Blood-Marrow Realm Perfection! The Liu Family Panics!

[ Ding! Thirty-Six Mace Techniques +1 equipped! ]

In an instant, surging Blood Qi coursed through Mu Yang's body.

Mu Yang had long grown accustomed to Blood Qi pouring in on this scale.

But the next second, a vast flood of memories suddenly appeared in his mind.

He closed his eyes and carefully absorbed them.

In those memories, he seemed like a martial arts prodigy born of heaven. In merely a few years, he had cultivated the Thirty-Six Mace Techniques to Perfection.

With a single mace technique, he struck demons dead and foes slain, with none able to withstand even one exchange.

Even the most basic techniques—chopping, sweeping, smashing, thrusting, flinging, and the like—had reached the pinnacle of perfection, leaving nothing more to practice.

Yet in the depths of his mind, he always felt that this was not the end of this mace technique.

More precisely, it was not his end!

And so, gripping a four-edged mace, he began to train day after day, year after year.

In summer, he went into the mountains to watch monkeys dance with staffs. In winter, he entered caves to observe pythons coil and curl.

The once-exquisite moves gradually blurred in his mind, while an inspiration he had never felt before slowly became clear within his heart.

He understood!

Mu Yang suddenly opened his eyes and instinctively drew the Black Gold Four-Edged Mace from his waist.

The Black Gold Four-Edged Mace in his hand sometimes moved like a monkey dancing wildly, sometimes like a python winding along. Its force was heavy and powerful, yet it remained nimble and ever-changing.

Faintly, it even carried traces of the Dragon-Subduing Tiger-Subduing Blade Technique, the Coiling Snake Spear, the Clear Wind Sword, and other martial arts routines.

After a long while.

"Phew~~"

Mu Yang lowered the Black Gold Four-Edged Mace and let out a long breath.

"So this is what they call Limit-Breaking..."

Right now, he felt that relying solely on the Thirty-Six Mace Techniques, which had reached the Limit-Breaking level, he could easily beat to death his former self using only the Feather-Command Broadblade.

It was not a transformation in strength, but more like a gap in control over strength.

Where he had once used one part strength as one part strength, he could now bring out two parts, or even more.

His own strength and realm had clearly not changed, yet his combat power had genuinely increased by a great deal.

And this was only blue-quality Limit-Breaking.

He wondered what effect the purple entries beyond Limit-Breaking would have.

A moment later, Mu Yang gathered his thoughts and turned his attention to the only remaining Iron-Body Technique before him.

Although the greatest gain brought by Thirty-Six Mace Techniques +1 was the transformation of his combat power, the total amount of Blood Qi it provided was also considerable.

Now, he was only one final tenth away from Blood-Marrow Realm Perfection.

"Equip Iron-Body Technique!"

[ Ding! Iron-Body Technique equipped! ]

A surge of Blood Qi far weaker than before emerged within Mu Yang's body.

Though the total amount was not much, it was precisely enough for Mu Yang to break through.

Crack—!!

As the final wisp of Blood Qi fused into his body, Mu Yang's muscles and bones rang out in unison.

Every muscle, every tendon, and every bone throughout his body connected seamlessly at that moment, becoming one whole.

Tremendous power surged from Mu Yang's body.

Blood-Marrow Realm Perfection, achieved!

14,000 jin added to the strength of one arm!

Nearly double that of the Blood-Marrow Realm Late Stage.

Adding the three thousand jin increase brought by Hu Xin, Mu Yang's one-arm strength had now reached—

80,000 jin!

Of that, the Blood-Marrow Realm alone had provided 30,000 jin of tremendous strength.

In other words, a martial artist who had undergone Third Tendon-Tempering and Bone Tempering before breaking through into the Blood-Marrow Realm possessed a total strength of 40,000 jin, greater even than Hu Wanshan's strength when he fought for his life.

Sure enough, a martial artist with a solid foundation did not need any flashy tricks. Basic strength alone was enough to crush others.

"Next, I need to find a Condensing Qi martial art."

The Fourth-Stage Condensing Qi Realm was unlike the first three martial arts realms.

For the first three realms, even without cultivation methods, as long as one had enough Blood Qi, one could spend enough time and forcibly carve out a path.

But in the Condensing Qi Realm, without a cultivation method, merely finding the meridians needed to construct the dantian was enough to stump a great many people.

At the very least, Mu Yang, who considered his martial arts talent average—meaning he still could not even enter the door of low-grade martial arts after three months of cultivation—did not believe he could figure it out by himself.

At the same time.

Within the Liu Family Mansion, the sole remaining residence among the Three Great Families.

The hall was brightly lit, as brilliant as day.

Liu Qingke, seated in the seat of honor, was not calmly sipping tea as he had been last night. Instead, his brows were tightly furrowed, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

If you can't find the book by searching its title, try searching for the author instead—it may simply have been renamed!

On either side of him sat several half-gray-haired Liu Family elders.

One hot-tempered elder was the first to rage. "Too arrogant! That brat is simply too arrogant!"

"The Wang Family was gone yesterday, the Hu Family is gone today. Will he destroy our Liu Family tomorrow? What colluding with demons? I say he is using demon-slaying as an excuse to swallow up the wealth accumulated by our Three Great Families over generations!"

"His wolfish ambition is laid bare for all to see!"

Some elders nodded, while others frowned. "What are you shouting for? Even if you shout until the sky splits open here, what use will it be? The urgent matter is not getting angry, but finding a way to ensure our Liu Family remains unharmed!"

"How about we prepare a generous gift and send it to Mu Yang's home to sound him out? If he truly wants money, then so be it if we bleed a little. As long as no lives are lost, everything can be discussed," one elder said.

"What gift? How can our Liu Family's century-old foundation be handed over so easily!"

"Then what do we do? Are you going to kill Mu Yang? Can you defeat Wang Rudong, or can you take down Hu Wanshan?"

"..."

Everyone spoke at once, arguing into a tangled mess.

Some wanted to make peace, some wanted to admit defeat, and some hotheads with more temper than brains even wanted to fight Mu Yang head-on.

"Enough, all of you, quiet down!"

Liu Qingke slammed his palm onto the table, and the hall immediately fell silent.

He swept his gaze around and said in a deep voice, "What are you all arguing for? You gathered here to think of a solution, not to quarrel!"

"Then, Patriarch, what should we do?" one elder asked anxiously.

Liu Qingke pondered for a moment before saying, "Tomorrow, I will personally go to the County Office and find Zhou Heng to sound him out.

"If Mu Yang truly murdered for wealth over a little gold and silver, then even if I have to risk this life, I will go to the Prefecture City and file a complaint against him!"

"But if the Hu Family truly colluded with demons like the Wang Family did, then we have nothing to say."

Hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Perhaps it was not the best method, but it was already the only one available.

They could not seriously go to war with Mu Yang.

They lacked both the strength and the courage for that.

The next day, early morning.

Wearing the official robes of the County Assistant, Liu Qingke arrived at the County Office early and went straight to Zhou Heng's place of work.

"Lord Liu? What brings you here today?" Seeing Liu Qingke, Zhou Heng revealed a perfectly measured hint of surprise.

"Lord Zhou, you and I have worked together for many years. I will not beat around the bush—I will get straight to the point!"

Liu Qingke said, "What exactly was the reason behind what happened to the Hu Family yesterday?"

"The Hu Family?" Zhou Heng lifted his teacup, took a sip, and spoke unhurriedly.

"It is rather laughable. Hu Wanshan was blinded by lust and bewitched by the human form assumed by Hu Xin, that Fox Demon. Not only did he become her puppet, he even intended to hold a banquet and strike at Head Constable Mu in the dark. That was why Head Constable Mu had no choice but to fight back."

"As for the Hu Family servants, most of them were frightened away by Hu Xin's oppressive methods and left on their own."

Zhou Heng did not conceal anything. Mu Yang had acted openly and honorably, and the evidence was conclusive. Even if the matter reached the prefectural yamen, they would still stand on the side of righteousness.

"Speaking of which, Lord Liu, your family has no dealings with demons, does it?"

Zhou Heng suddenly raised his eyes toward Liu Qingke, his tone shifting as he asked meaningfully.

"What are you implying, Lord Zhou!"

Liu Qingke's face immediately darkened as he declared righteously, "My Liu Family has lived in Qingxi County for generations, passing down farming and learning through the family while obeying the law!"

"Moreover, humans and demons walk different paths. Colluding with demons is the sort of deed that betrays one's teachers and ancestors, an act unworthy of a son of man! Neither I, Liu Qingke, nor any Liu Family descendant would ever commit such vile acts!"

"Do not get agitated, Lord Liu. I merely asked in passing." Zhou Heng smiled and waved his hand, soothing him.

"I naturally trust Lord Liu, so there is no need for you to worry too much."

"I know Mu Yang well. He is righteous, kind-hearted, and able to distinguish right from wrong. He would never harm anyone without cause."

Kind-hearted?

The corner of Liu Qingke's mouth twitched.

You were calling someone who had single-handedly wiped out Yellow Wind Mountain, destroyed the Wang Family overnight, and eradicated the entire Hu Family last night kind-hearted?

Of course, Liu Qingke only grumbled about this inwardly and did not say it aloud.

After pondering for a moment, Liu Qingke, still somewhat uneasy, continued, "I naturally trust Lord Zhou's words, and I am also quite certain of Mu Yang's character."

"To be honest, I came today mainly to ask Lord Zhou to serve as an intermediary and invite Head Constable Mu, this young hero of outstanding talent, to my residence for a talk."

"Another banquet?"

In the Constable Office, after learning that the Liu Family had invited him, Mu Yang raised a brow.

Could this be another Hongmen Banquet?

If it was, then it would be the perfect chance to test the Black Gold Four-Edged Mace in his hand.

If it was not, then getting a free dinner would not be a loss either.

And so, after finishing work that afternoon, Mu Yang followed Zhou Heng and Xue She to the Liu Family Mansion.

Once Mu Yang learned that Zhou Heng and Xue She were also among those invited, he actually felt a little regretful.

After all, no matter how insane the Liu Family might be, they would not dare kill Zhou Heng, the County Commandant, alongside him.

A County Commandant was not a constable. He was a genuine court-appointed official.