16: Give the steps, count the points and then wake up

“So it was Lang Chong. Hall Master Lang has also arrived here. It seems your North Dipper Gang truly intends to wage an all-out war with my Vajra Sect today?”

Lang Chong, the Hall Master of North Dipper Gang's Tianshu Hall, was specifically responsible for managing and utilizing the North Dipper Gang's talent. He was a close friend of Bei Tong. In Wei City, one was ruthless and the other insidious, truly a pair of wolves in cahoots.

He had originally followed Bei Tong, but arriving a moment late, the situation had already reached its current state. Both sides were now in a difficult position. The two Gangs had outwardly maintained peace for over a year, not interfering with each other. The key was that both Gang leaders' minds had been taken over by the Mountain Spirit. If they were to start a war now?

But neither side could back down first; it concerned the Gang's Face. Lang Chong stepped forward to support the struggling Bei Tong and immediately sensed that his condition was not right. The old man, being so astute, immediately saw the problem. He immediately asked, “Hall Master Bei doesn’t look very well. Will he be alright? Who can explain to me what happened today?”

At Chen Cuo's signal, Hong Feng recounted everything that had happened in detail to everyone present, even informing them about Chen Cuo and Bei Tong's fist-and-palm clash, in addition to Chen Cuo's rampage inside the house.

Hong Tu also recovered and revealed the news of Chen Cuo killing He Fan.

This greatly shocked Fan Wufeng. It was understandable that He Fan, being of the same Realm as Chen Cuo, was not Chen Cuo's match. But Bei Tong was a Lian Zang Realm Martial Artist, and after exchanging a palm strike with Chen Cuo, he seemed to have been seriously injured. For a moment, Fan Wufeng didn't know how to react!

However, at this point, not taking advantage of the situation would be a disservice to himself.

So he immediately said, “So, Hong Tu gathered North Dipper Gang members to abduct someone on my Vajra Sect's territory, and my disciple was forced to retaliate. Hall Master Lang, do you think this is correct?”

These words were practically an open challenge. Even Lang Chong, who was mindful of the Gang leader's orders, could no longer hold back. With Chen Cuo seemingly gravely injured, and only Fan Wufeng, that old fossil, remaining—though he was renowned in his youth, Lang Chong was not necessarily afraid of him now.

Lang Chong said in a deep voice, “Hehehehe, Old Man Fan, you’ve gone too far with your joke. If your disciple doesn't give the North Dipper Gang an explanation today, then you all can just stay here!” Immediately, he took out a pill from his embrace and gave it to Bei Tong. Bei Tong's complexion immediately improved significantly, and both of them looked eager, rubbing their fists and palms, ready to fight again.

This made Fan Wufeng also uncertain for a moment, but in the current situation, both sides lacked a way to back down. Just then, Chen Cuo suddenly burst into a loud laugh: “Hahahahaha, though I don’t know what explanation Hall Master Lang and Hall Master Bei want from me, for today's matter, Second Lord Hong and I are both at fault. I apologize here and offer 100,000 taels of silver notes as compensation to the North Dipper Gang. Is that enough?”

The laughter was full of vigor, shaking the heavens and earth, carrying with it defiance and recklessness.

But at this moment, Chen Cuo was staring fiercely at Hong Tu and Bei Tong. Fear emerged in Bei Tong's eyes, while Hong Tu was filled with terror.

Lang Chong began to ponder. From Chen Cuo's appearance, he clearly wasn't injured, still full of vigor and very arrogant.

He was also a bit uncertain. Whether Chen Cuo was truly fine or just putting on a brave front, given Bei Tong's poor condition, it was not advisable to escalate the conflict at this moment. In light of Chen Cuo's “voluntary submission,” it could be considered that both sides had a way to back down.

He then turned his gaze to Hong Tu, with a hint of displeasure. This time, a leader had died. Although He Fan himself was useless, greedy, and incompetent, he was still a member of the North Dipper Gang, and he died because Hong Tu caused trouble. Now, it was up to Hong Tu to respond.

What could Hong Tu do? He could only nod silently. He really wanted Lang Chong to continue being tough, but Bei Tong had already subtly mentioned the Gang leader's order: everything was to prioritize finding the Mountain Spirit, and no major conflict with the Vajra Sect should occur.

“You killed He Fan, so you need to add another 100,000 taels of silver,” Lang Chong said to Chen Cuo.

“Alright!” Chen Cuo didn't haggle and immediately agreed.

“However, I'll pay it in three months. After I return, I'll send 50,000 taels to the North Dipper Gang first.”

100,000 taels of silver was an astronomical sum that ordinary Gang members could never earn in a lifetime. For a regular leader like He Fan, his monthly salary was at most five taels of silver. As for Hall Masters like Bei Tong and Lang Chong, due to the North Dipper Gang's decentralized System, they could earn around 500 taels a month.

But for someone like Old Master Fan, the Vajra Sect only gave him 200 taels a month, with the majority going to the Gang leader. If he didn't secretly siphon off funds, the Old Master wouldn't be able to support his many old brothers. This shows how much Fan Wufeng valued Chen Cuo; the money Chen Cuo gave him was ten times what the Vajra Sect could provide.

For Chen Cuo, earning money was not an issue; the key was having the means to protect his wealth, which was Martial Power. If he had revealed those rare goods a year ago, he would probably be in some dungeon now, toiling day and night until all his value was squeezed dry.

Upon hearing Chen Cuo's affirmative reply, the killing intent in Lang Chong's eyes intensified. Bei Tong had already transmitted a message to him, clearly explaining the details of their fight. This brat Chen Cuo had strength, knew when to advance and retreat, and was ruthless. He would surely become a major hidden danger to the North Dipper Gang in the future and had to be eliminated.

Lang Chong snorted coldly, reining in the killing intent in his eyes, and said, “Alright, in that case, Old Man Fan, take your people and leave. Hong Family Fort doesn't provide meals!”

Once the price was settled, the tense atmosphere from before vanished. The accompanying brothers from both sides, seeing that a fight wouldn't break out, put away their weapons. Chen Cuo then led Hong Feng, found Ding Xiang, and returned with the Old Master.

People in the Jianghu value trustworthiness; without it, one cannot stand. There was no need for further guarantees; Chen Cuo would naturally send the 200,000 taels of silver to the North Dipper Gang. Otherwise, what awaited him would be ruin. Money, power, and reputation were still indispensable to him now. Money was resources, power was security, and reputation was the Foundation of power.

“You little brat, all you do is cause trouble! If I hadn't arrived in time, you would have turned everything upside down, wouldn't you?” Fan Wufeng said, somewhat angrily patting Chen Cuo, though a smile was more evident on his aged Face.

Fan Wufeng's subordinates had already taken Hong Feng and Ding Xiang to settle down. Those older uncles expressed their admiration for this young fellow Chen Cuo, noting his decisive actions, loyalty, and, most importantly, his strong abilities—he was just like Fan Wufeng in his youth.

“Master, don’t you know me? How could I be someone who causes trouble? The North Dipper Gang made the first move in all of this. If my strength wasn’t formidable, you, old man, might not have seen me today.” Chen Cuo twisted his body, coughed twice, and put on a pained expression.

Bei Tong was, after all, a Cultivator of the Lian Zang Realm, and the North Dipper Seven Kill Fist was also extraordinary. The innate Iron Body Skill was like a damage-reducing shield, but Bei Tong's accompanying fist aura carried penetrating true damage. Although the damage was reduced by 30%, his skin defense was completely ineffective; the opponent's external Qi directly attacked his internal organs.

Fan Wufeng sighed and said, “In the Jianghu, one is not their own Master. People will do anything for profit. But you, young man, truly surprise me. I gave you the Iron Body Skill, and in just a few short months, it seems you've achieved Major Achievement, right? And your strength is so great, could it be innate Divine Power?”

“I don’t know, maybe!” Chen Cuo slowly revealed the information. “Ever since I Cultivated to the Bone Refining Realm, I've felt my strength growing. If I use my full power, I can reach 5,000 jin.” This was the truth, but only half of it.

A glimmer of hardly noticeable surprise flashed in Fan Wufeng's eyes. He quickly asked, “Cuo'er, is what you said true?”

“Of course, it's true!” Chen Cuo nodded.

“Excellent, excellent! The Legacy of my Vajra Sect has hope!” Fan Wufeng muttered excitedly in a low voice. Then he said to Chen Cuo, “You should go back and recover from your injuries for the next two days, then come find me later.”

A strength of 5,000 jin was unattainable for some weaker Acquired Realm Martial Artists, let alone those in the Lian Zang Realm. Except for Body Refining Martial Artists who specialized in Body Refining, most Martial Dao Cultivation focused on Qi rather than strength, relying on various internal True Qi to dominate.

Finding a naturally gifted person with Divine Power among low-level Martial Artists was no easier than finding a needle in a haystack.

And Fan Wufeng possessed an internal Cultivation Technique that he hadn't even passed on to Fan Ming. Chen Cuo originally thought Fan Wufeng knew Fan Ming's lack of character, so he didn't pass it on. But now, seeing the Old Master's excitement upon learning that he possessed 5,000 jin of strength, it was clear that the Cultivation Technique required sufficient strength, and Fan Ming was not qualified, nor were Lei Wen or Lei Wu.

The reason Chen Cuo possessed such immense strength was due to the perfect cultivation of the several Cultivation Techniques he practiced. The System's proficiency record allowed him to mobilize every ounce of his body's strength, without the slightest waste.

Chen Cuo vaguely agreed and returned to Jingshui Street with the others. After boiling and taking two doses of medicinal herbs for healing, his body finally recovered.

He then opened the System panel again, looking at the various messy messages that popped up, and then checked his own information.

[Chen Cuo]

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Age: 22 / ∞

Cultivation: Bone Refining Realm

Skills: Six Harmonies Saber (Body and Saber as One), Badao Technique (1410 / 3000), Shadow Shifting (2865 / 5000)… Liu's Brewing Recipe (221 / 500), Incense Making Skill (80 / 100)

Cultivation Techniques: Unnamed Cultivation Method (True Spirit Undying), Iron Sand Palm (Invincible Iron Palm), Iron Body Skill (Iron Body), Great Boundless Ocean Skill (668 / 8000), Seven-Colored Treasure Bottle True Force (500 / 7500), Spirit Demon Five Animal Play (Serpent Form: Serpent Demon Skin Refining Fist 1500 / 1500, Tiger Form: Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist 1500 / 1500, Crane Form: Spirit Crane Spreading Wings Fist 315 / 2000.)

Fate Points: 23 → 68

Chen Cuo couldn't recall how many people he had killed, but the System had summarized everything, adding 45 Fate points, and the proficiency of the Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills used also increased significantly.

Two days later, Chen Cuo's injuries were completely healed. At the same time, a message appeared on the panel again.

“Badao Technique (3000 / 3000), Perfection.”

[Do you want to Awaken the Badao Technique talent?]

Without hesitation, Chen Cuo made his choice.

Instantly, 5 Fate points were deducted, and an inexplicable sensation appeared on his body. A part of the Qi within his body began to gather behind him.

On his back, a strange space suddenly appeared, or more precisely, a scabbard.

[Congratulations, Host, for Awakening the talent “Body Sheath.”]