[You have practiced Tracking for thirty years. No beast can escape your observation.]

...

[You have practiced Tracking for fifty years. You have gradually discovered another possibility: Demons are also prey.] 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

...

[You have practiced Tracking for seventy years. You have mastered the habits of most of the world’s Demons.]

[You have practiced Tracking for eighty years. You have finally become a grandmaster.]

[Name: Bai Yuan]

[Professions: Demon Hunter, Swordsman, Boxer]

[Skills: Tracking (Master), Archery (Expert), Tiger-Crane Style (Beginner), Blood Tiger Saber (Beginner), Five Animals Fist (Skilled)...]

[Enhancement Points: 0]

Bai Yuan had scoured several nearby mountains for beasts, and his Tracking skill had finally been raised to the Master level.

At the same time, the word "Hunter" on his status panel was replaced by "Demon Hunter."

This was precisely why Bai Yuan chose to raise his Tracking to the Master level, even if it meant temporarily neglecting his Tiger-Crane Style.

Professions could be upgraded.

The professions he had chosen before were all just beginner-level, but Demon Hunter was an intermediate-level profession.

It was also the easiest and most useful intermediate profession Bai Yuan had ever tried. While there might be stronger ones, none offered better value.

If he had used his enhancement points on the Tiger-Crane Style or the Blood Tiger Saber, he might not have even broken through to the Skilled level.

But becoming a Demon Hunter came with many benefits.

Bai Yuan strongly agreed with what Zhang Yang had said.

Killing a person never depended on the level of one’s martial skill, and killing a Demon was no different.

After becoming a Demon Hunter, he was intimately familiar with the weaknesses of most of the world’s Demons.

A vast amount of unfamiliar information flooded into his mind, all of it about Demons. It was incredibly detailed. The habits and weaknesses of tens of thousands of Demons felt as if they were etched into his very bones, impossible to forget even if he wanted to.

Bai Yuan felt like an old scholar who had spent his entire life in the Library Pavilion studying Demons. He could recite the characteristics of any Demon off the top of his head, and that, of course, included the weaknesses of the Huang Pizi.

Of course he was going to kill the Huang Pizi; it just wasn’t the right time yet.

Raising Tracking to the Master level was already the limit of what a person could achieve. The next level, Legendary, was something found only in myths. To possess even one such skill would be enough to stand unrivaled in the mortal realm.

For now, Bai Yuan wasn’t going to worry about such distant matters.

After unlocking the Demon Hunter profession, not only did he understand the characteristics of Demons, but his foundational tracking abilities also became exceptionally powerful. His five senses were greatly enhanced, and his Body Technique grew much more agile.

Even a single strand of hair within a hundred meters couldn’t escape his sight, and the scuttling of nearby insects sounded as if they were right beside his ear.

Although these changes couldn’t raise his cultivation realm, they could be used to kill. They would allow him to seize the upper hand in any fight.

There was no more prey to be found on this mountain, so Bai Yuan shouldered his hardwood bow and descended.

...

「Back at the Huwei Arts Hall.」

Bai Yuan found things far too dull.

Perhaps influenced by Liu Qingshan, Zhuang Zhao, Ma Qi, and Wen Ji all felt they had no hope of passing the Skin Grinding Barrier and had voluntarily withdrawn to go home.

Now, the only acquaintance Bai Yuan had left at the Huwei Arts Hall was Li Ting.

After becoming Martial Artists, everyone was very busy, with no time to build connections. At least, Bai Yuan wasn’t yet worth their time.

Bai Yuan had come to the Martial Arts Hall to buy medicine.

Countless people practiced martial arts in the Xuan Yang Dynasty, so medicine that could help a Martial Artist temper their physique was naturally very expensive.

The herb business in Qinghe County was monopolized by the Liu Family, and their prices were not cheap.

The Huwei Arts Hall also sold herbs, and Outer Disciples could get a discount, making it much more affordable than the herb shops outside.

"One packet of Body Refining Medicine."

Bai Yuan walked into the Herb Hall at the very front of the Huwei Arts Hall. This Herb Hall didn’t just serve the Martial Arts Hall’s disciples; it also sold to the public.

The Shopkeeper, who was busy with his accounts, looked up at Bai Yuan and recognized the young man as an Outer Disciple of the Martial Arts Hall.

"Ten taels."

Hearing that one packet of Body Refining Medicine cost ten taels of silver, Bai Yuan winced.

He hadn’t expected the medicine Zhang Yang gave him to be worth so much. He had originally planned to buy a packet to pay him back, but now it seemed more prudent to wait.

And this was the discounted price for Outer Disciples; buying from other herb shops would cost another thirty percent more.

The big deal for the Hongqiao Dye Workshop had been settled, and Xiao Qiaoniang had received a share of ten taels of silver.

Originally, Bai Yuan didn’t want to use the money his sister-in-law had worked so hard to earn to buy medicine, but he couldn’t resist Xiao Qiaoniang’s persistent urging and had to agree.

Who would have thought that the "huge sum" of ten taels of silver could only buy a single packet of herbs?

After a moment of hesitation, Bai Yuan gritted his teeth and bought it anyway.

Practicing martial arts required a willingness to invest. Otherwise, it would be a real problem if he developed hidden injuries.

He took the medicine packet from the old Shopkeeper; it was identical to the one Zhang Yang had given him.

’No wonder most Martial Artists don’t care for luxury. It’s because they’re poor.’

He tucked the medicine packet inside his clothes, glanced at the sky, and saw it was still early.

’Qiaoniang should still be at the dye workshop.’

’Since I’m not going up the mountain today, this is the perfect opportunity to walk back to Baisha Town with her.’

...

The Hongqiao Dye Workshop was located in the western part of the city.

The rent here was relatively cheap, but there were still plenty of wealthy families around.

Although it wasn’t as prosperous as the eastern district, it was far wealthier than the alleys of the southern district. Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family had clearly put a lot of thought into opening her shop here.

Bai Yuan had been to the Hongqiao Dye Workshop a few times before, so he knew the way well.

In about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he arrived in front of the Hongqiao Dye Workshop.

Today, a crowd had gathered in front of the Hongqiao Dye Workshop, and a constant clamor could be heard.

Bai Yuan’s brow furrowed at the sight. It seemed the Hongqiao Dye Workshop had run into trouble.

"How dare the Hongqiao Dye Workshop pass off shoddy goods as high-quality ones! Are you trying to take advantage of my young master’s good nature?"

"I don’t think this dye workshop needs to stay in business any longer!"

"Ten times the compensation for fakes! Pay up two thousand taels of silver!"

...

A flamboyantly dressed young man in white, looking every bit the rich young master, lightly waved a folding fan as seven or eight attendants around him shouted and clamored.

At the entrance to the dye workshop, only Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family and a few of her clerks could be seen; there was no sign of Xiao Qiaoniang.

"Ma’am, the cloth was already inspected and there were no problems! These people secretly swapped the good cloth out. They’re clearly just trying to cause trouble!" a younger clerk said indignantly.

"Insolence! It’s not your place to speak here," Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family shouted, scolding the young clerk. How could she not be aware of the trickery afoot? But the men opposite them were from the Zhu Family, people they couldn’t possibly afford to offend.

She just couldn’t understand why a wealthy and powerful clan like the Zhu Family would resort to such underhanded tactics against a small business like the Hongqiao Dye Workshop.

The other party had clearly inspected the goods and paid the money, but now they were going back on the deal.

In this world, how could a family like hers, with no connections, possibly stand up to the Zhu Family?

Even if they took the matter to the County Magistrate’s Office, the Officials there would surely side with the Zhu Family. The only way out was to admit defeat and pay.

But where could she possibly come up with two thousand taels of silver?

For a moment, even someone as resilient as Mrs. Liu of the Chen Family was at a complete loss.

Bai Yuan took in the entire scene.

He was all too familiar with this kind of situation.

What was this, if not a classic shakedown?

There were no security cameras in ancient times. How could anyone ever prove what really happened?