From the fusion of Tongbei Quan to the Longevity Martial Saint

Fang Qing walked to the hole in the wall, feeling heartbroken for the at least ten Qi Gathering Pills that had been lost because of Lu Jianfeng's challenge.

Now, when he practices basic martial arts, he has to consume at least eight points of stamina each time.

To complete 500 training sessions, you'll need a full 4,000 stamina points!

At a time when resources are in dire need, Lu Jianfeng suddenly pulls this stunt, cutting off his source of income and hindering his path.

Fang Qing was already showing mercy by not killing him.

He snorted and turned to start tidying up his things in his room.

According to the rules, Lu Jianfeng's challenge failed, and his ranking and housing belong to Fang Qing.

Fang Qing has to move to room number 50 now.

Lu Jianfeng remained unconscious in the backyard. Fang Qing led Zhanbo into room number fifty, which had originally belonged to Lu Jianfeng.

The room was a mess, filled with the smell of sweat and an indescribable odor.

The two men frowned, haphazardly packed up Lu Jianfeng's miscellaneous personal belongings, and threw them out the back window without any hesitation. They landed not far from Lu Jianfeng.

Fang Qing grumbled as he looked around the more spacious and better-located room, but there was little joy on his face.

Checking into room number 50 early, aside from looking better on the surface, didn't really bring him any real benefits. On the contrary, it disrupted his plans and caused him to lose a large number of potential Qi Gathering Pills.

This made him very depressed.

……

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Fang Qing woke up on time and went to the backyard to begin his daily cultivation.

He glanced habitually at the patch of grass where Lu Jianfeng had lain yesterday.

The place was now empty, along with Lu Jianfeng's belongings that they had thrown out last night.

Fang Qing withdrew his gaze, unconcerned. Whether Lu Jianfeng was dead or alive, or where the things had gone, he cared nothing.

He had been practicing the Broken Army Returning Dragon Thrust technique several times with focused concentration, and his inner shirt was just soaked with sweat when a series of hurried and orderly footsteps came from the front yard.

Ding Mingcheng, who had just parted ways with Ding Mingcheng yesterday, walked in with a serious expression and a swaggering gait.

His sharp gaze swept across the entire backyard, and he said in a deep voice:

"Those who were in the top thirty yesterday, step forward! Assemble in the front yard immediately!"

The Salt Patrol Guard had direct command and dispatch authority over the reserve battalion members, and their orders were not to be questioned.

Fang Qing dared not delay. He quickly returned to his room, carefully stored the important items, mainly the remaining Qi Gathering Pills, close to his body, then pushed open the door to the brand-new room number fifty and strode out.

At this moment, footsteps echoed and people gathered in the open space of the front yard.

Zeng Qian also came out of her room. When she saw Fang Qing in the distance, she walked straight over and stood beside him.

She was still wearing the standard flying fish uniform from the preparatory camp, but whether it had been deliberately modified or not, the outfit fit her exceptionally well, perfectly outlining her tall and graceful figure.

Below her slender waist, which could be encircled by a single hand, were her long, straight legs.

The high collar of the flying fish dress accentuated her elegant and fair neck, like that of a swan. A few strands of black hair clung to her forehead, adding a unique touch of femininity to her bright yet somewhat heroic face.

She simply stood there quietly, yet she attracted many gazes, both overt and covert, from those around her.

Zhanbo ran over from room 90 and saw Fang Qing and Zeng Qian standing side by side. A mischievous smile immediately appeared on his honest face. He winked at Fang Qing, the meaning of which was self-evident.

A moment later, Lu Jianfeng also emerged from a corner with a gloomy face.

His face still had some lingering bruises, and he walked with an awkward gait.

When he saw Zeng Qian stand next to Fang Qing, his eyes almost spit fire. He snorted heavily, dragged his feet, and stood far at the very end of the line, exuding a gloomy aura that kept strangers at bay.

Soon, all thirty members of the preparatory camp who had participated in yesterday's training had assembled and stood in three rows.

Ding Mingcheng looked at the group of energetic and spirited young people in front of him, a hint of approval appearing on his serious face. When his gaze fell on Fang Qing, who was standing in the front row, he nodded slightly.

He walked up to Fang Qing, looked him up and down, and then suddenly reached out and personally straightened the collar of Fang Qing's flying fish robe, which was slightly rolled up because he had dressed in a hurry that morning.

This somewhat intimate gesture drew strange looks from many people around them.

After carefully smoothing out the wrinkles in the blue robe's collar, Ding Mingcheng took a half step back, faced everyone, cleared his throat, and spoke in a loud voice:

"Urgent mission!"

Everyone perked up and straightened their backs.

Ding Mingcheng continued:

"Last time, Lord Gu personally led the vanguard to wipe out the salt smugglers of Tiger Beach, achieving a great victory. However, a few remnants still managed to escape and go into hiding, taking advantage of the complex terrain."

He glanced at everyone, his tone becoming more forceful.

"According to reliable intelligence, this group of remnants possesses an extremely important ledger! It contains irrefutable evidence of collusion between certain individuals in the imperial court and salt smugglers, involving the smuggling of government-owned salt!"

A murmur of gasps rippled through the room. The involvement of people in the imperial court immediately changed the nature of the matter.

Ding Mingcheng continued:

"Lord Gu has cornered these remnants in a dead end; they have no way to escape. However, the exact location where the account book was hidden has not yet been found. The reason for dispatching you all is to cooperate with the official salt patrol to conduct a thorough, comprehensive search of that area! You must find the account book!"

He paused briefly to give everyone time to process the information, then softened his tone.

"This mission wasn't particularly dangerous; the main challenge was a thorough search. But the contribution was significant! Everyone who participated will receive two merit points!"

Two merit points! Many team members beamed with joy. In the reserve camp, merit points could be exchanged for elixirs, weapons, and even martial arts techniques, making them extremely valuable.

Ding Mingcheng then offered an even more enticing reward.

"In addition, each person will be given a spirit carp, a specialty of Bazhangjian, as a reward for this operation!"

"A spirit carp?"

"It's actually a spirit carp!"

Upon hearing this name, Fang Qing clearly felt the breathing around him become much heavier in an instant, and he could even hear people swallowing. Even Zeng Qian, who was standing next to him, had a glint in her beautiful eyes.

Seeing that even Zeng Qian, who was standing next to him, was breathing slightly erratically, it was clear that this spirit carp was no ordinary fish.

He turned to ask Zhanbo, who was standing behind him.

Zhanbo quickly explained in a low voice:

"This spirit crucian carp is extremely precious. It is said that this fish lives in cold ravines containing a thin layer of spiritual energy. Its flesh is incredibly delicious and contains pure spiritual energy, which has a miraculous effect on strengthening the foundation and nourishing the blood and qi of martial artists in the Body Tempering Realm."

"Its market value is at least 500 taels of silver, and most importantly, sometimes you can't even buy it with money."

Let's put it this way: the benefits of one spirit carp for our cultivation are far greater than those of two Qi Gathering Pills.

"Most importantly, it not only nourishes our bodies, but I've also heard that it can improve our physical constitution."

"Its value far exceeds that of ordinary Qi Gathering Pills! I never expected the reward for this mission to be so generous."

Finally, Zeng Qian, standing next to Fang Qing, added:

"I've heard that at least five of the top ten monsters have stopped taking Qi Gathering Pills and have switched to taking treasures like Spirit Carp."

……