I Have Long Admired Liangshan Stronghold

A bandit flew through the air and crashed to the ground, blood pouring from his mouth.

Qin Shujian slowly withdrew his hand, his footsteps never stopping.

Quite a few corpses already lay scattered around him.

Those who had died earlier had already disappeared.

The ones still lying there had only just died, their bodies still warm.

As Qin Shujian advanced step by step, the remaining bandits retreated at the same pace, their hands trembling involuntarily around their blades.

They could not help it.

Being stupid did not mean they were unafraid of death.

The man before them was terrifyingly powerful.

Not one of their brothers who had gone up against him had lasted a single move.

Everyone who had charged at him was now lying on the ground.

"Who dares cause trouble on my Mingai Mountain!"

An angry roar startled the birds into flight.

A dark shadow swept across the ground, followed by a burly figure landing heavily.

In that instant.

Even the ground seemed to tremble slightly.

"Chief!"

At the sight of the newcomer, the other bandits seemed to have found their pillar of support.

Their frightened hearts settled somewhat.

To these bandits, Niu Feng was the strongest man of all.

Blood Qi Peak?

Not quite.

Watching Niu Feng stride through the crowd, Qin Shujian narrowed his eyes.

Although he could not see the man's attributes, he could sense Niu Feng's surging blood and qi at their very first encounter.

Still.

Though his blood and qi surged powerfully, they remained some distance from Blood Qi Peak.

By his estimate, the newcomer should have been at the peak of the Martial Entry Fifth Level, but had yet to reach the Entering Martial Sixth Layer.

With his power's current enhancement, however.

His cultivation level should have been equivalent to a pseudo-Entering Martial Sixth Layer.

As for his identity, that was obvious.

The lord of Mingai Mountain.

While Qin Shujian studied Niu Feng, Niu Feng also spotted Qin Shujian standing there.

The moment he first saw him.

He felt as though what stood before him was not a man, but a terrifying beast.

The pressure of that ferocious aura made his hair stand on end involuntarily.

That feeling.

Only came when he encountered some terrifying threat.

A powerful expert!

An expert I cannot possibly contend with!

Even as alarm surged through Niu Feng's heart, the fierce expression on his face changed abruptly. He forced an ugly smile. "I am Niu Feng, lord of Mingai Mountain. May I ask your esteemed name?"

As for why this man had killed his men.

Niu Feng did not even want to bring it up now.

"I am Qin Shujian, chief of Liangshan Stronghold," Qin Shujian said with a smile as he watched the uneasy Niu Feng.

"Ah, so you're from Liangshan..."

Niu Feng was about to cup his hands and exchange pleasantries when he suddenly stopped, staring at Qin Shujian as though he had seen a ghost.

He had never heard the name Qin Shujian.

But the title of chief of Liangshan Stronghold was all too familiar.

When he recalled the contents of the letter Liangshan Stronghold had sent yesterday—the one he had ultimately crushed to shreds—Niu Feng's heart sank.

Qin Shujian noticed his reaction as well. "I take it you know why I am here, Chief Niu?"

"Heh..."

Niu Feng was immediately tongue-tied, unsure how to answer.

Playing dumb could easily anger the man.

Judging by that terrifying aura, if it came to a fight, it was uncertain whether even the combined strength of all Mingai Mountain could match him.

Yet he was unwilling to surrender and submit, either.

Even without knowing what Niu Feng was thinking, Qin Shujian could guess some of it.

He did not have much time to waste talking, so he got straight to the point. "I will give you a quarter of an hour to consider, Chief Niu.

"If you are willing to merge Mingai Mountain into Liangshan Stronghold, we will all be one family from now on.

"If you are unwilling, Chief Niu.

"Then I would be glad to see whether Mingai Mountain has the strength to refuse!"

At those words.

Niu Feng's heart sank.

Qin Shujian's words had backed him into a corner.

He could either submit or resist to the bitter end.

There was no third choice.

Having grown accustomed to ruling his own mountain, Niu Feng naturally had no desire to suddenly submit to someone else and have another man above him.

But—

When he looked at Qin Shujian again and felt the heart-stopping pressure of his aura.

Much of the courage Niu Feng had finally mustered silently dissipated.

Submit!

Or refuse!

Niu Feng felt this was a grave dilemma.

His rugged face shifted repeatedly, revealing the intense struggle within.

Qin Shujian stood calmly off to one side.

Yet beneath his placid gaze lay a lingering chill.

He was giving Niu Feng one last chance.

If the man still refused to see reason, then after today, no Mingai Mountain bandits would remain within the Rubble Forest region.

Time trickled by.

"The quarter of an hour is up. It seems Mingai Mountain intends to resist to the bitter end!"

Qin Shujian's hand had already settled on the saber hilt behind his back. His aura instantly stirred like a gale, and a black tiger several men tall seemed to flicker into view above his head.

The sudden change frightened Niu Feng out of his wits.

"Wait! Chief Qin, please hold your hand!"

"Do you have anything else to say?" Qin Shujian remained expressionless, his aura boiling without pause.

Watching the saber being slowly drawn, Niu Feng almost seemed to hear a tiger roaring in his ears. His heart pounded wildly, and he blurted out, "Mingai Mountain is willing to submit!"

"Niu Feng, lord of Mingai Mountain, wishes to submit to you. Do you accept?"

"Have you thought this through?" Rather than immediately accepting, Qin Shujian asked him another question.

Niu Feng lowered his head and spoke earnestly. "I have long heard of your great reputation, Chief Qin, and have admired you for a long time. It is truly our good fortune that Mingai Mountain can become part of Liangshan Stronghold."

"Good. From this day forward, you will be an Elite Leader of Liangshan Stronghold. All the remaining bandits will join Liangshan Stronghold as well."

The terrifying aura abruptly dissipated, and a warm smile appeared on Qin Shujian's impassive face.

"Mingai Mountain has merged into Liangshan Stronghold!"

"Because Niu Feng submitted voluntarily, Mingai Mountain has automatically merged with Liangshan Stronghold. As the advancement requirements have not been met, Liangshan Stronghold remains a First-Tier Power!"

"You have obtained 234 taels of silver!"

"You have obtained 300 points of Life Source!"

“Fifty-three bandits have joined Liangshan Stronghold. Their identities have automatically changed to Bandit!”

The system messages appeared right on cue.

When Qin Shujian looked at Niu Feng again, the man's attributes appeared before his eyes.

Name: Niu Feng

Identity: Elite Leader

Affiliated power: Liangshan Stronghold

Cultivation level: Martial Entry Fifth Level

Power tier: First tier

Cultivation techniques: Bedrock Technique, complete mastery; Mountain-Splitting Blade Technique (consummate proficiency)

There were no surprises.

Niu Feng was, just as Qin Shujian had expected, an expert at the Martial Entry Fifth Level.

And upon seeing that he had completely mastered the Bedrock Technique, Qin Shujian understood why the man had never broken through to the next stage despite clearly reaching the peak of the Martial Entry Fifth Level.

Ultimately.

It was still a limitation of his cultivation technique.

Clearly, the Bedrock Technique was like the original Body Tempering Scripture and Everlasting Spring Technique: the fifth level marked complete mastery. It lacked the Sixth Level, which tempered blood and qi and brought them to Blood Qi Peak.