The Tiger's Might

Qin Wan didn't dare make a move and could only stall. But it was merely a stopgap to buy time. The Unborn Cult was putting the squeeze on the Qin Family harder and harder.

Unless she hardened her heart, cut off all ties to the mortal world, and abandoned the Qin Family.

But they were the parents and family who had raised her. How could she possibly bring herself to cast them aside?

As she suffered day and night, Qin Wan could only pray that her master would emerge from seclusion soon.

Or perhaps this was only her master's test for her?

Just as Qin Wan was almost suffocating under this invisible pressure, she received a letter from Xia Dong—he had asked to meet her outside the Marketplace.

It was still the same quiet Pine Slope Pavilion as years ago. Qin Wan laid out magical artifacts around the area to block outsiders from prying.

When she saw Xia Dong again, her heart stirred. Without thinking, she released her newly formed spiritual sense to probe him.

The next moment, Qin Wan sucked in a sharp breath. Her clear, beautiful eyes were filled with undisguised shock.

"Brother Xia... your martial arts have already reached the Bone Forging Realm?!"

This time, Xia Dong made no effort to conceal his qi and blood.

Under the probing of Qin Wan's spiritual sense, at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, Xia Dong's qi and blood surged through him like a mighty river, yet lacked the crude, violent leakage of an ordinary martial artist.

That qi and blood flowed from the outside in, carrying a sense of divine harmony and inexhaustible vitality. It was clearly a sign that his martial arts had tempered his sinews and bones to the utmost, and that his qi and blood were nourishing his internal organs. He was on the verge of crossing the threshold into Organ Strengthening!

In other words, he had reached the so-called fourth stage of martial arts—the Internal Strengthening Realm.

Qin Wan was shaken to the core.

In just a few short years, Brother Xia had become a martial arts master at the peak of the Bone Forging Realm, on the verge of entering Internal Strengthening.

If Xia Dong continued surging ahead and cultivated all the way to the Mortal Transformation Realm, he might even be able to fight a Late Qi Refining Realm cultivator.

And if one day he broke through the limits of his flesh and entered the legendary True Intent Realm, where one condensed Martial Dao True Intent, he would become a terrifying presence capable of standing as an equal to a Foundation Establishment expert.

What was more, ever since the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had declined, the lifespans of Foundation Establishment cultivators had been drastically shortened. These days, they could barely live to nearly two hundred years. But a martial artist in the True Intent Realm could live to a hundred and fifty, so long as their qi and blood held out.

The difference in their lifespans was less than sixty years.

"Brother Xia reached the Bone Forging Realm in just a few years. Even if he spends the next decade tempering himself before breaking through two more stages to reach the Mortal Transformation Realm, it's certainly possible. In his lifetime, he might even glimpse the wonders of the True Intent Realm..."

As Qin Wan's thoughts raced, a guess suddenly came to her—one that made her shiver with dread even as it brought sudden clarity.

Could it be... that her master had known all along that disciples with a Dao Registry could cultivate martial arts as effortlessly as eating and drinking, even without a Spirit Root?

Was that why her master had formed ties with him in advance?

Perhaps her master had long since calculated that Brother Xia possessed a Dao Registry and would sooner or later join the Eagle-Wolf Guard or take up an important post in the Great You government.

Looking at the gentle, composed young man before her, Qin Wan was overcome by a complicated regret.

The hidden dragon lurking in the abyss had been allowed to slip through the Qin Family's fingers.

But then Qin Wan thought it over and felt at peace again.

It was simply fate.

She could also guess that Brother Xia's astonishing progress in martial arts must have come from the many resources he had received in the Eagle-Wolf Guard.

The Great You Dynasty Court spared no effort in cultivating disciples with a Dao Registry.

Now that she thought about it, her master's investment back then had truly been a rare treasure bought at a bargain.

And those Spirit Stones had only been the resources needed to cultivate an ordinary outer disciple. To her master, a Foundation Establishment practitioner at the Great Perfection stage, they were no more than a few specks of dust slipping through her fingers.

"Little Sister Wan'er, I asked you out because I have something to ask of you."

While Qin Wan's imagination ran wild, Xia Dong had already taken a seat.

He skipped the small talk and pulled a coarse cloth bundle from his sleeve, sliding it across to her.

When the bundle was opened, it revealed a thick stack of Wind-Riding Talismans, each radiating pure magical power!

Qin Wan's breath caught. Even as an inner disciple of an immortal sect, she rarely saw so many Talismans all at once.

"I have a batch of Wind-Riding Talismans here. I'd like to ask you to help me sell them discreetly through your Marketplace connections in exchange for Spirit Stones or pills." Xia Dong's expression was calm, but his tone carried an unmistakable weight. "The source of these Talismans, though... involves a great many people. You mustn't reveal a single word of it to anyone."

The source couldn't be revealed?

To Qin Wan, already in the grip of such turmoil, those words rang like thunder from a clear sky, confirming every one of her suspicions!

What else could it mean?

Brother Xia served in the Eagle-Wolf Guard. This batch of Talismans had certainly been seized or confiscated from various places by the Eagle-Wolf Guard—or perhaps issued by the court as strategic supplies.

With undercurrents swirling through Linyuan Prefecture, the powerful figures in the Eagle-Wolf Guard who wanted to line their pockets naturally couldn't sell them openly on the market.

And Brother Xia possessed a Dao Registry and was one of their own in the Eagle-Wolf Guard, so he had taken on this assignment...

Qin Wan was secretly alarmed. The waters of the Eagle-Wolf Guard truly ran deep.

Looking at the thick stack of Talismans on the table, the gloom in Qin Wan's heart lifted by more than half.

How could this be just a bundle of Talismans? It was the key to breaking her deadlock.

As long as she took on this deal, she would have a connection to the Eagle-Wolf Guard.

Though it would only be a covert transaction, that was more than enough at a time like this.

She could use the chance to help Xia Dong sell the goods to drape the Eagle-Wolf Guard's tiger skin over the Qin Family. There was no need to say anything outright; a hint would be enough.

To borrow the tiger's might.

Qin Wan took a deep breath, suppressing her excitement. She looked at Xia Dong with unprecedented warmth and gratitude.

"Don't worry, Brother Xia." Qin Wan carefully put the bundle away, her voice firm. "Leave this to Wan'er. I'll sell the Talismans in batches through the Marketplace, safely and discreetly. I won't leave a single trace, and no one will ever trace them back to you."

Seeing Qin Wan's expression, Xia Dong was surprised. Why was this going more smoothly than he had imagined?

He vaguely understood, but let nothing show on his face. Smiling, he said, "Then I owe you my thanks, Wan'er."

Xia Dong chatted with Qin Wan for a while longer.

To build trust with Xia Dong, Qin Wan revealed that she held the key to her master's secret treasury and was also the acting manager of True Person Lone Moon's branch.

This would show the Eagle-Wolf Guard how valuable she was.

Xia Dong was moved by this. Perhaps he could use Miss Wan'er's current position and background to do business with Banner Leader Zhao and the others, gaining another layer of cover.

As long as there was profit to be made, there was no doubt this path would work.

Xia Dong immediately felt much more at ease.

As long as his plan went smoothly, gathering cultivation resources later would be much easier.

He had waited three years for this chance!

"I'll leave what comes next to you, Wan'er."