Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

"I want to select an entry!"

Cao Xiong stared intently at the panel.

The next moment, the content on the panel changed instantly.

[Entry 1: Shooting Master (Green): Proficient in all types of long-range weapons, with eyesight, hand steadiness, and control far exceeding that of ordinary people, increasing accuracy by 20%, and adding 15% damage to long-range weapons.]

[Entry 2: Heart of a Tiger (Green): With a heart as fierce as a tiger, one's fighting spirit soars. Physical strength and resilience are greatly enhanced. Melee attack damage is increased by 10%, and physical damage received is reduced by 15%. In close combat, one's imposing aura is intimidating, slightly suppressing the opponent's mind.]

[Entry 3: Martial Arts Correction (Green): Optimizes deficiencies in one's martial arts, fills in gaps in techniques, and perfects the integration of martial arts with oneself. Martial arts training speed is increased by 20%, and damage is increased by 10% when martial arts are used.]

Cao Xiong looked at the first entry: "Shooting Master".

【Shooting Master】 is for ranged weapons such as bows and muskets, and can increase the damage and accuracy of shots.

The entry "Shooting Master" seems to make up for the lack of ranged attacks, but in a sense, it is also a very useless entry.

Because Cao Xiong's ranged weapons were only bows and arrows and muskets, and the killing power of arrows and lead bullets was limited.

Even with damage bonuses, he would likely be unable to inflict effective damage on a stronger enemy like a Yaksha.

If he is facing an enemy weaker than himself or of the same level, he can completely overwhelm them head-on, and there is no need for ranged attacks.

Cao Xiong quickly rejected the entry "Shooting Master" and turned to the second entry "Heart of a Tiger".

In stark contrast to the entry "Shooting Master," "Heart of the Tiger" enhances melee combat and grants immunity to some physical damage.

"That's not bad, it's an option."

Cao Xiong's principle in choosing martial arts-related terms this time was to enhance his own talent.

Ultimately, it's all about dealing with the Yaksha.

The entry "Heart of a Tiger" may not enhance his talent, but it can give him a better chance of winning when facing a Yaksha.

The last entry was titled "Martial Arts Correction." Cao Xiong's heart skipped a beat just from reading the title.

Clearly, the "Martial Arts Modification" attribute, which increases cultivation speed, is the most suitable attribute for him.

It can instantly boost combat power and defense, and also increase cultivation speed.

"Talent attributes don't appear every time; in martial arts cultivation, realm is king."

Cao Xiong did not hesitate for long and quickly selected the entry "Martial Arts Modification".

In an instant, the entry "Martial Arts Modification" transformed into a green light and merged into Cao Xiong's body.

The terms "Shooting Master" and "Heart of a Tiger" gradually faded until they disappeared completely.

Cao Xiong immediately felt that all the techniques he had mastered, such as "Fierce Tiger Stance - Tendon Refining Chapter", "Maha Knife Technique", and "Eighteen Forms of Wind Slash", had changed.

It's as if his head was originally on the ceiling, but now he realizes that the ceiling is just a piece of paper, and he only needs to exert a little force to break through it and see a new view.

Cao Xiong entered the courtyard and unleashed the "Lightning Speed" move from the "Eighteen Forms of Wind Slash." The moment his sword was drawn, it was like lightning, and the strong wind stirred up the surrounding air currents. Before the first slash had even landed, the second slash had already caught up.

With the long sword at a distance of thirty centimeters from the wooden dummy, the dummy was shattered by the sheer force of the blade.

"It's definitely much stronger."

Cao Xiong's voice carried a hint of excitement.

On a whim, he began practicing the "Maha Knife Technique" in the courtyard.

The progress on the panel changes constantly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

An hour later, Cao Xiong sheathed his sword and ended his cultivation. At this rate, he would probably reach the Transcendent Realm in just a few days.

……

……

……

In the days that followed, Cao Xiong focused his main energy on cultivation.

But this peace did not last long. Just a few days after Cao Xiong met Nie Xiaoqian, an accident occurred.

News of plague-infested corpses has reappeared in Guobei County, and this time, the plague is even more troublesome.

It is not concentrated in a particular village or town, but is scattered in various places.

Cao Xiong gathered all the flag officers, clerks, and military officers in the barracks.

"As you all probably know, the zombie plague has resurfaced."

Cao Xiong looked at the people under his command, "What do you all think?"

"Reporting to the centurion, this plague has spread over a wide area, and relying solely on the centurion's office may not be enough."

"I believe that we should gather the people together by village, unite the able-bodied men, and fight against the plague."

The one who spoke was Zhou Yuan, a clerk who had recently joined the Hundred Household Office.

Cao Xiong nodded; Zhou Yuan's idea coincided with his own.

"That's right. Let the county government handle this matter. Our centurion office is only responsible for cleaning up the plague corpses."

"Zhang He, how are the experiments on the corpse plague going?" Cao Xiong turned to look at Chief Medical Officer Zhang He.

"Qi-bing, the centurion, has made a breakthrough. Give me some more time, and I will definitely be able to develop an antidote to prevent the corpse plague." Zhang He stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Good! If you manage to create an antidote for the zombie plague, you will be credited with the greatest achievement."

Seeing that Zhang He's expression didn't seem fake, Cao Xiong was pleasantly surprised. He had originally given up hope of developing an antidote for the corpse plague.

Unexpectedly, Zhang He actually gave him a surprise.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhang He continued, "My lord, if we want to produce it faster, we will probably need more plague-infested corpses for testing. Therefore, I request to accompany the soldiers to the plague-infested land."

"Working in isolation is ultimately a bad approach. I agree. You may accompany General Sha's troops with your military officers." Cao Xiong agreed without much hesitation.

"Thank you, sir!" Zhang He returned to his seat.

"How are the short muskets and other weapons being made?" Cao Xiong asked Wang Er. He hadn't selected a temporary leader for the newly recruited blacksmiths; Wang Er had been in charge of them all along.

"My lord, we have already forged over sixty short muskets, ten long spears, and over thirty sets of war bows." Wang Er explained the current forging progress in detail.

"That's enough for now." Cao Xiong tapped his fingers on the chair.

"Next, the most important thing is to stabilize the situation. Equipment should be prioritized for the officers and soldiers of the Second and Third Banners. Tomorrow, Banner Chief Sha and Banner Chief Liu will lead their men out of the city to exterminate the plague corpses at the Banner Garrison."

"Yes, sir!" the people in the room replied in unison.

"You can go down and prepare now. Commander Liu, please stay."

Two days ago, Liu Mingzi broke through to the mid-stage of the Bone Forging Realm, and his divination skills also improved accordingly. Cao Xiong prepared to have Liu Mingzi try to divine the whereabouts of the Burial Dragon.

"My lord!" Liu Mingzi held a feather fan, and had some idea of ​​Cao Xiong's purpose in leaving him behind.

"The reason why the corpse plague can be completely resolved is that the source has been found. What we can confirm at present is that the culprit is a poison cultivator named Zangpo Long..."

"Is it possible to find out where this person is now?"

Cao Xiong told Liu Mingzi all the information about the Burial Dragon.

Liu Mingzi took out three ancient bronze coins from his pocket. "Sir, you can give it a try."