37: Mid-stage Martial Master

A few days later, at night.

Qin Feng was soaking in a bathtub filled with a dense medicinal fragrance. The water temperature was scalding hot, and the medicinal power was like countless tiny silver needles, continuously piercing into his pores and drilling deep into his muscles and bones, bringing waves of soreness, numbness, and swelling pain. With his eyes tightly shut and fine beads of sweat on his forehead, he operated the Primordial Unity Qi Art with all his might, guiding the majestic qi and blood in his body to merge with the medicinal power, launching an impact against the barrier of the Mid-stage Martial Master Rank.

Inside his Dantian, that strand of Chaos-colored Primordial Unity Qi had already grown as large as a stream, rushing incessantly. However, when it hit that invisible barrier, it seemed to encounter a resilient dam; although it stirred up ripples, it remained difficult to break through in one go. The energy provided by the qi and blood pills and the tempering effect of the medicinal bath seemed to be just a tiny bit short of the required heat.

"Not enough energy..." Qin Feng understood in his heart. With a thought, he took out the blood lingzhi, which was at least fifty years old and obtained from the elderly refugee, from the System space. Without the slightest hesitation, he broke off a large piece and chewed and swallowed it.

The blood lingzhi melted as soon as it entered his mouth, turning into a torrent of blood qi that was far hotter and purer than a qi and blood pill, crashing into his limbs and bones! This power was overbearing and pure, instantly filling the final energy gap and pushing the Primordial Unity internal breath to charge toward the barrier with an even more violent posture!

At the same time, the gentle aura emitted by the warm spirit jade he wore on his chest was like a cool stream, smoothing out the mental agitation caused by the violent energy impact, allowing him to maintain a sliver of clarity and precisely control the strength and direction of the impact.

Under the majestic medicinal power of the blood lingzhi, the continuous tempering of the medicinal bath, the protection of the warm spirit jade, and the "Sword Heart" talent's ultimate comprehension of the Cultivation Technique, that resilient barrier finally let out an overwhelmed moan!

"Crack!"

A soft sound, like ice cracking, came from deep within his body!

The barrier burst open!

The Meridians were widened in an instant, and the circulation speed of the internal breath suddenly rose by a level, becoming even more surging and powerful! A sense of strength several times more formidable than the Early Stage Martial Master Rank filled his entire body; his bones hummed softly, and his qi and blood were like mercury!

Mid-stage Martial Master, achieved!

Qin Feng suddenly opened his eyes, and a sharp light shot out from his pupils like cold lightning in the dark night, only slowly receding after a long while. He let out a long breath of turbid Qi, his breath long and deep.

He called up the character panel:

[Name: Qin Feng]

[Age: 17 years old]

[Rank: Mid-stage Martial Master (Disguise: Early Stage Martial Artist)]

[Talents: Sword Heart (Elementary), Sword Bone (Elementary)]

[Cultivation Technique: Primordial Unity Qi Art (Second Layer - Entry)...]

[Status: Healthy (Internal Energy abundant, Divine Soul stable)]

Looking at the information on the panel, the corners of Qin Feng's mouth couldn't help but curl up. A Mid-stage Martial Master at less than eighteen years old! If this cultivation speed were to spread, it would be enough to shock the world. Even in the elite guard of the City Lord's Mansion, it would definitely be considered a backbone force! More importantly, he still perfectly disguised his aura at the Early Stage Martial Artist Rank, which would become his greatest trump card.

Calming his excited mood, he refreshed tonight's intelligence as usual.

[(White) The proprietress of Li's Fabric Shop in the east of the city suspects the accountant of falsifying accounts. Late last night, she checked the books personally. As a result, she flew into a rage because she couldn't understand the ledger and smashed the abacus.]

[(Yellow) 'Snowball' (a pure white Persian cat), the beloved pet of the City Lord's daughter, Young Miss Xia Xue, went missing this afternoon and was last seen near the abandoned dye house in the west of the city. The City Lord's Mansion has offered a reward of one hundred gold coins for its return. Specific location: Inside a hole under the largest dye vat in the dye house.]

[(Black) The Blood-Filled Tower's Silver Rank Assassin 'Shadow Scorpion' (Peak Late Martial Master), relying on the 'Chaos Magnet' issued by the organization (which can briefly interfere with low-level detection Formations, extremely precious, and exclusive to Silver Rank and above assassins), has successfully evaded the city gate's induction stones and infiltrated Star South City. He is currently using his specialized methods in the shadows to investigate the whereabouts of 'Ghost'. If the Host rashly attacks or exposes clues related to 'Ghost' at this moment, there is over an eighty percent probability of being targeted and counter-killed by him.]

The first two pieces of intelligence were as usual—one dramatic and one seemingly ordinary but hiding a hundred-gold reward. But the third piece of black intelligence caused Qin Feng's joy from his recent Breakthrough to instantly cool, and a chill rose up his spine.

"Black again! Over an eighty percent probability of being counter-killed?" Qin Feng's pupils shrank slightly. "Is this Silver Rank Assassin that strong? Peak Late Martial Master, and carrying a special item that can interfere with induction stones..."

He felt a wave of lingering fear. If he hadn't broken through to the Mid-stage Martial Master Rank, facing this kind of Peak Late Stage assassin who specialized in lurking and tracking, it would likely be just as the intelligence said—more bad luck than good!

"I can't rush; I must plan carefully." Qin Feng forced himself to calm down. "No matter how powerful Shadow Scorpion is, Star South City is so large that he won't be able to find me in a short time. And I have the System monitoring at all times, so I at least hold an absolute advantage in information."

The situation of the enemy being in the light and him being in the dark (relatively speaking) had not yet changed. What he needed to do now was to be even more cautious, never take the initiative to provoke, and at the same time use the System's intelligence; perhaps he could conversely grasp Shadow Scorpion's movements.

"Solve the matter at hand first." He turned his gaze to the second piece of yellow intelligence. A reward of one hundred gold coins was not a small amount, and the goal was to find a cat, which had extremely low risk. It was a good chance to stretch his muscles and bones, and by the way, see if there was a chance to get in touch with the people from the City Lord's Mansion; perhaps he could obtain some information about the outside world or the situation within the city.

The next day, Qin Feng used the excuse of going out to purchase medicinal herbs and came to the abandoned dye house in the west of the city. Weeds grew wildly here, and it was filled with broken dye vats and wooden frames. Following the guidance of the intelligence, he quickly found the largest dye vat with a hole at the bottom.

He crouched down and called softly into the hole: "Snowball? Snowball?"

A faint "meow" came from inside. He reached in and soon felt a fluffy, shivering little thing, carefully pulling it out. It was indeed a Persian cat with pure white fur and eyes like sapphires, though its white fur was currently stained with some dust, making it look a bit disheveled.

Just as Qin Feng was holding the cat and preparing to leave, a crisp and anxious female voice came from behind him: "Snowball! It's my Snowball!"

He turned around and saw a young girl in a goose-yellow dress running over quickly. The girl was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with skin as white as snow and features as beautiful as a painting. Her bright eyes were clear and lively, currently filled with pleasant surprise at finding her beloved pet. Her appearance was extremely outstanding, carrying a kind of dust-free purity and nobility that was out of place in this abandoned dye house.

"Thank you! Thank you for helping me find Snowball!" The girl ran up to him, carefully took the kitty, and held it tightly in her arms. A brilliant smile bloomed on her face, like sunlight piercing through dark clouds, making one's eyes light up.

"It was no trouble at all." Qin Feng smiled slightly and handed the cat back to her. "It was hiding under that dye vat."

"I'm Xia Xue." The girl held the cat and looked at Qin Feng curiously. "What's your name? Which family's guard are you, or..."

"My name is Qin Feng, an apprentice at Huichun Hall," Qin Feng said calmly.

"Huichun Hall? Doctor Chu's place?" Xia Xue blinked her large eyes. "I've noted it down. I owe you one this time!" As she spoke, she took out a gold note from an exquisite embroidered pouch she carried—it was for the amount of one hundred gold coins—and handed it to Qin Feng. "This is the reward, please accept it."

Qin Feng did not decline and took the gold note. "Thank you, Young Miss Xia Xue."

Xia Xue looked at Qin Feng and seemed to feel that just giving money wasn't enough. After thinking for a moment, she took out a small white jade bottle from another small silk bag at her waist and stuffed it into Qin Feng's hand. "Judging by your aura, you should be a Martial Artist too, right? This bottle of 'qi condensing pills' should be of some help to your cultivation; consider it my extra thank-you gift!"

Qin Feng was slightly taken aback; this daughter of the City Lord was quite generous and straightforward. He took the jade bottle and could feel the pure Spiritual Qi emanating from the pills inside; they were definitely not ordinary. "This... is too precious."

"Oh, just take it! Compared to Snowball, this is nothing." Xia Xue smiled sweetly, held the cat, and waved her hand at him. "Thanks again, Qin Feng! I'm leaving!" After saying that, she left like a breeze, accompanied by her maidservants and guards.

Looking at the girl's departing back, Qin Feng held the warm jade bottle in his hand and smiled helplessly. This Young Miss was beautiful and had a generous personality; she indeed made a good impression.

But he quickly shook his head, suppressing that little ripple. The daughter of the City Lord's Mansion and a medical clinic apprentice like him, the secret "Ghost," were simply from two different worlds. What's more... he thought of how Junior Sister Xiao Chun had been looking at him lately, with an increasingly undisguised gaze of reliance and closeness, and he couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache.

Matters of the heart were too complicated; for now, it was more important to focus on improving his strength and dealing with the crisis. He put away the gold note and the qi condensing pills, and his gaze became calm once again.

Shadow Scorpion was still in the shadows, and he had to be even more careful. This secret war hidden under the sunlight of Star South City was far from over.