From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

"It's not that easy after all."

In the Lijin Hall, Chen Shi sat in his seat with his hands clasped together and loosely placed on his lower abdomen. After more than an hour, he opened his eyes and let out a soft sigh.

Tempering essence and blood is indeed not that easy.

Aside from the initial breakthrough when all the blood and energy infused into the divine body, producing a single drop, only one more drop has condensed in the past few days.

To reach the level of "abundant essence and blood," at the current pace, it will probably take several years of painstaking effort.

Only when the amount of essence and blood reaches a certain level can one advance to the fifth rank. The "surging essence and blood" is precisely this threshold!

And this is all under the premise that Chen Shi has abundant blood and qi, and his speed of condensing essence and blood far exceeds that of ordinary people.

Under normal circumstances, it would take an ordinary martial artist at least ten or twenty years of hard work to advance from the sixth rank to the fifth rank!

By this calculation, one would be around forty or fifty years old by the time they reach the fifth rank.

Having immersed himself in martial arts for half his life, he truly deserves the title of "Grandmaster".

Thinking of this, Chen Shi couldn't help but frown.

Feng Ji was only in his thirties when he broke through to the fifth rank. Regardless of his character, he was indeed exceptionally talented in martial arts, truly deserving of the title of the Feng family's finest horse.

But so what? No matter what, Chen Shi will not let Gu Hanying marry Feng Ji!

Stop thinking about it, adjust your breathing, and start practicing Changchun Gong.

This martial art doesn't have specific moves; it's simply a method for circulating blood and qi. Chen Shi has a background in medicine and is familiar with the human body's meridians and the flow of qi and blood, so he didn't find it difficult.

I reckon that even without the help of the little nun Ruru, she could become proficient within a month.

"If there is any emergency, send a message to Jinwu Lane."

After lunch, Chen Shi gave a brief instruction to the servants at the Lijin Hall before leaving the Marquis's residence.

He left the city alone without taking a car.

With the release of the "Leaving the Bow Step," he shot off like an arrow, heading straight west.

As one advances to the sixth rank, one's blood and qi become increasingly robust, and one becomes more adept at using various martial arts techniques, with their power becoming increasingly evident.

In a short while, they arrived at Broken Soul Ridge, thirty miles away.

The Broken Soul Ridge is surrounded by cliffs on three sides, with only a narrow path leading up to it on the south side. Chen Shi, too lazy to go around to the south, used his Aerial Crossing technique to ascend directly from the eastern cliff.

A mountain stronghold stands not far away, and figures can be faintly seen moving about.

"...My lord!"

After taking only a few steps, two boys jumped out of the bushes. When they saw that it was Chen Shi, their faces lit up with excitement.

"Our lord is here! Our lord is here!"

He quickly came to his senses and excitedly ran back to the mountain village.

Chen Shi shook his head helplessly and continued walking towards the mountain stronghold.

When they arrived at the gate, they saw hundreds of people standing in the open space, each with their heads held high and their backs straight.

The youngest was twelve or thirteen years old, and the oldest was sixteen or seventeen, led by seventeen adult men.

"Greetings, my lord!"

Upon seeing Chen Shi enter, they all shouted in unison, their voices echoing throughout the entire Broken Soul Ridge.

Immediately afterwards, they all knelt down on one knee, placing their right fists in front of their chests.

Looking at these people, Chen Shi appeared outwardly calm, but inwardly he felt quite embarrassed.

The title "Lord" feels rather unfamiliar.

But there was nothing they could do; these people insisted on calling him that.

These were not bandits from Broken Soul Ridge, but orphans adopted by Chen Shi during the suppression of the rebellion. They were brought in one after another, and before they knew it, the number had reached eight hundred!

With so many people, it would be too conspicuous to place them in the city, and there aren't enough houses to live in them.

Chen Shi couldn't help but think of the mountain stronghold of Broken Soul Ridge, so he decided to settle them there.

After the war ended, there were still seventeen infantrymen who were willing to follow Chen Shi, so he simply arranged for them to come over and take care of and teach these children.

We usually teach them martial arts to strengthen their bodies, just as the little nun Ruru said, and wait for the right time!

"Get up, everyone."

Looking at the crowd kneeling on the ground, Chen Shi forced himself to maintain his composure and gently raised his hand.

Upon hearing Chen Shi speak, everyone stood up, their eyes burning with anticipation as they looked at him.

Besides gratitude, there was also admiration in those eyes!

Next, surrounded by the crowd, Chen Shi toured the mountain stronghold, offering a few words of advice and concern to everyone before the children were willing to disperse.

In the end, only Zhang Yong and Zhao Meng, two of the seventeen infantrymen, remained in the main hall.

Among the seventeen, the two of them were the strongest and relatively steady in their work, so Chen Shi put them in charge of Broken Soul Ridge for the time being.

"From today onwards, you will begin to teach these children how to nourish their blood."

Chen Shi sat down and took out the superior-grade blood-nourishing martial arts manual.

"yes!"

The two men couldn't contain their excitement as they received the manual from Chen Shi.

Trusted and entrusted by Chen Shi, they were willing to give their lives to show their loyalty, and they worked diligently every day, training the children without daring to slack off in the slightest.

But it's just ordinary training, so the achievements are limited.

Although they were also martial artists, the martial arts they practiced all had a history, and they dared not easily pass them on, for fear of causing trouble for Chen Shi.

Chen Shi's delivery of this martial art at this time was truly timely.

"Rest assured, my lord! We guarantee that within a year, we will train all of these people to become ninth-rank martial artists!"

The two took a deep breath and solemnly pledged their commitment, as if they were making a military pledge.

"it is good."

Chen Shi nodded, a smile appearing on his face.

Eight hundred ninth-rank martial artists, once he joins the army, will surely become a great help!

"Cultivation consumes a great deal of physical strength, so we must make sure these children are well-fed, and they should eat plenty of meat. Don't worry about spending money."

Finally, Chen Shi gave some instructions and then got up.

Zhang Yong and Zhao Meng nodded and wrote it down one by one.

After leaving the mountain stronghold, they descended the mountain from the eastern cliff, using the "Leaving the String Step" technique. By the time Chen Shi returned to the city, it was only late afternoon.

It was time to finish my shift in another hour, so I decided not to go back to the Marquis's residence and went straight home to Jinwu Lane.

"If only you had come back sooner, Chief Du and the others had just left."

Cui Nong came out and helped Chen Shi take off his coat while smiling and saying.

"What brings them here?"

Chen Shi took the towel, wiped his face and hands, and casually asked a question.

"They didn't say what it was about. They left when they saw you weren't there, only saying they'd come back tonight."

"Um."

Chen Shi nodded, thinking it was probably nothing serious.

They're just street gangs, what big deal could they possibly cause?

After changing into more comfortable clothes, I continued my cultivation.

Two hours later, it was completely dark, and Cui Nong had already prepared the meal.

Chen Shi's cultivation had been extremely taxing, so he first took two Nourishing Pills before going to eat.

"Master, Chief Du and his men have arrived."

Just as we sat down, a maid came in to report.

"Perfect, let them come directly here."

Chen Shi nodded and gave an instruction.

Cui Nong got up and went to the backyard by herself.

"Big brother!"

A moment later, the three of them came in together and bowed to Chen Shi in greeting.

"Sit down and eat with us."

Chen Shi waved his hand, gesturing for the three of them to sit down.

The maid brought over three sets of bowls and chopsticks, and the three of them sat down without any formalities.

Du Yueming stood up again and poured wine for Chen Shi.

"What's wrong?"

After drinking two cups, Chen Shi asked a question.

"It's not a big deal."

The three exchanged glances, and Du Yueming spoke.

"Recently, a new gang called the Weak Water Gang has appeared on the streets."

"The Weak Water Gang?"

Chen Shi frowned. What a terrible name.