The northwestern district had descended into complete chaos.
Crimson-robed figures darted through the narrow streets as dozens of Yamen officers pursued them relentlessly. Flames consumed several buildings while frightened civilians fled in every direction, afraid of being caught between both sides.
"The Great Fire shall burn forever!"
"The old order will perish!"
"The Great Change has begun!"
The crimson-robed men laughed fanatically even while fleeing. Some hurled strange powder into the air while others ignited prepared explosives, creating continuous bursts of smoke and fire to hinder pursuit.
"Capture them!"
The leading Yamen captain roared.
"Leave none alive if they resist!"
Steel clashed.
Crossbows fired.
Several cultists were struck down before they could escape the district, while others chose to fight to the death instead of surrendering.
Those who survived were bound in heavy iron chains and dragged back toward the Yamen headquarters.
...
Inside the Yamen compound, the County Constable rubbed his aching temples.
His desk was already covered with reports.
Before he could finish reading the latest one, hurried footsteps echoed outside.
"My Lord!"
A Yamen officer burst into the room before immediately kneeling.
The constable frowned.
"What is it now?"
The officer swallowed nervously.
"Among the captured cultists..."
"The higher-ranking members escaped."
"They abandoned their subordinates and fled during the confusion."
"Our men are searching every district, but..."
"...they may already be hiding among the townspeople."
The constable's face darkened.
He remained silent for several breaths before asking,
"Our losses?"
The officer's expression stiffened.
"Out of the hundred officers dispatched..."
"...forty are either dead or seriously wounded."
Silence filled the room.
Forty.
Almost half of the Yamen's available manpower had been crippled in a single operation.
The constable slowly dismissed the officer before remaining seated alone.
His fingers lightly tapped the table.
With forty officers gone, the Yamen's control over Qinshan County would immediately weaken.
The underground forces would certainly notice.
The various gangs had never truly feared the law.
They only feared sufficient manpower enforcing it.
Now that manpower had disappeared.
The constable immediately summoned his advisor.
"We begin recruitment immediately."
The elderly advisor nodded.
"I'll prepare the notices."
Soon afterward...
Recruitment posters appeared throughout Qinshan County.
The Qinshan Yamen is recruiting officers.
Requirements:
- Practitioners proficient with weapons.
- Blacksmiths under forty years of age.
- Able-bodied commoners.
Every applicant would undergo identity verification and strength testing before acceptance.
The posters immediately attracted considerable attention.
For many ordinary people, joining the Yamen meant stable income and official status.
For martial artists...
It represented an opportunity to rise above common life.
...
Meanwhile, within the Eastern District...
Lou Feng quietly finished cleaning the courtyard.
The bodies of Meng Jin and his followers had completely disappeared.
The dissolving powder his master had given him truly lived up to its reputation.
Within moments, flesh, bone and blood had all melted into a colourless liquid before soaking harmlessly into the earth.
No traces remained.
Not even the smell of blood lingered.
Standing in the quiet courtyard, Lou Feng slowly exhaled.
His first true battle against an Innate martial artist had ended in victory.
More importantly...
He had gained valuable combat experience.
The difference between fighting ordinary hooligans and genuine martial artists was enormous.
Every exchange carried the possibility of death.
If not for his physique and the superiority of the Hundred Refinement Body Forging Art, Meng Jin's Internal Energy might truly have injured him.
Lou Feng silently memorized every mistake he had made during the battle.
The next time...
He would finish the fight even faster.
Fortunately, none of the servants or maids had witnessed the battle itself.
By the time they returned to the courtyard, everything had already been cleaned.
Even if the Yamen came to investigate...
There would be nothing left for them to find.
Lou Feng looked toward the distant streets where Yamen officers hurried past one group after another.
The entire county had become restless.
-------
The sun rose over Qinshan County with an uneasy brilliance.
Although the explosions from the previous night had stopped, the atmosphere throughout the county remained tense. Patrols of Yamen officers could be seen moving through every district while notices announcing emergency recruitment had already been posted at nearly every major intersection.
Large crowds gathered around the recruitment boards.
Many came because they wished to protect the county.
Others came because the Yamen offered stable pay, food and status.
Lou Feng stood among the crowd, silently reading the requirements.
Emergency Recruitment:
[Those skilled with weapons.
Blacksmiths under forty years of age.
Ordinary citizens with good physical constitutions]
All applicants would undergo identity verification and strength assessments.
Lou Feng remained thoughtful.
Joining the Yamen would provide a legitimate identity and reduce the Wind Tiger Gang's ability to openly target him.
Returning home, he found Uncle Wang already waiting.
"You plan to join?" Uncle Wang asked.
Lou Feng nodded.
"I need time."
"The Wind Tiger Gang won't stop."
"If I continue hiding, they'll only become bolder."
"The Yamen may be dangerous..."
"...but at least they have rules."
Uncle Wang sighed deeply.
"The Yamen lowering their standards this much isn't a good sign."
"When they become desperate for manpower..."
"...it usually means the situation is worse than ordinary people know."
Lou Feng naturally understood.
Even so...
He had already made up his mind.
---
Far beneath the hidden cave...
The surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had noticeably thinned.
After several days of uninterrupted cultivation, the final strands of Five Elements Spiritual Qi surrounding Lin Sheng were finally absorbed into his body.
He slowly opened his eyes.
A strange sensation spread through every pore.
Something...
Wanted to burst out.
Lin Sheng made no attempt to suppress it.
The next instant...
A brilliant five-coloured radiance erupted from his body.
Red.
Green.
Blue.
Gold.
Earth-yellow.
The five colours intertwined into a dazzling pillar of light that shot toward the ceiling.
Fortunately...
The formation surrounding the cave had already been activated beforehand.
Every fluctuation remained completely sealed within the underground chamber.
No one outside noticed anything unusual.
Within the cave, however, Lin Sheng clearly felt every cell throughout his body undergoing another transformation.
His muscles became denser.
His bones grew heavier.
Even his blood carried faint traces of Five Elements Spiritual Qi.
His physique advanced completely into the middle stage of Rank Three.
Lin Sheng slowly stood.
Without circulating Gang Qi...
His body naturally floated several inches above the ground.
There was no assistance from the Wind Riding Boots.
No gravitational technique.
His body simply resonated with the surrounding Spiritual Qi.
It felt...
Weightless.
He clenched his fist.
Power surged effortlessly through every part of his body.
Compared to before his breakthrough...
His control over Astral Gang had become incomparably smoother.
After carefully sensing his condition, another discovery surprised him.
His lifespan.
Ordinary Astral Gang martial artists generally possessed around four hundred years of life.
Lin Sheng quietly estimated his own.
Nearly...
Seven hundred years.
He quickly understood the reason.
"My Spirit Platform breakthrough strengthened my True Spirit."
"The increase in spiritual essence fed back into my vitality."
"Coupled with Body Refining..."
"...my lifespan far exceeds ordinary martial artists."
Crystal immediately completed another scan.
•[Astral Gang breakthrough complete.]
•[Body Refining cultivation: Rank Three Middle Stage.]
•[Estimated lifespan: 692 years.]
•[Overall combat capability increased substantially.]
Lin Sheng smiled faintly before sitting down once more.
The breakthrough itself had succeeded.
Now came the truly difficult part.
The Astral Gang Realm no longer focused on merely opening acupoints.
It focused on filling them.
Back in the Xuan Gang Realm...
He had opened seventy-two acquired acupoints.
Those seventy-two...
Were merely the first seventy-two among the total three hundred and sixty acquired acupoints required for the complete Astral Gang Realm.
The newly formed Astral Gang first had to replace every trace of ordinary Gang Qi inside those original seventy-two acupoints.
Fortunately...
That process proved unexpectedly smooth.
The residual Five Elements Astral Qi he absorbed during the breakthrough, together with the enormous quantity of Five Elements medicinal pills stored inside his spatial ring, continuously nourished the transformation.
Within only several days...
Every one of the original seventy-two acupoints had completely converted into Astral Gang.
His foundation became perfectly stable.
Crystal projected the next stage.
•[Current Astral Gang Acupoints: 72 / 360.]
•[Middle Stage Requirement: 144 / 360.]
•[Late Stage Requirement: 360 / 360.]
•[Peak Stage Requirement: Complete circulation through all 360 acquired acupoints.]
Lin Sheng quietly examined the projection.
Another seventy-two acupoints...
Would advance him to the middle stage.
Another two hundred and sixteen would bring him to the late stage.
The final challenge wasn't opening additional acupoints.
It was forcing Astral Gang to circulate through all three hundred and sixty acquired acupoints simultaneously.
Each acquired acupoint functioned like a miniature dantian.
Maintaining one Heavenly Circulation through all three hundred and sixty without losing control required incomparably powerful mental strength.
Fortunately...
That wasn't his greatest obstacle.
His Martial Will and Spirit Platform Realm already gave him sufficient control. So he would naturally pass this process.
The real problem was energy.
Filling another two hundred and eighty-eight acquired acupoints with Five Elements Astral Gang required an astronomical amount of Five Elements Spiritual Qi.
Naturally absorbing it from Heaven and Earth remained possible.
Crystal quickly calculated the result.
•[Estimated cultivation time through natural absorption alone: 48.7 years.]
Lin Sheng could only shake his head.
Nearly fifty years...
Just to reach the late stage.
That was completely unacceptable.
He slowly looked toward the storage ring resting beside him.
"It seems..."
"...I'll have to find another source of Five Elements Spiritual Qi."
His thoughts naturally drifted toward the immortal cultivation continent.
There...
Five Elements Spiritual Qi remained abundant.
Much richer than this martial continent.
Perhaps...
His return journey would come sooner than he originally expected..... probably.