My cultivation method shines upon all heavens.

"Murder... Uncle Wang, why did you kill him?"

A clear, cold voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

He turned around abruptly and was shocked to find that Zhang Wanjun was already standing three steps behind him, looking at him calmly.

The girl wore a white dress and held a long sword. The moonlight outlined her figure as ethereal and otherworldly.

"Oops... have we been found out?"

Wang Gang ripped off his straw hat, a complex look in his eyes.

He was originally a spy planted in the government office by the Taiping Dao, and was also sent by Liu Zhiyuan to monitor the Lu family.

He thought he had hidden it very well, but he was exposed in front of a little girl.

"Since that's the case, then we'll have to start with you!"

His face suddenly contorted into a ferocious expression, and with a swift movement leaving afterimages, he arrived in front of Zhang Wanjun in an instant, his eyes filled with cold indifference and composure.

Through his observations and interactions over this period, he naturally knew that Lu Ming had been nurturing this little girl.

But if a martial artist at the Bone Forging Realm couldn't easily defeat a little girl, he might as well just find a block of tofu and kill himself.

"Hmph, blame your bad luck for following the wrong person!"

He sneered inwardly, clenched his fingers into a claw, and reached for Zhang Wanjun's delicate neck.

A strong wind rushed towards us.

Zhang Wanjun's face no longer held the smile she usually showed when facing Lu Ming; instead, it was filled with a coldness that was completely out of place for her age.

She closed her eyes slightly, and when she opened them again, her pupils had transformed into captivating golden vertical pupils!

"evildoer?"

Wang Gang's expression changed drastically, and his rapidly moving figure suddenly stopped.

He was extremely familiar with this feeling.

He finally realized where that strange feeling of being spied on came from when he was monitoring the Lu residence earlier.

Could it be... that I am a clown?

Suddenly, this absurd thought flashed through his mind.

He thought he had all the women in the Lu family under his control, but in reality, his actions had already been seen through.

At this moment, Zhang Wanjun gave him no time to think.

"Clang—!"

A loud sword cry rang out, and a flash of cold light appeared.

Her body moved like a swimming dragon, and her sword moved like a startled swan.

A white dress traced an exquisitely beautiful arc under the moonlight, and in the blink of an eye, she had passed by Wang Gang.

Her longsword was stained with blood, and her ethereal figure was otherworldly.

"You shouldn't have disturbed my peaceful life."

She murmured softly, dragging her long sword as she walked towards the gate of the Lu residence.

"Hehehe..."

Wang Gang clutched his neck tightly, blood gushing from between his fingers, staining his robes red.

His face was contorted with rage, his eyes filled with shock and despair.

He, a direct descendant of the Taiping Dao, actually died at the hands of a little girl!

"We mortals...are so powerless before such monsters..."

In his final moments, a deep sense of resentment welled up within him.

He joined the Way of Peace, scheming and plotting, all for the sake of finding a path to heaven for himself.

But Lu Ming came first, and then this little girl in front of him. He suddenly realized how ridiculous his efforts were.

"boom--"

His body fell limply to the ground, his eyes wide open, dying with unresolved grief.

In the darkness, Aunt Zhang appeared at the entrance of the alley, looking at Zhang Wanjun's back with a complicated expression.

They then quickly stepped forward and dragged Wang Gang's body away, their movements extremely practiced.

……

The next day, as the first rays of sunlight shone into the room through the holes in the window paper, Lu Ming slowly opened his eyes.

He got up, picked up the gourd from the bedside table, tilted his head back, and gulped down a mouthful of Dragon Tiger Wine.

As the wine entered my throat, the intense medicinal power, enveloped in the cool scent of moonlight, surged and rose in my stomach.

"Phew, the two-thousand-year-old Jade Dragon Ginseng combined with the bone of the Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva has doubled its medicinal effects."

Lu Ming felt the surging heat rising in his stomach and couldn't help but sigh.

Then, he subconsciously looked down into his eyes:

[Martial Arts: Sky-Piercing Palm (Low-grade Earth-level Technique; Perfected 32000/40000)]

[Martial Arts: Nine Heavens Thunder Roar (Low-grade Earth-level Skill Book; Perfected 8000/40000)]

[Martial Arts: Moon Toad Scripture (Superior Earth Book, Incomplete; Perfection 37000/40000)]

[Martial Skill: Dragon-Slaying Sword (Low-grade Earth Rank; Mastery 9000/30000)]

Within a week, with a constant supply of medicinal wine and pills, his three martial arts skills progressed rapidly.

However, the progress of the Dragon-Slaying Sword was extremely slow because it could only rely on the silent contributions of fellow Daoists from all heavens.

But ever since he taught Xiao Wanjun the "Slaying Dragon Sword", her progress has clearly improved significantly this week.

"Could it be that the Daoist Xiao Wanjun can help me accelerate my martial arts cultivation? In that case, it seems to fit the Heavenly Heart Scroll's abilities quite well."

He stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"With the help of one person, there shouldn't be such obvious progress. This situation is quite similar to when I was branded into the Dao Realm and directly connected to the other person's cultivation progress."

Thinking of this, his eyes suddenly lit up:

"Could it be that anyone whose Dao Realm I have imprinted on them will have their progress directly inherited once they begin cultivating any skill from the Heavenly Heart Scroll?"

He was in an exceptionally good mood for a moment.

If that's the case, it means that he can not only accept offerings from all living beings in the heavens, but also perfectly utilize the talents of geniuses from all realms.

From then on, the strengths of all the geniuses of the myriad realms became his strengths as well.

"No, no, meeting Wan Jun was just good luck. How could I possibly know the strengths of a prodigy like Xu Lingxian?"

"Besides, I can't exactly travel to the Supreme Great World and force people to learn a certain martial art, can I?"

He suppressed his excitement, realizing that although the potential of the Heavenly Heart Scroll was still great, it still needed to be planned slowly.

"Now, let's get my good lads sorted out."

He chuckled softly, pushed open the door, and walked outside.

……

As the sun rose higher, its scorching rays shone on the center of the training ground, making the compacted loess ground slightly hot.

In the center of the camp, the twelve deputies stood in their positions, their backs ramrod straight.

Behind them, sweat dripped continuously from the faces of the 120 Yin Tiger Guards, but their eyes were filled with excitement.

Last night's appearance of the Dragon and Tiger Ranking made them realize that their boss was actually a prodigy who could be listed on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking!

Such prodigies normally come from powerful sects or aristocratic families, and have no connection with them.

And now, they have the opportunity to follow such a figure.

Such an opportunity could not help but excite them!

Just as everyone was in a state of excitement, a sudden gust of wind arose.

Everyone's gaze suddenly narrowed, focusing entirely on the figure that had appeared on the high platform in front of them.

Lu Ming smiled, looked down at the crowd below, and slowly spoke:

"Welcome, everyone, to the Patrol Tiger Battalion."

He didn't waste any time and went straight to the point:

"I know why you've come here—either to learn martial arts and rise above others, or to find a way to survive. I've already traversed this path just like you."

Upon hearing this, the audience was immediately taken aback.

Soon, they remembered the legendary story of the centurion that had been circulating wildly the night before.

From an orphan and widow who were oppressed by powerful figures, she has come this far.

They couldn't help but feel a sense of identification that was hard to put into words.

Lu Ming glanced at the crowd below the stage and suddenly waved his hand.

Fan Wu immediately walked over to him with a wooden box in his hand and casually opened the lid.

The ingots of silver gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight, making the crowd below stare in disbelief.

They were either ordinary citizens from within the city or refugees from outside, and they had never seen such a scene before!

"I understand you. Whether you want to make money or learn martial arts to get ahead, I can fulfill your desires."

Lu Ming pointed to the gold ingot in the box and said loudly:

"This is my way of showing my sincerity. Ten taels of silver per person is your resettlement allowance, so that you can focus on your duties in the Yinhu Guard without any distractions."

As soon as he finished speaking, the audience fell silent.

Immediately, a deafening cheer surged up like a tidal wave!

"Lord Lu is mighty!"

"Thank you very much, Lord Lu!"

"I am willing to die for Lord Lu!"

Lu Ming smiled as he watched the cheers from the crowd below, and gestured with his hand:

"Of course, that is, you can pass one of my little tests."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, exchanging bewildered glances, unsure of his meaning.

Only a few people mixed in with the crowd had a slight change in expression, and quickly realized what was going on.

Lu Ming slightly raised his eyes, his tone solemn:

"Now that you've joined the Yin Tiger Guard, you are my brothers, Lu Ming's brothers."

Then, his voice turned serious:

"But I'm afraid... some of you might have ulterior motives and stab me in the back at a crucial moment!"