puff……
Before Lu Tao could finish his two sentences, He Zongming was so shocked that he spat out a mouthful of tea, which immediately sprayed all over Lu Tao's face.
Killing Wang Jinshan was one thing, but he was just a mere mid-stage Skin Refining cultivator, not worth mentioning.
But Yang Feng is different; he's at the late stage of Skin Refining.
Moreover, they are quite strong, ranking among the top five in the entire Axe Gang.
How could Lu Tao kill someone like that?
"Kid, you can't just say things like that. Get out of here and stop talking nonsense."
He Zongming glanced around and noticed that many people were curiously looking at his door. He immediately tried to drive Lu Tao away, but his words also subtly defended Lu Tao, saying that he was talking nonsense.
"Wait, that's not right."
Just as he was about to push Lu Tao away, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
Despite his Blood Refining Realm cultivation, he was unable to move Lu Tao. Then, He Zongming was shocked to discover that Lu Tao was surrounded by a faint aura of blood energy.
This is an aura unique to the Blood Refining Realm.
Lu Tao, he was not at the Skin Refining Realm, but at the Blood Refining Realm.
But how is that possible?
He's only seventeen years old, how could he have such cultivation?
He Zongming remained in the posture of pushing Lu Tao away, staring blankly at Lu Tao as if looking at a monster, his face full of disbelief.
"Senior, how about we go inside the shop and discuss this in detail?"
Seeing that many people were watching, Lu Tao wiped his face and reminded them.
"Ah, oh, right, right, let's go into the shop, let's go into the shop."
He Zongming then realized what was happening, and in a panic, he pulled Lu Tao into the shop and then slammed the door shut.
After the two sat down, He Zongming continued to scrutinize Lu Tao, looking somewhat dazed, as if he had not yet recovered from the shock he had just experienced.
"senior?"
"ah?"
He Zongming was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening. He took a deep breath and said, "Sigh, I'm getting old. You, a junior, are truly amazing."
He had already been surprised enough by Lu Tao's earlier deduction that Lu Tao had killed Wang Jinshan, but he hadn't expected that he would still underestimate Lu Tao.
The Blood Refining Realm.
He has walked this path for seventy years, but Lu Tao is only seventeen years old now.
At that moment, he suddenly felt as if he had wasted all his years of his life.
He Zongming couldn't help but ask, "Kid, were you hiding your cultivation level before?"
Otherwise, he really couldn't believe that someone could improve so much in just two days; it was terrifying.
Lu Tao explained with a smile, "No, I was also furious a few days ago when Wang Jinshan withheld my pay. Somehow, my brain seemed to change and I suddenly became a little smarter."
He fabricated a lie.
"I see."
He Zongming suddenly realized, and then sighed, "You've not just become a little smarter, you've completely transformed into a different person."
"Senior seems to know what's going on with me?"
He Zongming nodded and said, "Yes, although your situation is rare, it has happened before in the martial arts world. The soul is a very strange existence. Some people will become crazy when stimulated, while others will suddenly have a great increase in comprehension. You belong to the latter."
Lu Tao nodded, completely agreeing with this statement.
"By the way, what are you doing here?"
He Zongming suddenly realized that Lu Tao had killed the Axe Gang members, so why was he suddenly coming to his shop? It couldn't be that he was seeking refuge, could it?
"Let me make this clear first: I'm getting old and don't want to get involved in any conflicts. If you want me to protect you, I advise you to give up that idea as soon as possible."
Despite being at the Blood Refinement Realm, He Zongming didn't want any conflict with the Axe Gang. He wasn't alone; he had descendants. He didn't want to provoke those thugs.
Lu Tao shook his head to indicate that he was not seeking protection, and then said in a deep voice, "I want to buy a few high-grade Yellow Rank cultivation techniques. Of course, it would be best if there were any Profound Rank cultivation techniques."
Upon hearing this, He Zongming breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head, saying, "There are no Xuan-rank techniques; the best one we have is a high-grade Huang-rank technique."
After hesitating for a moment, He Zongming couldn't help but ask again, "You killed Yang Feng, aren't you going to run away? Aren't you worried that the Axe Gang leader will come looking for you?"
Lu Tao laughed and said, "That's why I came to you to buy the cultivation technique, because I was worried."
The truth is, he has already reached the Blood Refining Realm, so he is naturally not worried about the Axe Gang targeting him. He is worried about Wu Ming's safety, so he wants to eliminate the Axe Gang first.
Lu Tao didn't need to say that.
He Zongming nodded, then asked curiously, "Have you finished practicing those three cultivation manuals you bought yesterday?"
"Yes, they have all successfully completed their cultivation."
He Zongming pressed further, "To what extent have you cultivated?"
"Perfect state".
"What?"
He Zongming was shocked again. Looking at the seventeen-year-old boy in front of him, he couldn't help but swallow. He had actually cultivated all three mid-grade Yellow Rank cultivation manuals to the perfect level in less than a day.
Is this even human?
"Really? You're not lying to me?"
Lu Tao smiled wryly and said, "Senior, I have no reason to lie to you."
"Yes, but... this is just too incredible."
He Zongming murmured, then suddenly remembered something. He quickly took a book from the bookshelf and handed it to Lu Tao, saying, "This is a secret technique that can conceal one's own qi and blood power. You can practice it right in front of me now. If you can successfully master it within half an hour... no, an hour, I will give you this secret technique for free."
Lu Tao's eyes lit up; he hadn't expected such a good thing to happen.
Without saying a word, Lu Tao picked up the book and started reading.
"Blood Transformation Technique".
After a moment, Lu Tao finished reading and slowly closed the book.
Just as He Zongming was about to say something to Lu Tao, he suddenly noticed that the faint aura of blood and qi on Lu Tao's body had completely disappeared.
It was as if the young man sitting in front of him was not a master of the Blood Refining Realm, but an ordinary person.
"How is that possible?"
He Zongming was shocked once again, and even stood up involuntarily.
Even though the Blood Transformation Technique is only a low-grade Yellow Rank secret technique, can one comprehend it directly after reading the book? Is there no need for cultivation?
What kind of monster is this?
He's simply a prodigy.
He had also roamed the martial arts world before, but he had never heard of such an exaggerated existence as Lu Tao.
That's insane.
After a long while, He Zongming finally came to his senses and looked at Lu Tao with a complicated expression, saying, "Truly, the younger generation is formidable."
"Wait here, I'll go get you the cultivation manual."
Then, He Zongming turned around and went back to the courtyard behind the shop. He took out three martial arts manuals from his room and placed them in front of Lu Tao. However, he did not hand them to Lu Tao directly. Instead, he asked, "Speaking of which, you previously mortgaged three martial arts manuals with the house deed. Now, do you have the money to buy these three martial arts manuals from me?"
“These are all top-grade Yellow Rank cultivation techniques, each worth one hundred taels,” He Zongming added.
Lu Tao asked awkwardly, "Can I pay on credit?"
"cannot."
He Zongming's face darkened. He pulled the cultivation manual into his robes and said in a deep voice, "Kid, don't go too far. You're trying to get my cultivation manual for free."
Lu Tao said, "Don't worry, senior, I'll just extend the time by two hours."
"Two hours isn't enough... um? Two hours?"
He Zongming frowned, then seemed to realize something, his eyes widened suddenly, and he said in a trembling voice, "Kid, you're not planning to attack the Axe Gang, are you?"
Aside from this possibility, he couldn't think of any other way Lu Tao could earn three hundred taels in two hours.
Lu Tao nodded silently.
"Lu Tao, you're playing with fire! Although only the Axe Gang leader is at the Blood Refining Realm, there are dozens of them. As the saying goes, even two fists can't fight four hands. You alone..."
He Zongming stopped there, but his words clearly conveyed the message that he was advising Lu Tao not to act impulsively.
"Don't worry, senior, I have confidence."
"How confident are you?"
Lu Tao said, "At least 60%."
He Zongming shook his head, "Sixty percent is too little, too risky, not worth it."
Lu Tao said, "Senior, what I mean is that without these three cultivation techniques, I would have at least a 60% chance of success. But with these three cultivation techniques, I would have a 90% chance, or even a 100% chance."
"Lu Tao, you're too arrogant, you..."
Upon hearing this, He Zongming was not pleased at all; on the contrary, he was somewhat disappointed. He felt that Lu Tao had become somewhat arrogant because of his improved comprehension. No matter how talented such a person is, he will not go far.
Just as I was about to offer some advice to Lu Tao...
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Tao pulled open his clothes, revealing the iron armor underneath.
"This...this...this is an entry-level iron armor? And it's even a high-grade ninth-level one?"
He Zongming was shocked once again.
He discovered that Lu Tao had brought him far too many shocks.
At this moment, He Zongming finally understood that Lu Tao was not arrogant, but rather had enough confidence in his own abilities.
With this armor, Blood Refining poses virtually no threat to Lu Tao.
He knew Lu Tao was wearing iron armor when he pushed him, but he never expected it to be a ninth-grade high-quality armor.
"I underestimated you."
He Zongming couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, asking, "If I'm not mistaken, you also forged this armor yourself, right?"
"good."
"Really..."
He Zongming didn't know how to praise Lu Tao anymore; such talent was beyond his comprehension.
Lu Tao pressed his advantage, saying, "Senior, if you give me the three cultivation manuals, I can forge you an entry-level weapon, or even a suit of armor."
Is this really true?
He Zongming stood up excitedly. Ranked iron armor is extremely rare. Not only is it much more difficult to forge iron armor than ordinary weapons, but it also requires more materials. Therefore, a set of iron armor is often worth several times or even ten times more than a weapon of the same rank.
"certainly."
Lu Tao nodded. To him, it made no difference whether it was a suit of armor or an axe.
It's just a piece of iron anyway.
"Very well, I want a set of iron armor. My requirements are not high, just reaching the advanced level will suffice."
He Zongming was beaming with excitement and said, "In that case, I won't take advantage of you. From now on, you can choose any of the martial arts techniques in my shop for free."
"Wouldn't that really mean getting something for free? It really proves the saying, 'Getting something for free is great for a while, and getting something for free all the time is even better.'"
Lu Tao's eyes lit up, and he muttered to himself as if possessed, "If legitimate freebies are this enjoyable, wouldn't illegitimate ones be even more enjoyable?"
As luck would have it, just after Lu Tao finished speaking, he noticed a girl of about fourteen or fifteen years old emerge from behind the shop and look at him curiously.
Lu Tao was immediately embarrassed.
This is He Yuanshuang, the granddaughter of He Zongming. She is only fourteen years old, but she has already developed quite well at such a young age and has a very cute appearance.
He Yuanshuang had been eavesdropping behind the door. She was also shocked by Lu Tao's amazing talent. Seeing that the two were about to leave after their conversation, she couldn't help but come out to see what Lu Tao looked like.
The young man was tall and straight, with a handsome face that exuded determination. His face was as if it had been carved by a knife and axe, making him unforgettable after just one glance.
At that moment, He Yuanshuang's heart fluttered, and the door to the young girl's heart slowly opened...
boom!
Just then, a powerful figure descended like a god, forcefully closing the door to He Yuanshuang's heart.
"Boy, don't even think about messing with my Yuan Shuang, or I'll never let you get away with this."
He Zongming protected He Yuanshuang behind him like an eagle, afraid that Lu Tao would touch his granddaughter.
"Grandpa, what are you saying?" He Yuanshuang asked shyly, her face turning red.
Lu Tao was also quite embarrassed and coughed, saying, "Senior, you've misunderstood..."
"Hurry up and take the cultivation manual. If you don't leave now, don't blame me for being impolite." He Zongming directly ordered them to leave.
Helpless, Lu Tao picked up the cultivation manual and left, but couldn't help complaining, "Senior, you change your mind faster than I learn the cultivation manual."
"roll!"
He Zongming was so angry that he blew his beard and glared. This brat actually put on airs in front of him. What was he showing off for?
So what if they're talented? What's there to be proud of?
If he had that talent... humph, he would show off even more.
Anyone can show off their abilities in front of others.
I'm so annoyed.
The more I think about it, the angrier I get.
"Next, be careful of poison."
Although he was angry, He Zongming didn't want anything to happen to Lu Tao. When Lu Tao walked out of the shop, he threw him a small bottle containing a pill.
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