After receiving the Sharp Blade Hundred Pattern Saber, Chen Ping’an found it hard to put down.

When he performed the Public Door Thirteen Sabers, the Sharp Blade Hundred Pattern Saber could easily withstand his surging Qi Blood and explosive force.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

Chen Ping’an’s clothes fluttered as the glint of his saber flashed like lightning, intensely focused.

The Perfection Level Public Door Thirteen Sabers had its own mysteries when executed. The blade’s light cut through the air, tracing one beautiful arc after another. The sound of it cleaving the air seemed to tear at space itself.

After a long while, Chen Ping’an withdrew his saber and stood still, unable to hold back his praise.

"What a fine saber!"

Although obtaining the Sharp Blade Hundred Pattern Saber didn’t cause a significant leap in his overall strength, his lethality and destructive power had increased by about five percent.

Chen Ping’an was naturally grateful for Mu Wanjun’s gift. Mu Wanjun had previously given him a token, allowing him to request an audience with her at any time.

On the same day he received the gift, he made a trip to the South Town Garrison Command to thank Mu Wanjun in person.

Mu Wanjun offered him a few words of earnest encouragement.

"Ping’an, focus on your Cultivation. If you can break through to the Qi Blood Fifth Layer, I will have you transferred to the South Town Garrison Command."

"Yes. Thank you for your guidance, ma’am."

Chen Ping’an’s face was filled with gratitude as he clasped his hands and bowed.

’The Qi Blood Fifth Layer... huh?’

Publicly, his Martial Arts Realm was still presented as Qi Blood Three Realms Perfection.

In the period that followed, Chen Ping’an’s life returned to its usual tranquility. The major powers in Nanquan Lane checked and balanced each other, squabbling over various interests. But no matter which power they were, all had to hand over a share of their profits to the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office.

From this share of the profits, after setting aside the portion to be submitted to the South Town Garrison Command, he and Tian Fuliang naturally took the lion’s share.

Chen Ping’an tempered his Qi Blood, practicing the Golden Bell Shield three times a day. In the blink of an eye, more than ten days passed, and his accumulated Cultivation Experience for the Golden Bell Shield reached 60 points.

Name: Chen Ping’an

Realm: Qi Blood Sixth Layer

Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Shirt Perfection, Flying Locust Stone Perfection, Public Door Thirteen Blades Perfect, Thirteen Grand Protectors Cross Training Perfect, Golden Bell (60/60)

...

"Break through."

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Ping’an’s expression turned solemn as he focused his mind and tapped on the faintly shimmering plus sign that appeared behind it.

The experience points swirled. Chen Ping’an felt a cooling sensation at the center of his brow as a vast amount of knowledge and experience regarding the Golden Bell Shield flooded his mind. It was gradually digested, as if he had spent countless days and nights slowly comprehending it himself.

’Qi Blood Six Layers Perfection!’

With the Golden Bell Shield reaching Minor Achievement, the Qi Blood in Chen Ping’an’s body was pushed to its peak. His entire body was brimming with Qi Blood, on the verge of boiling, reaching the limits of a human body. The Qi Blood surged to the crown of his head, nearly forming a pillar of wolf smoke that shot into the sky.

Chen Ping’an himself was like a furnace of Qi Blood. Wherever he stood, even the most insensitive person could feel his presence without even looking at him. If they did see his figure, they would sense the terrifying power contained within.

However, this phenomenon did not last long.

His aura subsided, and the Qi Blood throughout his body gradually receded. Chen Ping’an once again appeared as a harmless young man.

Using his Golden Finger Panel, Chen Ping’an controlled his outwardly displayed Martial Arts Realm, keeping it at the Qi Blood Fourth Layer.

However, his true Martial Arts Realm was Qi Blood Six Layers Perfection.

Qi Blood Six Layers Perfection!

Now, Chen Ping’an had reached the Peak of the Qi Blood Realm. Across all of Weishui South City, he would be considered a true Martial Arts Master.

Even the various department heads of the South Town Garrison Command might not possess his current level of strength.

It could be said that in the entire South Town Garrison Command, aside from a few individuals like the Chief of the Patrol Office, the Vice Chief of the Patrol, and the Inner Qi Tributors, there was no one left who could truly threaten Chen Ping’an.

With Iron Cloth Shirt Perfection, Thirteen Grand Protectors Cross Training Perfect, and the Small Success Level Golden Bell Shield, Chen Ping’an’s self-preservation ability had reached a terrifying level.

He could probably even hold his own for a while against an Inner Qi Master, relying on his incredibly tough physique.

’My Hard Skills have reached Minor Achievement, but I still lack a martial art with high killing power!’ Chen Ping’an thought.

With his current level of External Skills and Hard Skills, what he needed most was a close-range martial art with devastating offensive power. That was the only way to maximize his advantages.

Unfortunately, better martial arts were not easy to come by.

Having already cultivated Superior Martial Arts, he now looked down on ordinary Middle-Grade Martial Arts.

’After I save up for a while, I’ll go check out the Ruyi Treasure Pavilion.’

...

After reaching Qi Blood Six Layers Perfection, Chen Ping’an continued to practice the Golden Bell Shield tirelessly every day. Through his recent cultivation, the number of times he could practice the Golden Bell Shield in a day was also slowly increasing.

As a Candidate for Deputy at the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office, he rarely had to deal with administrative tasks. Even if there were some, he could delegate them to his subordinates.

Lately, aside from his Cultivation, Chen Ping’an’s focus was mainly on two things.

One was helping Chen Erya by inquiring about suitable schools, to see if he could enroll the little girl.

The little girl’s enthusiasm for learning was extremely high, and the number of words she could recognize was growing. Unlike other young girls who loved long-winded biographies of heroes and lovers, she preferred books on the King’s Dao and Tyrant Dao, such as those on Array Chronicles, Tactics and Strategy, and War Strategy.

Naturally, Chen Ping’an fully supported his sister’s hobby.

His income was now substantial, so their family could afford it. He bought many booklets for the little girl to read. As for the words she didn’t recognize, Peony was at home to teach her.

The second matter was that his Martial Arts Realm was now Qi Blood Six Layers Perfection. The next step was the Inner Qi Realm, which others could only dream of. Therefore, he needed to gather more information about the Inner Qi Realm in advance. In the process, he even collected quite a few biographies of Inner Qi Masters.

Over these days, Chen Ping’an made considerable progress. He was starting to get some leads on schools in the South City Lane area.

He had also gathered some information about the Inner Qi Realm.

Compared to the Qi Blood Realm, those in the Inner Qi Realm could project their power, causing immense destruction beyond just fists, feet, and weapons.

The Inner Qi Realm was divided into Three Gates. He had already grasped the details of the first two gates. As for the final gate, he only knew its name and lacked a clear understanding.

The First Stage of the Inner Qi Realm: Initial Qi Sea Transformation.

In this step, a Cultivator needed to condense their Qi Blood into fine strands, which would then gather to open up a Dantian Qi Sea within the body. The Qi Sea stores Inner Qi. The more Inner Qi stored, the greater one’s stamina in battle.

For some masters in the Inner Qi Realm, if their Inner Qi was completely depleted during an intense battle, they might not be much stronger than a martial arts expert at Qi Blood Six Layers Perfection.

Thus, a classic trope in some biographies involved the protagonist taking advantage of an Inner Qi Realm master who had expended much of their power, defeating a superior foe, killing them, and reaping immense rewards.

The main direction of cultivation in the First Stage of Inner Qi is to refine and gather the Earth Spirit Muddied Qi, transforming it into the pure qi of Inner Qi within the body.

When one reaches Inner Qi First Level Perfection, the Inner Qi in the Dantian can no longer be increased, marking the bottleneck of the first gate.

Normally, when refining and gathering Earth Spirit Muddied Qi to convert it into pure qi, it is unavoidable that some of the muddied qi will be mixed in.

Therefore, the Inner Qi in the Dantian is often a mixture of pure and muddied, lacking in purity. To continue breaking through, one must purify the Inner Qi.

The purer the Inner Qi in the Dantian, the greater the power when it is activated.

However, purifying Inner Qi is far from simple. The process is complex and difficult, and most Inner Qi Masters are blocked at this stage.

The so-called Inner Qi Masters spoken of by the world are often those at this level: the First Stage of Inner Qi, Initial Qi Sea Transformation.

If a Cultivator can perform "Summoning Clouds and Mists" within their Dantian and unify the pure and muddied qi, they are considered to have officially entered the Second Stage of the Inner Qi Realm: Purification and Rejuvenation.

The power unleashed by an Inner Qi Master at this gate is incomparable to that of the first. They often possess terrifying destructive force. Tales of them raising a hand lightly and severely injuring someone dozens of feet away are no exaggeration.

Beyond the Second Stage of Inner Qi is the Third Gate: Celestial Rain Falling on the Crown.

Chen Ping’an didn’t know many specific details. He only knew that for a Cultivator at this stage, the Powerful Palm Force they unleashed had another name besides Inner Qi: Outer Gang.

Protected by Gang Qi, one is impervious to blades and spears.

On this day, a wanted poster issued by the Weishui County Outer City Garrison Command was forwarded by the South Town Garrison Command and sent down to the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office.

This single poster appeared before the Inspectorates, Constables, and constables, big and small, of the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office, causing a great stir.

Zuo Wumei, a renegade disciple from the Shadowless Blade Sect of Canglong Province, had, a few days prior in Weishui Inner City, infiltrated the Fang Family estate with the intent to ’pluck a flower’. He was discovered by one of the Fang Family’s Inner Qi Clan Elders. After a fierce battle, Zuo Wumei escaped with serious injuries.