Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Another New Talent

Jiang Che couldn’t help but feel the explanation was a bit forced.

But he had no proof to refute it.

"Little Brother Jiang, I know how you feel. To be honest, I have my doubts too, but I’ve known Chief Wang for many years. I trust that he wouldn’t lie to me," Liu Hai said.

"Then how do you explain my parents’ disappearance? They went missing after going to work at Landlord Li’s Mansion," Jiang Che asked doubtfully.

"I specifically asked about that. They said that for the batch of carpenters recruited from Lin Yuan City back then, there are no records of them ever entering this city! They must have disappeared in the wilderness," Liu Hai sighed.

"No entry records?!" Jiang Che looked shocked.

"That’s right. I confirmed it again and again; there are none. And the register showed no signs of forgery," Liu Hai said, his expression serious.

Jiang Che suddenly began to doubt himself.

’Could I really have been mistaken?’

After leaving the Government Office, Jiang Che’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.

’Landlord Li’s Mansion, which I put so much effort into investigating, has nothing to do with my parents’ disappearance?’

’No, I still have to find a chance to go see for myself!’

After getting home, Jiang Che made up his mind.

Although Liu Hai had said Chief Wang wouldn’t lie to him, Jiang Che couldn’t shake the feeling that things weren’t that simple.

Perhaps Landlord Li’s Mansion had deceived Chief Wang. Or maybe, Chief Wang was being pressured by his superiors and had lied.

To increase his strength as quickly as possible, Jiang Che continued to cultivate the remaining Basic Martial Arts in the days that followed.

He chose a Qinggong technique called the Wave-Riding Step.

It was the only Qinggong among the Secret Manuals he had purchased.

Having practiced multiple Iron Body Skills and with the Transformation from the Heart of the Black Abyss, his defenses were already more than sufficient.

Therefore, to further improve his ability to protect himself, Qinggong was the most suitable choice.

If you can’t win a fight, you must be able to outrun your opponent.

That was the only way to ensure he could never be truly defeated!

Having made up his mind, he began to practice.

The concept behind the Wave-Riding Step was largely the same as the Flying Swallow Step.

It also involved continuous sprint training with various footwork patterns while weighed down.

Since it was a Basic Martial Art and he already had a foundation in the Flying Swallow Step, Jiang Che mastered it to the Perfection realm in just half a month.

[Wave-Riding Step Perfection]

[Acquired Talent: Divine Movement]

[Divine Movement: Passive Skill, permanent Attribute Enhancement Class, no consumption.]

[Description: Increases movement speed by 25% when using Qinggong.]

’A new Talent appeared!’

Jiang Che was delighted.

’And it’s a Talent that boosts my base movement speed!’

He immediately executed the Flying Swallow Step.

In the courtyard, an afterimage flickered continuously.

It was so fast the naked eye could barely discern who it was.

’This... I must have reached the level of an Iron Skin Realm expert proficient in Qinggong!’

As for Iron Skin Realm experts who hadn’t practiced Qinggong, they would no longer be able to catch him!

One could say that as long as he didn’t encounter a Force Integration Artist, he could pretty much go wherever he pleased!

In addition, he sensed his own Qi Blood.

’It’s at about 12% of the Stone Skin Realm, which means it’s increased by 2%...’

He rejoiced inwardly. This proved that practicing other Martial Arts to Perfection could also increase his Qi Blood!

Even though the increase wasn’t as great as what he got from Iron Body Skills, it was still better than nothing!

One day, Jiang Che was practicing his skills at home when Ah Shan showed up, saying their master was looking for him.

When he arrived at the Martial Arts Hall, his master, Luo Kun, was instructing two disciples who had recently broken through to the Qi Blood Realm.

The other disciples were nowhere to be seen.

"Master!" Jiang Che said respectfully.

Luo Kun nodded.

"Come, demonstrate the Cloud-Stacking Fist for them."

Without another word, Jiang Che launched into a set of the Cloud-Stacking Fist.

He hadn’t been cultivating the Cloud-Stacking Fist recently, and his Skill Level was still stuck at the Minor Achievement Stage.

However, under the influence of the Heart Stream, he was extremely focused. His few life-and-death battles had also given him a deeper insight into the Fist Technique.

The more Luo Kun watched the set, the more astounded he became.

He knew Jiang Che’s Fist Technique was good, but he never expected it to have reached such a level!

Back when he was in the Iron Skin Realm, even he hadn’t reached this level!

It was only after reaching Force Integration that his own understanding of the Fist Technique had ascended to a new level, allowing him to match and then surpass Jiang Che’s current state.

But Jiang Che was only in the Stone Skin Realm!

After retracting his fists, Jiang Che stood to one side, awaiting his master’s comments.

He felt a little apprehensive.

"Ahem... It’s not as good as I was in my prime, but it’s acceptable," Luo Kun said nonchalantly.

But the hand behind his back had unconsciously clenched into a fist.

The two new disciples were already dumbfounded. When they heard their master say it was just "acceptable," they were utterly bewildered.

’That level is just "acceptable"?’

’Will we ever be able to learn the Cloud-Stacking Fist in this lifetime?’

Their minds suddenly went blank.

’Master is truly on another level. His standards are so high. It seems I still need to keep practicing!’

Jiang Che’s heart tensed.

The trace of pride in his heart slowly faded away.

’I’ll wait until I reach the Great Success stage before asking for Master’s guidance again!’

Afterward, Luo Kun told the two disciples to go cultivate on their own and led Jiang Che into a private room.

"Master, why did you summon me?" Jiang Che asked respectfully.

"Ah, yes. Recently, for some unknown reason, Black Beasts have been running rampant outside the city, destroying large swaths of farmland. The Government Office has requested that the various Martial Arts Halls send people to clear them out."

"Most of these Black Beasts are at the Bull Skin Realm, though there are some at the Stone Skin Realm. The Chief Constable said that any Black Crystals you get are yours to keep."

"I feel that with your Iron Body Great Success, they won’t pose much of a threat to you unless you run into an Iron Skin Realm Black Beast. It’s also a good chance for you to get some real combat practice."

"So, what do you think? Do you want to go? If you do, I’ll put your name down. Of course, if you don’t, I won’t force you. I can just send other disciples."

Luo Kun said slowly, a smile on his face.

"I’ll go!" Jiang Che replied.

With his second senior brother’s whereabouts unknown, his income had plummeted.

He was still hoping to go to the Xuanji Secret Market to buy a few things. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

But while the goods there were excellent, the prices were often in the thousands of taels of silver.

His meager monthly stipend was nowhere near enough.

Now that he had a chance to get Black Crystals, he had to go!

In truth, he had wanted to hunt Black Beasts for a long time.

It was just that in the past, the High Level Black Beasts stayed up in the mountains and never came down.

It was far too dangerous for him to go alone.

This opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time.

"Alright, then I’ll submit your name."

...

「The next day.」

Jiang Che arrived at the city gate to rendezvous.

Many young Martial Artists with powerful Qi Blood, both men and women, were already there.

Jiang Che counted them. Including himself, there were eleven people in total.

The weakest among them was at the Early-stage of the Stone Skin Realm.

The strongest had already reached the Peak of the Stone Skin Realm.

Suddenly, he spotted a familiar figure.

It was a young woman in a long blue dress, her face still holding a bit of baby fat.

It was Yin Yingying, the very same person who had partnered with him during the flower thief case.

She saw Jiang Che too, and her expression froze for a moment.

She walked up and said:

"Jiang Che, you broke through to the Stone Skin Realm too?!"

She had only just broken through to the Stone Skin Realm herself, and it seemed her Qi Blood had yet to fully stabilize.

Suddenly, she remembered something and said in a huff, "Oh, I remember now! You got a Qi Replenishing Pill last time! Hmph, lucky you!"

"That’s right. What can I say? I’m just that lucky," Jiang Che said, shaking his head. "But have you ever heard the saying?"

"What saying?" Yin Yingying asked curiously.

"Luck is also a part of one’s strength."

"Hmph!" Seeing the smile on Jiang Che’s face, Yin Yingying ground her teeth in frustration and whipped her head to the side.

Jiang Che just smiled and said nothing more.

It wasn’t long before Liu Hai approached with a group of constables.

Seeing Jiang Che there, he gave him a small, smiling nod before he began to explain the important details of the upcoming Black Beast hunt.