Bang!

Lu Tao was forging iron when suddenly the courtyard gate was kicked open and smashed to pieces.

Immediately afterwards, a group of Axe Gang members burst in.

Just as Lu Tao was about to speak, a burly man in his forties, standing 1.8 meters tall, glanced at him and said in a deep voice, "Stand aside and don't move."

Lu Tao had no choice but to stand obediently to the side.

Lu Tao recognized this person; his name was Yang Feng. He was extremely strong, a late-stage Skin Refining expert, and ranked among the top five in the entire Axe Gang.

This man was extremely lecherous and abused no fewer than ten respectable women. Some of them committed suicide because they could not bear the humiliation; others had their families seek justice from the Axe Gang but were brutally murdered by him.

He was a complete bully.

At Yang Feng's signal, the other three members of the Axe Gang barged into Lu Tao's room, kitchen, and even the outhouse and doghouse without saying a word, searching everywhere for something.

Hearing the sounds of rummaging through the room, Lu Tao subtly revealed a hint of displeasure, but could only silently endure it.

Yang Feng glanced at it but didn't notice anything unusual.

Soon, one by one, members of the Axe Gang came out, all shaking their heads at Yang Feng.

Clearly, after searching, nothing was found.

Yang Feng glanced at Lu Tao and casually asked, "Did you notice anything unusual just now?"

"No."

Lu Tao shook his head.

Yang Feng nodded silently, said nothing more, and led his group out of the courtyard to the next house to search for another person who had a grudge against Wang Jinshan.

Wang Jinshan had many enemies in Dafeng Town, and many people had the motive and ability to kill him. Relatively speaking, Lu Tao was much less suspicious.

It can even be ignored.

After all, Lu Tao was only seventeen years old, and his cultivation and strength were limited. It was absolutely impossible for him to kill Wang Jinshan.

Furthermore, according to what the Axe Gang discovered at the murder scene, the murderer shot Wang Jinshan with a bow and arrow, and the arrow was even able to penetrate the wall, which clearly indicated that it had reached a certain level. The Lu family had never possessed such a weapon.

As for forging it, the Axe Gang immediately ruled out this possibility.

The Axe Gang was well aware of Lu Tao's forging abilities; he was simply incapable of forging entry-level weapons, only ordinary ones, and couldn't even forge anything of decent quality.

In fact, the Axe Gang did not find anything during the search; there was no trace of buried bows and arrows in the latrine.

The Axe Gang naturally wouldn't waste their time on Lu Tao.

After Yang Feng and the others left, Lu Tao returned to his room.

Seeing his clothes and bedding carelessly thrown on the ground, and most of the pots and pans smashed, Lu Tao's anger began to rise.

"They're just a bunch of bandits."

In other words, he really didn't have anything good, otherwise, these people would definitely have taken it along with him.

Lu Tao silently tidied everything up, repaired the courtyard gate, and then took out the medicine he had obtained from Wang Jinshan's house and began to cultivate.

Only by increasing his strength will he be fearless.

Now in the mid-stage of Skin Refinement, with several mid-grade Yellow Rank movement and sword techniques... he fears no one from the Axe Gang in the mid-stage of Skin Refinement, but against those in the late-stage of Skin Refinement, Lu Tao is a little unsure.

Therefore, Lu Tao was eager to quickly improve his cultivation and strength.

With the medicine applied all over his body, Lu Tao gradually became immersed in cultivation and could not extricate himself.

...

On the other side, in Dafeng Town, there was a martial arts shop.

The boss, He Zongming, is an old man in his seventies, but he looks only fifty years old. He is still radiant, without a single gray hair, and very healthy. He is one of the few Blood Refining Realm experts in Dafeng Town.

The Axe Gang's search of civilian homes caused quite a stir, which naturally alerted him.

After inquiring, they learned that Wang Jinshan had been assassinated. Although they were surprised, they didn't care too much. He was just a nobody from the Axe Gang. He was dead, so what?

However, upon hearing that he had been shot with an arrow, He Zongming, for some reason, immediately thought of Lu Tao, who had recently mortgaged his shop's property deed to exchange for the Star Chasing Archery Technique.

However, only a little over an hour has passed since Lu Tao changed his cultivation method. What can you do in such a short time?

It's impossible that someone could master the Star Chasing Arrow Technique in just one hour and then use it to kill Wang Jinshan, right?

If Lu Tao had such insight, why would he have wasted more than ten years in Dafeng Town?

Can't even avenge the deaths of one's parents?

Moreover, Lu Tao couldn't produce that level of bow and arrow.

Thinking about all this, He Zongming couldn't help but shake his head. However, once this guess appeared, it lingered in his mind and wouldn't go away.

This made him think more deeply.

The more I think about it, the more likely it seems.

If it weren't for Lu Tao, why would he exchange a house deed for a cultivation technique?

He Zongming had previously found Lu Tao's actions rather strange, and now, looking back, it was indeed quite illogical.

"Could it... really be him?"

The thought of this possibility startled even him.

If it's true, it's not just unbelievable, it's downright fantastical.

Not only did he master the mid-grade Yellow Rank Star Chasing Arrow Technique in just one hour, but he was also able to forge an entry-level weapon. This is not just a genius, this is a monster.

"Perhaps, the weather in Dafeng Town... is about to change."

He Zongming glanced at the Axe Gang members who were inquiring at the pawnshop, muttered something, then turned around and went back to the shop. He put the house deed that Lu Tao had brought earlier into his pocket and destroyed the document.

He was lying on the chair, humming a tune, as if nothing had happened.

It's as if they know nothing, and naturally they don't care about anything.

...

Breathe

As he practiced the technique and his breathing changed, Lu Tao controlled the medicinal liquid to continuously temper his skin and flesh, gradually improving them.

With the perfected state of the Wild Bull Body Refining Technique, coupled with the absorption of the full efficacy of the medicine, Lu Tao's cultivation speed is now worlds apart from before.

Vastly different.

The effects of cultivation differ by tens of times.

After finishing one bottle of medicine, Lu Tao did not stop and continued to use the second bottle.

If one's understanding of the cultivation technique is inadequate, then after immediately improving one's cultivation level, it will take some time to familiarize oneself with the body in order to avoid making mistakes during cultivation, which could lead to qi deviation or an unstable foundation.

But Lu Tao doesn't have this problem.

Having mastered the Wild Bull Body Refining Technique, Lu Tao could adjust his breathing according to the amount of medicinal effects his body absorbed during cultivation, thus preventing him from going astray.

As for an unstable foundation.

It's even more impossible that way. Every time Lu Tao tempers his skin and flesh, he allows the medicinal effects to be fully absorbed, and his skin and flesh are repeatedly tempered, allowing them to advance naturally. He doesn't force an advancement when he can barely advance.

The same applies to the cultivation of the mid-stage of Skin Refining.

Lu Tao would not force his way to the next realm; that would be self-destructive and unwise.

Since the Axe Gang can't find him for the time being, Lu Tao isn't in a hurry and is steadily improving his strength in an orderly manner.

And so it went, one bottle, two bottles, three bottles...

Time passed quickly, and an hour and a half later, it was already late at night.

Buzz...

Lu Tao felt as if his entire body was being electrified, with waves of tingling sensations that vanished in an instant.

Lu Tao knew that he had made a breakthrough.

In just a few hours, he broke through several realms in succession, advancing from the early stage of Skin Refining to the middle stage, and after killing Wang Jinshan, he broke through to the late stage of Skin Refining.

If this were to get out, no one in Dafeng Town would believe it.

Name: Lu Tao.

Cultivation level: Late stage of Skin Refining.

"Techniques: (Thunderbolt Fist (0/3 Minor Success), Savage Bull Body Refining Technique (Perfect), Wandering Cloud Movement Technique (Perfect), Star Chasing Arrow Technique (Perfect), Cloak Blade Technique (Perfect))"

"Skill: Lu's Hammer Technique (0/9 Mastery)".

"Fortune Points: 9".

Lu Tao glanced at the system, then stopped being distracted and continued running the Body Refining Technique to absorb and refine the remaining medicinal effects between his skin and flesh, using them to stabilize his cultivation level.

A moment later, Lu Tao finished his practice.

I've used three bottles of potion during this hour-long cultivation tonight, and now I only have one left. It's clearly impossible for me to break through the Skin Refining Realm and directly reach the Blood Refining Realm.

However, with his late-stage Skin Refining cultivation, combined with his movement techniques, swordsmanship, and archery skills, Lu Tao was no longer the helpless youth he once was.

"At least we have some ability to protect ourselves."

After taking a cold shower, Lu Tao instructed the big black dog to wake him up if it heard any noise.

Lu Tao was worried that the Axe Gang might come knocking on his door in the middle of the night. Although the possibility was slim, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Speaking of which, do I need to build a better house? Otherwise, it would be too frustrating to be ambushed from afar like Wang Jinshan and killed with an arrow."

"But simply having a sturdy house isn't enough. What if someone releases poison? It also needs to be able to defend against poison. It seems we need to set up an array. Oh, and it would be best if it could shrink in size, and also have a smart home assistant..."

"Never mind, it's a bit far, I'd better go to sleep."

Lu Tao took a short nap while dreaming about the future.

He dared not sleep too soundly; he could only manage a light nap tonight…