Trading Upheaval, City Gate Battle

"No, I must complete the new cultivation technique before that."

"And I must obtain all the necessary cultivation materials."

"Merit points—they really are never enough to spend."

Frowning, he returned to the All-Under-Heaven Escort Agency in a few strides.

He had just returned to his small courtyard when a knock sounded at the door.

"Brother Qin, I have found everything you asked for."

Li Qing's eyes lit up, and he quickly opened the door.

Wang Kuohai had dark circles under his eyes and looked haggard, clearly having not slept well recently.

He held a box in his hands, his eyes bloodshot as he spoke.

"Mr. Qin, I have managed to acquire all five of the century-old spiritual herbs you were looking for."

A look of surprise appeared on Li Qing's face. "So fast?"

"I pawned everything of value in my home."

"I scraped together 40,000 taels of silver and finally managed to get these things."

Li Qing's brows twitched. Seeing the firm look in Wang Kuohai's eyes, he nodded slightly.

"Good, come in."

The two entered the courtyard, and Li Qing produced the Black Water Profound Yin Art.

"This cultivation technique is called the Black Water Profound Yin Art. If cultivated to its peak, one can step into the Foundation Establishment realm."

"It is passed down from the Daoist Sect; although it is only a minor branch, it is still an authentic Daoist technique."

"However, there is a taboo to cultivating this art."

"Once you begin, you must never again indulge in the company of women or men for the rest of your life."

"If you break this vow, you will transform into an Anomaly, becoming a non-human existence."

"All techniques in this world come with a price."

"I am telling you this in advance, do you understand?"

Hearing such a bizarre price, Wang Kuohai was stunned for a moment.

But thinking of the mysterious world of the Dao Lineage, his heart burned with fervor.

"It doesn't matter. As long as I can cultivate, abstaining from women is nothing."

Li Qing nodded slightly. "Very well."

The two exchanged the goods.

Inside the box were five sealed century-old spiritual herbs, each emitting a faint medicinal fragrance, having been well-preserved.

After a brief inspection, Li Qing tucked them away.

"Four more to go. Perhaps this is a viable path."

"Trading techniques for treasures."

Wang Kuohai left Li Qing's courtyard, clutching the scripture in excitement.

Watching his retreating back, Li Qing shook his head slightly.

"I hope you won't regret this later; this path is not as easy as it seems."

Late at night, Li Qing was silently circulating his essence.

Cultivation requires perseverance. Although one can rely on Essence Stones for rapid improvement, one cannot rely solely on external objects, as they are hard to come by.

Rumble.

Suddenly, a violent explosion echoed from the distance.

The sound instantly startled Li Qing from his cultivation.

He dashed out of the courtyard in a single bound, stepped onto the ground, and leaped onto the rooftop.

Looking into the distance, he saw a blazing red glow and silver radiance flickering.

Two figures were colliding amidst the light, the brilliance of spells flashing and dyeing the sky outside the city in shades of red and silver.

But the light lasted only for a brief moment before everything returned to calm, as if nothing had happened at all.

Seeing this, Li Qing's heart skipped a beat.

"What is going on? That was the refugee camp, wasn't it?"

"No, I must go to the Demon Extermination Hall to investigate."

He quietly left the All-Under-Heaven Escort Agency without a moment's delay.

Barely a few breaths after he left the agency, a dense surge of essence suddenly erupted from the direction of the All-Under-Heaven Escort Agency.

Li Qing turned his head to look, and a sky full of blood-colored vital energy blanketed the area above the All-Under-Heaven Escort Agency.

He drew a sharp breath; that was a phenomenon of vital energy dispersion that only occurred when a massive number of lives were extinguished.

Someone was staging a massacre at the All-Under-Heaven Escort Agency.

A chill ran from his head to his heels. Are they here to kill me?

Someone leaked my information. The Blood Demon Sect has a mole inside the Demon Extermination Hall. Who is it?

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, eventually locking onto one person.

His expression turned grim, and he sighed softly, "What a pity for the All-Under-Heaven Escort Agency. Wang Kuohai was a decent man."

He turned around and headed toward the Demon Extermination Hall without making a sound.

Being outside was dangerous; inside the Demon Extermination Hall, no one would dare to make a move.

With a few flashes of movement, he arrived at the Demon Extermination Hall.

At this moment, the place was bustling with people, and many cultivators from the Demon Extermination Hall had returned.

Amidst the crowd, he spotted Wen Taiquan.

When Wen Taiquan saw him, his eyes lit up, "Brother Qin, you're here!"

"What is going on?" Li Qing asked, looking at Wen Taiquan with a solemn expression.

"There were members of the Blood Demon Sect hiding in the Refugee Camp."

"The bloody conflict was something they incited on purpose."

"Someone couldn't help but absorb vital energy and was discovered by you, exposing their tracks."

"After discussing it, the Demon Extermination Hall, the Garrison, and the Prefect jointly dispatched men to search for the Blood Demon Sect cultivators together."

"They must be fighting over there now. As for the specific outcome, I'm afraid we'll have to wait a while to find out."

Li Qing's expression shifted uncertainly, and he nodded slightly, saying, "I hope everything goes smoothly."

He turned his gaze toward the horizon at the South Gate, where no more fluctuations seemed to be visible.

However, Li Qing's face remained as gloomy as stagnant water.

By dawn, the news finally reached everyone's ears.

In the Refugee Camp, a True Disciple of the Blood Demon Sect, Young Master Blood Spirit, had appeared alongside three outer sect disciples, seemingly plotting something.

That True Disciple had been besieged by the Garrison Commander-in-Chief Wang Jie, the Jade City Commander of the Demon Extermination Hall Huang Tairen, and the Chief Constable Fei Yangming, eventually suffering defeat and fleeing.

The three outer sect disciples were executed on the spot.

This information caused an immediate uproar among everyone.

A True Disciple was a master of the True Method Realm; in this Jade City, they were like a god.

In all of Jade City, only the Demon Extermination Hall Commander Huang Tairen and the Prefect were True Method Realm cultivators.

Everyone was discussing the matter heatedly, and Li Qing was taken to the Mission Hall by Wen Taiquan at the first opportunity to collect his two portions of merit.

One portion was for burying the corpses, and the other was for discovering important clues, totaling 20 points.

Li Qing went straight to Elder Fang's Treasury Hall and spent his merit to exchange for four brand-new cultivation techniques.

Elder Fang looked at Li Qing, his face full of confusion.

"Kid Qin, why do you always buy these techniques?"

"I'm warning you, do not try to practice multiple techniques. It will get you killed."

"The path of cultivation is either to follow a single lineage or to find techniques that complement each other, just enough to achieve a certain balance."

"Practicing multiple techniques haphazardly is a path to self-destruction."

"Since ancient times, there has been no shortage of people who attempted to practice multiple techniques to incorporate the strengths of many, hoping to carve out their own path."

"But in the end, the result for such people was always alienation and turning into monsters."

"You must never practice them. It would be a great pity to lose such a sensible junior."

Hearing Elder Fang's warning, a brilliant smile appeared on Li Qing's face.

"Hahaha, don't worry, I really am just using these techniques for reference."

"It's just a hobby of mine."

Elder Fang shook his head helplessly, "Sign the Secret Pact."

Li Qing nodded and signed his name on the contract.

Early the next morning, Li Qing received his techniques.

The new techniques had once again caused a massive change in the information on the Jade Tablet.

He took a quick look at the brand-new changes on the Jade Tablet, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"This time, I can finally start practicing."