The Martial Saint rose to power starting as a substitute bridegroom.

"No problem, no problem," the men laughed and joked.

Li Yuan frowned slightly.

I wonder what Fatty Sun is thinking. Could it be that he's worried about this trip and sent one of his own people to keep an eye on things?

However, he didn't pay much attention to it.

It's just a one-off deal anyway; once the goods are delivered, I can come back for the money.

Fatty Sun gave him a subtle wink, and Li Yuan understood immediately.

The two chatted casually with the crowd for a few more minutes before subtly moving to a corner.

Fatty Sun turned his back, took out a small green bottle from his pocket, stuffed it into Li Yuan's hand, and said in a low voice, "There's a small Qi-nourishing powder inside. It took me a lot of effort to get my hands on it."

As he spoke, he gestured with his chin towards Sun Lu.

"I know your abilities, so please take good care of me."

"This... I'm afraid it's not quite appropriate. Your niece is probably also preparing for her martial arts exam, and this elixir would be very useful to her..."

Although Xiao Peiyuan San is not as effective as Xiao Peiyuan Dan and is much cheaper, it is still an extremely rare and precious item, especially now that the martial arts exam is approaching, making it even more difficult to obtain.

Fatty Sun waved his hand impatiently, interrupting him, "Don't worry about her, she doesn't need this."

Come to think of it, although the Sun family may not be considered a first-rate aristocratic family in Linjiang City, they are still among the best of the second-rate.

"What do you think?" Fatty Sun suddenly narrowed his eyes, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips.

"What, how?"

"What else could it be but my eldest niece!"

Li Yuan's body trembled slightly, and he suddenly came to his senses. Could it be that this Fatty Sun really had the idea of ​​using his beauty to win him over?

"...Haha," Fatty Sun laughed heartily, patting him on the shoulder and saying, "No rush, no rush, take your time..."

After bidding farewell to Fatty Sun, the group made some quick preparations and then escorted the carriage slowly toward the city gate.

It was early morning, and the sky was still dimly lit.

On the street, many shops emitted dim yellow lights, with flickering shadows.

Every now and then, two or three people, dressed in rags and emaciated, would stagger out of the shop, their steps unsteady and their gait unsteady, yet they wore an extremely unreal smile on their faces.

Whenever people encounter someone like this, they all avoid them.

But more and more people were doing this, and suddenly one or two would fall to the ground and simply curl up and fall asleep.

Sun Lu frowned slightly and let out a barely audible snort.

Liang Bai sighed, "This opium is truly harmful. In the past, those opium dens knew to hide, but now they've simply opened up on the streets openly, and more and more of them are opening, and the government doesn't care."

"Mind your own business!" Zeng Yi, already seething with anger, cursed bitterly. "Who knows, these shops might even have some government officials' shares in them!"

"The world is getting worse every day..."

Li Yuan remained silent for a moment, thinking to himself: Now, almost all the shops, big and small, in the city are under the control of the Merchant Alliance.

With opium dens springing up everywhere, it's hard to imagine the intricacies of this situation without the secret instructions of the Merchant Alliance.

He composed himself and said in a deep voice, "Getting going is the priority."

The group quickened their pace and soon exited the city gate.

People say that the city is one world, and the area outside the city is another. That's not entirely untrue.

Liang Bai, who was driving the carriage, suddenly sighed.

"What do you mean?" Li Yuan asked immediately.

He had never left the city since birth and knew absolutely nothing about what the outside world was like.

"Yes, Lao Liang, everyone says it's dangerous outside the city. Just how dangerous is it?" Kang Yan gripped the reins tightly and asked curiously.

The others also pricked up their ears.

Luo Bin rode close by on horseback. He had only recently arrived in Linjiang City and was not familiar with the surrounding situation.

Sun Lu continued to ride at the very front, adopting an arrogant and superior attitude, clearly showing no interest in the group of small fry behind her.

Zeng Yi rode his horse back and forth, trying several times to approach Sun Lu and exchange a few words, but before he could speak, he was forced back by her cold gaze.

"Because of bandits and robbers," Liang Bai sighed, "and strange beasts that often appear."

"A strange beast?" Li Yuan's interest was immediately piqued.

"That's right. Heaven is ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs. There are humans, poultry and livestock, and exotic flowers and plants in this world, so why can't there be exotic beasts?" Liang Bai continued, gulping down a few mouthfuls of water from his water pouch. "However, I've never seen one myself. I've only heard that exotic beasts are incredibly strong and extremely ferocious. If we were to encounter one, we'd definitely be in for a world of hurt."

Everyone felt a sudden tightness in their chests and instinctively looked around.

Sun Lu then slowly turned her head and said expressionlessly, "The strange beasts mostly appear at night and rarely show themselves during the day."

Liang Baiyuan had intended to raise awareness among the group, but unexpectedly, one of them seemed to understand. He chuckled twice, "Yes, yes, strange beasts usually only come out to hunt at night. Miss Sun, you have great insight!" He paused, then continued, "I've also heard that the meat of those strange beasts is one of the important ingredients for refining elixirs, and its value is extremely high. Therefore, there are specialized hunting teams that make a living by hunting these strange beasts."

Li Yuan's heart stirred slightly.

If one can hunt down a rare beast and refine it into a Lesser Qi-Nourishing Pill, not only will one's cultivation level improve and one can run freely, but one will also gain a considerable income.

This is truly a huge deal.

But the thought was quickly dismissed.

Firstly, the beasts are ferocious and violent, making them extremely difficult to deal with;

Secondly, he did not have any pill formulas for alchemy.

Thirdly, I have never heard of any alchemist or similar figure in Linjiang City.

After traveling another three or five miles, the scenery around them gradually became monotonous.

It was nearly noon, and the bright sunlight shone down, illuminating the distant woodlands on both sides.

Apart from some sparse groves and thickets, the roadside was mostly covered with tall grass, clumps of which were not connected to each other.

To everyone's surprise, the perilous journey Liang Bai had described turned out to be quite peaceful.

Li Yuan remained vigilant throughout, while the others continued their casual conversation.

"Do you know why the Qian family built a castle outside the city?" Kang Yan suddenly asked.

Liang Bai chuckled twice: "Stop keeping me in suspense."

"The Qian family was originally just an ordinary merchant family in Linjiang City."

More than 20 years ago, a new captain was appointed in Linhai City. He led 500 elite cavalrymen and, for some unknown reason, got into a conflict with the Qian family. The two sides went back and forth, and the conflict escalated.

After some mediation, both sides compromised, with the Qian family agreeing to give up half of their property in the city and build a castle on a site outside the city, which became known as Qian Family Castle.

Who would have thought that this retreat would turn out to be a blessing in disguise?

The Qian family's accumulated goodwill over generations spread throughout the village, and their extensive network of connections attracted people from all directions to join them.

Qianjiabao has grown stronger day by day, and now it almost rivals Linjiang City in strength…

Everyone was shocked; they had no idea there was such a past.

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden gust of wind arose from nowhere, swallowing up the rest of his words.

The wind howled and grew stronger, sounding like the howling of wolves and the wailing of ghosts.

The carriage had now reached a desolate mountain area, where a lush oak forest suddenly appeared by the roadside ahead.

"Let's go to the woods ahead to take shelter from the wind, rest for a bit, and have some dry rations," Li Yuan shouted, tidying his wind-blown hair.

The sun was gradually setting in the west, and Qianjiabao came into view in the distance.

Once the task was completed and the heavy baggage was unloaded, the group could ride back quickly and return to Linjiang City before dark, which should not be a problem.

The wind did indeed subside a bit when we were near the trees.

The group took out their food and water bags and rested on the spot.

Li Yuan also took out a sesame seed cake, chewing it slowly and occasionally stuffing in a piece of beef jerky.

Kang Yan and Zeng Yi on his left were chattering away, while Liang Bai was dozing off against an old tree. Luo Bin, however, remained focused, carefully carving a piece of wood with a carving knife.

Sun Lu wasn't there, so she ate a couple of bites quickly, then picked up her sword and went to explore the surroundings.

A wave of drowsiness washed over him. Li Yuan pulled his collar tighter, leaned back on the earthen slope, and planned to take a short nap.

In a daze, I actually fell asleep.

He, who hadn't dreamed in a long time, actually had a dream for the first time ever.

In his dream, he seemed to return to the days when he patrolled and stood guard at the dock square.

The Blackwater River ripples gently in the clear blue sky, where not a cloud has appeared.

Amidst the continuous blasts of ship horns, massive cargo ships docked at the pier.

Hundreds and thousands of laborers swarmed onto the deck like ants, carrying heavy bags heavier than themselves, and unloading the cargo as fast as they could.

In an instant, the river water turned bright red, and a bottomless red whirlpool appeared out of nowhere.

Amidst screams and cries of terror, a colossal creature burst forth from the center of the vortex, causing the wisp of Yuan Sha Qi within Li Yuan's body to suddenly contract.

The enormous creature opened its blood-red maw, carrying a foul stench, and lunged straight at Li Yuan, arriving in the blink of an eye.

A stench filled the air, and Li Yuan's vision went black...

call--

Li Yuan suddenly woke up, panting heavily.

There were no docks, rivers, cargo ships, or giant beasts in sight, only a dim sun and a sky full of yellow sand whipped up by a gale.

He raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. The dream was terrifyingly real, and even now, the primordial energy within his body was still faintly throbbing.

Bang! Bang! ......

The sounds of fists and feet clashing came from not far away.

"Come on, if you're not convinced, let's have a go!"

It turned out that some of his subordinates had gotten bored while waiting and had started sparring.

Kang Yan and Zeng Yi were facing each other, slowly circling around.

Zeng Yi suddenly stepped forward and threw a punch. In the brief moment that Kang Yan dodged to the side, he grabbed Zeng Yi's wrist with one hand and pulled him along.

Zeng Yi shifted his weight, but used the momentum of his forward charge to strike Kang Yan's waist and abdomen with his elbow.

Kang Yan dared not be careless, took a step back to avoid it, and in the process of turning over, he swept a whip kick hard towards Zeng Yi's neck...

Although both were at the third level of Ming Jin, Kang Yan's moves were more experienced and shrewd, and he gradually gained the upper hand.

After more than ten rounds, Zeng Yi was finally defeated.

Liang Bai chuckled and said to Li Yuan, "Zeng Yi's Iron Mountain Fist is considered one of the best in the patrol camp. He used to be famous for single-handedly taking down five ruffians at the Qi Refining Realm when he was patrolling the streets. I never expected that he would still lose to Kang Yan."

Li Yuan just watched quietly.

To be honest, in his eyes, the two men's moves were just average; neither their speed nor their power was particularly impressive.

At this moment, Luo Bin, who had been silent all along, suddenly stood up, his eyes burning with excitement: "I'll fight you."

"Luo Bin, nicknamed 'Martial Arts Madman'," Liang Bai whispered to Li Yuan.

At this moment, Kang Yan was full of confidence and momentum. Without saying a word, he threw a punch at Luo Bin.

This punch was fast and powerful, but it was only a probe—the right fist was thrown out while the left arm was used for defense, ready to react and change tactics at any time.

If Luo Bin can't withstand this punch, he will be followed by a series of attacks, which will directly secure the victory; if he can withstand it, Kang Yan will have figured out the opponent's moves and strength, and his left arm will not be lost, so he will not suffer a loss.

Luo Bin's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly blocked Kang Yan's quick punch with his left arm, followed by an equally fierce straight punch aimed straight at his opponent's chest.

With a whoosh, the force of the punch transformed into a white blur, far faster than Kang Yan's previous punch.

Just as Kang Yan was about to dodge, the fist suddenly veered off course and struck him squarely on the shoulder.

With a thud, Kang Yan staggered back, having already lost a move.

"Again!" Kang Yan's face flushed red, full of resentment.

The two were originally of similar strength, but Luo Bin's punches were clearly faster and his moves were more cunning.

Before long, Kang Yan was punched in the abdomen again and was completely defeated.

"Li Xun, why don't you go up and give it a try too?" Liang Bai encouraged with a smile.

"Okay." Li Yuangang had just recovered from his shock and was happy to take this opportunity to calm himself down.

Luo Bin's expression immediately turned serious.

He first met Li Yuan on the day Li Yuan took office as deputy patrol chief.

At that time, he scoffed at the young man in front of him who was at the Ming Jin realm, thinking that he had just bought the title of deputy patrol officer with money.

But not long after, he heard the news that Li Yuan had broken through to the Dark Force realm, and then he realized that he had misjudged him.

Now that he was able to personally spar with a master of internal energy, the flames in his eyes burned even brighter.

In the blink of an eye, Luo Bin moved like a tiger unleashed from its cage. He delivered a jab followed by a low sweep, then twisted his waist and unleashed a right hook that carried his entire weight, slamming towards Li Yuan's jaw.

But Li Yuan has disappeared.

It didn't disappear; it took a step back—just half an inch away from the edge of the fist.

The hem of her hempen robe was gently lifted by the force of the punch, then slowly fell back down.

Luo Bin's heavy punch landed on empty air, and the momentum pulled him forward.

At that very moment, when the old forces were exhausted and the new forces had not yet arisen, Li Yuan made his move.

His sidestep was as simple as walking, and with his right hand, he gently lifted Luo Bin's elbow as Luo Bin lunged forward—Luo Bin's entire arm sprang upward inexplicably, leaving his chest wide open.

Immediately afterwards, a sharp fist shot up through the air, tearing through the air with a shrill sound, and was already infinitely close to his heart.

Luo Bin panicked. His eyes were completely filled with terror, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

He knew that internal strength was powerful, but he never imagined that this young deputy patrol officer would be this strong.

The move Li Yuan used was the "Azure Dragon Explosion" from the "Dragon Form Fist".

Just as his fist was about to strike his chest, he suddenly changed his fist into a palm and gently pushed forward.

There was no loud noise, no critical hit.

Luo Bin felt as if he had been struck squarely in the chest by an irresistible, gentle yet powerful force. He stumbled back five steps before finally managing to regain his balance.

He stared in disbelief at what was in front of him—Li Yuan had already stopped his attack, without even breaking a sweat.

"Li Xun, I admit defeat, I'm completely convinced." Luo Bin lowered his head, his voice full of respect.

"Li Xun, I'll fight you!"

……

Several people took turns attacking, but Li Yuan easily and skillfully dealt with them all.

Given the difference in their cultivation levels, dealing with these Ming Jin martial artists was as easy as child's play.

This made him realize more deeply just how much the Qi and Blood Realm could amplify his strength—now he could even see the movements of others so slowly that he was almost sluggish.

【Dragon Form Fist (Beginner): 200/200】

After a round of practice, their progress actually increased by ten points.

【Dragon-Style Fist (Minor Mastery): 0/200】

It's almost done!

In an instant, Li Yuan felt an unimaginably vast torrent of information rush into his mind without warning.

Countless figures throwing punches flashed, disintegrated, and overlapped in my consciousness!

Every angle of movement, the subtle tremors of muscles, the transmission path of force, the coordination of breathing, the minute differences in the shift of the center of gravity...

Even the slight joint soreness, muscle fatigue, and sluggish blood circulation after each punch... all of it felt like I had experienced it a million times!

Those flaws that had troubled him for so long—awkward exertion, distorted movements, and scattered power—became incredibly clear and detailed in that instant!

It's like he's another version of himself from another time and space, having gone through countless failures and improvements, and finally pouring all the lessons learned back into his mind at this moment without reservation!

This feeling is so amazing, and so overwhelming!

It's not just about memorizing, but about a spiritual understanding and fusion!

He slowly withdrew his fist, closed his eyes, and carefully processed the massive amount of information in his mind.

Every muscle fiber in my body seemed to have remembered the correct path after being washed by the torrent.

"All of you, come at me together," Li Yuan said calmly.

Luo Bin struck first, his powerful punch cutting through the air and heading straight for Luo Bin's face.

At the same time, Kang Yan crouched down and swept his leg to attack his lower body, Zeng Yi launched a quick attack with jabs from the left, and Liang Bai blocked his retreat from the right.

Li Yuan ignored Liang Bai's attempt to block him.

He leaned back slightly, and Luo Bin's fist grazed his nose.

At the same instant, his left foot lightly touched the shinbone that Kang Yan swept towards him, and he used the force to leap into the air and spin around—it was the "Flying Dragon Leap".

Zeng Yi's jab and Liang Bai's grappling missed each other below him, their attacks colliding but failing to land.

As they landed, Li Yuan lightly brushed Zeng Yi's elbow with his fingertips.

Zeng Yi's entire arm suddenly went numb and he involuntarily lifted up, just in time to collide with Liang Bai's palm as he stepped in to cover.

The two men simultaneously groaned and withdrew their hands; their formation was now in disarray.

Kang Yan's second sweeping leg strike has arrived.

This time, Li Yuan didn't dodge. Instead, he took half a step forward, and their shins collided violently, followed by a dull thud.

Kang Yan's expression changed drastically, and he staggered backward.

Li Yuan used the recoil to drift sideways, his sleeve lightly brushing away Luo Bin's second heavy punch. The fist tip subtly deflected with the force of this brush, heading straight for Liang Bai's shoulder. This was the "Entangling Dragon Hand," using minimal force to deflect a great weight.

Liang Bai hurriedly stepped in to separate them, and the two of them bumped into each other in a disheveled state.

In just three breaths, the four-person encirclement collapsed.

When they looked again, Li Yuan was still standing in the same spot, his breathing not even a little disturbed.

Kang Yan's forehead was covered with a layer of fine sweat. He clasped his hands in a respectful manner and said, "Boss, you held back when our shinbones collided just now. Otherwise, my leg would have been ruined long ago."

Li Yuan smiled, nodded, and turned to look at Luo Bin: "It's good to hold back three-tenths of your punch. But what you should hold back is room for change of tactics, not hesitation."

Luo Bin was shocked, his face flushed red—Li Yuan had so keenly caught the fleeting flaw in his move.

"Why don't I give it a try?"

A clear, cold female voice suddenly came from above.

Before the words were even finished, a tall, slender figure gracefully leaped down from the branches of the old tree.