Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Breaking the Limit of Qi and Blood, Crossing the Dragon Gate
Time passed like flowing water. A month went by in a flash.
Dusk.
Inside Linxi Courtyard, Tongfang District.
CRACK—!!
A sharp crack resounded through the vibrating air.
Within the courtyard, a figure darted about, a formless current of air swirling all around him.
In Fang Xing’s hands, the Nine Techniques of Grappling erupted with astonishing might.
Though it was only a basic form of Martial Arts, it now possessed immense killing power.
Martial Arts are the techniques of killing!
BANG—!!
He struck the old locust tree in the courtyard with his palm. The great tree shuddered, its leaves shaken loose by the immense power, fluttering to the ground.
The instant his palm struck, the qi and blood within him surged, and a tremendous power welled up from deep inside his body.
As the power circulated all around his body, Fang Xing instantly sensed a fundamental change.
’It felt like a kind of transcendence!’
The sensitivity of his five senses sharpened dramatically; he could even clearly perceive the sound of willow branches rustling in the wind outside the courtyard.
The qi and blood in his body broke through their limits, multiplying several times over in an instant.
He could now easily perceive the most minute changes.
Inner Strength was born. He had achieved Bright Force!
Fang Xing stood rooted to the spot, as motionless as a statue.
He calmly focused on the changes within his body.
The power coursed through him, responding to his will as easily as his own limbs.
His qi and blood had broken their limits and condensed into Inner Strength.
This was the mark of stepping into the Bright Force realm.
After a month of arduous cultivation, he had finally broken through the first Dragon Gate and entered the realm of Bright Force!
’This is the power of Bright Force... It’s truly extraordinary.’
Feeling the immense power surging through his body, Fang Xing’s eyes gleamed.
This power was completely different from what he had before.
The birth of Inner Strength was a fundamental transformation.
Stepping into Bright Force also meant he had officially embarked on the path of the Martial Dao.
BANG!
He smashed a fist into the old locust tree. The great tree shuddered, its leaves rustling violently as they rained down.
A distinct Fist Seal was left on the trunk.
It was deeper than before.
Infused with Inner Strength, the destructive force it unleashed was far more than what it seemed on the surface.
Before entering Bright Force, one’s power was scattered, like loose sand.
Upon entering Bright Force, that power condensed, dramatically increasing its lethality.
’A single punch like that would be enough to snap tendons and shatter bones.’
Gazing at the Fist Seal on the trunk, Fang Xing truly felt his newfound power.
To an ordinary person, a Martial Artist was an entirely different class of being, an overwhelmingly superior force.
A casual punch was more than any ordinary person could withstand.
One punch could break bones; even if it didn’t kill, it would cause grievous injury!
Fighting ten men at once would be no problem at all.
Moreover, upon entering Bright Force, his body’s coordination had become far stronger.
His Perception had improved.
The change was astonishing.
’Now that I’m an Official Martial Artist, I finally have the real power to protect myself.’
Gazing at the twilight sky, Fang Xing slowly let out a long breath.
A Martial Artist’s status was extraordinary!
And now, he had finally taken that first step.
Even within the County Yamen, he could now be considered an expert.
The Qingshan County Yamen had over a hundred constables across its four divisions.
Aside from the four Head Constables, the number of Martial Artists among them could be counted on one hand!
Only a few Deputy Constables had achieved Bright Force cultivation.
With his Bright Force cultivation, his standing was now second only to the Head Constables.
Reaching Bright Force changed everything.
His status was now far beyond that of an ordinary constable.
Leaping the Dragon Gate wasn’t just a jump in power, but also a jump in status.
’It’s a shame I’m low on Enhancement Points. If I had enough, I might have broken through even faster.’
Fang Xing sighed internally. He had consumed a great many Enhancement Points this past month.
After all his expenditures, he only had fourteen Enhancement Points remaining.
Enhancing a single Qi Blood Pill would nearly wipe him out.
Now that he had reached Bright Force, he would need even more resources to advance.
He was almost out of Qi Blood Pills.
If his supply of Qi Blood Pills couldn’t keep up, his progress would plummet.
Fang Xing felt a headache coming on as he glanced at the fourteen Enhancement Points displayed on the crimson panel.
If he used his Enhancement Points on Qi and Blood Powder, upgrading his Martial Arts would be a far-off dream.
Now that he was in the Bright Force realm, he definitely needed to enhance his Martial Arts. The basic Grapple Hand was fine against ordinary people, but it clearly wasn’t enough to handle other Martial Artists.
Besides, the Grapple Hand was only a Basic Martial Art. Even mastered to its absolute limit, it could only bring him to the Dark Force stage at best.
He would have to switch to a new martial art eventually, even if not right away.
He could either enhance his current martial art, or he had to acquire a new one.
However, new Martial Arts weren’t exactly a dime a dozen; you couldn’t just pick one up anywhere.
Obtaining one through official channels was extremely difficult.
And acquiring one through other channels was no easy feat either.
Some might be circulating on the black market.
But telling the real from the fake was another matter entirely.
Fakes were far more common.
It was possible to acquire Martial Arts through legitimate channels, but that required immense wealth.
Without a personal fortune of several hundred, or even a thousand, taels of silver, it was out of the question.
He could sell enhanced Qi Blood Pills to make money quickly.
However, given his current rate of accumulating Enhancement Points, that too would take a great deal of time.
Besides, selling too many would undoubtedly attract attention.
An occasional sale might be fine, but selling a large batch at once? Even a fool would know something was up.
He would inevitably be targeted.
Worse, some faction might even decide to move against him in the shadows.
Having just reached Bright Force, he had only taken his first step into the Martial Dao in Qingshan County. He was still worlds away from the top.
As far as he knew, there were several Neutralizing Force Martial Artists within Qingshan County.
The heads of the top families and the leaders of the major prevailing factions were all Neutralizing Force Martial Artists.
Neutralizing Force was beyond Bright Force, and even above Dark Force.
Their power was over a hundred times greater than that of a Bright Force practitioner.
Bright Force, Dark Force, and Neutralizing Force!
The gap between these three stages was as wide as the heavens and the earth.
A Neutralizing Force Martial Artist had to be treated with respect, not just by a lowly constable, but even by the Magistrate of Qingshan County himself.
Bright, Dark, and Neutralizing—these three realms were also known as the Foundation Establishment Three Realms!
Beyond that lay another echelon of the Martial Dao.
Pseudo-Immortal Cultivation, Blood and Marrow Exchange, becoming a Martial Dao God!
Most people didn’t even know this echelon existed.
Upon reaching that echelon, one’s lifespan and power became truly Extraordinary.
It was considered the first step on the path from Extraordinary to Saint.
’I’ll just have to accumulate them slowly. With enough Enhancement Points, any problem can be solved.’
Suppressing these distracting thoughts, Fang Xing decided not to dwell on it.
If he wanted a qualitative leap in power, he first needed to amass enough Enhancement Points.
He had already entered the Bright Force realm; at the very least, he had taken the first step toward the Extraordinary.
He went into his small kitchen, stewed the enhanced tiger meat, and after eating his fill, he resumed practicing the Grapple Hand.
Now that he was in the Bright Force realm, the power of his Grapple Hand was completely different.
Infused with Inner Strength, every move was brimming with lethal power!
Fang Xing continued his cultivation late into the night. Only then did he stop, rinse himself off, and head inside to rest.
...
The sky was as black as ink, without a single star in sight.
In a room within a courtyard in North City, a part of the County Town, a young man sat on a bed, his face illuminated by candlelight. Standing before him, a scar-faced man waited respectfully, his posture tense.
"Have you found out everything?" the young man asked calmly, looking at the scar-faced man.
Scarface nodded respectfully. "Envoy, I have. The constable who pursued you is named Fang Xing. He lives in the East Courtyard on Linxi Street, in the Tongfang District of North City."
"Fang Xing..." the young man murmured, nodding slightly. "Good. I understand."
"Envoy, he is, after all, a man of the Government Office," Scarface said in a low voice. "If we make a move against him, I’m afraid it will attract their attention and cause unnecessary trouble."
"A mere constable, not even a Martial Artist. Are you afraid of him?" the young man asked, his expression cold as he looked at Scarface.
"That’s... it’s not fear. I’m just worried it will cause unnecessary trouble," Scarface whispered.
"You have a point," the young man said coolly. "In that case, I’ll leave it to you. Make him disappear... naturally."
"This..."
Scarface felt his heart clench. He stared blankly at the young man on the bed.
"Is there a problem?" the young man asked, shooting him a cold glance.
Scarface took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Envoy, I will do my best."
"Not ’your best.’ You ’must.’ If you can’t handle this, then you can forget about your position," the young man said icily.
’Damn it all! Easy for you to say. It’s your mess, and I’m the one who has to clean it up...’ The scar on his face twitched as he cursed endlessly in his heart. But facing the young man, he didn’t dare show the slightest disrespect. He could only nod obediently. "I will get it done."
"Mm. Leave," the young man said with a wave of his hand.
After a respectful bow, Scarface backed out of the room.
Leaving the courtyard, Scarface gazed into the ink-black night. He let out a final sigh before melting into the darkness and vanishing from sight.
