Transforming the false into the true, I am the only one in the world who possesses the true Dharma.

The palm strike was fierce, carrying a cunning and malicious feel.

Zhao Hai was taken aback at first, but after realizing what was happening, he quickly raised his knife to block, and sneered inwardly.

As a fellow low-level leader, he knew Xu Yan's capabilities.

If he remained holed up in Willow Flower Alley, he wouldn't be able to kill Xu Yan.

But once we leave Willow Flower Lane, we're back in his territory. Isn't that just courting death?

He was very confident, but that confidence shattered in the next second.

The knife is too slow.

The palm strike was too fast.

As his right palm touched Zhao Hai's chest, fine black energy surged in rapidly.

Zhao Hai's face changed drastically, turning from yellow to black.

A sharp pain surged through him, and his body flew backward, crashing into the coffee table behind him and shattering it.

When he was flipped over by inertia, he was already lying on the ground, lifeless.

Xu Yan slowly raised his hand and turned to glance behind him.

Those men who had already drawn their swords stood there, their expressions as stiff as wood.

They were terrified, never expecting that Boss Zhao would be killed with a single blow.

Xu Yan pondered for a moment: "Cut the weeds without leaving any roots."

He didn't know if any of these people were loyal subordinates of Zhao Hai.

Since we don't know, let's leave none behind.

Xu Yan swung his palms repeatedly, each strike precisely hitting the chest of one of Zhao Hai's men.

The walls, the floor, and the tables and chairs were all smashed to pieces by the corpses.

In less than a breath, apart from the three women, there was no one else alive.

Everyone was completely blackened, as if they were dead beyond dead.

Xu Yan glanced at the three women: "Let's go."

These three were kidnapped by Zhao Hai; there's no need to take their lives.

The three women felt as if they had been granted a pardon and ran away without looking back.

After they had run far away, Xu Yan looked around, his expression unchanged.

Once he killed Wang Mazi, he became accustomed to corpses.

As he said, he is extremely adaptable.

With his current identity, he is bound to fight and kill, and if he wants to live a more comfortable life, he will be even more bound to fight and kill.

Before my eyes, lines of smoke appeared, condensing into words.

[Kill Zhao Hai, and receive two taels of silver in return.]

Kill Wang Gouzi, and you will receive one tael of silver.

[Kill Chen Tiezhu, and you will receive five coins in return.]

……

[Life money: Fourteen taels]

There were fourteen people in total, and Xu Yan was given twelve taels of silver as a token of his loyalty.

Adding the previous two taels, Xu Yan now has a total of fourteen taels of life money.

Instead of immediately practicing the Bone-Corroding Palm, he turned and walked towards Willow Flower Lane.

"After killing Zhao Hai, it won't be long before the big boss Xu Tong comes looking for me. I need to be prepared."

"The Dust and Sand Gang is a large gang in Qingyang County, and it also has martial artists who have cultivated true qi."

"I need fake martial arts techniques, life money, and strength. The Dust Sand Gang is a good stepping stone."

Although the Dust and Sand Gang doesn't shy away from internal strife and fighting, it wouldn't be right for the top leader not to personally intervene after a minor leader died.

What Xu Yan needs to do is to be prepared.

Not long after, Xu Yan left Shuibo Lane.

……

On his way back, many people avoided him whenever they saw him.

A minor gang leader is no saint, so the common people naturally wouldn't dare to mess with him.

When he returned to the house, Liu Sheng was still standing at the door waiting for him.

Not long ago, Xu Yan said he was going to kill someone, and he headed towards Shuibo Lane.

He was a perceptive person and naturally knew what Xu Yan was going to do.

Liu Sheng only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Xu Yan return.

"Boss, I'm so glad you're alright."

Xu Yan pushed open the door, glanced back, and asked, "Are you concerned about my safety?"

Liu Sheng nodded hurriedly: "I was chosen by the boss from among the beggars. The boss saved my life, so of course I care. Besides, although Willow Flower Alley is dirty, the boss would never do the dirty things that Zhao Hai did, and the brothers are very convinced of that."

Xu Yan nodded slightly: "It's alright, you can go back first."

The original owner's actions were neither good nor particularly evil.

Liu Sheng glanced around and asked in a low voice, "What about Zhao Hai...?"

"Dead." Xu Yan replied calmly, closing the door. "Don't disturb me."

Liu Sheng didn't come to his senses until the door closed.

He stared blankly at the closed door, muttering to himself.

"Dead? He's actually dead?"

"Why did the boss suddenly become so powerful?"

Liu Sheng couldn't understand it, but recalling the look in his boss's eyes at the beginning, he couldn't help but shudder. Not daring to linger, he quickly left.

……

When Xu Yan returned to the house, the sun had already set.

The room was somewhat dark, with dappled light and shadow cast on the corners of the walls.

"Fourteen taels of life-saving money, I'll focus on cultivation first."

After lighting the oil lamp, Xu Yan sat in the rattan chair and pondered for a moment before making a decision.

The situation in Blackwater Street is chaotic. Without strength, it's hard to even protect yourself, let alone live a better life.

Moreover, Zhao Hai is dead, and the secret cannot be kept hidden.

The big boss will be coming soon, and he needs to have some strength to back him up.

Thinking of this, Xu Yan's heart stirred slightly, and he spent two taels of his life-saving money.

A line of smoke appeared before my eyes, coiled like a snake.

【Bone-Rotting Palm (Transcendent Realm): Minor Success → Major Success】

[Consuming five taels of life coins allows you to continue cultivation]

A flood of information entered Xu Yan's mind, and his internal energy grew significantly stronger.

Once the Bone-Corroding Palm technique is mastered, the toxin that previously required four palm strikes to unleash becomes only three.

But this is not the limit.

Xu Yan still has twelve taels of life money, which allows him to continue his cultivation.

In a flash, another five taels of life money disappeared.

【Bone-Rotting Palm (Transcendent Realm): Great Success → Perfection】

[Reached the highest level, unable to cultivate further]

As the Bone-Corroding Palm technique reached its full potential, Xu Yan sensed something different.

The true energy in the abdomen surged like a torrent, breaking through the obstruction in the lower abdomen and quickly settling in the middle dantian.

Not only that, but half of the middle dantian was filled with true qi.

Xu Yan suddenly opened his eyes and stared into the void in front of him.

[Realm: Early stage of transformation → Middle stage of transformation]

"Mid-term already? That fast?"

Xu Yan was slightly surprised, not expecting that after perfecting the Bone-Corroding Palm, he would actually reach the mid-stage.

"Following this pattern, does that mean the early, middle, and late stages correspond to the lower, middle, and upper dantian respectively?"

He had no further information about martial artists; everything was based on guesswork.

Moreover, he also had doubts. Logically speaking, the Bone-Corroding Palm should only be considered a martial art, so why could it generate true qi?

However, he had no clues, so he could put aside all his doubts and focus on improving his strength first.

After the mid-stage, the true energy spread more than twice, and the strength underwent a qualitative change.

The Bone-Corroding Palm technique also underwent a qualitative change, transforming from releasing toxins with three palm strikes to releasing them with only two.

Only now did Xu Yan relax a little.

"I need to find a new cultivation method."

Xu Yan stroked his chin, thinking to himself.

After the Bone-Corroding Palm technique is perfected, it can no longer be deduced using the Life Money.

If you want to improve your strength, you need a new technique as support, and it must be a fake technique, otherwise you can't consume life points.

With that in mind, Xu Yan decided to wait for the big boss to arrive and see how things went.

As it grew later, Xu Yan prepared to turn off the lights and rest so that he could have enough energy to deal with what was to come.

Just as he was about to blow out the oil lamp, his ears twitched and he heard a faint sound coming from the corner of the wall.