[The bandit leader... let's just call him the bandit leader for now. At this moment, he resembled a wounded tiger in dire straits, his aura unstoppable. The bloodstains on his rough clothes were still spreading: he had been fleeing your pursuit, and after his battle with He Yi, he hadn't had the energy to tend to his wounds, nor had he used his internal energy to heal them.]
[Under the roof, you hear the screams of a woman from this wealthy family and the curious questions of children. Seven or eight servants shout in the courtyard, urging you and the ringleader to come down quickly and obey the law...]
The bandit leader spat out a mouthful of phlegm, which, mixed with a reddish-white spittle, blew a hole in the head of one of the servants, causing the others to scatter in terror.
[You and the bandit leader have begun your battle.]
Each of his attacks was powerful and heavy, making your hands numb, but it was clearly not as strong as it had been half a month ago. This was either due to his injury or because he was conserving his energy.
Clang, clang, clang—two large swords clashed head-on, their opposing forces causing the surrounding air to hum and the winds they generated to whip around them, making their clothes flutter wildly.
[You fought and retreated repeatedly, the roof tiles beneath your feet breaking and shattering one by one. Amidst the crackling sounds, the bandit leader suddenly swung his blade, cleaving you back dozens of paces!]
[Your right foot slipped, causing you to lose your balance and almost fall. But in a moment of desperation, you unleashed a burst of energy, instantly solidifying it into a springboard in the air. You stepped on it, then held your sword horizontally in front of you, blocking the bandit leader's full-force thrust!]
This was the bandit leader's fatal blow. Crimson energy surged around him like ocean waves, and you could feel your own "Zhanming Blade" trembling, as if it would be cleaved in two at any moment.
[And in the next instant, your arms and body were sent flying by an irresistible force, like being struck by a charging elephant. You crashed through a wooden door of the wealthy house below, scraped across the ground for several meters, and smashed the woman's dressing table to pieces amidst her screams.]
At this moment, your whole body is numb and aching, your bones feel like they're about to fall apart, but you also feel a sliver of relief: thankfully you managed to gather your strength and land that one step firmly, otherwise, without any leverage during the fall, in your panic, you would surely have been stabbed through the chest by the bandit leader and would have died without a doubt!
[Now that you're at least alive, you stagger to your feet, reaching for the sword beside you. Ignoring the woman's screams inside, you adjust your breathing and prepare to face the bandit leader.]
[...]
[A dozen seconds later, you yelled "Damn it!" and rushed out of the door you had smashed through. After that fatal blow, the bandit leader had exhausted all his energy and was running away again.]
This time, he had no chance. When you found the bandit leader in an alley, he was already exhausted and his finger bones were shattered in just a dozen or so rounds, and his long sword flew out of his hand.
[You strike again, and the bandit leader raises his left arm. You slash through his flesh, but when you strike the arm bone, it feels as if you've struck solid rock—it's incredibly hard. He has indeed reached the stage of "internal energy penetrating to the bone."]
[Unfortunately—you drew your sword and slashed again, three times in a row, severing the bandit leader's arm bone amidst his furious roar. Losing his vital energy, the strength of a first-rate martial artist was reduced by more than half; he can now only be considered a second-rate martial artist.]
[Snap! Snap! Snap! You cruelly severed the head of this powerful, top-tier martial artist, and seeing his eyes still wide open even in death, you kindly closed them for him.]
[Then you searched the corpse and, besides the silver, you were surprised to find a master-level martial arts manual!]
While common Iron Body Technique can enable qualified martial artists to become Martial Masters, Grandmasters, or even Great Grandmasters, there are always better martial arts that offer greater advantages, allowing those with only second-rate talent to potentially become Martial Masters.
[This allows those with only first-rate talent to potentially become grandmasters!]
[You briefly skimmed through this master-level martial arts manual and discovered that it wasn't from a sect native to the Qing Kingdom, but rather from the Hongniu Sect of the neighboring Wu Kingdom.]
[It seems the bandit leader's progress in "internal energy penetrating to the bone" isn't very deep; his high combat strength is likely due to the powerful boost from master-level martial arts.]
[You accept this martial arts manual, but do not intend to switch to practicing it. First, notify the city guards to deal with the bandits. After some time has passed and the turmoil in Donglin City has subsided, then you can begin searching for information about the "Hongniu Sect" in the Wu Kingdom.]
[You spent money to buy information from the intelligence organization "Golden Wind Pavilion" and learned that a disciple named "He Ping'an" defected from the Hongniu Sect more than ten years ago. You believe that the leader of the bandits is this person. The age matches, the martial arts match, and the appearance... Golden Wind Pavilion doesn't have that much detail and has no relevant information.]
In the 283rd year of the Daqing era, a new city lord was transferred to Donglin City. The new city lord fawned over you even more than the old city lord, clearly regarding you as a top expert among first-rate martial artists.
[The depth of "Heavenly River Flow" has finally reached its peak, and your energy has received an additional boost.]
[In the 284th year of Daqing, you are 29 years old, with a foundation of 143% and your internal organs nearing completion of their optimal state.]
[You didn't dissipate your cultivation and switch to that grandmaster-level martial art because you know your original body won't choose the martial arts advancement option. Wait until the next simulation, when your aptitude is higher, before switching.]
[(Mainly because this martial art has such obvious characteristics, you're afraid the Hongniu Sect will "take back your martial arts"]]
In the same year, you heard that the Taoist sect was going to hold a grand conference of masters, inviting masters from all over the world to participate.
The Daoist sect is the cornerstone of the Qing Kingdom, its existence intertwined with the nation's. Legend has it that the Daoist sect has never severed its lineage of Grandmasters, and in contemporary times, several Grandmasters of various levels are in seclusion, cultivating in seclusion.
[These grandmaster gatherings, in addition to the sects within the Daoist realm, also invited various sects from the neighboring two kingdoms: Wu and Ning.]
[But you know it was a trap. The Grandmasters' Gathering was actually a trap, its purpose being to destroy a group of Grandmasters from the Martial Kingdom.]
As for why... how do you know? You didn't choose to inherit those memories.
[According to information from the previous simulator, after those grandmasters were tricked and killed, a reclusive grandmaster emerged from obscurity in the Wu Kingdom.]
[After its birth, it did not head straight for the Taoist sect, but instead assisted the army in breaching the city.]
[So you guessed that the Grandmasters' Guild's trap was related to the Qing Kingdom. This wasn't just a dirty trick between sects, but rather a nation using underhanded tactics.]
But whatever, you think to yourself, it's none of your business.
[Those you value: Old Man Wang, Uncle Ji, and others have all been sent to Qingcheng by you. They have found their own way to make a living in the city. The Wu Kingdom's army will not be able to break through Qingcheng because Zhu Baowen will intervene.]
In the 285th year of the Daqing era, the Wu Kingdom attacked and massacred a Qing Kingdom village on the border, but you believe this was a staged event by the Qing Kingdom, even though you have no evidence.
In the 287th year of the Daqing era, a young man suddenly visited your residence, wanting to consult you, a respected senior. Upon closer inspection, you discovered his identity: Ye Hongqi.
[After a brief recollection, it seems that in the simulation, it was this young man and others who teamed up with you to defeat the Fierce Tiger King (actually, it was all thanks to Ye Hongqi's temporary breakthrough and power surge)]
[As a senior and experienced person, you gave him earnest guidance with great enthusiasm, for which the young genius was extremely grateful.]
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