Flying Swallow

"Dead bodies are fine for now."

"But give it a little longer, and they won't think that way anymore."

Qin Yang sneered inwardly.

From his conversations with Li Tong, he finally understood why the Outer City commoners were so easily swayed by the Other Shore Cult.

Beyond their brainwashing tactics, the Inner City's noble clans treating the Outer City folk like dirt was a major reason.

Either way, they couldn't survive. Following the Other Shore Cult at least got them some coin to scrape by.

If the Inner City kept this up, Qin Yang believed it would soon erupt into the same violent chaos as the Outer City.

The journey passed in silence.

The carriage soon arrived at the Li Mansion.

After Li Tong got off, he intended to have the coachman take Qin Yang to the Outer City, but Qin Yang refused.

He took his leave from Li Tong and walked alone through the pitch-black streets, deep in thought.

"The Huang Family has deep foundations, and the Family Head, Huang Xinglong, is a Qi Gathering Martial Artist."

"If I want to get my hands on that Turtle-Snake Art, I'll need to plan carefully."

Qin Yang had long considered the Turtle-Snake Art his own.

In his eyes, the Huang Family was merely keeping it safe for him—he'd take it back soon enough.

But after thinking the whole way, he still hadn't come up with a good plan.

Before he knew it, he was back in the Outer City. The stench of filth wafting through the air snapped him back to reality.

"Let's go home first. No rush."

Qin Yang was about to quicken his pace when he spotted a yellow-clad figure darting through an alley.

He didn't need to follow to know it was someone from the Other Shore Cult.

"This Other Shore Cult is getting bolder by the day."

"The County Office said they'd investigate the Outer City riots, but it was all thunder and no rain—a few days later, they vanished."

"Probably figured there was nothing to gain, and the constables didn't want trouble, so they just swept it under the rug."

Qin Yang muttered to himself.

But then a spark of inspiration hit him, and a good idea came to mind.

A smirk tugged at his lips as he sped up toward the Qin Manor.

The next afternoon.

Qin Yang was training in the Small Courtyard when Qian Hai rushed in, clutching a manual.

"Young master, I've got the movement technique manual."

"But that Crippled Jia gouged me. A third-rate movement manual, and he dared ask for two thousand silver taels. I settled on fifteen hundred."

Qian Hai sounded a bit annoyed.

He'd promised Qin Yang he could get it for a thousand, but now it cost five hundred more.

"It's fine. I was in too much of a hurry."

"If you'd had time to haggle with Crippled Jia, Uncle Qian, you could've gotten it down to a thousand."

Fifteen hundred was still within Qin Yang's budget.

"That Crippled Jia is infuriating. But he's the only one selling movement manuals in town."

Qian Hai shook his head.

The Crippled Jia he mentioned was the owner of the Flying Swallow Martial Arts School in the city.

The owner wasn't actually crippled—he just had one leg shorter than the other, earning him the nickname.

Among the city's many martial arts schools, Flying Swallow had the worst combat ability, but one strength: exceptional movement technique and blinding speed.

Crippled Jia even claimed he was faster than some Qi Gathering Martial Artists.

All of that came from the movement manual he practiced: the Flying Swallow Steps.

Crippled Jia was greedy for money—teach anyone who paid.

This time, when Qian Hai went to buy the Flying Swallow Steps manual, he got fleeced.

Qin Yang took the manual, skimmed a few pages, confirmed it was genuine, and smiled. "Alright, Uncle Qian. No need to fuss over the money."

"Fine, then. I'll go check on the pharmacy and the tavern."

Qian Hai nodded.

With Qin Yang holding things down at the Qin Manor, he felt at ease.

But with the Outer City in turmoil, he still needed to patrol the shops regularly.

"Hard work, Uncle Qian."

Qin Yang nodded.

After Qian Hai left, Qin Yang took the Flying Swallow Steps manual and returned to his room.

"I wonder how long it'll take me to master a third-rate movement technique to perfection."

Qin Yang let out a soft breath, his gaze quickly turning calm, devoid of joy or sorrow.

He studied the Flying Swallow Steps carefully.

The Flying Swallow Steps was merely a third-rate movement technique, not particularly complex—it mainly involved some footwork variations and how to circulate blood and qi to burst through the legs, achieving a lightness like a swallow.

In a state of deep focus, Qin Yang spent an hour thoroughly analyzing the Flying Swallow Steps, then moved on to the footwork changes and the timing of the blood and qi bursts.

Deep Night.

A dark shadow darted and twisted within the small courtyard, leaving trails of afterimages.

Then, with a sharp shua sound.

The shadow swept across over ten meters, appearing at the courtyard gate like a ghost.

"Not bad. My blood and qi are vigorous, and with the Flying Swallow Steps, I can unleash decent speed."

"Next up is hard practice."

In Qin Yang's eyes, a transparent panel materialized.

Host: Qin Yang

Arhat Fist: Perfection (Zen Meditation)

Azure Wave Blood Transference Method: Perfection (Rushing Rivers Return to the Sea)

Po Jun Saber Technique: Minor Accomplishment (1345/1500)

Primordial Qi Shield: Fifth Layer (873/1000)

Flying Swallow Steps: Beginner (1/100)

In the days that followed, even though the Po Jun Saber Technique was only a hundred-odd uses away from Great Accomplishment.

Qin Yang remained unmoved, pouring all his time into training the Flying Swallow Steps.

Morning, noon, afternoon, and even into the night, one could see Qin Yang's figure flashing rapidly through the small courtyard.

Xiao Huan had no idea what madness her good young master had gotten into again.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.

An afterimage kept flickering through the small courtyard, yet not a single rustle of wind stirred.

Xiao Huan's little head whipped around wildly, trying to catch that fleeting figure, but its speed was too fast—far beyond her visual range—and she simply couldn't see Qin Yang at all.

"Whew~"

Finally.

A large hand gently patted Xiao Huan on the shoulder.

"Ahhh!"

Xiao Huan jumped like a startled rabbit.

Once she realized it was Qin Yang, she breathed a slight sigh of relief: "Young master, when did you get behind me?"

"You silly goose, I've been standing behind you for a full tea's time."

Qin Yang said with a smile.

"Who told you to run so fast? I had no idea where you were."

Xiao Huan shook her head.

"Haha, go fetch this young master a bowl of medicinal soup."

Qin Yang smiled.

Xiao Huan obediently headed to the kitchen.

Qin Yang's gaze flickered as he opened the System Panel.

Host: Qin Yang

Arhat Fist: Perfection (Zen Meditation)

Azure Wave Blood Transference Method: Perfection (Rushing Rivers Return to the Sea)

Flying Swallow Steps: Perfection (Fleeting Light, Glancing Shadow)

Po Jun Saber Technique: Minor Accomplishment (1345/1500)

Primordial Qi Shield: Fifth Layer (873/1000)

"Finally perfected—I feel like I'm about to break down."

Qin Yang sighed softly.

Over a dozen days of repeating the same thing nonstop, without a moment's pause—the monotony was unimaginable.

Even training the Arhat Fist before hadn't been this exhausting.

That was because going from Beginner to Perfection with the Arhat Fist had taken a month.

This time, he'd cut the time in half.