"Smuggling?!"

Han Yuan’s expression flickered.

These days, the various taxes and tariffs from the Government Office were heavy.

In such an environment, it was only natural for a great deal of smuggling to emerge.

The most important question was what was being smuggled.

"Yes..."

"But after revealing a few things, the guy wouldn’t say any more."

"And I couldn’t press him too obviously."

Wang Changbai sighed.

"Keep trying to find a way."

"Money is not an issue."

Han Yuan took out a fifty-tael silver note and handed it to Wang Changbai.

The gold and silver jewelry seized from the destroyed Black Snake Gang stronghold had been sold off during this time, adding over a hundred taels of silver to Han Yuan’s wealth.

So, he could still afford to part with fifty taels of silver.

"Mm... that guy’s a lecher. I’ll take him to the brothel a few more times."

"I reckon I can get the information out of him then."

Wang Changbai took the silver note and departed.

Alone in the courtyard, Han Yuan’s eyes glinted. ’Could this... really be related to the Cyan Sand Gang?’

He rested for a while longer, ate something, and then resumed his Cultivation of the Thousand Falcons Blade Technique.

Day after day of arduous training, his proficiency with the Thousand Falcons Blade Technique steadily increased.

Finally, after more than ten days.

BZZZT—

Han Yuan swung his saber with all his might.

BZZZZZZ—

In that instant.

Every muscle in Han Yuan’s body began to tremble violently, and crimson veins bulged across his face.

He could feel his muscles continuously compressing, coiling with sinewy streams of power.

This power raged through his body, tearing at his muscles and fascia. Countless capillaries ruptured, and a large patch of his skin quickly turned blood-red.

During this process.

The streams of power coiled and condensed, transforming into a terrifying Explosive Force!

At the same time.

Countless Mystical Techniques of the Thousand Falcons Blade Technique surfaced in Han Yuan’s mind.

He raised his saber with both hands, condensed that terrifying Explosive Force into his arms, and slashed out fiercely.

SWOOSH!

His figure instantly crossed five or six meters.

The flash of his saber left a long afterimage as it violently cleaved through the empty air.

WHOOSH~

The saber seemed to slice the air apart, creating a powerful shockwave that spread out to both sides.

’I finally ground my way to the Realm of Perfection.’

’That Power just now must be the Flying Falcon Force condensed by the Thousand Falcons Blade Technique.’

Han Yuan murmured to himself.

After reaching Gathering Power Great Perfection, one would form various types of Power, each with different characteristics.

The characteristic of this Flying Falcon Force was its extremely strong explosive power, but it also placed a great burden on the body.

Han Yuan felt a strange sensation in his body, as if he could condense a terrifying Explosive Force at any moment.

This made his explosive power incredibly strong. Even if he couldn’t defeat a Body Tempering Martial Artist, he could still escape.

Of course... Han Yuan didn’t plan to expose his Cultivation level so soon.

He opened the system panel.

Host: Han Yuan

Thousand Falcons Blade Technique: Perfection (Breaking the Sky)

Mountain-Breaking Fist: Mastery (761/800)

’???.... Breaking the Sky???’

Han Yuan was astonished when he saw the two words "Breaking the Sky" after the Thousand Falcons Blade Technique.

’Could it be that after I cultivate a Martial Art to Perfection, a Divine Power is born...?’

Han Yuan hadn’t expected this surprise from the Skill Proficiency Panel.

He focused his gaze on the two words "Breaking the Sky."

A line of information appeared before his eyes.

Breaking the Sky: Swing the saber as if a peregrine falcon is soaring through the heavens, tearing through the vast sky.

’Interesting...’

Han Yuan raised his saber and swung it casually.

He wanted to see just how powerful this Sky-Breaking Divine Power was.

As he swung the saber, Han Yuan felt a subtle difference.

It was as if a current of air was enveloping the saber, causing its speed to suddenly increase.

It allowed him to conserve his strength, requiring less Qi Power.

’How magical... no wonder it’s called Breaking the Sky.’

Han Yuan’s face lit up with ecstasy.

The boost this Divine Power gave him was significant.

Swinging the saber faster while expending less Qi Power, combined with the Flying Falcon Force, would be a deadly weapon in his arsenal.

However, Han Yuan first needed to get accustomed to swinging the saber with the enhancement of the Sky-Breaking Divine Power.

After all, now that the Sky-Breaking Divine Power had emerged, his old habits of exerting force would all need to change.

After recovering some of his stamina, Han Yuan once again began training with his saber.

...

「The next day.」

After handing things over to another constable, Han Yuan took the rare step of leaving the County Yamen and returning to his own home.

Now that he had broken through to Gathering Power Great Perfection, Han Yuan was no longer afraid of a sneak attack from Qian Yuanlang.

Even if he couldn’t win a fight, escaping shouldn’t be a problem.

After all, Qingshui County was not yet ruled by the gangs.

He hadn’t been home these past few days, but Wang Changbai had hired an idle woman to come and clean from time to time, so the house was still reasonably tidy.

He first took stock of the money he had left.

He had over sixty taels of silver remaining.

After all, during this period, he needed to consume medicinal soups day and night to replenish his qi and blood, and his meat consumption was also very high.

Considering he had also given fifty taels of silver to Wang Changbai, having more than sixty taels left already exceeded Han Yuan’s expectations.

’Changfeng Street has also gradually gotten back to normal these days.’

’In a little while, I’ll be able to start collecting the protection money again.’

After the Fire Wolf Gang had smashed up the shops, Han Yuan had promised to waive a month’s worth of protection money.

Now that a month had passed, it was naturally time to start collecting it again.

’Besides that... I need to find a Body Tempering Martial Art.’

Han Yuan muttered to himself.

The Thousand Falcons Blade Technique was fundamentally just a Third-Class Martial Art, which could only be cultivated to Gathering Power Great Perfection.

The same was true for the Mountain-Breaking Fist.

To advance further, he had to find a Body Tempering Martial Art.

Moreover, even the worst Body Tempering Martial Arts were at least Second-Class Techniques, worth a thousand gold.

Cultivation in the Body Tempering Realm was simple: continuously break the body’s limits to strengthen one’s physique, qi, and blood.

But finding a Body Tempering Martial Art in a remote place like Qingshui County was no easy task.

They rarely circulated on the market and were mostly controlled by major powers.

For someone like Han Yuan, from a humble background with no connections, acquiring one was even more difficult.

’First, I’ll try to gather some information. In the meantime, I’ll cultivate the Mountain-Breaking Fist.’

’Every bit of qi and blood I can add will help.’

Han Yuan made up his mind.

This type of Body Tempering Martial Arts was created to break the limits of the human body, making its cultivation extremely dangerous.

The stronger one’s qi and blood, the lower the risk.

...

「A few days later.」

Han Yuan broke through to the Minor Success Realm with his Mountain-Breaking Fist, and his qi and blood increased somewhat.

But there was still no news about any Body Tempering Martial Arts.

He knew he couldn’t rush it, though, and could only wait patiently. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

BANG! BANG! BANG!

On this day, Han Yuan was in the courtyard cultivating his Mountain-Breaking Fist. As he stretched his muscles and bones, his fists whistled with a dull roar.

Suddenly, a shout came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Han Head, are you in there?"

Han Yuan recognized Wang Dahua’s voice at once, stopped what he was doing, and pushed the gate open.

"Han Head... you have to get to the County Yamen, quick! We can’t find Old Wang!"

Wang Dahua said urgently.

"What do you mean Old Wang is missing?" Hearing that something had happened to Wang Changbai, Han Yuan’s heart tightened.

"He was supposed to be on duty at the storeroom tonight, but I waited for a long time and he never showed up."

"So I asked Gu Zhengyang to cover for me while I went to look for Old Wang."

"I went to his house, but there was no one there."

"I even checked the taverns he usually goes to, but everyone said they hadn’t seen Old Wang."

Wang Dahua said frantically.