The air in the room was thick with the metallic tang of blood. Jiang Dao sat in the stillness, a canvas of gore and grime. On his back, the flesh of a gruesome wound writhed and pulsed, knitting itself back together in a terrifying display of unnatural healing. Deep within him, the Health-Preserving Formula churned, a relentless river of internal energy cycling through his meridians.
But it wasn't enough.
With a flash of insight, Jiang Dao focused his will, reaching into the very code of his power. He pushed. The 240-year mastery of his Formula was instantly overclocked to 300.
A shockwave of energy erupted within him. The river of Qi became a raging flood, branching out into a vast, crackling network that surged through every inch of his body. It enveloped his limbs, his organs, his very bones. The wound on his back, now supercharged with this energy, began healing at double its previous rate. A profound warmth bloomed in his core, spreading through him like a summer tide, washing away the pain and leaving only a soothing comfort in its wake.
And with the new power came new knowledge—a flood of information that crystallized in his mind. The 300-year Formula had unlocked a new function: Inner Qi Body Protection.
He now understood. By pushing his energy to its absolute limit, he could force it to bleed from his pores, wrapping his entire body in an invisible, impenetrable armor. He'd tried a version of it against the woman in the white dress, but that had been a pale imitation—a paper-thin layer of Qi. Now, the armor was a full centimeter thick. And as his power grew, so would his shield. The thought of its potential was staggering.
He took stock, his current status arraying itself in his mind's eye:
Name: Jiang Dao
Strength: 4.5
Speed: 3.6
Spirit: 1.6
Abilities:
Mad Demon Blood Soul Blade [Modifiable]: Enhanced Speed, Malevolence, God-Slaying Slash.
Eagle Claw Vajra Body [Modifiable]: Vajra Indestructibility.
Health-Preserving Formula [Modifiable]: Health Preservation, Healing, Accelerated Recovery, Inner Qi Body Protection.
Wind & Thunder Poisonous Sand Palm [Modifiable]: Poison Palm, Thunder Flame.
Gale Blade Technique [Modifiable]: Speed.
Everything was primed, ready for another upgrade. But he held back. His physical strength had hit a ceiling; no amount of modification to his other skills would change that. He needed to save his chances. What he really needed was a true internal cultivation manual, something that could fundamentally elevate his power.
Then, a thought struck him like a thunderclap. Killing one evil spirit let me modify two skills. Last night, I killed three. Does that mean I have six modifications?
It had to be. The universe couldn't be that cheap.
His eyes locked onto the Health-Preserving Formula in his mind. He pushed again.
Swoosh.
The Formula's mastery leaped forward. 360 years. Then 420. The energy inside him swelled again, doubling in sheer force, a tidal wave of heat and power. A grin touched his lips. He was right. Three spirits, six modifications. He'd used three on the Formula, and his other skills were still showing as [Modifiable].
His Inner Qi armor was now two centimeters thick. The wound on his back tingled as the last of the toxins was violently expelled, staining his skin black before fading. What should have been a fatal injury was practically gone in a day.
By the next morning, he was whole. After changing into clean clothes, he summoned Guo Dutian, his second-in-command.
"What's the word from the Gang Leader?" Jiang Dao asked. "Is he sending us replacements?"
"Hall Master, the Gang Leader said you have full authority to recruit as many people as you need to fill our losses," Guo Dutian reported.
Jiang Dao's eyes lit up. "As many as I want?"
"Yes, sir."
"Perfect." This was better than he could have hoped. Men he hired himself were men he could trust. He smiled. "Well then, let's not be shy. Guo Dutian, get a notice posted across the city. The Flying Eagle Hall is hiring. We'll take any martial artist, no questions asked about their past, as long as they're not common bandits. Starting pay is ten silver taels a month. I'll make them rich."
"Right away, Hall Master!" Guo Dutian bowed, but Jiang Dao stopped him.
"One more thing. The city… how bad was it last night?"
Guo Dutian's face grew grim. "It's bad. Word is we lost over five hundred skilled fighters. Not just our own men, but wanderers and mercenaries, too. It seems whatever did this was hunting martial artists specifically."
Hunting martial artists. The words sent a chill through him. "Find a rider. I need a letter sent to the Jiang Residence in Fengzhou City. Immediately." He couldn't shake the feeling that his family was in danger. If the Spirit Child Palace could track him down here, they could find his family just as easily. These weren't men; they were monsters. He had to get his family here, under his protection.
After dispatching the letter, Jiang Dao decided he needed to see the city for himself. He gathered a few of his Helmsmen and rode out into the streets of Qianyuan.
The city was drowning in sorrow. Funeral processions choked the avenues, the air thick with the flutter of white mourning paper. In every tavern and inn, people spoke in hushed, fearful tones. Rumors spread like wildfire. The Flying Eagle Hall's own businesses were shuttered, their gambling dens and brothels dark and silent.
He finally found a tavern in a remote corner of the city that seemed to have been spared the worst of the chaos. But inside, it was packed with strangers—mercenaries and wanderers, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords. Their conversation buzzed with fear and speculation.
"…had to be evil spirits. Nothing else could kill so many."
"First, the Qiankun Sect in the Central Plains gets wiped out, now this. It's like the whole world is coming apart."
Another man scoffed, his voice laced with greed. "Let the Blazing Flame Gang burn. I heard when the Qiankun Sect fell, there was so much silver left behind that the government couldn't carry it all. Every fighter who showed up walked away with a fortune. Some guys made over a hundred thousand taels in two days."
"That's nothing," a grim-faced man at a corner table added, his voice dropping low. "The real treasure was never found. The Qiankun Sect's ultimate cultivation manual, the Innate Sacred Formula, vanished. So did the Sect Leader's little daughter, Qin Qingqing. They say she's the one who has it."
The tavern went quiet.
"The Innate Sacred Formula?"
"The little girl? How old is she?"
Jiang Dao froze, his gaze snapping toward the man. He threaded his way through the crowd. "This girl," he said, his voice steady. "You're sure she's only six or seven?"
The man nodded. "Positive. They're tearing the Central Plains apart looking for her. But that's not the worst part." He leaned in, his voice a whisper. "The ones who destroyed her sect… that same evil spirit organization… they're looking for her too."
The implications hit Jiang Dao like a physical blow. An internal cultivation manual—the very thing he needed.
He gave the man a curt nod. "Thank you."
He turned on his heel and strode out of the tavern, his men scrambling to follow. As he swung onto his horse, his voice was ice. "Not a word of this to anyone. Understand?"
Back at the Flying Eagle Hall, he moved with purpose. He ordered his guards that he was not to be disturbed, then walked to the room where he'd kept the mysterious little girl he'd rescued.
He found her on the balcony, staring out at the sun with vacant eyes. At the sound of the door, she flinched and spun around, her gaze darting to him before falling to the floor.
Jiang Dao closed the door behind him. "Can we talk?"
She remained silent, her small hands twisting the hem of her dress.
"Your name is Qin Qingqing, isn't it?" he asked gently. "And your father was Qin Lieshan, leader of the Qiankun Sect."
Panic flashed in her eyes.
"It's okay," he said, his voice softening. "I'm not going to hurt you. You saw what I did to those things last night. I can kill them. Is that what you want? Revenge?"
He slowly approached her. "Your family… they were killed by those evil spirits, weren't they? They died so you could live. You've been so strong, so smart, pretending you couldn't speak to survive this long. But do you want to hide forever? Don't you want to make them pay?"
A tiny, choked sob escaped her lips. Her shoulders began to shake as she looked up at him, her eyes shimmering with tears.
Got it, he thought. It was her.
He knelt beside her, his large hand gently resting on her head. "It's hard to fight monsters like that," he said softly. "But it's not impossible. The evil spirits who destroyed your family… how about we make a trade? You have your sect's cultivation manual, don't you? Give it to me, and I'll hunt down every last one of them for you. I'll even teach you. I'll make you strong enough to protect yourself."
He saw the conflict in her eyes. "Those things are filth. They kill without a thought. My own family was almost destroyed by them once. But I fought back. I saved them. Don't you want that chance?"
That broke her. The dam of her silence shattered, and a torrent of grief poured out. "Daddy, Mommy… my sister… they're all dead!" she wailed, collapsing against him. "Those monsters… we couldn't fight them. Uncle Fu… he tried to save me, and they… they ate him!"
She cried for a long time, the pain and terror of weeks of silent suffering finally finding a voice. Jiang Dao simply held her, letting her grief run its course.
When her sobs subsided, he asked, "Why did they want you?"
"They said… they said I have a Profound Yin Body," she whispered. "That I could be used for a sacrifice. Daddy wouldn't let them, so he hid me. When they couldn't find me, they… they killed everyone."
"And this group," Jiang Dao pressed. "Did your father know who they were?"
"He said they were the Tuoba Family," she mumbled. "Spirit Exterminators."
Spirit Exterminators. The pieces were clicking into place. No wonder they could control evil spirits.
"Alright, Qin Qingqing," he said, looking her in the eye. "Here's the deal. You give me the manual, and I will make your enemies my own. I swear it. If you don't want to, I won't force you. You can stay here as my guest for as long as you like."
She looked at him, her tear-filled eyes searching his for a long moment. "You… you really promise?"
"If I lie," Jiang Dao said, his voice ringing with conviction, "may the evil spirits devour me where I stand."
That was enough. After a moment of hesitation, she reached up and unclasped a simple crystal necklace from around her neck. "Daddy said the manual was in here. He told me I couldn't learn it until I was ten."
Jiang Dao took the necklace. It was smooth and clear, beautifully made but seemingly empty. "How?"
"With blood," she said. "Daddy said it only shows itself with blood."
Without a second thought, Jiang Dao drew his knife, sliced his thumb, and pressed the bleeding digit against the crystal.
The effect was instantaneous. The clear crystal pulsed, and crimson light bloomed from within. As his blood seeped into it, the entire necklace turned a deep, dark red, and across its surface, countless, intricate characters began to glow, forming the text of the legendary manual.
He stared at it in awe. It was ingenious. A secret hidden in plain sight.
He looked back at the little girl, whose entire world now rested in his hands. "Don't worry," he said, his voice firm. "I am a man of my word. As long as I am alive, no one in this city will ever touch you again. Your feud is now my feud."
She nodded, wiping the last of her tears away.