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

A search party, composed of people from the martial arts school, happened to pass under the big tree where Qi Xiuyuan was hiding. The light from their torches shone through the gaps in the leaves, flickered, and then moved away.

Qi Xiuyuan concealed his breath to the utmost.

Gradually, the search sounds faded into the distance.

The surroundings became completely quiet, with only the chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves in the mountain wind.

Time passed slowly, the night grew deeper, and the mountain breeze became cooler.

"Oh no! There's a demon here!!"

"Don't be afraid, everyone, there are many of us!!"

"Surround them!!"

Loud shouts, accompanied by the sounds of clashing weapons and strange demonic howls, came from the direction of the Black Wind Stronghold.

Qi Xiuyuan, who was lying on a tree branch, suddenly opened his eyes, sat up and looked towards the main village, where he could still see flames shooting into the sky.

His brows furrowed slightly.

"A demon? Black Wind Stronghold has been entrenched here for years, and they still harbor demons?"

Monsters are far more dangerous than bandits.

Ordinary martial artists simply cannot handle it.

Qi Xiuyuan couldn't help but feel a chill for his second uncle and the others.

Just as a sense of unease began to rise in his heart, he heard rustling sounds coming from the bushes not far away, which were rapidly approaching him.

Qi Xiuyuan immediately composed himself, suppressed his distracting thoughts, and stared intently at the bottom of the rock wall.

Not long after.

A dark figure crept out from the low bushes, covered in blood and dirt, with a wound on his arm, and wearing a soldier's uniform.

"Huh? Why is it a soldier?"

Qi Xiuyuan was somewhat taken aback.

The soldier stopped in front of the stone wall, turned his head to look in the direction of the main village, and spat fiercely.

"Bah! A bunch of bastards! You think you can catch me, your grandpa? Go ahead and waste your time with that demon. I'm not playing along!"

The soldier was cursing and swearing when suddenly his whole body tensed up, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

"Oh no, an ambush!"

Before he could even see what it was, a sharp gust of wind rushed up to his head.

The soldier reacted extremely quickly, suddenly ducking and rolling to the side.

Qi Xiuyuan swooped down from the tree at a speed comparable to an owl swooping down on a mouse. Even if his fingertips only grazed the back of the opponent's shoulder, the power of the Divine Finger would instantly penetrate.

The soldier froze instantly, his rolling motion abruptly halting. He remained frozen in a strange half-kneeling, half-lying position.

His blood and qi were as if they were tightly bound by invisible chains, exhibiting a strange cycle that could not be mobilized at all.

He tried to open his mouth, but was shocked to find that his throat was blocked, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Qi Xiuyuan landed steadily, his bronze mask covering his entire face, revealing only a pair of calm eyes.

"Are you Guan Bao?"

The soldier's expression changed.

Finished!

We've met a master!

Guan Bao felt a chill run down his spine, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

He never expected that even after disguising himself like this, he would still be caught.

Is this a sign that Heaven is going to destroy me?

Damn it!

From the change in the other person's eyes, Qi Xiuyuan had already gotten the answer he wanted. He then reached out and searched Guan Bao's body, and sure enough, he found several items.

A thick stack of silver notes, totaling five thousand taels.

An old manual with a blue cover, the title of which is "The Technique of Changing Form and Gathering Qi in the Mountains and Seas".

Finally, there was a yellowed sheepskin map with winding routes drawn on it and marked with symbols that were difficult to understand.

"Is this Guan Bao's opportunity? Could it refer to this map?"

Qi Xiuyuan frowned slightly, a hint of doubt in his mind.

"Set a goal: seize Guan Bao's opportunity!"

[Target detected: Opportunity to seize Guan Bao]

The opportunity is already in your hands; there's no need to seize it.

"It really is this map."

Qi Xiuyuan murmured to himself.

He had thought that waiting for Guan Bao would yield some incredible treasure, but all he got was a secret manual, five thousand taels of silver, and this map that seemed to have no use.

With a flick of his finger, Qi Xiuyuan released the seal on Guan Bao's throat.

Guan Bao felt a sudden relief in his throat and quickly suppressed his panic, speaking cautiously: "Friend, may I ask which sect you belong to? I am Guan Bao, the third leader of Black Wind Stronghold. If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me. I will certainly bring generous gifts to apologize in person in the future."

Qi Xiuyuan didn't respond to his question, but simply picked up the map: "What's this?"

Guan Bao didn't rush to answer. Instead, he asked, "If I tell you, would you spare my life?"

"Are you trying to bargain with me?"

Qi Xiuyuan's tone became a bit more serious.

"No, no, I wouldn't dare."

Guan Bao quickly put on a smile, composed himself, and began to confess honestly.

"I obtained this map by chance. There was originally a black token with it, but the boss took the token away, so I secretly hid this map. As for where it is, it looks completely unfamiliar, and I really don't know."

Qi Xiuyuan's heart stirred.

The black token that Guan Bao mentioned should be the one he obtained from the treasure box.

It turns out these two things are together.

Good guy.

Fortunately, I stayed behind to wait for Guan Bao; otherwise, I would have missed half of the opportunity, and it would have been completely wasted.

This thing should rightfully belong to me!

"How is Black Wind Stronghold doing now?" Qi Xiuyuan continued to ask.

Guan Bao looked somewhat uncomfortable, and said with a pained expression, "Brother, it's really awkward for me to be lying like this. Could you please untie me first, and we can talk slowly? I promise I won't run away!"

"Do you think you have the right to negotiate with me?"

Qi Xiuyuan's voice turned colder.

Guan Bao immediately cowered, forcing a smile and saying, "No, no, it was my fault for being so talkative. I'll tell you, I'll tell you. The stronghold has been breached by government troops. The chief was seriously injured and managed to escape in the chaos. Some of the brothers are dead, some have fled, and some have been captured. Black Wind Stronghold is gone."

"What's the deal with the demons in the mountain stronghold?" Qi Xiuyuan asked again.

Guan Bao stammered, "That was... not long ago, a mysterious master entrusted the demon to our mountain stronghold. Later, the master left and instructed us to take good care of the demon and wait for him to come back to retrieve it. The stronghold is gone, and before I left, I released the demon so that I could escape in the chaos."

"Who is that mysterious person?" Qi Xiuyuan continued to ask.

"I really don't know!" Guan Bao quickly denied it. "Only the boss knows, but I'm sure that the expert's identity is extremely extraordinary. Even the boss, who is so domineering, treats him with utmost respect."

Where did that person go?

"How would I know? How could such a big shot like him possibly know the whereabouts of a nobody like me?"

"What else do you know about that mysterious person?"

Guan Bao thought for a moment and added, "He seems to know how to refine pills. He even gave the chief a Ming Gu Pill, saying that as long as we help him raise that demon, we will have great fortune in the future."

"And also, he's very strong!"

"That night, he had just arrived at the mountain stronghold. The chief was about to draw his sword to question him when he was sent flying several feet away with a single move, almost losing his meal on the spot."

"Later, that man took out a pill and gave it to the chief, and in just half a day, the chief's injuries were healed."

Qi Xiuyuan frowned even more deeply.

Qin Heilong is a master of the Bone-Ringing Realm. Although the exact number of rings is unknown, he was able to withstand the combined attack of several Bone-Ringing Realm masters, so his strength is definitely not weak.

Such a master was actually knocked away by that mysterious person in one move?

Could that mysterious person be a Core Formation Realm expert?