In a dark cave in Ling Province.

"Idiots."

Kuaidong cursed under his breath.

He had just learned that his two subordinates in Huanglong Prefecture were dead.

In less than half a month, two of his subordinates—both at the rank of a provincial Vice Tower Master in the Soul-Chasing Tower—had been killed. He felt utterly humiliated.

The Soul Chasing Tower Lord of Ling Province stood quietly to one side.

’Good advice is wasted on those with a death wish.’

She had warned those two fools, but she never expected them to actively seek their own deaths.

The most dangerous person in Huanglong Prefecture had never been the Prefect; it was Bai Yuan. She had fought him twice, and each time, he managed to surprise her, leaving her in an utterly wretched state.

As a Soul Chasing Tower Lord, she knew full well that killing was never a simple matter of absolute strength.

Sometimes, killing an expert could be easy—as long as you found the right method.

And Bai Yuan, aside from Dong Wanjun, was the most resourceful person she had ever met.

’It’s no wonder they’re master and disciple...’

...

「Divine Mansion Sect.」

"Sect Leader, the black jade has arrived."

Yu Hui watched as two members of the Divine Mansion Army carried a heavy black stone slab into the Sect Leader Hall.

This "black jade" was actually just a peculiar type of stone. Aside from its hardness, it had no other special properties and was mostly used by wealthy families as material for furniture.

He was very curious as to what use Bai Yuan could have for the black jade.

Bai Yuan said, "Thank you, Commander Yu."

The two Divine Mansion Army soldiers set the black jade slab down, then withdrew from the Sect Leader Hall.

Seeing that Bai Yuan had no intention of sending him away, Yu Hui decided to stay.

The situation in the Divine Mansion Sect was now stable, and the relationship between the various peaks and the Divine Mansion Army was no longer as tense as before. Furthermore, thanks to his connection with Old Dong, he had become Bai Yuan’s undisputed right-hand man.

He knew more of Bai Yuan’s secrets than almost anyone else in the Divine Mansion Sect.

Bai Yuan crouched down and placed his right hand on the black jade slab.

A sizzling sound of corrosion and melting immediately followed.

Bai Yuan’s palm sank steadily into the black jade slab, its surface corroding at a rate visible to the naked eye.

’What a potent poison!’

Yu Hui was astounded by the sight.

Bai Yuan, however, nodded in satisfaction.

The black jade slab was not only hard but also very stable, with first-rate resistance to corrosion. Yet, it was effortlessly corroded by Bai Yuan’s palm!

’Not bad. This is the new poison I’ve developed.’

He had spent all the enhancement points gained from killing the tall and short duo from the Soul-Chasing Tower on upgrading his Thousand Shadows Poison Technique.

With the poison technique upgraded, numerous new poison formulas had appeared in his mind.

He had combined the properties of the Fire Spirit with toad venom to develop the Fire Erosion Poison.

The reason he had Yu Hui find a slab of black jade was to test the potency of the Fire Erosion Poison.

’This stuff is even more potent than aqua regia.’

’A single palm strike from me would mean death or grievous injury to anyone of mortal flesh.’

’Even a mere graze would cause a large chunk of flesh to rot away.’

’Looks like I need to strengthen my fist techniques. It would be a perfect complement to my poison arts.’

Poison was one of the most unique weapons in the Jianghu. It could kill across cultivation realms, which was how the Soul-Chasing Tower often defeated opponents far stronger than themselves—with poisons and hidden weapons.

However, true masters possessed extremely keen senses, making them incredibly difficult to poison.

Coincidentally, Bai Yuan now possessed both a master’s senses and a master’s poison.

...

"Younger Brother Bai, here’s the manual for the fist technique you wanted."

Zhu Wu handed a Cultivation Technique manual to Bai Yuan.

As a Jianghu sect, the Nine Sword Sect naturally ran many Martial Arts Halls and would also put some of the sect’s Cultivation Techniques up for sale.

However, most of those techniques were mediocre. Even the decent ones either came with too many drawbacks or were incredibly difficult to master.

Releasing these techniques was merely a way to screen for potential disciples.

If someone actually managed to master one, the Nine Sword Sect would recruit them. It was a roundabout method of recruitment.

Zhu Wu had always assumed Bai Yuan would look down on such techniques. After all, he had seen Bai Yuan’s stunning saber work firsthand; it would have been normal for him to be unimpressed.

But he never expected Bai Yuan to actually approach him to buy a manual for a fist technique.

"Since we’re brothers, I can use my position to get you a twenty-percent discount. Can’t say I’m not a good friend, right?"

"A true brother indeed."

Bai Yuan gave him a thumbs-up.

’This was the benefit of having a connection on the inside—you could even save money on purchases.’

Even though he was the Shenfu Sect Master, money didn’t grow on trees, so of course he had to be frugal. Moreover, the Nine Sword Sect’s techniques all had to be exchanged for Spirit Medicine and monster flesh, which were important sect resources.

"Younger Brother Bai, you’re going to learn a fist technique?"

Zhu Wu asked curiously.

The vast majority of Martial Artists in the world would only ever practice one type of weapon in their lifetime. A swordsman would use a sword for life; a boxer would practice boxing for life. Even if they did cultivate other techniques, they would mostly choose auxiliary skills like Body Techniques.

It was exceedingly rare for anyone to switch their main discipline halfway through.

In the past, a few genius disciples from the Nine Sword Sect had tried to master multiple weapon types, and without exception, they all ended in failure.

The reason was simple: it was too time-consuming.

Mastering a single weapon was enough for a lifetime of practice. Greed would only lead to becoming a jack of all trades, master of none.

"I’m collecting it for the sect," Bai Yuan said.

Hearing this, Zhu Wu swallowed the words of caution that were on the tip of his tongue.

It was only because he considered Bai Yuan a brother that he was willing to say more. After a moment’s thought, he still added, "Younger Brother Bai, this Mountain-Breaking Fist is easy to start, but extremely difficult to master. It’s impossible to achieve even initial success without at least thirty years of practice."

"Understood," Bai Yuan said.

Zhu Wu said no more. He had said his piece, and Bai Yuan was a smart man. He should understand the difficulty involved.

If this Mountain-Breaking Fist were truly any good, the Nine Sword Sect wouldn’t have put the manual up for sale.

Five catties of Tier Six Monster Flesh... Practically no Martial Artist who could afford that price would be willing to be such a sucker.

"Four catties of monster flesh will be sent to the Zhu Family tomorrow."

Zhu Wu waved his hand. "No rush. Nine Sword Sect disciples have a seven-day, no-questions-asked return policy on Cultivation Techniques."

Bai Yuan raised an eyebrow, surprised that the Nine Sword Sect was so considerate.

He found himself wondering if he should implement this policy in the Divine Mansion Sect’s Instructor Hall, and after some thought, decided to try it out with the True Disciples first.

In reality, most Martial Artists would only ever choose one Cultivation Technique, so the seven-day return policy was precisely to help those disciples find the one most suitable for them.

In the end, Bai Yuan still had Yu Hui deliver the four catties of monster flesh that same day.

He had a cheat system, so he had no fear of being unable to learn it.

He naturally had to keep practicing his saber arts, but the Chaotic Blood Hidden Tiger Saber required too many enhancement points. So, Bai Yuan decided to upgrade his poison technique to increase his immediate combat power.

The great chaos had begun; survival had to be his first priority.

...

"My lord, we have confirmed that Kuaidong arrived in Ling Province half a month ago."

Jiang Changping said, his face etched with worry.

A number of masters had been murdered in Ling Province recently, a matter which naturally attracted the attention of the Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office. They had been investigating to find the mastermind.

And while they had made some progress, they had yet to identify the true person pulling the strings.

Until yesterday, when Jiang Changping finally learned that the culprit was Kuaidong.

In order to obtain this information, the Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office had suffered grievous losses. The Vice Prefect, Yuan Dingcai, had been beaten to death by Kuaidong himself.

"Kuaidong..."

Du Qinghui, the Shuofang Jiedu Envoy, murmured the name.

Although he had never met Kuaidong, he was very familiar with the name.

It was a name that appeared frequently on the battle reports from the Xuan Yang military.

Kuaidong, a member of the Northern Barbarian Race, was known in the Northern Plains as the "Wild Bull of the Tundra," a testament to his terrifying Horizontal Training.

Horizontal Training was inherently suited for the battlefield, and Kuaidong, relying on his powerful physique, had charged back and forth beneath the Great Wall seven times. He had killed an untold number of masters from the Northern Garrison Army, causing even the Grand General of the North no end of headaches.

He never imagined such a ruthless individual would cross the Great Wall and come to Ling Province.

Du Qinghui felt this was a thorny problem.

"Lord Dong, you served with the Northern Garrison Army the longest. What is your assessment?"

Dong Wanjun lifted his eyelids. "Kuaidong is indeed very strong."

Though he had never fought Kuaidong during his time in the Northern Plains, he had heard many accounts of the barbarian’s deeds.

The Northern Plains were actually far from being as terrifying as the Profound People imagined; Old Dong was even quite fond of the place.

There was no hypocrisy, no backstabbing—only fists and wine.

It was a place that only recognized the strong. Since Kuaidong was highly respected there, he had to be incredibly strong.

Dong Wanjun had seen this proven time and time again.

In the Northern Plains, the greater the reputation, the greater the strength. This was practically an iron law, because anyone who was all bluff had long since been beaten to death.

A reputation in the Northern Plains was very useful, yet at the same time, completely useless. For only those with sufficient strength were worthy of a great reputation.

Du Qinghui’s expression grew even more solemn.

He now understood this Lord Dong’s temperament quite well. For even Dong Wanjun to call someone "very strong" meant their power had to be truly terrifying.

With such a powerhouse now in Ling Province, the relatively stable situation was bound to be thrown into chaos once more.

Just then, Jiang Changping suddenly spoke up.

"Lord Du, with Vice Prefect Yuan Dingcai dead, I was wondering..."

As Ling Province’s most senior official, Yuan Dingcai had outlasted two Prefects, but in the end, he had failed to outlast the third.

If Yuan Dingcai hadn’t given his life to send out that information, they wouldn’t have known Kuaidong had arrived in Ling Province.

This piece of intelligence would save many lives in Ling Province.

Du Qinghui pondered for a moment. "I will report this matter to His Majesty. For his service to the country, the Court will surely grant a handsome reward."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Changping’s expression shifted.

The relationship between this Du Jiedu Envoy and His Majesty the Emperor, who sat enthroned in Jinluan Hall, was truly excellent. He had long heard that Du Qinghui and Emperor Xuanyang frequently exchanged secret correspondence, and it seemed this was almost certainly true.

Jiang Changping had already made up his mind: he had to cling tightly to Lord Du’s leg.

The business of being an official was actually quite simple: one had to unswervingly choose to stand closest to the Emperor.

Although the Jiang Family had a considerable foundation, his father had, after all, already stepped down as Minister of War. Their connections to the Court naturally couldn’t compare to a major figure like Du Qinghui.

Great chaos often meant great opportunity. Perhaps this was a chance for the Jiang Family to advance even further.

Once their discussion concluded, Dong Wanjun and Jiang Changping rose, bowed to Du Qinghui, and prepared to depart.

Just as Dong Wanjun was about to turn, Du Qinghui suddenly called out to him.

"Lord Dong, I hear you have a disciple named Bai Yuan?"

Dong Wanjun nodded. "Replying to you, my lord, that is correct."

A meaningful smile suddenly appeared on Du Qinghui’s typically stern old face. "I hear he has some talent for finding demons. The position of Commander for the Ling Province Demon Slayer Guard is temporarily vacant. What does Lord Dong think about letting him fill the role?"

"..."

Dong Wanjun’s eyes narrowed. He hadn’t expected Du Qinghui to be interested in Bai Yuan, who had never even been to Ling Province.