Stage Two: Ripple Qigong

For the following week, Lin Qing stayed in Snowfall Village, temporarily settling in as a barefoot doctor.

Snowfall Village was plagued by wind and snow year-round, and the local residents all carried a trace of cold energy in their bodies to varying degrees; joint pain in their legs, waists, and limbs was a common occurrence.

In the process of treating Bai's mother, Lin Qing discovered that as the Ripple fought against different types of cold energy, it condensed and grew at a faster rate than usual.

Compared to Bai's mother, the cold energy in the other villagers was much thinner and lacked a certain indescribable sense of power, but it made up for this with sheer numbers, providing a constant, inexhaustible supply.

Lin Qing couldn't keep pestering Bai's mother for his cultivation, after all...

She still had a husband.

Under the assistance of the villagers, Lin Qing's Ripple, which had not seen any progress for a long time, finally broke through its bottleneck.

"The first stage of Ripple cultivation allows one to heal flesh wounds and increases physical fitness by two or three times.

Later, during various bounty missions, I discovered that the Ripple could be attached to weapons and transformed into a Silver Ripple, crudely enhancing the weapon's power.

This is the second stage: Ripple Transformation.

But at the time, the Ripple Transformation was still very rough, and only a small portion of the power could complete the transition.

And now..."

A touch of Cyan Ripple appeared at Lin Qing's fingertips.

He touched the tea in his cup, and the tea instantly became as hard as steel, resisting his finger.

If he were in a river and concentrated the Cyan Ripple on his feet, Lin Qing would possess the ability to walk on the surface of the water.

Not only that, but with a flick of Lin Qing's finger, the tea was drawn out, and with a swipe in mid-air, the tea transformed into an incredibly hard shield.

The next second, the Ripple color turned crimson, and a heat far more intense than before radiated out; the tea turned into water vapor, and Lin Qing punched into the steam—

Boom!

An explosion rang out.

Steam explosion.

Lin Qing's hair fluttered.

The power of this move was even greater than he had imagined.

"The first stage is the external release of the Ripple; the second stage is using breathing frequency adjustments to change the nature of the Ripple to deal with different combat scenarios."

Crimson Ripple, effect: ultra-high temperature.

Cyan Ripple, effect: water manipulation.

Silver Ripple, effect: metal enhancement; hardness, sharpness, and elasticity can all be significantly strengthened.

And the most powerful one—

Lin Qing opened his palm again, and a flash of golden electricity flickered.

In the past, when he released the Ripple, it was just a golden radiance.

Now, the golden electricity was more condensed and far more powerful than before.

"Yamabuki Ripple Overdrive."

The Ripple with the strongest frontal attack capability. Lin Qing faintly sensed that there were subtle differences within it, but he had just broken through the bottleneck and needed time to slowly ponder it.

Lin Qing clenched his fist again and summoned Star Platinum, Aero Smith, and Hermit Purple.

Stands are the manifestation of the user's will; as Lin Qing's body and spirit grew stronger, all the Stands he controlled were amplified.

"If it weren't for the time required to cultivate and break through bit by bit, the Ripple Breathing Method would definitely be a five-star—no, a technique comparable to a six-star Stand.

Once I fully master the nature-changing Yamabuki Ripple Overdrive, the power of a single punch... even if it's smaller than a level-one Star Platinum, it shouldn't be far off."

Lin Qing could already imagine future enemies who thought they had grasped the secret of his Stand, bypassing Star Platinum to attack his "frail" main body, only to be blown away by a single punch.

Coming to Snowfall Village this time was worth it.

Otherwise, if he had just cultivated in isolation, heaven knows how long it would have taken to break through to the second stage of the Ripple.

"No wonder the monks in Tibet are always wandering, healing people; besides having a kind heart, there is also the purpose of cultivation."

Lin Qing slowly exhaled and withdrew the power of the Ripple.

Knock, knock—

There was another knock at the door.

Before Sasuke could open it, a young woman in her thirties, still possessing a lingering charm, pushed the door open and strode inside.

As she walked, she took off her cotton-padded jacket, revealing only a loosely wrapped chest binder underneath, exposing a large expanse of snow-white skin.

"Doctor Lin, please help me touch it again... I mean, treat me; my shoulder still hurts a little—ouch! Why are you pulling me?!"

Before the woman could finish speaking, another woman with short hair tugged at her.

"Get in line! I was clearly here first! If Doctor Lin is going to touch anyone, he should touch me first!"

"I was here first!"

"Me!"

Outside the makeshift clinic, the sound of women arguing rose in a clamor, each vying to be the first to receive treatment from Lin Qing.

It was rare for a doctor to visit the village, and the moment Lin Qing's hands touched them, a tingling, numbing sensation would wash over their entire bodies.

Coupled with the fact that he possessed the classic, model-like face of the Uchiha clan and was rumored to be unmarried, it was only natural that young maidens and wives flocked to him, including more than a few widows who had heard the news and traveled from neighboring villages.

"Brother Qing, women... are terrifying..."

Sasuke muttered in a low voice.

"Terrifying, aren't they?"

Lin Qing said with a smile, "So, make sure you never get caught."

"Eh?"

Sasuke was stunned. "What does being caught have to do with women?"

"What do you think would happen if you were captured by another organization or ninja village?"

"Torture? Interrogations about my breathing techniques or ninjutsu? And in the end... they'd gouge out my Sharingan, I suppose."

That was the most horrific outcome Sasuke could imagine.

Lin Qing shook his head slightly. "No, you wouldn't die."

"I wouldn't die?"

"Not only would you not die, but you'd be pampered with the finest food and drink—twenty lamb kidneys, thirty bull testicles, and unlimited oysters every single day, and then..."

A smirk tugged at the corner of Lin Qing's mouth.

"Breeding."

"B-breeding?!"

It wasn't Sasuke who spoke, but Xiaotao, who had been reading in the corner. Upon hearing that Sasuke would be captured for breeding, the little girl's eyes went wide as saucers, and she let out an involuntary cry.

Lin Qing continued, "That's right. Killing you to take your eyes is like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. Keeping you alive to constantly sire new Uchiha offspring—that is the optimal solution. In just over a decade, they could produce an entire army possessing the Sharingan."

Sasuke rubbed his chin, recalling the hobbies of Hayato Kamihara. "But for a man... that doesn't seem entirely unacceptable, does it?"

"Heh—"

Lin Qing let out a soft chuckle.

"Do you think the women they'd send to breed with you would be beauties? To ensure the birth of strong offspring, the women they'd send would be muscular, brawny, and stout."

Imagine having a different Sister Yujie of the Northeast crawling into your bed every night; the mere thought was terrifying.

At these words, Sasuke shivered.

Seeing his reaction, Lin Qing couldn't help but laugh, and Xiaotao, off to the side, covered her mouth and giggled for the first time in a long while.

"Lin Qing! Come over for the test!"

The voice of Blade Master rang out from outside.

"Coming."

Lin Qing replied and walked out.

At the same time.

At the County Magistrate's residence.

County Magistrate Senmura sat in his chair, holding a wine glass in his hand, while a maid from the Land of Lightning with chocolate-colored skin poured him a drink.

If one were to lean in and smell it, they would realize there was no scent of alcohol in the cup.

He was drinking water.

County Magistrate Senmura was in his forties, with thinning hair, standing just over 1.6 meters tall, with a mediocre face and a slightly portly build.

No one would ever guess that such an unremarkable man could be the Magistrate who ruled over the region.

Senmura never drank alcohol; alcohol slowed his mind and made him muddled, and being muddled meant making mistakes.

He did not like making mistakes.

Senmura had risen from a mere pauper to a businessman, navigated connections, bought his office, and ascended to the position of County Magistrate to become a local warlord—all because of his brain.

He was simply enjoying the process of being served by a beauty.

Before him, the accountant was reporting the financial income and expenditures of the past month, item by item.

"Wait... the heating tax for Snowfall Village wasn't paid this month?"

"It wasn't," the accountant reminded him. "The two samurai sent to collect the tax were beaten, their legs broken, and they were chased away."

County Magistrate Senmura vaguely remembered his subordinates mentioning it.

However, he didn't care about the lives of his underlings, so he hadn't taken it to heart.

Just ignorant peasants acting foolishly, he thought.

Breaking the legs of his samurai.

It doesn't matter.

However, cutting off his source of wealth is unacceptable.

"Bring me those two samurai who went to collect the taxes."

Before long, two samurai, one tall and one short, limped over.

Because they had set their sights on Xiaotao, Sasuke had struck with such ruthlessness that they would likely be relying on crutches for the rest of their lives.

Upon seeing County Magistrate Senmura, the two samurai knelt in a standard dogeza position, bowing their heads low, their voices thick with tears:

"My Lord! You must seek justice for us!"

County Magistrate Senmura inquired about the details, and after hearing the full account, he asked, "Is the opponent very strong?"

"Very strong!"

The two samurai gestured wildly, describing Lin Qing and Sasuke with such exaggerated flair that they sounded like man-eating demons; they claimed they had fought with all their might but could not prevail, and had no choice but to flee back to report to the Magistrate.

"Very strong, is it... Understood, you may leave."

The two samurai exchanged glances, unsure of what the Magistrate meant, but they bowed with their crutches and departed, filled with confusion.

County Magistrate Senmura rubbed his chin, pondering for a full five minutes.

"Go to the treasury, take a chest of gold and silver jewelry, two bolts of cloth, and bring two beauties. Tell the Dire Wolf Squad to make a trip to Snowfall Village, and go to that powerhouse..."

"To deliver a gift."