Iron Horse Grounding Stance

Qingfeng County yamen.

County Magistrate Lu Guangyi watched Luo Dashan's departing back, his brows gradually drawing together. Confusion surfaced in his small eyes as countless thoughts churned through his mind.

They were dead.

Iron Horse Manor's First Manor Lord Lu Yuanshan, Second Manor Lord Lu Yuanqing, Chief Steward Yuan Suwang, and all the guards had died at Zhao Zhi's hands.

Lu Yuanshan was a Greater Xiantian martial artist who had been famous for a long time, with the terrifying achievement of killing a Greater Xiantian bandit chief.

Lu Guangyi had heard of this matter when he first arrived in Qingfeng County.

Yet all of them had died at Zhao Zhi's hands.

Was Zhao Zhi truly only a Greater Xiantian?

Perhaps.

He had already stepped into the Innate Completion Realm.

If he truly was at Innate Completion, dealing with him would not be easy. With Flying Cloud Stronghold's strength, plus the contingencies he had left behind, could he truly handle Zhao Zhi?

He should seek out Chen Qingzhi and discuss this matter.

Chen Qingzhi had gone to Iron Horse Manor before Zhao Zhi, yet Luo Dashan had not seen Chen Qingzhi there.

Where had Chen Qingzhi gone?

Could it be?!

Lu Guangyi's small eyes flew open, and his fat, stubby hand clenched involuntarily.

Zhao Zhi had killed Chen Qingzhi!?

If Zhao Zhi had not killed Chen Qingzhi, why had Chen Qingzhi still not returned?

Lu Guangyi immediately turned to Liu Guang, the constable who had reported earlier, and said again, "Liu Guang, go to Iron Horse Manor at once and search for news of Constable Chief Chen."

"Yes, my lord."

Liu Guang nodded and left.

After giving his orders, Lu Guangyi slowly rose to his feet. He clasped his hands behind his back with some difficulty, his broad sleeves hanging down and swaying as he paced back and forth.

"Human Elixir."

He murmured it in an extremely faint voice.

How far had Zhao Zhi investigated?

Iron Horse Manor's refinement of Human Elixirs had already been exposed. The matter of Flying Cloud Stronghold likely would not remain hidden for long either. It had to be resolved soon, lest it become a future calamity.

Lu Guangyi walked to the doorway and shouted, "Cao Yun."

A short while later.

A middle-aged constable with close-cropped whiskers and handsome features strode over. With his chin slightly raised, he looked at Lu Guangyi. "Lord Lu."

"Cao Yun, tomorrow..."

Lu Guangyi gave his instructions in a low voice.

Thick inner qi circulated through cycle after cycle within his body.

Zhao Zhi slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, and the exhaustion of the day vanished completely.

With a thought, the Merit Panel appeared.

[Martial arts: Innate Unity Qi Technique (Completion), Giant Gate Palm (Completion), Wild Wind Saber Technique (Completion), Diamond Force (Completion), Moon-Treading Step (Completion)...]

[Merit: 523]

More than five hundred Merit was an enormous amount, enough to push several Xiantian martial arts to the Completion Realm.

Yet within Qingfeng County, Xiantian martial arts were not cabbages scattered across the street. Even the top powers possessed only two or three at most.

For instance, Diamond Force and Moon-Treading Step, which Zhao Zhi had obtained, were two Xiantian martial arts from the Fan Family. As for whether the Fan Family hid other Xiantian martial arts, Zhao Zhi neither knew nor wished to pursue the matter.

With the number of Xiantian martial arts he possessed now, he had more than enough.

What he lacked now was a martial art that would allow him to step into the next realm.

In all of vast Qingfeng County, only four powers likely possessed martial arts for the next realm: the yamen, the Su Family, the Tao Family, and the Evergreen Gang.

There was no need to mention the Su Family, the Tao Family, or the Evergreen Gang. They would never hand their martial arts over to Zhao Zhi.

The yamen was unlikely to do so either.

Houtian and Xiantian martial arts were not considered precious. County yamen throughout the land could keep copied manuals of them.

But.

Martial arts of a higher level were controlled by the imperial court. Without outstanding merit and a clean background, one could not obtain them.

If Zhao Zhi wanted to acquire higher-level martial arts through the yamen, he would need County Magistrate Lu Guangyi to submit an application upward. Lu Guangyi likely would not help him.

Gathering his thoughts, Zhao Zhi picked up an earth-yellow book.

Five large characters were written clearly across its cover: "Iron Horse Grounding Stance."

Zhao Zhi had obtained this book from Iron Horse Manor. Since he had needed to rush back to the county seat before sunset, this was the only inner qi cultivation method he had acquired, with no other martial arts to show for it.

As Zhao Zhi flipped through Iron Horse Grounding Stance and encountered several obscure, profound passages, he could not help but furrow his brow.

Though he had already pushed the Innate Unity Qi Technique to Completion, this Iron Horse Grounding Stance, which was on par with the Innate Unity Qi Technique, still proved quite strenuous for him.

Though both were Xiantian martial arts for cultivating inner qi, their emphases did not overlap.

"Upgrade."

With a thought, Zhao Zhi savagely poured Merit into Iron Horse Grounding Stance.

[Consumed 50 Merit. Iron Horse Grounding Stance has reached Entry.]

[Consumed 50 Merit. Iron Horse Grounding Stance has reached Lesser Success.]

[Consumed 100 Merit. Iron Horse Grounding Stance has reached Greater Success.]

[Consumed 100 Merit. Iron Horse Grounding Stance has reached Completion.]

The power of Merit was consumed rapidly.

Zhao Zhi only felt a mysterious and profound energy emerge from some unknown place in his body. Following the circulation route of Iron Horse Grounding Stance, it cycled again and again, swiftly transforming that wondrous energy into tough, majestic inner qi.

For a moment, a vast number of memories surfaced in his mind.

Day after day, month after month, he cultivated Iron Horse Grounding Stance without knowing hardship or weariness, bringing this Xiantian martial art to the Completion Realm.

He had grasped every scrap of Iron Horse Grounding Stance's profundity and power.

Its inner qi and the inner qi of the Innate Unity Qi Technique circulated through his meridians together, yet they were incompatible with each other.

"Two kinds of inner qi."

Zhao Zhi carefully sensed the condition within his body.

His total amount of inner qi had nearly doubled compared with before.

Cultivating two Xiantian martial arts had doubled his inner qi. If he cultivated three, four, five, or even more Xiantian martial arts, could his body contain even more inner qi?

The Innate Unity Qi Technique came from Flying Cloud Stronghold's Fifth Chieftain, while Iron Horse Grounding Stance came from Iron Horse Manor.

The yamen and the Fan Family certainly possessed Xiantian inner qi cultivation martial arts. The Su Family, the Tao Family, and the Evergreen Gang possessed them as well. Even other powers in Qingfeng County likely controlled Xiantian inner qi cultivation martial arts.

If he cultivated them all, he would be able to look down upon all of Qingfeng County.

But Zhao Zhi quickly abandoned that idea.

The inner qi of the Innate Unity Qi Technique and the inner qi of Iron Horse Grounding Stance coexisted safely within his body without conflict, yet he could not completely fuse and use them as one.

If the two kinds of inner qi continued in this state, what changes might occur with even greater quantities of inner qi?

Would they clash and descend into chaos?

If such a possibility arose, it was not something Zhao Zhi wished to see.

The Innate Unity Qi Technique and Iron Horse Grounding Stance were already enough.

Zhao Zhi suppressed the surging thoughts in his heart and no longer pursued more inner qi cultivation martial arts. Rather than obtaining numerous Xiantian martial arts, he might as well find a way to acquire martial arts of a higher level.

Using realm to crush others was better than being invincible among those of the same realm.

Once those thoughts faded, Zhao Zhi thought again of the campaign against Flying Cloud Stronghold that would begin tomorrow.

He wondered what plans County Magistrate Lu Guangyi had this time.

Zhao Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly, light gathering in their depths.