive boost; I can now slay a Bone Refining martial artist in three strikes!"

"It is a pity, however, that there are no Neizhuang-level blade techniques available for me to study. I can only continue practicing external blade techniques, accumulating quantity until it triggers a qualitative change!"

Liu Chu was practicing the Jintao Blade Technique, his thoughts fluttering alongside the flashes of his blade.

The battle with the Li Family had forced him to squeeze even greater potential out of his blade techniques under pressure, and by relying on his fourfold comprehension, he had achieved a breakthrough right in the heat of combat.

It could be said that his strength had increased significantly; an ordinary Bone Refining martial artist would likely not be able to withstand five of his strikes!

If he were to fight Gu Hualong again, Liu Chu could take his life within five strikes!

This was the wonder of having powerful comprehension; when it came to practicing techniques, he was improving every single moment.

Sometimes, a single battle was enough to bring about a massive improvement.

Sometimes, all it took was a single moment of enlightenment to welcome a breakthrough.

Even when integrating and mastering various blade techniques, he benefited immensely; every technique he brought to perfection allowed him to stand on higher ground.

With such a commanding vantage point, the speed of his blade technique cultivation could be described as advancing by leaps and bounds!

In just a day or two, he had already cultivated the Jintao Blade Technique to the Great Success realm!

Host: Liu Chu

Comprehension Multiplier: 4x (Available for Sacrifice: 30 Treasure Fish / 300 taels of silver, 10 years of lifespan)

Dragon-Tiger Nourishing Practice (Perfected)

Dragon-Tiger Combat Technique (Perfected)

Dragon-Tiger Blade-Breaking Technique (Perfected)

Thunderclap Blade Technique (Perfected)

Rolling Thunder Nourishing Practice (Minor Success 16%)

Jintao Blade Technique (Great Success 1%)

Jingfeng Blade Technique (Minor Success 12%)

"It is rumored that if one can cultivate a blade technique to its limit, one can condense a Blade Intent. Now that I have mastered two perfected blade techniques and one at Great Success, I wonder when I will be able to grasp Blade Intent..."

Liu Chu gazed at the technique progress on his system panel, unable to help but feel a sense of anticipation.

He had already brought two blade techniques to perfection, one to Great Success, and another to Minor Success; his blade skills could be called exquisite and peerless.

Ordinary Bone Refining experts could not withstand five of his strikes.

He was likely a formidable existence even among blade users.

But... he still hadn't reached the limit!

"Perhaps only when I have cultivated four or five blade techniques to perfection will I have the possibility of reaching the limit of blade arts and comprehending Blade Intent!"

Liu Chu thought to himself.

Blade Intent was the realm of the blade that all blade users dreamed of!

Countless mid-tier martial artists spent their entire lives unable to grasp Blade Intent.

And they were the ones practicing Neizhuang-level blade techniques!

Liu Chu currently possessed no Neizhuang blade techniques, so he could only rely on his transcendent comprehension to stack one external blade technique after another to perfection, using this to peer into the limits of the blade!

In this way, the difficulty naturally increased sharply; it was not something that a mere two perfected blade techniques could achieve.

Only because Liu Chu possessed a fourfold comprehension multiplier did he dare to harbor such ambition, attempting to glimpse the realm of Blade Intent while still in the lower three ranks.

"Two techniques are not enough, then I shall have three, four, five... one day, I will reach the ultimate peak of the blade and master Blade Intent!"

A sense of pride rose in Liu Chu's heart.

With two blade techniques perfected, his speed in practicing new ones had increased dramatically; it wouldn't take long before he could bring another to perfection.

Furthermore, he was about to accumulate the thirty Treasure Fish needed to initiate the next round of sacrifice, and his comprehension was about to see another explosive increase.

In the future, his speed in practicing blade techniques would likely reach an even higher level, giving him the confidence to peer into the realm of Blade Intent while still at the lower three ranks of cultivation!

"Gang Leader, Chief Xing is here to pay a visit."

Suddenly, the voice of Han Qi rang out from outside the hall, interrupting Liu Chu's train of thought.

"He finally came. I am still three Treasure Fish short."

Liu Chu opened his eyes abruptly and said in a calm voice, "Invite him in."

Soon, a stout man dressed as a chief constable walked in, his face wearing a smiling, harmless expression.

Upon seeing Liu Chu, he beamed and cupped his hands, saying, "You must be the leader of the Black Dragon Gang. I have heard much about you."

After speaking, he sat down opposite Liu Chu, acting quite familiar, and even poured himself a cup of tea.

He picked up the teacup and sniffed it with narrowed eyes, but instead of tasting it, he set it back down, opened his eyes, and praised, "Good tea, just as good as the Gang Leader's blade techniques!"

Liu Chu frowned slightly upon hearing this.

"I wonder what brings Xing Butou here today?"

Liu Chu asked calmly.

"Hehe, it's nothing major, really."

Xing Butou's chubby face bloomed like a chrysanthemum as he said nonchalantly, "I'm just working on a case recently regarding the extermination of the Li Family."

"The Li Family was wiped out? What does that have to do with my Black Dragon Gang? We don't have the strength to annihilate the Li Family."

Liu Chu's expression remained composed as he took a light sip of tea.

"That is exactly what I thought. I also don't believe the Li Family case has anything to do with your Black Dragon Gang, brother."

Xing Butou unexpectedly agreed with Liu Chu, but then his tone shifted abruptly: "However, I have some subordinates who hold a different view; they believe this matter is connected to the Black Dragon Gang."

As he spoke, his smile widened, and he chuckled, "You should know that in some matters, it doesn't matter if something is true; what matters is that people believe it to be true. Whether the Black Dragon Gang is actually involved in the Li Family's destruction is irrelevant."

He stared into Liu Chu's eyes, a glint of sharp light flashing in his own: "What matters is that some people think the Black Dragon Gang is involved!"

Liu Chu's eyes narrowed involuntarily at these words.

"I wonder what Xing Butou means by that..."

Liu Chu asked tentatively.

By now, he understood that Xing Butou had come to extort a bribe!

In truth, the government officials and the great families were not much different from gangs like the Black Dragon Gang.

Whether it was the Black Dragon Gang or the Wild Wolf Gang, they only collected protection fees from ordinary commoners.

But they couldn't keep it all for themselves; they had to set aside a portion to grease the palms of those above them.

When Liu Chu took over the Black Dragon Gang and the Wild Wolf Gang, half of the hundreds of taels in the treasury had to be paid out to appease government officials and various influential families.

These officials and families not only exploited the commoners but also exploited the gangs.

In the eyes of the government and the families, the Black Dragon Gang was no different from the commoners who paid them protection fees.

If one didn't pay the bribes, even if Liu Chu had suppressed the gang members, making him disappear would be nothing more than a single word from them.

As for expecting protection in return for those bribes, that was nothing but a pipe dream.

To them, it didn't matter who was the gang leader, as long as they were obedient and paid their dues.

It didn't matter if it was the Black Dragon Gang or the Wild Wolf Gang; the amount of tribute depended on the size of the territory.

They wouldn't necessarily be happy if there was more, but they would certainly be furious if there was less!

Since taking office, Liu Chu hadn't broken these rules; he hadn't touched a single cent of the tribute money and had ordered his subordinates to pay it on time.

He didn't need to handle these matters personally.

Now, facing Xing Butou's extortion, Liu Chu felt an instinctive disgust, but he didn't resist, wanting to see just how much the man intended to squeeze out of him.

"Hehe, I have many brothers under my command. When they are sober, their mouths always spout nonsense, but if they are well-fed and have their mouths stuffed with something, they tend to quiet down."

Xing Butou said slowly, then held up one finger and smiled, "This amount will be enough to keep my brothers fed!"

"One hundred taels?"

Seeing him hold up only one finger, Liu Chu asked.

However, Xing Butou shook his head.

"One thousand taels!?"

A sharp glint flashed in Liu Chu's eyes as he stared directly at Xing Butou.

One thousand taels of silver—what a massive appetite!!