Outside the All-Under-Heaven Escort Agency, a mysterious figure in a gray robe appeared, a faint blood-red glimmer flickering in his eyes.
"The aura of the cult, but not quite. Strange."
The mysterious gray-robed man had a sallow face and a glint of blood in his eyes. An illusory aura clung to him.
He hid in the shadows of a small alley across from the gate. After a little while, he finally turned and left, trailing a chill in his wake.
In the blink of an eye, afternoon had arrived.
Li Qing sat in the courtyard, murmuring to himself as he chanted the Heaven and Earth Blood Curse.
Under the curse's power, the essence in his body flowed silently through his blood vessels. He could clearly feel wisps of faint essence spreading out from within him and flowing into his bloodstream.
Everything he had eaten that morning and at noon had already been converted into essence.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
"Mr. Qin, are you there?"
Li Qing's eyes lit up. "General Escort Chief, come in!"
Wang Kuohai came in with a smile. "Mr. Qin, I've managed to get what you wanted."
He held a cloth bundle in his hands as he walked over, still smiling.
Wang Kuohai set the bundle on the table and opened it. Inside were five manuals.
"There are five in all. I found an acquaintance to sell that Night-Bright Pearl."
"Of the five escort chiefs at my agency, four were willing to sell their techniques. I gave each of them 750 taels."
These escort chiefs made about five taels of silver a month, or just 60 taels a year. Even the youngest, after ten years on the road escorting caravans, could only earn 600 taels.
With this money, when they grew old and frail, they could add it to their own savings, buy a plot of land in the countryside, and become landed gentry. It would completely change their lives.
That was why they were willing to sell their family-inherited martial arts.
Wang Kuohai said, "There are five techniques in all: my family's Gate-Breaking Saber, and the other four are Iron Wire Fist, Eyebrow-Level Staff, Air-Splitting Palm, and Life-Taking Spear. Are you satisfied, Mr. Qin?"
"Very satisfied. Thank you for going to all that trouble, General Escort Chief."
Wang Kuohai nodded slightly. "It was a small matter. Think nothing of it."
"Mr. Qin, we're going to Phoenix Pavilion tonight. Be ready."
"We'll drink until neither of us can stand!"
"Of course, of course. Hahaha!"
After Wang Kuohai left, Li Qing looked at the five books in front of him, his expression a little strange.
He gently closed his eyes and focused his mind on the Jade Tablet. Something there had changed.
Old version: Iron Wire Fist The fist travels in a straight line; a heavy punch is invincible (below average). Life-Taking Spear The spear strikes like a dragon, battling fiercely to take lives (below average). Air-Splitting Palm A palm cleaves the air, breaking tendons and crushing bones (below average). Eyebrow-Level Staff The staff strikes like the wind, assailing and sweeping around (below average). Gate-Breaking Saber The great saber bars the gate; the stronger the foe, the stronger it becomes (below average). Seven Star Blade The blade is like the Seven Stars; every strike pursues the soul (below average). New version: Martial Art (Art: Essence Refining) Cultivation method: Circulate force throughout the body, refine strength, and turn it into blood essence. Innate minor arts: 1. Clear Six Senses 2. Weapon Spirit Connection Cost: None
"It actually fused all the martial arts into one, and even gave me two innate minor arts."
"Essence Refining? Could it mean refining the essence within the body?"
"The Essence Blood Art seems to be cultivable up to Foundation Establishment. Essence Refining should be the realm before Foundation Establishment."
"So when mortal martial arts are cultivated to their peak, Essence Refining is as far as they go?"
"But those two innate minor arts are an unexpected bonus."
The contents of the Martial Art circulated through Li Qing's mind.
It recorded a strange set of methods for exerting force, covering every corner of the body.
Whether he fought barehanded or wielded a weapon, he could bring out the appropriate effects.
Li Qing slowly rose to his feet and began practicing in the courtyard.
There were 108 force-exertion techniques in all. He circulated his essence and began practicing them one by one.
Each technique involved a different movement. Through these movements, he seemed able to better engage the muscles, bones, and internal organs of his body.
One form after another. Before long, he had mastered all 108.
The circulation of essence seemed to enhance these techniques. By then, his whole body was giving off a scorching heat.
It was as though he had just undergone some intense exercise. The muscles, skin, and bones throughout his body were all twitching faintly.
He could clearly feel his body undergoing astonishing changes.
Waves of surging essence welled up from all over his body and flowed into his bloodstream, where the essence devoured them.
A strange sensation stirred within him. Li Qing reached out and picked up the Hundred-Satin Steel Blade from the table.
Essence flowed along his fingers and into the blade. To his surprise, it felt as though the blade had become an extension of his own hand.
He could sense every groove on it with perfect clarity, each one imprinted on his mind.
Swish, swish, swish.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
The blade flashed in his hand. Wreathed in blood-red essence, its light swept like a swimming dragon through the courtyard, stirring up a crimson breeze.
His saber technique had never been so fierce, yet it felt as if he had practiced for decades, even a century. Every movement was smooth and flawless.
It was as though the saber technique had gained a spirit of its own.
Wherever his intent led, it struck its target in the fastest, steadiest, and most effortless way possible.
At the same time, his sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste, and some ineffable sense—like the legendary sixth sense—had all become incredibly acute.
He felt that he could hear sounds from within a three-zhang radius. Even a tiny ant in the courtyard stood out to him.
His nose could pick up more faint scents, while his skin had become exceptionally sensitive to changes in the air currents around him.
He could even taste every secretion in his mouth.
As for the mysterious sixth sense, Li Qing could feel it too, but he had no idea what it actually did.
Li Qing practiced the Martial Art throughout the afternoon. At first, his whole body had reacted intensely; now he felt nothing at all. It seemed the effects of this art had already reached their peak.
"It seems that once I mastered the Essence Blood Art, I had already surpassed the limits of mortal martial arts."
"That must be why practicing the Martial Art in reverse let me reach the limit so quickly."
Li Qing stood in the courtyard, deep in thought.
He looked up at the sky. The hazy, multicolored mist still floated there, as though it had remained unchanged since time immemorial.
"What in the world is that?"
A deep wariness flashed through Li Qing's eyes. He had a feeling that something unknown lurked within it.
Night fell. Phoenix Pavilion.
The finest restaurant in Jade City.
In a private room, several dancers sang softly and danced.
Wang Kuohai raised his cup toward Li Qing. "Mr. Qin, this toast is to thank you for saving my life."
"If there's ever anything you need from me, Wang Kuohai, just ask."
Li Qing raised his own cup as well. "Hahaha, Brother Wang, you're too kind."