I Can Merge Techniques

Chapter 461: Chapter 152: Fierce Soul Sacrifice Strengthens the Ten Thousand Souls Banner; Baili Bing Displays Her Prowess at the Red Flame Sect

He had drawn the soul of the Demon Race warrior into his banner, refining it into one of the main souls.

The warrior’s memories from life unfolded before him like an open book.

Sifting through the jumbled fragments of memory, the smile on Chu Fan’s face gradually grew, until he finally broke into a wide grin. "Just as I thought, there’s a hidden prize! That bastard has a secret lair in a mountain ravine over two hundred li from Qing Province City. His entire life’s savings are stashed in there!"

"What?!" Mo Yunzi froze again, her red lips slightly parted and her face a mask of disbelief.

She didn’t know about the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, but she was well aware that completely seizing another’s memories was something only achievable through brutal Demon Dao methods like Soul Extraction and Spirit Refining.

She could never have imagined that her own master, an official Demon Suppression Guard of the imperial court, had secretly mastered such a Secret Technique—and was already so proficient in its use!

Upon hearing this, Cyan Snake grew excited and urged, "Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go raid his den!"

Chu Fan, however, shook his head, his gaze once again calm. "No rush. I came out this time specifically to cultivate the Nine Heavens Wind Mastery Scripture. I’ve now gained a preliminary understanding of the True Scripture. Though its benefits for offense and defense are still limited, when it comes to speed, my Body Technique can already overwhelm a typical Acupoint Realm practitioner."

"Since the goal of this trip has been accomplished, and I even took care of this Mo Daozi along the way, the most important thing right now is to bring his body back to the Demon Suppression Bureau and collect the silver bounty."

His tone hardened with a new gravity. "Mo Yunzi, since that martial uncle of yours sent you here with Mo Daozi and the others, there’s no guarantee he doesn’t have a follow-up plan. Now that you’ve failed, knowing that old monster’s temperament, I’m afraid he’ll send others, won’t he?"

"That’s right!" Mo Yunzi nodded. "Master, it would be best to retreat to Qing Province City and lie low for now. That’s the wisest course of action."

"Hmph!" A cold glint flashed in Chu Fan’s eyes, his killing intent palpable. "Sooner or later, the day will come when I’ll break that old monster’s bones, one by one!"

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he asked Mo Yunzi, "By the way, that martial uncle of yours must be a high-profile fugitive on the wanted lists for the Demon Suppression Bureau and the Six Gates, right?"

Mo Yunzi’s heart went cold, and she broke out in a cold sweat under his fervent, undisguised gaze—it was the look one gave a "walking treasure chest."

The corner of her mouth twitched. She managed a difficult nod. "Yes... The bounty is extremely high..."

"Excellent," Chu Fan said with a sinister laugh.

That smile sent a chill through Mo Yunzi’s heart.

’Just as I thought...’

’Her master had already set his sights on her unfathomably powerful martial uncle, viewing him as just another target to be hunted!’

Chu Fan said no more. He took out a large black cloth sack, stuffed Mo Daozi’s corpse inside, and then stored it in his Sumeru Ring.

He stood up and patted the dust from his clothes.

"Let’s go. Back to the city."

...

In the South City of Qing Province, the streets flowed like a river of people, and the noise was deafening.

At the entrance to a relatively quiet alley, four figures—Fatty, Jiang Yuanfan, Liang Qiu, and Ling Feng—were furtively sizing up the passersby.

Their robes were bulging, stuffed with copies of the now far-from-rare "Mountain-Splitting Fist" Boxing Manual.

"Sigh. The boys from the gang said that we’ve already sold to pretty much everyone on the nearby streets who wants one of these Boxing Manuals and can afford it."

Fatty grimaced and patted the stack of Boxing Manuals under his robe. "It’s gonna be tough to sell any more around here!"

Jiang Yuanfan nodded, analyzing the situation slowly. "The local market is saturated. We need to find a new source of customers."

Liang Qiu, a man of few words, uttered just three: "Go farther away."

Ling Feng nodded beside him in agreement.

After a quick discussion, the four of them decided to split up. Fatty would team up with Jiang Yuanfan, while Liang Qiu and Ling Feng would pair off, venturing toward the busier and less familiar parts of South City.

They had just turned a street corner when they saw a wide plaza ahead, packed with a sea of people and buzzing with a deafening roar.

Countless young faces, some excited, others anxious, were all desperately pushing in the same direction.

"What’s going on? Is there a show to watch?" Fatty’s eyes lit up, and he slowed his pace.

A passerby casually answered, "The Red Flame Sect is holding its public disciple recruitment today! A rare opportunity!"

"Red Flame Sect?" The four of them exchanged glances.

Having only recently arrived in Qing Province, they weren’t very familiar with the local sects.

But when those two words, "recruiting disciples," reached their ears, all four of them narrowed their eyes in unison, as if they could already see countless pieces of silver flashing before their eyes!

"When you recruit disciples, only a select few are ever chosen. The vast majority get turned away!"

Fatty said, rubbing his hands together, his plump face alight with a cunning expression.

Jiang Yuanfan picked up the thread. "Those who fail are our target demographic! They’re frustrated, unwilling to give up, and desperate for another way to advance their Martial Dao. Our ’Mountain-Splitting Fist’ is the perfect answer for them!"

Liang Qiu and Ling Feng also instantly grasped the opportunity. ’Isn’t this the perfect time for some targeted marketing of our Boxing Manuals?’

Without another moment’s hesitation, the four of them dove into the crowd, weaving through it like fish.

Their objective was clear. They didn’t push toward the center where the recruitment was happening but instead prowled the outskirts. With eyes as sharp as a hawk’s, they scanned for dejected figures slinking away from the main crowd.

"My friend, I can see you have the bones of a prodigy! Your fated opportunity just hasn’t arrived yet! Right here, I have an Upper Grade Boxing Manual, the ’Mountain-Splitting Fist,’ at a fair price. You can’t lose, you can’t be scammed! I guarantee this will help you forge a new path to the pinnacle of the Martial Dao!"

Fatty grabbed a sighing young man and launched into his sales pitch, words and spittle flying.

Some were skeptical, others sneered, but there were also those, still smarting from their failure and with a few silver coins in their pockets, who took the Boxing Manual and began to flip through it.

Upon discovering it was actually a complete Fist Technique with considerable merit, some of them were indeed tempted and paid the money to buy a copy.

Seeing the Boxing Manuals fly off their hands and the pieces of silver pile up in their pouches, Fatty and his friends were overjoyed, their sales pitches growing even more energetic.