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

Li Yuan shook his wrist, his finger bones stained with warm blood.

The remaining four people, including the man number seven, turned pale with shock.

Without giving the other party any time to react, Li Yuan made his move.

With a simple step, the bluestone slab cracked, and he moved like a ghost between the four.

The burly man closest to him roared and his fist, as big as a sand bowl, came crashing down on him with a whooshing sound.

Li Yuan neither dodged nor yielded, his left arm blocking with a "bang," while his right fist, like a flying dragon raising its horn, with the middle finger knuckle protruding, precisely struck the opponent's Adam's apple.

"Well!"

The burly man's eyes rolled back, and he staggered back, clutching his throat with both hands. A layer of frost suddenly solidified from the spot where he had been punched, and the cartilage in his throat had shattered.

A gust of wind came from the left as another person swept a powerful kick towards Li Yuan's temple.

Li Yuan ducked, and the leg whizzed past, grazing his scalp.

He seized the opportunity to close in on the opponent's central opening, and his shoulder slammed into the opponent's chest like a battering ram.

With a series of cracking sounds, several ribs broke, and the man coughed up blood as he flew backward.

A third burly man pounced from behind, wrapping his arms tightly around Li Yuan's waist, attempting to lock him in place.

Li Yuan suddenly shrank his waist and abdomen, narrowly avoiding the embrace, but his elbow struck backward like an iron cone, hitting the opponent's heart squarely.

It is the "Startling Dragon Slap" from the "Dragon Form Fist".

The burly man was struck dumb, vomiting a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs, and collapsed.

In the blink of an eye, the three strong men fell to the ground and died.

Only the seventh man remained, his face pale and his forehead covered in cold sweat.

He roared, his muscles bulging, and stomped his foot on the ground, cracking the stone slab. Using the momentum, he charged forward, his fists beating like drums, unleashing all his strength as he rained blows at Li Yuan's face and chest—a desperate, suicidal attack.

Li Yuan's eyes were cold, and his footwork was delicate and agile as he weaved through the dense shadows of fists, dodging them by the slightest margin each time.

Seizing a tiny opening where the opponent's old strength had been exhausted and new strength had not yet been generated, he reached out with his left hand like lightning, grabbed the pulse point on the opponent's right wrist, and with a pinch and a pull, half of the man's body immediately felt cold and numb.

Li Yuan's right fist then silently landed on the opponent's lower abdomen, specifically on the dantian (a point on the lower abdomen).

There was no earth-shattering sound.

The man in number seven shuddered violently, exhaled a breath of cold air, and froze instantly, his eyes dimming rapidly.

Li Yuan let go, and he slowly knelt down, collapsing to the ground. Blood slowly seeped from his seven orifices, and he was already dead.

The smell of blood was so strong it was almost overwhelming.

Li Yuan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his breathing remaining steady.

"A second-level Dark Force cultivation, a minor-completion level 'Dragon Form Fist,' and the infusion of Profound Fiend Cold Poison—are you kidding me?!"

Still shaken, Song Ziwei stood there blankly, her face paler than the moonlight.

She could hardly believe her eyes. Looking at the few specks of crimson on his face and his sweat-soaked bangs, she realized that everything was so real.

a long time.

She let out a long breath and finally came to her senses.

He reached into his robes and took out the exquisite jade bottle, took two steps forward, and gently placed it at Li Yuan's feet.

Her voice was very soft, "This 'Minor Qi-Nourishing Pill' was originally bought for you."

The night wind blew, stirring her long, loose hair and bringing with it an even stronger stench of blood.

She stood there, her clothes stained with dust, a hideous corpse beside her, yet her eyes were clear as she gazed at him.

Li Yuan looked down at the jade bottle at his feet and remained silent for a moment.

He bent down, picked up the jade bottle, and felt its smooth texture; it seemed to still retain the warmth of her embrace, a stark contrast to the surrounding cold death.

He gripped the jade bottle tightly and looked at her: "Why?"

Song Ziwei slightly turned her head to avoid his direct gaze, her voice still calm: "There's no reason. You need it, and I can afford it. That's all."

Li Yuan did not press the matter further.

He tucked the jade bottle into his bosom and placed it securely.

Then he walked to the bodies of the two guards, squatted down, and reached out to close their open eyes one by one.

The movements were swift, even somewhat stiff, yet they carried a final respect for the dying.

"You're such a good person..."

Song Ziwei stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, looking bewildered:

Li Yuan then swept the money bags from the group and stuffed them into his pocket.

Li Yuan had no time to pay attention to any of this. His gaze swept over the black dragon tattoo on the wrist of a corpse, and his brow furrowed suddenly. "Someone from the Tianlong Martial Arts School?"

Song Ziwei was also taken aback.

Tianlong Martial Arts School is an alliance with the Merchant Alliance, so how could they possibly kill us?

"The Lesser Qi-Nourishing Pill isn't free. Go back and tell the family head that the Qian family is far from being as impoverished as it appears, and the Merchant Alliance isn't as harmonious as it seems. It's not a safe place. The Song family should get out as soon as possible!"

Having said this, Li Yuan had done everything he could to be kind and righteous.

"you......"

Before Song Ziwei could finish speaking, Li Yuan moved and disappeared into the vast night.

......

After a stick of incense had burned, a group of more than a dozen men with superb agility swiftly moved across the street and stopped at the spot where the bodies of the seventh guest and others lay dead.

The leader was Xiao Changfeng, the master of Tianlong Martial Arts School.

After receiving news of the deaths of several disciples, he rushed over.

After examining the body, Xiao Changfeng frowned:

"All of these injuries were inflicted by the same person, and all were caused by the Dragon Form Fist. Could it be someone from the Green Ox Martial Arts Society?"

A middle-aged man with bulging temples standing next to him said, "I'm going to settle accounts with that old bastard Lin Chong right now!"

Xiao Changfeng shook his head. "It can't be Lin Chong. He would never easily make a move against a few juniors. He's already at an age where his vital energy is rapidly declining, and every time he fights, he's enough to double the rate of decline."

"Who else in the Green Ox Martial Arts Society could possess such skill?" The middle-aged man shook his head. "I really can't think of anyone else."

Xiao Changfeng stood up, looked around, glanced at the dilapidated floating ship not far away, and instructed the people behind him: "Go and check immediately whether any members of the Green Ox Martial Society showed up at tonight's auction."

......

......

......

The moonlight was hazy, and the long street was deserted.

Not far away was a "Fushou Pavilion" with dim lights, from which strange groans and silly laughter could be heard from time to time.

Once you get afflicted with this substance, it's like a bone-deep infection, extremely difficult to get rid of.

Countless heroes have been rendered useless because of it, and countless families have been torn apart because of it.

This is truly harmful.

Li Yuan didn't linger, silently moving swiftly through the shadows until he reached Wutong Lane, where he slipped into the courtyard.

Zhou Yanqiu was pacing back and forth in the courtyard when she saw Li Yuan. With concern, she said, "Why are you back so late again? Couldn't you have come earlier?"

"Today... a junior brother in the city hosted a dinner party, which took a while," Li Yuan said.

If Lao Zhou and the others found out that I went to a place like a black market auction, they would inevitably worry again.

Seeing that Li Yuan was alright, Zhou Yanqiu was relieved.

He sighed and continued, "Recently, the outer city has become chaotic again. I heard from an old neighbor that the Sihai Society was wiped out overnight by an outsider... It was truly tragic."

Li Yuan was secretly alarmed.

In the world of gangs and rivalries, it's not uncommon for powerful figures to change hands frequently.

However, the Four Seas Society is not a small force, with at least dozens of skilled fighters under its command.

Although there are no masters at the Dark Force level, there are several top-tier Ming Force experts.

In one night, they were all slaughtered by one person... That person's cultivation level must have been at least at the peak of the Dark Force!

How could a master of internal energy have such a deep-seated hatred for the Four Seas Society?

Li Yuan had personally experienced Ding Zhen's cautious nature, so how could he possibly offend such a great master?

A sense of foreboding crept into Li Yuan's heart.

"Dad, don't worry, I'll be careful."

After chatting with Lao Zhou for a while, and after Lao Zhou went back to his room to rest, Li Yuan went to the courtyard alone and took out the small green jade bottle.

【Azure Dragon Entangling Silk Technique (Minor Success): 0/200】

【Dragon-Style Fist (Minor Mastery): 132/200】

After a moment's thought, he made up his mind to use the power of this small Qi-Nourishing Pill to push the Dragon Form Fist forward.

It's not that you can't cultivate the Azure Dragon Entangling Silk Technique first, but there's only one Lesser Qi Cultivation Pill, and it's still unknown whether it can support a full 200 points of progress.

If one can only push the points to around 100 and fails to break through, the improvement in cultivation level is not significant.

However, the progress in Dragon Form Fist is only about 60 points away, and the chance of breaking through to mastery in one fell swoop is almost certain.

The boosts in strength and technique that come from mastering a martial art are real and tangible.

Li Yuan always showed more interest in things that were almost certain to succeed.

He swallowed the Lesser Qi-Nourishing Pill, and soon a warm current slowly rose from his abdomen. Without further ado, he began practicing.

......

......

......

Song House.

"Did he really say that?" Madam Song stared wide-eyed at Song Ziwei in front of her.

Song Ziwei had just been disciplined by her family.

Going out late at night, especially to a black market auction, doesn't seem like the behavior of a young lady from a prominent family.

However, Song Ziwei could not fail to report the truth. Two of the guards in her household had died without cause, and the truth would eventually come out. Sooner or later, she would be punished.

Moreover, and more importantly, Li Yuan's advice must be passed on to the family.

For some reason, almost as if by some strange twist of fate, she now trusts that boy so deeply, as if his presence gives her a sense of unwavering security that no one can replace.

She listened attentively to every word he said, pondering it over and over in her mind.

"Yes, that's what he said."

Song Hansheng sighed: "Actually, I had already intended to withdraw from the business alliance a long time ago."

The head of the Song family slumped his shoulders, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

Madam Song was very puzzled: "Why? My Song family has worked so hard to gain such a foothold in the business alliance, how can we give it up so easily? Besides, the dividends from the business alliance are extremely generous."

Song Hansheng frowned, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.

After a long silence, he finally spoke slowly: "The Merchant Alliance's stance has been off for a long time, how could I not have noticed? That kid Li Yuan... he really is a talent."

"How so?" Madam Song asked anxiously. "Stop beating around the bush!"

"These days, the streets are lined with brothels, and eight or nine out of ten of them are run by members of the Merchant Alliance. They clearly don't respect the rules of the Merchant Alliance anymore. Before, Qian Feng of the Qian family kept them in check, so they were somewhat restrained, but now... I have reminded them many times, but when have they ever taken me, the president of the association, seriously? Throughout history, no one who has dabbled in brothels has had a good ending. I, the president, am just a scapegoat they have pushed out to shield them."

Madam Song was secretly alarmed.

Unexpectedly, most of the longevity halls on the street were related to the business alliance.

Upon further reflection, the Song family was ultimately just a merchant family, and its members did not possess any reliable military force to intimidate others. So why would the wealthy and powerful families of Linjiang City easily hand over this lucrative position of "chairman"?

It's truly terrifying to think about.

"Her father, let's quickly cancel this job as the head of the Chamber of Commerce!"

Song Hansheng wasn't reluctant to part with the enormous profits from the business alliance's dividends; rather, he harbored a sliver of hope that when his own strength was sufficient, he might be able to turn the tide.

But now he realizes that he was too naive.

"I will write my resignation now and announce it to everyone at the meeting tomorrow."

……

Qianjiabao.

In the dark room, the candlelight flickered.

Qian Feng sat upright, his eyes gleaming with restrained brilliance, showing no trace of the rumored serious injury and near-death state.

"How's the investigation going?" he asked in a deep voice.

Old steward Qian Dechang looked on with awe, but his eyes also revealed a hint of barely suppressed excitement: "Just as the young master expected, the fish have taken the bait. As soon as the news of the young master's serious injury was released, those families could no longer hold back, and Fushou Restaurant in the city sprang up one after another like mushrooms after rain."

"Explain in detail," Qian Feng said calmly.

Qian Dechang unfolded the secret reports one by one: "Our servants, disguised as the mad opium addict, have figured out the source of the opium: Cuiyuefang on Renyi Street. On the surface, it's a brothel and gambling den, but secretly it's the supply point for opium throughout the city. The mastermind behind Cuiyuefang is Xie Yu of the Xie family."

"Furthermore, Chang Qing, the chief镖头 (bodyguard) of Weiyuan Escort Agency, changed into plain clothes and secretly visited the Cheng family on the night the news of the young master's serious injury spread. He entered through the back door and stayed for a full half hour. What they discussed is still unknown, but it is speculated that it was closely related to the transportation of the opium."

"Furthermore, Magistrate Liu Zhenshan secretly instructed the Road Administration Office to allow the escort vehicles of Weiyuan Escort Agency to pass through privately. The amount of money coming into his account at Huifeng Bank recently has far exceeded expectations."

"Xie Yu has been meeting frequently with Xiao Changfeng of the Tiger Might Martial Arts School lately, and has been providing substantial financial assistance to the school's disciples..."

Each and every incident was shocking. After listening, Qian Feng let out a long sigh.

Qian Dechang cautiously probed, "Young Master, shall we make our move now?"

"No need." Qian Feng looked at the detailed map of Linjiang City on the wall, his gaze as cold as frost. "Let the arrow fly a little longer."

He turned around and said in a deep voice, "Pass down the order: all the spies must keep a close watch on them. The Xie family, the Cheng family, Weiyuan Escort Agency, Huwei Martial Arts School... and all the officials, big and small, involved—not a single one can be missed. Keep a close watch on all documents, transaction ledgers, and bank accounts. Make sure the evidence is solid and irrefutable, leaving them no chance to recover."

"Yes, young master." Qian Dechang bowed and accepted the order, then suddenly frowned slightly, as if he had remembered something. "The martial arts examination is about to begin, and that young talent that you previously took a liking to..."

Qian Feng scoffed, "You mean Lu Qing? According to my spies, during the time the Qian family temporarily withdrew from Linjiang City, this kid has been secretly running around to the Merchant Alliance, looking for a new backer from house to house. It's all my effort in cultivating him wasted. I won't pave any more paths for him; let him go back to the sea and let nature take its course."

"This old servant understands."

Qian Feng walked to a large wooden box, lifted the lid, and took out a gleaming sword. The bright blade looked even more cold and intimidating in the candlelight.

As far as the eye could see, the box was filled with gleaming weapons and armor, clearly no ordinary items.

The Qian family sold off half of their city's assets, and what they got in return was this box full of valuable goods.

……

Wutong Lane.

call--

Li Yuan let out a long breath and slowly finished his practice.

【Dragon Form Fist (Minor Mastery): 190/200】—>【Dragon Form Fist (Minor Mastery): 200/200】

【Dragon-Style Fist (Mastery): 0/200】

A soft sound echoed in my mind, as if a gate had been suddenly flung open.

Countless experiences, insights, key points, and subtle techniques regarding Dragon Form Boxing flooded in like a burst dam.

It was as if I were another version of myself from another time and space, who, after nearly a hundred years of arduous training in this style of boxing, had become one with my present self.

It took Li Yuan a full fifteen minutes to fully absorb this complex set of insights.

He raised his hand to wipe away the sweat from his brow, and a feeling of exhilaration welled up from his limbs and bones.

The remaining medicinal effects in the body were just exhausted, without the slightest deviation.

However, it would be best to raise one's cultivation level to another level before the martial arts exam.

A mere second level of internal strength is probably not enough to truly distinguish oneself in the martial arts exam.