Physical Foundation Establishment Complete

Gao Fei could see Gao Linyue's reluctance in his eyes.

When he had brought it back, Gao Fei had tested its weight.

The spear was a little lighter, and with the way he used spears, it might be gone after one trip outside. The county yamen's Armor-Piercing Spears were nearly all ruined by him.

"You keep this spear. I can use a saber."

Gao Fei took the saber. Its blade was black as coal, streaked with faint brown lines. One look told him it was a weapon made for killing.

The scabbard was dark brown, without a single pattern.

Heathed at his waist, the long saber gave him far more confidence now that he had a weapon that fit his hand.

Hearing that the spear would be left to him, Gao Linyue was delighted. He hurriedly took a long wooden case from the corner and carefully placed it inside.

"How did you know my spearwork is my best? Back when we were on the battlefield, we relied on this very spear. It was my companion—the kind I held while sleeping..."

Another round of battlefield boasting began. In ten years of war, how many demons had he killed? Gao Fei had heard it no fewer than three times in just a few days.

And he couldn't just leave him hanging!

"Second Uncle, you joined the Martial Suppression Guard when you were barely a teenager?"

"That's right. My talent was extraordinary back then, and the Marquis thought highly of me..."

It did not stop until the three women and Gao Yan returned.

When Second Aunt saw the saber at Gao Fei's waist, she gave it several extra looks, as if confirming something, then pulled Gao Linyue into the inner room.

Qiu Mei nodded with a smile, no longer as reserved as before.

"Young Master Gao, I've already entered the Blood-Qi Realm. Could you register me as an unpaid yamen runner?"

Gao Fei was somewhat surprised.

"Unpaid runners don't receive wages. Can you handle taking dirty money?"

"I've been eating and drinking for free at your home for so long, Young Master. Qiu Mei feels ashamed. With the identity of an unpaid runner, I can avoid being bullied when I go out to do things."

Gao Fei carefully examined the woman before him. She knew gratitude, understood when to advance and retreat, and knew how to arm herself with status.

But with Yueyang County now swaying in the wind and rain, they should wait until the Martial Suppression Guard returned!

"The times are unsettled. Wait a while first. I'll hire the two of you to help Second Aunt cook. One tael of silver a month."

"Thank you, Young Master!"

Qiu Mei smiled knowingly, then quickly pulled Xiaocui along to bow before heading into the kitchen.

Seeing Gao Yan standing nearby and grinning foolishly, Gao Fei shot him a vicious glare.

"What are you looking at? A girl entered the Blood-Qi Realm in just a few days. How long have you been training? What realm are you even at?"

Gao Yan hurried back to his stance training. There was nothing he could do—he was only at the Early Blood-Qi Realm. Still, he tossed back one line.

"Don't get cocky. I'll catch up to you soon."

The next morning.

This time, Xiao Liu did not come to freeload a meal.

After breakfast.

Gao Yan, Qiu Mei, and Xiaocui trained their blood qi together in the small courtyard.

Gao Linyue watched the three of them.

"Qiu Mei's aptitude is excellent. She may reach Blood-Qi Realm perfection in a month, but I can't tell what kind of constitution she has."

Gao Fei looked over the three of them as they trained and nodded.

She had worn a Spirit Stone on her wrist since childhood, nourishing her body. How could her aptitude be poor? But he could not say that.

"Since her aptitude is so good, we'll support her cultivation. Once her cultivation is high enough, we lend nine and collect thirteen. It isn't too much to charge a little interest, right?"

Gao Linyue considered it seriously for a while.

"That works too. In any case, the ill-gotten wealth we got last time will be gone once it's spent. Even if we lose it, it doesn't matter."

Just as the two were discussing the interest and repayment terms.

Lu Xiaoliu rushed in from outside.

"My lord, something terrible has happened! Dog Demons have appeared outside the city. Zhang Constable sent me to notify you."

Hearing there were demons to kill, Gao Fei instantly perked up.

But if he was going to fight, he had to train himself to peak condition no matter what.

If he could derive a Spirit-Absorption Realm cultivation art, that would be a huge profit.

"System, put all Merit Points into the Purple-Viscera Organ-Tempering Art."

In the first year, you discovered that many tiny, overlooked meridians throughout your body had begun to temper.

In the tenth year, you found this tempering method too slow and changed it to temper every meridian in your body simultaneously.

In the hundredth year, you completed body tempering and began continuing your research into the True Return Realm.

In the hundred and tenth year, with no target to be found, you began controlling your entire body to resonate at once, using this to enhance your physical constitution.

In the two-hundredth year, you discovered a trace of transformation in your body. Like being reborn, you began slowly growing stronger.

The Four-Pillar Pure-Yang Body had been fully restored. You sensed the existence of spiritual energy around you, but it was too thin to keep up with your consumption. You were still absorbing the spiritual energy within Beast Cores.

In the two-hundred and tenth year, you completely mastered the body-tempering resonance patterns of every part of your body.

Since your entire body turned golden when circulating the art, you named it the Golden Body Art.

In the two-hundred and forty-third year, you felt that your current physical body was more than twice as strong as when you had reached Organ Refinement perfection.

You could control your physical body and transform into any person or animal no more than half your own size.

As his consciousness returned, Gao Fei was somewhat dumbfounded. After deriving for so long, he had actually been tempering his body the entire time.

He checked the panel.

Gao Fei

Lifespan: 180

Four-Pillar Pure-Yang Body

Foundation Establishment Complete (True Return)

Physical Body Art: Golden Body Art (First Transformation, Beginner)

Six Harmonies Spear (Ultimate Realm)

Eight Wind-Breaking Blades (Ultimate Realm)

Form-Intention Fist (Minor Accomplishment—Dark Force) (Fist arts fused, not displayed)

Merit Points: 0

At this moment, Gao Fei's control over his entire body had reached the finest detail. He felt that he could change into another appearance at any time.

But now was not the time to experiment.

The Demon Core had turned pale again, with only the faintest trace of color left. It was of little use to keep, so he tossed it directly to Gao Yan.

"Second Uncle, I'm heading out. Get the wine ready, and when I return, we'll have a good drink."

"When the sky falls, tall people hold it up. Don't try to show off."

As he spoke, he took the box containing the long spear from the room beside them.

He opened it.

Holding it with both hands, he passed it over. "I can't use it now. Remember to return it when you come back!"

Gao Fei smiled and accepted it.

"Don't worry!"

"Don't worry my ass! You borrowed that white-shafted spear and Tang Saber from the martial hall last time and still haven't returned them. And you dare say 'don't worry,' you little brat!"

Watching the two flee out the door in disarray, a burst of hearty laughter rang out from the courtyard after a while.

"Come on, let's go watch the fight."

At this moment, pedestrians hurried along the streets.

Quite a few people were also carrying weapons as they began making their way toward the city gates.

Some robberies broke out in the streets, but the local residents swiftly suppressed them.

In a place where everyone could practice martial arts, anyone with even a little money would learn a few moves. It was hard to say who would beat whom. There was simply no room for petty thugs to exist, unless it was a gang backed by someone powerful enough to defeat the neighbors.

But the Yueyang County Magistrate did not permit such things to exist. He needed clarity and order under his rule; only with sufficiently strong providential fortune and Incense and Fire Prayer Power could he sustain his cultivation.

If the population was sparse, the place foul with smoke and miasma, and he lacked the people's support, it would already be fortunate if he could preserve his cultivation without regressing.

Yueyang County had only two city gates, one east and one west.

The place Gao Fei was heading for was the eastern gate, the one he often used when leaving the city.

When the two arrived, the city gate was tightly shut. Behind it, more than a dozen support beams were braced diagonally against it.

Four guards stood watch. Upon seeing Gao Fei, they hurriedly clasped their fists in greeting.

"My lord!"

"Open the gate!"

"Th-this... Dog Demons are everywhere outside..." The four men still stood before the gate, blocking the way.

"Don't make me say it a third time. Open the gate!"