Blood Fiend Sword Art, Promoted to Hall Master

Yu Wei looked at Diao Xiaolin and saw that his face was deathly pale, blood hung from the corner of his mouth, one hand clutched his chest, and his body was covered in grime.

Yu Wei hurriedly rose and helped Diao Xiaolin sit down.

"Xiaolin, what happened to you?"

Diao Xiaolin roughly recounted how he and Qiu Shan had joined forces with men from the Golden Saber Gang to raid the Black Tiger Gang and assassinate Lu Hao.

Diao Xiaolin looked at Yu Wei. "Uncle Yu, I heard from my father that your Blood Fiend Sword Art lets one advance incredibly quickly during cultivation. Especially when breaking into the Martial Artist Realm, the chances are much greater."

Yu Wei nodded.

"That's right. The Blood Fiend Sword Art does indeed allow one to advance at astonishing speed."

"I have inferior bone aptitude, yet through the Blood Fiend Sword Art, I have already cultivated to the realm of a Dark Force Martial Artist."

"However, cultivating the Blood Fiend Sword Art requires fresh blood to sacrifice to the sword every day. At the Gate-Breaking Realm, human blood or beast blood will do. But after reaching the Martial Artist Realm, one must use the blood of Martial Artists or demonic beasts to sacrifice to the sword."

After saying that, Yu Wei sighed.

"Fresh blood from Martial Artists and demonic beasts is exceedingly difficult to obtain. That is why, after reaching Dark Force, my advancement slowed greatly, and I have yet to break through Dark Force."

Yu Wei paused.

"Furthermore, when cultivating the Blood Fiend Sword Art, the Killing Intent within the blood will also backlash against you. Those who cultivate it usually undergo drastic changes in temperament and become prone to furious rage. This is the shortcoming of the Blood Fiend Sword Art. Nephew, think it through carefully before deciding whether to cultivate the Blood Fiend Sword Art."

Diao Xiaolin looked at Yu Wei. "Uncle Yu, as long as it can let me break through to the Martial Artist Realm quickly, I don't care about any of those drawbacks."

Ever since childhood, Diao Xiaolin had lived smoothly in the escort agency under his father's protection.

Now that he knew Lin Qiniang had died at Lu Hao's hands, he wanted to avenge her and prove to Diao Xiada that he was capable.

Therefore, at this moment, Diao Xiaolin could not spare a thought for the drawbacks of cultivating the Blood Fiend Sword Art. All he wanted was to break through to the Martial Artist Realm as quickly as possible, kill Lu Hao, and avenge his mother.

Yu Wei looked Diao Xiaolin over once more and nodded.

"Good! Since you have such resolve, with your superior bone aptitude, if you cultivate the Blood Fiend Sword Art, you will certainly become a Martial Artist within five days!"

The sun had already set at the horizon, its afterglow spilling across the courtyard of the Black Tiger Gang's Everjoy Hall Branch.

Lu Hao and the Black Tiger Gang members were drinking merrily when Cao Ling entered the courtyard and called out loudly, "You're all drinking without inviting me!"

After the battle ended, Lu Hao had sent a gang member to deliver the news to the Black Tiger Gang Headquarters. The headquarters had then sent Cao Ling to learn about the situation at the Everjoy Hall Branch.

The moment Shi Kang saw Cao Ling arrive, bolstered by the alcohol, he shouted again, "Elder Cao!"

That howl gave Cao Ling such a fright that he jumped.

Cao Ling pointed at Shi Kang and laughed as he scolded him, "You brat, you have to scare me half to death every time!"

Shi Kang gave an embarrassed chuckle.

Cao Ling looked at Lu Hao.

"Hall Master Lu, I heard that both Han Zheng and Chen Xuan are dead, while you have reached the Third Gate-Knocking Realm. The deputy gang leader and several elders discussed it and decided that, starting today, you will be the Hall Master of the Black Tiger Gang's Everjoy Hall Branch. It is only a pity for Brother Han Zheng. He was an iron-boned, unyielding man, yet he was done in by Chen Xuan's treachery."

As he spoke, a trace of regret appeared on Cao Ling's face.

The moment Shi Kang heard that Lu Hao had been promoted to Hall Master, he hurried forward and looked at Lu Hao.

"Brother Hao! Oh, no, Hall Master Lu! Congratulations."

The gang members in the courtyard also shouted in unison, "Hall Master Lu!" Their faces were filled with awe toward Lu Hao.

Cao Ling took it all in.

He was secretly astonished. Lu Hao had only served as the Everjoy Hall Branch's deputy hall master for one day. How had he already become so familiar with everyone in the gang?

Cao Ling filled himself a bowl of wine and looked at Lu Hao. "I'll borrow your wine to toast Hall Master Lu as well!"

After draining the bowl of strong liquor, Cao Ling said to Lu Hao again, "Lu Hao, all the branches are currently fighting the Golden Saber Gang for territory."

He looked over the fifty or sixty gang members in the courtyard. "Therefore, the headquarters has no way to send additional manpower to your branch."

Cao Ling paused, then continued, "But today, every branch fought fiercely with the Golden Saber Gang. It is not only our Black Tiger Gang that cannot hold on—the Golden Saber Gang cannot endure it either. I estimate both sides will need a few days to catch their breath before the next large-scale conflict. Over the next few days, let the brothers rest and recuperate properly."

Lu Hao nodded slightly, then filled Cao Ling another bowl of wine. After the two drank another bowl, Lu Hao asked, "Elder Cao, I found a Blood-Qi Pill on Chen Xuan today. I discovered that this is a good thing, but I do not know how to obtain Blood-Qi Pills."

Cao Ling smiled faintly and stroked his mustache.

"This Blood-Qi Pill is an item regulated by the Great Jin court. In all of Bluestone County, only the Qi Family Pharmacy in the Central District sells them."

Cao Ling poured himself another bowl of wine.

"The most important thing is that Blood-Qi Pills cannot be bought merely because you have silver."

Lu Hao looked at Cao Ling in confusion. "Why is that?"

"The entire Bluestone County Seat receives only five hundred Blood-Qi Pills a year."

"Since there are five hundred, why did Elder Cao say that having silver does not guarantee one can buy them?"

Cao Ling drank another bowl of wine.

"The wealthy households, great clans, and martial arts schools in the Central District of Bluestone County Seat are all watching those Blood-Qi Pills closely. Only ten or twenty pills truly make their way out of the Central District. Once they are divided among the various gangs, even fewer remain."

"How much silver does one Blood-Qi Pill cost?"

Cao Ling gave a bitter smile. "At the Qi Family Pharmacy, a Blood-Qi Pill sells for three hundred taels of silver. Once they flow into the hands of the various gangs, the price basically doubles to more than five hundred taels."

Lu Hao secretly clicked his tongue. Five hundred taels of silver per pill—converted into the currency of his previous life, that was five hundred thousand yuan each. And even at such a high price, they were scarce goods with no market supply. It seemed Chen Xuan and Shen Mao both had considerable means to obtain Blood-Qi Pills. He just did not know why they had not taken them yet. In the end, that had benefited him.

Lu Hao then thought of the map of Green Ox Mountain found in Chen Xuan's room and asked, "Elder Cao, do you know anything about Green Ox Mountain?"

At those words, Cao Ling's gaze froze.

He glanced at Lu Hao, his brows knitting slightly. "Why are you asking about Green Ox Mountain?"

"I heard Chen Xuan mention Green Ox Mountain today."

Cao Ling set down his wine bowl, his expression darkening slightly.

"I have never been to Green Ox Mountain, but I have heard that there are many demonic beasts inside. It is exceedingly dangerous and not a place to visit!"

"Are the demonic beasts of Green Ox Mountain very strong?"

"Even the weakest demonic beasts possess the strength of the Third Gate-Knocking Realm. Most demonic beasts are as strong as human Martial Artists or stronger. Legend says that deep within the mountains, there are great demons capable of destroying an entire city. Do you think they are strong?"

"If demonic beasts can destroy cities, why have we never seen any demonic beasts in Bluestone County Seat?"

"That is because powerful Martial Artists laid down a Blood Essence restriction outside the city. Those demonic beasts cannot enter, and only then can the people in the city survive."

Lu Hao fell silent for a moment and looked at Cao Ling.

"What level of Martial Artist is needed to lay down a Blood Essence restriction capable of blocking great demons?"

Cao Ling shook his head, a grave expression surfacing on his face. "Martial Artists of that realm are already beyond what we can discuss recklessly."

After hearing Cao Ling's explanation, Lu Hao found himself looking forward even more to reaching the pinnacle of the martial path.

After drinking two more bowls of wine with the Black Tiger Gang members, Lu Hao excused himself by saying that today's fight had exhausted him too much and that he needed to return to his room to rest. He then left the training ground.

The Hall Master of the Everjoy Hall Branch could live within the branch, so Lu Hao no longer needed to return home.

He entered the room where Han Zheng had previously practiced martial arts and began practicing the Black Tiger Stance Art.

Meanwhile, Cao Ling drank himself into a stupor with everyone at the Everjoy Hall Branch. Only when the moon hung high at the center of the sky and its clear radiance covered the courtyard did he return to the headquarters.

At that moment, Lu Hao was drenched in sweat. Having just completed another round of the Black Tiger Stance Art, he looked at the panel before him.

[Skill: Black Tiger Stance Art (Grand Mastery)]

[Current Progress: 1383/2000]

He looked forward more and more to seeing whether, after the Black Tiger Stance Art reached Perfect Mastery and he stepped into the Martial Artist Realm, he could unlock a new Equipment Slot. With only one Equipment Slot now, it was completely insufficient.