Evil Ghost Mask's Further Upgrade

"Hahaha..."

Xu Qing burst into laughter. He reached out and took the 500 taels of silver notes from Ye Langtian's hand. "Senior Brother Ye, you're too polite. How could I possibly mind such a small matter?"

"And also,"

"How could I let Senior Brother Ye spend so much? Please don't do this next time."

"..."

Ye Langtian watched as Xu Qing casually pocketed his 500 taels of silver notes, as if the money rightfully belonged to Xu Qing.

"Cough, cough..."

Ye Langtian cleared his throat. Looking at the smile on Xu Qing's face, he suddenly felt that this Junior Brother Xu was truly an interesting person. He then invited, "Junior Brother Xu, tomorrow I will be hosting a banquet on the seventh floor of Kaiyuan Tower to invite some friends to celebrate. I wonder if Junior Brother Xu will be free tomorrow?"

"This..."

Xu Qing pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Senior Brother Ye, I'm truly sorry, but I really don't have time and probably won't be able to make it."

"Moreover,"

"Junior brother has just mastered the upper chapter of Azure Hawk Force and has just condensed Bright Force. This is the time to consolidate my strength and practice martial arts even more diligently."

"I didn't expect Junior Brother Xu to be such a diligent person."

Ye Langtian exclaimed, "I have misunderstood Junior Brother Xu all this time. I suppose Junior Brother Xu has extremely high talent, having completely learned Azure Hawk Force (Upper Chapter) and Eagle Claw Skill after only three days. That's why you didn't come to Azure Hawk Martial Arts School to train, but instead practiced day and night alone at home, achieving today's accomplishments."

"Compared to you, Senior Brother has better resources but isn't as hardworking. Conversely, Junior Brother has such high talent and is still so diligent in practicing martial arts."

"Senior Brother is truly ashamed."

"I've decided."

"Tomorrow's banquet is canceled."

"..."

Xu Qing was also taken aback.

"Junior Brother."

Ye Langtian patted Xu Qing's shoulder. "You must continue to work hard. Although you've surpassed me this time, it might not be the case next time."

As soon as he finished speaking.

Ye Langtian left directly.

"Quite interesting."

Xu Qing watched Ye Langtian's retreating figure, the corners of his mouth curling upwards. He had expected that due to this incident, he would likely fall out with Ye Langtian, or even face more intense conflict.

However.

Ye Langtian's magnanimity was far greater than he had anticipated. If everything that just happened was an act by Ye Langtian, then this person's depth of character was even more profound.

Regardless of the reason.

Ye Langtian was no ordinary person.

"Never mind."

Xu Qing shrugged and stopped thinking about it. "It's a good thing to get 500 taels of silver notes for free. My money is running out anyway."

"Also,"

"I want to go to the Martial Arts Pavilion to pick out a sword technique. Iron Sword has reached level ten and is already a rare divine weapon in the mortal world. It would be a disservice to this precious sword not to master a sword technique."

Hongye Street.

Xu Qing's residence.

At this moment.

Xu Qing had already returned.

Sizzle...

Xu Qing was pan-frying a piece of Tai Sui Spirit Meat. After it was cooked to medium-rare, a tempting meaty aroma wafted into his nostrils, and he began to feast.

Soon.

Xu Qing finished the entire pound of Tai Sui Spirit Meat.

"Eight Extremities Fist."

After eating his fill.

Xu Qing began to practice Eight Extremities Fist. His fists were exquisite and his power was immense, with gusts of wind accompanying each move. Every stance and every strike carried a fierce momentum.

Time flew by.

Three hours passed.

"Hoo..."

Xu Qing slowly finished his practice.

[Eight Extremities Fist LV6: 15/320.]

"I haven't practiced Eight Extremities Fist at all today. But at the martial arts school, because of Du Cangying's guidance, I practiced Azure Hawk Force and Eagle Claw Skill several times."

Xu Qing said, "It's still a long way to go before Eight Extremities Fist can be upgraded. But Azure Hawk Force and Eagle Claw Skill..."

[Azure Hawk Force (Upper Chapter) LV1: 12/10 (Upgradeable!)]

[Eagle Claw Skill LV1: 13/10 (Upgradeable!)]

"Upgrade Azure Hawk Force (Upper Chapter)."

Xu Qing said.

Buzz!

It was as if countless tiny figures appeared before Xu Qing's eyes, pouring into his mind. His own consciousness seemed to enter a mysterious space, where he continuously practiced Azure Hawk Force (Upper Chapter).

Boom!

Finally.

Azure Hawk Force (Upper Chapter) became even more powerful in Xu Qing's hands, and the Bright Force it unleashed became increasingly sharp.

[Azure Hawk Force (Upper Chapter) LV2: 2/20 (...)]

"Hoo..."

Xu Qing opened his eyes. As if he had experienced a sudden enlightenment, Azure Hawk Force became increasingly powerful in his hands, and the Bright Force he could condense was even stronger.

"Not bad."

Xu Qing nodded with satisfaction.

"Upgrade Eagle Claw Skill."

Xu Qing said again.

Buzz!

The same scene occurred again.

Not long after.

Boom!

Xu Qing opened his eyes. His understanding of Eagle Claw Skill became increasingly profound, and Eagle Claw Skill even developed a synergy with Azure Hawk Force.

The combat style and body refinement method merged.

[Azure Hawk Claw Force LV1: 0/20 (The combat style of Eagle Claw Skill and the body refinement method of Azure Hawk Force (Upper Chapter) have merged. The essence of both martial arts has been integrated, forming a new martial art that possesses the essence of both combat style and body refinement method.)]

"Martial arts can even merge?"

Xu Qing said in surprise.

In fact.

Xu Qing didn't know that both Azure Hawk Force and Eagle Claw Skill actually originated from the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School's 'fundamental method'. They were of the same origin, stemming from the same source, so it was natural for them to merge.

In the evening.

Xu Qing put on the evil ghost mask to sleep, because as long as the evil ghost mask was worn for one minute, it would gain one experience point.

Therefore.

To upgrade the evil ghost mask as quickly as possible, Xu Qing simply wore it while sleeping at night, allowing him to gain experience points while he slept.

[Experience +1]

[Experience +1]

[Experience +1]

After falling asleep.

The experience points for the evil ghost mask continued to increase steadily.

On the other side.

At the Yamen of Qingbei Town's outer city.

"Stop investigating."

At this moment.

Xu Weiran said, telling his subordinates to put down their work. "The news today is that Xu Qing has become a formal disciple of the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School. And he's not just any ordinary formal disciple; he's a disciple recognized by Du Cangying, and he has already taken Du Cangying as his master."

"This..."

"Constable Captain, we've investigated thoroughly these past few days. Neighbors we questioned all saw Xu Qing return home in the evening and didn't see him leave again until night."

"The madam of Spring Breeze Pavilion also said Xu Qing arrived very late that night, didn't stay long, and didn't spend a single coin."

"Other leads also indicate Xu Qing wasn't telling us the truth," the constables quickly reported.

"Alright."

Xu Weiran shook his head. "Then what do you suggest? Should we send people to storm the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School and drag Xu Qing here for questioning?"

"First of all."

"Xu Qing hasn't done anything illegal. Even if he did kill that Corpse Ghoul, it would be a commendable act."

"Finally."

"Since that expert doesn't wish to reveal themselves, we shouldn't pursue this any further."

"Yes."

"Understood, Constable Captain."

"We get it."

"..."

The constables nodded one after another.

However.

One constable's eyes flickered, lost in thought.

"Could it really be Xu Qing?"

After Xu Weiran left, he fell into deep thought. "If it really was him, that's too terrifying. When he first entered the city, he was just a beggar. In just a few days, he's become a master of Great Accomplishment of Bright Force? If that's the case, Xu Qing must have some big secret."

"Hoo..."

Xu Weiran took a deep breath. "It probably wasn't him. It must be someone else. Besides, Xu Qing is already an official disciple of the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School. With his current status, I can't just interrogate him."

One must remember.

In the entire Qingbei Town.

Everyone knew Du Cangying's protective nature towards his own.

While the heads of other martial arts schools or other people might just talk, Du Cangying would actually act, and he dared to act.

The night passed without incident.

The next day.

Morning.

Xu Qing woke up early. He took off the evil ghost mask he'd worn all night and checked how much experience it had gained.

[Evil Ghost Mask LV2: 542/20 (Can be upgraded!)]

"Not bad."

Xu Qing nodded. "After one night, it gained 540 experience points. That's enough to upgrade several times."

"Upgrade."

Xu Qing said.

Bzzzt!

The evil ghost mask in Xu Qing's hand flashed with white light.

The next moment.

Xu Qing felt as if he was witnessing the reforging of the evil ghost mask. Inside a room, an aged craftsman was meticulously and painstakingly crafting the mask.

It was no exaggeration to say he poured his heart and soul into it.

Finally completed, the evil ghost mask underwent subtle changes. Its overall color became a dark, greenish-black, as if emitting a faint greenish-black fluorescence, giving it a touch of mystery.

[Evil Ghost Mask LV3: 522/40 (This is a mask crafted by a skilled artisan from clay, created with utmost dedication and a lifetime of effort. The mask has the effect of concealing one's face and masking one's aura.) (Can be upgraded!)]

"Upgrade."

Xu Qing said.

The same phenomenon occurred.

Bzzzt!

Vaguely.

Xu Qing once again witnessed the reforging process of the evil ghost mask.

[Evil Ghost Mask LV4: 482/80 (This is a mask crafted by a skilled artisan from clay, created with utmost dedication and a lifetime of effort, pouring all their passion into it. This mask has the effect of concealing one's face and masking one's aura.) (Can be upgraded!)]

"Upgrade."

Xu Qing said again.

Hum!

The same scene appeared again.

However.

This time it was different.

Firstly.

The one making this mask was no longer a skilled craftsman, but a charlatan figure like a witch. The materials used changed from clay to animal skin and flesh.

This scene became creepy and bizarre.

Finally.

It was completed.

[Evil Ghost Mask LV5: 402/160 (This is a mask made by a shaman who worships ghosts and gods, using animal skin and flesh. It possesses the effects of disguise and altering one's aura. Due to its crude craftsmanship, it is easily seen through.) (Can be upgraded!)]

With a flash of white light.

The evil ghost mask in Xu Qing's hand had changed. It was no longer its previous appearance, but had transformed into a leather mask with a skin-like texture. There were also some special patterns on the mask.

"Continue upgrading."

Xu Qing said.