In this chaotic world of martial arts, I'll become a god by adding skill points!

Chen Chaoming sat upright in a chair, with his senior brother Chen Zhiyang sitting next to him, seemingly discussing something.

Upon seeing Wang Anping enter, the two stopped talking.

Chen Zhiyang stood up first, his tone showing concern: "Junior brother, what's wrong? You look like something's wrong."

Anping bowed and then recounted how Junior Brother Zhu had been injured by Zhao Hu.

Chen Chaoming tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, his gaze falling on Wang Anping, and said in a flat tone: "This is none of your business."

Wang Anping was taken aback, but didn't say anything more.

I am not the owner of this martial arts school, so the master has the final say on how to handle it.

"Junior brother, I'll handle this matter." Chen Zhiyang stood up and walked over to him, then said, "Try not to go out these days."

"Okay! Understood, senior brother."

Wang Anping clasped his hands in a fist salute. Since his master and senior brother had both said they would handle it, he couldn't say anything more, since the martial arts school belonged to the Chen family, not the Wang family.

"Then I'll take my leave."

"Okay, take care. If you need anything, remember to come find me anytime."

-----------------

Time flies by, and the sun and moon alternate.

In the blink of an eye, ten days have passed since Longyuan Martial Arts School provoked them.

In recent days, disciples have been getting into conflicts with other martial arts schools or families, and both sides have been quite aggressive.

However, after Chen Chaoming's mediation, the families calmed down a bit.

Not only that, every time Wang Anping came to the martial arts school, he always felt that there were several pairs of eyes on the road.

There were people coming and going, it seemed like someone was following him every day.

Therefore, he even instructed his family not to go out casually. After Zhang Cheng returned, he asked him to stay at home to practice martial arts.

During this period, he also went home earlier. If his parents' yard wasn't too big for four people to practice martial arts together, he wouldn't have even thought about coming to the martial arts school.

One morning

Wang Anping stood in the corner of the martial arts hall, practicing his boxing.

Occasionally, a few disciples would stop to watch, even though he practiced Xingyi Quan, a style of boxing that only disciples directly taught at the martial arts school could learn.

However, he practiced his boxing here without any fear of violating the rules and letting these inner disciples learn from him.

Simply put, boxing is not just about simple moves; it requires the key to generating power, the application of mental techniques, and so on.

"I feel that Senior Brother Wang's boxing skills are even stronger than during the ring match a few days ago."

"That's right! Look, the bluestone slabs under your feet are trembling after that punch."

If that hit you, your bones would probably shatter into pieces!

"Hahaha, you really dare to dream. Let alone a punch, the wind from the punch alone could kill you."

"Sigh, I used to hear people say that Senior Brother Wang was the most diligent person in the martial arts school, but I didn't believe it."

Seeing it with my own eyes now, I realize how capable people can get ahead.

It wasn't talent that mattered; it was pure, hard work!

A buzz of discussion arose, interspersed with a few heartfelt exclamations of praise.

Recently, several new disciples have joined the martial arts school, all of them young and ambitious.

Seeing that Wang Anping was so capable and diligent at such a young age, they had long regarded him as their idol.

Every morning, I eagerly waited to see him practice his boxing routine.

Wang Anping paid no heed, his mind completely absorbed in the boxing technique.

The punches flowed continuously, and the blood and qi in the body surged like a tide.

The hidden energy was circulating in the meridians, showing faint signs of breaking through the shackles.

He was already very close to reaching the Transformation Realm.

Wang Anping was already used to this, and this little thing couldn't affect his martial arts training rhythm.

"Junior Brother Wang, come here for a moment."

Chen Zhiyang's voice rang out, and Wang Anping looked up and saw the other person standing in the distance, waving at him.

He stopped his punching practice, strode over, and asked curiously, "Senior Brother, what brings you to the martial arts school today?"

It turns out that Chen Zhiyang had been missing for some time and had hardly appeared at the martial arts school.

Therefore, Wang Anping was still somewhat puzzled by the other party's sudden appearance.

"The evil spirit in the river killed someone." Chen Zhiyang's opening statement was a devastating blow.

"Last night, the owner of Longyuan Martial Arts School went out after drinking. When he was by the river, he went on a drunken rampage or something else."

He actually urinated into the river while cursing under his breath.

His antics attracted the attention of evil spirits in the river. In particular, after he saw the evil spirits show themselves, he actually jumped into the river and fought a great battle with them.

In the end, no remains were found, only a shoe remained on the shore.

Upon hearing this, Wang Anping's first reaction was to suspect something was wrong, as the master of Longyuan Martial Arts School was a martial artist who had reached the peak of Dark Force.

But that was ten years ago; they might have already broken through to the Transformation Realm by now.

Even if you haven't broken through to the Transformation Realm, you won't get drunk so easily!

Moreover, even if he was drunk, why would he go to the riverbank alone?

As the head of a martial arts school, he would definitely be accompanied by a group of disciples when he went out.

"Senior brother, what kind of wine can get such a powerful person drunk?" he asked with a puzzled expression.

"I had my doubts when I first heard the news, but it doesn't matter now."

The person is already dead, and the Longyuan Martial Arts School is in complete chaos. A new headmaster has not yet been elected, and they have no time to investigate the real cause of death.

The most important thing now is that the evil spirit has changed! Originally, this thing had never tasted the flesh and blood of a martial artist, so it was relatively peaceful.

However, ever since he ate the Dragon Source Pavilion Master last night, this guy has attacked many villages along the river outside the city.

Many warriors who went to resist and drive them away died or were injured.

The county has summoned all martial artists above the Inner Strength level to discuss what to do. As the top performer in the last sparring match, you also need to go.

"I have some reputation in the county, and I couldn't refuse this time, so I came specifically to teach you how to call me."

Upon hearing Chen Zhiyang's words, Wang Anping composed himself and recalled what he had seen and heard during the sacrificial ceremony some time ago.

Isn't this supposed to be baby-fed? How come eating a martial artist causes a bloody outbreak?

There was something supernatural about it, but he didn't know who was behind it.

Thinking back to Fei Hong's previous presiding over the sacrificial ceremony, and considering the close relationship between Fei Hong and Chen Chaoming, he probably had some guesses in his mind.

He never imagined that these two could be so ruthless.

I was so busy recently that I forgot about the baby, and I haven't heard any conversations about it lately.

He thought the matter was over, but he didn't expect them to start causing trouble again.

Remembering the incident with the evil spirit in Peach Grove last time, he estimated that many more people would die this time.

"Okay, is there anything I don't know?" Wang Anping nodded, but then asked another question.

Chen Zhiyang's expression remained unchanged upon hearing his words, showing no sign of pretense.

"There's nothing secret about this matter, but what we discussed today was that we need to take turns guarding the city to prevent evil spirits from rushing into the residential areas."

Another point is that everyone should brainstorm and think of ways to solve the problem once and for all.

Otherwise, having neighbors like that around all the time makes life uncomfortable for everyone.

Hearing Chen Zhiyang say this, Wang Anping nodded; what he said did make some sense.

However, patrolling the river... that's a bit troublesome, since I'm not far from reaching the Transformation Realm and I want to succeed in breaking through it in one go.

This has delayed him again, and he's even considering going into seclusion in the deep mountains and forests.

"Shall we go?"

"good!"

The two walked out of the martial arts school one after the other and headed towards the very center of the inner city, where the county government office was located.

Ironically, the county seat was originally located in the outer city, intended to make it easier for people to file complaints.

However, after the imperial court began to have problems, the county government moved to the inner city, and ordinary people could not even enter the inner city. For a time, no grievances were brought to the county government.

-----------------

As soon as the two walked into the streets and alleys of the county town, a completely different atmosphere rushed towards them.

The bluestone path was swept spotless, with high walls and courtyards on both sides, and gilded plaques hanging above the gates.

Occasionally, servants would hurry by carrying teacups, their footsteps extremely light, for fear of disturbing the distinguished guests in the courtyard.

Along the way, even the wind carried a sense of tranquility.

Wang Anping's gaze darkened slightly as he swept his eyes over the soldiers at the street corner.

The spears in their hands were polished to a gleaming shine, and their eyes were fixed warily on passersby. Anyone dressed in simple clothes would be stopped and questioned for a long time.

This is the rule of chaotic times: "Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road, frozen corpses lie." This is never just an empty saying.

The county government office was located in the very center of the inner city, and it was an impressive courtyard house.

The two stone lions at the entrance stared with their large, copper-bell-like eyes, exuding a sense of majesty.

The area in front of the county government office was already crowded with people, all of whom were martial artists dressed in tight-fitting clothes.

Some wore swords at their waists, while others carried iron rulers in their hands.

They gathered in twos and threes, talking quietly, their brows furrowed with a hint of seriousness.

Upon seeing Chen Zhiyang and Wang Anping approaching, the members of Chen's Martial Arts School quickly waved.

Master Chen Chaoming sat in the front row of chairs. Two of the other four disciples of the Chen Family Martial Arts School who had broken through to the Dark Force level were also present.

They were the fifth and seventh senior brothers, respectively. The others were either out delivering messages and hadn't returned yet, or something else was missing.

At this point, everyone from the Chen Family Martial Arts School who was supposed to be there had arrived.

Upon seeing the two enter, some people nearby began to whisper among themselves as they looked at Wang Anping.

Some smiled at him, one of whom was Li Xiangkai, who had given him money last time.

The chatter continued intermittently, but Wang Anping remained expressionless, merely nodding slightly as a greeting.

Chen Zhiyang, on the other hand, was much more familiar with the situation and exchanged a few pleasantries with several acquaintances with a smile.

He pulled Wang Anping inside and sat down behind his master, Chen Chaoming.

The main hall of the county government office had already been arranged, with several long tables joined together to form a semicircle.

A rough porcelain teacup was placed on top, and a charcoal fire burned in the corner, dispelling the winter chill.

Seated in the main seat was a middle-aged man in a long gown, with a fair complexion and a mustache; he was none other than Chen Jinghua, the county magistrate.

Seeing that most of the people had arrived, he cleared his throat, picked up the gavel, and gently tapped it:

"Everyone, please be quiet!"

The noisy main hall fell silent instantly.

Zhou Wenshan sighed, his tone heavy: "As you all probably know, the master of Longyuan Martial Arts School perished at the bottom of the river yesterday."

In the latter half of the night, many of the martial artists who went to resist in the countryside suffered heavy casualties.

Moreover, we just received news that two villages along the river have also been massacred, with over a hundred people killed or injured... If this continues, not only the villages, but even the outer and inner cities will suffer!

"I've invited you all here today to discuss a way to resolve this major threat!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone below started shouting:

"Lord Chen, this evil spirit has clearly become ferocious by eating the flesh and blood of a warrior."

In my opinion, we should organize a force and storm into the river, crushing it to ashes!

The speaker was a man with a full beard, the head of the Sun Family Martial Arts School, whose voice was as loud as thunder.

"Charge into the river? Master Sun, are you insane?" someone immediately retorted.

"That evil spirit is as agile as a fish in the water; if we go down there, we'll just be throwing our lives away!"

Even the owner of Longyuan Pavilion has failed; are you confident you can beat them?

"Then what do you suggest we do? When it returns to the county, slaughter the entire county?"

There aren't many villages along the river, and the people there can simply hide in the mountains and be safe.

With so many people in our county, where can we all go? Who's all alone? What about all these relatives in the county?

"In my opinion, it would be better to reinforce the riverbank defenses, set up more traps, and assign people to guard it in shifts, as long as we don't let it come ashore..."

"Guard? Guard until how long? We won't have a moment's peace until this evil spirit is eliminated!"

Everyone had their own opinion, and the argument raged on.

Wang Anping sat in the chair without saying a word.

"Cough cough."

The head of the Liu family suddenly coughed lightly, attracting everyone's attention.

He stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to Chen Jinghua, and said, "Lord Chen, gentlemen, in my opinion, neither a direct attack nor a defensive strategy is the best course of action."

"Oh? What brilliant idea does Patriarch Liu have?" Chen Jinghua asked quickly.

The Liu clan chief smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and said sincerely, "Evil spirits have a huge advantage in the water, so we should not rashly go into the water."

It was tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock. But since it dared to come ashore and massacre a village, it shows that it also had moments when it was out of the water.

It would be better to proceed in two steps: First, according to the original plan, manpower should be allocated to guard the riverbank in three shifts. Once any trace of evil spirits is discovered, a gong should be sounded to warn of the danger and buy time.

Secondly, form a hunting squad, led by a skilled individual, to seek opportunities to lure the evil spirits ashore and hunt them down!

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Jinghua's eyes lit up: "Senior Brother Chen is absolutely right! The leader of that hunting team..."

"I recommend the head of the Chen Family Martial Arts School," said the Liu family patriarch, pointing with a gentle smile.

"Everyone knows that Chen's Martial Arts School is the strongest in our county. Not only are the masters strong, but the disciples are also ridiculously strong."

I think it's most appropriate for Master Chen to lead the team for this kind of thing.

Upon hearing this, all eyes once again focused on Chen Chaoming, their eyes filled with a hint of schadenfreude.

Looking at the way these people were looking at him, Wang Anping realized that so many people disliked the Chen Family Martial Arts School.

"Everyone, it's not that I'm declining, but as you all know, my Chen Family Martial Arts School is about to have a happy occasion."

Mr. Chen was simply unable to get away from this matter and couldn't go out every day.

Apart from myself, the other disciples also had the will but not the ability.

If anyone is needed to patrol the river, any disciple of my Chen Family Martial Arts School is welcome to go. If any support is needed, I, Chen Chaoming, will be there whenever called upon.

However, if it were up to me to lead a team to hunt down evil spirits, I simply wouldn't be able to spare the time.

Besides, Mr. Chen was wronged when he led the team to Taolin last time, so it's not my turn this time.

Chen Chaoming stood up, clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, and spoke politely.

Moreover, his reasoning was quite plausible; there really was such a thing, and it was already December, with the wedding date fast approaching.

More importantly, they had already led the team before, and were still met with skepticism from everyone.

This time, when others refused, there was truly no one who could refute it.

"I think Chief Liu is more suitable for this important task. If the lure is successful, we can come to his aid at any time."

Chen Chaoming then changed the subject, turning his attention back to the Liu clan chief.

Upon hearing this, the other person immediately stood up to refute him.

The words continued to clash, with the several museum owners and the clan leader all trying to shirk their responsibility of leading the team.

Nobody's stupid. When the time comes, we'll just patrol the river and run if we see anything.

After the evil spirit came ashore, his strength was greatly reduced. He could at least escape, if not deal with, ordinary internal energy martial artists.

However, if we're talking about leading a team to lure and hunt...

That would be dangerous. If you accidentally die or get injured, you would really suffer a loss.

After all, this isn't their own business, so who would willingly take the lead?

Especially after the incident with the evil spirit in Peach Grove, everyone was even less willing to put in any effort.

The reason everyone responded so readily last time was mainly because everyone needs to travel the trade route. Otherwise, they wouldn't have followed Chen Chaoming and rushed in.

But although this evil spirit in the river is extremely vicious, it hasn't affected them at all!

Those who died were all peasants, though there was a fear that evil spirits might come ashore.

But their family doesn't live near a river, so whoever dies first will be the first to worry.

"Alright, alright, if you ask me, let's not hand this over to anyone. Let's take turns, one family every three days."

Then I ordered someone to go to the prison, bring out a few criminals, and release them into the river as bait.

When it's time for each household to take turns guarding the area, if they see the evil spirit taking the bait, they'll send out a signal.