Name: Su Que (17 years old)
Lifespan: 70
Talent Value: 12
Martial Arts: Seven Injuries Fist (5th Realm Refining Skill 1%), Five Animals Qigong (1st Realm Initial Insight 1%)
Compared to when I first entered the previous realm, my lifespan has increased by eight years, passing the nodes of 65 and 70 years of age, and my talent value has increased by two points.
"The increase in lifespan from the Seven Injuries Fist is not as significant as it used to be..."
"When practiced deeply, the Seven Injuries Fist poses greater damage to my body..."
"Could it be that my Five Viscera are too formidable, and my Yin Yang Qi is too strong, making the damage from the Seven Injuries Fist not seem significant anymore?"
Su Que looked at the attributes before him, pondering quietly.
"Perhaps only by finding a more aggressive Evil Technique can I quickly extend my lifespan again..."
"I'll go and gather some information tomorrow."
With that thought, Su Que decided to stop thinking and planned to test his strength after his breakthrough.
He ran through the forest, found a rock the size of three palms, gathered his fist force, and suddenly struck down!
Bam!
Under the impact of seven levels of fist force, the rock immediately shattered!
Pieces of stone shot out in all directions with the fist force.
Su Que clenched his fist, knowing that his current fist power could shatter rocks with a single punch.
Soon after entering the 4th Realm Elite, he had also tried using rocks to test his fist power.
At that time, it took three strikes to completely shatter a rock.
Due to the breakthrough, his Medicinal Power was exhausted again, so Su Que returned to the cave, grabbed the clay pot, and drank the Body-Strengthening Soup inside.
Now, in the cave, he boiled medicine in three clay pots simultaneously.
Because of the realm advancement, the medicinal power consumption during fist practice was incredibly fast, and he drank more and more Body-Strengthening Soup each day.
"It seems the formula for the Body-Strengthening Soup is no longer suitable for me."
However, he only had the formula for the Body-Strengthening Soup, so he could only make do for now.
After nearly a month, Su Que lived a very peaceful, regular, healthy life every day.
One evening while practicing punches, he called out the attributes again.
Name: Su Que (17 years old)
Lifespan: 71
Talent Value: 12
Martial Arts: Seven Injuries Fist (5th Realm Refining Skill 13%), Five Animals Qigong (1st Realm Initial Insight 1%)
Although he drank a large amount of Body-Strengthening Soup every day, the progress of the Seven Injuries Fist was slowing down.
"Is the 5th Realm Refining Skill the nearly ultimate limit for cultivating the Seven Injuries Fist?"
"I wonder how my current strength compares to those wicked demon members of the White Lotus Sect..."
"Moreover..."
He glanced at the medicine chest in the cave.
This month, the medicine consumed significantly; in about another half month, he would have no more medicinal materials to use.
At that time, his progress with the Seven Injuries Fist would slow even further.
"The next day, go into town and see if I can gather some information."
"Find where I can obtain techniques for damaging my Inner Strength or acquire some medicinal formulas superior to the Body-Strengthening Soup..."
The next afternoon, after bidding farewell to the children, Su Que headed south of the city.
That area had the most gambling halls, taverns, and brothels, and was also a hub for information exchange.
As he approached the south of the city, Su Que saw a group of White Lotus Sect members coming grandly from a distance.
Leading them was the White Lotus Monk he often saw, wearing an eerie Buddha Crown, holding a white Duster, dressed in white monk's robes embroidered with a black lotus.
"In the world of suffering, the White Lotus persists forever!"
"Mother of Wusheng, save the world from suffering!"
Together with the White Lotus Monk, a dozen White Lotus Sect believers, some shouted doctrine, some blew on suona, and some shook bells as they slowly walked down the street.
Street vendors and pedestrians alike made way.
The scene of the three martial arts halls leveled to the ground, and the families of those Martial Arts Academy Disciples laying dead in the streets struck fear into people.
No one dared to provoke this extremely radical Evil Cult in the slightest.
However, the White Lotus Sect's propaganda wasn't entirely ineffective.
Some people with extreme thoughts or those who completely lost hope in life soon succumbed to the sect's doctrine and joined the sect.
Su Que also avoided them with the pedestrians, letting the White Lotus Sect members pass by.
As everyone stood aside, quietly waiting for the sect members to pass by.
Suddenly, a commotion arose from the direction facing the White Lotus Sect members.
After Su Que's Seven Injuries Fist reached the 5th Realm Refining Skill, his hearing and eyesight became sharp, enabling him to hear faint hoofbeats amidst the distant noise.
Gradually, the sound of hoofbeats grew nearer.
Soon, five riders galloped forward.
The leader was approximately forty years old, with a brawny build, thick eyebrows, and large eyes.
Most striking was the curly big beard beneath his chin.
"Are you of the White Lotus Sect?"
The Big Beard's leopard-like eyes sparkled, staring at the leading monk of the White Lotus Sect.
"Indeed, may I know what this layman seeks?"
The monk flicked the duster in his right hand, laying it on his left arm.
Then he held his right hand upright as a palm in front of his body, offering a salute.
"Zheng Tian'en, the master of Zheng Martial Arts Hall in Jade Water City, was killed by your White Lotus Sect?"
The Big Beard asked loudly, eyes fixed on the monk, radiating murderous intent.
Zheng Martial Arts Hall was one of the three halls razed by the White Lotus Sect.
Upon hearing this, the bystanders speculated that the group led by the Big Beard sought vengeance for Zheng Tian'en, killed by the White Lotus Sect.
Sensing the tense atmosphere, the civilians feared getting injured or killed by mistake, quickly dispersed and watched from afar.
Su Que also withdrew to a distance along with the civilians.
"Zheng Tian'en and his disciples disturbed our holy sect, it was us who enlightened him on behalf of the Mother of Wusheng!"
The White Lotus Monk fearlessly met the Big Beard's murderous gaze, speaking with resounding confidence.
"Damn it... Where is your base in Jade Water City, take me there!"
As he spoke, the Big Beard pulled out a gleaming saber half his height from beside the horse's belly and held it in his hand.
Since practicing martial arts, Su Que had often paid attention to weapons, recognizing the half-height saber as the "Eight Diagrams Saber."
He had heard that Zheng Tian'en, the master of Zheng Martial Arts Hall, wielded a saber technique named "Night Battle Eight Diagrams Saber" of the Eight Trigrams Sect.
Zheng Martial Arts Hall had ties with the renowned Eight Trigrams Sect of Liang Kingdom.
Su Que even heard that Zheng Tian'en opened his martial arts hall here to select disciples for the Eight Trigrams Sect.
Now it seemed the rumors were likely true.
The Big Beard was very likely Zheng Tian'en's fellow disciple, coming specifically to avenge Zheng Tian'en upon hearing of his death.
"Ha."
The White Lotus Monk glanced at the Big Beard's Eight Diagrams Saber, smiling slightly:
"Layman, do you wish to fight?"
"Of course!"
Su Que's thoughts were correct; the Big Beard and Zheng Tian'en were indeed fellow disciples, and moreover, the Big Beard was Zheng Tian'en's senior brother.
They were both sent by the Eight Trigrams Sect to recruit disciples outside.
Zheng Tian'en came to Jade Water City to open a martial arts hall.
While the Big Beard, being stronger than Zheng Tian'en, opened his martial arts hall in a larger and more prosperous city than Jade Water City.
Upon receiving news of his junior brother Zheng Tian'en's death, he came here enraged.
Seeing the White Lotus Monk's indifferent demeanor, his fury burned even hotter.
He abruptly rose from the horse, leaping into the air in an instant.
Holding the saber with both hands, he lifted it high above his head, and the brilliant saber light drew an arc, slashing down fiercely at the White Lotus Monk!
The White Lotus Monk raised both hands backward, releasing a burst of energy.
He forced the White Lotus Sect members behind him to retreat.
He also tapped the ground lightly, retreating swiftly backward.
The Big Beard saw the White Lotus Monk dodging and promptly retracted his saber.
Yet the vigorous energy of the saber still struck the spot where the White Lotus Sect members originally stood.
Instantly, with a loud crash, dust flew everywhere.
A saber mark over a zhang long appeared on the ground.
"Such powerful Sword Force, this Big Beard has likely undergone three Qi Blood Body Forging sessions!"
Among the crowd, Su Que suddenly heard someone five steps away speaking to his companion while staring at the Big Beard.
It was his first time hearing such a term, something he wasn't aware of in martial arts.
Immediately, Su Que pushed through the crowd and patted the shoulder of this sturdy man:
"Mighty hero, could you please explain what Qi Blood Body Forging is?"
The man, patted, turned around at once, curiously assessing the dignified Confucian Scholar before him.