From the fusion of Tongbei Quan to the Longevity Martial Saint

Gu Changyuan didn't say much, his gaze lingering on Fang Qing's face for a moment.

He nodded slightly, then walked towards the dozen or so braised pools where the fighting had just been most intense.

At this time, nearly a hundred so-called salt bandits were lying next to the brine pool.

Some of these salt bandits had already turned into corpses, lying stiffly on the ground.

The majority of the others were seriously injured, lying on the cold ground groaning.

It is estimated that in another hour or two, as the temperature continues to drop in the latter half of the night, these severely wounded salt bandits will soon suffer from hypothermia and turn into a pile of stiff corpses.

Finally, Gu Changyuan returned to Tian Zhan's position.

He looked down at the wound on Tian Zhan's neck.

Then he flipped open Tian Zhan's palm and looked at it.

For a master like Gu Changyuan, he could immediately estimate Tian Zhan's cultivation level just by looking at the calluses on the opponent's hands.

Gu Changyuan raised an eyebrow; this was the second time he had felt surprised since arriving at Fang Qing's place.

How could he not see that Fang Qing was only at the third level of Body Tempering?

Based on the calluses on Tian Zhan's hands from years of sword practice, he had estimated that Tian Zhan was at least at the fourth level of Body Tempering.

As far as he knew, Fang Qing, the head of the saltworks, had the highest cultivation level in the entire salt field.

"Did you kill this expert at the fourth level of Body Tempering?"

Gu Changyuan turned to look in Fang Qing's direction.

Fang Qing knew he couldn't hide it any longer, so he quickly cupped his hands and said:

"I only managed to kill him by sheer luck."

The next moment, after thinking for a moment, he took Tian Zhan's steel knife from behind his back and raised it above his head with both hands:

"This is the steel knife I found on him."

Fang Qing didn't know whether the steel knife could be considered evidence, so he dared not keep it to himself.

Gu Changyuan waved his hand slightly:

"We, the salt patrol guards, are only here to investigate salt bandits. You can simply accept this steel knife."

To be honest, Gu Changyuan didn't really think much of Tian Zhan's steel knife.

Furthermore, Fang Qing, a mere cultivator at the third level of Body Tempering, was able to turn the tables and kill a master at the fourth level of Body Tempering.

Whether by trickery or other means, this is Fang Qing's own skill.

Such a young man has a bright future, and he doesn't want to antagonize someone like Fang Qing.

Gu Changyuan then looked at the round pine logs that the more than one hundred able-bodied men from the salt field had thrown down from a distance.

Most of the round pine logs are still stuck directly into the ground.

He pulled a round pine log from one of the corpses.

One end of the round pine log was cut very sharply, and there were even barbs on it that were embedded in the flesh.

Even if you pull it out, it will leave a huge bloody hole.

This caused Gu Changyuan's pupils to shrink sharply.

"That hidden weapon is ruthless! Most people couldn't use that kind of technique!"

Gu Changyuan's assessment of Fang Qing has reached a new level!

He also used hidden weapons.

He had never seen such a primitive yet powerful hidden weapon before.

Following the trajectory of the flying logs, he looked towards the area surrounded by several brine pools.

Immediately, I saw that very conspicuous watchtower just a few dozen meters away.

Especially on the most obvious watchtower, there's a simple version of a searchlight made by polishing discarded iron discs.

"Lord Fang, what is this?"

Even Gu Changyuan, a member of the Salt Patrol Guard, had never seen anything so strange.

Fang Qing immediately instructed Yang Zhi to light the torch.

He personally demonstrated to Gu Changyuan how to use the searchlight.

"Simply adjusting the distance between the torch and this iron disc will allow you to focus or disperse the light."

"When the light is diffused, it's suitable for searching for targets over a large area;"

"When light converges, it can directly target a single object."

"Have the ground personnel follow the direction of the beam of light to keep a close watch on the enemy, making it impossible for him to escape."

When Gu Changyuan saw Fang Qing demonstrate this simple version of the searchlight, his face flushed with excitement.

Without a word, he took the torch handle from Fang Qing's hand.

Following Fang Qing's instructions, they quickly began to operate the simple version of the searchlight.

Just as he said, in the dark, this simple version of the searchlight was simply the best tool for locating enemies.

After a long while, Gu Changyuan finally suppressed his excitement.

Gu Changyuan solemnly cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Fang Qing:

"Brother Fang, could we, the salt patrol, make a deal with you? Could we take this searchlight back with us?"

When Gu Changyuan first came here, he was only doing so with the intention of upholding the law impartially.

He only saw that Fang Qingnian was relatively young, but his martial arts cultivation had reached the third level of Body Tempering, and he had even directly killed Tian Zhan, a master of the fourth level of Body Tempering.

Although it is unclear how Fang Qing killed Tian Zhan despite being of a higher rank,

To Gu Changyuan, this was simply an overestimation of Fang Qing's abilities.

After all, Gu Changyuan could also do it if he had planned ahead.

But when he saw the searchlight, Gu Changyuan was truly moved.

He was willing to set aside his status as a salt patrol guard and associate with Fang Qing, who was of the same generation.

The reason is that their salt patrol team desperately needed the searchlights designed by Fang Qing.

"Brother Fang, to be honest, the most dangerous thing for us salt patrol guards is fighting those salt bandits at sea."

Rivers, lakes, and seas operate without any artificial lighting at night.

"Even with a lantern hanging at the bow, it can only illuminate about five or six meters in front of the boat; the rest of the area is completely dark."

"We encountered salt bandits. They took advantage of their small boats, which made them easy to turn around, and used their agility to maneuver on rivers, lakes, and seas to deal with our salt patrol."

"Many of our brothers have suffered great losses and lost their lives on these waters."

As he said this, a look of pain flashed across Gu Changyuan's face.

Many of his friends from the same period lost their lives when they were fighting against salt bandits at sea.

"Brother Ke Fang's searchlight has solved our urgent problem."

At this moment, Gu Changyuan stroked the reflector of the searchlight that Fang Qing had made from discarded iron.

One can imagine that if they had this simple version of the searchlight while patrolling the sea in the future, it would undoubtedly give these salt patrol guards a pair of eyes that could locate the enemy.

Those salt bandits, relying on the small size and maneuverability of their boats, as well as their familiarity with the waterways,

A roundabout strategy, launching a surprise attack on them.

As long as Fang Qing fires his searchlight, the enemy will have nowhere to hide.

Then, they can use focused light to lock onto the enemy, so how could these skilled salt patrolmen not wipe out the salt bandits?

Seeing that Gu Changyuan was interested in the searchlight he had designed, Fang Qing immediately waved his hand and said boldly:

"If you are interested in this searchlight, sir, you may take it."

There are still a few scrap iron discs in my warehouse.

"How about I immediately have our experienced workers at the saltworks make a few more of the same type of searchlight for the adults?"

Seeing that Fang Qing agreed, Gu Changyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The next moment, he solemnly cupped his hands to Fang Qing.

He even bowed deeply.

"Then I, Gu Changyuan, will thank Lord Fang on behalf of the brothers of the Salt Patrol."

"Furthermore, I, Gu Changyuan, and Lord Fang hit it off immediately, so there's no need for us to address each other as 'Lord Fang'."

I am a few years older than Brother Fang. If you think highly of me, please call me Brother Gu, what do you say?

Gu Changyuan genuinely wanted to befriend a younger brother like Fang Qing.

Especially since Fang Qing immediately agreed to his request and even offered to make several more sets for Gu Changyuan.

This boldness was quite in line with Gu Changyuan's temperament.

Fang Qing hadn't expected that this searchlight would make such an unfathomable expert like Gu Changyuan value him so much.

The Salt Patrol Guard was arguably the highest official authority in the entire Lianghuai region.

With a friend like Gu Changyuan, he will surely have a foothold in the Huaihe River region in the future.

"Brother Gu, please accept my bow."

Gu Changyuan couldn't help but burst into laughter and quickly helped Fang Qing up by supporting his shoulders.

The next moment, Gu Changyuan took out two porcelain bottles from his pocket.

"After I hand over this searchlight to the Salt Patrol Guard, I believe that Lord Lin, the Salt Patrol Censor of Yangzhou, will reward you accordingly."

However, I'm not sure what kind of reward it is yet.

"Now that you're at the third level of Body Tempering, you'll need some resources for your cultivation. Here are two Qi Gathering Pills; please keep them for now."

"I'll come find you again after I receive the reward from Salt Inspector Lin."

Fang Qing was in dire need of cultivation resources at the moment, so upon hearing Gu Changyuan's words, he did not refuse and directly reached out to take them.

The moment Fang Qing's hand touched the two porcelain bottles, the golden interface trembled slightly.

[Qi Gathering Pill, increases stamina by +150, awaiting absorption...]

Fang Qing's pupils contracted; the Qi-replenishing pill could increase stamina by 50 points.

The Body Tempering Pill that Fang Lingsu gave him could increase his stamina by 100 points.

But even these two things combined are not as good as the Qi Gathering Pill that Gu Changyuan gave him.

You start with 150 stamina points.

Two bottles of Qi Gathering Pills equal 300 stamina points.

This is the elixir that Fang Qing can find that can best enhance physical strength.

Gu Changyuan was very generous to himself.

Seeing that Fang Qing had accepted the two Qi Gathering Pills, Gu Changyuan patted Fang Qing's shoulder with satisfaction.

With a serious expression on their faces, they said:

"By the way, you're only fifteen or sixteen years old now. You should reach the third level of Body Tempering as soon as possible, or you should reach the fifth level of Body Tempering."

Once you reach the fifth level of Body Tempering, you can participate in next year's martial arts examination.

This wasn't the first time Fang Qing had heard about the martial arts examination.

He immediately asked:

Why do all martial artists yearn for this martial arts examination?

At this moment, Gu Changyuan patiently explained to Fang Qing:

"Only by participating in the martial arts examination and obtaining the title of Martial Arts Graduate will you be qualified to enter the Immortal Sect..."

"Without joining the immortal sect, the path of martial arts is futile..."

……