Sublime Mastery

"The brothers attacking the southern front failed too? We gathered a lot of our elite forces there!" Another burly man chimed in, "I told you from the start there was no need to split up and play that diversion game! We should've just steamrolled straight through one defensive line, but none of you would listen to me!" "Damn it, listening to you would've gotten even more people killed!" "Fuck you, you looking for a fight?" "Bring it on! You think I'm scared of you?" "Shut up, both of you!" the man at the lead barked in a low voice, his face dark with fury. Even with an alliance, this unruly rabble was still nothing more than a heap of loose sand. "Retreat! If we failed this time, we'll find another chance next time!" The man gritted his teeth and spoke coldly. *** "These bastards really are useless!" In the nearby woods, Zhao Weichuan, who had gathered over a dozen capable fighters, spoke in disgust. He had planned to wait until these guys breached the Baishi Mountain defenses, then rush in to fish in troubled waters and reap some benefits. "They're bandits, after all. Even under the banner of the Nine Nether Cult, they're bandits to the bone. Even after allying, they're just a loose heap of sand—they'll never amount to anything." Zhao Weikun waved his hand. "Let's go. There's no show tonight." *** With the bandits' retreat, everyone in the Feihong Gang breathed a sigh of relief. They began cleaning up the battlefield and tending to their brothers' corpses. Early the next morning. "Master Lin!" Xu She greeted Lin Zheyu, his usual flattery conspicuously absent. The fellow bore a few wounds, though none were particularly severe. "Are you all right? You look terrible," Lin Zheyu said. "N-no, I'm fine," Xu She said, though his heart was gripped with dread. He knew very well what kind of people those bandits were—ruthless killers who wouldn't bat an eye. He was the one who had leaked the intelligence on the southern defenses to the bandits, and he was the one who had led the men away to reinforce the other lines. With the meager forces left behind on the southern line, there was no way they should have held out. *Could it be that the bandits only launched a feint at the southern line and focused their main assault on the others?* Xu She thought to himself. He could only pray that was the case. If not, he was doomed. "Sir, all the corpses have been cleared away. Last night, two brothers were killed, and thirteen suffered minor injuries." "However, our results were brilliant! We killed fifty-nine bandits, including eighteen in the Bone Tempering Realm and three Viscera Tempering Realm experts!" Hong Cheng said excitedly. With such a record, they would receive a handsome bounty when merits were rewarded. "Very good. You've all worked hard," Lin Zheyu said, patting Hong Cheng on the shoulder. Hearing Hong Cheng's words, Xu She's mind went completely blank with a buzzing ring. Eighteen Bone Tempering and three Viscera Tempering experts—that was without question the cream of the bandits' crop. There was no way that was a feint. Which meant the bandits had acted on his intel, launched their main offensive on the southern line, and still failed—suffering catastrophic losses in the process. *How is that possible?!* Xu She could hardly believe it. He had told them the exact locations of every trap and mechanism. With the meager handful of men left behind, how could they have killed so many experts? Were those bandits all pigs?! Terror consumed Xu She to the extreme. Those bandits would definitely conclude that he had fed them false intelligence—or worse, that he had sold them out and set an ambush on the southern line ahead of time. He was completely done for. Swallowing hard, Xu She thought nervously, *At worst, I'll stick close to the Feihong Gang's main convoy whenever I head back and never leave the city alone again.* *Those bastards wouldn't try to sneak into Songyi City to hunt me down, would they?!* "Are you all right? Why don't you take another two days off to go back and rest?" Seeing how pale Xu She looked, Lin Zheyu patted his shoulder. "N-no need! I'm fine, really, no need to rest," Xu She rushed to say, swinging his arm. "See? It's nothing, doesn't hinder my movement at all." "Mm, that's good then." Lin Zheyu nodded. For this kid to act so unusually, something was definitely fishy. He would find a chance to mention it to Xu Chuanliang and let him investigate it himself; Lin Zheyu had no interest in getting entangled in the mess. After assigning duties in his sector, Lin Zheyu brought up Xu She's behavior to Xu Chuanliang, then headed over to the northern sector of Baishi Mountain. Upon arriving at the northern side, Lin Zheyu found Jia Yanyong and the others, all of whom bore wounds. "Are you all okay?" Lin Zheyu asked. "We're fine, just minor scratches. Master Qiu had it far worse," Jia Yanyong replied. "How is Master Qiu? Is his life in danger?" Lin Zheyu asked. "Where is he? I'll go pay him a visit." "He's receiving treatment at the doctor's. Let's go together," Xie Jiang said. A doctor had been hired to stay stationed on Baishi Mountain, operating an infirmary right beside the warehouse. When the group arrived at the infirmary, it was packed with patients from the recent fighting. Stepping into the inner room, they found Qiu Gaoxuan lying in bed, his skin tinged with a faint purplish green and his complexion sickly ashen. "Master Qiu, are you all right?" Jia Yanyong asked with concern. "I'm fine. The doctor said I need quiet rest for a few months," Qiu Gaoxuan said faintly. Even in this state, the man maintained his habitual cold detachment. "Master Qiu, what happened to your chest?" Lin Zheyu pointed toward Qiu Gaoxuan's chest, which was wrapped in fine white cloth through which traces of blood were seeping, staining the bandage red. "Took a palm strike from that monster. The doctor said I was infected with corpse poison, so he had to carve out a large chunk of flesh; otherwise, the poison would slowly corrode my entire body," Qiu Gaoxuan explained. He pointed not far away, where a purplish-black mass of flesh rested, covered in charred patches. Lin Zheyu examined it closely. It looked remarkably similar to the shredded flesh he had seen back in Beast Roar Mountain. "What did it feel like when that living corpse struck you?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously. Up until now, he had never laid eyes on a living corpse, let alone fought one. "That monster possesses terrifying strength. The moment its palm hit me, I was sent flying." "The instant its hand touched my body, a wave of sinister cold seeped inside, instantly paralyzing me so I couldn't move an inch." "It took quite a while before my body could move again." Qiu Gaoxuan added, "That living corpse is exceedingly bizarre. You must not touch it. A single touch brings full-body paralysis, followed by lethal poisoning." "Fortunately, Master Ren Jie arrived in time, or I wouldn't have survived." "Where is Master Ren Jie? Why haven't I seen him around?" Lin Zheyu asked. He was eager to meet this Qi and Blood Realm powerhouse from the Ren clan, wanting to use his strength as a benchmark to gauge the gap between himself and a living corpse. "Oh, I know that one," Xie Jiang said with a grin. "Word is Master Ren Jie lured the living corpse all the way to Lion Valley, where he clashed with the bandits there. He took some injuries and went back to nurse them." After visiting Qiu Gaoxuan, the group returned to their respective posts. Following the raid, security across Baishi Mountain tightened considerably. Because of the casualties, the Feihong Gang dispatched fresh reinforcements. *** Inside Lion Valley. The valley was shrouded in toxic miasma, teeming with poisonous insects and ferocious beasts, most of which possessed venomous resistance and toxicity. Deep within the valley, in a forest of brownish-green maples, over a dozen wooden houses had been constructed. Inside the largest house sat more than a dozen burly men. Their auras were formidable—every one of them was at least a Viscera Tempering Realm expert. "Priest, you and your subordinates are so strong, so why didn't you step in directly? If you had fought, we wouldn't have lost so many brothers!" a man on the left said resentfully. "Exactly! And didn't you claim you could provide talisman tokens so we could form battle arrays like the City Guard? Where are the tokens? We haven't seen a single one!" "Always making us do the dirty work with zero benefits—how is that fair?" The men voiced their dissatisfaction one after another, venting the bitterness in their chests. Earlier, a group wearing black-and-red robes with strange markings painted across their faces had marched into Lion Valley, recruiting believers under the banner of the Nine Nether Cult. In the end, relying on overwhelming martial might, they had subjugated the bandits throughout the valley. "Patience. The time is not yet ripe. If we act now, it will only bring utter destruction upon us," the leading man said calmly. He was around forty years old, draped in a black-and-red robe adorned with the faint image of a demonic god, casting an aura of mystery about him. "Hmph, it's never the right time! What about the pills you promised to boost our strength?" "We attacked Baishi Mountain to seize weapons strictly according to your demands, which led to such heavy losses. The least you can do is give us some compensation!" the burly man on the right growled. He was the one who had led the charge on the southern line that night, suffering devastating casualties among his men. "You failed your mission; on what grounds do you demand pills?" "If you cannot overcome that difficulty, then go absorb displaced refugees, absorb other bandits, and expand the flock of the Nine Nether Cult." "The more believers you bring in, the greater your contribution. Every one hundred contribution points can be exchanged for a pill to break through to the Qi and Blood Realm," the man stated impassively. The men's expressions darkened upon hearing this. They had attacked Baishi Mountain specifically for contribution points. If they had captured Baishi Mountain, the points earned would have been enough to redeem over a dozen pills. Unfortunately, they had failed. *** Following the bandits' massive raid, the defenses on Baishi Mountain grew increasingly strict. Time slipped quietly by. The bandits went silent, launching no further attacks. Lin Zheyu's days were thoroughly leisurely. He spent his daylight hours practicing martial arts and studying the Poison Canon. At night, he built a bonfire and roasted wild game. Life was full and satisfying. In the blink of an eye, sixteen days passed. Without realizing it, he had spent over half a month stationed on Baishi Mountain. Deep in the mountain forest, Lin Zheyu arrived as usual to practice his martial arts. Muffled thuds echoed through the woods. The qi and blood within Lin Zheyu's body surged with immense vigor, emitting a faint rumbling sound as it coursed through his veins. Four days ago, he had finally broken through to the First Blood Transformation, more than doubling his strength compared to the peak of the fourth layer. *Whoosh!* A fist shot forward, unleashing a massive surge of qi and blood power that kicked up a howling gust of wind. Lin Zheyu unleashed his qi and blood without restraint. Having achieved the First Blood Transformation, he could maintain full-power output for roughly ten minutes. After that, the qi and blood in his body would be completely depleted. Three shichen later. Panting, Lin Zheyu came to a halt. His limit-breaking duration had increased once again. [Heaven Rewards Diligence] Name: Lin Zheyu Origin Power: 2 Skills: Wild Bull Fist (Perfection) Golden Goose Skill (Sixth Layer 2%) Turtle Breathing Art (Third Layer 2%) Six Harmonies Saber (Minor Mastery 32%) Poison King Body (First Layer 0%) *Another two units of Origin Power gained. Too bad I'm running out of medicinal herbs—only seven doses of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction left,* Lin Zheyu thought to himself. Over the past sixteen days, he had accumulated quite a bit of Origin Power and spent it all upgrading the Golden Goose Skill, virtually depleting his medicinal supplies. Now that he had reached the First Blood Transformation, the medicinal potency required for each advancement had increased substantially. Lin Zheyu estimated that a single unit of Origin Power now required the medicinal strength of at least six doses of herbs. After all, every breakthrough not only tempered his physical body, but also restored his depleted qi and blood back to its absolute peak in an instant. Taking a brief rest to recover his physical strength, Lin Zheyu began preparing the herbs. He drew a basin of water, poured in the powdered contents of six doses of Blood-Nourishing Bone-Strengthening Decoction, and stirred it evenly with his hand. *Use 1 unit of Origin Power to upgrade Golden Goose Skill!* The moment the thought was transmitted, a familiar sensation washed over him. Lin Zheyu possessed excellent comprehension. Through so many enhancements, his grasp of the Golden Goose Skill had practically reached its peak, bringing his movement technique to the realm of sublime mastery. All he lacked now was the qualitative transformation of his qi and blood. Yet with every enhancement, he still entered that peculiar mental state, drilling the Golden Goose Skill over and over within his realm of consciousness. His comprehension of movement arts grew ever deeper. A surge of mysterious energy welled up, rapidly replenishing his qi and blood power, compressing and refining it further under the mysterious energy's guidance. With each round of refinement, the energy packed into every unit of qi and blood became increasingly potent, and the force it could unleash turned all the more formidable. Within just a few breaths, Lin Zheyu's body advanced once more. He opened his eyes and let out a long breath. [Heaven Rewards Diligence] Name: Lin Zheyu Origin Power: 1 Skills: Wild Bull Fist (Perfection) Golden Goose Skill (Sixth Layer 12%) Turtle Breathing Art (Third Layer 2%) Six Harmonies Saber (Minor Mastery 32%) Poison King Body (First Layer 0%) *Only a ten percent increase in progress? To push it to the seventh layer, won't I need ten units of Origin Power?* Lin Zheyu mused silently. He felt more and more that the Golden Goose Skill lacked sufficient follow-through. The further he cultivated it, the slower its progress became. He could only rely on ordinary methods to slowly temper his body and refine his qi and blood, waiting for a qualitative transformation to occur. *Perhaps I should switch to a different cultivation technique?* Lin Zheyu thought to himself. His comprehension of the Golden Goose Skill had long reached sublime mastery, but its rate of tempering and refining qi and blood was simply too sluggish, keeping his realm from advancing at an ideal pace. *Still, good cultivation techniques aren't easy to come by. The great clans of Songyi City guard theirs strictly and never pass them outside, while whatever can be bought on the black market is nothing more than ordinary stuff.* *Once my guard duty on Baishi Mountain ends, I'll ask around back in the city and see where I can acquire a better technique,* Lin Zheyu thought to himself.