Breakthrough

Qin Jiu's eyes flashed with surprise.

At that moment, a fierce beastly shadow slowly emerged on the Red Seal.

It confirmed what he had suspected.

"Young Master, we should go."

Just then,

Wang Yue spoke, pulling him back from his thoughts.

Qin Jiu nodded slightly.

Holding his gleaming long saber, he stirred the qi and blood within him. The bluestone ground beneath his feet suddenly shattered.

His figure shot away like an arrow loosed from a bowstring,

vanishing from where he stood.

The night was as dark as ink.

The sounds of houses collapsing and people screaming, mixed with strange roars, echoed through the night sky.

Wang Yue wore a grim expression as he stayed close beside Qin Jiu.

Along the way, they were repeatedly attacked by demons.

He struck first each time and dealt with them all.

Only after they entered the Inner City

did the chaos gradually subside.

"Who knows how many people will die in the Outer City tonight?"

Qin Jiu made it back to the Qin Mansion without incident, but the grave expression on his face remained. His keen senses earlier had told him that, even without stopping, the area around South Ward in the Outer City had likely already become a living hell.

Wang Yue sighed at his words. "Demons are besieging the city."

"Tragedies like tonight's are bound to happen again. Even the Inner City is far from safe."

"That much is to be expected."

Qin Jiu nodded silently, then said, "How are you feeling, old sir? I'd like to practice for a while longer..."

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Young Master."

Wang Yue gave a bitter smile. "This old servant's frail body had already overtaxed its energy and spirit during the day. And after staying on high alert just now, I'm exhausted in both body and mind."

Hearing this,

Qin Jiu was at a loss for words.

He was young and strong, and hadn't considered this at all. If he kept asking Wang Yue to drive the saber momentum, he would be wringing the old man dry. If anything went wrong, it would be a serious problem.

"Then go back and rest first, old sir."

"This old servant will take his leave."

After Wang Yue left,

Qin Jiu returned to the courtyard alone and slowly practiced Stance Training.

Without the saber momentum to bolster it, his progress in Stance Training was slow. But his main purpose tonight wasn't to practice. He wanted to try guiding his qi and blood into a circulation, so he could enter the Second Refining realm.

This would not only greatly increase his strength in a short time,

but also allow him to bear more talent imprints.

"According to the Blade Technique Manual..."

"Qi-and-blood circulation is divided into a minor cycle and a major cycle."

"Lesser martial arts all use the minor-cycle method, which centers on the dantian and forms a cycle between the qi and blood and the limbs. Tyrant Blade's method of guidance, however, uses the major cycle, allowing qi and blood to form a perfect circulation through the torso, limbs, and head."

Qin Jiu's eyes flickered.

The manual stated that this method of guiding circulation rivaled superior martial arts.

Its only drawback was that the saber art was too brutal.

Those who practiced it often suffered damage to their internal organs, and their ultimate fate was rarely good.

"But that's true of other people..."

Qin Jiu took a deep breath.

Withered Wood Meets Spring activated at once.

His breathing changed, and wisps of mist immediately rose between his nose and mouth. At the same time, the sound of his qi and blood surging rang clearly through the East Wing courtyard.

Day and night turned in their endless cycle.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

At the start of the Chen hour that day, Qin Jiu's bare upper body, shoulders, neck, and even head were crossed with bulging veins like coiled dragons. White jets of breath streamed from his nose and mouth, while the sound of his surging qi and blood burst from within him like waves crashing on a shore, lingering without pause.

There were no servants in the courtyard now.

Only Wang Yue stood there, hunched over, stroking his goatee as he watched Qin Jiu tensely.

At a certain moment,

"Pop!"

A sound like a bursting bubble rang out.

Wang Yue's hand jerked, tearing out several gray-white hairs from his beard. Yet he seemed not to feel the pain at all; his cloudy eyes flashed with a startling brilliance.

"Just a few days, and he's formed a major qi-and-blood cycle..."

His voice trembled slightly.

The hand clutching his beard trembled uncontrollably.

For a moment, Wang Yue even wondered if his time had come and he was hallucinating. There was no way anyone in the world could construct a qi-and-blood circulation this quickly.

Ordinary martial artists, no matter what martial arts they practiced,

built their qi-and-blood circulation

with the utmost care and caution, afraid that one wrong move might jolt their meridians or some other part of their bodies, leaving them to lose control and go mad—or even drop dead on the spot.

To say nothing of using Tyrant Blade's method of circulation.

They should have been cautious to the extreme.

Yet Qin Jiu had formed it by moving his qi and blood with almost brutal force.

If Wang Yue hadn't only learned of this today,

he would have done everything in his power to stop him.

But now...

"Finally."

Qin Jiu opened his mouth and expelled a jet of breath. It traveled nearly three feet before slowly dissipating.

"Now that I've formed the major qi-and-blood cycle, I only need to forge my bones and develop inner force to become a true Second Refining martial artist."

"And forging my bones to produce inner force is far easier than forming the qi-and-blood cycle."

Feeling his strength surge once more,

Qin Jiu nodded with satisfaction.

For the past three days, protected by Withered Wood Meets Spring, he had moved his qi and blood in a nearly self-destructive manner. At last, he had formed the major qi-and-blood cycle in a short time. Forging his bones to produce inner force, on the other hand, was the easiest step.

After all, it was simply a matter of tempering his bones.

And with Withered Wood Meets Spring, it would only be faster than forming the qi-and-blood cycle.

"Young Master..."

Wang Yue came over.

Qin Jiu cut him off. "Uncle Wang, don't ask about what happened today, and don't tell anyone."

"This old servant understands."

"This old servant came by this morning to report something."

By now, Wang Yue had regained his composure.

As the old steward of the Qin Mansion, he was shocked, but more than that, he was happy for Qin Guihong.

He had no intention of asking questions.

"Report something?"

Qin Jiu asked in surprise, "What is it?"

"Three days ago, demons attacked the Outer City. The Demon Suppression Bureau swiftly stepped in and suppressed them, but many of the martial artists recently recruited into the Bureau died that night. Rumors have spread through the city that the Bureau will draw more people from the various families to replace them."

As Wang Yue spoke, he paused slightly.

"Then, last night, two retainers with honorary posts at the mansion left the Qin Family in the middle of the night. This old servant also went to check the small courtyard where they lived, and found that they had packed everything away very neatly."

As he heard this,

Qin Jiu's expression gradually darkened.

Wang Yue continued,

"There's one more thing."

"Qin Jingzheng, Jingxin, and Jingming just came to the East Wing seeking an audience with you. This old servant sent them to wait in the reception hall. What would you like to do?"

"The three of them?"

Seeking an audience at a time like this...

Qin Jiu's brows drew tightly together.

He immediately took Wang Yue to the reception hall.

"Three uncles, what do you want with me?"

Qin Jiu sat in the seat of honor, his gaze sweeping over the three figures without a ripple.

All three carried an imposing air.

They were all Three Refinements martial artists in the prime of their lives.

They met Qin Jiu's gaze, their eyes filled with complicated emotions.

One of them stood and bowed. "Jingxin wishes to take his wife and children, along with the rest of his household, and leave the Qin Mansion. I ask the family head to grant permission."

As soon as he moved,

the other two spoke up as well.

"Jingming is advanced in years and would also like to leave the Qin Mansion and enjoy his retirement..."

"Jingzheng..."