Chapter 120: Improving Strength, Liu Qingsong's Tracking!

Chapter 120: Improving Strength, Liu Qingsong's Tracking!



On the banks of the Luo River.

East Courtyard.

Skill: Firewood Splitting Blade Technique (Limit Break 4/5, 5000/5000)



(Attributes: Broad Understanding, Blade Like Gale, Blade Divine Operation, Blade and Body As One)



"The experience points are still full, it seems that even when I took time to practice firewood splitting, it was effective!"

"I wonder how many Essence Points I'll need for the next Limit Break?"

"It should be 200 points!"

Jiang Ning thought to himself.

After checking his status panel, he closed it.

Then, he began his warm-up routine by practicing the Five Beasts Fist.

Skill: Five Beasts Fist (Perfection, 787/1000)



The Five Beasts Fist has now reached the realm of perfection. With each repetition of the fist technique, he gains an additional five strands of Vital Energy.

Moreover, he is not far from reaching 1000 experience points, only lacking a little over two hundred points.

With his current efficiency, achieving perfection is within reach.

At most, it will take a few days.

Once he reaches the full experience points, he can perform his first Limit Break.

He has high expectations for the Limit Break of the Five Beasts Fist.

After all, this is the Limit Break of a lower-tier martial art, far different from the Firewood Splitting Blade Technique, which is not even considered a proper skill.

Five Beasts Fist Experience +1

Five Beasts Fist Experience +1

Five Beasts Fist Experience +1

After practicing the fist technique three times in a row, he instantly felt his body warming up, and the blood coursing through his veins at a faster pace.

At this moment.

There was still some time until sunrise, and even more time until the hour of the Dragon.

Jiang Ning then removed his clothes in his courtyard, wearing only a pair of loose pants.

His courtyard was now locked, and the surrounding walls were tall, reaching over a zhang in height.

Additionally, he lived on the side of the East Courtyard closest to the Luo River, a relatively secluded area.

Therefore, he had no worries about being disturbed by anyone.

Here, he could focus on skin conditioning and improving his Indestructible Body technique.

The next moment.

He took out the skin-grinding powder.

And began vigorously rubbing it all over his body.

After a cup of tea.

The skin-grinding powder had covered his entire body.

This was his first attempt at skin grinding after achieving minor mastery in skin conditioning.

He also found that this was completely different from before. Forget about drawing blood from the skin membrane, no matter how hard he tried, his skin didn't even turn red.

So, after a cup of tea's worth of effort, he gave up.

Afterward.

With his entire body covered in the skin-grinding powder, Jiang Ning thought for a moment, then performed the first move of the Indestructible Body technique.

Then, he circulated his power, driving his Vital Energy to flow into the skin membrane all over his body.

Now that he had reached this stage in his cultivation of the Five Beasts Fist, his Vital Energy was extremely vigorous, far surpassing that of ordinary martial artists of the same level.

Especially after refining that fifty-year-old Blood Lotus yesterday, his Vital Energy had further strengthened.

At this moment, as he circulated his power, his Vital Energy surged, carrying a rolling force as it flowed into his skin membrane, tempering its resilience.

A moment later.

Indestructible Body Experience +1

Looking at the prompt in front of him, Jiang Ning's expression remained unchanged, and he performed the second move.

Indestructible Body Experience +1

Then, he performed the third, fourth, and fifth moves,

until he had completed the ninth move of the Indestructible Body technique that he currently possessed.

After each move, he circulated his Vital Energy to temper the skin membrane.

Seeing the prompt appear in front of him.

Indestructible Body Experience +1

Until all nine moves were completed, and the prompt appeared nine times.

He slowly stopped.

Skill: Indestructible Body (Proficiency 9/2000)



Looking at the changes on his status panel, a hint of joy flashed in Jiang Ning's eyes.

"Whether it's performing one move or nine moves, I can increase the experience points for Indestructible Body."

Then, he looked up at the sky.

At this time, the sun had already risen, releasing an astonishing heat that enveloped the earth.

He glanced at the sun's corona and knew what time it was.

Half past the hour of the Dragon had already passed.

"About two and a half hours, and Indestructible Body gained nine experience points!"

"This efficiency is not decreasing but increasing!"

"The growth of Vital Energy indeed allows me to greatly increase my skin conditioning efficiency."

After understanding his own skin conditioning efficiency, Jiang Ning's heart was at ease.

Although the skin membrane's resilience had increased, the effectiveness of the skin-grinding powder was noticeably reduced, and it was difficult for the skin-grinding powder's medicinal power to penetrate his skin layer and be absorbed.

However, because of the growth of his Vital Energy, his current efficiency couldn't be considered slow, and it could even be said to be very high.

In about two and a half hours, his Indestructible Body technique could gain nine experience points.

If he could cultivate the Indestructible Body technique without interruption and temper his skin membrane, the progress would be incredibly fast.

In one day, he could increase by seventy or eighty experience points.

Two thousand experience points would take at most a month.

In other words, he could achieve major mastery in skin conditioning, making his skin as tough as copper, in just one month.

However, Jiang Ning knew that this was an ideal state.

Because after continuously tempering his skin membrane for over two hours, he felt that his skin membrane was slightly sore.

This was because the skin membrane had been tempered by Vital Energy for an extended period, reaching a relatively high state of stress.

In this state, a certain amount of rest was required before the next tempering session.

Jiang Ning faced the sun, sitting in a cross-legged position.

Although it was already past the hour of the Dragon, there wasn't much time left before the hour of the Snake, less than an hour.

But in the state where the skin membrane had reached a certain level of stress.

And there wasn't much time in a day to absorb the sun's essence and temper the five viscera.

Jiang Ning seized this last hour to absorb the sun's essence and continue tempering his five viscera.

The growth of the viscera had brought him significant benefits, as he had experienced during this time.

Not to mention the even greater qualitative changes that would come with the future cultivation of the Inner Alchemy Cultivation Technique.

A moment later.

Inner Alchemy Cultivation Technique Experience +1

Inner Alchemy Cultivation Technique Experience +1

Inner Alchemy Cultivation Technique Experience +1

As the hour approached the hour of the Snake, Jiang Ning stopped his breathing exercises.

Skill: Inner Alchemy Cultivation Technique (Proficiency 1075/2000)



"Progress is more than halfway, and I'm close to mastering Inner Alchemy!"

Jiang Ning looked at his status panel with anticipation.

Afterward.

After finally having some time, he jumped into the water barrel to wash off the dried skin-grinding powder from his body.

Once he finished cleaning himself, all the dirt on his body was washed away, and Jiang Ning, standing in the courtyard, felt refreshed all over.

Especially at this moment, as the lake breeze blew past him, the moisture on his body quickly evaporated.

This made him feel cool in the scorching heat.

"Ah, so comfortable!"

"Taking a bath on a hot day is so refreshing!"

Jiang Ning looked refreshed and energized.

"Time to go eat breakfast!"

Jiang Ning put on his clothes and walked out of the courtyard.

These days, no matter when he went, his brother and sister-in-law had already prepared food in the kitchen.

This made him feel very convenient.

Moreover, it made him feel even wiser for inviting his brother and sister-in-law's family to live with him.

If his brother and sister-in-law weren't here, living in such a large house would have been less convenient for him.

As for hiring servants...

He didn't want to do that either.

It wasn't that he couldn't afford it, but rather, he had secrets on his body.

He was afraid that someone with ill intentions would deliberately arrange for a servant to come and work for him.

Especially someone from the Cao family.

Morning.

[Five Beasts Fist Experience +1]



[Five Beasts Fist Experience +1]



[Five Beasts Fist Experience +1]



[.]



Jiang Ning practiced his fist techniques repeatedly in his own courtyard.

With each practice, his vital energy increased by five strands, and the experience of the Five Beasts Fist also gradually increased.

As he practiced, he circulated his vital energy throughout his body, and he could feel that the burden on his skin layer from before was gradually easing as his vital energy surged.

Not long after.

The sun rose higher.

The temperature also gradually increased.

[Skill] Five Beasts Fist (Perfection 799/1000)



Jiang Ning glanced at his panel and then stopped practicing.

He did this because he felt that his skin layer was no longer burdened and he could continue to temper his skin layer.

This time, Jiang Ning changed his mind about skin tempering.

He had just tried it, and as his skin became as hard as stone, he felt that the effect of the skin-grinding powder was not as good as before.

So he wanted to try.

He wanted to see how it would be without using the skin-grinding powder.

Immediately.

He opened a bottle of herbal essence and drank it all.

After his body absorbed a lot of the medicine's effects and his state reached its peak, he began to perform the first move of the Indestructible Body Technique.

Then he circulated his power, driving his vital energy to temper his skin layer.

As his vital energy washed over his body again and again.

A new prompt appeared before him.

[Indestructible Body Technique Experience +1]



[Indestructible Body Technique Experience +1]



[Indestructible Body Technique Experience +1]



[.]



When he felt that his skin layer had reached an overburdened state and his body was slightly aching, he stopped tempering his skin layer.

[Skill] Indestructible Body Technique (Mastery 19/200)



After closing the panel, he looked at the sun in the courtyard.

"Less than three hours."

"The skin-grinding powder is indeed not helping me as much!"

"The efficiency increase is extremely slow. On the contrary, the growth of my vital energy and the auxiliary effect of the Five Beast Energy should be good, so my skin tempering efficiency is still so high."

After the test, Jiang Ning paid more attention to the Five Beasts Fist.

Vital energy is the foundation of martial arts.

Practicing his fist techniques is the best way to increase his vital energy.

As long as his vital energy is sufficient, it will not only make his physique stronger.

It will also greatly help his future breakthrough efficiency, making his efficiency even higher.

It can be said that nothing is more important than this.

The next afternoon.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Luo Water Lake.

Deserted Island.

A small boat docked on the beach.

"Elder Liu, according to the guidance of the parasitic insect, the scent you left on Tian Buyi should be in this direction."

Liu Qingsong stood at the front deck of the boat and scanned the surroundings.

He nodded.

"This small island is indeed a good place to hide."

"Tian Buyi's nickname is the River Dragon, and his aquatic skills are exceptional. For him, this is an excellent place to hide in the water."

The followers behind him heard these words, and their expressions became hesitant.

"Elder Liu, if that's the case, even if we find Tian Buyi, can we capture him?"

"His aquatic skills are too exceptional. Once he enters the water, he disappears without a trace, and his breath-holding ability far surpasses ordinary people."

Another person also nodded. "Yes! How can we catch him?"

Liu Qingsong said, "If we can't catch him this time, there's no need to worry! I injured him with my palm strike, and he has medicine powder in his blood and flesh that he can't get rid of."

"With the guidance of the parasitic insect, he can't escape."

"As long as we pressure him enough, his injuries will inevitably worsen, and sooner or later, we will capture him."

As they spoke.

Liu Qingsong took out a jade bottle from his bosom and slowly opened the lid.

The next moment.

A parasitic insect with a faint glow flew out of the bottle, flapped its wings, and flew swiftly in one direction.

"Keep up the speed!" Liu Qingsong ordered.

"Yes, Elder Liu!" The crowd responded and hurried to follow.

A moment later.

The crowd arrived at the shore.

Liu Qingsong watched as the parasitic insect slowly flew and landed in a corner of the dried blood.

He immediately crouched in front of the dried blood.

"Elder Liu, what did you find?" The people behind him stopped to catch their breath.

Liu Qingsong touched the dried blood in front of him and then made a gesture.

"The parasitic insect stopping here means that this is the blood left by Tian Buyi."

"Only Tian Buyi's blood, infused with the medicine powder, can attract the parasitic insect."

The people behind him heard these words, and someone spoke up.

"Elder Liu's palm strike must have injured Tian Buyi, and that's why he left this dried blood here."

Another person agreed, "Brother Shangguan is right! It seems that Tian Buyi is indeed on this deserted island."

At this moment, Liu Qingsong spoke again, "Judging from the dried state of the blood, it should have been left two days ago."

The next moment.

Liu Qingsong gave orders.

"Tian Buyi is injured and is most likely recuperating somewhere on this island."

"Spread out and search for him. Once you find him, immediately fire a signal rocket to notify me!"

"Remember, even a starving camel is bigger than a horse. Among the eighth-stage martial artists, Tian Buyi is a true powerhouse. Apart from Wu Sheng and Wang Jiu, no one else should engage Tian Buyi in combat.

As soon as Liu Qingsong finished speaking, everyone cupped their hands and bowed in unison.

"Yes, Elder!" they replied in unison.

After their words, the crowd dispersed in all directions.

Liu Qingsong then continued to command the Gu worm to search for Tian Buyi's scent.

Half an hour later, he arrived at the cliffs near Lo Shui County.

The lake's surface was raging with waves.

The ocean waves beneath him surged, crashing against the rocks and exploding into white foam.

Liu Qingsong's gaze intensified as he watched the Gu worm in front of him gradually sinking into the water.

With a leap, he jumped onto a rock several feet high.

In an instant, the rock beneath him shattered into pieces.

Liu Qingsong's expression remained unchanged as he waited for the Gu worm to guide him in the right direction.

Moments later, the Gu worm stopped on another rock.

When Liu Qingsong saw this rock, he was slightly taken aback.

This rock had no traces of anything on it, appearing brand new and indistinguishable from the other rocks.

Then, he quickly walked over to the rock.

Seeing the Gu worm still resting on the rock without leaving, the meaning was obvious.

At this sight, Liu Qingsong's eyes suddenly sharpened.

He then took out a small jade bottle from his bosom.

After opening the bottle, he slowly poured the liquid onto the rock.

The next moment, purple dust appeared on the rock.

Liu Qingsong's eyebrows furrowed, and surprise flashed in his eyes.

"There's dust on this rock, no wonder the Gu worm stopped here."

"But the dust should have already merged with Tian Buyi's flesh and blood. For so much dust to appear on this rock, could it be that Tian Buyi left a lot of blood here before?"

As he thought of this, Liu Qingsong's brows furrowed even deeper.

He muttered to himself, "How strange! Why did Tian Buyi leave so much blood here before?"

"Could it be that his internal injury has worsened?"

"But that's impossible!"

"My palm power isn't strong enough yet, and my force can't penetrate his body."

"He was clearly on the other side of the shore. After going ashore and healing his injuries, his internal injury shouldn't have worsened."

After pondering for a long time, Liu Qingsong still couldn't understand it.

However, he knew that Tian Buyi must have left a lot of blood on this rock.

That's why there was still so much dust attached to this rock.

Just then, the Gu worm took off again.

Seeing this, Liu Qingsong put aside his doubts and continued to follow the Gu worm's movements.

After just a few dozen breaths, the Gu worm started to descend again.

Liu Qingsong's gaze fell on a piece of clothing on the rock.

He quickly walked over to the rock.

Looking at the clothes that had been washed up onto the rock by the waves, he felt a sense of familiarity.

Then he saw the Gu worm slowly stopping on the clothes.

Liu Qingsong's expression changed again.

"Is this Tian Buyi's clothing?"

The next moment, he hurriedly took out a jade bottle from his bosom and poured some liquid onto the clothes.

As the liquid merged, purple dust appeared on the clothes.

Liu Qingsong was now certain.

He remembered that when Tian Buyi was caught by him, they had a brief encounter.

During that encounter, he had a general impression of Tian Buyi's clothing.

This was indeed Tian Buyi's clothing.

He also struck out a palm at Tian Buyi, and not only did he break Tian Buyi's blocking stance, but he also landed on Tian Buyi's chest.

Tian Buyi, following his palm strike, retreated several feet and then turned and fell into the Luo Shui Lake.

It was also because of this incident that he truly understood why Tian Buyi's nickname was 'River Dragon'.

He also truly saw Tian Buyi's aquatic skills.

Even after receiving his palm strike, Tian Buyi entered the water without a trace, disappearing without a trace.

If he hadn't been cautious at the time, and when striking out, he also released tracking dust, letting this dust stick to Tian Buyi and enter his body through his mouth and nose.

If he hadn't been cautious, with Tian Buyi's aquatic skills, entering the Luo Shui Lake would have been like a fish entering the ocean.

Finding Tian Buyi would have been as difficult as climbing a mountain.

After this battle, Tian Buyi would surely be more cautious, and finding him would be countless times more difficult.

So at this moment, Liu Qingsong, seeing the purple dust on the clothes and the impression in his mind, became extremely certain.

This was indeed the clothing Tian Buyi was wearing at the time.

Just then, a thought suddenly sprang into his mind.

His expression became one of astonishment.

"Tian Buyi, could he be... dead?"

As soon as this thought appeared, it grew like weeds in his mind, instantly occupying all his thoughts.

He flipped through the clothes in his hand, and the more he looked, the more he felt this possibility was true.

Because these clothes, washed up on the rock, clearly had tear marks, and there were holes everywhere.

Holding the clothes in his hand, he thought for a long time.

Then he stood up, shaking his head, "It shouldn't be possible! Tian Buyi is an Eighth Stage Martial Artist, and he can even take my palm strike. He's clearly stronger than Wu Sheng and Wang Jiu."

"Not to mention, this is by the water. With Tian Buyi's aquatic skills, to kill him would be as difficult as climbing a mountain."

"As long as he enters the water, he disappears without a trace. Even I, in this situation, am helpless."

"He shouldn't have fallen in such a place with his skills and means!"

"I must be thinking too much!"

Liu Qingsong muttered to himself, trying to convince himself.

After that, he urged the Gu worm to continue searching for Tian Buyi's scent.

However, no matter how he commanded, the Gu worm remained motionless.

"Has the Gu worm lost its target?"

Liu Qingsong's eyes sharpened again.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end