26: Chapter 26 Flesh Realm

In the morning, Lin Qing spent over two hours cultivating his remaining basic martial arts to the Realm of Perfection.

Unsurprisingly, when Lin Qing cultivated the Basic Blade Technique to Perfection, his Basic Spear Technique also automatically reached the state of Perfection.

Moreover, it wasn't just the Basic Spear Technique; Moves he had never practiced before also appeared in his mind—Whip Techniques, Hammer Techniques, even halberd and Axe Techniques, and more.

He opened his panel.

[Host: Lin Qing]

Realm: Mortal (Breakthrough Time: 19 days)

Fused Cultivation Techniques: Mountain-Suppressing Pile Art, Coiling Dragon Pile Style (Expand)

Recorded Cultivation Techniques:

Body Control Rating: Mortal Grade Limit

Recorded Martial Arts:

The basic martial arts on the panel had all disappeared; he had already fully mastered and integrated all the basic Moves.

Now, various Health-Nourishing Techniques and Stance Trainings operated automatically, and there was no longer a need to learn any mundane martial arts. For the next period of time, he had nothing left to do.

Thus, in the days that followed, Lin Qing lived a leisurely life in Qingyang County, passing his idle time.

He first sought out several restaurants with the best reputations in the county town that he had never visited, tasting the local specialties one by one, from savory and flavorful braised beef to soft and delicious osmanthus cakes.

Sometimes he would take a stroll by the lakeside at the east end of the county town, watching the shimmering water and the weeping willows along the shore. Occasionally, he would find a quiet tea stall, order a pot of coarse tea, and sit quietly for an afternoon, savoring the rare tranquility.

When the mood struck him, he would also wander through the secondhand market in the west of the county town, looking at all sorts of miscellaneous small items, listening to the shouts of the vendors and the idle chatter of passersby, feeling the mundane bustle of the Mortal world.

Amidst his recreation, Lin Qing did not forget to replenish his cultivation resources. Midway through, he went to the black market to purchase ten catties of Vicious Beast meat; no accidents occurred.

In this way, the relaxed and pleasant days flashed by, and more than ten days quietly passed.

One morning, just as Lin Qing woke from his dreams, he sensed an abnormality in his body. A large amount of black, viscous, and pungently foul-smelling Impurities seeped from his pores. A faint crackling sound came from his bones and muscles, and a surge of Qi and blood, far more majestic and vigorous than before, surged endlessly within him.

He had broken through!

There was no earth-shattering phenomenon, no powerful leaking of aura; the hurdle to becoming a First-Order Martial Artist was crossed silently just like that.

Lin Qing felt a surge of joy. He immediately got up, walked quickly to the well in the courtyard, drew several buckets of water, and washed himself thoroughly from head to toe, rinsing away all the filth.

After changing into clean clothes, Lin Qing walked to the bronze mirror and looked at himself, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

In just one night, his height had increased by nearly half a head. His originally somewhat youthful face had completely shed its immaturity, his features becoming more rugged and defined; he now looked like a young man of eighteen or nineteen.

His Qi and blood surged like the tide, and his body was filled with inexhaustible strength. His internal power had more than quadrupled compared to before the Breakthrough, and his skin had become increasingly tough.

Lin Qing immediately focused his mind and summoned the System panel.

[Host: Lin Qing]

Realm: Skin and Flesh Realm (Breakthrough Time: 360 days)

Fused Cultivation Techniques: Mountain-Suppressing Pile Art, Coiling Dragon Pile Style (Expand)

Recorded Cultivation Techniques:

Body Control Rating: Mortal Grade Limit

Recorded Martial Arts:

The Realm column on the panel clearly displayed 'Skin and Flesh Realm,' and the Breakthrough time had changed to 360 days.

The Stance Trainings Lin Qing cultivated were originally First-Order techniques, so he was not surprised that he could continue to Breakthrough.

The Breakthrough time also far exceeded the records of this country. The Great Xia Country had never seen a Martial Artist who broke through from the First-Order to the Second-Order within two years, and those who broke through relatively quickly did so because they had cultivated Second-Order techniques in advance.

Within the Great Xia Country, Martial Artists did not have specific names for their Realms, but there surely were some outside the Hundred Thousand Mountains. He still remembered Sun Shaoping mentioning the Fourth-Order Five Viscera Realm and the Fifth-Order Pulse Opening Realm. Now it seemed that the First-Order Martial Artist Realm was the Skin and Flesh Realm.

Having broken through to the First-Order, Lin Qing's plan to head to the county capital could finally be put on the agenda.

Qingyang County was just a small county town. Although he was an unnoticed nobody here, he had, after all, had contact with people from the Panshi Martial Arts Hall and Baicao Hall. After joining the Zhenwu Division, he would inevitably have to go out on missions. If he encountered familiar people, it would cause a lot of trouble.

Therefore, leaving Qingyang County and going directly to the county capital to join the Zhenwu Division was the more stable choice.

Having made up his mind, Lin Qing acted immediately.

He first carefully cleaned the small rented courtyard inside and out, then packed all his belongings: six hundred taels in silver notes, dozens of taels in loose silver, a refined iron dagger, and a white jade bottle. As for the pots, pans, and other miscellaneous items, he would leave them for whoever came next.

Afterward, Lin Qing went to the Broker's Office to handle the lease termination for the courtyard, and then went to a clothing store to buy two sets of coarse linen clothes. His previous clothes had become a bit ill-fitting following his Breakthrough.

After handling all the trivial matters, Lin Qing found an inn to stay at. Once night fell, he headed to the black market once again.

This time, Lin Qing did not buy raw meat, but specifically purchased Second-Order Vicious Beast jerky. However, this jerky was only half as effective as freshly stewed Vicious Beast meat, yet the price was nearly the same as fresh meat. Its only advantage was that it was easy to carry; even without a sealed iron box, it would not emit an overly dense aura of Qi and blood.

Supplies of Vicious Beast jerky were scarce in the black market. Lin Qing had to visit several shops in a row before he finally managed to gather twenty catties.

After a night of rest, just as the next day's dawn broke, Lin Qing packed his gear, checked out, and left the inn.

He was dressed in simple coarse linen clothes, with a water skin filled with fresh water hanging from his waist and a small bundle on his back containing a change of clothes and twenty catties of Vicious Beast jerky. His appearance was low-key, no different from an ordinary traveler. As for the money and the white jade bottle, they were naturally kept close to his person.

At this time, a good number of people had already gathered at the north gate of the county town. Every one of them had simple luggage, and their expressions held a mix of anticipation and caution. Without exception, they were all travelers preparing to head to the county capital of Yunlan County.

Although this stretch of the official road leading to the county capital did not have organized mountain bandits, there were often thugs and Loose Cultivators operating along the way. Traveling alone carried great risk. Over time, a tacit understanding had formed among the people to gather at the city gate every morning and travel together for mutual protection.

There were two reasons why no mountain bandits were entrenched here.

Firstly, the terrain of the entire Yunlan County and its surrounding counties was generally flat and open. The only large mountain range nearby was Qingyang Mountain; the rest were small, isolated hills, providing no terrain for bandits to hide or maneuver.

Secondly, Yunlan County was located in the central part of the Great Xia Country, not far from the Imperial City. The Zhenwu Division naturally would not allow mountain bandits to exist in this region.

Before long, the sound of hoofbeats and rolling wheels came from within the city, and a merchant caravan of about fifty people slowly rolled out of the city gate.

This caravan had six carriages in total. Three of them were loaded with wooden crates, presumably containing various goods, while the other three were more spacious, likely for the caravan personnel and valuable items.

The carriages were built with thick materials, and the wheels were wrapped in iron, looking very sturdy. The accompanying guards were all physically strong, with blades at their waists and sharp gazes.

Seeing this, the crowd at the city gate was overjoyed and hurried forward, wanting to travel with the caravan.

Before anyone could speak, a middle-aged man leading the caravan rode forward, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

This man was about forty years old, with a resolute face and several shallow scars on his bronze-colored skin. He wore black martial attire that wrapped around his robust frame. He had broad shoulders and a wide back, his muscles tense and defined. A thick-backed long blade hung at his waist, his hands were covered in thick calluses, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. His gaze carried an unquestionable authority; he was clearly the guard captain.

"Everyone, I am Wang Hu, the guard captain of the Wang Family Caravan. Those willing to travel with my Wang Family Caravan may follow. But let me be clear: if we encounter unavoidable dangers such as thugs or Vicious Beast attacks on the road, my caravan will only protect its own goods and personnel. You will have to fend for yourselves!"

Wang Hu's voice was resonant, carrying an aura of slaughter. After finishing his words, he said no more and led the caravan slowly toward the county capital.

The crowd gathered at the gate did not dare to hesitate and hurriedly followed. Lin Qing also blended into the crowd, setting off behind the caravan on the journey toward the county capital of Yunlan County.