Set a goal, and the system takes over the body.

"Is that so?"

"Tell me quickly, what happened?"

Several disciples nearby perked up and crowded around, looking on with curiosity.

Qi Xiuyuan was also a little surprised and glanced over there.

Seeing everyone staring at him, the disciple smiled smugly: "Miss Li Yan, the top courtesan of Qingyu Pavilion, was auctioned off recently, and wasn't she bought by the prefect's son? Guess what? In the end, it wasn't the prefect's son who climbed into Miss Li Yan's bed, it was the prefect himself!"

"What?!"

"The son takes a picture, and the father goes upstairs to sleep? That's outrageous!"

"Tell me more, I love hearing this!"

"According to reliable sources, the prefect has always been afraid of his wife. If his wife shouts, the prefect has to kneel and eat in the mansion. When he learned that the prefect had actually climbed into the bed of a beautiful woman in his son's name, he couldn't stand it. Last night, the prefect's wife led people to break into Qingyu Pavilion."

"Was Miss Li Yan drowned in a pig cage?"

"I bet the prefect's wife humiliated Li Yan in public."

Upon hearing this, Qi Xiuyuan secretly raised an eyebrow.

According to Wang Heihu, Li Yan is quite skilled in martial arts, and if the prefect's wife goes to her door, she's likely to run into a brick wall.

But she deliberately hides in brothels and red-light districts; would she really dare to make a move?

Any action taken will inevitably be exposed.

If she doesn't intervene, how will she deal with the prefect's wife's accusations?

"No, no, no, you're all wrong! It wasn't the Prefect's wife who publicly humiliated Li Yan; it was Miss Li Yan who nearly made the Prefect's wife faint with just a few words!"

"What the heck?"

"No way? The wife of a prefect almost fainted from anger over a courtesan?"

"What exactly did Li Yan say?"

"Yeah, stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me!"

Everyone grew anxious and urged them on, all talking at once.

The disciple was in no hurry. He slowly scooped up a large mouthful of rice, chewing it with relish, enjoying everyone's gaze.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you! Tell me or I'll give you a taste of my iron fist!"

Someone nearby made a gesture as if to reach out.

"No, no, no, I'll tell you, okay?!"

The disciple laughed and dodged aside, clearing his throat.

"It was quite a scene back then. The prefect's wife led a group of servants in and rushed in, pointing her finger at Li Yan and cursing her, calling her a slut, a vixen, and someone who only knows how to cheat on men."

"As a result, Miss Li Yan was not angry. She just sat quietly and said calmly, 'Some things may seem vulgar, but they actually have a threshold. Madam, you are not that kind of person, and naturally you are not cut out for it.'"

He paused, mimicking that slow, deliberate tone.

"As the saying goes, not stealing and not being able to steal are two different things. Stealing is a sign of warped values, while not being able to steal might be a sign of physical impropriety. Some things require a unified set of values, but some things require physical appearance as a foundation."

A moment of silence followed.

"Pfft..."

Someone spat out a mouthful of food and choked, coughing violently.

"No way? Miss Li Yan dares to say such a thing? Isn't that openly insulting the Prefect's wife by saying she's ugly?"

"Hahaha... I can't take it anymore, my stomach hurts from laughing!"

"Has she gone mad? A courtesan, openly mocking the prefect's wife? Does she have a death wish? Do you think the prefect's wife will let her get away with this?"

"She'll get away with it!" the disciple continued. "Right after she finished cursing, the prefect's wife ordered her to be forcibly taken away. She didn't return to Qingyu Pavilion all night, and who knows what's going on with her now? Most likely, she's in grave danger."

"Are you sure this news is true? It can't be made up, right?"

"Absolutely authentic! My fourth uncle hosted a banquet for friends at Qingyu Pavilion last night; I saw it with my own eyes!"

This unexpected gossip became a source of amusement for the disciples at the dinner table, who chatted enthusiastically about it.

Qi Xiuyuan frowned slightly, and even stopped using his chopsticks to pick up food.

Having just gone from being a courtesan to a high-ranking one, she immediately confronted the prefect's wife in public, offending her to the point of no return.

It doesn't seem like something a top courtesan who's been working in the sex industry for years would do.

There's probably more to this than meets the eye.

"Tianfu City may look peaceful, but there are probably undercurrents beneath. I just hope that these messy things won't affect our Qingshan Martial Arts School."

Qi Xiuyuan lowered his head and continued eating.

He didn't want to meddle in other people's business. As long as trouble didn't come knocking, he would just listen to these romantic gossips and move on.

After noon.

Qi Xiuyuan calmed his mind, set his cultivation goals, and let the system take over his body, beginning to practice the Five Elements Stance Technique.

The Qi and Blood Realm is the realm of Ming Jin (manifest strength).

Each breakthrough in a minor realm results in a surge in physical strength, which is a significant boost to a martial artist's abilities.

The Inner Strength Realm is the Realm of Hidden Strength.

Although they seem to be only one realm apart, they are actually the first insurmountable barrier on the path of martial arts, and they take completely different paths.

Ming Jin trains the skin, flesh, tendons, and bones. The power is all out in the open. Every punch and kick relies on the opening and closing of tendons and bones and the collision of qi and blood to generate power. It is fierce and direct. When it hits a person, it will tear the skin and flesh, break bones and tendons, and injure the external body.

For martial artists in the Qi and Blood Realm, as long as they are willing to work hard and supplement their training with elixirs and nourishing blood and flesh, it is not difficult to reach the perfect Ming Jin level.

The hidden strength cultivates the internal organs, with all its power concealed in the shadows.

At this stage, martial artists no longer rely on brute force, but instead concentrate their qi and blood into their internal organs, condense it into their meridians and bones, and gather and restrain all their outward-directed strength, transforming it into soft strength.

When they strike, their seemingly light punches and palms can penetrate the enemy's body through the muscles and bones, leaving no visible marks on the outside, but damaging the internal organs and meridians.

This is the power of "hidden force penetrating the membrane and injuring the body from within".

More importantly, while Ming Jin (manifest strength) can be built up by simply working hard, An Jin (hidden strength) requires understanding the guidance of Qi and blood and the smooth flow of Qi and blood through the internal organs.

Countless martial artists spend their entire lives stuck at the peak of Ming Jin (明劲), unable to even touch the threshold of Nei Jin (内劲).

This is also why the number of martial artists in the Inner Strength Realm is far less than that in the Qi and Blood Realm.

Now that he has the opportunity to break through to the Inner Strength Realm before the Tianfu Martial Arts Tournament, Qi Xiuyuan naturally wants to give it his all.

"call……"

With control of his body restored, Qi Xiuyuan let out a long breath, fine beads of sweat clinging to his forehead.

[Cultivation Level: Qi and Blood Realm (Mid-stage, 187/300)]

[Martial Arts: Five Elements Stance Technique (Mastery, 279/332)]

"My proficiency is still growing steadily. In just a few days, I will be able to break through to the late stage of the Qi and Blood Realm. At that time, my Ming Jin will increase again, and my muscles and bones will become even more resilient."

Qi Xiuyuan clenched his fist lightly.

This feeling of being able to clearly sense the power within my body is truly comforting.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Early in the morning, a disciple rushed in from outside, his face turning pale and then red.

"Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened..."

The disciples who were practicing in the training ground all stopped and turned their attention to the direction.

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic!"

"It's...it's Senior Brother Lin Lang, he...he...he's dead!"

"What?!"

The crowd erupted in chaos.

"What exactly happened? How could Senior Brother Lin Lang die?"

"No wonder I haven't seen Senior Brother Lin these past few days. I thought he was in seclusion like Senior Brother Xu Yi. I never imagined he'd been murdered? Have they found out who did it?"

"Say something!"