Turtle Breathing Technique

"Good, good, good."

Guo Qianming suppressed the excitement in his heart, his expression unchanged, yet he still strode over quickly. Even from a distance, he could already sense the sword qi pressing sharply from the swords within the case.

They were absolutely fine-quality goods.

Thus.

Guo Qianming took out one of the LV5 iron swords and examined it carefully.

"Not bad, not bad, not bad."

Guo Qianming could not help but heap praise upon it. "This sword is already very good. Though it cannot be called a rare treasure, it is certainly a fine-quality piece."

"How about this?"

"Three thousand taels. I'll give you three thousand taels for each."

"Fine."

Xu Qing nodded without haggling.

"Good, straightforward."

Guo Qianming laughed heartily.

Next.

The two completed the transaction.

The nine LV5 iron swords sold for a total of twenty-seven thousand taels, while the cost had merely been nine ordinary iron swords.

"Shopkeeper."

Xu Qing put away the banknotes, looked at Guo Qianming, and asked, "Do you know where martial arts manuals are sold in the black market?"

"Martial arts?"

Guo Qianming paused, then asked, "What specific type of martial art?"

"A martial art that can conceal one's strength."

Xu Qing replied.

"Conceal one's strength."

Guo Qianming pondered for a moment. "To be honest, most martial arts sold in the black market are fake, or half-true and half-false."

"Though it is called a black market, it is still under regulation. Some things cannot be freely circulated there. The rules are merely a little looser."

"If anyone truly dared to sell martial arts in the black market, especially the martial arts of the major martial arts schools, they would be caught very quickly. There would be nowhere to run."

"So?"

Xu Qing's tone remained calm.

"Cough, cough..."

Guo Qianming gave a light cough and said, "Actually, I have a martial art in my possession. It is called the Turtle Breathing Technique. Not only can it conceal one's strength, it can also hide one's aura."

"How much?"

Xu Qing asked.

"Ten thousand taels."

Guo Qianming held up one finger. "This is a special martial art, something I only obtained through a fortunate coincidence. This martial art has only one flaw: it is extremely difficult to master. One must cultivate it underwater while holding one's breath."

"That is to say."

"With the slightest carelessness, not only will you fail to master it, you may even damage your lungs and internal organs. Once your lungs and internal organs are damaged, practicing martial arts afterward will become difficult."

"But even so."

"It still costs ten thousand taels of silver."

"Too much."

Xu Qing shook his head. "One price. I'll give you five thousand taels, and the Turtle Breathing Technique will be mine."

"You cut the price in half!"

Guo Qianming said, "This is still a special martial art. The starting price for a special martial art is ten thousand taels."

"Five thousand taels."

Xu Qing shook his head. "If that will not do, I'll look elsewhere."

"This..."

Guo Qianming lowered his head, gritting his teeth as though he had suffered an enormous loss. "Fine. For the sake of our partnership, five thousand taels it is."

"Heh."

Xu Qing merely smiled.

Then.

The two reached a deal.

The Turtle Breathing Technique was in hand.

Xu Qing examined it closely and discovered it was only a handwritten copy. The original was certainly still with Guo Qianming, and since Guo Qianming possessed the original, he had definitely sold this Turtle Breathing Technique to more than one person.

Of course.

If Xu Qing mastered the Turtle Breathing Technique, he could likewise copy it out and sell it to others, though he would need to find buyers.

Besides that.

Xu Qing's Eight Extremities Fist could also be copied and sold in the black market.

However.

Ordinary combat martial arts were not worth much, only one or two hundred taels at most. But if they involved cultivation methods, the price would be completely different, increasing tenfold at once.

Afterward.

Xu Qing left the weapon shop and arrived at the Black Tiger Spirit Food Shop. He met the owner, Black Tiger, and took out banknotes worth twenty-two thousand taels.

"Buying meat."

Xu Qing said.

"Coming right up."

Black Tiger recognized Xu Qing at once. They had already traded several times, and he was thoroughly familiar with the process. He accepted Xu Qing's banknotes and headed to the warehouse to fetch the meat.

Soon.

Xu Qing received one hundred and five catties of Black Mountain Tiger Meat.

"Mm."

After confirming there was no problem, Xu Qing took the Black Mountain Tiger Meat and left.

"Take care, customer."

Black Tiger wore a fawning smile.

"Phew..."

Black Tiger took a deep breath and thought to himself, This customer truly isn't simple. He has bought so much Black Mountain Tiger Meat lately.

If he is eating it all by himself, then at such a rate of consumption, he must at least be a Transformation Force expert. He may even have reached Pellet Force.

The scene shifted.

Xu Qing had already returned to his residence. Ever since he had gone on a killing spree in the black market several times, no one blind enough to seek trouble with him had appeared again.

"Spirit food."

That night.

Xu Qing took out a piece of Black Mountain Tiger Meat and ate it raw. It tasted good, with plenty of chew and even a hint of sweetness. There was none of the bloody, nauseating feeling one might expect.

"To be honest, I'm rather curious about how spirit food is cultivated. And what exactly is a meat field? The secrets behind this run quite deep."

Xu Qing pondered inwardly.

One had to know.

Within Qingbei Town.

Leaving aside the inner city, in the outer city, among merchants, gangs, escort agencies, martial arts schools, and the like, only the three major martial arts schools—the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School, Crushing Stone Martial Arts School, and Crimson Eagle Martial Arts School—possessed meat fields. Other factions were not even qualified to come into contact with meat fields.

Meat fields were the foundation of martial artists.

Without meat fields, spirit food could not be cultivated. Without spirit food, the higher a martial artist's realm, the more they needed to eat. A Transformation Force martial artist could swallow an entire cow in one meal if eating ordinary food, and it might not even be enough.

Only spirit food could sustain normal daily life.

"Turtle Breathing Technique."

Xu Qing took out the handwritten copy of the Turtle Breathing Technique and read through it carefully. "Good heavens, I actually have to hold my breath underwater for over an hour."

"Tsk, tsk..."

"In that case, to cultivate the Turtle Breathing Technique, one must at least reach Transformation Force. Only then can one temper the five viscera and six bowels with inner force, extending the time one can hold one's breath."

"Or one could simply be exceptionally gifted."

"Also."

Xu Qing pondered. "This martial art has another drawback. It is easy to injure the lungs and internal organs during cultivation. No wonder Guo Qianming was willing to sell it to me for five thousand taels."

"Forget it."

Xu Qing shook his head. "For me, there is no martial art that cannot be mastered. These drawbacks cannot affect me either. Buying it for five thousand taels was not a loss."

"Record."

Xu Qing said.

Buzz!

The next moment.

With a thought from Xu Qing, the Omni-Codex flashed with a faint glow. The Turtle Breathing Technique in his hand also flashed with white light, as though countless tiny figures were flooding into Xu Qing's mind.

Recording complete!

Turtle Breathing Technique Level 1: 0/50 (This is a special martial art created by someone on the Second Realm of the Transcendent Martial Path, modeled after a thousand-year-old turtle. Once mastered, it can conceal one's strength and hide one's aura.)

Boom!

Xu Qing's mind shook.

Vaguely.

Xu Qing's consciousness seemed to enter a mysterious space. Within that mysterious space, he continuously practiced the Turtle Breathing Technique, holding his breath underwater as though he had transformed into an old turtle.

Buzz!

At last.

Xu Qing opened his eyes. He had already mastered the Turtle Breathing Technique. The rhythm of his breathing had changed, becoming long and unbroken, while his aura seemed to vanish entirely.

Like hibernation.

Afterward.

Xu Qing sensed his own condition. The qi and blood within his body had been concealed, and even the strength of his physique was difficult to detect. It was as though he had suddenly fallen from Pellet Force to Transformation Force.

"It can only conceal one realm."

Xu Qing pondered, somewhat dissatisfied. "That will not do. And with Du Cangying's Martial Path Second Step strength, he will very likely see through the Turtle Breathing Technique's disguise."

"It seems I still need to upgrade the Turtle Breathing Technique."

Xu Qing said.

Furthermore.

To upgrade the Turtle Breathing Technique, Xu Qing had to enter water while using it and hold his breath underwater for one hour to gain one experience point.

Furthermore.

The Turtle Breathing Technique was a special martial art. Advancing from Level 1 to Level 2 required fifty experience points, making its threshold far higher than that of other martial arts.

"There are fewer than ten days left before the month is up. I'll stay home these days and cultivate the Turtle Breathing Technique."

Xu Qing pondered. "It would be best to raise the Turtle Breathing Technique by several more levels."

The next day.

Xu Qing bought a large vat, filled it with water, circulated the Turtle Breathing Technique, and submerged his entire body in the vat.

In the blink of an eye.

One hour later.

Experience +1

Splash...

The sound of flowing water rang out.

Xu Qing emerged from the vat, his entire body already soaked through.

"Continue."

After resting briefly.

Xu Qing continued circulating the Turtle Breathing Technique, holding his breath underwater.

One hour after another passed.

Experience +1

Experience +1

First.

Xu Qing slept only three hours each day, spending all his remaining time on the Turtle Breathing Technique. In other words, he practiced it for twenty-one hours every day.

He was practically soaking in water.

One day... two days... three days...

Time flew by.

Eight days later.

Morning.

"Today is more or less the final deadline."

Xu Qing ate a piece of Black Mountain Tiger Meat, replenishing his energy and stamina. "I have practiced the Turtle Breathing Technique for eight days, twenty-one hours every day."

"Today is the day of harvest."

Turtle Breathing Technique Level 1: 168/50 (Upgradeable!)

"Upgrade."

Xu Qing said.

Turtle Breathing Technique LV2: 118/100 (Upgradeable!)

Turtle Breathing Technique LV3: 18/200 (Upgradeable!)

Two upgrades.

Xu Qing went through two rounds of enlightenment as though divine insight had been poured into his head. In a short time, he had completely mastered the LV3 Turtle Breathing Technique. After the two upgrades, the LV3 Turtle Breathing Technique had undergone an immense transformation.

First.

With Xu Qing circulating the Turtle Breathing Technique at full power, he could directly conceal his cultivation until he appeared to be an ordinary person, and even his aura could be completely hidden.

Moreover.

Unless someone had reached the Second Realm, they would absolutely be unable to see through Xu Qing's cultivation.

"Good, good, good."

Xu Qing smiled. "It was time to go to the Azure Hawk Martial Arts School."