The First Sage of Military Strategists

Chapter 86 Deathmatch and the Slaying of the Barbarians (Sixth Update)
Early the next morning.

Before dawn, Han Qing got up and began meditating on the Zhige Jing (a classic text on stopping war) in his room.

Although progress was slow, Han Qing could still feel the growing power of the divine thought within the temple.

He feels genuinely satisfied as long as there is progress.

"Young master, Miss asked me to take you to have breakfast. Please follow me!" Xiao Qing's gentle voice came from outside the door.

"Okay, I'll be right there." Han Qing got up and went out, following Xiao Qing to the fourth floor of the central pavilion.

In the wing room.

Qi Yan sat in a chair with many pastries laid out in front of her. In her hand was a bowl of dragon beard noodles, the noodles mixed with shrimp, exuding a fresh and fragrant aroma.

"Han Qing, sit down, come and eat noodles!" Qi Yan said with a smile.

A maidservant stepped forward and served Han Qing a bowl of shrimp and dragon beard noodles. Facing Qi Yan, Han Qing gradually lowered his guard, picked up a mouthful of noodles, and put it in his mouth. He found it very chewy and fragrant.

"Han Qing, have you been settling in well at the manor these past few days?" Qi Yan remained as carefree as ever, with a piece of mung bean cake stuffed in her mouth, her words muffled.

"Habits are not enough with just martial arts training. I need some real combat experience. Are there any death row inmates in Hengshan City whose martial arts are comparable to mine? I want to spar with them to increase my combat experience," Han Qing pondered.

Qi Yan seemed unaware of the murderous intent surging within him, and he didn't intend to bring it up.

“There are plenty of death row inmates, but since they are all death row inmates, the fights will definitely be brutal. If you are not afraid, I can arrange a death match for you regularly,” Qi Yan said.

"Okay." Han Qing nodded seriously, picked up a piece of pastry from the table next to him and put it in his mouth. It was smooth and sweet.

...

After breakfast, Qi Yan moved quickly. In just half an hour, Han Qing was brought to a large courtyard in the mansion. A burly, one-armed man was bound by iron chains, his eyes fixed on the distance.

Qi Yan patted Han Qing on the shoulder and laughed, "Although Hengshan City has government offices, my father has the final say from top to bottom. Even Governor Zhang's words have no effect. Transferring a death row inmate here is not a difficult task for me."

This person has undergone four transformations and is an elite member of the barbarian tribes in Sichuan. He is a formidable fighter and a suitable opponent for you.

Just fight with all your might, killing him is fine too. Besides, unless your life is in danger, I won't interfere.

"Alright." Han Qing's eyes burned with fighting spirit.

This big man was a typical barbarian in appearance, with brown skin and a large frame, which is typical of most barbarians.

"Man Jiu, I keep my word. You beat him, so I'll let you live for another month!" Qi Yan yawned and shouted loudly.

“Alright,” Man Jiu said in a deep voice.

A soldier stepped forward to untie his iron chains. With Qi Yan and hundreds of armored soldiers in the courtyard, and experts lurking in the shadows, they weren't afraid of him, a mere fourth-level martial artist, resisting.

Man Jiu warmed up his fists and feet for a while, then took a spiked club from the weapon rack next to him.

Barbarians are naturally strong and prefer to use heavy weapons such as hammers, clubs, and axes.

Han Qing drew his sword, stepped forward, and stood opposite him.

Man Jiu looked at Han Qing with a glint of longing in his eyes. As long as he could beat Han Qing, he could live for another month. Who would want to die if they could live?
"kill!"

With a loud shout, Man Jiu suddenly charged towards Han Qing.

Han Qing's heart was filled with murderous intent, but also with a hint of anticipation.

On his way to Hengshan City, almost all of his martial arts skills were pushed to their limits, greatly enhancing his combat power. He wanted to test just how much this improvement would be.

When Man Jiu charged to within a dozen steps of him, Han Qing moved. With the enhancement of the Limit-Breaking Wild Goose Technique, his body shimmered with azure light. He seemed to transform into azure phantom, suddenly taking a step forward and flashing to Man Jiu's side, unleashing a slash.

Man Jiu also brandished his spiked club, creating a gust of wind.

But Han Qing's blade was faster; before Han Qing could fully raise his mace, Han Qing's blade had already slashed down.

Ding!
Man Jiu's arm trembled, and the spiked club fell to the ground, instantly opening the central gate wide.

Han Qing turned around and struck again, the blade flashing across his throat, severing his head and sending it crashing to the ground.

Man Jiu's heavy corpse fell to the ground face up, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Han Qing sheathed his sword with almost no effort.

Qi Yan clapped her hands: "Beautiful! Han Qing, the sword technique you used should be the Hundred Cracks Blade, which is most commonly used in the yamen. However, your sword is faster and more ruthless. I have never seen anyone practice the Hundred Cracks Blade to such a level. It seems to have a sense of innovation and originality. Could it be that you have improved this sword technique?"

"Indeed, several sword techniques have been improved." Han Qing nodded slightly.

With Qi Yan's sharp eye, this was indeed impossible to hide.

Qi Yan's eyes lit up: "Your martial arts talent is even higher than I imagined. Not bad. I see you're still not satisfied, so I'll find you a few more barbarian death row inmates."

"Good." Han Qing was delighted. Death row inmates were always a good thing, as they could improve his combat skills and also plunder soul points to convert into proficiency.

So, Han Qing spent the entire morning fighting with the barbarians.

At noon, he killed the fifth tall and thin barbarian with a single blow.

All five were fourth-level martial artists. Although they all died within five moves, it was still a great drain on Han Qing's stamina. At this moment, sweat was rolling down his forehead, and he was quite exhausted.

"You've fought five people in a row, and you're panting heavily. Let's call it a day. From now on, I'll arrange a deathmatch for you every three days," Qi Yan said with a smile.

"it is good."

Han Qing sheathed his sword. Although he was tired, he felt very satisfied. With a thought, five soul light spots appeared faintly around the Seven Killings Stele in the void space of his mind.

"With these five points of light, my martial arts realm can continue to grow rapidly!" Han Qingxin thought to himself.

...

in the afternoon.

After lunch, Han Qing had fully recovered his strength.

In the training ground of Chunhui Courtyard, Mu Dachun, Li Tai, and the fierce young man Liu Xiaofeng were all practicing martial arts diligently.

Han Qing arrived at an open space nearby, closed his eyes slightly, and began to absorb the soul light points he had plundered that morning.

As the first spark of soul light dissipated, numerous fragmented images surfaced in Han Qing's mind.

He saw Man Jiu hunting in the deep mountains, tearing tigers and leopards apart with his bare hands and eating the meat raw. He saw barbarians tying the people of Shu to wooden frames and burning them alive. He also saw Man Jiu charging on the battlefield, only to have his arm severed by a Shu warrior with a single blow.

After a few breaths, the scene faded away, and a large number of martial arts techniques appeared in front of Han Qing, including a fourth-level training method called Blood Moon Skill, which had reached 82% proficiency; a third-rate barbarian sword technique called Departing Wind Slash, which had reached perfect proficiency; and a low-level staff technique called Mountain Wolf Staff, etc.

After a moment's thought, Han Qing chose to inherit this sword technique and the Blood Moon Skill.

"The Blood Moon Technique can be used to accelerate the improvement of the Ink Jade Technique. As for the Departing Wind Slash, it's not needed for now, so we might as well keep it for later and convert it when we learn more advanced sword techniques," Han Qingxin said.

Most of the barbarian martial arts are very rudimentary. This Wind Slash is not even as good as the Hundred Crack Blade. However, Man Jiu's other martial arts skills are not worth his attention, so he can only choose this sword technique.

(End of this chapter)