Steam-powered martial arts: My virginity cultivation technique has been broken.

When Wang Sanpao saw the Qi measuring instrument in the militia's hands, he knew things had gotten serious. He wondered what kind of treasure had been stolen that required such a large-scale operation.

The leader of the militia, with one hand on his hip and a riding whip in the other, called over the innkeeper: "Wake up all the guests staying in your inn, especially the martial artists. The notorious bandit Black Wolf has been spotted, and the prefect has ordered a thorough investigation. All martial artists must have their true qi tested."

The shopkeeper dared not offend these thugs, so he hurriedly nodded and bowed and went upstairs to invite them.

Ku Ning had already woken up when the noise started downstairs, and patted the exhausted Jiang Xiaoya awake.

Her body jerked with shock, and she cried out in a panic, "I can't take it anymore, I really can't take it."

Her throat was hoarse, and her eyelids were almost closed. Ku Ning said softly, "It's dawn. There's some noise downstairs. I wonder what happened."

At this moment, the innkeeper also arrived at the door and knocked cautiously: "Excuse me, sir, there was a theft in the city last night, and the militia is searching downstairs. We need your cooperation."

The shopkeeper had several handprints on his face, left by the previous customers. Most martial artists are naturally arrogant, believing that there is no first place in literature and no second place in martial arts, and they are not convinced by anyone. Coupled with their morning grumpiness, their temper is even worse.

"Okay, I'll be there in a bit."

Ku Ning had never bothered with innocent people; making a living was hard enough for most. A theft case? Could that be just an excuse? Did that old man have such power that he could get the authorities involved in investigating him?

He and Jiang Xiaoya got dressed, went downstairs, and found the inn's lobby already full of guests. He immediately spotted the Qi measuring device and knew the answer: "I really hate these privileged classes; they're abusing their power."

He wasn't flustered at all. The other party was using the pretext of a theft to find him, so it seemed that what happened last night was something shady. He should find out what was going on first.

He went downstairs to Wang Sanpao and asked him what was going on. Wang Sanpao told him everything he knew.

Ku Ning felt slightly relieved. If Black Wolf was still alive, he would be at least sixty or seventy years old. He was only in his early twenties. Could these people really take him away in front of everyone?

This is the worst-case scenario to deal with; simply running away would be like trying to hide something obvious, leading to endless trouble later. He needs to find a way to conceal his cultivation level, which is neither too difficult nor too easy.

The principle of the True Qi Measuring Instrument lies in the light reaction produced when the spirit stone encounters the true qi in the blood. From grade nine to seven, the light is light blue; from grade six to three, the color gradually deepens until it becomes dark blue; only grades two and one undergo a qualitative change, emitting orange and red light.

Now, when he tests it, it is undoubtedly red light, but his third spiritual vision can see its operating principle. In the past, his divine sense was too weak to interfere, but now, after being strengthened by the Xuanhuang Qi, his divine sense has advanced to the first rank, so he can easily control it.

"Who do you think you are? How dare you test my true energy!"

A burly man stood tall in front of the militia in the crowd, his massive body completely obscuring the soldier holding the measuring instrument.

The militia were just a group of ordinary people, not even fully equipped with muskets; in the eyes of martial artists, they were nothing more than ants. They could tolerate the restrictions and inspections imposed by the Martial Arts Bureau because having a rank meant receiving pay. But for a group of ordinary people to be gesturing with measuring instruments in front of them was simply humiliating.

"What do you want? We are people of the imperial court." The soldier, oblivious to the danger, drew his sword and threatened.

"Bah! They're just a local militia, what kind of government officials are they? They can bully ordinary people or gang up on bandits, that's fine. But I'm a seventh-rank martial artist, I can kill a whole bunch of you with a single finger. Don't wave your toys in front of me, if you piss me off, I'll kill you all and join the rebel army, and I'll still live a carefree life."

The burly man spoke bluntly and arrogantly, readily spouting words of rebellion; he was not someone to be trifled with. The soldier was so frightened that his limbs went weak, and he could no longer hold his knife steadily.

This scene played out in many inns, with most martial artists refusing to cooperate with the militia.

Ku Ning was also puzzled. Wuzhou, a newly developed area, must have local troops stationed there. They were able to obtain surveying instruments from the Xingwu Division, but they couldn't get the local troops to do their bidding. There must be some trick to it. But it was fine this way, saving him the trouble.

He was always eager for a good show, so with a flick of his finger, a burst of energy struck the soldier's elbow, causing his hand to tremble and his waist knife to slash at the big man.

The burly man instantly flew into a rage: "You dare to lay a hand on me!"

He had clearly first cultivated external martial arts, and later, by chance, he obtained some kind of unsystematic true qi method, which allowed him to advance to the seventh rank. Therefore, he was not afraid of steel blades at all. He grabbed the blade with one hand, broke it with force, grabbed the soldier's belt with the other hand, lifted him above his head, swung him around, and threw him out the door.

The other soldiers were all terrified, their faces ashen. They were just a bunch of street thugs, hooligans, and other unstable elements in society. The government had incorporated them into the militia to suppress the people, which was a waste of their resources. They had no confidence whatsoever against martial artists.

The burly man laughed loudly and roared, "Get lost!"

The militia members were completely bewildered and scrambled out of the inn in a flurry of activity.

The unusual activity alerted the constables maintaining order on the street; they were from the prefectural government and were ordered to supervise the situation.

"What's going on?"

A group of constables arrived at the gate, blocking the militia soldiers who were trying to escape, and looked coldly at the burly men. On their backs were the latest model of the Dai-type Dingwu muskets, the cold muzzles still gleaming with the oil from recent maintenance.

The burly man was a little scared. The Dingwu musket was loaded with explosive shells, which were specifically designed to counter a martial artist's internal energy. He wasn't an agile martial artist; if he made a move, he would be a sitting duck.

Seeing that someone was backing them up, the militia members immediately regained their spirits and, taking advantage of the situation, stepped forward to file a false complaint: "Officer, he just brazenly said he would kill us and that he wanted to join the Red Lantern Sect in a rebellion!"

The constables unfastened their guns, released the safety, and pointed them at the burly man: "You want to rebel?"

The burly man's face darkened, and he remained silent. This plague-ridden court showed them no dignity whatsoever. Who would have thought that a dignified martial artist would be threatened by a few ordinary people!

The burly man's companion hurriedly stepped forward to explain, "No, officer, we..."

Bang! Bang! Bang! Several gunshots rang out; the other side had actually opened fire, and the big man's partner fell into a pool of blood.

Enraged, the burly man stomped on a brick, shattering it, and charged towards the group of constables. His strong arms blocked vital points, but he was riddled with bullets, blood and bone flying everywhere. His speed did not decrease. Just as he was about to reach them, several more gunshots rang out, and the burly man's legs were broken, causing him to fall to the ground.

The martial artists in the inn all clenched their fists, feeling a sense of shared sorrow.

The constable pressed a musket against the burly man's head, pulled the trigger, and then looked at the martial artist inside the inn: "Resistance means death!"

This is a provocation against martial artists!

As the embodiment of classicist martial artists, Ke Moxiong and his companions could not tolerate such humiliation!

Ouyang Xi struck first, waving his fan three times, sending dozens of tiny needles flying towards the constables outside. The constables felt a sharp pain, like being bitten by mosquitoes, and their limbs became paralyzed, and the muskets in their hands fell to the ground.

"You slaughtered martial artists right before our eyes; you must pay the price!"