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

Qi Wence picked up the token, examined it carefully for a long time, tracing the strange, uneven patterns with his fingers, and shook his head.

"I've never seen a token of this shape before. The patterns don't resemble any sect or government markings. Did you get this from Black Wind Stronghold?"

Qi Xiuyuan nodded.

"Um."

He unfolded the map again.

"Second Uncle, do you know where this map is?"

Qi Wence stared at the map for a long time, but finally shook his head, indicating that he had never seen it before.

The uncle and nephew chatted briefly for a few more minutes.

Before leaving, Qi Wence gave Qi Xiuyuan a special reminder.

The city of Tianfu has been quite unsettled lately, so avoid leaving the city unless absolutely necessary.

The Black Wind Stronghold that was wiped out this time not only had bandits, but also an Iron-Eating Demon Bear. The demon bear had blood-red eyes and was much more ferocious than ordinary demon bears, which was very abnormal.

Meanwhile, the Overlord Spear Martial Arts School secretly transported the corpse of an Iron-Eating Demon Bear back from the mountains, covering it up tightly and not letting out a single word.

If he hadn't had access to information, he wouldn't have known about this.

Qi Xiuyuan was secretly surprised.

Another iron-eating demon bear?

Bloodshot eyes again?

Something is very, very wrong!

According to Guan Bao, the demon in Black Wind Village was left behind and fostered by a mysterious person. What about the one he killed in the bamboo forest?

Could it have been released by the same person?

What does this person want to do?

For a moment, Qi Xiuyuan felt uneasy, as if there was a hidden scheme behind this that he hadn't seen through.

"Set a goal: find out the mysterious person's purpose."

[Target detected: Uncover the truth]

[Method 1: Win the championship at the Tianfu Martial Arts Tournament, and leave Tianfu City alone seven days later. This will lure out the mysterious person, who can be captured and interrogated under torture to reveal the truth.]

Method 2: Wait for the mystery person to reveal the answer.

Please select a method to complete the objective.

"Um?"

Qi Xiuyuan was somewhat taken aback.

The triggering condition for Method 1 is exactly the same as the condition for luring out the murderer who crippled Lin Hu.

Could that mysterious person be the murderer who crippled Lin Hu back then?

But this mysterious person could very well be a Core Formation Realm expert!

Can such a master be captured so easily?

"Whether it is true or not, the most important thing for me right now is to improve my strength. If I'm not strong enough, even if I meet the person and find out the truth, I can't do anything."

Without further thought, Qi Xiuyuan's gaze fell on the martial arts list on the system panel.

【Five Elements Stance Exercise (Completed)】

【Five Animal Fist (Complete)】

【Hundred Battles Blade (Perfect)】

【Fengshen Finger - Fragment (Mastery, 1816/3320)】

【Panshan Palm (Beginner, 100/166)】

【White Tiger Shines with Golden Blade (Beginner, 1/249)】

【Horizontal Training Bodyguard - Crippled (Beginner, 1/249)】

【Swift as the Wind (Beginner, 1/249)】

【Wave-Breaking Blade (Beginner, 1/249)】

"You can build up your Panshan Palm skill first. You can get a new Dao Fruit in two or three days. Even if it's only a ninth-grade one, it will still be the biggest boost to your strength."

Qi Xiuyuan was making plans in his mind.

"But before that, we need to get our hands on the Yin Fish Pendant. When we wear it, we can absorb moonlight to steadily provide comprehension. With higher comprehension, not only can the upper limit of cultivation be reduced, but the speed of increasing proficiency can also be increased."

"This is my ready-made cultivation accelerator!"

There's still some time before midnight.

Qi Xiuyuan set a timed goal, allowing the system to take over his body and focus all his efforts on cultivating the Panshan Palm.

In the courtyard, the wind from the palms whistled, heavy and solemn.

In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed.

Control of the body has been regained.

"Only twelve points of proficiency are gained in an hour..."

Looking at the changes in proficiency on the panel, Qi Xiuyuan shook his head slightly.

When I was practicing the Hundred Battles Blade before, I was blessed with the Long Battle Dao Fruit, and I could gain 20 points in an hour. Now that I am practicing the Panshan Palm, the efficiency is obviously much lower.

"The Panshan Palm technique is based on powerful palm strikes. If I used the Bear Form from the Five Animal Fist to activate the palm technique, would the effect be even better?"

With a thought in mind, he immediately reset his goal, using the strength of the bear form to assist in practicing the Panshan Palm with all his might.

Another hour passed.

"It really works! Fourteen points of proficiency in one hour. Although it's not a huge increase, it's definitely feasible."

He stopped practicing relentlessly and turned to look out the window.

The moon is high in the sky; it's almost midnight.

The people in the city had all gone to bed long ago; it was time to go and retrieve the Yin Fish Pendant.

Without further hesitation, he changed into a dark-colored outfit, silently scaled the backyard wall, and headed west of the city.

A cool night breeze swept through the streets and alleys, and all was quiet.

A paper lantern hangs from the sturdy old willow tree beside the ancient well, its warm glow illuminating the area around the well.

On the open stone slab ground beside the willow tree, there was a red figure, holding a red-tasseled spear, wielding it with a whooshing sound.

"Shen Feiyi?"

Qi Xiuyuan was slightly taken aback.

Shen Feiyi also noticed Qi Xiuyuan's arrival and immediately put away her gun and stood still.

"Qi Xiuyuan?"

She was dressed in a smart red outfit, her high ponytail tied with a red ribbon, and fine beads of sweat on her forehead. Her spirited appearance stood out in the night.

She looked at Qi Xiuyuan, her face full of astonishment.

"It's so late, why aren't you resting yet? What are you doing here?"

Qi Xiuyuan didn't expect to run into her here, but he remained expressionless.

"Didn't Miss Shen also stay awake?"

As he spoke, he slowly walked closer.

Shen Feiyi looked at him with suspicion.

She wasn't asleep and was here because the Baqiang Martial Arts School was nearby, and two years ago, she accidentally discovered that practicing under this willow tree made her breathing exceptionally smooth.

After returning from this bandit suppression campaign, she felt even more strongly that she was not strong enough.

When Qin Heilong attacked her, she almost died under his blade if the sect leader hadn't intervened in time. That's why she thought of coming here for some extra training.

But Qingshan Martial Arts School is not close to the west of the city.

It's really unusual for Qi Xiuyuan to come all this way in the middle of the night instead of sleeping.

Shen Feiyi didn't point it out, she just smiled gently.

"Can't sleep? Come and practice."

Qi Xiuyuan smiled and said, "Me too. I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk, and we ended up here. Would you call that telepathy?"

Shen Feiyi stared intently at Qi Xiuyuan.

Qi Xiuyuan did not look away, and looked back at him calmly.

It wasn't until Shen Feiyi was the first to avert her gaze that the situation changed.

"Ahem... Um, just a reminder, the Tianfu Martial Arts Tournament is coming up in a few days. If you run into someone from the Zhentian Martial Arts School, you'd better just admit defeat. Everyone knows you can't sense your Qi and blood, so admitting defeat isn't shameful. Don't be like you were a couple of years ago and stupidly go up there to get beaten up."

Qi Xiuyuan was slightly surprised.

Is this caring about oneself?

Previously, the original owner of this body and Shen Feiyi didn't have much interaction.

Could it be because I saved her?

"Okay, I understand." Qi Xiuyuan nodded slightly.

"I'm leaving now, but I'll leave the lantern for you to light your way."

After saying that, Shen Feiyi gripped the gun barrel, her ears burning slightly, and strode quickly toward the Baqiang Martial Arts School, her steps a few paces faster than usual.

Qi Xiuyuan watched her retreating figure and chuckled softly.

Sure enough, girls in this world are thin-skinned. Even someone like Shen Feiyi, who has practiced martial arts since childhood and has a straightforward personality, is no exception. She couldn't resist a joke and slipped away.

Now we can safely go down the well to retrieve the Yin Yu pendant.

"Set a goal: to retrieve the Yinyu Pendant without being detected."