Qingshi City, Zhao Family Mansion.
Bang!
An expensive flowerpot was smashed to pieces.
Zhao Youwei flew into a rage: "That damned Li Ming, how dare he, a mere down-and-out!"
Having learned of Li Ming's attitude from the Snow Tiger Gang, and recalling his previous kind words, he realized that Li Ming was showing him no respect at all.
From childhood to adulthood, Zhao Youwei could be said to have no power in Qing Shi City.
Even if someone commits a minor offense, they'll pull strings and cover it up soon enough.
After venting his anger, Zhao Youwei said with a grim face, "Old Li, I want him dead!"
Meanwhile, the old steward of the Zhao family, seeing his young master so impatient, sighed:
“Young Master, Li Ming has performed exceptionally well and is highly regarded by Chief Constable Lin of the Six Doors.”
"If we take action and anger Chief Constable Lin, he could accuse us of treason, and the Zhao family would be in serious trouble!"
"The powerful figures in the city won't stand on our side; they're mostly just trying to get a piece of the pie."
Zhao Youwei's expression softened at this moment, and he calmly said, "Then what should we do? Are we just going to let the Zhao family's face be disregarded like this?"
"How can I hold my head up like this? How can my martial arts improve!"
After thinking for a while, Chief Steward Li slowly said, "How dare a mere constable disregard the Zhao family like this? If he is not eliminated, what will become of the Zhao family's prestige and reputation?"
"Should we continue to call on the Snow Tiger Gang to take action?"
"No, the Snow Tiger Gang has been involved with us too much over the years. Taking action rashly this time might implicate us."
"What should we do then?" Zhao Youwei asked anxiously.
Are they really powerless against them?
Just a lowly constable?
Steward Li stroked his long beard and sneered, "Wasn't the death of Blood Fifth Brother his doing?"
"He still has four brothers. Originally, they might not have had any intention of revenge, but isn't that what we're here for? As long as we get a taste of success, given the nature of these bandits, won't they be at our beck and call?"
"Furthermore, since Li Ming can defeat enemies despite his cultivation level, he must possess some treasures. If we fabricate a few stories, wouldn't that solve the problem?"
“These days, young master, just focus on your breakthrough. The master has found a Qi Seed from elsewhere, which is also quite good.”
Zhao Youwei's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "Old Li, what a great idea! It's just a pity we can't see Li Ming die with our own eyes."
...
On the other side.
After some hesitation, Li Ming decided to break through to the Qi Refining Realm right now.
Cultivation is the foundation of a martial artist, and each major realm is extremely important.
The ninth-grade body tempering is just the most basic level. Once a martial artist enters the Qi Refining Realm and opens up a Qi Sea within their body, giving birth to true Qi, they have already transcended the realm of ordinary people.
Li Ming thought about the steps in the "Yi Mu Zhen Gong" and mobilized his qi and blood to sense his dantian.
In this world, having a superior cultivation technique is not enough.
He also needs exclusive resources; if he wants to perfectly cultivate the "True Art of Wood," the Wood Qi is a basic requirement.
Li Ming carefully took out the Yi Wood Seed from his bosom. Just by smelling it up close, he could feel the power of Yi Wood contained within. It was no exaggeration to say that such a treasure could prolong life for ordinary people simply by wearing it.
He needs to extract the pure Yi Wood Qi to serve as the foundation for his Qi cultivation.
I don't know how much time has passed.
Li Ming opened his eyes, his pupils brightening as if flashing with lightning.
"laugh!"
Li Ming extended his right index and middle fingers, and with a thought, a wisp of cyan true energy appeared at his fingertips, giving his finger the power to pierce through iron and stone, as gentle as a spring breeze.
Only now can it be said that "Yimu True Skill" has truly taken its first step.
Superior true qi naturally has its own unique uses.
Although his own Yi Wood Qi wasn't top-tier in terms of offensive power, it was quite beneficial to himself. Just now, the true Qi circulated throughout his body, repairing all his previous minor injuries. He could also repair any future injuries using the secret methods recorded in the "Yi Wood True Skill," and even help others repair their injuries, indirectly prolonging their lives.
Moreover, according to the records in the True Skill of Yi Wood, those who master the Qi of Yi Wood are basically free from illness and disaster. Not to mention being immune to all poisons, ordinary poisons are also ineffective against them. Furthermore, they are also exceptional at healing others.
Even though Li Ming couldn't see his own lifespan, he guessed that it was probably more than ten years longer.
Name: Li Ming (18 years old)
[Cultivation Level]: [Qi Refining Stage 3]
[Martial Arts]: ["Great Xuanwu Scripture Body Forging Chapter" (Completed), "Three Blades of the Gale" (Completed), "Yi Wood True Skill - Qi Refining Chapter" (Minor Success 0%).]
His cultivation level directly entered the third level, and his technique rapidly reached the minor completion stage.
This was undoubtedly due to Li Ming's physique and comprehension, which allowed him to cultivate with ease and without any setbacks.
For ordinary people, breaking through to a higher level of cultivation naturally only requires one level of cultivation, and it also takes a lot of time to consolidate that level.
Some people with unstable foundations may cause themselves to get injured or even fall back in their cultivation level if they start fighting too aggressively right after breaking through to the Qi Refining stage.
"call!"
Li Ming clenched his fists, his heart pounded, and his blood surged through his body.
"It's time to recoup some of the interest."
Li Ming stood up, his eyes gleaming.
Although the Zhao family hasn't sent anyone to cause him any more trouble these days, Li Ming guesses that Lin Qiancheng may have stepped in and helped him stop the Zhao family's retaliation.
If an ordinary person were faced with such a behemoth as the Zhao family, they might back down and treat it as if they had been bitten by a dog, but he was still somewhat displeased.
Even if he doesn't bite back, he should at least get a whack, right?
...
The next day.
The night was dark and the wind was high.
Zuiyue Tower.
The entire second-floor private room was booked.
In the largest private room in the middle, Zhao Youwei was surrounded by a crowd.
He was beaming, with a beautiful woman in his arms, and raised his wine glass high:
"Drink! Everyone drink! Those who came in upright today must leave horizontal!"
"Otherwise, you're disrespecting me!"
Zhao Youwei was in high spirits, feeling as if all the pent-up frustration of the past few days had vanished.
At this moment, I have reached the pinnacle of my life!
Having broken through the Qi Refining Realm and integrated a decent Qi Seed, he was already fantasizing about breaking through to the Condensation Realm and becoming a Grandmaster, directly dominating Qing Shi City and becoming a local emperor!
Those who have a grudge against him will not have an easy time!
"I...I can't go anymore, I need to...use the restroom."
One of the young men who was drinking with them collapsed onto the floor before they even reached the corridor.
"Quickly carry him away, he's about to wet his pants!"
Someone immediately spoke up, which drew laughter from the crowd.
"I'm going to use the restroom too, but you're not allowed to leave! I'll be back and keep working!"
Zhao Youwei put down his wine glass. Although he had drunk a lot, as a seasoned drinker, he was not going to give up easily.
Meanwhile, the guards who never drank alcohol were about to follow.
Zhao Youwei waved his hand to stop him, saying, "What are you afraid of? Do you think I'll fall into the latrine?"
"Yes." Seeing this, the guards exchanged glances but dared not say anything more.
"Wait for me to come back!" Zhao Youwei said fiercely before going downstairs.
One of the guards, feeling vaguely uneasy, exchanged a glance with his companion before slowly following behind.
Zhao Youwei walked to the back door of Zuiyue Tower and saw that someone seemed to be occupying the toilet, so he simply went into the empty alley.
As he walked into the alley, he took off his pants while humming a little tune.
At this moment, a masked man in black suddenly appeared, his palms, carrying a sharp gust of wind, striking towards Zhao Youwei's head with the force of Mount Tai pressing down.
The strong wind made Zhao Youwei shiver. Before he could even adjust his pants, he was shocked and threw a punch with all his might.
The outcome was decided the moment the two clashed.
With a loud "crack," Zhao Youwei's right arm bone broke, his forearm was instantly ruined, and he collapsed to his knees, letting out a deafening scream.
"ah!!!"
Then the man in black kicked Zhao Youwei in the groin.
"Aaaaaah!!!"
The screams became even more heart-wrenching.
Zhao Youwei knelt on the ground in an extremely comical posture, his left hand covering his groin, his right hand crooked, and his eyes rolled back.
And then there was the commotion on the street, and the rapidly approaching footsteps.
"Who's there!"
Just then, a figure rushed towards them from not far away.
He was one of Zhao Youwei's guards, and when he saw Zhao Youwei's miserable state, he was immediately enraged.
"You scoundrel, how dare you!"
If the young master of the Zhao family is injured, he will also be implicated.
Li Ming frowned, originally intending to torture Zhao Youwei thoroughly before killing him.
However, killing him wouldn't do him much good, given his stats.
Without much hesitation, he stomped heavily on Zhao Youwei's body, leaped up the wall, and disappeared into the night.
[Depose Zhao Youwei, gain 300 Life Energy.]
Under the cover of night, Li Ming moved like a ghost, circling around a few times. Finding that no one was following him, he secretly took off his clothes somewhere, then climbed over the wall back to his courtyard.
He put his night clothes into the brazier and burned them.
"Alas, it's a pity we didn't kill him... But oh well, killing him might anger the Zhao family and be a loss. Let's vent our anger first and settle the score later."
Li Ming's mind raced. At first, he felt unsatisfied, but then he came to his senses and wondered if he had made any mistakes.
It was my first time doing something like this, so I was a little nervous.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized he hadn't left any evidence.
Without thinking much about it, I fell asleep peacefully.
Anyway, Young Master Zhao has offended a lot of people, so it shouldn't be difficult to find him to do anything about it in the short term.
After a long time, Li Ming became confident... it would be hard to say who would cause trouble for whom then.
...
Zuiyue Tower.
The attack on Zhao Youwei instantly attracted a large crowd of onlookers, who gathered around the crime scene and began to discuss it.
"Who on earth is so bold... but I like it."
"Hehe, back then I had my hands behind my head, I didn't know what fighting back meant..."
"Who knows who did it? This guy looks down on people and has offended a lot of people. Doesn't he know his own limitations?"
"Ahem, judging from this, will the Zhao family line end?"
"Probably not... After all, he has an older brother who lives elsewhere, and I heard he's doing very well at the Qingyun Sword Sect."
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