Chaos and monsters begin with the red dragon's clone.

After returning to Dongluo Town, Zhang Xun did not go out again.

He had done everything he could at Zhujiachaishan. Going to investigate would only increase the risks and was pointless. If something really happened, he would have more room to maneuver in the town.

This incident made him deeply aware of his lack of strength. The Zhu family, the Sanlian Gang, and people like Deng Changshun lurking in the shadows were too dangerous—although he possessed Dragon Might, he could only deal with those at the second level and was limited to one-on-one combat.

We must reach the second stage of Body Tempering as soon as possible!

For several days in a row, Zhang Xun stayed at the boxing academy and trained hard.

That morning, in the inner courtyard, on the day when the eldest disciple Fan Qi would be teaching the secrets of fist and sword techniques on the high platform, a large number of formal disciples gathered, including his martial arts partners who were in "seclusion"—only then did he learn about some of the situation at Zhu Family Chai Mountain.

"You've broken through to a higher level?"

Beside the sand shed, Zhang Xun looked at his partner Chang Zhiliang. The other man's temples were slightly bulging, his pockmarked face was rosy, and his aura was subtly different. His every move carried an inexplicable sharpness.

Commonly known as the martial arts stance.

"Yes, do you want to try how powerful the second realm is?" Chang Zhiliang said smugly, but before Zhang Xun could reply, he waved his hand and said, "I'd better not. I just broke through and can't control my strength. It wouldn't be good if I hurt you. It's not too late to practice with you after I learn the Toad Breathing Technique from my senior brother."

"Then I'll wait for you."

Zhang Xun originally wanted to practice some more.

His fight with the two patrolmen, which involved either Longwei or his trump card Shihui, wasn't exactly a proper confrontation.

"Hey, you'll be easy to handle then." Chang Zhiliang said smugly, but then his face fell. "To break through to the second realm, I bought a blood-restoring powder, and my already meager savings are almost gone. I won't have much time to stay at the boxing academy anymore; I need to find work."

The medicinal ingredients used in healing soups are produced in the inner city or gathered in the fog zone. Compared to the meat of exotic beasts, they are produced in smaller quantities, have fewer side effects, and are more precious and expensive because of their greater efficacy.

"You have a plan?"

Zhang Xun agreed.

He was also worried about money.

"Not yet." Chang Zhiliang shook his head. "There are indeed more paths to choose from in the Second Realm, but that doesn't mean there are good paths. For example, working in the government office to handle miscellaneous matters in the town is easy and safe, but can we go there without connections? Sigh, the only options are to be a bodyguard for a wealthy family, or a thug at Senior Brother Zhao's restaurant, or a guard for a transport caravan... I haven't decided whether to be a full-time or part-time member."

"If you still want to practice your skills, you might as well find a half-hanger," Zhang Xun said.

Having discerned his partner's intentions, he realized that this part-time/part-time job was similar to his previous life's full-time/part-time work, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

"I'm leaning towards semi-trailers," Chang Zhiliang said with a wry smile. "Semi-trailers do have more free time, but not only is the pay lower, the routes are narrower, and it's not as safe... I started thinking about it a while ago, and even found a fellow semi-trailer driver to consider becoming a semi-trailer patrolman with him. But I didn't expect this."

"A mountain patrolman?!"

Zhang Xun's expression shifted slightly. "I went to Zhujia Chai Mountain a few days ago and hunted a wolf to see some blood. Was it one of the kind from Zhujia Mountain?"

"You went to Zhujiachaishan? You were really lucky to escape a disaster." Chang Zhiliang said in surprise.

"How so?" Zhang Xun was also surprised.

"That's where I originally planned to go; it's always been safe," Chang Zhiliang sighed.

"Just a few days ago, several woodcutters disappeared from the firewood mountain near the Zhu family's house. Two patrolmen from the Copper Arm Boxing Academy were also killed; their bodies were never found. They were all ravaged by wild beasts."

Because it wasn't discovered until the next day, the scene of the fight was covered in traces of ghosts and wild animals, and the cause of death was unclear. Rumors spread that the Zhu family's Chai Mountain had been peaceful for a long time, and the patrolmen had been negligent, allowing the ghost to sneak in. Of course, the Zhu family insisted that someone had committed the crime and was determined to find the culprit. In any case, it wasn't a good place to go for the time being.

"Is that so?" Zhang Xun gasped. "When I went there, nothing had happened yet. Didn't I just brush past the ghost?"

"So you could say you were lucky." Chang Zhiliang nodded deeply.

Boom! !

A drumbeat came from the front of the arena.

Senior Brother Fan Qi walked up to the high platform, and men and women scattered throughout the venue gathered around to listen to his lecture.

The two of them walked over as well.

Song Zhou and his group were still standing at the front. Their small circle had a few more new faces, with two women standing out.

One of them, dressed in a red, fitted outfit, had a curvaceous figure, fair skin, and a good family background, just like Xie Ying, but was a bit more outgoing. She was smiling sweetly at Song Zhou. The other was a tall and strong woman, whose blue dress was almost stretched taut by her muscles.

"I heard Song Zhou achieved two breakthroughs in just one month in the inner courtyard. It's truly amazing to have such talent," Chang Zhiliang said enviously, then introduced the two women:

"That's Wei Cairong, the Wei family is also a big family; the tall and strong one is called Kuai Shengnan, she's quite talented, she's really better than us, she's quite mysterious, I've only met her a few times, and I don't know much about her... She's a good wife, she's good at having children, it's a pity, she definitely wouldn't look at me."

"..."

Zhang Xun remained silent as he listened to Fan Qi imparting his skills on stage, while pondering the matter of Zhu Jiachaishan.

The bodies had all disappeared as expected, so surely they couldn't have been traced back to him? He tried to recall if he had missed anything.

When he came to his senses, the people around him gradually dispersed. Senior Brother Fan Qi also stepped down from the platform to the side, frowning as he listened to a disciple report something.

"Let's go."

"Um."

Just as Zhang Xun was about to leave with Chang Zhiliang, he saw Fan Qi looking over from a distance and waving at him.

"How does Senior Brother Fan address you?" Chang Zhiliang asked in surprise.

Old Man Chen rarely shows his face. The main affairs of the boxing academy are handled by Senior Brother Fan Qi. These affairs are not related to the disciples of the first realm. They usually don't talk to each other alone. They probably only have the opportunity to do so when they enter the inner academy or break through to the second realm.

"I don't know." Zhang Xun shook his head in confusion, though his heart sank slightly.

"I'll go with you, we can talk about breaking through to the next level." Chang Zhiliang puffed out his chest—he considered himself the leader among his martial arts partners, someone who would protect his underlings if anything happened.

Fan Qi's gesture attracted some attention.

Not far away, Song Zhou's group of people stopped in their tracks. Wei Cairong cast a curious glance at them: "Oh, who is Senior Brother Fan calling? There aren't many people who can catch his eye."

"Senior Sister Wei is mistaken. That person is called Zhang Xun. He entered the Inner Court on the same day as Junior Brother Song, but it took him almost a year to mature," someone replied.

"Junior Brother Song really has a good accompaniment." Wei Cairong's eyes sparkled.

"Senior sister is joking. Senior brother Zhang is resolute and determined; he may very well achieve great things," Song Zhou said calmly.

"Even if he achieves something, he's far inferior to Junior Brother Song. Besides, judging from Senior Brother Fan's furrowed brow, he's probably gotten into trouble now," Wei Cairong said with a smile.

"Excuse me," Xie Ying said calmly. She had light blue eyes, fair skin, and a lithe figure due to years of martial arts training. She was one of the few women in the martial arts academy who was quite beautiful.

"This year's foggy month is a medium-sized one that occurs only once every three years. Winter is still a few months away, and criminals hiding in various places have all come out. Something happened at Zhujiachai Mountain, and there have been quite a few incidents in Lingliu Town as well. I'll be leaving now."