Maxing Out Two Martial Arts

As Zhou Qi passed through the Central Courtyard, Laifu was still waiting where they had just parted ways.

His task was to take Zhou Qi to the Elders' Quarters. Since Zhou Qi had left before the task was complete, he did not dare leave and could only wait quietly.

His status had changed, and so had his treatment.

A few days ago, Laifu would never have led the way for him.

Power truly was something that made people addicted.

Central Courtyard, Elders' Quarters.

This was a standalone courtyard, more than three times larger than the Sundry Yard where Zhou Qi had previously been imprisoned.

There was a stone table and stone benches in the courtyard, while several stalks of emerald bamboo had been planted by the wall. When the wind passed through them, they rustled softly.

The East Wing was the bedroom, the West Wing the study, and the Main Chamber the reception room. At the center was even a Training Ground paved with bluestone. Farther to the side stood two low houses, where the servants lived.

Laifu escorted Zhou Qi to the courtyard gate, his face wreathed in smiles. "Elder Zhou, please rest first. The bedding and furnishings are all inside. If you need anything, just give the word."

Zhou Qi nodded.

Laifu tactfully withdrew.

Zhou Qi stood in the courtyard and looked around, his expression unreadable.

Hearing movement in the courtyard, two servants emerged from the Servants' Quarters, one man and one woman. Both had been assigned by the Yang Residence to serve him.

The man was called Zhou Fu. He was in his thirties and looked honest enough.

The woman was called Chunlan. She was seventeen or eighteen, with delicate features, but she was not Zhou Qi's type. She kept her head lowered and did not dare look at him.

"Elder, the room has been tidied up," Zhou Fu said with a bow. "Do you have any other instructions?"

Zhou Qi waved his hand. "You may leave. Don't disturb me unless there's something important."

"Yes." The two withdrew.

Zhou Qi shut the door and entered the bedroom.

"Servants?" Zhou Qi snorted coldly. "They're most likely here to watch me."

The room was clean. The bed had already been made, and an oil lamp burned on the table.

He sat by the bed and took the small porcelain bottle from his robes.

Soul-Calming Pill.

Zhou Qi poured it out and held it in his palm.

The pill was grayish-white throughout, with faint patterns on its surface and a bitter medicinal fragrance.

[Item: Soul-Calming Pill]

[Grade: Yellow-grade Mid-tier]

[Effect: Suppresses the Soul-Splitting Worm for one month, putting it into a dormant state]

[Side Effect: Long-term use will produce drug resistance]

Long-term use would produce drug resistance.

That old fox Yang Zhenshan had even left a contingency behind with the suppressive pill.

He put the pill away without taking it immediately.

He closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into his Dantian.

There, the Soul-Splitting Worm larvae still lurked deep within his Dantian. They were somewhat larger than when he had first swallowed them, like tiny needles that pricked faintly at him.

The System Panel popped up:

[Abnormal status detected: Soul-Splitting Worm parasitism]

[Time remaining until outbreak: 22 days]

[Current state: Larval growth stage, dormant state, no effect]

Zhou Qi opened his eyes and attempted to wrap the larvae in Spiritual Power, intending to force them from his body.

The moment his Spiritual Power touched them, the larvae struggled violently and burrowed even deeper.

A wave of agonizing pain surged from deep within his Dantian. Zhou Qi's face went pale, and he hurriedly stopped.

"No."

He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The Soul-Splitting Worm had been cultivated from a Mystic-grade Low-tier Poison Pill. With his current cultivation, he could not force it out at all.

Unless...

Foundation Establishment!

Zhou Qi summoned the System Panel:

[Current Realm: Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement (Peak)]

[Technique: Qi-Nourishing Art: Lower Volume Perfected]

[Martial Arts: Mountain-Splitting Fist (Perfected), Cloud-Wandering Step (Perfected), Sky-Splitting Blade (Major Mastery), Army-Breaking Fist (0/3000), Gale Step (0/3000)]

[Proficiency Balance: 0]

He now had three Yellow-grade High-tier martial arts. Once Army-Breaking Fist and Gale Step were cultivated to perfection, they could replace Mountain-Splitting Fist and Cloud-Wandering Step.

Zhou Qi was silent for a while.

At the Peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement, how great were his odds against Yang Zhenshan?

He ran the scenario through his mind once more.

Yang Zhenshan was at the mid ninth-layer Qi Refining realm. His Dragon-Binding Hand had reached Major Mastery, his Mountains and Rivers Sword Seal was perfected, and he possessed abundant combat experience.

Though Zhou Qi's realm was slightly higher, the only martial arts he could truly rely on were Mountain-Splitting Fist and Cloud-Wandering Step. Sky-Splitting Blade had yet to reach perfection, while the newly acquired Army-Breaking Fist and Gale Step had only just come into his hands.

He had the advantage in realm, but was at a disadvantage in martial arts.

If they truly fought, his odds of victory were still less than sixty percent.

Once Army-Breaking Fist and Gale Step reached perfection, it would probably rise to seventy percent.

But what Zhou Qi truly feared was this: even if he won, he might not necessarily obtain the antidote.

That old fox Yang Zhenshan had both courage and boldness. If he were placed in the Three Kingdoms era, he would be the Cao Cao sort of character.

Would someone like that honestly hand over the antidote?

"Still not safe enough."

"The best solution is still to wait," Zhou Qi muttered. "There's no danger for now, but I have to break through as soon as possible."

"I need to max out these two martial arts first."

Zhou Qi rose and walked into the courtyard, beginning his practice according to the prompts.

On the System Panel, his proficiency began to tick upward.

[Proficiency +1]

[Proficiency +1]

[Proficiency +1]

The sun rose and the moon set; the stars wheeled and shifted.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

The morning of the sixth day.

Zhou Qi stood in the courtyard and slowly finished his routine.

System Panel:

[Army-Breaking Fist: 3000/3000 (Perfected)]

[Gale Step: 3000/3000 (Perfected)]

[Proficiency Balance: 1030]

After five days of frenzied cultivation, both Yellow-grade High-tier martial arts had reached perfection.

Zhou Qi took a deep breath, activated Gale Step, and flashed forward. In an instant, he appeared beside the courtyard wall.

Too fast.

At least twice as fast as Cloud-Wandering Step.

He then unleashed a punch with Army-Breaking Fist. His fist aura burst outward, and a small tree three meters away snapped with a crack, breaking into two.

Zhou Qi withdrew his fist, a trace of satisfaction flashing through his eyes.

His strength was now more than a level above what it had been five days ago.

If he faced Yang Zhenshan again...

Zhou Qi ran the scenario through his mind once more.

Seventy percent.

This time, he had a seventy-percent chance of victory.

Zhou Qi returned to the bedroom and sat down cross-legged.

He could continue accumulating proficiency for his technique. Idling was idling anyway.

Once he acquired a Foundation Establishment Method, he could begin practicing it immediately and reach the peak.

But a Foundation Establishment Method was likely difficult to find even in Lin'an City. The City Lord's Manor, however, might have a chance of possessing one.

What was even more frustrating was that the Yang Residence had stuck to him like dog-skin plaster. Otherwise, he would have gone searching for a Foundation Establishment Method long ago.

One day, Zhou Qi was grinding away indoors when the voice of the servant Zhou Fu came from outside the door. "Elder, the master asks you to come over."

Zhou Qi rose and opened the door. "What is it?"

Zhou Fu replied, "This subordinate does not know. He only said to bring you to the Main Hall for discussion."

Zhou Qi nodded and followed behind him toward the Front Courtyard.

Yang Residence Main Hall.

Yang Zhenshan sat in the seat of honor, holding a cup of tea without drinking it.

His brows were slightly furrowed, and his gaze rested on the tea in his cup, as though he were considering something.

Yang Yuanshan sat in the guest seat, equally silent.

Meanwhile, Yang Jinshan had his hands clasped behind his back as he paced back and forth through the Main Hall.

"Master." Zhou Qi clasped his fists in salute.

Yang Zhenshan raised his head. The expression on his face softened somewhat as he nodded at him. "Sit."

Zhou Qi sat opposite Yang Yuanshan.

Seeing this, Yang Jinshan also found a chair and sat down, though he looked uncomfortable all over, clearly unaccustomed to such a serious occasion.

Yang Zhenshan set down his teacup, looked at Zhou Qi, and went straight to the point:

"Something happened at Blackstone Mine."