Confrontation, Ambition

Along the way, Lu Yuan heard quite a bit of discussion, and it seemed his worries had been somewhat unnecessary.

These Black Tiger Gang thugs were not searching for the killer of those two fellows.

That made sense; they were just two low-level thugs, after all. If they died, they died.

The thugs from the Black Tiger Gang seemed to be looking for something, something likely of extreme importance to the gang itself.

Lu Yuan could now be certain that it had nothing to do with him.

After all, he had only fished three taels and two maces of silver from those two, and nothing else.

"Still, it's better to be safe than sorry. Even though I covered my face that day, any action leaves a trace. If the Black Tiger Gang happens to track it back to me, it will be a nuisance!"

Lu Yuan's brows furrowed slightly.

Although he was now a Bright Energy Realm martial artist and the Black Tiger Gang wasn't considered a major power in Qinghe County, the waters were deep and full of hidden dangers. There was no guarantee the gang didn't possess Hidden Energy or even Transformation Realm experts. The later he had to face them, the better it would be for him.

Moreover, he had yet to practice any specific techniques, making it difficult to unleash his full strength.

Even if the Black Tiger Gang couldn't truly track him down, it was always necessary to prepare for the worst while living in peace.

After returning home, Lu Yuan rested for the afternoon and then enjoyed a hearty meal in the evening.

Madam Yang seemed to understand that Lu Yuan needed plenty of meat for his martial arts training, and now she prioritized him for every meal.

As night fell, Little Nannan played with Lu Yuan for a while before Madam Yang took her off to sleep.

Lu Yuan sat quietly in the room, facing the front door.

The lime powder and chili powder he had prepared earlier were already tucked into his clothes.

As long as the person who came wasn't a Hidden Energy or Transformation Realm expert, he was confident he could put up a desperate fight using his nearly perfected Five Animals Fist.

Fortunately, deep into the night, he heard no movement in the courtyard.

If nothing unexpected happened, the Black Tiger Gang hadn't tracked him down yet.

He slept in his clothes, though he didn't fall into a deep slumber, drifting in and out of consciousness until dawn.

Even so, as his internal blood and qi circulated incessantly, he felt refreshed and clear-headed.

Not only was there no fatigue, but his body felt incredibly comfortable.

Clearly, the wonders of blood and qi went far beyond just explosive power.

Even if Lu Yuan didn't sleep for several days, as long as his blood and qi were full, he figured it wouldn't have any impact on him.

When he left in the morning, he specifically instructed Madam Yang to avoid going out as much as possible, and if anything seemed amiss, to take Little Nannan and hide in the cellar under the stove.

This cellar seemed to have been dug out bit by bit by Madam Yang herself before he had transmigrated here.

It was not only quite hidden but could also squeeze in three people, clearly intended as a refuge for their family of three.

As Lu Yuan passed through the bustling market, he deliberately slowed his pace, listening to the discussions echoing around him.

His senses were now sharp, allowing him to hear the chatter of the crowd with perfect clarity.

"Why did the Black Tiger Gang pull back so quickly?"

"Haven't you heard? Not only did the Black Tiger Gang fail to find what they were looking for, but they also drew the attention of the Iron Palm Gang. I heard that over a hundred people from both gangs fought all night long. The blood stained the ground red—it was terrifying!"

"It's best if they all die, so they stop tormenting us common folk!"

From these discussions, Lu Yuan basically gathered two things.

First, the Black Tiger Gang had not found that important item.

Second, the commotion caused by the Black Tiger Gang had provoked the Iron Palm Gang, leading to a fierce clash between the two, resulting in heavy casualties.

It was easy to see that he wouldn't be facing the Black Tiger Gang anytime soon.

For him, this was naturally good news.

What he needed most right now wasn't money or resources, but enough time to grow.

Although martial arts training relied primarily on nutrition—with training being only thirty percent of the effort and eating seventy percent—as long as he could continue to practice steadily, even if he had to be cautious, slow, and grind away at it, he would eventually reach the peak.

As for the conflict between the Black Tiger Gang and the Iron Palm Gang, as long as it didn't affect him, he couldn't be bothered to care.

Looking across the entirety of Qinghe County, there were dozens, if not a hundred, gangs of various sizes.

Conflicts between gangs were a daily occurrence.

Every few days, news would spread of some gang being wiped out or a new one being founded.

So, it was entirely possible that the Black Tiger Gang might be completely destroyed by tomorrow.

Over the next few days, Lu Yuan continued to go to the Song Academy once a day to practice the Five Animals Fist, leaving immediately after eating his free portion of meat.

He spent his afternoons resting at home, and after eating the meat Madam Yang prepared in the evening, he would go to sleep early to conserve energy for the next day's training.

[Five Animals Fist: Great Success (3165/10000)]

Although he only practiced once a day, his proficiency grew rapidly. Each session now added over five hundred points of proficiency. At this rate, in less than ten days, Lu Yuan would basically be able to bring the Five Animals Fist to perfection.

It wasn't just the change in proficiency; the blood and qi within Lu Yuan's body had reached six strands, nearly double what he had before, and the power he could unleash had naturally become much stronger.

Beyond that, his own strength, speed, and reaction time had all seen a significant increase.

Lu Yuan walked into the courtyard, instantly erupting with Blood Qi, and slammed a punch into a bowl-sized stone on the ground.

"Bang!"

Accompanied by a dull thud, the hard stone completely shattered, sending debris flying.

Even the ground beneath it had sunken two or three inches, with cracks spreading all around.

This punch must have reached nearly a thousand pounds of force!

Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction; most importantly, his fist remained completely unscathed.

This was the gap between an ordinary martial artist and an External Energy Realm martial artist.

Ordinary martial artists cannot trigger Bright Energy; even if they could shatter a stone with brute force, they would suffer from the recoil, resulting in skin and flesh injuries at best, or broken bones at worst.

External Energy Realm martial artists are different; not only can they use Blood Qi to trigger Bright Energy, but they can also condense that force into a single point, instantly unleashing greater power while remaining unharmed themselves.

Therefore, even with the same strength and speed, if an ordinary martial artist and an External Energy Realm martial artist were to clash fists, the result would still be like an egg hitting a rock—the former's fist would shatter, while the latter would remain perfectly intact.

Once the Blood Qi in my body increases to ten strands, I should be able to attempt the second Blood Qi Tempering and charge toward the Hidden Energy Realm!

Lu Yuan's eyes burned with anticipation.

If Bright Energy possessed such might, how terrifying would Hidden Energy be!

Most importantly, once he reached the Hidden Energy Realm, he could basically begin planning for the Martial Examination.

Carrying his ambitions for the future, Lu Yuan went to sleep early, just as he always did.

The next morning, as soon as Lu Yuan arrived at Song Academy, he noticed that everyone was not training with their usual fervor.

Everyone was standing quietly, whispering to one another.

Clearly, something unusual had happened, or was about to happen.

"Brother Chen Pi, what happened?"

Lu Yuan turned to look at Chen Pi and asked in a low voice.