Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 262: Chapter 171: Obtaining the Qi Refining Technique and Taking Stock of the Gains

He had to improve all his Attributes and get stronger.

Just like tonight. If he didn’t have that Swordsmanship, if he had hesitated for even a second when the man in green lunged at him, the one lying on the ground wouldn’t have been the man in green—it would have been him.

Only by growing stronger could he ensure his own invincibility.

’The world has always been this way... You don’t go looking for trouble, but someone will always find a way to bully you.’

’Then I’ll just have to kill them all!’

Wan Ze closed his eyes and slowly took a deep breath. His chest rose and fell as the air flowed in through his nose and sank into his Dantian.

The ball of Qi in his Dantian trembled slightly, as if it sensed the killing intent in his heart, and it roiled restlessly a few times.

Finally, he exhaled sharply.

WHOOSH—

Wan Ze looked down.

A data window appeared in his field of vision, its pale blue light glowing faintly in the darkness.

[Illustrated Guide 1: Puppetry Technique]

[Skill Beginner Level requirement: Create one Blood Corpse Puppet]

...

[Illustrated Guide 2: Blood Evil Celestial Net (Beginner Level)]

[Skill Beginner Level requirement: Be invaded by Yin Evil once]

...

’These really are some unorthodox arts... and twisted ones at that.’

He suddenly felt a pang of regret. If he had known, he wouldn’t have let Feng Jiuchen destroy Liu Yuan’s corpse.

The Refining conditions for the Puppetry Technique were extremely demanding, requiring a complete corpse, specific medicinal ingredients, and a complex ritualistic refining process.

Fortunately, resources in Huangliang were plentiful. Liu Yuan’s Storage Ring contained many semi-finished materials and medicinal ingredients... He could start the Refining process at any time.

Still, maybe he could try his luck next time he went to the Tomb. He might even find a fresh corpse or two... The corpses in Liu Yuan’s Storage Ring didn’t seem to be high-quality goods.

The thought struck Wan Ze as absurd. He, a normal person, was actually pondering where he could go to pick up corpses.

This Huangliang Realm really could turn a person into something inhuman.

Quickly reigning in his thoughts, Wan Ze re-examined the two skill requirements. ’What a pain.’

However, just as he had guessed, descending into Huangliang did indeed require a medium, and that medium was ”Qi.”

The communicator Feng Jiuchen had given him was imbued with his unique ”Qi.” It was the presence of this Qi that allowed him to descend precisely at the designated location.

But this energy was unique to Qi Refiners and could not be detected by ordinary Martial Artists in the outside world.

’They’re all hidden too well.’

A Qi Refiner could be your next-door neighbor, a colleague at your company, or even a stranger you brush past on the bus every day.

As long as they didn’t reveal themselves, ordinary people would never notice anything unusual about them.

They could wreak havoc in Huangliang, yet in reality, they might be so ordinary that people wouldn’t give them a second glance. Wan Ze truly wondered, could any Qi Refiner really stay true to themselves and live a low-key life?

’Things are getting more and more interesting.’

Wan Ze put away the black communicator, placed it in the back of his drawer, and covered it with a few books.

Then he turned around, his gaze falling on the sword on the rack.

Tonight’s encounter had shown him just how extraordinary this sword was.

He had nurtured its Momentum.

That Momentum was difficult to describe in words. It wasn’t killing intent, nor was it Sword Qi. It was a kind of... presence.

It was like someone standing behind you in the dark; you couldn’t see them, but you knew they were there.

The sword gave off that same feeling. It lay quietly on the rack, but you could feel it breathing, waiting, yearning to be unsheathed.

’This sword... its origins must be extraordinary as well.’

Wan Ze walked over and reached out to stroke the blade. The moment his fingertips touched the scabbard, a cool wisp of energy traveled from the sword, through his fingers, and spread throughout his body.

He closed his eyes, sensing that stream of energy.

It was something incredibly pure.

The fact that this sword could be used in Huangliang, that it could unleash such terrifying power in that world, was in itself proof of its remarkable origins.

An ordinary sword, no matter how sharp or valuable, could not bear the Qi of a Qi Refiner.

What were the origins of this sword he had taken from the middle-aged man named Song?

Wan Ze had no answer.

He opened his eyes, took the sword down from the rack, wiped it carefully with a soft cloth, then wrapped it up and held it in his hand.

Before leaving the room, he glanced back out the window.

The moonlight, like water, spilled onto the unknown green plant on the windowsill, its leaves dotted with a few crystalline dewdrops.

In the distance, a few dogs barked sporadically, and the sound of a car passing occasionally drifted up from downstairs.

This world was quiet, peaceful, and orderly.

But in the other world, the Red Moon was full, and killing intent lurked everywhere.

Who would have thought that just ten-odd minutes ago, he had been through a life-or-death battle of epic proportions?

Wan Ze slowly withdrew his gaze and pushed the door open to leave.

Under the night sky, he walked along the familiar path through his residential complex. The streetlights stretched his shadow long, making it sway back and forth on the ground.

「Back at home.」

The scene in the living room made him pause for a moment.

His parents and sister were still awake.

Father Wan was half-lying on the sofa, holding a glass of warm water, the radio turned down low.

Mrs. Wan sat on the armchair beside him with a magazine open on her lap, but she wasn’t looking at it at all. She was smiling, her eyes fixed on her daughter.

And Xiaoyu...

”Bro!!!!!”

A figure with a ponytail shot up from the sofa and threw herself into Wan Ze’s arms.

Her arms clamped tightly around his neck, her legs wrapped around his waist, and she clung to him like a koala bear.

It was a good thing Wan Ze’s stance was incredibly stable; his body didn’t even sway as he caught her securely, patting her on the back.

”What are you so happy about?” Wan Ze asked, a smile in his voice.