His gaze swept over the data frame.
...
[Illustrated Guide 1: Basic Swordsmanship] (Ultimate, Mastered)
[Effect 1: Enhances physical flexibility]
[Effect 2: Enhances Power]
[Effect 3: Weakness Perception (All Attributes +0.02)]
[Effect 4: Excellent Feel (All Attributes +0.03)]
...
"This feel really is excellent."
Wan Ze gripped the sword. It felt completely natural, like an extension of his own body.
"You... If you’re busy lately, we can wait. Or I can go check on the situation by myself first." Miss Ling was genuinely concerned for him, not wanting to delay him with her family’s murky old stories.
However, Wan Ze was very interested in the secrets hidden behind the *Mountain Ghost Patrol Hunting Painting*.
If this truly involved Qi Refiners, he had to find out for himself!
Besides, he already had a plan.
He just needed to find the right opportunity to silently incorporate the Qi Refiner Technique into his Illustrated Guide.
Then, regardless of who ended up with the painting itself, he would already be the winner.
He could leave safely with Miss Ling without anyone being the wiser... without needing to take the object for himself.
"It’s fine. We’ll go tomorrow."
With a SHINK, Wan Ze sheathed his sword.
...
Night had completely fallen.
At the horizon, the last bit of twilight was devoured by the darkness.
Within the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall, lights were scattered sparsely across the quiet grounds.
Wan Ze was here, cultivating alone.
...
[Illustrated Guide: Horizontal Sword Technique] (Intermediate, Mastered)
[Effect: Power +0.01]
[Skill High Level Satisfying Conditions: Perform Horizontal Sword 1000 times] (0/1000)
"Hah!"
As he completed the final Horizontal Sword strike, the information in his vision silently refreshed.
Wan Ze switched the Ancient Sword to his other hand, holding it in a reverse grip. He shook out his numb right hand, unclenching and clenching his fist.
A 0.01 increase in Power might seem small.
But ever since all his Basic Attributes broke past "1," even such a minuscule improvement felt completely different.
He could clearly feel the muscle fibers in his arms, shoulders, back, and even his core being tempered once more by some invisible force, growing denser in that instant.
It wasn’t a simple increase in mass.
Rather, his internal density was increasing.
From the inside out, it permeated to the level of his bones and fascia...
’Getting stronger is good.’
’Only the strong can kill their enemies!’
He put away his sword.
Wan Ze turned and went into the courtyard. He abandoned set forms, assuming a basic stance. After settling himself for a moment, he began throwing simple punches, using his body’s most instinctual movements to digest this new surge of Power.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Zhai Jia appeared. The moment he stepped into the courtyard and saw Wan Ze cultivating shirtless in the cold, steam rising from his sweat, he couldn’t help but laugh. "I knew you wouldn’t be home. You’re definitely here at the hall, pushing yourself. I’ve seen hardworking people, but I’ve never seen anyone as hardworking as you. You act like you wish you could split one day into two."
He walked closer with a smile.
As he looked over Wan Ze’s increasingly lean and powerful build, he sighed in admiration.
Wan Ze slowly finished his exercise and calmed his breathing. He pulled a clean towel from a nearby bag, wiped himself down, and got straight to the point. "Any results?"
Zhai Jia’s smile faded a little. He shook his head, sounding somewhat helpless. "You might not believe this, but I had people examine those bodies carefully. No obvious tattoos or markings... I checked them against the intelligence database and found nothing... It’s like this group just popped out of a rock. It’s completely abnormal. But I’ve already asked someone else to look into it; it might just take some time."
Hearing this, Wan Ze paused his wiping, an expression of surprise on his face. He hadn’t expected this result. "Nothing?"
’That can’t be right.’
’Those people were quite strong.’
’And they were well-equipped.’
’They were definitely not some ordinary mob.’
He had assumed that even if they weren’t from the Secret Palace, they would at least be somewhat well-known.
But in the end...
"So what’s this all about? What were you doing there? Did you... get into trouble again?" Zhai Jia couldn’t help but ask.
He hadn’t been to the martial arts hall much lately.
For one, he was trying to avoid their master, Situ Bai.
For another, he’d been busy with the whole Jie Zhengyang prison break affair. Even though the guy was dead, there was still a mountain of things to deal with afterward. He’d been swamped, and had only just been able to catch his breath in the last couple of days.
As he spoke, the way Zhai Jia looked at Wan Ze grew increasingly strange.
First, Jie Zhengyang had shown up for a life-and-death duel, and now a group of assassins with no traceable origins was after him.
’This junior brother of mine... isn’t he a bit of a trouble magnet? Maybe I should go pray somewhere else next time.’
At that thought, he couldn’t help but chuckle. Half-joking, half-serious, he said, "Ah Ze, fess up... You aren’t secretly up to something big behind my back, are you?"
"..."
Wan Ze’s face darkened. He said irritably, "What big thing could I possibly be up to? My biggest dream in life is to just cultivate honestly..."
He knew what Zhai Jia meant. Thinking of the bodies at Lingyun Manor, he let out a wistful sigh. "But who would’ve thought... In this world, it’s so hard to be a good person."
"..."
The corner of Zhai Jia’s mouth twitched.
’A good person?’
’All those bodies... And you call that keeping your head down?’
’Forget it, not even worth mentioning.’
Wan Ze mulled it over for a moment, then set aside his joking mood and said seriously, "Brother Jia, about this... I don’t want to hide it from you, but it involves someone else’s secrets... I’m also doing this as a favor. When the time is right, I’ll explain it all to you clearly."
He didn’t intentionally want to keep Zhai Jia in the dark, but with Miss Ling’s second personality and that aggressive group of mysterious people, he wasn’t sure if it was right to drag Zhai Jia into this mess.
Hearing this, Zhai Jia waved his hand dismissively and laughed. "Alright, no need to explain in such detail. We’re brothers... Just remember, if you need me to make a move, just say the word! As for what you’re doing, you don’t need to say more. Just know that I’m your senior brother. Through mountains of daggers and seas of fire, I’ll carve a path for you."
A warmth spread through Wan Ze’s heart. "Brother Jia, thanks."
"Thanks for what? Don’t be a stranger," Zhai Jia chided with a laugh. He suddenly raised an eyebrow and flexed his wrist. "So? Wanna practice?"
Wan Ze immediately broke into a smile. "Bring it on!"
...
"BANG!"
Wan Ze’s raised arm was struck, and he staggered from the impact.
Immediately after, Zhai Jia’s figure closed in again, a continuous flurry of fists enveloping Wan Ze like a downpour on a lute.
"BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!"
A series of dull thuds overlapped as Wan Ze was forced back three or four meters. With a twist of his foot, he quickly turned his retreat into an advance, forcibly regaining his offensive rhythm and surging forward.
"BANG! BANG!"
The two traded blows, and every time their fists collided, visible ripples of white dust vibrated through the air.
The hissing sound of their feet scraping against the ground was particularly piercing.
After trading a full three hundred punches, Wan Ze finally stopped, took two steps back, and stood firm, his chest heaving as he gasped for air.
"...Hah, Brother Jia, I have a question..."
"Ask away." Zhai Jia glanced at the red mark on his own arm, wiping it casually. The mark vanished as if it had never been there, and he chuckled.
"What’s the biggest difference between Refining Viscera and Qi and Blood Tempering?" Wan Ze finally asked his question.
During his cultivation recently, he’d felt the speed of his Qi and Blood Convergence increasing, but there was still something about Refining Viscera that he couldn’t quite grasp.
Situ Bai had been busy with the Secret Palace Divinity Transformation and was nowhere to be found.
He had originally thought that since he’d only just reached the Blood Tempering Third Transformation, there was no rush to explore Refining Viscera. But since Zhai Jia was right here, he took the opportunity to ask.
"Why are you asking about this? Kid, don’t tell me you’re about to start Refining Viscera? HOLY SHIT!!!!"
Zhai Jia suddenly leaped to his feet, looking completely stunned.