One Step Higher

Kill and burn, and you'll wear a belt of gold; build bridges and pave roads, and you won't even leave bones behind.

Only now did Qin Shujian truly understand what that saying meant.

Wiping out the Chengyun Trading Company had yielded a considerable haul.

With this batch of silver, Liangshan Stronghold would hardly have to worry about food for some time.

However.

Compared to those goods, something else made Qin Shujian even happier.

That was the 83 points of Life Source.

This was the first time he had ever obtained so much Life Source.

Without the Chengyun Trading Company's contribution, he might not have gathered that much Life Source even if he had slaughtered every Bandit in Liangshan.

Most importantly.

This incident had revealed another way for Qin Shujian to obtain Life Source.

Namely—

When his subordinates killed NPCs, he received the corresponding Life Source as well.

To Qin Shujian, this discovery was of paramount importance.

It could even play a decisive role in his future.

After all, even reaching Martial Entry Fifth Level might require over a hundred points of Life Source, let alone the Entering Martial Sixth Layer or Martial Entry Seventh Level that might lie beyond it.

Later on, the cost of advancing each level would undoubtedly become astronomical.

If Qin Shujian relied on himself alone, he might not gather enough Life Source to advance even if he kept killing until the end of time.

But now, everything was different.

Not only could he obtain Life Source by killing NPCs himself, but he could also obtain it when his subordinates killed them.

And in the future, killing players might yield Life Source as well.

During the battle against the Chengyun Trading Company, Qin Shujian had killed only Han Jing.

The remaining caravan guards had all died at the hands of Liangshan Stronghold's Bandits.

In other words, if he had been alone, he could never have wiped out everyone from the Chengyun Trading Company, nor could he have obtained so much Life Source.

At first.

Qin Shujian had been troubled by becoming the Liangshan Stronghold Chief, believing it would tie him down.

But now—

That thought had completely vanished from Qin Shujian's mind.

Being a Bandit was good.

Being a Bandit chief was even better.

There were only seventy bandits in Liangshan now, and none were particularly strong. But if their numbers doubled, or even increased tenfold, Liangshan Stronghold's strength would grow exponentially.

And as Liangshan Stronghold grew stronger, he would be able to obtain more Life Source.

What did Bandits do?

Rob and pillage?

Bully the weak?

None of that mattered to Qin Shujian.

What mattered was that he had found a shortcut to rapidly increasing his strength.

Now, another ambition had taken root in Qin Shujian's heart.

He wanted to become the greatest Bandit chief of all.

This did not conflict with his original goal. Rather, the two complemented each other.

"Ah, you really do need goals in life. That's what gives you the drive to move forward!" A smile curled Qin Shujian's lips, and his mood brightened considerably.

For now, however, his priority was still to improve his own strength.

Looking at those 83 points of Life Source, Qin Shujian sank into thought.

By his estimate, he needed only another thirty-odd points of Life Source to raise the Body Tempering Scripture to the fifth level.

Although that shortfall was not enormous, it was not small either. Making up the difference in the short term would not be easy.

In his battle against Han Jing, outside assistance had given him the initiative.

But strictly speaking.

What had truly given him an overwhelming advantage was the Black Tiger Saber Technique, which he had brought to thorough mastery.

Only after using it in actual combat did Qin Shujian realize how much the Black Tiger Saber Technique could enhance his strength.

"The Black Tiger Saber Technique is already this powerful at thorough mastery. If I can take it one step higher, my strength should improve considerably even without advancing my cultivation level."

Qin Shujian's gaze shifted, and he finally willed it to happen.

Roar!

A thunderous roar rang out.

A Black Tiger twice a man's height bounded through the mountain forest, displaying the might of the king of beasts in its every movement and pause.

A savage aura rushed straight at him.

Then the Black Tiger suddenly moved, pouncing forward to kill.

Boom!

Qin Shujian's mind shuddered, and a tide of insight surged through him.

At that moment, he felt as though he had become a black tiger, roaring proudly through the mountain forest.

The Black Tiger Saber Technique's three moves and eighteen forms seemed to come alive, appearing one after another in his mind.

Only after a long while did Qin Shujian emerge from that state of enlightenment.

A terrifying ferocity seemed to lurk within his calm eyes. Even as he sat motionless, an invisible aura of power radiated from him.

"Peak perfection!" Qin Shujian murmured.

This was the next stage beyond thorough mastery.

Reaching this stage meant that his understanding of the Black Tiger Saber Technique was now every bit as profound as that of its creator.

Name: Qin Shujian

Identity: Liangshan Stronghold Chief

Affiliation: Liangshan Stronghold

Cultivation level: Martial Entry Fifth Level (within Liangshan Stronghold's territory, cultivation level +1)

Cultivation techniques: Body Tempering Scripture, fourth level (five levels total) (Mortal Tier, Low Grade); Black Tiger Saber Technique (peak perfection), Mortal Tier, Middle Grade

Life Source: 8

Equipment: Ninth-Rank Sharp Weapon, Tiger Head Saber; Ninth-Rank Armor, Tiger Hide Outfit (Tiger Hide Coat, Tiger Hide Trousers, Tiger Hide Belt, Tiger Hide Boots)

These were Qin Shujian's current attributes in full.

Of his 83 points of Life Source, he had spent 75 to raise the Black Tiger Saber Technique from thorough mastery to peak perfection.

His cultivation level had not changed at all, but his strength had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.

After the Black Tiger Saber Technique reached peak perfection, Qin Shujian had a feeling.

In his current state, he could defeat Han Jing head-on even if the man were completely uninjured.

He would still be confident of that even without the bonus granted by his position as Liangshan Stronghold Chief.

After all.

Han Jing had undoubtedly been an expert at the Martial Entry Fifth Level.

Without the bonus from his identity, Qin Shujian was only at the Fourth Level of Martial Entry.

Yet now, he had the assurance and confidence to take him on.

And the source of that assurance and confidence was his Black Tiger Saber Technique at peak perfection.

Then Qin Shujian turned his attention to the countdown in the lower right corner.

Time until the players arrive: 0 days, 5 hours, 21 minutes, 03 seconds!

Without his noticing, the countdown had fallen from over two days to less than six hours.

That also meant.

In less than six hours, the players would finally arrive in this world.

Qin Shujian took several deep breaths, his heart surging with emotion.

He did not know how the players would arrive, nor did he know what changes their arrival would bring.

Two days was not a long time.

Qin Shujian felt that he had already done as much as he could.

There was little more he could accomplish in the time remaining.

The only thing he could do now was wait for the players to arrive.

Qin Shujian sat quietly, watching the countdown tick away.

Silence settled over the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness.