Not long ago, Ji Xiu borrowed fifty County Soldiers from Zhao Jiu to pacify Lin Du. With powerful bows and crossbows, he slew two Skin Refining Martial Artists from the Central Yellow Sect in the process.
When he presented their heads to Lord Zhao the County Magistrate, Zhao Jiu was overjoyed. He granted Ji Xiu the position of ’Mountain Road Chief,’ giving him the authority to supplant the Three Great Gangs and reshuffle the power structure in Anning.
After winning over the Three Major Professions and Old Master Liao Yuanhua of the Whale-Slaying Saber Hall, Ji Xiu had originally hoped to use their Martial Artists and disciples, dispatching them to the surrounding Mountain Towns and Hunting Manors.
Then, using his exclusive trading authority as the Mountain Road Chief of Anning County, he planned to acquire mountain goods from the masters of those towns and manors.
He would then use the converted shops of the Lin Residence, established in the former West Street strongholds of the Three Great Gangs, to sell Mountain Ginseng and Demon Materials. His customers would be the county’s gentry, wealthy households, and the Martial Artists from various martial arts halls, creating a cycle that would generate immense wealth.
Of course, now that he was cultivating Mortal Transformation: Soaring Dragon Gate and had reached the third volume, True Flood Dragon Transformation, the ordinary mountain materials that silver coins could buy were no longer sufficient to continue tempering his physique.
But Cultivation was more than just Bone Tempering.
The subsequent Skin Refining stage was divided into the Three Gates: ’Jade Skin,’ ’Outer Gang,’ and ’Immortal Robe.’ The cultivation techniques for refining the skin, the required materials, the Pills needed to achieve Outer Gang, and even the Immortal Robe Secret Skill... they were all money-devouring beasts, a true Gold-Selling Cave.
His sinews were forged by the ’Turtle and Snake Grand Foundation Stake,’ a Secret Inheritance from a Cultivation Sect.
His bones were tempered by ’Mortal Transformation: Soaring Dragon Gate,’ the Dragon Species Secret Inheritance from the Water Monarch’s Mansion at the edge of the East Canghai.
With such a solid and profound foundation...
...Ji Xiu believed that for the great gate of Skin Refining, which marked the end of the Power Barrier, he absolutely had to cultivate the best Skin Tempering and Outer Gang techniques. ’Otherwise,’ he thought, ’it would be a complete waste of this Heaven-Reaching Foundation I’ve worked so painstakingly to build.’
Therefore, preparing money and goods in advance was essential to cover the basic costs of Skin Refining. That way, he wouldn’t find himself in a tight spot when the time came.
But the words of Lu Chengfeng and Liao Yuanhua served as a wake-up call, making Ji Xiu suspect that the leaders of these Mountain Towns, the Manor Masters, and the local tyrants... would not be so readily submissive to a sixteen-year-old upstart like himself.
Ji Xiu had been pondering how to intimidate these Local Tyrants from the mountains. Amid his thoughts, he heard from Wei Dinchang about the former leaders of the Three Great Gangs—Yang Daohan, Zhang Liechen, and Xu Xin.
They had established their authority over the five-hundred-li Mountain Dao by personally braving the dangers to hunt three Demons. They then swore a blood oath, using the feat to command respect and cement their status.
Upon hearing this, he immediately scoffed. ’Three Centennial Enlightened Demons, and it took three men acting with such caution, traveling together deep into the Mountain Dao just to hunt them?’
’Indeed. The Earth Dragon Cave Mountain Dao, tainted as it is by Abyss Ruins Qi, causes Demons to grow more numerous the deeper one ventures. For ordinary Martial Artists, even those at the Skin Refining stage, this place is a true Dragon’s Pool and Tiger’s Den.’
’Unless they were beings on the level of Duan Chenzhou or Gu Baichuan—those who have donned the Immortal Robe and are practically Qi Cultivation Grandmasters—no one would dare venture deep into those mountains. Otherwise, a single misstep could lead to a disastrous end.’
’Most who manage to reach Skin Refining cherish their lives. If they were to venture deep into the Mountain Dao, have the misfortune of being surrounded by a horde of Demons, and lose their life over a single careless move... the loss would far outweigh any gain.’
’From that perspective, being able to hunt down a Demon of that level alone and return alive is truly a mark of skill.’
However.
...for Ji Xiu, who had obtained the Mountain and Sea Search Jade Talisman and its Divine Techniques, now enhanced by the Innate Talents of Spiritual Sense and Qi Observation...
...the Earth Dragon Cave Mountain Dao, a place of bewildering forests, perpetual darkness, and ever-present danger...
...was no different than an emperor’s autumn hunt in his own private garden. He could stroll through it as if on level ground!
In the span of a single day and night, he set out. He wore an Eighth Grade Fine Embroidery Saber at his waist and carried a Seventh-Grade Broken Jade Treasure Bow on his back. His quiver was filled with the Divine Strategy Armor-Piercing Arrows he had borrowed from Gu Baichuan. Riding the Jade Deer with Green Horns, he galloped four hundred li under the cover of night, reaching the very heartland of the Earth Dragon Cave.
Here, one could see an Enlightened Demon every few dozen steps. They were extremely sensitive to the Qi of blood.
An ordinary Martial Artist, even an expert at the Skin Refining stage, would be torn to shreds without a single bone left if they were to enter rashly and make one careless move.
But Ji Xiu, relying on his Spiritual Sense, could detect the Demons far in advance. Then, with Qi Observation, he could see through their true nature and weaknesses...
Over the course of one night, he tracked and hunted down four lone Centennial Demons: two Long-armed Ancient Apes, one Red Python, and one Thunder Roaring Leopard. All were descendants of the Great Demon clans that propagated within the Earth Dragon Cave.
Then, while they were resting and vulnerable, he would silently creep to the very edge of their senses. With his Great Success Arrow Skill, he would loose three consecutive arrows, locking onto their weaknesses for precision strikes. Combined with the bewildering effect of his Dusk Crows Arrow Stance, nearly every shot was fatal.
Empowered by his two Innate Talents for a Mountain Search—Spiritual Sense and Qi Observation—Ji Xiu moved through the mountains with senses sharper than even the native Demons and Spirit Monsters. He was like a natural-born ’Mountain Dao Priest.’
In just one day.
These four Centennial Demons...
...were thrown down right in front of the gates of the newly established Ji Residence on Anning County’s West Street!
The main gates were wide open, and more than a dozen tables had been set for the banquet guests invited from all over.
Hearing the commotion, they all turned to look in unison.
They watched as the remnants of firecrackers were blasted into the air by the immense impact, dancing wildly.
And the young man’s quiet words, which echoed both inside and outside the residence...
The town masters from the Mountain Towns and the masters of the Hunting Manors had gathered from all directions.
Take Liang Cheng, the Tiger Hunting Manor Master, who had been the first to slam his hand on the table and cause a stir. He now stared at the four demon corpses, each with its vitals pierced by an arrow—clearly killed by a single, fatal shot...
He swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the wounds as he tried to reconstruct their deaths in his mind. After a long moment, only one conclusion seemed possible.