Chapter 37: Unprecedented
Page (1/3)
“Yoo…”
The Silverhorn Deer called out to Qin Liang, traces of fear still lingering in its eyes, with a few smears of blood on its body.
“Looks like you escaped disaster.”
Qin Liang approached, reached out, and rubbed its head, relieved to see it safe.
This Silverhorn Deer had been the beast that pulled the carriage before. Though it stood over two meters tall, it was still young by the standards of demonic beasts.
Despite being a demonic beast, it could distinguish good from evil. The moment it saw Qin Liang, it emerged from hiding and drew close of its own accord, gazing at him with an imploring look.
“Were Big Brother Ling and the others captured by the Black Tiger Gang?” Qin Liang asked.
The Silverhorn Deer could not speak, but it understood him. It nodded, then tossed its head to one side, indicating that the Black Tiger Gang was in that direction.
“Come on. We’re going to rescue them.”
As soon as Qin Liang finished speaking, he saw the Silverhorn Deer crawl beneath the beast carriage and lift it forward.
He climbed aboard, and the Silverhorn Deer pulled the carriage out of the valley, racing along the mountain road.
The Silverhorn Deer’s cultivation was not high—it had only refined its spirit three times—but it was a professional carriage-puller and possessed remarkable speed. Although the mountain road was rough, it could employ its movement technique and carry the carriage forward as swiftly as a galloping horse.
Qin Liang felt no jolting at all inside the carriage. It was almost as smooth as sitting aboard a fast ship.
Inside the carriage, he tossed a Withered Glory Herb into the Heavenly Desolation Cauldron, refined it into a drop of essence, and swallowed it.
Unfortunately, the spiritual energy contained in a first-grade spirit medicine was insufficient to support a sixth spirit refinement. It was like trying to put out a cartload of firewood with a cup of water.
“This journey into the lair of dragons and tigers will certainly be perilous. The Black Tiger Gang’s leader is said to have refined his spirit seven times. If I don’t increase my strength, I may never return.”
Qin Liang’s expression grew grave as he pondered.
He was going to rescue others. If he failed to save them and lost his own life in the process, it would all be for nothing.
“But what aspects of my strength can I improve right now?”
Qin Liang found himself caught in a cultivation bottleneck.
He lacked spiritual materials and could not continue refining his spirit. The Seven-Star Fist and Wind-Walking Step had both reached perfection. He also lacked the powerful blood essence of a demonic beast, so the Berserk Beast Body could not be improved any further in the short term.
“The Tiger-Shaped Fist is also a low-grade Yellow-Rank martial skill. Even if I cultivate it to perfection, it still won’t be enough to contend with someone who has refined their spirit seven times. What should I do?”
Qin Liang pondered. Then inspiration suddenly flashed through his mind.
“Can I merge the Seven-Star Fist with the Tiger-Shaped Fist? If I incorporate the powerful hidden force into the Tiger-Shaped Fist, its might may rival a mid-grade Yellow-Rank martial skill.”
At the Spirit Refinement Realm, cultivators had yet to develop elemental power and were incapable of practicing ordinary mid-grade Yellow-Rank martial skills.
However, if several low-grade Yellow-Rank martial skills were combined, their power might well become comparable.
Page (1/3)
Page (2/3)
Throughout history, many people had attempted this during the Spirit Refinement stage. Unfortunately, it required the practitioner to cultivate every martial skill being merged to perfection and possess a thorough understanding of each one. Only then was there any hope of success.
Yet even the most basic requirement had already defeated countless people. It was something only those with extraordinary comprehension could accomplish.
Qin Liang knew that his comprehension was not weak, and he decided that he might as well make a bold attempt.
“I’ll incorporate Zhu Hao’s Stonebreaker Fist as well. But first, I have to cultivate it to perfection.”
He took out a manual. It was the one he had obtained from Zhu Hao’s storage pouch.
The Seven-Star Fist, Tiger-Shaped Fist, and Stonebreaker Fist were all boxing techniques. After comparing their contents, Qin Liang discovered that techniques of the same rank often shared a remarkable underlying similarity. He was overjoyed.
This meant that, with his comprehension, cultivating the other two techniques to perfection would not be particularly difficult.
He had already comprehended the Seven-Star Fist to perfection and grasped its essence completely. Now he only needed to draw parallels between the three martial skills and then attempt to execute them simultaneously. It should not be too difficult.
However, despite his confidence, reality still poured a bucket of cold water over him when he stepped out of the carriage and attempted it. The power of the three techniques surged through his body, nearly rupturing his meridians.
“Fortunately, I took the essence refined from the Withered Glory Herb beforehand, which widened my meridians somewhat. Otherwise, they would certainly have been torn apart.”
Qin Liang’s face was pale as he summed up what he had learned.
“From this, it seems that it isn’t impossible.”
His gaze resolute, he continued experimenting, preparing to forge a path that had scarcely ever been attempted before.
After repeated attempts, he gradually discovered his own advantage.
Executing several martial skills simultaneously required an extraordinary foundation of strength from a Spirit Refinement cultivator. His strength, however, far exceeded that of cultivators at the same level. His foundation was more than sufficient; the only thing lacking was the proper method.
He merely needed to find the point at which the three forces could reach equilibrium and coexist. Then he would be able to execute them together.
As dusk approached, Qin Liang had the Silverhorn Deer slow down. There was no need to hurry.
From the earlier conversation between Ling Dehai and Zhu Hao, it was vaguely apparent that the Black Tiger Gang had captured Ling Dehai because he still had some value to them. As long as he remained useful, he should be safe.
Qin Liang needed to seize the time to increase his strength. He could not recklessly rush in and throw his life away.
Moreover, the closer they drew to the Black Tiger Gang’s territory, the more likely excessive speed was to alert them, which would hinder the rescue.
Night deepened. The beast carriage continued forward at an unhurried pace, while Qin Liang did not abandon his study of martial skills.
At midnight, Qin Liang finally cultivated both the Tiger-Shaped Fist and Stonebreaker Fist to perfection, then attempted the fusion once more.
Bang!
He punched forward. The sound of air splitting rang out before his fist, making his hand go numb. At last, there was some progress, though the attack’s range was a little too short and still required adjustment.
Page (2/3)
Page (3/3)
Qin Liang stood atop the beast carriage, painstakingly studying the technique, throwing punch after punch.
He had no idea how many punches he had thrown along the way, but the Silverhorn Deer was inwardly shaken. This human youth had actually fused three martial skills to such a degree in so short a time.
If word of it spread, it would certainly astonish the world. Such a feat was exceedingly rare.
As the sun gradually rose, Qin Liang faced its direction and threw a punch.
“Roar!”
A tiger’s roar burst from within him. A phantom tiger surged from his fist, growing larger as it rode the wind. In the blink of an eye, it had grown ten yards tall and charged ferociously into an ancient tree that towered ahead.
With a thunderous explosion, the massive tree shattered into countless splinters that scattered in every direction.
“Yoo!”
The Silverhorn Deer was startled. Its footing slipped, and it nearly dragged the beast carriage over the cliff along with it.
“I did it…”
Qin Liang was overjoyed. The might of this punch truly rivaled that of a mid-grade Yellow-Rank martial skill. To be able to execute such a technique was enough to astound any cultivator in the Spirit Refinement stage.
Seeing that he was about to be thrown from the carriage, he hurriedly seized the carriage shaft. He stepped through the air with the Wind-Walking Step, and a current of wind seemed to support the sole of his foot, forcefully pushing the carriage back onto the mountain road from the cliff’s edge.
The Silverhorn Deer secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It felt that continuing to play around with Qin Liang would sooner or later lead to disaster.
…
Lion-Tiger Town lay on the outskirts along one side of Rainbowglow Mountain, and the Black Tiger Gang was the most powerful force in the area.
In the hall at the gang’s headquarters, a broad-faced, bare-chested, heavily built man sat high in the seat of honor. His eyes were sharp as blades as he stared at Ling Dehai, who was bound tightly in the center of the hall.
“Ling Dehai, if you know what’s good for you, lead us there obediently. If we can reach the depths of Rainbowglow Mountain, I may even give you a share of the treasures. I advise you not to be ungrateful.”
The gang leader, Meng Xiangyu, spoke coldly.
“I’ve already made myself clear. The depths of Rainbowglow Mountain are forbidden territory. If your Black Tiger Gang insists on seeking death, why drag me along?”
Ling Dehai was fiercely stubborn. He had barely survived his previous escape from that place and knew all too well how dangerous it was. If he entered again, he would certainly die.
Meng Xiangyu was just about to speak when a sly, rat-faced man beside him suddenly said, “Leader, something is wrong. There was also a young man traveling with Ling Dehai. We don’t know where he is now.”
Upon hearing this, Ling Dehai immediately roared furiously, “Ji Gang, you treacherous rat! I treated you well—why did you betray me? Brother Qin is not a member of my mercenary group. If you dare lay a hand on him, I will never let you off!”