Meat Ganoderma! Perfecting the 'Sword of Death'!

Xu Qing pondered for a moment. He had originally planned to ask Du Cangying for the intermediate techniques of the Azure Hawk Force after reaching the Transforming Force stage. Now, it seemed he needed to reconsider.

"It's still because I'm not clear about the specifics of 'Transforming Force'. If I had known that my physical strength would increase by leaps and bounds after reaching 'Transforming Force', I wouldn't have waited until after breaking through to 'Transforming Force' to ask Du Cangying for the intermediate techniques of the Azure Hawk Force."

Xu Qing sighed with some regret.

As it stood now.

He could only abandon his original plan.

[Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique LV4: 80/80 (Upgradeable!)]

"Upgrade Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique."

Xu Qing said.

Buzz!

The Omni-Codex flashed with fluorescent light.

The next moment.

In a daze.

Xu Qing's consciousness seemed to enter a mysterious space once more, where he continuously comprehended and deduced the Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique.

Finally.

Boom!

As if receiving enlightenment.

Xu Qing had mastered the upgraded Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique.

[Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique LV5: 0/160 (...)]

The LV5 Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique could now control sixteen spirit beasts simultaneously.

"Not bad."

Xu Qing nodded with satisfaction.

[Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking LV2: 60/60 (Upgradeable!)]

"Upgrade Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking."

Clang!

It was as if a sword hum sounded in his ears.

In reality.

It was a sword hum that resonated from the depths of Xu Qing's heart.

Buzz!

The Omni-Codex flashed with fluorescent light.

Xu Qing's consciousness gradually entered a mysterious space, just like the previous upgrades. Xu Qing's consciousness continuously deduced and comprehended the Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking within the mysterious space.

Upgrade complete.

[Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking LV3: 0/120 (This was originally an extremely exquisite sword technique, consisting of thirteen strikes. Each strike contained one hundred and eight variations, emphasizing speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness. Simultaneously, each strike contained an extremely fierce aura, representing a sword technique of death and destruction. After deduction and evolution, the Fourteenth Sword Strike of Life-Taking was further deduced, named: Sword of Death.)]

The LV3 Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking further completed the 'Fourteenth Sword Strike of Life-Taking: Sword of Death'. At LV2, the 'Sword of Death' only had thirty-six variations.

Now.

After upgrading to LV3, the variations of the 'Sword of Death' increased to seventy-two.

"Not bad."

Xu Qing nodded with some satisfaction.

"Since it's no longer easy to obtain the follow-up methods of the Azure Hawk Force from Du Cangying, I'll temporarily give up on it and focus on cultivating the Eight Extremities Fist."

Xu Qing said, "As long as I continuously upgrade the Eight Extremities Fist, I can also improve my own realm and strength. There's no need to risk being discovered by Du Cangying."

Originally.

Xu Qing had thought that if he could become a true disciple of the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School, he might have a chance to witness the fundamental techniques of the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School.

Now it seemed.

It could only be discussed later.

Additionally.

As Xu Qing stepped into the Transforming Force stage, his appetite increased dramatically. The three catties of Tai Sui Spirit Meat per day could no longer satisfy his daily cultivation needs.

If it were normal life.

Three catties of Tai Sui Spirit Meat per day would be enough.

However.

Xu Qing was cultivating and practicing every day. With the rapid increase in his realm, the amount of Tai Sui Spirit Meat he needed to eat daily had increased by three to four times.

This meant that.

Xu Qing needed to consume more than ten jin of Tai Sui Spirit Meat daily just to sustain himself.

He was truly a competitive eater.

One could imagine.

The massive daily intake required by a Martial Artist, and this was merely for those in the Transforming Force realm. Above Transforming Force was Pill Force, and above Pill Force were Martial Artists in the Aura Realm.

Supporting a Martial Artist's daily sustenance was an enormous expense. Moreover, the Great Zhou Martial Kingdom had been plagued by various natural disasters for years, resulting in crop failures across many regions.

The common people were starving. How could they possibly afford to feed Martial Artists?

It was important to remember.

Martial Artists wielded immense power and did not engage in production themselves. Only the common folk at the lower strata were involved in production.

As a result.

The Great Zhou Martial Kingdom was in turmoil, and social unrest was inevitable.

Of course.

Spiritual foods like Tai Sui Spirit Meat originated from a special type of demon, the 'Tai Sui'. Once domesticated, these demons could become 'Meat Fields', capable of producing a considerable amount of Tai Sui Spirit Meat each day.

However.

The growth of 'Meat Fields' was not spontaneous. They still required feeding, which enabled them to produce sufficient spiritual food daily.

"Consuming over ten jin of Tai Sui Spirit Meat every day would take a significant amount of time just for eating," Xu Qing mused. "It seems that after I reach the Transforming Force realm, Tai Sui Spirit Meat will also be removed from my diet. Within the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School, Tai Sui Spirit Meat is only considered 'Level 1 Spirit Food'. Besides Tai Sui Spirit Meat, there's also 'Meat Ganoderma', which is classified as 'Level Two Spirit Food'. Even for a Martial Artist in the Transforming Force realm, eating one jin a day is sufficient."

"Furthermore,"

"Level Two Spirit Food far surpasses Level 1 Spirit Food in all aspects. It can also accelerate a Martial Artist's cultivation progress, greatly aiding their training."

"However,"

"The price of Level Two Spirit Food is naturally twenty times that of Level 1 Spirit Food. One jin of Tai Sui Spirit Meat costs only ten taels of silver, while one jin of Meat Ganoderma costs two hundred taels of silver."

After some thought.

Xu Qing decided to switch his spiritual food to Meat Ganoderma going forward.

The first reason.

Xu Qing currently possessed tens of thousands of taels of silver. He was not lacking money at all and should prioritize converting it into strength as quickly as possible.

The second reason.

Meat Ganoderma was far more effective than Tai Sui Spirit Meat. Eating just one jin a day was enough, which would save Xu Qing time spent on meals.

Following this.

Xu Qing visited the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School, entered the inner courtyard, went to the Resource Hall, and exchanged three thousand taels of banknotes for fifteen jin of Meat Ganoderma.

"Xu Qing, a word of caution: the energy contained in Meat Ganoderma is highly concentrated. Be extremely careful not to consume too much at once, or your body might not be able to handle it, leading to a fatal explosion."

The person at the Resource Hall warned Xu Qing.

"Understood, thank you for the reminder."

Xu Qing cupped his fists in acknowledgment.

Time flew by.

In the following days, Xu Qing settled into a routine, traveling between two points. After eating one jin of Meat Ganoderma in the morning, he would head to White Dwarf Mountain to gain experience points for the Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique by battling the ants there.

Simultaneously.

Xu Qing practiced Eight Extremities Fist and the Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking daily.

Generally speaking.

After a full day of training, Eight Extremities Fist would gain about fifty experience points, while practicing the Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking in the evening would yield around ten experience points.

Apart from these.

Xu Qing rarely practiced other martial arts, dedicating most of his time to Eight Extremities Fist and the Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking.

In the blink of an eye.

Twelve days passed.

Xu Qing had three jin of the fifteen jin of Meat Ganoderma he bought from the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School remaining. He could eat for another three days. The Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking was now ready to be upgraded. He had finished it.

In twelve days.

[Eight Extremities Fist LV8: 600/1280.]

[Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking LV3: 120/120.]

[Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique LV5: 120/160.]

"Upgrade the Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking."

Xu Qing said.

Boom!

Xu Qing's mind jolted, and the Omni-Codex also flickered with fluorescent light. His consciousness seemed to enter a mysterious space, where he practiced and deduced the Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking.

Finally.

Enlightenment.

Xu Qing had mastered the upgraded Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking.

[Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking LV4: 0/240 (…)]

After the upgrade.

The fourteenth sword strike of the Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking was perfected again. The move variations of the 'Sword of Death' increased from the original seventy-two to one hundred and eight.

This meant.

The 'Fourteenth Sword Strike of Life-Taking: Sword of Death' had been completely perfected.

In the blink of an eye.

Three more days passed.

Xu Qing had finished eating the fifteen jin of Meat Ganoderma he had bought last time.

In the evening.

In the courtyard.

"Good."

Xu Qing looked at Yu Hu finishing his complete Eight Extremities Fist practice, a satisfied smile on his face. He said, "Yu Hu, starting today, you have completely learned the Eight Extremities Fist."

"Thank you, Master."

Yu Hu knelt on the ground.

"Mm."

Xu Qing nodded gently. "Starting tomorrow, you don't need to come to my place every evening. Just practice the Eight Extremities Fist at home."

"If you have any doubts or confusion about the fist technique, then come and find me."

"Yes."

Yu Hu kowtowed and bowed.

"Practice martial arts diligently and don't waste your time. When you can practice the Eight Extremities Fist to the Bright Force level, I will continue to teach you."

Xu Qing said.

"Your disciple respectfully follows Master's teachings."

Yu Hu's tone was sincere.

"Go."

Xu Qing waved his hand.

Just like that.

Xu Qing's nominal first disciple had essentially graduated, even though he had only learned the Eight Extremities Fist. However, the Eight Extremities Fist taught by Xu Qing contained the essence of both fighting methods and a trace of cultivation methods, which was enough for Yu Hu to cultivate true Bright Force through this fighting style and become a Bright Force Martial Artist.

Actually.

Xu Qing didn't know Yu Hu's aptitude, but his physical fitness was indeed quite good, and he was also very diligent in practicing martial arts. If he could continue to persevere with such effort, he would achieve something in the future.

"It's just..."

Xu Qing frowned slightly. He remembered what the Shaman Evil Ghost had said. Yu Hu had a 'curse' in his mind. According to Xu Qing's deduction, it must have been planted by the old Daoist priest four years ago using that Extreme Yin Wood token as a medium.

"What exactly is that 'curse'?"

Xu Qing pondered.

Unfortunately.

Xu Qing only knew martial arts. He didn't know Daoist divine abilities, nor Confucian methods, nor Immortal Sect magic. Therefore, he couldn't break this 'curse'.

Perhaps.

The person who tied the bell must untie it.

To break this 'curse', he still needed to find that old Daoist priest from four years ago.

The next day.

Xu Qing went to the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School again and came to the Resource Hall. He withdrew another three thousand taels of banknotes and bought a full fifteen jin of Meat Ganoderma.

"Xu Qing, it's you again. You've already finished the fifteen jin of Meat Ganoderma you bought last time? That fast? You're only at the Bright Force stage, aren't you?"

The person at the Resource Hall asked in confusion.

"Stocking up some more, just stocking up some more."

Xu Qing explained.

"Spirit Food can't be stored for too long. If it's stored for too long, its energy will dissipate. Moreover, the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School always has Meat Ganoderma available, so there's no need to stock up." The person at the Resource Hall said.