I can enjoy the Mythic card pool all to myself

"Very good, very good..."

"Since you're going the same way, young hero, we can look after each other on the road."

Ma Dao was overjoyed upon hearing this and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The journey to Xiangyang City is long and will take at least one or two months.

Normally it wouldn't be a problem, but now that we've offended the Third Night, the journey ahead is fraught with unpredictable dangers.

Having a highly skilled young swordsman by my side would be the best thing ever.

Fang Chang smiled but remained silent, his mind focused on the control panel...

[Limited-Time Summoning Pool • So Close Yet So Far]

[Remaining days: 60 days]

[Includes the following treasures: The Ends of the Earth (Purple), Light Steps on Water (Purple), Solitary Journey Across Ten Thousand Miles (Blue), Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada (Blue), Flying on Grass (Green), Floating on Water (Green), Soaring Above the Clouds (Green)...]

[Single draw: 10 Merit Points; Ten-draw: 100 Merit Points (Guaranteed Green Excellent)]

As he agreed to accompany them, the words "[Midnight (Defection)]" on the faction list quietly changed to "[Tianya Escort Agency]".

"It seems that most of the characters in this 'Close at Hand, Far Away' card pool are related to light-footed movement techniques."

"It's a pity there's only a sixty-day deadline. I wonder if I'll be able to draw 'Sky's Edge' and 'Lingbo Steps,' which are unparalleled lightness skills and movement techniques of purple quality."

Fang Chang thought to himself, his eyes darting around.

Among the various martial arts styles in the martial arts world, there are naturally differences in their levels of skill.

In his card pool, all martial arts techniques and even rare treasures are categorized by color:

White (common), Green (excellent), Blue (rare), Purple (epic), Gold (legendary), Red (mythical).

The half of the "Scripture of the Dead" that he is currently practicing is a beginner's guaranteed bonus, a rare blue martial art that grants instant enlightenment.

However, even something as powerful as the "Book of the Dead" is merely a blue-level martial art.

It is easy to imagine just how precious the even rarer purple martial arts techniques are.

In the martial arts world, blue-level martial arts techniques are extremely rare and can only be possessed by renowned masters.

As for purple epic martial arts, they are only controlled by powerful forces such as the Three Religions, Five Sects, and Eight Schools.

Ordinary martial artists may spend their entire lives trying to grasp the basics.

But the lengths are different.

As long as the good deeds are sufficient...

Let alone purple, he has a chance to draw even legendary or mythical martial arts!

"Commander Yang will not let this go easily; he will come knocking again sooner or later, before midnight."

"I've been needing a skill to escape, and this has come at just the right time."

"But my bones and muscles are completely useless; I wonder if it will affect my practice of lightness skills..."

Thinking of this, Fang Chang frowned slightly.

Yang Qianhu's palm strike broke the original owner's bones, rendering him a complete cripple.

He appears unharmed at this moment, but in reality, his path in martial arts has been completely severed.

For martial artists, muscles and bones are fundamental.

The ninth grade of Yi Jin (Muscle/Tendon Transformation), the eighth grade of Yi Gu (Bone Transformation), and the seventh grade of Yi Sui (Marrow Transformation) are all about cultivating the tendons, bones, skin, flesh, and internal organs.

The ninth level of tendon training increases tendon length by one inch, and lifespan by ten years.

At the eighth level of bone training, for every pound the bones weigh, one's strength increases by ten ounces.

But now...

Fang Changda's tendons were all broken, and his pride was completely shattered.

Whether it's training tendons or refining bones, the path forward is already blocked.

Ordinary martial arts involving muscles and bones cannot even reach the basics.

This is why, at midnight, only a pseudo-martial artist was sent to hunt down this ninth-rank martial artist.

In Yang Qianhu's eyes, he was probably already a useless person who had lost all his martial arts skills.

Without a fortuitous encounter, one is destined to remain at the ninth rank in this life, with no further advancement.

A complete overhaul is now urgently needed.

I only hope this trip goes smoothly, that it will allow me to be reborn and rebuild my foundation.

Fang Chang's eyes were deep and mysterious, clearly indicating that he had already planned this out.

His earlier statement to Ma Dao about seeking a sect to become an apprentice, which happened to be on the way to Xiangyang City, was not untrue.

His apprenticeship was a pretense; his real purpose was to rebuild his strength and resilience!

In the original owner's memories, there was more than one way for a ninth-rank martial artist to improve their cultivation: tendon training.

What is the Nine-Rank Tendon Strengthening Technique?

The term "Yi Jin" (易筋) literally means "change" or "transformation."

Ordinary martial artists use martial arts to temper their own tendons and meridians, a process known as Yi Jin.

But there is an even more domineering and sinister shortcut...

Reinforcement!

By plundering the meridians of other martial artists, demons, evil spirits, and mythical creatures for one's own use, one can ascend to the heavens in one step and directly achieve the perfection of the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing) technique.

Similarly, the Eighth Grade Bone Transformation Technique can also replace bones, completing a complete transformation.

However, this road has many hidden dangers.

Since it's not one's own body, the weakness of the strength is a minor issue; the biggest fear is rejection.

If rejection occurs, the martial artist may lose control on the spot and turn into a demon.

However, these hidden dangers are not insurmountable.

Once one learns the corresponding esoteric techniques, one can perfectly integrate the bones and muscles of different species and completely transform them into one's own.

For example, Buddhism, one of the three major religions, has a very famous book called the Yijinjing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic).

It is said to cleanse the meridians and marrow, reshape the body, and perfectly transform the tendons and bones.

However, these kinds of secret techniques have always been closely guarded secrets of various sects.

Fang Chang currently has no such method.

But he had no other choice.

With his bones and muscles completely broken, the only path he can take to return to the martial arts world is the path of demonic martial arts.

As for the secret methods of Yi Jin Jing, things will naturally straighten out when the boat reaches the bridge.

Who knows, one day it might just be drawn directly from the gacha pool.

A few days ago, the original owner received some information...

"In the lower reaches of the Liusha River, dragons and serpents lurk."

"Our journey to Xiangyang City happens to pass through the downstream area; perhaps we could give it a try."

Fang Chang had already made up his mind.

Of all the demons and monsters in the world, none are more suitable for transforming one's body and soul than dragons.

Whether it's a snake or a dragon, they all belong to the dragon family and can be used to refine dragon tendons and bones.

If this can be used to transform his bones and muscles, it will not only transform him completely, but may even improve his physical aptitude to a higher level!

As Fang Changzheng pondered to himself...

Ma Dao and the others had quickly treated their wounds and tidied themselves up.

They were all seasoned veterans, quick and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.

At midnight, they piled all the corpses of their own dead together and burned them completely.

The innkeeper was caught in this unexpected calamity and was afraid of being implicated and punished, as well as being silenced.

She could only cower behind the counter, trembling, not daring to breathe.

In the end, Ma Duxiu couldn't bear it, so he gave her a sum of money and ordered her to leave overnight, find another place to reopen the inn, and never come back.

"Young hero, there's no time to lose, let's set off immediately."

"The rain hasn't stopped yet, which will wash away the blood and traces on the road, making it easier for us to escape."

Ma Duxiu bowed respectfully, his face pale, and his brows furrowed with exhaustion.

The group of镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) had been traveling all day and were exhausted. They had originally planned to rest here for the night, but this unexpected turn of events forced them to continue their journey through the rain overnight.

Fang Chang, who was being chased by the police in the middle of the night, was not in much better shape.

Now there is no other choice.

"Walk."

Fang Chang spoke succinctly and put on a bamboo hat.

Outside, the rain was pouring down.

The caravan had only one carriage to transport the coffin, so the group had to brave the rain, trudging through the deep water until they gradually disappeared into the dark night.

……

Not long after the group left.

Outside the inn, figures carrying umbrellas and long swords at their waists approached silently.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning tore through the night sky, instantly illuminating the cold, menacing iron faces.

The leader wore a gold-embroidered iron mask and a bright red official robe. His skin was as white as jade, and his eyes were as cold as ice.

Inside the inn, the fire from the corpses was still burning, and the stench of burning flesh and blood mingled together.

Was it the work of Guijianchou, or was it done by someone else?

Whoever dares to kill someone at midnight will only meet with death.

Her nose twitched slightly as she sniffed the lingering scent in the air, her cold eyes suddenly locking onto the direction the group had gone.

"The stench of blood hasn't dissipated; they can't have gone far... Chase after them!"