"Zhao Tianxing is about to condense Qi Blood Power? That's truly unbelievable!"
"He's only been with the Seven Stars Gang for a little over half a month..."
"There's nothing to be done about it. Instructor Cao said that before he even joined the Seven Stars Gang, his Qi and Blood were already as abundant as a Blood Nourishing Realm Martial Artist's."
"At this rate, he'll probably only need six or seven days to condense his three strands of Qi Blood Power..."
"Even someone as talented as Senior Brother Ling Feng took half a month. This guy is truly formidable!"
"I heard that because his Qi and Blood are so vigorous and his bones and sinews are so tough, not only will Blood Nourishing be fast for him, but the later stages like Blood Refining and Bone Marrow Forging will also be several times faster than for an ordinary person!"
Everyone in the Martial Arts Arena stopped what they were doing.
Those who had been practicing their fist forms in the snow also paused, looking over and murmuring amongst themselves.
Ling Feng stood with his hands behind his back, his expression darkening slightly.
When he first heard the news three days ago, it felt like a heavy stone was pressing on his heart, making him extremely uncomfortable.
When he broke through to the Blood Nourishing Realm, he too had caused quite a stir.
Although he wasn't as astonishingly brilliant as Li Qingxue, he was still considered a leader of the Seven Stars Gang's new generation.
But who would have thought this hunter would appear out of nowhere!
'Hmph, just some country bumpkin with no formal training,' Ling Feng sneered inwardly.
He was only fifteen and had been training arduously for just a few months.
But Zhao Tianxing was already seventeen and had hunted in the deep mountains for years. Although he hadn't practiced any orthodox Martial Arts, his Qi and Blood were already extraordinary.
But others chose to selectively ignore this fact. They only focused on the time it took Zhao Tianxing to condense his Qi Blood Power after joining the Seven Stars Gang, never mentioning his years of tempering.
What was even more infuriating—
Despite his own talent, he had never received any special regard from Cao Feng back then.
Yet that Chu Fan fellow with Zhao Tianxing, on the other hand, seemed to be receiving special attention from Instructor Cao!
It was simply outrageous!
...
"I was just boasting a little, did you actually take it seriously?"
Zhao Tianxing said with a grin, "I did try to condense my Qi Blood Power, but I kept failing. It's been worrying me these past few days."
Chu Fan glanced at Zhao Tianxing, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards. 'This guy has really learned to hide his edge and feign incompetence.'
Ling Feng's heart relaxed slightly, but he put on a pretense and said, "Is that so... Your Qi and Blood are as vigorous as someone in the Blood Nourishing Realm. Once you grasp the trick to it, it will naturally get easier. Keep up the hard work!"
"Thank you!" Inside, Zhao Tianxing was cursing Ling Feng a thousand times over, but on his face, he wore a look of gratitude.
Seeing the two of them putting on airs made Chu Fan almost laugh out loud.
The two groups passed by each other.
After walking some distance, Chu Fan looked back at the departing Ling Feng and frowned.
'Was it my imagination?'
'Why do I get the feeling that guy isn't just jealous of Zhao Tianxing, but the way he looks at me is also extremely hostile?'
At that moment, a sudden impulse surged through Chu Fan. He really wanted to see if he, with his Great Success in the Twelve Forms, could slap Ling Feng—who had broken through to the Blood Nourishing Realm over a month ago—to death.
However, the thought flashed by in an instant, and Chu Fan suppressed the urge.
Then he heard Zhao Tianxing sneer, "That little brat, daring to put on an act in front of me... Just wait till I secretly raise my strength. I'll definitely scare you to death!"
"Tonight, I'll condense my second strand of Qi Blood Power!"
'What a coincidence. I'm also going to condense my second strand of Qi Blood Power tonight,' Chu Fan responded in his heart.
...
The time it takes to drink a cup of tea passed.
Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing had returned to their small courtyard.
The two of them were each holding a large chicken leg, gnawing on them as they walked, their mouths glistening with grease.
Just as they stepped into the courtyard, they saw a young man with sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes walking out.
When the young man saw their appearance, he couldn't help but laugh. "Quite the haul, I see. Looks like life is treating you well."
"Ah, this is..." Chu Fan turned his head in surprise and asked Zhao Tianxing, "Do you know this senior brother?"
Before Zhao Tianxing could speak, Cao Feng walked out of the house and said, "You don't know him, but he knows you."
"He is my nephew, Cao Yan."
"This morning, when you were being questioned by Lu Tao, he was watching from the side."
Chu Fan was taken aback. "Senior... Senior Brother Cao was also at the scene this morning?"
Cao Feng said lightly, "With your strength, killing a few good-for-nothings who couldn't even manage Blood Nourishing after half a year naturally posed no danger."
"However, killing several people in one night ultimately violates the government's taboos and was bound to attract the attention of the Government Office."
"I had you kill those men to temper your ruthlessness, not to push you into a pit of fire. I certainly wouldn't have you stir up trouble that could get you killed."
"That's why I sent Cao Yan over to lend you a hand."
Zhao Tianxing scratched his head. "What do you mean? I don't get it... Master Cao, were you afraid the Government Office would trace it back to Chu Fan, so you had Senior Brother Cao go deal with their people?"
Cao Feng smiled. "Navigating the martial world is like playing a game of chess."
"If you want to live long in these chaotic times, you not only have to strive to become stronger, but you must also look three steps ahead for every one you take. Before doing anything, you have to calculate all the various possibilities."
"I've had countless dealings with those people from the Government Office. I know what kind of character the County Magistrate Zhang Yunpeng is, and I know Lu Tao's personality."
"After Chu Fan killed those four men, there were only a few possible outcomes..."
"First, the Government Office would do a perfunctory job, send someone to drag the bodies out and bury them, and that would be the end of it."
"Second, Zhang Yunpeng, to save face, would order Lu Tao to investigate thoroughly. Lu Tao would trace it back to Chu Fan and arrest him."
"Third, Lu Tao would feign compliance while acting otherwise, do a perfunctory job, and let Chu Fan off the hook."
"As it turns out, I wasn't wrong about Lu Tao... He used some sort of Secret Technique to probe Chu Fan's Qi and Blood, but he still let Chu Fan go."
Zhao Tianxing chuckled. "Since you knew Lu Tao would let Chu Fan go, why bother sending Senior Brother Cao Yan over?"
"SMACK!" Cao Feng slapped Zhao Tianxing on the back of the head. "Didn't I just tell you that you have to look three steps ahead for every one you take?"
"Heaven's will is unpredictable, and you must never gamble on a person's heart!"
"Even if I guessed Lu Tao would act this way, I would never bet Chu Fan's life on it!"
Zhao Tianxing rubbed the back of his head and said, "Then... what if Lu Tao hadn't let Chu Fan go? Could Senior Brother Cao Yan have beaten him?"
"Of course not," Cao Feng said. "That Lu Tao isn't so simple..."
"As the Constable of Cyan Yang County, his strength is no less than mine. Otherwise, how could he keep the three major gangs and the Four Great Clans in check?"
Zhao Tianxing, determined to get to the bottom of it, asked, "Since he couldn't win, weren't you afraid that both Senior Brother Cao and Chu Fan would be captured by him?"
"He couldn't win, but he could have stalled them for a while," Cao Feng said with a faint smile. "If Cao Yan held them back, Chu Fan would naturally have a chance to escape back to the Seven Stars Gang."
"If my guess is correct, when Lu Tao used that Secret Technique to probe your Qi and Blood, you had already sensed it, Chu Fan. You were probably already planning your escape route then, weren't you?"
Chu Fan gave a wry smile. "As expected, nothing can be hidden from Master Cao..."
Zhao Tianxing was still muttering to himself, "It was still a risky move in the end..."
"Killing people isn't like hunting tigers and leopards. What if Senior Brother Cao Yan hadn't managed to stall Lu Tao and got captured himself? What would you have done then?"
"Even in the most desperate situation, there is always a way out," Cao Feng said quietly. "If it really had come to what you guess, I would have had no choice but to bite the bullet... and take a stack of silver notes to County Magistrate Zhang Yunpeng to smooth things over."
"I've worn out the threshold of the Cyan Yang County Magistrate's Office more than once."
Zhao Tianxing and Chu Fan looked at each other, speechless.
'Master Cao really is an old fox...'
'He had foreseen every possibility and had already thought of a countermeasure for each.'
A sense of gratitude also welled up in Chu Fan's heart.
He hadn't expected that when Master Cao told him to kill people to temper his ruthlessness, he had secretly made so many arrangements...
"This matter can be considered closed."
Cao Feng spoke again, "Starting today, I will begin teaching you the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber!"
"Chu Fan, you have already achieved Small Success in all Twelve Forms. From now on, you can devote more of your time to Saber Cultivation..."
"CLATTER!"
Before Cao Feng could finish his sentence, the chicken leg in Zhao Tianxing's hand dropped to the ground.