A Sixth-Grade Qi Blood Divine Weapon carved through the air, its Fierce Flame suddenly coalescing as it slashed forward.
This slash.
Had already reached the Eighth Grade.
Alas.
“CLANG…”
A powerful force, imbued with a strange rhythm, struck and sent Yangg Yi flying.
“ROAR!”
Qian Hu let out a low roar and lunged forward.
Fierce Tiger Descending Mountain Form!
He possessed a Tiger Demon bloodline, and through his cultivation of Fist Techniques, he had already grasped the rudiments of Fist Intent.
With the aid of a Chong Ghost, his Fist Force was both ferocious and chilling, kicking up a sinister wind on the battlefield.
The newcomer, holding a short club, had just sent Yangg Yi flying. With a flick of his wrist, he aimed it at Qian Hu.
The movement was unhurried, yet impossible to evade.
“POW!”
“BOOM…”
Qian Hu let out an agonized howl. He felt a terrifying Giant Power travel from his fist and seep into his bones. An unbearable pain wracked his entire frame as he was thrown backward, landing without the strength to rise again.
“Ninth-Grade Cultivation, but the strength of an Eighth Grade.”
The newcomer’s voice held a note of surprise.
“To have such potential at this age… your future is limitless. Which means… I absolutely cannot let you leave here alive.”
“WHOOSH!”
His figure blurred as he raised the short club high, preparing to bring it crashing down on the two of them.
Just then, Zhu Ju appeared nearby, a look of surprise on his face.
“I didn’t think I’d find another expert here.”
He didn’t make a move, but the surge of his Qi Blood and the flare of his Fist Intent were enough to force his opponent to halt.
‘If I continue…’
‘I’ll die!’
The burly man’s expression grew grave as he spoke in a solemn voice.
“I may not know every expert in Taiyuan Prefecture, but I’ve at least heard of them. Who might you be?”
“A nobody, not worth mentioning,” Zhu Ju said, cupping his hands.
“And how should I address you?”
“Yuan Tao,” the man replied.
“I’m just an Actor.”
“An Actor?” Zhu Ju’s eyes flickered, his gaze drawn to the Weapon in the man’s hand.
“A Drum Stick?”
“I see!”
‘I was just wondering what kind of Weapon was shaped like a short club, but with its head wrapped in layers of thick cloth.’
‘So it’s a Drum Stick.’
Without another word, Yuan Tao blurred into motion, appearing before Zhu Ju and bringing the Drum Stick down like a hammer.
Zhu Ju raised his hand.
“DONG!”
‘A heavy force came crashing down. He’s definitely a Seventh Grade, but not a strong one.’
‘Even Zhou Ruxuan, whose strength is naturally lower as a woman, is a cut above this man in pure power.’
Just as he was about to counterattack, the Drum Stick came crashing down again.
General’s Order!
DONG!
DONG DONG!
BOOM…
Zhu Ju felt as if he had become a great drum for his opponent to beat, the Drum Stick a blur as it rained down frantically.
The unique rhythm carried a profound type of Strength that stirred his own Qi Blood, causing it to surge in time with the beat.
‘This is…’
‘The Mental Realm!’
“Excellent!”
Zhu Ju’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help but praise,
“To be able to integrate the sound of a drum into your Martial Arts… your Martial Arts Talent and your understanding of the instrument are both extraordinary.”
“A pity…”
“Such a fine talent, yet you chose to be a thief.”
“BOOM!”
Before the words had even left his mouth, his body shuddered. The Skin and Flesh all over him rippled, and he seemed to swell a full size larger.
Giant Spirit!
Strength!
Heaven-Supporting Form!
His fist shot upward, unleashing a burst of Powerful Qi.
The incoming Drum Stick was sent flying. Amid the billowing dust, a figure was thrown violently backward.
He landed without a sound.
…
“Young Master.”
Yangg Yi supported the limp form of Qian Hu as he pointed ahead.
“The stronghold’s warehouse should be this way.”
“Mm.”
Zhu Ju nodded. He walked to the warehouse door, grabbed the lock, and with a sudden jerk, ripped the entire hasp right off.
He pushed the door open and went inside.
Piles of goods were stacked high throughout the warehouse.
Treated Beast Hides, animal bones, all kinds of herbs, preserved grains…
Individually, these items weren’t worth much, but in such large quantities, their value was considerable.
For example, the tiger pelts and deer antlers.
A dozen or so tiger pelts and several dozen deer antlers were piled up like a small mountain, worth at least thousands of taels of silver.
There was no telling how long it had taken the stronghold to accumulate so much, and now it had all fallen into the hands of outsiders.
“Huh?”
Zhu Ju bent down and picked up a piece of ore from the ground. His eyes flashed, and his expression shifted slightly.
“Golden Radiance Stone!”
“Young Master.”
Yangg Yi asked, confused,
“What is that?”
“A rare type of ore, usually formed underground from the remains of a powerful creature. It can be used to forge Qi Blood Divine Weapons.” Zhu Ju looked down at the ground.
“Look around. We should be able to find a mine shaft.”
“Yes.”
Yangg Yi nodded.
The three of them split up to search and, sure enough, found an inconspicuous mine shaft in a back courtyard.
Zhu Ju went down to take a look.
When he came back up, he moved a large boulder to seal the entrance, then instructed the other two not to breathe a word of it to anyone.
*
*
*
The stronghold was now a river of blood.
Juyi Hall.
Zhu Ju sat in the seat of honor.
Zhou Ruxuan, her face still flushed, sat to the side, listening to a subordinate report on their haul from the stronghold.
“Over thirteen thousand taels in silver.”
“Nine land deeds, for six hundred mu of farmland outside the city, three hundred of which are prime paddy fields.”
“Twenty-one swords, fifty-seven sabers, over two hundred spears…”
“Cloth, calligraphy, and other items…”
“A rough estimate puts the total value at no less than one hundred thousand taels!”
The subordinate making the report was so excited his hands trembled, but Zhou Ruxuan’s expression remained neutral.
Her dividends from Zhu’s Cloth Workshop and the profits from the mines outside the city brought her one hundred thousand taels a year.
It seemed like a lot, but it was only worth ten Primordial Crystals.
The higher one’s Cultivation, the less useful the silver coins of ordinary people became.
“Young Master.”
Just then, Nursing Director Zhang hurried over, cupping his hands to report.
“We rescued over twenty people from the stronghold’s dungeon. One of them is a Seventh-Grade Mage.”
“Oh?” Zhu Ju’s interest was piqued.
“Bring him in!”
‘Seventh-Grade Martial Artists were common, but Seventh-Grade Mages were rare. A Mage’s Cultivation relied heavily on external resources. Typically, only a faction like the Sanhe Gang could afford to produce one.’
A short while later, two people carried a stretcher into Juyi Hall.
An old man lay on the stretcher, barely breathing. His shriveled skin was a clear sign of severe dehydration.
“Heh…”
Zhou Ruxuan chuckled softly at the sight.
“I tell you to bring him over, and you bring him over just like this. You should at least get him to a state where he can talk first.”
“Forget it.”
“Take him away for now. We’ll see him when his health has mostly recovered.”
“Brother Zhu.”
She turned to look at him and said,
“It seems this man is the real prize. A Seventh-Grade Mage is worth more than a hundred Primordial Crystals.”
“Mm…” Zhu Ju pulled his gaze away from the unconscious Mage and nodded lightly.
“Indeed.”
“The resources required to train a Seventh-Grade Mage are immense. The key is the legacy he carries—that’s what’s truly priceless.”
Ming Nianwei, who stood to the side, nodded repeatedly.
As a Mage herself, she knew better than anyone what a Seventh-Grade Mage represented.
A legacy!
The man most likely possessed a top-tier legacy.
Unlike with Martial Artists,
there is no Sixth Grade bottleneck for Mages. With a top-tier legacy, one can cultivate all the way to the Fourth Grade.
“Come.”
Zhu Ju said,
“The news about us wiping out the Celestial Eagle Thieves won’t spread for a while. Come with me to the back courtyard.”
“I want to show you something.”
“Oh?” Zhou Ruxuan’s face lit up with curiosity.
“Did you find something interesting?”