Sudden Change

Linhai City, High-Speed Rail Station.

A group from Linhai First High School was making their way towards the exit.

Amidst the crowd, Ye Li walked slowly, looking at Jiang Qingzhu beside him. "Do you have a suitable Refinement Method?"

The fact that she could help him obtain an S-Grade Breathing Technique was enough to show the power of the forces behind her.

The boost from [White Mist Frost Snow] was indeed potent. Not only was the speed of True Qi recovery far beyond that of Martial Artists of the same tier, but it even provided a bonus when allocating Attribute Points, clearly demonstrating the vast difference between S-Grade and ordinary breathing techniques.

"I don't have one on hand right now."

Jiang Qingzhu's eyes flickered, and after a moment of thought, she said, "But my family should have one. It's not easy to get, but I can give it to you next month, alright?"

Unlike Martial Skills stored in the library, cultivation methods involving inheritance, such as breathing techniques and refinement methods, required a proper reason for even the young lady of the Jiang Family to obtain them from her elders.

"I'll break through to the fifth level next month. I can ask for it in advance then."

Next month... Ye Li rubbed his forehead with a slight headache.

"We'll talk about it then."

Since he couldn't get it from her, he would have to ask Yu Weng or Linhai First High School.

The former had just returned to Fengyun University and likely wouldn't be back in Linhai City anytime soon. That left only Linhai First High School as an option?

"Okay."

Jiang Qingzhu nodded gently, not finding it a particularly urgent matter. After all, he had only just broken through to Second-Tier and should still be in the process of consolidating his realm.

"By the way, do you have any questions about White Mist Frost Snow?"

As she spoke, she looked at Ye Li, her tone carrying a hint of anticipation.

"My mastery of this breathing technique has reached minor accomplishment. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."

"Mm, I got it. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me too," Ye Li replied casually.

It had only been half a year since she learned his [White Mist Frost Snow], and she had already reached the minor accomplishment stage. Among her peers, she was indeed considered a genius.

Jiang Qingzhu: "?"

She had initially wanted to say, How could you understand something I don't understand?

But upon recalling his proud demeanor when he unleashed [Frost Snow Covers the Sky] not long ago, she silently closed her mouth.

Ever since meeting Ye Li, Jiang Qingzhu had come to understand one thing—

There were people in this world who defied logic, and others simply called them geniuses.

And he was precisely that kind of genius.

Thinking of this, a new emotion flickered in Jiang Qingzhu's eyes as she looked at him—a mixture of longing and admiration.

She wanted to tie the young man to the Jiang Family.

To that end, she was willing to offer anything—Martial Skills, cultivation methods... and so on.

An ordinary person, if shown such favor by the young lady of the Northern Extreme Jiang Family, would have surely seized the opportunity to attach themselves, seeking only the Jiang Family's recognition.

But the young man before her was entirely different.

His self-willed style made it seem as though he completely disregarded the Jiang Family's favor, exuding immense confidence from head to toe.

It was an extreme self-confidence.

This kind of confidence was not uncommon among many genius Martial Artists, yet even they would be tempted when presented with such a scorching opportunity.

A young Martial Artist like Ye Li, who completely disregarded his relationship with the Jiang Family and even dared to beat the young lady of the Jiang Family black and blue.

Jiang Qingzhu truly had never seen anyone like him before.

It was precisely because of this that he seemed so precious.

"We have quite a few Third Order weapons at home. Shall I pick one for you during the Martial Arts Exam?" she asked softly.

Ye Li nodded noncommittally, looking towards the exit and asking, "Who is that?"

"Hm?" Jiang Qingzhu followed his gaze and was immediately surprised.

"Enforcers from the Qingyi Bureau? Why are there so many of them?"

She saw that outside the exit, in the spot usually occupied by taxi drivers, stood several figures clad in dark coats.

They were extremely conspicuous in her field of vision.

Their expressions were cold and indifferent, their sharp eyes fixed directly behind Ye Li and his group.

"..."

Ye Li followed their gaze and then raised an eyebrow.

He saw that under the escort of several people, a similarly conspicuous individual was walking over quickly.

The person was tall and thin, appearing to be around forty years old. Heavy shackles were fastened around his large hands. His expression was somber, his eyes tightly shut, yet he walked with ease.

In Ye Li's field of vision, through the Eye of Delusion...

The tall, thin man's aura was profound, clearly indicating he was no ordinary person.

The young individuals responsible for escorting him looked youthful, their faces still holding residual joy, and they wore uniform iron plates at their waists.

Ye Li deliberately slowed his steps. As they passed by, he easily read the inscription on the iron plates—

Zhenjiang University.

This was also a Martial Path university within Ying Province, though its overall strength was significantly weaker compared to Fengyun University.

So that's how it is, students from Zhenjiang University are escorting a prisoner.

"Handover the prisoner?"

Jiang Qingzhu's eyes widened slightly as he took in the scene, then he explained:

"Martial Path universities occasionally issue 'fugitive pursuit' missions. After capturing a fugitive, they hand them over to the nearest Qingyi Bureau for processing. I didn't expect us to run into this by chance."

Hearing this, Ye Li nodded slightly. "This is my first time seeing something like this too."

He wondered if he would receive any Malice Points for pursuing fugitives like this.

He felt it was unlikely; such actions would be considered heroic deeds of eliminating harm for the people, and the system wouldn't be easily fooled.

"..."

Not necessarily.

Could excessive use of force also be considered a form of malice?

Ye Li's thoughts wandered.

In his line of sight.

The group escorting the suspect quickly exited the arrival hall.

The Qingyi Bureau enforcers who were there to receive them stepped forward. After a simple comparison with a photo, they took the key to the shackles from the group.

The leading enforcer stepped forward and reached into the tall, thin man's clothes, pressing on his bones and flesh.

This was likely to prevent methods like disguise...

Ye Li nodded slightly as he walked off the platform.

This was a novel sight; he could pay more attention to wanted criminals in the province later.

If he encountered one someday, he could kill them to verify his guess.

Although he disliked this kind of delay, he had no excuse to make a move right now.

Damn it, I can't even get a good fight out of this.

"Something's wrong!"

Just then, the enforcer checking the shackles suddenly changed his expression.

It should be known that ordinary shackles were like thin ropes restraining a giant elephant to a Martial Artist, incredibly fragile and shattering with just a tug.

Therefore, any student who accepted a 'fugitive pursuit' mission would be given a pair of shackles of corresponding strength by the Martial Path university for free.

But the pair in his hand right now, while adequate for restraining ordinary low-level Martial Artists, was practically useless against this major suspect who was close to Fourth-Tier!

He shouted, about to retreat.

The tall, thin man in front of him suddenly opened his eyes.

Clang!

Amidst a crisp sound of metal breaking, the tall, thin man shattered the chains on his wrists. His aura erupted, and he then slammed a fist heavily into the chest of the enforcer before him!

Crack!

The enforcer's chest visibly caved in. He flew backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood that stained his dark blue coat.

"Director Chen!" everyone exclaimed in shock.

"..."

Seeing this, the tall, thin man's face lit up with joy.

He had thought he was done for, but he hadn't expected these Zhenjiang University students to save money and not give him heavy locks!

This gave him a moment to breathe.

Then, in the stunned moment of the crowd, the tall, thin man's figure charged out without hesitation.

Like a speeding car, he directly sent over a dozen stunned onlookers flying and sprinted towards the distance!

The remaining enforcers quickly recovered and took action.

One of them stayed to look after the injured enforcer, while the rest pursued the fleeing tall, thin man.

But the high-speed train station was crowded, and many people had fallen unconscious from the suspect's earlier charge.

Seeing this, those who had intended to pursue showed a flicker of struggle on their indifferent faces and eventually stopped.

They chose to check on the injured first.

At the same time, they called the enforcers on duty in the city, urging them to quickly search for the tall, thin man's whereabouts!

At this moment, the enforcer, who had just picked up the handcuffs from the ground, suddenly looked up and questioned the students from Zhenjiang University with disbelief in his voice:

"You didn't use handcuffs with Array Engraving?!"

One of the students' faces twitched, but he still braced himself and said:

"That old monster was already seriously injured when we found him. How precious are handcuffs that can restrain Third Order Martial Artists? We wanted to save some expenses, so we used Second-Tier Strength ones..."

"Scoundrels!" the enforcer roared, "Hurry up and chase him! If that scumbag injures anyone in the city, you'll all be punished!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, the faces of the Zhenjiang University students changed slightly, and only then did they chase in the direction the tall, thin man had left.

"It seems I'll have to tell the students to go home early these few days."

Wang Yongfeng withdrew his gaze from the departing figures, turned around, and said to the crowd with a click of his tongue:

"If I'm not mistaken, that suspect should be Xiang Bu, the wanted criminal who killed more than ten pregnant women and caused a huge stir in Zhenjiang City."

"It's said that he was seriously injured by Zhenjiang City's Qingyi Bureau, but he's still a solid Peak Third Order Martial Artist. Be careful when you go back..."

Just then, his voice abruptly stopped.

After sweeping his gaze over everyone, his eyes suddenly became filled with shock and uncertainty.

Not just him.

Even Jiang Qingzhu couldn't help but be stunned after looking around.

Where did Ye Li go?!