Spirit Snake's Eight Strikes Reaches Minor Mastery

With that, Jiang Baihe turned and left, leaving Gao Feng to watch over the arena.

Everyone felt the pressure. They could not match the resources of the seven wealthy youths, so they could only work twice as hard.

Lin Qing was no exception. He practiced over and over, but his movements were crooked and awkward, painful to watch. He had no idea how long it would take him to get them right.

"If only I could get my hands on a constable's corpse. I could use my special ability to overtake them on a bend. If I rely on hard training alone, my chances are too slim," Lin Qing murmured. He glanced at the seven wealthy youths. Each was built like an ox and probably ate precious tonics that nourished the blood every day. How could he compete?

Perhaps his muttering worked. Two afternoons later, Yang Feng suddenly arrived. "Another large batch of refugee corpses came to the Night Patrol Office today. I need twenty people to carry them. Anyone willing, step forward!"

Lin Qing stepped forward without hesitation. This was exactly the chance he needed.

Most of the other youths were reluctant. Carrying corpses offered no benefit and took time away from training. In the end, Yang Feng picked enough people to make twenty and led them straight to the Cremation Ground.

When Lin Qing arrived, he saw more frozen corpses lying on the ground, each wrapped in a straw mat.

"One corpse each. Once you've moved it, you can go!" Yang Feng said.

This time, Lin Qing chose carefully. He picked a burly man with a full beard. The man had a broad frame and firm, full muscles. He had probably trained in martial arts.

It took Lin Qing considerable effort to push the corpse into the furnace. The instant the flames swallowed it, lines of information appeared before him again.

[Deceased: Great Thief? Zhou Ping]

[Realm: Bright Force]

[Last rites progress: 0%]

[Reward: One talent, martial art, or skill]

With a crackle and pop, Zhou Ping's corpse rapidly burned to ash.

On the panel, the last rites progress kept climbing, from 0% to 20%, then 30%. The instant the corpse was reduced entirely to ash, it reached 100%.

A jumble of images surfaced in Lin Qing's mind: fragments of the dead man's memories.

"Sir, the Barbarians have broken through! Run!"

In the first scene, Zhou Ping wore a government office uniform, his face panicked.

The scene shifted. He walked alone along an official road, dizzy with hunger, then suddenly collapsed. Jiangyin County lay not far ahead.

"Do you want to live?"

"Yes."

"Work for the Yinyuan Sect from now on, and I'll make sure you don't die." An old woman with a sinister face looked down at him.

The scene changed again. Dressed in black night clothes, Zhou Ping stood with a dozen or so burly men around the old woman.

"I want you to find that Eight-Armed, Three-Faced Wooden Buddha Statue at any cost. Whoever finds it, I'll recommend him as an Outer Disciple of Yinyuan Sect."

"Madam, what's inside the Buddha statue?"

"A supreme martial scripture. If only I could master Tathagata Force!"

The scene shifted once more. Clutching his chest, blood pouring through his fingers, Zhou Ping collapsed on an official road outside the city.

The images vanished. Lin Qing frowned. Those few scenes held a great deal of information.

First, the old woman was Yin Muhua, the Yinyuan Sect fiend.

Second was Tathagata Force. He had heard of that legendary power.

Different martial arts, when trained to Perfect Mastery, could produce different kinds of force. Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake produced Spirit Snake Force, while Tathagata Force was said to surpass all others in its fierce, overwhelming power. It had supposedly been lost long ago. He had never expected it to surface here.

"An eight-armed, three-faced wooden idol? So that's why the Yin Origin Cult has been slaughtering people," Lin Qing murmured.

He had no intention of getting involved. The risk was enormous, and with his special ability, he had no need to take it. He could keep his head down and grow stronger until no one under heaven could match him.

As he pondered this, more information appeared before him.

[Choose one martial art, skill, or talent to copy]

1. Iron Shirt (Beginner)

A third-rate external hardening art widely practiced throughout the country. At Major Mastery, ordinary blades can scarcely wound its practitioner.

2. Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake (Minor Mastery)

The standard martial art of constables in the Shu Region. Originating with mountain tribes in the south, it was created by imitating a snake hunting its prey. Its moves are supple, uncanny, flexible, and varied. At Major Mastery, it can produce Spirit Snake Force.

3. Theft (Minor Mastery)

Proficient in pickpocketing and lockpicking. Your methods have moved beyond the limits of a beginner and developed a style of their own.

4. Skillful Hands (Tier Three · Fine)

Long, nimble fingers unlike those of ordinary people, capable of delicate tasks such as threading a needle or stealing.

Lin Qing's heart jolted, then joy surged through him. Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake, and at Minor Mastery! Heaven is helping me. The assessment in six months is as good as settled. Even those seven rich youths won't be able to beat me.

He took a deep breath and quickly calmed himself, reminding himself to stay composed no matter what.

He turned and went outside. The corpses in the courtyard had all been dealt with. Yang Feng waved a hand. "You're dismissed."

The twenty returned to the Martial Arts Arena. Standing among them, Lin Qing willed Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake to replace Health-Preserving Five-Animal Fist.

Hum!

In an instant, Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake at Minor Mastery was forced into his body. A flood of information filled his mind, and the questions he had about the art answered themselves. His body began running through its eight major moves without his control. They had become muscle memory; with barely a thought, every move he made was precise.

So that's how it works. Every martial art has the same stages: Beginner, Proficient, Minor Mastery, Major Mastery, and Perfect Mastery.

At Beginner, you can perform the stances competently. At Minor Mastery, you can flow through the entire set like drifting clouds and running water, or break apart its moves and arrange them however you like!

"In a single instant, it's saved me nearly five years of hard training. This special ability is terrifying," Lin Qing said in wonder.

But if he replaced this martial art, he would return to his normal level. He still had to practice it himself.

With his special ability helping him, though, learning would be far easier. He only had to commit every detail in his mind to memory.

Time passed. Seven days went by in the blink of an eye.

That day, Jiang Baihe came to the Martial Arts Arena again. He made a circuit, sweeping his gaze over everyone in turn, then left.

As he stepped outside, a beautiful woman approached him. It was Shen Lian.

"Well, Brother Jiang. I haven't seen you in days, and you're looking even better. Has something wonderful happened?" Shen Lian asked with a smile.

"Nothing of the sort. You're the one who's grown even more alluring," Jiang Baihe said with a grin, his eyes lingering on Shen Lian's chest.

Shen Lian paid it no mind. "Do any of the workers from my courtyard have a chance of joining the Night Patrol Office?"

"There's one in your courtyard named Lin Qing. He has some talent. After only seven or eight days, he's already showing signs of reaching Beginner," Jiang Baihe said.

"Lin Qing? That's a surprise," Shen Lian murmured.

"But sometimes, talent and hard work don't matter. Money and connections do," Jiang Baihe said with a grin.

Shen Lian raised an eyebrow. "What are you up to now, you old devil?"

Jiang Baihe stroked his beard. "All my life, I've loved money and women. If you want a fair chance for them, that can be arranged. Come to my room tonight for a private talk. What do you say?"

Shen Lian gave him a seductive smile. "You still can't get me out of your head, can you, you old devil? But there's something I need to show you!"

As she spoke, Shen Lian lifted her pale blue robe slightly, exposing her waist and hip. A string of red spots marked her fair skin.

"Shingles!" Jiang Baihe's face changed. It was a skin disease peculiar to the Shu Region and could spread to others. Once it flared up, the pain felt like knives churning inside you, and it was extremely hard to treat. "Farewell!"

Jiang Baihe turned and fled. Shen Lian watched his retreating back with a cold smile, then frowned. "Who paid off that old devil?"