The Martial Saint, starting with daily intelligence.

Li's Pawnshop.

"Station manager, what's the matter that you suddenly need to see me about?"

"A very important person wants to see you."

"Be serious, stop joking around. A single sentence from them can change your fate. If you seize this opportunity, your destiny will be completely transformed."

Station manager Li Weimin gave a stern reminder.

His serious and tense expression, along with his solemn tone, all served as a reminder to Zhong Ming that the other party had a very powerful background and that he must be cautious and not act recklessly.

Zhong Ming didn't know what had happened, but he still nodded seriously.

"Yes, thank you for the reminder, stationmaster. Zhong Ming will definitely take it seriously."

They went to the inner courtyard room together with Li Weimin.

A stunningly beautiful woman was sitting in the main seat where Li Weimin usually sat. Her long, bright red dress accentuated her undulating figure, and her brows were filled with both heroic spirit and languid playfulness.

The long red dress couldn't cover her slender legs, revealing her fair calves and ankles, and she was wearing high heels that only Westerners would wear.

The combination of classical elegance and modern urban sophistication gave Zhong Ming a sense of returning to a past life.

"Your subordinate, Li Weimin, station chief of the Diting Hall Yanliu Station, greets Lord Fengyu Hall."

"This humble servant, Zhong Ming, greets Your Excellency, Master."

Li Weimin spoke first, both out of courtesy and to remind Zhong Ming who was in front of him.

Zhong Ming followed closely behind.

"Yes, Li Weimin, I know you. In another month and a half, you will be transferred to work under my Fengyutang."

"Work hard, and Tingfenglou will never treat you unfairly."

"Thank you for your kindness, Master. I will do my utmost to share your burdens."

Li Weimin's face lit up with joy at the opportune moment, and he quickly expressed his gratitude.

The voice of the leader of Fengyutang was gentle yet cool, very pleasant to listen to, without the slightest affectation, and particularly captivating.

The stunningly handsome hall master gave a wink and said softly.

"You can go now."

  

"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey."

Li Weimin glanced at Zhong Ming, and patted Zhong Ming on the shoulder as he left, hinting that he should do his best.

Zhong Ming, however, disagreed and even found it troublesome.

For ordinary people, being noticed by important figures is indeed a rare opportunity, and they might even rise to prominence by taking advantage of such a person's influence.

But Zhong Ming doesn't need any of that; all he needs is enough time.

No matter what prestigious family or prodigy you are, in ten or eight years, you won't even have the right to look up to yourself.

"You are indeed handsome and refined. Logically speaking, someone with your looks shouldn't be suited for intelligence work."

"But it has indeed produced quite a few results, such as the Iron Fist Club before and the Miracle Medicine a few days ago."

"You did a good job, you're a talented person."

Liu Yu lazily shifted her posture, and even though Zhong Ming, who was looking down, glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, he still felt a dry mouth.

"Thank you for your appreciation, sir. These are all my duties."

Liu Yu's languid voice rang out.

"No need to be modest. Whether it's luck or ability, it's all your own skill."

"Our Tingfeng Tower has always rewarded those who have made contributions and punished those who have committed wrongdoings."

"You are a talented person. Although headquarters has your information, you have made two great contributions in a row, so I think it is necessary to meet you in person."

"What you learn from books is never enough; someone as talented as you needs my personal oversight to be truly trusted."

After saying that, Zhong Ming suddenly felt a sense of oppression, and his body felt very resistant and uncomfortable.

This feeling is somewhat similar to the mental pressure I experienced when facing Mundo.

Simply feeling resistance and discomfort does not affect control over the body.

At the same time, Zhong Ming felt the pendant getting slightly hot, and his extraordinary power was fluctuating very slightly.

If it weren't for the warmth transmitted by the [Concealing Breath Fall], Zhong Ming probably wouldn't have noticed the subtle changes.

"Could this be the mental detection method used by a Spirit Refinement expert?"

"Didn't Mundo say that it's hard for ordinary people to detect? Is this very clear discomfort due to something special about my body? Or is the other person deliberately concealing it?"

Zhong Ming was puzzled, but he did not show any unusual behavior at the moment.

He kept his head down, waiting for instructions.

After a while, the discomfort disappeared, followed by a soft sigh from the other person.

Liu Yu spoke, her words tinged with a sigh and hesitation.

"So you've really started getting involved with the supernatural system."

"Well, everyone has their own destiny. In turbulent times, having more strength means having more power to protect oneself, which may not be a bad thing."

"Master, I am foolish and do not understand what you mean. I hope you will explain."

Zhong Ming put on a frightened expression.

"Ugh."

"Some things, once they're over, there's no need to dwell on them or feel sorry for them."

"Your current choice may not necessarily be a bad thing."

Seeing Zhong Ming's stubborn and conflicted expression, Liu Yu had no choice but to speak.

"Originally, Tingfenglou intended to train you as their ace intelligence agent and even planned to help you break through to the Qi Refining stage."

"Although his aptitude for martial arts is a bit lacking, it took him almost three years to achieve a minor breakthrough in stance training, but it's not unacceptable."

"The three realms of body tempering are: blood refining, bone forging, and marrow cleansing. All of these require painstaking effort. As long as you can break through the minor success of your stance training, reaching the peak of marrow cleansing in the future is only a matter of time."

"With the help of Tingfeng Tower, as long as you can reach the peak of Marrow Cleansing before the age of thirty, the tower still has some resources and foundation, and there are still a few Qi Gathering Pills available."

"A single Qi Gathering Pill can increase the chance of breaking through to the Qi Refining realm by 30%. Combined with the other resources in the building, it will give you at least a 50% chance of breaking through to the Qi Refining realm."

Liu Yu sighed.

"But now that you already possess extraordinary power within you, even if the building does everything in its power to help you, the chance of you breaking through to the Qi Refining stage is less than 50%."

"Therefore, the building can't help you much with martial arts; it all depends on yourself."

"But don't be discouraged. Practicing both systems makes breakthroughs more difficult, but it doesn't mean they are impossible."

"If one has great fortune, there is a chance to break through to the Qi Refining stage."

"Moreover, mastering two systems simultaneously makes you virtually invincible among those of the same level. Once you officially become a first-level transcendent, even if you are only at the early stage of Bone Forging, ordinary Marrow Cleansing martial artists may not be your match."

"If you reach the Marrow Cleansing stage in martial arts and transcend to the third level, you can even hold your own against a Qi Refining martial artist. At this critical juncture, the stronger you are, the better."

"Even if Tingfeng Tower gives you its full support, it will take you seven or eight years to reach the Qi Refining stage. As for the Marrow Cleansing and Transcendent Stage 3, as long as you have some money and basic cultivation resources, you can achieve them in three to five years if you are slow, and one or two years if you are fast."

Liu Yu offered words of comfort.

"So, you don't need to feel sorry; the current plan might be the most suitable for you."

"We at Tingfenglou never hesitate to reward talented people who have made contributions."

"I can't help you with Qi cultivation, but I still have to give you some rewards."

Choose two of these five items.

After saying that, Liu Yu waved her arm lightly, and five items suddenly appeared out of thin air on the table.

Storage item!

Zhong Ming was startled. Did this world also have storage items?

"I've never heard of that before."

Liu Yu didn't notice Zhong Ming's gaze.

Instead, he proceeded to introduce the five items on his own.

"A bottle of essence blood pills, a small bottle of spring of life, a decent lightness skill book, an extraordinary artifact—the ring blade, and an extraordinary short gun."

"A bottle of Essence Blood Pill contains ten pills. It is a superior pill to Qi Blood Pill. It can replenish Qi and blood and restore essence blood, which will help you break through the Bone Forging and Marrow Cleansing realms as soon as possible."

"The Fountain of Life is a wonderful thing from the Western supernatural system. Its main function is to heal injuries, and even to some extent, to heal hidden injuries. At the same time, it also has the effect of enhancing qi and blood."

"Foreigners generally only sell the water of life on the market, and the water of life is a dilution of the spring of life. A small bottle of the water of life can cost more than a hundred silver dollars."

"This small bottle of the Fountain of Life alone can be exchanged for at least a thousand silver dollars on the market. Whether you use it yourself or sell it to exchange for other resources, it is a hard currency no matter where you put it."

Liu Yu glanced at Zhong Ming and said.

"The third item is a cultivation technique. I heard that you don't have one yet, so I took the liberty of bringing it out."

"If you wish to learn other types of martial arts, I can grant your request."

Seeing Zhong Ming's hesitant expression, Liu Yu picked up the strange ring blade.

"This is a rare artifact forged by the Westerners' extraordinary system. Extraordinary artifacts are generally suitable for use by those at the third level of the extraordinary realm or below, but it is suitable for you."

This is a peculiar ring-shaped object with a distinct cone-shaped protrusion, resembling a tiger's finger. It would be incredibly satisfying to punch someone with it.

Liu Yu infused a wisp of true energy into it, and a miraculous phenomenon occurred: the protrusion on the object slowly extended, eventually forming a short blade more than ten centimeters long, which could be used for stabbing or slicing.

"This is the origin of the ring blade. When you inject true energy or extraordinary power into it, the protrusions on the ring blade will extend into a short blade, which is extremely sharp, but not very sturdy."

"If it is struck by a blunt object, the short blade is likely to shatter. Once it shatters, this wondrous object will be mostly ruined."

"This ring blade was originally broken. I found it peculiar, so I asked a master craftsman to reforge it for me. It's stronger than before, but you still have to be careful, as short blades are inherently fragile."

"It is precisely because it was repaired by a master craftsman that even true qi can be used to unleash a short blade."

"If it's destroyed again, there's no point in repairing it. The cost of repairing this artifact far exceeds its value, which is beyond your means."

Liu Yu held the strange object and spoke to Zhong Ming.

"And now you also possess extraordinary power, and you are able to activate this wondrous object."

"I recommend you choose this rare item. Weapons are an extension of the body, and this ring blade will not affect your fist and palm techniques. On the contrary, the sharpness of the blade will make your opponent hesitate to use it."

"Short is dangerous, and it's also discreet enough, making it perfect for intelligence operatives like you. This little gadget is quite sharp; while it might not be able to cut through iron like mud, it's not something an ordinary flesh and blood body could withstand."

As she spoke, Liu Yu pinched the short blade on it and gently sliced ​​it across the corner of the table, as if cutting tofu, and one side of the table corner was cut off directly.

"See, isn't it sharp enough?"

"If it weren't so brittle and easily broken, the value of this rare item could even rival that of extraordinary treasures."

Zhong Ming nodded, secretly quite tempted.

Zhong Ming's expertise lies in boxing and hand techniques.

I had originally thought about making a brass knuckles or gloves, but Zhong Ming's strength was too great. Even brass knuckles made of fine steel would deform slightly when Zhong Ming exerted a little force.

Furthermore, when Zhong Ming's blood and qi overflowed, the knuckle duster was shattered by the red blood and qi.

Enveloping the body in blood energy can greatly increase strength, defense, and speed, but ordinary weapons are not included in this. Moreover, these weapons made of ordinary iron are simply unable to withstand the corrosive effects of blood energy, making them quite restrictive in actual use.

This is why many Qi Refining experts rarely use weapons. Ordinary weapons are simply not suitable for them; they make them feel restricted and uncomfortable, while their own fists and feet feel more comfortable.

When true energy surges into a weapon, its power is reduced by one-third. If the weapon is of poor quality, it may even shatter on the spot.

Therefore, Qi Refining experts either don't use weapons at all, or if they do, they go straight for "Mystic Weapons"!

If you use a Xuanbing weapon, defeating someone of the same level is as easy as beating your own son.

Even the lowest-grade "Yellow-Rank Mystic Weapon" can amplify one's true qi by at least 30%. It should be noted that even the difference in true qi strength between the mid-stage and early-stage Qi Refining stages may not reach this level.

Therefore, Qi-refining martial artists who possess Xuanbing weapons can often fight against opponents of higher levels, making them extremely powerful.

Zhong Ming's blood energy is even more domineering than his true energy. The only weapon suitable for Zhong Ming is a Xuanbing (mysterious weapon), as ordinary weapons simply cannot withstand the blood energy he releases.

In addition, Zhong Ming possesses terrifying strength; he is essentially a human tank, and even a blunt weapon weighing several hundred kilograms might not be harder than his own body.

From that moment on, Zhong Ming completely lost interest in weapons.

Now that a weapon that might suit him is right in front of him, and it's so cunning, perfectly complementing his current martial arts skills, it's hard not to be tempted.

The only thing we don't know right now is how durable this thing is.

After all, Zhong Ming's current strength is over forty tons, and the force he can hold between two fingers is no less than ten tons. If this strange object cannot withstand a pressure of more than twenty tons, or the impact of violent blood energy, then its function will be quite useless.

In a real battle, Zhong Ming would never hold back his power to protect this rare artifact; doing so would be tantamount to courting death.

Seeing Zhong Ming's interested expression, Liu Yu's lips curled up slightly.

"The last extraordinary short gun was a gift from a friend; it's been over twenty years!"

"Back then, I was only at the Marrow Cleansing Realm. She gave it to me to protect myself. Now that I can't use it anymore, I guess you could say it's a waste to make use of it."

"Its effective range is only eighty meters. It can only use superhuman bullets. It has a triangular revolving magazine that can hold up to three superhuman bullets at a time. It can fire in bursts, firing all three bullets within one second."

"The power is still considerable. The wounds on those hit are as big as a bowl. However, it poses a great threat to martial artists above the Qi Refining level within 30 meters. Beyond 30 meters, it is almost impossible to hit a Qi Refining expert if they are prepared."

Liu Yu paused slightly in her speech.

"If you really encounter a master above the Qi Refining level, my advice to you will always be to run away. Although the extraordinary bullet can break through a martial artist's true Qi, you only have one chance to strike, and the margin for error is too low."

"If you miss, you're almost certainly dead!"

"At a distance of thirty meters, a Qi Refining martial artist can arrive in an instant. You might not even have fired all three bullets before they're already beside you..."