Realm-Hopping Martial Master

"You!"

He felt the true Qi emanating from Chou Hai.

Qiu Yushan's face was full of shock.

He wanted to pull back and escape.

However, it was already too late!

The blade came down.

Qiu Yushan raised his sword to block!

The web of his hand went numb!

"Chou Hai, you and I should each take a step back. We split the Fog Python's blood and flesh down the middle. You're in the Refining Internal Realm, there's no way you don't know the python's flesh nourishes the internal organs! You're getting on in years—eat some python meat, maybe you get to live a few more years!"

"Why risk your life fighting with me!"

He shouted, trying to tempt him with benefit.

Qiu Yushan spoke rapidly, swallowing his grief, and said, "If we work together, we both win! You're a Hidden Guard for the court, but you're lacking resources. To pursue Martial Arts, resources are everything. In Pingling County, I'll give you a cut from whatever major household resources I get!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Castellan, but old man, I'm too old—I don't care much for living or dying."

"If His Majesty sent us as Hidden Guards, we have to do the duties of a Hidden Guard."

"Mutant Beasts of level three or higher have to be reported to the court, let the court decide whether to kill or spare. You haven't forgotten that law, have you."

"Besides, only when Mutant Beasts of this level are refined into elixirs do they have the greatest effect."

"But what you're doing—killing and eating the meat—is a real waste of resources!"

Chou Hai shook his head, but his blade moved fiercer and fiercer.

His aura became increasingly savage.

Suddenly, a heavy, crushing blade strike.

A head flew from its shoulders!

The white tiger clutched a corpse, murderous energy radiating, like a fierce tiger descending on earth.

*Even Peak Qiu Yushan had to fall back two steps.*

*Much less now—Qiu Yushan was exhausted, running on nothing but sheer willpower!*

"Splat."

Blood gushed out in a torrent.

Chou Hai stepped forward twice, then cut the Fog Python into two with a single slash.

As a Hidden Guard for the Da Jing Dynasty, he had to check into every little disturbance in Pingling County.

Once he'd made sure no one was nearby, he finally descended into the cold pool and retrieved the accompanying treasure medicine.

After thinking for a moment, he did not take the python's corpse away. He sheathed his broadsword.

He picked up Qiu Yushan's precious blade and sliced off the most essential part of the python's flesh.

With another stab, he picked off its head, stuffed it in his pack, and turned to leave.

Some dozens of miles away,

In a perfectly ordinary big tree, Jiang Shu gripped his binoculars, taking in the whole scene before him.

From Qiu Yushan's battle with the Fog Python,

To his own makeshift master swooping in like a vulture and chopping Qiu Yushan's head off after it was over.

He was too far away to hear what they said, but from what had happened, he could guess two things without trouble.

First: Qiu Yushan sending him and the others to die was just so he could slaughter this python-shaped Mutant Beast himself!

Second: Old Chou's strength was at least as high as the Refining Internal Realm—maybe he was already in that realm!

Jiang Shu shrank into the tree, his body trembling uncontrollably.

*Not out of fear.*

*But excitement!*

Refining Internal Realm.

So, this was the Refining Internal Realm.

*Even a Mutant Giant Python over thirty meters long could be split in half with a single blow!*

*When would I ever reach that level?*

He took a few deep breaths, then Jiang Shu suddenly climbed down from the tree and dashed like mad toward the Fog Python's corpse.

Maybe, since Mutant Beasts had territorial instincts, not a single Mutant Beast could be found within dozens of miles of the Fog Python's territory.

Jiang Shu moved unimpeded, arriving at the cold pool.

The pool gave off heavy, chilling air and the stench of blood hit him in the face.

Only here did Jiang Shu *really* feel the horror of the Mutant Python!

The Fog Python was dead!

Bright red blood was everywhere, huge scales the size of a palm were scattered all around!

Jiang Shu picked one up, found it hard as iron.

He stabbed it at random, and it sank deep into the ground!

The python meat radiated a powerful life force, even greater than Red Armored Tiger meat—clearly, it was at an even higher equivalent level!

*"If I was the one standing here back then..."*

Standing in front of the massive snake head, Jiang Shu could not help but imagine.

*Skin Grinding Realm was just too weak.*

*He had no idea how Mutant Beasts were classified.*

But from what he'd seen, this python was clearly equivalent to the Refining Internal Realm.

To consume the giant python's flesh!

*That would do way more for me than any common Mutant Beast!*

Without hesitation, Jiang Shu pulled out his dagger and slowly began cutting python meat from its belly.

Even dead, the python's threat lingered!

The Fog Python's flesh was tight and tough.

Jiang Shu kept working with his dagger. Not far off, he could already hear strange beast cries, roaring through the forest—the roar shook a thousand leaves, and countless wild animals trembled in fear.

Clearly, the chaos here had drawn in Mutant Beasts from dozens of miles away.

But with the Fog Python's strength, they'd only dared observe till now.

Now the mist was gone, and several powerful Mutant Beasts were slowly closing in.

But Jiang Shu kept his cool, worked even faster, and only when the ground shook harder did he clutch as much python meat as he could and sprint away down a quiet mountain path, pouring all his strength into the escape.

Snatching food from a tiger's jaws.

*Who'd dare look back?*

He packed the python's flesh tight in his bag.

He could feel those furious roars echoing behind him.

Crashes and thuds—some Mutant Beasts, probably even stronger than Bone Forging Realm, were tearing each other apart fighting for the python's flesh.

The wind whistled by his ears.

*He was completely spent.*

Jiang Shu rolled into a patch of weeds, found a barely safe spot, and could move no further.

He focused his mind, returning to Xuanxing.

...

Next day.

Jiang Shu set out down a side path after recovering. Except for the clothes on his back and a battered dagger, he carried nothing else.

*"Too bad, this opportunity came too suddenly."*

*"If only I'd prepared, brought a chainsaw, I could've hauled back way more python meat!"*

*"Still, this was enough. A man has to know when to stop. Mantis stalks the cicada, but I was the final beneficiary."*

*"Even the later Mutant Beasts, they'd fight and kill just to get some python meat. Maybe, I ended up with more than any of them."*

*Delighted inside,* Jiang Shu picked up the pace.

In just a single day,

He went from Cowhide Realm,

All the way up to Stone Skin Realm.

*Sure, it was important to put the work in day after day.*

*But without that last push from python meat, he'd have needed several more days to break through.*

What's more, while eating the python meat, he could feel a force, strengthening parts of his body.

*That was something Red Armored Tiger meat had never given him!*

*"If I get the chance, I want to find out what kind of Mutant Beast this giant python actually was."*

*"I know too little about Martial Arts or these strange beasts. Hiding in Pingling County is fine, but once I go out into the world, I'm bound to suffer for it."*

*"Old Chou hid his true strength—who knows who he really is. Still, he must know plenty. Maybe, I can ask him someday."*

*"Now that Qiu Yushan's dead, power in Pingling County is about to shuffle again. Whether it's peace or chaos, I'm still too weak. Only if I reach Bone Forging Realm can I profit in times like these."*

*"Better just focus on training for now."*

He made up his mind, silently.

Jiang Shu returned to Pingling County.

Returning with him were a dozen Martial Artists. Qi Yuan was among them.

After all, not everyone was an idiot.

Once back in the inner city, everyone shut their doors and kept to themselves.

A few days later,

The news broke that Castellan Qiu Yushan was dead.

The whole of Pingling County shook like an earthquake.

Merchants backed by the government scrambled to offer up money, trying to look for new connections.

The once-arrogant Government Officials prowling the inner city barely ventured out now.

No one knew how Qiu Yushan died.

Or what kind of castellan the court would send next.

Even the great families in the city were passing strict orders—keep the juniors out of trouble at all costs.

Qi Yuan's small courtyard.

The two gathered together.

"The county's Refining Internal Realm castellan died in these mountains," Qi Yuan sighed, and said, "Junior brother, how hard do you think it is for us to make it out of these mountains?"

"No matter how hard, we have to go."

"The Martial Arts Realm can rise, step by step."

Seeing Qi Yuan's spirits droop, Jiang Shu suddenly stood up. As Qi Yuan looked up in surprise, Jiang Shu said,

"Brother Qi, I've reached Stone Skin. Please teach me!"