Back at the clinic, Feng Hao was treating patients, so busy that sweat poured down his face.
After Shen Han joined him, the pressure eased quickly.
Working together, they saw every patient with an appointment in less than an hour. They even squeezed in five extra patients and treated them all, too.
"Doctor Shen, Feng!"
Guard Zhan walked into the clinic room.
These past few days, he had changed his old habit of never visiting the clinic room. Whenever he had free time, he liked to come by and see Shen Han.
For one thing, Clinic No. 13 always finished seeing patients early, leaving plenty of free time.
For another, he got along very well with the two young men, Shen Han and Feng Hao.
"Guard Zhan, come in, come in. Have a seat. This tea was just brewed."
The two of them were also glad to see Zhan Chaoyang.
It was simple: as captain of the guards, Zhan Chaoyang had an extensive network of contacts and often brought news from around the county.
"We've found out the identity of the lecherous monk killed by Young Escort Chief Lin."
Zhan Chaoyang took a sip of tea.
Feng Hao hurriedly asked, "Which temple was he from?"
"The Blood Transformation Temple."
Zhan Chaoyang spoke each word distinctly.
Feng Hao furrowed his brows. "So he was a monk from the Blood Transformation Temple. That temple has a terrible reputation. It's hardly surprising they produced a depraved lecher like him."
"Does the Blood Transformation Temple know that Young Escort Chief Lin killed him?"
Shen Han asked.
Zhan Chaoyang sighed. "The truth can't be kept under wraps forever. They'll find out sooner or later."
"You mean the Blood Transformation Temple will take revenge?" Feng Hao asked, startled.
"It's all but inevitable."
Zhan Chaoyang said, "Of the four mid-sized powers outside the city, the monks of the Blood Transformation Temple are the most vindictive. Young Escort Chief Lin is charitable and kind. Let's hope fortune smiles on him."
Feng Hao fell silent for a while, then asked, "And what about the killers who murdered those four men from the Iron Fist Martial Hall and Black Wind Stronghold? Have they been found?"
He was referring to the Qiankun Two Rats, Hu Teng, and Kang Zhiwen.
Shen Han silently took a sip of tea.
Zhan Chaoyang shook his head. "No. Neither gang has found any trace of the killers.
"But none of that matters now.
"Something much bigger has happened outside the city these past few days."
"What happened?"
"The Black Dragon Gang and the Green Garment Gang have had a massive clash."
Zhan Chaoyang said, "Apparently, dozens of gang members on both sides have already died in the fighting."
Shen Han said, "They're two of the three major powers. They're probably fighting over who gets to rule the roost outside the city."
Zhan Chaoyang agreed. "I think so, too.
"The two gangs have been at odds for a long time. They must both want to wipe the other out once and for all and unite the territory outside the city.
"After that, they can gradually eliminate the Iron Fist Martial Hall inside the city.
"Then they'll become the sole overlord of Three Rivers County and claim every advantage the county has to offer."
"I hope they both come out of it battered and broken."
Feng Hao said bitterly.
Zhan Chaoyang laughed, too. "Ha ha! My friend, who's a constable, hopes for the same thing."
"Shen!"
The three were chatting merrily when the clinic's old steward, Qian Cheng, hurried over.
"Supervisor Qian, were you looking for me?"
Shen Han asked in surprise. Compared to Zhan Chaoyang, Qian Cheng almost never came to the clinic room.
"No. There's a woman outside the clinic asking for you."
"A woman?"
"Mm. She's wearing a floral skirt."
Yang Liu!
Shen Han realized at once. Today was the fifth day, and Ning Xinxee had promised to return the Ancient Sun Technique manual. He had nearly forgotten about it.
He hurried to the clinic's front entrance.
Ning Xinxee wasn't there. Only her maid, Yang Liu, was waiting.
Yang Liu took out the incomplete Ancient Sun Technique manual and smiled. "Young Master Shen, here's the original, returned just as it was."
After Shen Han accepted it, he offered her the scroll of the Sky-Splitting Blade Technique.
To his surprise, Yang Liu waved it away. "No need. It's a gift from Miss."
"That doesn't seem right."
"It's fine. It's not some powerful martial art, anyway."
With that, Yang Liu turned and vanished around a distant corner in the blink of an eye.
For a moment, Shen Han stood rooted to the spot.
The gap between people was greater than the gap between people and dogs.
The Sky-Splitting Blade Technique was so astonishingly powerful, yet in their eyes, it was nothing special!
"Your turn, clone!"
At dusk, Shen Han sat in his room in the small courtyard and directed his clone to study the Ancient Sun Technique manual, turning through it page by page.
Although three-tenths of the manual was missing, he had faith in his clone.
If the clone couldn't master it, then nobody could!
Perhaps the Ancient Sun Technique was more profound than the Breathing Technique. Or perhaps the missing sections made it harder for his clone. Either way, studying the Ancient Sun Technique took several times longer than learning the Breathing Technique had.
A full quarter of an hour passed before the clone finally closed the manual.
"Can you practice it?"
Shen Han immediately asked with his mind.
The clone nodded, confirming that it could.
"Practice!"
Shen Han was overjoyed. Just as he'd thought, his clone was incredible.
It could practice the technique even with three-tenths of the content missing. That kind of terrifying talent had to be one of a kind!
He looked into the bronze mirror again.
The clone was already sitting cross-legged on the floor, mouth and nostrils open.
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
Shen Han watched, enthralled, without taking his eyes off it.
Suddenly, the clone bit through the tip of its tongue, then formed the Ancient Sun Technique's unique Blazing Sun Seal with both hands. A faint golden-red glow shone between its palms. In an instant, the air around the clone seemed to turn gold, streaming into its mouth and nostrils.
Buzz!
Pure Yang True Qi gathered continuously, emitting a faint hum.
With its eyes shut tight, the clone murmured the technique's incantation, carefully guiding streams of pure Yang energy into its body, through every inch of its meridians and every bone.
Half an hour later, it completed one Greater Celestial Circuit.
The clone exhaled a heavy breath of stale air.
"It worked!"
Shen Han almost shouted.
It was obvious: his clone had truly filled in the missing parts of the technique. It was practically invincible!
He immediately had the clone continue practicing.
Then he opened the status panel.
Cultivation Techniques: Breathing Technique (Perfection), Ancient Sun Technique (Beginner)
As expected, the Ancient Sun Technique had easily reached the beginner stage.
Huh?
Shen Han noticed that the Breathing Technique entry on the panel was gradually fading.
Could cultivation techniques fuse, too?
He stared hard at the panel, watching this strange change unfold.
Before long, the perfected Breathing Technique disappeared completely.
Cultivation Techniques: Ancient Sun Technique (Minor Mastery)
"It really happened just like I thought. The foundation laid by the perfected Breathing Technique directly helped the Ancient Sun Technique advance to minor mastery!
"So martial arts of the same type can fuse, and cultivation techniques can, too!
"This cheat is incredible!"
Soon, the results provided even stronger proof.
For the next half hour, the clone practiced the Ancient Sun Technique at minor mastery. Its efficiency at refining True Qi increased greatly, and it completed two Greater Celestial Circuits.
Twice as fast!
"The Ancient Sun Technique is much stronger than the Breathing Technique. I can even feel my strength growing..."
Shen Han marveled.
The cultivation he shared with his clone gave him a strange sensation.
His somewhat slender body seemed to have a slumbering Flame Beast infused into it. With every breath, scorching air spilled from his mouth and nostrils.
His meridians had grown tougher, and his strength had increased.
That masculine power, born of the Ancient Sun Technique, lay coiled in his dantian, etched into his very bones like a brand. Every inch of his flesh was steeped in pure Yang's domineering vitality.
"When the Ancient Sun Technique reaches major mastery, or even perfection, the improvement will be even more obvious!"
Watching his clone train in the mirror, Shen Han smiled faintly. "With both me and my clone working hard, breaking through to the Flesh Refining Realm is just around the corner!"
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