Breaking Through to Eighth-rank Martial Arts, Unyielding Martial God

Zeng Anmin swam with all his might, wanting to surface far from the riverbank.

But the burning sensation in his lungs reminded him that if he didn't take a breath soon, he might very well become the first cultivator in history to drown himself by holding his breath.

"Splash~"

His underwater speed slowed.

His consciousness gradually grew hazy.

A bitter smile spread across the corner of his mouth.

No choice—if I get exposed, so be it. I can't let myself suffocate!

Zeng Anmin sighed inwardly and began struggling toward the river's surface.

But suddenly, he froze.

"This..."

The Martial Arts Aura within his body surged wildly, scouring every corner.

In his abdomen, the swirling energy gathered more and more densely.

A tremendous transformation was taking place inside him.

Zeng Anmin seemed to understand.

The cheat-given Martial Arts Entry allowed him, though a Ninth-rank, to possess the combat power of an Eighth-rank.

Where did that Eighth-rank power come from?

It wasn't handed out of nowhere.

It condensed the Martial Arts Aura in his body into a vortex in his abdomen, forming something akin to an Eighth-rank Martial Artist's "Martial Pill."

The accumulation of these past days, combined with the battle just now and the crisis of oxygen deprivation, had caused his Martial Arts Aura to spontaneously race along the circulation path of an Eighth-rank Martial Artist.

"Pop~"

Finally, with a barely audible sound, Zeng Anmin felt his Martial Arts Aura solidify significantly. The air vortex in his abdomen seemed to have been compressed extremely tight.

If his original aura was a small stream, now it was a surging river!

The Martial Dantian had condensed—Eighth-rank was achieved!!

With the Martial Pill's circulation, the burning pressure in his lungs immediately eased considerably!!

At the same time, High-End Power also began to take effect!

The Martial Pill within him diverted a strand of Martial Arts Aura, cycled it once, and shot straight toward his Sea of Consciousness Space.

Suddenly, his mind became crystal clear. He could even sense the frequency of the water currents around him!

Newly entered Eighth-rank, he already possessed the perception that only the Seventh-rank Visualization Realm could grant!!

And then, the system prompt appeared before his eyes.

Congratulations on breaking through your rank
Martial Arts Entry loading complete
Please choose one from the following three Martial Arts Entries

Special: Martial Artist True Qi: Every two hundred years, increases martial arts progress speed tenfold.
Support: Unyielding Martial God: Immune to all soul and mental attacks.
Color: Martial God's Wrath: Consume all Lifespan to infuse yourself, raising your realm to the Martial God Realm for a quarter of an hour.

Note: Unchosen entries will disappear permanently. Countdown 30, 29, 28...

After only a brief hesitation, Zeng Anmin directly chose the second.

The first required too much time.

The third... Do I look that short-lived, Laozi?

Unyielding Martial God: Immune to all soul and mental attacks.

Martial artists are naturally physically formidable.

But their only weakness lies in defenses against the soul.

This was crucial.

Not to mention anything else, the vivid memory of the Confucian Path Heart Scrutiny had left a deep scar in his heart.

After the breakthrough, the Martial Pill within him slowly rotated in his Dantian, gently easing the pressure on his lungs.

Though it hadn't formed an internal cycle, it was enough to extend his breath-holding time considerably.

So Zeng Anmin was in no hurry. He swam forward slowly, trying to get as far from the riverbank as possible.

"Mm?"

"That is..."

As Zeng Anmin dove underwater, he suddenly saw a massive boulder blocking the way ahead.

The boulder rose like a peak, growing out from the riverbed.

What surprised him was that several enormous scales were attached to the boulder.

He slowly swam closer, carefully examining the scales on the boulder before him.

They were like mirrors, reflecting his own devastatingly handsome face.

Such huge fish scales?!

Curious, Zeng Anmin reached out, touched a scale, and gently pulled. It came off the boulder in his hand.

A dark cave entrance appeared before him.

A few small fish swam out from the cave. Spotting Zeng Anmin, they panicked and darted back inside.

Zeng Anmin peered into the cave.

The opening wasn't large, but it was big enough for a person to squeeze through.

He reached in curiously and felt around.

Soon, his fingers touched the stone wall inside.

Such a shallow cave...

All his curiosity vanished. He glanced at it listlessly, then swam forward without looking back.

He'd thought it might be some kind of treasure cave.

"Hah~"

Zeng Anmin quietly surfaced from the river, greedily gulping air.

He looked around and spotted, on the distant riverbank, a farm woman doing laundry.

Beyond her lay rows of fields and a village.

"I swam this far?"

With his current eyesight, he could barely make out the outline of Liangjiang Prefecture City in the distance.

Zeng Anmin decided to go ashore here.

In the Governor's Yamen, inside Zeng Shilin's private chamber.

An armless corpse lay silently on the floor.

A wet black cat-shaped hood was peeled off, revealing an unfamiliar face.

All the officials present hung their heads like dogs with tails tucked, not daring to breathe too loudly.

"SLAP!!"

The desk shuddered violently.

"Find him!! Investigate!!"

Father withdrew his hand, his face like that of a mad lion, flushed red. His phoenix eyes blazed with murderous intent.

His voice carried the terror of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood:

"Tell the prefectural office—dig three feet into the ground if you have to, but find him!"

"Yes!"

Wang Deli, usually a blockhead, dared not say a word now. He sheepishly picked up his fallen saber and headed for the door.

The other officials all trembled, lips pressed tight, staring at the floor.

"And another thing!"

Father's voice dripped with venomous malice:

"Order all Red-robed Guards of the Xuanjing Division to shut down every business under Prince Jiang's Estate within their jurisdiction."

"Mother..." Wang Deli froze, his face blank.

The other officials were stunned too. One of them stepped forward shakily and said:

"My Lord, the assassin was a Black Cat Martial Artist. Prince Jiang's Estate... isn't closely tied to this."

Wouldn't that be tearing off all pretense?

But the official swallowed the second half of that sentence.

Zeng Shilin stared coldly at him.

The man saw murder in Father's eyes.

He shut his mouth at once and, like a startled bird, scurried back into place.

"Also, have Lin Rong transfer three thousand Southern Garrison Soldiers here. Spare no effort in dredging the river—if he's alive, I want the man..."

Father paused, drew a deep breath, and said with a blank expression:

"If he's dead, I want the body."

"Understood."

Wang Deli, now like a chastened child, dared not even breathe too loudly as he hurriedly rushed out the door.

"All of you, get out."

Father looked at the remaining officials, his face utterly devoid of expression.

"Yes, my lord."

The dozen or so officials, as if granted a reprieve, hastily shuffled out of the room as though fleeing for their lives.

Father sat in his chair, his eyes staring vacantly out the window, a trace of bewilderment spreading across his face.

The Governor of Fengqi Road, a Second Rank High Official of the Holy Dynasty, a man who ruled his domain like a feudal lord—Zeng Shilin, at this moment, looked more like an ordinary old man.

A helpless farmer who had lost his son.

"Whoa! What the hell is this?"

Zeng Anmin stepped onto the main street and saw countless armored soldiers rushing urgently toward the riverbank.

Anyone unaware would have thought they were heading off to war...

Besides the armored soldiers, Zeng Anmin also spotted squad after squad of Red-robed Guards shouting loudly, scurrying onto every passing boat.

The common folk on the streets were utterly terrified, their faces filled with fear and trepidation.

Back when Prince Jiang's Estate's Young Master, Wang Lin, had died, the commotion had been nothing compared to this—a mere sideshow.

Even the county's garrison, the Southern Garrison Soldiers, had been mobilized!

Zeng Anmin was still wearing his official robe as Left Clerk of the Xuanjing Division, though it was already soaked through.

All in all, he looked rather disheveled.

"Hey, you there—got a horse? Let me ride it!"

Zeng Anmin spotted a familiar figure among a passing squad of Red-robed Guards and called out to stop him.

That man's body gave a violent jolt, and he turned around stiffly, his face a mask of disbelief...