Holy body, start with the Five Animal Exercises

26: Breakthrough! The second level of Iron Arm FistThe two came to the west room. This time, without Wang Minglang’s reminder, Qin Jiang directly took off his shirt and jumped into the bronze vat.

After a series of procedures, it was already evening. Qin Jiang, who was sitting cross-legged in the bronze vat, suddenly opened his eyes.

The pores on his arms naturally opened, and the surging internal Qi formed nail-sized vortices in the bronze vat.

Wang Minglang, who was sitting nearby, subtly changed his expression. He, of course, knew that Qin Jiang had achieved a Breakthrough.

But it hasn’t even been half a month, has it?!

Less than half a month, and he went from the first layer to the second layer?!

Could it be... that this medicinal bath can really make people undergo a sharp transformation?

The lack of this effect before wasn’t due to a problem with the prescription, but rather a problem with the person?

He carefully recalled the details of giving Qin Jiang the medicinal bath just now, and it was no different from before. If there was any difference, it was that he didn’t take a nap this afternoon.

He shook his head, it certainly couldn’t be because of that.

Looking at Qin Jiang, it could only be that Qin Jiang himself was exceptionally gifted, perhaps he had a better absorption effect of the medicinal power.

Splash~

Qin Jiang leaped out, internal Qi gushing in mid-air, and his body was already dry before he even landed.

His eyes held a hint of surprise; he hadn’t expected to achieve a Breakthrough on his own!

Looking at the panel,

【Current Martial arts】

Longevity Five Qi Skill (First Layer) (30 / 250)

Iron Arm Fist (Second Layer) (22 / 300)

Earth Dragon Body (First Layer) (19 / 200)

【Potential Points: 6.8】

Not only did Iron Arm Fist advance to the second layer, but even Longevity Five Qi Skill and Earth Dragon Body were affected and improved a bit.

Feeling the changes in his body, his skin became thicker and tighter, with a thin film-like layer covering the surface, appearing a light silver-gray.

The internal Qi in his body also greatly strengthened. If the internal Qi before was as thick as a chopstick, now it had reached the thickness of a finger!

Both in quantity and intensity, it was several times what it was before!

“Haha, congratulations! Iron Arm Fist Second Layer! With your sister’s help, you can directly become a Great Head of the Red Tiger Gang!” Wang Minglang said with a smile.

In the outer city, apart from a few important areas guarded by Steward-level Gang Disciples, most areas were overseen by Great Heads.

It could be said that in the four districts of the outer city, Great Heads were already considered high-ranking members of the Gang.

“Uncle Wang, you flatter me. I still have a long way to go,” Qin Jiang said with a smile.

“You boy, alright, if there’s nothing else, go back and rest. I also want to see how long it will take you to master the Iron Arm Fist Third Layer.”

Wang Minglang tapped his pipe, then spoke again, “Oh, right, you used to gather herbs for Physician Baiyun, didn’t you? Do you often go to Dahei Mountain?”

Qin Jiang nodded, “Yes, but not every day.”

“Alright then, don’t go to Dahei Mountain for a while. Things are a bit unstable over there,” Wang Minglang said.

Qin Jiang frowned slightly, “Unstable means?”

Wang Minglang loaded fresh tobacco and took a puff, “Never mind, it involves the County Magistrate. Normally, only those at the Hall Master level of the Red Tiger Gang are qualified to know about such matters.

However, with your talent, becoming a Hall Master in the future is almost certain, so telling you is no big deal. This instability actually refers to the danger of the Bizarre.”

“Bizarre?” Qin Jiang asked with some surprise.

He suddenly realized that he didn’t seem to understand this world at all. Besides Essence Spirits, there were actually Bizarre existences.

“Yes, when you went to Dahei Mountain to gather herbs before, you must have encountered mist, right? Occasionally, you would even see some black figures appearing in the fog,” Wang Minglang said.

Qin Jiang recalled the thick fog he encountered on the day of his Rebirth, and that humanoid Black-haired Monkey that still sent chills down his spine when he thought about it.

However,

“Isn’t that a Essence Spirit?” he asked.

Wang Minglang was stunned, then nodded knowingly, “Indeed, some Bizarre look very similar to Essence Spirits or even humans.

However, the most obvious characteristic of the Bizarre is their eyes—pitch black and hollow, like vortices.

Another thing is that the appearance of the Bizarre is often accompanied by Bizarre Mist. The thicker the mist, the stronger the Bizarre’s power.”

Qin Jiang remembered that both the Black-haired Monkey and the two Fox spirits had those hollow eyes and were accompanied by mist.

In other words, what he encountered was actually the Bizarre, not Essence Spirits. No wonder smearing garlic was useless.

It was just that the Bizarre Mist accompanying the Black-haired Monkey’s appearance was excessively thick, hundreds of times denser than that of the Fox spirits.

Unbeknownst to him, he had already walked through the gates of hell twice.

“You must be careful. The Bizarre are different from Essence Spirits. Essence Spirits generally don’t harm people, but the Bizarre are not like that. Their behavior is unpredictable, and their methods of killing are bizarre and varied,” Wang Minglang said.

Qin Jiang nodded, “Then how exactly are these Bizarre formed?”

Wang Minglang shook his head, “When resentment Qi is born between heaven and earth, Bizarre Mist naturally forms. Under the erosion of Bizarre Mist, the Bizarre are born.

Whenever the Bizarre appear, it is often in an area where a murder has occurred, and the deceased died in an extremely tragic manner.

Even the Bizarre in the wild are mostly found in mass graves, battlefields, and other such places. I once heard that Rong Country and Xiong Country, which border us, had a war.

Two armies clashed, numbering no less than three hundred thousand, with countless casualties, giving birth to an incredibly powerful Bizarre that devoured both armies completely!

Of course, this is a rumor; whether it’s true or false, I don’t know.”

He took a puff from his pipe. If such a Bizarre truly existed, why would countries still fight wars? They would have been annihilated long ago!

Qin Jiang also felt that the rumor wasn’t true. Devouring two armies whole—such an existence would probably be difficult for even the immortals and gods of myths and legends to subdue!

Shaking his head, he then remembered the fox demon in the mine. “Then, Uncle Wang, do you know what a Demon and a Bizarre Artifact are?”

Wang Minglang looked at Qin Jiang with some surprise, “How did you come to know these two names?”

“That day, when I went to Dahei Mountain to gather herbs, I encountered two Fox spirits, which now seem to be Bizarre.

In their illusion, there were two controlled women. They called the Fox spirits ‘fox demons,’ and the name ‘Bizarre Artifact’ was also learned from their mouths,” Qin Jiang said.

He considered it for a moment and still did not mention the Old Doctor’s old love demon affair.

Wang Minglang understood, “So that’s it, you’ve already encountered them.”

With that, he put down his pipe. “The so-called ‘Demon’ actually refers to Essence Spirits that have killed people. Fundamentally, there is no difference between them and Essence Spirits.

In fact, nowadays, very few people distinguish between Essence Spirits and Demons. As long as they see an unfamiliar non-human intelligent creature, they directly classify it as a Demon.

This is actually a form of protection, I suppose. If a Demon were to impersonate a Essence Spirit, that would be troublesome, so it’s simply better to classify them all as Demons.

As for Bizarre Artifacts, I don’t know much. I’ve heard others say they are objects imbued with the power of the Bizarre, but I have never seen one.

However, if my guess is correct, those two Fox spirits you encountered were likely injured by this so-called Bizarre Artifact.

Afterward, unable to resist the erosion of the Bizarre power, they slowly transformed into Bizarre.”

At this point, he couldn’t help but sneer, “Hmph, Demons, they deserve to die!”

“So that’s how it is.”

Qin Jiang sorted out his thoughts. Looking at it this way, it should be that the old love demon and the two fox demons were injured by the Bizarre Artifact, and then the two fox demons, unable to resist the Bizarre power, turned into Bizarre.

And the old love demon struggled to hold on until she was killed by him, which is why she said she had lived long enough.

“Hmm, the Bizarre Mist has appeared many times in Dahei Mountain recently. However, there’s no need to worry. The County Magistrate has already gone to clear it out. It won’t be long before there’s no major problem,” Wang Minglang said.

In recent years, many Bizarre incidents have occurred. Although they are becoming more serious, compared to them, this chaotic era is even more difficult.

Especially since Yuan Province borders Huai Country, it can be considered the frontline of the war between the two countries.

The various commanderies under its jurisdiction are naturally all in self-preservation, unable to protect themselves, so how could they consider anything else?

Coupled with the fact that Xia Country is originally governed by both Sects and the imperial family, there are more than just one or two who want to rise to power amidst the chaos.

Such a vast realm, who wouldn’t want a piece of the pie?

This is the fundamental reason for the continuous stream of refugees and the gradual chaos in various regions.

Sighing, he said, “Alright, if there’s nothing else, go back. I, an old man, also need to rest early. I’m old, I’m old.”

After leaving Wang Minglang’s courtyard, Qin Jiang first returned to Shanman Restaurant to make it seem as if he had gone to bed, then changed into his long-prepared night-traveling clothes and quietly left.

Now that he had mastered the Iron Arm Fist Second Layer, he was already considered a master in the outer city. It was time to pay a visit to Master Li’s house.