Testing the Blade

"What kind of martial art is this?"

Qin Jiu asked, his brows knitted.

Fu Hanchuan glanced at it and said indifferently, "A form of hard qigong that tempers the body through brutal methods. It appears to be a shortcut, yet once one steps into the Internal Strengthening realm, they will die suddenly. Even if they do not break through, the practitioner will not live past thirty years."

"However, for those who practice this technique."

"They break through a realm every month."

"If your Qin Family wishes to raise dead soldiers, this is the perfect choice."

"Then we shall follow Commander Fu's advice."

Qin Jiu said, his expression blank.

Fu Hanchuan merely assumed he was sulking. With a scoff, he walked into the inner chamber of the armory, retrieved a thick manual, and tossed it over.

He caught the secret manual.

Without another word, he turned and walked out of the armory.

Returning to the Qin Family.

Qin Jiu spoke to Wang Yue immediately.

"Uncle Wang, go to the accounting office later and withdraw more medicinal pills. I fear tonight's affairs will not go smoothly. Furthermore, you must be wary of Tang Yu, Jiang Lin, Ji Changqing, and that scarred Internal Strengthening martial artist from the Demon Suppression Bureau."

"Why is that?"

Wang Yue was startled.

Recalling the black radiance he had seen earlier, a shadow flickered in the depths of Qin Jiu's eyes, though he said, "I have a bad premonition. It is best if you remain vigilant, Uncle. If nothing happens, that is for the best, but if it does, we will at least be prepared."

Martial artists possess keen senses.

Among them, there are always those who, when faced with major events, experience an inexplicable stirring of the heart—a near-prophetic intuition.

Hearing Qin Jiu's exhortation, Wang Yue's expression immediately turned solemn.

"This old servant will be careful."

"I hope my premonition is wrong."

Qin Jiu sighed softly.

The County Magistrate was a very overbearing man.

There had been no way to refuse this matter from the start. Now that the die was cast, he could only have Wang Yue act with the utmost caution.

Thinking of this, he personally made a trip to the accounting office.

He prepared a large supply of all the medicinal pills that an Internal Strengthening martial artist could use, especially healing pills—enough to be eaten like a meal.

"That's enough, that's enough."

Wang Yue said with a bitter smile, "You've given this old servant so many pills, are you expecting me to carry them into battle against a Demon..."

"Also, regarding that scarred man you mentioned."

"I have thought it over, and I cannot fathom why I should be wary of him. That man is a trusted aide of the County Magistrate. I dealt with him quite a bit in my younger years, and he is a man of upright character."

"A trusted aide of the County Magistrate?"

Qin Jiu could not help but frown.

If he had sensed malice from this man, it meant the man posed a threat to him, or even the Qin Family.

And if he were the County Magistrate's trusted aide.

Then why did the County Magistrate.

And Fu Hanchuan not trigger such a feeling?

"Indeed."

Unaware of his thoughts, Wang Yue continued, "Back when you had me investigate the Fisher Gang and the Chai Gang, and we discovered they were seemingly backed by the County Office? Actually, I had tracked it to this man. He seemed to be constantly monitoring members of the Fisher Gang and the Chai Gang, but I later reconsidered—he is an upright man, even somewhat intolerant of evil. Perhaps he was simply apprehending criminals."

"Hiss..."

The corner of Qin Jiu's eye twitched slightly.

He subconsciously took a deep breath.

"Uncle Wang, you are to go out with the County Magistrate tonight, so go back and get some rest while you can."

"As for the people I just mentioned."

"You must keep your guard up."

After letting Wang Yue leave.

Qin Jiu casually placed the secret manual he had brought back onto the table.

He then took his saber into the courtyard, quickly initiating his stance training, intending to calm his thoughts before reading it.

Under the scorching sun.

The blade's shadow flashed with cold light, crisscrossing the air.

The whistling of the wind was incessant, ringing in his ears.

"Bone Forging to generate internal strength relies primarily on the word 'forge'—using qi and blood to hammer and refine the limbs and skeleton. Once the internal strength is filled within the circulating qi and blood, that will be the day my Second Refining reaches perfection."

"However, whether it is the Dragon-Tiger Health-Nurturing Stake..."

"Or the Overbearing Stance Training."

"There is no significant difference in terms of Bone Forging; one can only rely on slow, grinding effort to advance bit by bit, which is truly too sluggish."

Qin Jiu's qi and blood surged around his body.

While performing the stance training.

He pondered how to accelerate his own improvement.

"I do not lack pills, precious medicines, or spirit beast meat. Now that I have obtained a horizontal training martial art from the Demon Suppression Bureau, if I combine it with Withered Wood Meets Spring and supplement it with pills, I will surely be able to advance by leaps and bounds. This path can also be pursued in tandem with the refining of Blood Sha."

He became somewhat lost in thought.

Currently, the internal strength within his body was only as thick as two fingers and about a palm's length long, yet the Yin Sha power it contained was such that he feared an ordinary Second Refining martial artist like Huang Jing would be unable to withstand even a single palm strike from him.

If he continued to refine it further.

The power of his internal strength would inevitably undergo a qualitative transformation.

Qin Jiu gathered his focus.

After practicing the stance training twice more.

He walked to the pavilion and sat down, swallowing a Blood Strengthening Pill while activating his Blood Sha, and began to flip through the Taiyin Horizontal Training Body.

This martial art summarized the three great refinings of martial arts as horizontal training.

And after the three great refinings.

It was summarized as internally strengthening one's own body.

However, the methods were not only brutal but even somewhat sinister.

First, one must mix five poisons with iron sand and repeatedly hammer the skin with external force, while soaking in a specially prepared medicinal bath that utilized the mutual restraint of the five poisons. Persisting in this for a month would allow one to achieve perfection in Skin Polishing.

After that came Bone Forging.

One must swallow a Demon inner core and use a breathing technique to guide the core's sha to temper the limbs and skeleton...

"These specific five-poison items are not easy to find in a short time, and as for Demon inner cores, with Demons carving up territory outside the city recently, there should be many people selling them inside the city... but must it be core sha?"

Qin Jiu wore a thoughtful expression.

He had quite a bit of Yin Sha power refined from Blood Sha within his body; if he could use this to replace the core sha...

Thinking of this.

Qin Jiu followed the breathing guidance method of this martial art.

He gathered the Yin Sha within his body into a ball, then slowly wrapped it around his right arm.

"Puchi~"

In an instant.

His arm shuddered, and the skin, which was usually difficult to cut even with blades, quickly cracked like a web, seeping bright red blood.

Qin Jiu's expression remained unchanged.

Under the activation of Withered Wood Meets Spring, the cracks healed rapidly.

In just one back-and-forth, he sensed that the two-finger-thick internal strength within his body had actually increased by a sliver.

"It is truly feasible."

A flash of brilliance crossed Qin Jiu's eyes.

He then simply stopped practicing the stance, focusing his full attention on tempering his limbs and skeleton with the Yin Sha power while continuing to refine his qi and blood.

Time passed.

In the blink of an eye, the bright moon hung high.

At the main gate of the Qin Mansion, Wang Yue disappeared into the night alone, carrying his saber.

Qin Jiu watched his back vanish.

He did not return to the East Wing.

Instead, he turned and walked to his private vault, taking out a long saber that was azure from hilt to tip. The blade felt cold and rough to the touch, weighing nearly a hundred catties. It resembled a Mo Dao, roughly seven feet in length, and could only be held at an angle.

This was the weapon Qin Guihong had used during his lifetime.

Its grade was even higher than the one in Wang Yue's hands.

Most importantly, it was heavy enough.

And hard enough.

"Hum~"

Qin Jiu swung it slightly, adapting to the weight.

Afterward, he went back to change his clothes.

Stepping out of the Qin Mansion, he headed straight toward the Outer City, rushing toward the location of the Fisher Gang.