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Night had descended.
The government office was brightly lit.
Several people were seated inside, discussing matters.
If others were here, they would notice that one of the individuals appeared to be middle-aged with a gentle and refined demeanor, yet bore a trace of the dignity befitting those in high positions; this person was none other than the county magistrate, Zhao Jiang.
The other two.
One was tall and thin, named Shangguan Jiang.
The other was burly, named Ye Yuan.
In the presence of these two, Zhao Jiang was humble and ingratiating.
"Gentlemen, now that Lin County is entirely sealed off, what should we do next?"
"The Blood Spirit Array is nearly complete, and the personnel of the government must guard every entry and exit point, ensuring there is no repeat of the previous incident.
Otherwise, should we delay important matters, your tenure as the county magistrate will come to an end!"
Ye Yuan's gaze was icy, his voice chilling.
His words.
Made Zhao Jiang quickly nod in agreement.
Looking at Zhao Jiang, Shangguan Jiang spoke with a mild expression, "Mr. Zhao need not worry. If this matter is handled well, we will certainly recommend you for a position elsewhere.
A small place like Lin County ultimately offers little in terms of prospects.
With Mr. Zhao's talents, you can certainly achieve great things in a better place, and if you can obtain some merits, who knows, you may even one day step into the halls of the temple of power."
"Thank you, sir!"
Zhao Jiang's face lit up with joy.
Just then.
Suddenly, Shangguan Jiang's eyes took on a strange look, and a cold, eerie power seemed to emanate from him, making his shadow under the candlelight subtly shift.
"I am somewhat hungry..."
Seeing him like this, Zhao Jiang felt his heart race, hurriedly saying, "Please wait a moment, sir. I will make arrangements immediately!"
With that.
Zhao Jiang hastened away, fearing that any delay might lead to something dreadful.
——
In the courtyard.
Gu Qingfeng was practising his Mountain Shattering Fist, move after move. He had perfected this Fist Skills, his motions smooth and natural as though they were an extension of nature itself.
Perfection.
That is to say, he had entered into the realm of the creator of these Fist Skills.
By using Upgrade Points to enhance his martial arts, he had effectively immersed himself in the Mountain Shattering Fist for decades, relying on his own painstaking practice to master and perfect the technique.
As the Fist Skills were executed, he seemed to gain some new insights.
These insights were subtle, and though Gu Qingfeng sometimes wanted to grasp at them desperately, he found no way to do so.
He knew.
If he could grasp this sliver of insight, he might be able to break through the limits of Mountain Shattering Fist and take the technique to an even higher level.
At that time.
Even without external aids, he might be able to break through the Blood Refining Realm on his own.
But.
Grasping such a subtle insight was by no means easy.
Creating one's own martial arts is difficult.
Breaking through the constraints of existing martial arts is even harder.
After several rounds of practice.
Gu Qingfeng had completely assimilated the power of the Blood Refining Pill in his body.
Such was his way of punching.
His aim was to hasten the digestion of the Blood Refining Pill, thereby accelerating his breakthrough into the Blood Refining Realm.
This marked the third day since learning of the Evil Suppression Bureau's message, and the sixth day since Gu Qingfeng had taken the Blood Refining Pill.
Over six days.
Gu Qingfeng felt his vital energy and strength condensing to a critical point, just short of a catalyst for a complete breakthrough.
Feeling the surging energy in his veins, Gu Qingfeng's eyes suddenly became fierce, and he swallowed another Blood Refining Pill.
The moment the elixir entered his stomach, its terrifying potency burst forth, causing his vital energy to boil instantly, his entire skin turning crimson, his veins and flesh swelling with pain as if they could not withstand the elixir's energy, on the verge of bursting at any moment.
However.
```
Such changes.
But they brightened Gu Qingfeng's eyes, as if the opportune moment was about to descend upon him.
"Breakthrough Blood Refining!"
"Today—"
Immediately,
Gu Qingfeng executed the Mountain Shattering Fist again, each move brimmed with terrifying power, unleashing fist winds that howled forth and caused the air to explode abruptly.
Boom!
Rumble!
The released fists were like thunder, startling Gu Yang, who had been asleep.
When he arrived here, he witnessed Gu Qingfeng practicing the Mountain Shattering Fist, each technique filled with unparalleled power as if truly capable of shattering mountains and splitting rocks.
This scene.
Naturally left Gu Yang dumbstruck.
But Gu Qingfeng did not concern himself with this much. At that moment, he had entered a mysterious realm; the copious medicinal power of the Blood Refining Pill and the full force of the Mountain Shattering Fist were intermingling, inciting a kind of metamorphosis.
As Gu Qingfeng threw another punch, blood-colored mists rose like beacon smoke, coalescing into a giant Fist Wind that tore through the air, shattering a two-person-tall rockery with a thunderous crash.
Rocks crumbled.
Shaking in all directions.
As that punch was launched, Gu Qingfeng's muscles and bones crackled loudly, and the vigor of his blood essence, which resembled the beacon smoke, gradually subsided and quieted down too.
"Whew!"
He let out a long breath, then looked toward his attribute panel.
...
Name: Gu Qingfeng
Age: 29/100
Realm: Initial Stage Blood Refining
Martial Arts: Mountain Shattering Fist (Unbreakable Level One), Iron Body Skills (Perfection)
Upgrade Points: 0
...
"Blood Refining Realm accomplished—"
Gu Qingfeng's expression showed some delight, as if he had anticipated all this all along.
However, the changes in the Mountain Shattering Fist took Gu Qingfeng by surprise, but soon he seemed to have understood.
"Unbreakable, it seems that this is the change that comes with the Martial Arts breaking through their limits!"
This realm.
Gu Qingfeng named it Breakthrough.
Breaking through the ultimate limits is called Breakthrough.
Furthermore,
After breaking through, the Mountain Shattering Fist had transcended the realm of low-grade Martial Arts and advanced to the mid-grade Martial Arts.
So-called Unbreakable, the moment the Mountain Shattering Fist broke through, Gu Qingfeng felt his fists become much harder, each finger joint imbued with immense power.
If when his Iron Body Skills reached perfection, Gu Qingfeng's flesh was as hard as iron, now with the breakthrough of the Mountain Shattering Fist, his fists had gone even further on this foundation.
Distressedly shatter mountains and split rocks.
Absolutely feasible.
Indeed,
The greatest transformation, of course, was the change brought about after the cultivation breakthrough.
Before breaking through the Blood Refining Realm, Gu Qingfeng could never truly grasp the difference between this realm and the Refining Skin Realm.
But now, after the breakthrough,
He fully realized the power of the Blood Refining Realm.
If it were the past him before the breakthrough, Gu Qingfeng was now confident he could kill with three punches directly.
This.
Is the gap between the Initial Stage Blood Refining and Refining Skin Perfection.
One step through the breakthrough.
Truly a world of difference.
In the current Martial World of Lin County, Gu Qingfeng, having broken through to the Blood Refining Realm, could be considered the foremost master of the entire county.
Even facing Xu Jun, he was confident he could suppress with ease.