News from Outside

After returning to his residence, Li Yuan slid the bolt into place, sat by the bed, and took out the Nurturing Origin Technique.

The moment the booklet landed in his hand, translucent words surfaced:

[Detected equipable item: Nurturing Origin Technique (Complete)]

[Affix preview: Qi-Blood Self-Generation (White)—Vital Blood recovery speed increased by fifty percent; healing speed for external and internal injuries accelerated]

[Condition for permanent acquisition: Cultivate this technique to Perfection, then accumulate twenty-four hours of cultivation while in a state of Qi-Blood Fullness]

[Current Equipment Slots (2/2). Replace currently equipped item?]

Qi-Blood Self-Generation. It increased Vital Blood recovery speed by fifty percent and could also accelerate the healing of injuries. Its direction differed from Viscera Strengthening—one made him able to withstand blows, while the other allowed him to recover faster.

More importantly, the condition for permanently acquiring the Iron Ox Technique was to cultivate two mundane techniques to Perfection. The Nurturing Origin Technique happened to make up the second one.

There were only two Equipment Slots. The Vein-Clearing Pill could not be moved, so if he wanted to equip the Nurturing Origin Technique, he had to remove the Iron Ox Technique first.

Still, there was no need to replace it for long.

The greatest benefit of equipping a technique was the infusion—all of its formulas would be directly engraved into his mind, sparing him the long process of study. After equipping the Iron Ox Technique, he had reached Entry Level in less than an hour.

The Nurturing Origin Technique would be the same. Once he equipped it and received the infusion, then focused on practicing for a few hours, reaching Entry Level should not be difficult.

After reaching Entry Level, he could remove it. Once the Iron Ox Technique's twelve-hour cooldown was over, he could equip it again.

Losing a day in exchange for reaching Entry Level in the Nurturing Origin Technique was worthwhile no matter how he calculated it.

But there was no rush at the moment. He had patrol duties to handle that afternoon, and replacing it required a complete stretch of time for focused practice. He could deal with it after returning at dusk.

The market remained bustling that afternoon, even livelier than it had been a few days ago.

After walking half a street along East Street, Li Yuan noticed another batch of unfamiliar faces on the road.

Quite a few Rogue Cultivators squatted by the roadside in groups of three or five, talking among themselves. Most wore unpleasant expressions. Some were covered in dust from the road, while others still bore bloodstains that had not been properly cleaned.

As Li Yuan passed a group of Rogue Cultivators, he caught a few fragmented remarks.

"...Even the outskirts aren't safe anymore. Yesterday, Lao Zhou's team ran into a Demonic Beast at the foot of the mountain. They couldn't even escape—only three of the five came back..."

"It isn't just Demonic Beasts. I heard that quite a few powerful Demonic Beasts have appeared near several mines in the outskirts. Sometimes they even move in packs. I heard several Monster Hunting Squads have already been wiped out."

"If even the Monster Hunting Squads can't hold out, what are Rogue Cultivators like us going into the mountains for? Let's stay in the market first and wait for the storm to pass."

Li Yuan did not slow down, but he quietly remembered the information.

Demonic Beast activity in the Yuanheng Mountains had become even more frequent than before.

High-level Demonic Beasts had begun appearing even at the foothills on the outskirts. That meant the Demonic Beasts deep in the mountains were migrating outward, squeezing the low-level Demonic Beasts that had originally occupied the outer territories farther out as well.

The chain reaction spread layer by layer, and in the end, those affected were the Rogue Cultivators and Monster Hunting Squads who made their living in the mountains.

People had died, so naturally the survivors fled to the market. That also explained why the market had been growing more crowded lately.

As he continued forward and turned into North Alley, Li Yuan noticed several more temporary sheds built along both sides. Some had not even bothered putting up a shed; they simply spread a piece of cloth on the ground, squatted beside it, and called it a stall.

North Alley had already been narrow to begin with. Now it was so packed that even two people walking side by side had difficulty getting through.

Halfway through his patrol, Li Yuan ran into a clerk from the Management Office. The man had a stack of papers tucked under his arm and was hurrying toward East Street.

"Deputy Captain Li." The clerk called out to him and separated several sheets from the stack in his hands.

"A notice from the Management Office. Pass it along."

Li Yuan accepted them and gave them a quick glance.

The Wang Family was going to expand the market.

The notice was brief—due to the recent influx of Rogue Cultivators, the existing houses and stalls were no longer sufficient. The Wang Family had decided to build additional houses on the eastern and southern sides of the market, while opening some vacant areas for Rogue Cultivators to rent, with rent collected monthly.

When Li Yuan reached the final line, his brow twitched slightly.

The open areas included vacant houses within the Patrol Inspector residential area.

The area where Li Yuan lived originally had more than a hundred wooden cabins. Few people lived there, leaving quite a lot of empty houses.

Now that a large number of personnel had been transferred to the Guard Squad, even more houses stood vacant.

The Wang Family intended to clear out those empty houses and rent them to Rogue Cultivators.

Rent was charged whether one lived inside the market or near it. That would amount to no small income.

Li Yuan tucked the notice into his sleeve, continued his patrol, and distributed the notices along the way.

At dusk, Li Yuan made a trip to the Patrol Squad's station.

The main hall's door was open. Wang De sat inside, and the documents piled on the table had grown another stack thicker than they had been a few days ago.

"Sit down and talk."

Wang De lifted his tea bowl and took a sip.

"We've already found out that Zhao Wu had been in the market for nearly a month. He had been gathering information about the market's defenses, manpower, entry and exit routes, and such."

Wang De set down the tea bowl and took out a piece of coarse cloth.

Drawn on the coarse cloth was a hand-sketched layout of the market. It was quite detailed—even the few guards at the Management Office and their shift-change times had been marked.

"This was left behind at Zhao Wu's residence. Zhao Wu seemed to have sensed something and left in a hurry."

Li Yuan's heart stirred, but his expression remained unchanged.

"It is still unclear which force he was working for. We haven't found out yet."

The entire Qinghe Market belonged to the Wang Family. The Wang Family was a Foundation Establishment lineage, and Qinghe Market's defensive strength was considerable as well. A mere Cultivator Bandit force would never dare cause trouble for the market.

Wang De paused there and looked at Li Yuan.

"How did you notice him?"

"A stallholder whose goods aren't selling but isn't anxious, who spends his idle time watching the market guards and entrances, then actively asks about the Guard Squad's manpower."

Li Yuan answered briefly, "Put together, it wasn't normal."

Wang De gave a hum and leaned back in his chair.

"So many people come and go from the market every day. Normally, no one would notice what a Rogue Cultivator was doing."

"You did very well."

Wang De praised him, then got to the point.

"The people in the market have become more and more mixed lately. Zhao Wu may not be the last one."

"He blended in for a month before you discovered him. That shows that as long as people like him do not expose themselves, ordinary patrol methods make them difficult to weed out."

Wang De pushed the documents on the table aside, clearing out a small space, then clasped his hands on the tabletop.

"Keep an extra eye out during your patrols, especially for those newly arrived Rogue Cultivators. See whether there are any similar to Zhao Wu."

"If you find one, come to me first. Don't act on your own."

Li Yuan acknowledged him. Wang De's words suited his intentions perfectly, and he then rose to take his leave.

By the time he left the station, dusk had already settled in, and lanterns throughout the market were lighting one after another.

After returning to the wooden cabin, Li Yuan bolted the door and stood in the cleared space inside, first practicing the first four forms of the Iron Ox Technique once.

Vital Blood circulated through his body along fixed routes, washing over his viscera and limbs.

The fourth form, Iron Ox Hoof Strike, was still strenuous. His legs trembled with soreness after every practice, but it was already better than a few days ago. His body was slowly adapting.

After finishing the technique, Li Yuan sat down by the bed.

The time was about right.

With a thought, he removed the Iron Ox Technique.

[Equipment removed: Iron Ox Technique]

[Viscera Strengthening (White) affix has become invalid]

[Note: After equipment of the same type is removed, it can only be equipped again after twelve hours]

The booklet appeared out of thin air in his palm, and the warmth enveloping his viscera deep within his abdomen faded with it.

Li Yuan set the Iron Ox Technique booklet aside and picked up the Nurturing Origin Technique.

Equip.

The booklet transformed into a faint beam of light and merged into his body. In the next instant, a flood of information poured into his mind.

The Nurturing Origin Technique had five forms—Qi Absorption, Breath Nourishing, Blood Enrichment, Foundation Consolidation, and Origin Return. The breathing methods, Vital Blood circulation routes, movement essentials, and cultivation taboos of every form were all clearly imprinted in his consciousness.

It felt exactly the same as when he had equipped the Iron Ox Technique.

The principles that had been hazy when he flipped through the booklet that afternoon had now all become crystal clear, as though he had studied this technique countless times already.

At the same time, a gentle warmth rose within him. Unlike Viscera Strengthening, whose sensation was concentrated in the abdomen, this warmth spread out from his Dantian and slowly flowed through his meridians and muscles, like a layer of warm water soaking his entire body.

The effect of Qi-Blood Self-Generation.

[Equipped: Nurturing Origin Technique]

[Affix acquired: Qi-Blood Self-Generation (White)—Vital Blood recovery speed increased by fifty percent; healing speed for external and internal injuries accelerated]

[Nurturing Origin Technique: Not yet Entry Level (0/100)]

The infusion of the formulas was complete, but physical cultivation still had to be taken step by step.

Li Yuan did not waste any time. He rose to his feet and, following the clear formulas in his mind, began practicing the first form of the Nurturing Origin Technique.