All-class Gu Immortal

Chapter 55 An Unexpected Joy: Breakthrough in Internal Strength

'So it was a trick,' Zhou Qing thought to himself.

Lin Qiu has been 'missing' for more than twenty days, and rumors have been circulating among the apprentices that he was killed by bandits.

Lin Qiu's cousin and family members have also visited the martial arts school several times.

Their actions undoubtedly confirmed the rumors that Lin Qiu had met with misfortune.

"What? You don't want to?" Wei Sheng raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, this disciple is willing to pay respects to Master!" Zhou Qing realized.

"I never said I'd take you on as my apprentice right now."

Wei Sheng said this, but a faint smile appeared on his face.

“The time you went to the county town to sell silk coincided with the days when Lin Qiu left. The Lin family came to our door, wanting to summon you to the yamen for questioning.” Wei Sheng changed the subject.

Zhou Qing was startled, but remained outwardly calm.

“I refused.” Wei Sheng continued, seeing Zhou Qing’s reaction.

"Lin Tianzheng hasn't even cleaned up his own mess yet, so what right does the Lin family have to ask me for people now?"

Wei Sheng sneered.

"Master?" Zhou Qing was a little confused.

"You faced the 'drug man' yourself yesterday, how did it feel?" Wei Sheng suddenly asked.

Medicine man?

Upon hearing this word, Zhou Qing paused for a moment, then pondered and said:
"His body was stiff, he seemed to have no sense of pain, as if he were invincible."

“These are the things that have recently appeared in the nearby mountains. They’re all things created by the Witch God Cult,” Wei Sheng said in a deep voice.

"The county discovered that the people of Qingfeng Temple seemed to have connections with the Witch God Cult, so they asked me to lure out Lin Tianzheng, the abbot of the temple."

After an investigation, only a few people were found to be in cahoots with the Witch God Cult.

Unexpectedly, Lin Tianzheng suddenly went to the prefectural city with Feng Yixue, the chief constable of the county.

The two got into a conflict for some unknown reason, and Lin Tianzheng actually killed Feng Yixue.

The county magistrate sent men to surround Qingfeng Temple, and eventually discovered a huge cave beneath the temple.

It houses many people who have disappeared from the county in recent years.

The official warrant for the arrest of Lin Tianzheng arrived at the town's government office last night, and a full-scale manhunt is now underway.

"Provide information on his whereabouts, and you will be rewarded with two hundred taels of silver. Take his body to the county government office, and you will be rewarded with three thousand taels of silver. If you capture him alive, you will be rewarded with five thousand taels of silver."

Zhou Qing's expression changed slightly as he suppressed his excitement.

As a result, Lin Tianzheng dared not show himself casually.

Seemingly remembering something, Zhou Qing asked:
"Master, may I ask what level of cultivation Chief Constable Feng possesses?"

"Bone Refinement complete, half-step Blood Exchange," Wei Sheng replied.

'This Lin Qiu really did conceal the truth. Or perhaps he himself didn't know Lin Tianzheng's true strength,' Zhou Qing thought to himself.

The fact that he could kill someone at the peak of the Bone Refining Realm shows that Lin Tianzheng has the combat power to that level. Even if it was a sneak attack, his strength is not comparable to that of an ordinary Bone Refining Realm cultivator.

"Master, what if Lin Tianzheng comes to town?" Zhou Qing asked again.

"What's this old guy doing in town? Is he bringing me a reward?" Wei Sheng sneered.

"That's right. In front of you, Master, what is a mere martial artist?" Zhou Qing wasn't flattering him; the person in front of him was a genuine Blood Transformation Realm Grand Martial Master.

The higher the level of a martial artist, the greater the gap becomes.

A martial artist at the Skin Refining Realm, wearing leather armor to protect vital organs and eliminate toxins and other factors, can deal with three to five ordinary people wielding weapons.

To deal with a martial artist at the Flesh Refining Realm, it would take at least two martial artists at the Skin Refining Realm working closely together.

This is still because the difference in strength between the first two levels was relatively small.

Upon reaching the Tendon Refining Realm, the fascia connects all the muscles in the body into one piece, and the speed, strength, and explosiveness surpass the limits of the human body. It possesses the strength of a thousand pounds and requires seven or eight closely coordinated martial artists in the Flesh Refining Realm to deal with it.

As for the Bone Refining Realm, being called a Martial Master obviously means a greater increase in strength.

A martial artist at the Bone Refining Realm has refined their Qi and blood, naturally generating bone strength, and easily exceeding three thousand jin in power.

The Blood Exchange Realm is already the second major realm in martial arts. Zhou Qing had never even heard of how powerful it was.

"Practice your martial arts diligently. This world is vast, and you only have hope now. Avoid arrogance and complacency," Wei Sheng advised.

"Thank you for your teachings, Master. I will remember them." Zhou Qing bowed respectfully.

"Master, is the Witch God Cult planning a rebellion by creating these drug-infused human figures? If there are too many of them, they might be difficult to deal with."

"What's there to be afraid of? At worst, we can just move back to the county town." Wei Sheng said nonchalantly.

Zhou Qing fell silent. To speak of running away so confidently, he truly deserved to be a Grand Martial Master in the Blood Exchange Realm.

"Go ahead," Wei Sheng waved his hand.

"This disciple takes his leave." Zhou Qing bowed and withdrew. Watching Zhou Qing's figure disappear at the end of the corridor, Wei Sheng's gaze gradually deepened.

In previous years, he only looked at talent when accepting students, not character. As a result, the students he devoted his heart and soul to teaching gave him a lesson he would never forget.

In recent years, he has placed more emphasis on character and temperament when accepting apprentices.

However, one's temperament is of little help in the early stages of cultivation.

He hasn't taken on any direct disciples for several years.

"I hope this kid can give me a little surprise," Wei Sheng murmured.

Zhou Qing's qualifications are acceptable, but his character is noble.

However, whether he can succeed depends on his own efforts.

Wei Sheng will only offer help at crucial moments, and will no longer be as open and honest as before.

Anyway, he still has a daughter, so even if he stops taking on personal disciples, there's nothing to regret.

Let's see how far Zhou Qing can grow; it'll be a bit of a break from his boring life.

evening.

Zhou Qing walked towards Xin'an Lane, her feet sinking into the sunset.

On his way home, a look of excitement finally appeared on his face.

"I never expected such a good thing to happen."

He was initially worried that Lin Tianzheng might come looking for him.

This is not a world where everything is based on evidence.

Who knows if there are any worms in this world that can detect lies?

If Lin Tianzheng acts unreasonably and suspects him, then there will be big trouble.

Lin Tian is currently wanted by the government. If he wants to return to Black Mountain Town, he will have to be wary of the martial artists who want to claim the reward for his head.

"As long as I continue to accumulate qi and blood and become Master Wei's personal disciple, I will have an extra layer of protection in terms of safety."

Zhou Qing felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders.

With Lin Tianzheng no longer a threat for a short time, Zhou Qing felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders.

He devoted himself entirely to martial arts training and raising Gu poison.

Another half month has passed.

That noon, Zhou Qing took half of the blood-nourishing powder and poured the other half into a large wooden tub filled with hot water. Then he took off his outer clothes and sat inside.

As the medicine gradually took effect, Zhou Qing sat cross-legged, his whole body felt hot, his face flushed, and large beads of sweat kept appearing on his forehead.

"Wow~"

After an unknown amount of time, a sound like waves came from Zhou Qing's chest. His tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and a glint of light flashed across them.

Zhou Qing felt sweat pouring down his body, and every muscle seemed to be pulsating—a feeling he had never experienced before.

He felt his blood and energy rapidly increasing.

"Wow——!"

Zhou Qing stood up from the wooden tub, and a faint outline of qi and blood cloud appeared on his left forearm.

"The fourth cloud of qi and blood has appeared."

Zhou Qing's face lit up with joy.

At that moment, a line of text appeared in his field of vision.

[Skill: Azure Water Skill]

[Progress: Level 2 (2/3000)]

[Effects: Empowers internal energy and external strength, excellent swimming ability]

"The second level of the Azure Water Technique! Could I truly be a genius at cultivating internal energy?"

Zhou Qing's eyes lit up.

Breaking through to the second level of the Azure Water Technique signifies that he is able to rival martial artists in the Flesh Refining Realm through his internal energy cultivation.

In addition, his external martial arts skills have reached the level of perfect skin refining, so his strength is definitely stronger than that of an ordinary flesh refining realm cultivator.

After all, he could break through to the Flesh Refining Realm in his external martial arts cultivation at any time.

However, his upper limit of Qi and Blood has already been broken and can continue to rise, so he is reluctant to let his external skills break through too early.

You have to train to your limit before attempting a breakthrough. This will make the subsequent tendon training much easier.

Of course, there is no such concern when it comes to internal strength.

The faster the breakthrough, the better.

(End of this chapter)