On the streets of Lianyue in Shengtian, a shadow loomed over the area where the Feiyun Martial Hall was located, due to a series of recent brutal murders.
Bang!
A loud explosion erupted within the Martial Hall!
The master of Feiyun Martial Hall, Song Yunting, stood before a shattered wooden dummy, dressed in a white training robe, his face dark with fury as he clenched his fists tightly.
"The third one! Now the fourth, Lu Feng, is dead too!"
Song Yunting growled in a low voice, revealing the raging anger within him. Since opening the Martial Hall, he had taken in a total of seven direct disciples, yet within just half a month, three of them had died under mysterious circumstances.
Though seven disciples may not seem like many, each one was a trusted confidant he could rely on! When he eventually retired, these seven would be his greatest support.
His heart bled; in the past, even during battles with other Martial Halls for territory, he had never suffered such losses. Each of these direct disciples had been taught his unique internal martial arts, their strength undoubtedly formidable. Now, their deaths felt like a slap in the face, smashing the reputation of the entire Feiyun Martial Hall to the ground!
"Boss, what do you think about this matter?" Song Yunting turned his gaze to the oldest and most mature of the remaining four direct disciples.
The eldest disciple, Mo Nian, wore a serious expression as he slowly replied, "Master, there is something very suspicious about this. Why are only our disciples from Feiyun Martial Hall the ones dying among the three major Martial Halls in the city?"
The other disciples chimed in, "Yes, it's obvious this was premeditated. Could it be someone with a deep-seated grudge against our school?"
"That could also be the case."
The sentence was left unfinished, but anyone could guess that another possibility was that the other two Martial Halls were involved.
The three major Martial Halls of Shengtian were renowned throughout the land, controlling a significant portion of the underground forces in the city. In the past, when the Jiulian Sect was still around, the three schools could unite against them, sharing the territory equally. Now that the Jiulian Sect was gone, the previously intertwined relationships had loosened, turning them into direct competitors.
While they were not outright enemies, the underlying tensions were certainly not harmonious.
Creak!
Song Yunting clenched his hand tightly, the sound of his fingertips cracking echoing in the air, his face dark enough to drip water.
"Damn it, I'm not old yet!"
Among the remaining four disciples, some were more rational.
"Master, this matter requires careful investigation. It’s also possible that the culprits are secretly sowing discord between us and the other two major Martial Halls."
"If we rashly provoke conflict, it would play right into the enemy's hands!"
This statement resonated with the other disciples.
"That makes sense!"
"The third disciple is right; there's a possibility of that!"
Song Yunting's teeth were nearly ground to dust as he spoke, "Mo Nian, send more people to negotiate with Feng Weimen these days. If you find any leads, make sure to inform me immediately!"
"And you all, do not go out alone before this matter is resolved. Stay in the school unless necessary."
"Don't let me find out who the scoundrel is; otherwise, I, Song Yunting, will make sure to tear him apart!"
Since the establishment of Feng Weimen, branches had sprung up in important cities across the Maple Kingdom's various states, like bamboo shoots after rain. This was also why the martial world had been so peaceful for over a year.
After all, it was the influence of the imperial court, which granted some face.
Now, with three direct disciples of Feiyun Martial Hall dead under mysterious circumstances, two of whom were external strength experts, it was only natural for Feng Weimen to take charge of the investigation. The series of murders occurring in the imperial capital had drawn significant attention from this newly established force.
"Yang Xing, how's your investigation going?" Zhao Yuan, wielding the Silent Blade, asked a quiet-looking youth.
To be frank, many were just muscle-bound warriors, adept at fighting but not so skilled at investigations. Yang Xing, however, was one of the more intelligent martial artists in Feng Weimen, with sharp thinking and clear analytical skills, making him the best choice for this investigation.
"At the Golden Armor Martial Hall, aside from Zhang Lai, who had an unknown visitor the night he died, the other two who died can be accounted for during their last moments," Yang Xing replied. "From this alone, we can temporarily rule them out as suspects."
Zhao Yuan nodded in agreement, adding, "The same goes for Hongfeng Martial Hall; including the master, they can also be temporarily ruled out."
"Then that means we can't find any suspects!" someone exclaimed in surprise.
"Sigh, let's take it step by step and find some experienced constables from the yamen to help us," Yang Xing shook his head.
The case had stirred up quite a commotion in Shengtian, yet it had not caused much unrest or panic among the common folk. After all, the victims were all from Feiyun Martial Hall, and they were martial artists, so it seemed unlikely to affect the ordinary citizens.
During this time, Li Qing was perhaps the least suspicious person in all of Shengtian. Since the night of the incident, after Zhang Lai's death, he had remained at Feng Weimen, discussing how to advance into internal strength with Guo Zhentong. During this time, with two more deaths occurring, he had never left the headquarters, focusing solely on understanding the intricacies of internal strength, making him as clean as could be.
"No wonder the internal strength level is also referred to as the Hundred Battles Realm. This method of exerting force is truly difficult to grasp; one must experience countless battles," Li Qing murmured to himself.
His talent could only be considered decent, but to reach the internal strength level by the age of twenty was evidently still a bit lacking. However, his physique had been tempered to an incredibly solid state, relying on the Golden Body Technique and Tiger Bone Wine, his foundation was exceptionally robust. Once he stepped into the internal strength level, his power would surely soar.
As he spoke, Li Qing pressed his hand against a stone mill.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After three strikes, the stone mill only bore surface cracks.
Next to him lay half of a stone mill, the other half shattered, leaving only a palm print on the remaining piece. This was what Guo Zhentong had demonstrated to him about internal strength, striking from afar to destroy the internal structure of an object.
At this level, ordinary iron armor would be of little use; a single strike could effortlessly penetrate armor and injure the flesh beneath. This was also why many internal strength experts rarely donned iron armor; it was unnecessary against equally ranked opponents and would only hinder their speed, while against external strength martial artists, it was not needed.
Of course, this excluded internal strength experts in battle formations.
Li Qing looked at the cracks left on the stone mill, his brow furrowing again.
It was time to return; he had learned nearly everything he needed, only the final step remained.
With that thought, Li Qing sighed and took a hearty swig from the wine gourd at his waist.
"Ah!"
Initially, he had sought out Qian Hong for guidance, who, seeing that he practiced external martial arts, had directly recommended Guo Zhentong, who also practiced external martial arts. Li Qing, wishing to keep his practice of the Turtle Breathing Technique, an internal martial art, a secret, naturally agreed.
Originally, Guo Zhentong had proposed a reward of helping him reforge a Meteor Hammer, not necessarily to reach the level of a divine weapon, but just to be of better quality. Later, noticing that the wine Li Qing drank seemed extraordinary, he quickly changed the terms and asked for half a gourd of wine.
The finely brewed Tiger Bone Wine made Guo Zhentong, a wine lover, beam with joy, and he was so satisfied that he imparted all his experience to Li Qing.
It turned out that Guo Zhentong was indeed a good teacher; although Li Qing had not yet entered the internal strength level, he felt he was not far from it.
"Senior Guo, I won't disturb you any longer. Farewell!" Li Qing found Guo Zhentong and clasped his fists in farewell.
Guo Zhentong waved his hand, saying, "Hmm, the school has been in chaos lately; I don't have much time to entertain you."
This naturally referred to the recent case at Feiyun Martial Hall, which Li Qing had also heard about. He said nothing more, clasped his fists again, and turned to leave.
Watching Li Qing's departing figure, Guo Zhentong couldn't help but sigh:
"Sigh, Old Gu, you really took in a good disciple."
Guo Zhentong had learned about Li Qing bringing Master Gu's legacy to Shengtian and recognized his character, which was why he had imparted the key points of internal strength to him. When they first met, Li Qing had still been a mere youth.
Now, in the blink of an eye, he had not only perfectly inherited Master Gu's forging skills but had also made remarkable achievements in martial arts, truly impressing Guo Zhentong.
"It seems that within a year, this kid should be able to truly grasp the essence of internal strength."
(End of Chapter)