Old Han, carrying his manuscript, trotted towards his room. Ahead, Jian Ruyu was reading a book.
She was dressed in white, and still wore a mask, as if she had been reading there for a long time.
Old Han pretended not to see it, turned around, and prepared to walk in the other direction.
He had just turned around when a white shadow flashed before his eyes, and Jian Ruyu was once again blocking his path.
Old Han chuckled dryly, " Elder Jian, what a coincidence!"
Jian Ruyu closed the book. "I've been waiting for you here. Old Han, what do you think of Deng Qing's talent?"
Old Han blushed slightly, "It's... it's alright."
He clearly lacked confidence when he said this.
Yesterday, Jian Ruyu found him and asked him to mentor Deng Qing.
At first, Old Han refused to agree.
Even if Jian Ruyu offered fifty Merit Voucher, he wouldn't be interested in any more.
He stopped teaching juniors in the Bone-Forging Realm a long time ago.
Firstly, it's troublesome, and secondly, it's pointless to teach it.
Often, after talking for a long time, the other party still can't even figure out where the door is, wasting all their time.
Finally, unable to resist Jian Ruyu's persistent pestering, he reluctantly agreed to teach for two hours.
Besides the fifty Merit Voucher as a reward for his hard work, he also made Jian Ruyu owe him a favor.
But now, after spending the entire night inside, Old Han emerged in high spirits, his eyes brimming with joy.
Where is Jian Ruyu not obvious?
She was waiting here specifically to get revenge for yesterday. "It seems that kid is clueless and wasted Old Han's night. Should I go in now, drag him out, and give him a good talking to about why he's so slow-witted?"
Old Han's face twitched, and he repeatedly bowed to Jian Ruyu, "I admit I misspoke yesterday; I misjudged him. Is that alright? Goodbye, goodbye."
Before he finished speaking, Old Han's feet swayed and he disappeared into the distance.
Jian Ruyu gave a light snort, picked up her books, and leisurely left.
After Old Han left, Deng Qing did not stay in the General Affairs Room Three to continue practicing.
The Collapse Step has Initiation; all that's left is to practice diligently.
The most urgent task right now is to find a way to replenish the Wasteland Blood needed for cultivation.
He quickly packed his things and headed straight for the cafeteria.
It was breakfast time, and the cafeteria was quite full. Chef Fei, wearing an apron stained with grease, was instructing people to move steamers at the kitchen door.
Seeing Deng Qing come in, he immediately waved, "You finally showed up. I haven't seen you since yesterday, where have you been?"
Before Deng Qing could answer, Chef Fei turned and walked towards the kitchen. "I saved some food for you, meat buns and fried pancakes. Eat them while they're hot."
Deng Qing followed him over, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Uncle Fei, there's no rush for dinner. I have something I'd like to ask for your help with."
Chef Fei chuckled, "You're being all mysterious again. Come on, let's talk privately."
Deng Qing smiled.
The two bypassed the kitchen, went out through the back door, and came to a side room where firewood was stored.
Chef Fei closed the door. "Speak, what is it?"
Deng Qing didn't beat around the bush, "Could you get me some more Wasteland Beast Offal?"
Chef Fei was taken aback. "Going into the Offal again? Did you use up the six or seven hundred pounds from last time?"
"It's all used up."
Chef Fei was very curious about how Deng Qing used it, but his years of survival experience made him easily hold back, and he only said, "This thing is not easy to get now. To be honest, judging from the situation at the Front Line, the battle is probably very fierce."
The soldiers at the front are too busy killing bandits to have the time or inclination to hunt Wasteland Beast. Even if I had connections, I couldn't conjure Offal without the Fortune Meat being sent back.
Deng Qing said in a low voice, "As far as I know, besides selling the Offal from Wasteland Beast, some is also kept as feed for the Strange Horse."
Chef Fei's eyes widened in surprise, thinking, "You actually intend to steal food from the Strange Horse?"
Deng Qing took out a stack of Merit Voucher from his Waist Pouch and handed them over. "There are thirty-five skill certificates here. Please use them for me. I don't need much; just enough to get one hundred and fifty catties of Offal will suffice."
Last time, the price for selling Offal was five catties per unit of labor. One hundred and fifty catties of Offal would require exactly thirty units of labor.
Chef Fei naturally understood what the remaining five skills meant.
Chef Fei's face immediately showed an extremely awkward expression. He was pushing the cart away, his face full of difficulty, but his eyes were bright and sparkling. "What are you doing? It's just a small favor, there's no need for this..."
Deng Qing shoved the Merit Voucher directly into his hand, "Please don't refuse. I know your capabilities. After all, you've been a meritorious member of the Martial Dao Institute for over twenty years. Everyone in the Martial Dao Institute, from top to bottom, gives you some face."
Chef Fei's lips twitched, and the force of his shoving noticeably lessened.
Deng Qing continued, "I'm just a young man, and I don't know anyone from Outer District. Even if I went to them with the Merit Voucher, they might not even bother with me. Please help me out. If you can help me, I'll be grateful. If you really can't, then it's just my bad luck."
Having said that, Chef Fei sighed deeply, pointed at Deng Qing, and said, "It's only because of you, kid. If it were anyone else, it would be like trying to lift tofu with a rope—you wouldn't even be able to lift it."
After reaching an agreement with Chef Fei, Deng Qing finished his meal and headed straight to the training ground on the Back Mountain.
According to scattered messages received by Deng Qing, the fighting on the Front Line is becoming increasingly intense.
The entrance to the Liangshan Desolate Soil has been sealed off, and even Jian Ruyu has rushed there to participate in the battle several times.
No one knows when the next order will come down, and their fate will be rewritten.
Since the future is unpredictable, he can only train relentlessly and strive to improve his strength.
Upon arriving at the location, Deng Qing first moved several large rocks to clear a space and began practicing the Collapse Step.
The footwork, though still in its Initiation, appears somewhat clumsy.
Often, one can maintain a perfect circle on the first lap, but on the second lap, due to a loss of focus, subtle sharp edges will appear.
Deng Qing wasn't in a hurry.
If you take the wrong path, start over.
Time passed slowly, but Deng Qing remained tireless.
When he got tired of practicing the Collapse Step, he switched to practicing the Elephant-Throwing Method, lifting and manipulating a boulder weighing over two thousand pounds.
When his shoulders and hips felt heavy and his whole body ached, he put down the boulder and continued to study the Collapse Step.
This process repeated itself almost without pause.
Several hours passed, and Deng Qing's clothes were repeatedly soaked with sweat.
His legs felt like they were filled with lead; with each step, his muscles ached noticeably.
He then sat down cross-legged and began to circulate the " Devour Heaven Scripture," gradually dissolving the Wasteland Blood stored in his Dantian.
A warm current quickly flowed through my limbs and bones, slowly relaxing my sore muscles and easing the fatigue deep within my bones. Even my drowsy mind became clear again.
He could clearly feel that the Wasteland Blood accumulated in his Dantian was decreasing.
Normally, he would feel somewhat sorry for him.
After all, this Wasteland Blood can not only aid in training, but also be a life-saving substance for restoring physical strength in critical moments.
Every point spent is a point less.
But right now, he can't worry about that.
The Wasteland Blood left in the Dantian is merely a reserve. Only when it is refined and transformed into one's own cultivation can it be considered truly useful.
Besides, he's currently focused on improving his proficiency.
With Wasteland Blood stabbing him from behind, he had the confidence to quickly use Collapse Step.
Before long, Deng Qing recovered and got up to practice again.
Two days and one night passed in the blink of an eye.
By evening, with most of the Wasteland Blood accumulated in his Dantian depleted, Deng Qing had no choice but to stop cultivating.
He found a pond, washed his face, and hurried to the kitchen.
As soon as Deng Qing entered through the back door, he immediately saw the large Wooden Box placed in the corner.
The lid of the box was pressed tightly shut, and several ropes were wrapped around the outside.
Instantly, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, settled back into his stomach.
Chef Fei was busy at the stove when he heard the noise. He turned around, saw Deng Qing, and smiled, "You've finally arrived! Wait here."
As he spoke, he pulled out a large bamboo basket.
The basket was full of freshly steamed meat buns.
Chef Fei shoved the bamboo basket into Deng Qing. "Here, eat. Look at you, all dusty and dirty. You haven't eaten for two days, have you?"
Deng Qing was indeed very hungry. He grabbed a meat bun and started eating it in large bites.
Chef Fei pointed to the Wooden Box in the corner, "Everything's in there. I went to great lengths this time, asking a few old acquaintances and pulling strings to get some from elsewhere. Each piece of work is calculated at five and a half jin, so in the end I managed to gather over 160 jin for you."
With his mouth full of steamed buns, Deng Qing mumbled, "More than I expected."
Chef Fei said, "It's only because of my old face that I still have some influence that I can do this once. Although the Offal isn't worth much, it will all be charged to Strange Horse's food rations."
We'll have to spread the money here and there, and the accounts will have to be balanced gradually. To get this box for you, we'll have to spread the losses over there for at least another month or two. For the foreseeable future, even if you bring more Merit Voucher, you won't be able to do this job."
Deng Qing nodded, quickly finished the steamed buns, greeted Chef Fei, and carried the Wooden Box back to the Back Mountain.
Upon arriving at the training area, Deng Qing lifted the Wooden Box and tore off a corner of the Lacquer Tree Membrane covering the Offal.
The next instant, a Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood condensed from his fingertips, Blood Baleful Intent into a line in the air and probing into the gap in the lifted Lacquer Tree Membrane.
In an instant, a large amount of chaotic energy surged into Deng Qing's body along the bloodline.
Deng Qing sat down cross-legged and fully activated the " Devour Heaven Scripture." Instantly, the chaotic Wasteland Qi and the pure Wasteland Blood were rapidly separated.
The Wasteland Qi was drawn out through the pores of the body, transforming into a thin layer of mist; the extracted Wasteland Blood sank down and flowed into the Dantian.
As the extraction continued, the Offal in the Wooden Box visibly dried up and dissipated.
An hour later, the last piece of the Wasteland Beast's heart and lungs was also refined.
Deng Qing withdrew the bloodline, closed his eyes and sensed for a moment. His Dantian was now filled with Wasteland Blood.
With a thought, he summoned the control panel.
[Realm: Bone-Tempering Two (68%)]
[ Devour Heaven Scripture: Initial Understanding: Minor Mastery (54%)]
[ Elephant-Throwing Method: Grand Mastery (61%)]
[ Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood: Initial Baleful Intent (73%)]
[ Collapse Step: Initiation (13%)]
Deng Qing looked at each item one by one.
The cultivation level increased by two points, and the " Devour Heaven Scripture " also increased by two points.
The " Elephant-Throwing Method " remains unchanged.
Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood increased by six points in one go, Collapse Step also increased from one point, which was just the Initiation, to thirteen points after two days and one night of hard training.
Deng Qing was neither dissatisfied nor pleasantly surprised.
"There's still not enough Wasteland Blood."
Last time, it took Wasteland Beast weighing six or seven hundred pounds to Offal for his cultivation to improve rapidly.
This time it only weighed a little over 160 jin (approximately 83 kg).
Moreover, the freshly extracted Wasteland Blood is still stored in his Dantian and has not yet truly transformed into his cultivation progress.
If his Wasteland Blood were sufficient, his progress over the past two days and nights would have been far greater than this.
Unfortunately, the Wasteland Blood can't be bought casually just by Merit Voucher.
Deng Qing cleared his mind of distractions, opened his palm, and the Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood appeared in his hand.
Compared to before, its size has not changed significantly, but its interior has become much denser.
Holding it in my palm, it no longer feels shaky or like it might fall apart at any moment.
Deng Qing flipped his palm, Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood flowed slowly along his palm, as if it had a life of its own.
With another thought, the entire mass of Blood Baleful Intent instantly disappeared into his palm.
The next moment, a layer of dark red light rapidly spread upwards along his arm.
Deng Qing didn't like this color; it was too eye-catching.
As he adjusted it, the dark red turned into a light red, as if it were the color of surging blood.
Soon, the blood had spread all over his body.
Deng Qing appeared to be enveloped in a thin, blood-red shell from head to toe.
He clenched his fist and then stretched his legs a few times.
The Blood Baleful Intent clung tightly to his skin, flowing naturally with his movements without causing any harm to his body.
A look of satisfaction appeared on Deng Qing's face.
It turns out that he was testing the coverage area of Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood.
Initially, the Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood could only protect an area as small as the chest and abdomen, but now it has grown so large that it can cover the entire body.
Deng Qing was very satisfied. As he calmed his mind, all the crimson color covering his body disappeared into his body.
Immediately afterward, Deng Qing had a thought and took a step into the Collapse Step.
As soon as he took his first step, his body swayed to the left, his robes fluttering, and he immediately took his second step.
His figure darted through the woods, silently bypassing two giant trees.
His steps were not hurried, yet his movements were surprisingly light and agile, with countless variations seemingly occurring with each step.
One moment they were clearly to the left of the tree, the next they were behind it.
It felt as if my whole body was naturally sliding down an invisible circle to the next landing point.
Within a circle, within an inch, a thought can arrive in an instant.
The further they went, the faster Deng Qing's pace became.
One after another, fleeting shadows swept through the woods, one after another, yet the twists and turns between them were difficult to discern.
After a few breaths, Deng Qing returned to his original spot.
He looked around and saw that the traces he had left were very faint, but if he looked closely, he could still see that each one was perfectly round.
Deng Qing stared intently at the circle; the diameter of the largest circle had reached five zhang (approximately 10 meters).
Such progress was remarkably rapid, but Deng Qing was not satisfied.
After all, as Old Han said, he easily made a move, and the sphere formed by his Collapse Step already had a diameter of ten zhang.
It seems that after two days and one night of hard training, I have only managed to walk five zhang (approximately 10 meters), and I haven't even finished walking the entire path of Old Han. It's a real failure.
Just then, a sharp whistle came from the direction of the camp.
Deng Qing hurried down the mountain.
As soon as he returned to his post, he sensed that something was amiss.
At this time of day in the past, although there were people coming and going, it was never nearly as bustling as it is today.
People from the Merit Reward Office and the general affairs office kept carrying documents in and out, several servants carried boxes and baskets around, and others were relaying orders from one Wooden House to another.
Deng Qing rushed to the kitchen, where it was just as chaotic as before.
Chef Fei was also packing up when he saw Deng Qing and immediately came over, "I was just looking for you."
Deng Qing asked, "Uncle Fei, what do you want to see me about?"
Chef Fei took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Deng Qing, "This was sent by Elder Jian, who asked me to give it to you."
She left in such a hurry; she might have something to tell you.
Deng Qing took the letter but didn't open it immediately. He frowned and asked, " Elder Jian, what brings you to this place? What has happened?"
Chef Fei pointed to the busy crowd, "An urgent order came from the Front Line, we have to go too, this is a major relocation."
Don't just stand there, hurry back and pack your things. Judging by this, we're probably going to be stuck on the Front Line for a while."
Deng Qing had already guessed most of it, agreed, and hurried back to his residence.
He didn't have much to begin with.
A few changes of clothes, the Desolate Iron Sword, the Blazing Sun Pill, and other personal belongings were quickly packed.
Deng Qing took out a piece of cloth, packed all the items into a bundle, and carried it on his back.
Only after doing all this did he open the letter left by Jian Ruyu.
The letter contained few words, but Deng Qing quickly skimmed it and extracted its core meaning:
First, Zhao Feiyan had been keeping an eye on him.
After learning that he had obtained thirty-five Qi Petal in one day, Zhao Feiyan had repeatedly declared that those Qi Petal were not obtained by Deng Qing through his own abilities, but must have been obtained by Jian Ruyu secretly helping him cheat.
Second, Jian Ruyu only gave one instruction in the letter: he must win first place in the final round.
Jian Ruyu pointed out that if Deng Qing does not get first place, even if he eventually obtains the qualification of Senior Inspector, the rumors spread by Zhao Feiyan will continue to ferment.
Moreover, such rumors could affect Deng Qing's subsequent Registration Examination.
His hard-earned resume could very well be tarnished by this.
Only by winning first place in the final round can the rumors fabricated by Zhao Feiyan be debunked.
After reading the letter, Deng Qing tore it to shreds and let it drift away in the wind.
He was secretly furious, sneering inwardly, " Zhao Feiyan, you little wench, I'll remember you."
He waited a few more moments inside the Wooden House, and then another whistle sounded.
Deng Qing slung his pack over his shoulder, tucked the Desolate Iron Sword into the strap on his back, and hurried toward the square in front of the canteen.
The number of people who gathered was not as large as he had imagined.
After several rounds of elimination, only three Inspector — Deng Qing, Lin Li, and Chen Hong —remain here, along with ten Martial Exam Student who passed the Retest, several mid-level Deployment Office from the transfer department, and a group of general staff.
Old Han was not there, nor was Jian Ruyu; the person in charge standing in front of everyone was Zheng Bei.
Once everyone had arrived, Zheng Bei cut to the chase. "A major emergency has occurred at the Front Line. Your final assessment will now be conducted as a combat mission."
These words immediately sparked a buzz of discussion throughout the room.
Someone couldn't help but ask, " Steward Zheng, what exactly happened at the Front Line? Why is even the performance evaluation being changed?"
Zheng Bei raised his hand to quell the noise in the arena, "At this point, I won't hide it from you. The battle between the Command Center and the Donghuang Cult in this area isn't about a single city or territory, but about the Wasteland Veins."
The vast majority of people looked blank, clearly hearing this for the first time.
Deng Qing was naturally just as bewildered.
Zheng Bei continued, "Why is it so difficult to develop Desolate Soil? The biggest reason is that the Wasteland Qi runs rampant."
Wasteland Qi is omnipresent, sometimes gathering and sometimes dispersing. Some powerful Wasteland Qi can even break out of the Desolate Soil, invade the Main World, destroy fields, and Mutation living beings.
The Wasteland Veins are the pathways through which Wasteland Qi flows. By anchoring the Wasteland Veins, one can restrain the Wasteland Qi; only by controlling the Wasteland Qi is it possible to build roads, cities, and mine resources, thus truly developing the Desolate Soil. The Evil Apparition of the Donghuang Cult have the same intention."
The entire room fell silent.