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

The disciple was panting heavily from running, and it took him a long time to catch his breath, clutching his knees.

"The government... The government officials went to an old alley in the back street this morning. They said that a neighbor reported that they smelled a strong, pungent stench coming from inside. The officials kicked down the door and found the body of Senior Brother Lin Lang inside, along with more than a dozen other bodies."

"Upon identification, those people were from Black Wind Stronghold, one of whom was Wang Heihu, the second-in-command of Black Wind Stronghold."

"The second-in-command of Black Wind Stronghold?!"

Everyone gasped, their eyes widening slightly.

"Yes, the specific cause of death will only be known after the coroner completes the autopsy, but the news has already spread far and wide."

Qi Xiuyuan stood under the corridor, his brows furrowed slightly.

How is that possible?

The discovery of Wang Heihu and the others' bodies was entirely expected, but Lin Lang's body was disposed of by him and his father alone, and was not found in the back alleys.

This is clearly a scene deliberately created by someone.

Who is it?

Are they government officials?

Or who?

Qi Xiuyuan and Qi Qingshan had previously discussed that they did not intend to make Lin Lang's betrayal public.

After all, Lin Lang's older brother is Lin Hu.

Lin Hu's bones and muscles were crippled, which was already a huge blow. If he were to learn that his younger brother had betrayed the martial arts school and was expelled from the school, the blow would only be greater.

Even if he inevitably learns of his death in the end, at least he'll feel better without the stigma of "betrayal."

Now, someone has found Lin Lang's body and thrown it back into the crime scene.

It's obvious there's a conspiracy.

Did the person who did this witness the father and son committing murder?

"Senior Brother, we absolutely cannot let Black Wind Stronghold get away with this! We must avenge Senior Brother Lin Lang!"

The disciples, filled with righteous indignation, swarmed around Qi Xiuyuan, each clenching their fists and their faces full of anger.

"Everyone, please don't panic. Let's wait for the official announcement from the government," Qi Xiuyuan said in a deep voice.

Although the disciples were still angry, they all nodded and suppressed their anger.

But no one expected that at noon, the government would post a notice saying that the bandits of Black Wind Stronghold and Lin Lang had fought to the death, disregarding the disparity in their cultivation levels, and hastily closed the case.

This speed and this attitude are really unusual.

Inside the Aoyama Martial Arts School.

Qi Qingshan tapped his fingertips on the table, his face icy and grim.

"These corrupt officials are clearly doing this on purpose. They want to provoke a feud between our Green Mountain Martial Arts School and Black Wind Stronghold, using us to weaken Black Wind Stronghold's strength. At the very least, they can restrain the other side, or even fight to the death."

"Xiuyuan, announce to the public that your second uncle and I have gone into seclusion and have strictly ordered all disciples not to leave the city to seek revenge. We will not let Black Wind Stronghold go after we come out of seclusion. Just make a show of our stance and make it look reasonable on the surface."

Qi Xiuyuan nodded.

The Qingshan Martial Arts School shouldn't be a tool for the government; instead, it should be at the forefront, tackling the tough nut of Black Wind Stronghold.

On that day, Qi Qingshan really went into seclusion.

His injuries had already healed. He originally planned to wait until Qi Wence came out of seclusion and was able to take charge of the martial arts school before taking the Golden Sun Cleansing Pill and going into seclusion in peace.

Now that this has happened, I might as well go into seclusion ahead of schedule.

……

In the back hall of the prefectural government office, the air was filled with the fragrance of incense.

Zhao Yanzong, dressed in plain clothes and holding a teacup, listened to his subordinate's report, and his expression darkened slightly.

"Seclusion?"

He snorted coldly, slamming his teacup on the table with a soft, moderate sound.

"Hmph! So this is the Green Mountain Martial Arts School. They don't want to be my blade, do they?"

The chief constable, Zhu Ju, standing below, bowed and cupped his hands in greeting: "Sir, should we give them a warning?"

"This matter is not urgent."

Zhao Yanzong waved his hand and slowly sipped his tea.

"Qingshan Martial Arts School has been at the bottom of the rankings in martial arts competitions for the past two years and is about to fall into the bottom tier. But Qi Qingshan is, after all, a master of the Eight-Bone Ringing Technique. If we really push him too far, it won't do us any good."

"Isn't Guan Bao, the third leader of Black Wind Stronghold, always targeting Zhentian Martial Arts School and Changhong Escort Agency? Then let's start with Zhentian Martial Arts School and use them to weaken Black Wind Stronghold's power."

"As for the other martial arts schools, hmph, I have my own ways to make them all obediently become my blades."

Zhu Ju quickly bowed and replied, "Yes, sir! I will make the arrangements immediately."

Zhao Yanzong stood up, walked to the window, looked up at the drifting clouds in the sky, and frowned slightly.

"Who could have killed Wang Heihu?"

……

At the Qingshan Martial Arts School, in the training ground.

Many disciples were holding their breath, practicing their skills in silence. The usual noise was much less, and the atmosphere was somewhat somber.

"That's so boring. I still prefer when Master takes us into the mountains to practice killing techniques and fight wild beasts. That gets my blood pumping."

"Me too."

"Let's not think about it for now, let's focus on honing our skills."

Just then, a commotion came from outside the courtyard gate.

"It's a breakthrough! It's a breakthrough!"

"What breakthrough?"

"It's Senior Brother Xu Yi! He's broken through to the Inner Strength Realm!"

"What?!"

The crowd was taken aback at first, then surged forward, surrounding Xu Yi, who had just entered through the main entrance, in layers upon layers.

The previously somber atmosphere finally showed a hint of joy.

"Senior Brother Xu, you've really broken through to the Inner Strength Realm?"

Everyone looked at Xu Yi with excitement.

Breaking through from the Qi and Blood Realm to the Inner Strength Realm is the transformation of visible strength into hidden strength, concealing one's sharpness within clumsiness.

Success leads to a concentrated inner strength and a significant increase in power.

If one fails, the five internal organs will be damaged, and the qi and blood will be severely depleted.

Some martial artists at the Qi and Blood Realm were so afraid of the serious consequences that they dared not attempt to break through the barrier.

He could see his fellow disciples successfully pass the test and break through to the Dark Force realm.

A sense of confidence inexplicably rose in everyone's hearts.

Xu Yi, dressed in clean and tidy clothes, exuded a much calmer aura and nodded to everyone with a happy expression on his face.

"Well, thanks to Master's guidance, I finally lived up to his expectations and managed to break through to the Inner Strength Realm. Fellow disciples, as long as you work hard, you will definitely have a chance too."

As he spoke, he glanced around and noticed that everyone's expressions were strange, which puzzled him.

"What's wrong with you all? You all have such sullen faces."

"Senior Brother Xu..." a disciple whispered, "Senior Brother Lin Lang... he's dead. They say he was killed by those bandits from Black Wind Stronghold."

"What?!"

Xu Yi's expression froze instantly, and he stood there stunned.

He glanced at the crowd and spotted Qi Xiuyuan not far away, then quickly walked over.

"Senior Brother, Junior Brother Lin... he's really dead?"

Qi Xiuyuan nodded.

"Yes, the martial arts school has already sent someone to check, and it is indeed Junior Brother Lin."

"My father and second uncle have both gone into seclusion. This matter needs to be discussed in detail. The leader of Black Wind Stronghold is a master of the Bone-Ringing Realm, and he also has many experts of the Inner Strength Realm under his command. We cannot confront them head-on at the moment. Once my father and second uncle come out of seclusion, they will definitely make Black Wind Stronghold pay the price."

Xu Yi clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white, his eyes filled with rage.

"Black Wind Stronghold! I will make you pay for your crimes in blood!"

"Junior Brother Xu, you have just broken through to the Inner Strength Realm. First, consolidate your cultivation. Once your realm is stable, give other junior brothers and sisters some pointers when you have time. As for the Black Wind Stronghold, we'll talk about it after my father and second uncle come out of seclusion," Qi Xiuyuan said in a deep voice.

"Yes, Senior Brother!"

Xu Yi cupped his hands in a fist salute.

With Qi Qingshan and Qi Wence both in seclusion, the affairs of the martial arts school, big and small, naturally fell to Qi Xiuyuan's shoulders.

Although in the eyes of his fellow disciples, he was still the senior brother with mediocre talent who had not even touched the threshold of the Qi and Blood Realm after ten years of hard work, no one dared to disobey him.

Now, even Xu Yi, who has broken through to the Inner Strength Realm, listens to his every word.

The other disciples had no objections.

"Practice diligently, all of you."

Qi Xiuyuan nodded to everyone and turned to go back to the side courtyard.

"We've finally calmed all the disciples down, and Xu Yi's breakthrough has also reassured them. Now, it's time to look for some clues."

"Set your objective: find the mastermind behind the plot to move Lin Lang's body!"

[Target detected: Find the mastermind behind the conspiracy]