Probing

"A graded weapon?"

Qin Jiu felt a slight surprise in his heart.

Yet, the movements of his hands did not pause.

Instead, they became increasingly ferocious.

"Clang, clang, clang."

Within the dim hall.

Sparks flew in all directions.

That Hall Master, who had been terrified from the very beginning, saw his expression gradually relax after exchanging over a dozen blows.

"It is merely Second Refining."

"How dare you be so bold."

"You wicked beast, if not for the fact that our Fisher Gang leader is away, how could I allow you to kill so many of my brothers?"

His face was twisted with ferocity.

Only now did he realize that he had been completely intimidated by the initial blade strike that had reached Second Refining.

Having exchanged blows for a moment, he now understood this person's realm.

It was merely Second Refining.

The only reason the opponent had been able to slaughter the gang members was by relying on a graded sharp blade.

As the Hall Master thought of this.

He felt his heart bleeding.

The eleven gang members who had died before his eyes were all elites of the Fisher Gang, seven of whom were Second Refining martial artists; they had all died in the blink of an eye simply because they were suppressed by his momentum at the start.

"I hate..."

He gritted his teeth, yet no sooner had the words left his mouth.

The strength in his body suddenly stagnated.

His movements also faltered.

"Puchi."

Blade light intersected.

A head was instantly sent flying high into the air.

"Too much nonsense."

Qin Jiu remained expressionless, his long blade not stopping until he had hacked the man into minced meat just like the others, at which point he picked up the graded long blade from the ground and hurried out of the Incense Hall.

It was not that he was born cruel.

With the current situation unclear, he did not want to expose himself; although there were countless people in Songshan County who used blades, the Tyrant Blade technique was exceptional, and if he left behind complete corpses, it was inevitable that someone might discern something.

"Next, it depends on their reaction."

"The Fisher Gang leader... the Chai Gang, the Li Family, and those few others..."

In the wooded area by the riverbank.

Qin Jiu's eyes were deep and somber.

But soon, his expression changed, and his stomach churned involuntarily.

This had nothing to do with whether it was his first time killing someone.

It was simply that the slaughter just now had been too bloody; dozens of people turned into minced meat, a scene he had created with his own hands, and his body was temporarily unable to adapt.

The next day.

The Outer City was in an uproar.

Aside from the chaos caused by Demons, this was the most shocking event in recent days: the entire Fisher Gang, save for their leader, had seen their core members slaughtered to the last man overnight, and upon returning to the gang, the leader had been so enraged that he fainted from a surge of blood and qi.

Qin Mansion, East Wing.

Huang Jing was vividly recounting the news he had gathered.

"They say the scene was..."

"The bailiffs from the County Office saw it and couldn't help but suspect that Demons had entered the city again."

"But the Chai Gang leader, who was also there to observe, said it was done by a human; I don't know where such a fierce person popped out from, truly brutal. Master, you didn't see it, that ground full of minced corpses, ugh..."

"That's enough, you may leave."

Qin Jiu nodded thoughtfully.

After Huang Jing retreated.

He arrived in the courtyard and activated his Blood Sha, using the breathing technique of the Taiyin Horizontal Training Body to guide the Yin Sha for Bone Forging.

This power of Yin Sha had many wonderful uses.

He currently had no intention of cultivating the Taiyin Horizontal Training Body; after all, martial arts were easy to learn but difficult to master. Just mastering the Tyrant Blade would require a significant amount of time and energy, so how could he possibly find the time to cultivate this horizontal training technique?

However, he would extract its Bone Forging chapter.

Using it to forge his bones with Yin Sha would drive the growth of his internal energy.

The speed was truly remarkable.

"At this rate of growth, in another half a month, I should be able to fill my arms with internal energy and step into the small success stage of the Second Refining."

Qin Jiu's eyes shone brightly.

Internal energy infused with Yin Sha could not be described as anything but powerful.

During his battle with that Fisher Gang hall master last night, merely letting his internal energy invade the man's body was enough to cause the opponent's own energy to stagnate.

This allowed him to behead the man with a single blade strike.

If he could master his internal energy to fill his entire body, he feared that even a Three Refinements martial artist would be forced to meet their end on the spot.

"Focus on training for now."

"I will go to the Chai Gang to scout tonight..."

Qin Jiu gathered his focus.

Then, while swallowing medicinal pills to refine his blood and qi, he guided the Yin Sha to forge his bones.

The great sun gradually slanted toward the west.

However, it was not yet dusk.

Huang Jing arrived at the East Wing to report. He bowed slightly, cupped his hands, and said, "Young Master, Li Mu, the eldest son of the Li Family, has sent someone to deliver an invitation, requesting your presence at a banquet to discuss the Demons."

"Who?"

"The eldest son of the Li Family?"

A strange smile appeared on Qin Jiu's face as he asked, "Where is the banquet being held?"

"The Hundred Flower Pavilion in the Inner City."

"In that case, go call Qin Xudong and accompany me there to see what it is they want to discuss."

Huang Jing cupped his hands in acknowledgment.

He immediately went to the Martial Arts Arena to summon the man.

Afterward, Qin Jiu took the two of them with him.

They went straight to the Hundred Flower Pavilion.

This was a theater in the Inner City. At this moment, the spacious main hall was sparsely populated and appeared quite desolate. On stage, a figure was singing an opera, while below the stage sat more than a dozen young men and women of varying temperaments.

Qin Jiu had sharp eyes.

He spotted Han Qingyue in the crowd at a single glance.

Is the Han Family also being suspected?

A strange look appeared on his face.

At this moment.

A handsome and refined young man stood up, bowed, and said, "This Humble One is Li Mu, son of Li Shijing of the newly risen Li Family in the Inner City. I have long admired the great name of the Head of the Qin Family."

"You are too polite, sir."

Qin Jiu smiled and said, "You and I are of similar age, so there is no need for such formalities. If you don't mind, you may simply call me Brother Qin."

Upon hearing this, a trace of mockery flickered in the young man's eyes.

Just as he was about to go along with it.

He heard Qin Jiu speak indifferently.

"If Brother Li were to lose your father, I presume you would also be able to become the head of a family at such a young age, just like me."

"It is only natural for us to associate as peers."

"..."

The man's face turned livid instantly.

Seeing this, Qin Jiu thought to himself that this person was far too unable to keep his composure, and then he looked around at the others.

At the spot where Han Qingyue was sitting.

Besides her younger sister, she was accompanied by disciples from the Canghai Martial Arts Hall, as well as two other men and women whose family backgrounds he did not recognize. As for the others, he did not know them at all.

"Head of the Qin Family, let me introduce you to everyone."

On the other side.

Li Mu's expression returned to normal as he walked before the group and spoke, "I presume there is no need for me to introduce this eldest daughter of the Han Family to you, Patriarch Qin?"

"As for the person beside her..."

"Inner sect head disciple of the Canghai Martial Arts Hall, student of Tang Yu, greets Patriarch Qin."

The man spoke, cutting off Li Mu's words.

He said only that, coolly.

Then, he slightly closed his eyes.

A flash of irritation crossed Li Mu's face, but his tone remained steady as he pointed to the others, "This is the personal disciple of the Canal Gang leader, and this is the son of Nan Zhenxiong from the Long Wind Escort Agency..."

"This is the young leader of the Chai Gang."

He finished introducing the circle.

Qin Jiu's gaze, however, lingered only for a moment on that young leader of the Chai Gang.

He then gave a slight nod to the group.

"Qin Family, Qin Jiu."

"To see so many young talents today, I can say this trip was not in vain."

"I hear you all wish to discuss matters regarding the Demon?"

As he spoke.

He plopped himself down into the main seat.

This was the seat Li Mu had originally occupied; after all, since he was the one who had invited all parties today, he was naturally meant to sit in the main seat. Yet, no one expected that Qin Jiu would sit down with such a composed expression.