"Alas..."
Advisor Sun Shiwu sighed and said, "This year's harvests in every village have been poor. On top of that, demons and monsters have appeared everywhere. Many people have been driven into a corner and can only take to the hills as bandits."
"Those bandits are even more vicious—burning, killing, looting, committing every evil imaginable."
"Naturally."
"There are more and more refugees."
"Bu Wuyun, Wei Wohe."
The County Magistrate spoke in a deep voice.
"This subordinate is here."
"Please give your orders, County Magistrate."
Bu Wuyun and Wei Wohe bowed in salute.
"You two failed to handle the matter properly last time. This time, I am giving you a chance to redeem yourselves."
The County Magistrate issued his order. "The refugees outside the city will be left to the two of you. Absolutely no disturbances are permitted. If anything goes wrong, you will answer for it."
"Yes."
"We obey."
Bu Wuyun and Wei Wohe exchanged a glance and looked toward the refugees beyond the outer city. Though their numbers were considerable, they were merely ordinary civilians and presumably could not stir up much trouble.
However.
The one concern was whether evil demons or followers of the Outer Dao had mixed among them. If those refugees were bewitched by such people, that would be troublesome indeed.
"I must trouble the various family heads to offer your full assistance."
The County Magistrate added another sentence.
"Of course."
"Please rest assured, County Magistrate."
"..."
The three great family heads nodded.
In truth.
For the Three Great Families of Qingbei Town to distribute porridge under such circumstances was already far better than in other counties. The great families in those other counties would not distribute porridge, nor would they do any good deeds. They simply did not care whether ordinary civilians lived or died.
Only.
As news of the Three Great Families distributing porridge outside the city spread among the refugees and beggars, refugees from several nearby counties began gathering here as well.
One had to know.
These refugees and beggars had been starved until their minds were muddled and their vision swam. Wherever there was food, they naturally swarmed there like a flock of bees.
At present.
The number of refugees and beggars outside the city had reached around thirty thousand, and it was still continuously increasing.
Inside the city.
Xu Qing's residence.
Xu Qing knew nothing about this matter and had not asked around too much about it.
With a thought.
Xu Qing's consciousness connected with the Omni-Codex.
One hundred and ninety days.
A total of six months and ten days.
Basically.
Every day, Xu Qing practiced Eight Extremities Fist during the day and Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking at night. When he had time, he went to White Dwarf Mountain and used ant nests to farm experience points for the Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique.
Now.
Eight Extremities Fist LV9:12020/2560 (Upgradeable!)
Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking LV5:2160/480 (Upgradeable!)
Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique LV7:2000/720 (Upgradeable!)
"This is what I gained in one hundred and ninety days."
The corners of Xu Qing's mouth rose slightly.
"Upgrade Eight Extremities Fist!"
Xu Qing said.
Buzz!
Xu Qing entered a state of trance. His consciousness seemed to enter a mysterious space, where he continuously practiced Eight Extremities Fist.
Upgrade complete!
Eight Extremities Fist LV10:9460/5120 (Upgradeable!)
Boom! Boom!
Xu Qing opened his eyes and gave a low shout. With another step, he arrived in the courtyard and began performing the forms of Eight Extremities Fist.
Most importantly.
Force spread around Xu Qing's body. When snowflakes fell, it was as though an invisible Qi Force surrounded him, blowing the snowflakes away so they could not land on his body.
"Whew..."
Xu Qing opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air. A sharp gleam flashed in his gaze, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit complete and full. Feeling the changes within himself, he said, "So this is the peak of Transforming Force."
"LV10 Eight Extremities Fist has pushed my Martial cultivation to the peak of Transforming Force. My entire body has now been tempered to a state of perfection."
Clearly.
Xu Qing's strength had increased considerably.
But.
It was not over yet.
After a full one hundred and ninety days, his Eight Extremities Fist could still be upgraded again.
An hour later.
Xu Qing had fully adapted to and mastered the strength of the peak of Transforming Force.
"Upgrade Eight Extremities Fist."
Xu Qing said.
Boom!
With a thought from Xu Qing, he entered that state once again. His consciousness seemed to enter an extremely mysterious space, where he endlessly practiced Eight Extremities Fist and deduced its deeper mysteries.
Finally.
Xu Qing's mind shook as a completely new transformation took place. The newly upgraded Eight Extremities Fist entered an entirely new level.
Eight Extremities Fist LV11:4340/10240 (A profound fist art combining combat techniques and cultivation methods, as well as a profound martial art worthy of inheritance. Its movements are fierce and straightforward, swift in exerting force, and possessed of extremely powerful explosive strength. It tempers the sinews, bones, flesh, and blood; force penetrates the sinews and bones, flowing throughout the entire body. It trains the internal organs, condenses one's Essence, Qi, and Spirit, compresses them into a single point, and gathers them all within the dantian. Once mastered, one may step into the level of "Dan Force.")
"Dan Force."
Boom!
Xu Qing gave a low shout. After the upgrade was complete, it was as though enlightenment had been poured directly into his mind. He had completely mastered LV11 Eight Extremities Fist.
At the same time.
Xu Qing's strength advanced another step. LV11 Eight Extremities Fist had raised his cultivation from the peak of Transforming Force to the level of Dan Force.
Bang!
Xu Qing threw a punch, concentrating the force of his entire body at one point before releasing it. With just that single punch, the enormous boulder before him was shattered into powder by the fist force.
The power of that punch was extremely terrifying.
"Dan Force! Dan Force!"
Xu Qing murmured.
As the saying went.
Embrace the origin and return to one; conceal the golden elixir within, and everywhere becomes a circle.
One had to know.
The level of Dan Force was already the final level of the First Step of the Martial Path. It emphasized embracing the dan and sitting the hips, compressing one's Essence, Qi, Spirit, blood, marrow, and fluids into a single point—like the tiny point at the beginning of primordial chaos that evolved into the Great Thousand World.
Though this level of skill was described so mysteriously, it was really just compressing the strength of one's entire body into the dantian, then releasing it with a thunderous burst. The tighter it was compressed, the stronger the explosive power in that instant. Once one successfully embraced the dan, one could control one's qi and blood with the mind, and physical ability could break through the limits of the human body.
"LV11 Eight Extremities Fist is indeed extraordinary. It has forcibly pushed my realm to Dan Force, allowing me to enter the final level of the First Step of the Martial Path."
Xu Qing pondered. "However, it will not be so easy for LV11 Eight Extremities Fist to upgrade further. It requires a full ten thousand two hundred and forty experience points."
"By practicing Eight Extremities Fist continuously every day, I can gain around fifty experience points. Ten thousand two hundred and forty experience points will take nearly half a year."
"The further I go, the more experience points each upgrade requires."
An hour later.
Xu Qing had already mastered and adapted to the power of Dan Force.
"Upgrade Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking."
Xu Qing said.
Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking LV6:1680/960 (Upgradeable!)
Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking LV7:720/1920 (...)
It had likewise risen two levels in succession.
After Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking reached LV7, the deduced Fifteenth Sword Strike of Life-Taking: Sword of Destruction had been completely perfected, with one hundred and eight variations in its sword moves.
"Good."
Xu Qing opened his eyes. As he comprehended the mysteries of Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking, a faint sword momentum and sword intent emerged. "As expected of the Fifteenth Sword Strike of Life-Taking."
Upon careful contemplation.
Xu Qing discovered that even with his current Dan Force cultivation, he still could not fully execute the Fifteenth Sword Strike of Life-Taking. At most, he could use the Fourteenth Sword Strike of Life-Taking.
However.
That was already very good.
Previously, Xu Qing had not even been able to execute the Fourteenth Sword Strike of Life-Taking.
"Upgrade Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique."
Next.
After Xu Qing completely mastered Thirteen Sword Strikes of Life-Taking, he began raising the Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique.
Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique LV8:1280/1440 (...)
Unfortunately.
The Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique had only risen by one level, from LV7 to LV8. However, the upgraded Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique could now allow Xu Qing to command one hundred and twenty-eight tamed beasts.
It was just that.
Ever since Xu Qing obtained the Blood Curse Beast Taming Technique, he had never truly commanded even his first tamed beast. He had always used ant nests to farm experience points.
In the blink of an eye.
The next day arrived.
Morning.
Yu Hu arrived early.
"This disciple, Yu Hu, kowtows before Master."
Yu Hu prostrated himself in salute.
"Mm."
Xu Qing nodded. "Beginning today, I will teach you a more profound fist art."
"Yes."
Yu Hu kowtowed again. "Thank you, Master."
"Rise."
Xu Qing raised a hand.
Next.
Xu Qing began teaching Yu Hu LV3 Eight Extremities Fist. Yu Hu had mastered LV2 Eight Extremities Fist and become a Bright Force martial artist at the age of fifteen.
That achievement was already quite impressive.
Time flashed by.
An hour passed.
"You may return."
Xu Qing said.
"Yes, Master."
Yu Hu bowed in salute.
One had to know.
According to the Shaman Evil Ghost, a "spell curse" had already been planted deep within Yu Hu's mind. This spell curse had taken root deeply and was difficult to remove.
"I wonder when this spell curse will erupt."
Xu Qing pondered.
Noon.
Xu Qing went to the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School.
Because his master, Du Cangying, had sent word through the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School's students, telling Xu Qing to come to the school at noon. It was not just Xu Qing—every disciple of the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School had to attend.
Azure Hawk Martial Arts School.
Inner courtyard.
One could see that
the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School's seven personal disciples, all its formal disciples, and even its outer-courtyard disciples had all arrived.
Over a thousand people had gathered.
"Disciples greet Master!"
"Disciples greet Master!!"
"..."
The disciples shouted in unison.
Their momentum was quite majestic.
"Mm."
Du Cangying stood at the very front with his hands behind his back, his expression calm as he looked over everyone present. "Today, I have something to announce."
"This winter has been bitterly cold. On top of that, this year's harvest was far too poor, causing refugees to rise up across the entire county. At present, thirty to forty thousand refugees have gathered outside Qingbei Town."
"Now,"
"the yamen has issued an order. With the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School, Crushing Stone Martial Arts School, and Crimson Eagle Martial Arts School taking the lead, we are to lead the other martial arts schools, gangs, escort agencies, and so on in the outer city to form an outside-the-city Patrol Team. We are to maintain order among those refugees outside the city and prevent them from rioting, until this winter ends."
"You must understand,"
"with so many refugees gathered here, if this is mishandled, it could easily breed demons and monsters. If 'the Strange' and 'evil spirits' are born, it will be a disaster for our Qingbei Town."
"What?"
"We have to go?"
"No way."
"What about the yamen's constables?"
"What does this have to do with us?!"
"..."
At once,
the crowd grew somewhat noisy.
"Enough."
Du Cangying raised a hand, and everyone swiftly shut their mouths. "This is paid work. Outer-courtyard students will receive one tael of silver for each day of patrol, while formal students will receive ten taels of silver per day."
"Personal disciples may negotiate with the yamen themselves."
Before you continue