I Grind to Martial Saint

After returning from the Black Market, Han Yuan resumed his days of arduous cultivation.

Every day, he would swallow two Spirit Yang Pills and cultivate the Black Whale Oversea Skill.

Under the effects of the Elixir Pills, the Inner Breath within his body grew steadily stronger.

He spent the rest of his time cultivating the Giant Spirit Monument-Opening Hand.

As he mastered the basics of the Giant Spirit Monument-Opening Hand, Han Yuan found that his Qi Power had increased significantly.

His arms grew thicker and more muscular, his knuckles larger, giving him an appearance brimming with power.

....

Cangshui County was built around water, so naturally, many of its people made their living from the river.

Huang He was one such person. He worked as a ferryman at the crossing, earning a meager, hard-won living.

Though only in his thirties, the constant exposure to wind and sun had left him gaunt and wiry, making him look more like an old man in his fifties.

Today, however, he didn’t go to work. Instead, he went into town, bought a jug of yellow wine and some snacks like pig’s head meat, and headed back to his bare, four-walled home, humming a little tune in high spirits.

The weather was growing cold, so the yellow wine ought to be warmed.

He poured the yellow wine into an iron kettle and placed it on the stove to heat.

Soon, the yellow wine was hissing and steaming, its aroma filling the room.

Huang He eagerly grabbed the iron kettle, poured out a bowl of wine, and began to drink, washing down the pig’s head meat.

’Once I get rid of that thing, I’ll just leave. Find a new place and start over.’

Having drunk until he was tipsy, Huang He yawned and groggily climbed into bed.

He didn’t know how long he slept.

In a daze, Huang He thought he heard crying.

Wooooo...

The cry was exceptionally miserable and piercing, startling him wide awake.

’What’s that strange sound?’

Huang He opened his eyes.

The moon was dim tonight, and the room was so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

The night was deathly silent, which only added to the eerie atmosphere.

A sense of dread washed over Huang He.

He had the distinct feeling that from some corner of the room, a pair of eyes was staring at him.

The gaze was venomous and full of hate...

He was so frightened that he trembled all over, his scalp prickling with fear.

”Stay... stay away!!!”

The next second, Huang He began to scream as if he’d lost his mind.

He felt the gaze drawing nearer, brazenly scrutinizing him.

But in the pitch-black room, he couldn’t see a thing!

The terrifying sensation nearly drove Huang He to a breakdown.

He scrambled up frantically and lit the only candle left in the room.

The instant the candle was lit, it was as if all the strange and terrifying feelings vanished without a trace.

By the candlelight, Huang He scanned his small, dilapidated house.

It was empty and decrepit.

But his heart finally calmed down a little.

He hadn’t seen anything.

’Just scaring myself... I must have had too much to drink.’

’Drinking really is a bad idea.’

Huang He shook his head.

Suddenly, he glanced down and saw two shadows on the candlelit floor!

One large and one small.

The large one was his.

’But the small one... where did it come from?!’

In that instant, Huang He was scared out of his wits!

He couldn’t stop himself from turning around.

Behind him was only his bed. There was nothing else.

’Was I seeing things again?!’

Huang He looked back at the ground.

But there were still two distinct shadows on the ground.

Terror and despair flooded his mind.

At this moment, he finally understood why he couldn’t see it.

’The ghastly thing had been behind him the entire time!!!!’

......

Host: Han Yuan

Black Whale Oversea Skill: Fourth Layer (435/1500)

Giant Spirit Monument-Opening Hand: Skilled (30/1200)

Seven Stars Step: Mastery (928/1200)

Eight Extremes Demon-slaying Saber: Mastery (330/1200)

Arhat Iron Cloth Shirt: Perfection (Copper Skin and Iron Bones)

....

After half a month of arduous cultivation, bolstered by two Spirit Yang Pills a day, Han Yuan broke through to the Fourth Layer of the Black Whale Oversea Skill.

He had also focused on the Giant Spirit Monument-Opening Hand, grinding it all the way to the Skilled stage.

As for the Seven Stars Step and the Eight Extremes Demon-slaying Saber, he had made some minor progress as well.

However, Han Yuan had also completely run out of Spirit Yang Pills.

He had no choice but to pause his cultivation and head to the Dust Hall.

Without Elixir Pills to aid his cultivation, he felt that his progress lacked its usual punch.

The Dust Hall was the same as always; it wasn’t crowded, and everyone coming and going wore hurried expressions.

Han Yuan began to look for a mission.

He didn’t want to waste time and looked for a mission that was quick to complete but offered a high number of Contribution Points.

He first ruled out the missions posted by the Government Office.

They were convenient, but the Contribution Points they offered were too low.

As for hunting fugitives on the Black List...

The Black List had recently been updated with new fugitives.

But hunting these Black List masters would be a huge waste of time unless they showed themselves.

After all, these guys were sly veterans of the Martial World who would flee at the first sign of trouble.

When Duan Xu had been hunting Luo Zhang, his target had escaped from him several times.

That left Han Yuan with only one option: Evil Spirit missions.

Evil Spirit missions were notoriously difficult.

After all, these entities used bizarre methods and were exceptionally vicious.

It wasn’t until after he joined the Observatory that Han Yuan learned Evil Spirits were also graded by level.

They were, in ascending order: Malice Soul, Fierce Spirit, Resentful Evil, and Blood Soul.

Malice Souls corresponded to the Body Tempering realm, Fierce Spirits to the Inner Breath realm, and Resentful Evils to the True Qi realm. As for Blood Souls, only a Gang Essence Martial Artist could deal with them.

Above Blood Souls were beings known as Evil Demon Seeds.

These beings had disappeared long ago, and very little information about them remained.

Han Yuan only knew that Evil Demon Seeds were far more terrifying and twisted than common Evil Spirits; their appearance would inevitably herald a bloodbath.

But since Evil Demon Seeds hadn’t appeared in ages, no one gave them much thought.

Han Yuan looked through the list of Evil Spirit missions and managed to find a suitable one.

[Mission: Bizarre Deaths in Ferry Town]

Recently, in Ferry Town, a ferryman named Huang He died in his home.

There were no signs of a struggle in his home, nor were any valuables stolen. The condition of the body was consistent with death by drowning.

In the days that followed, two more people in Ferry Town died in the exact same manner as Huang He. The Feiying Tribe suspects a Fierce Spirit Level Evil Spirit is the culprit.

Ferry Town was located near Cangshui County Town, only an hour’s journey away.

Moreover, the mission’s reward was quite good: six hundred Contribution Points upon completion.

An ordinary Black List fugitive at the Inner Breath realm was only worth five hundred Contribution Points.

The rewards for Evil Spirit missions were simply higher.

Han Yuan accepted the mission on the spot. Donning his Piyao Robe, he mounted a swift horse and galloped toward Ferry Town.

In less than an hour, he arrived at a small, riverside town.

The town was nowhere near as prosperous or bustling as Cangshui County Town. The streets were filled with dark-skinned fishermen who carried the strong scent of fish.

Han Yuan casually asked around.

It seemed everyone in Ferry Town knew about Huang He’s case. Han Yuan found the location without any trouble, making his way to a low, filthy alley.

”Master Han, you’re the one handling this?!”

Lü San and a few other Government Officials were standing guard in front of a dilapidated house. They were overjoyed to see Han Yuan suddenly walk in.