He obtained the God of All Laws from human skin.

Chapter 150 Big Trouble, Martial Artist's Profession Upgrades

Once this thought arose, Hu Daoren could no longer suppress the idea in his mind.

He had originally planned to study Qin Chuan's bloodline thoroughly after refining the painting, and now he had another reason.

Although he had an idea, Hu Daoren did not plan to act in a hurry. He knew the difference between "one full meal" and "full meals". If he extracted most of the boy's essence and blood at once, he could refine a batch of Boiling Blood Pills, but that would be like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Essence blood is not ordinary blood; it is the original substance that a martial artist condenses with their own blood and cultivation. Even if a small cup of essence blood is taken from an ordinary martial artist in the Blood Condensation Realm, they will have to lie in bed for ten days or half a month.

If he goes too far, Qin Chuan will surely suffer a great loss of vitality. It would be better to take it slow and steady, taking only a small amount each time. This way, he can accumulate enough for the dosage needed to refine the pills, and also give the boy enough time to recover.

He had already made a plan in his mind: every now and then, he would find an excuse to take a small amount.

This way, the boy's foundation won't be damaged, and he can slowly study the bloodline.

"You're saying the people from Zhenshan Martial Arts School want to kill you?"

Qian Laifu sat in the armchair, his brows furrowed, his tone carrying a hint of surprise.

"Yes," Qin Chuan nodded and briefly recounted his encounter with Qi Xiuyuan outside the city.

He did not hide the reason why Qi Xiuyuan blocked his way and attacked him. He said that it was because the people from Zhenshan Martial Arts School had gone missing, and Qi Xiuyuan suspected that he was the one who did it, so he attacked him without listening to his explanation.

However, when it came to the part about Qi Xiuyuan being injured and escaping on horseback, he casually attributed the credit to Hu Daoren, saying that he had become Hu Daoren's disciple and had his own means of protection, and that Qi Xiuyuan was careless, which was why he won by sheer luck.

Qian Laifu listened without any doubt.

He had personally witnessed Hu Daoren's skills; with a flick of his whisk, he could entangle the wrist of a Bone Forging Realm expert. It was perfectly normal for him to give his disciple a few life-saving techniques.

He wondered why Qi Xiuyuan would approach Qin Chuan, feeling that the reason for the three people's disappearance was too flimsy to warrant Qi Xiuyuan's personal intervention.

Qi Xiuyuan is the senior disciple of Zhenshan Martial Arts School and the champion of this year's martial arts competition. He is a well-known figure in Qinghe County.

How could someone like that suddenly have a grudge against Qin Chuan, a manager of a gambling den?

Just as Qian Laifu was pondering this, footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

He looked up and saw two figures stepping across the threshold one after the other. The one in front, dressed in a long robe and with a pale face, was none other than Ma Yanwang, who had been in seclusion for many days. Half a step behind was Hu Daoren, who was holding a whisk.

Upon seeing this, Qian Laifu quickly stood up, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Chief, you've emerged from seclusion?"

"Hmm." Ma Yanwang nodded slightly, sat down in the main seat, took the teacup handed to him by a servant, took a sip, glanced at Qian Laifu and Qin Chuan on the side of the hall, and asked, "During my seclusion, has anything happened in the gang?"

Qian Laifu reported on the recent income of each branch and the handling of several disputes at the dock. Finally, he looked at Qin Chuan and changed the subject: "There is one more thing that needs to be told to the gang leader. Just now, Qi Xiuyuan of Zhenshan Martial Arts School attacked Qin Chuan outside the city."

Ma Yanwang paused slightly in his teacup, raised his eyes to look at Qin Chuan, his gaze scrutinizing: "Qi Xiuyuan, the martial arts champion? Why did he attack you?"

Qin Chuan stepped forward and roughly repeated the same explanation he had given to Qian Laifu earlier.

This time, however, he made no mention of the outcome of the fight, nor of Qi Xiuyuan's injury and escape. Instead, he focused entirely on Qi Xiuyuan's motives for attacking.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his face showing a mixture of lingering fear and indignation: "Chief, I believe this matter is far more complex than a personal grudge. Qi Xiuyuan keeps claiming I killed people from the martial arts school, yet he hasn't produced a single piece of evidence. He clearly just found a pretext to kill me. The Zhenshan Martial Arts School must have ulterior motives. Using me as a scapegoat is merely a test of our Iron Hand Gang's reaction. Moreover, if they dare to lay a hand on me today, they might dare to lay a hand on Master Qian and you, Chief, tomorrow."

Qin Chuan's idea was simple: to escalate the whole affair, turning it from a personal grudge between Qi Xiuyuan and Qin Chuan into a deliberate provocation by Zhenshan Martial Arts School against the Iron Hand Gang.

After all, he was the head of the Heaven on Earth, and he might as well use that background. Moreover, the bigger the commotion, the safer he would be.

The people nearby all looked thoughtful upon hearing this.

After a moment, Qian Laifu spoke up: "I heard that Deng Yifei, the owner of Zhenshan Martial Arts School, has invested in Fuyun Gambling House, and a few days ago, our people had a conflict with the people of Zhenshan Martial Arts School at the docks over the share of the gambling money..."

Before he finished speaking, everyone present understood what Qian Laifu meant.

Ma Yanwang nodded, tapping his fingers lightly twice on the table, as if weighing something.

After a moment, he slowly spoke: "The others at Zhenshan Martial Arts School are not a concern. Among the disciples, only Qi Xiuyuan is somewhat presentable. As for the ordinary disciples, they are just there to make a show of things. The only one we need to be wary of is their master, Deng Yifei."

He paused, his tone becoming more serious: "This person possesses the strength of the Meridian Opening Realm. In terms of martial arts prowess alone, there are very few in Qinghe County who can match him. However..."

He changed the subject: "That was in the past. Years ago, he was seriously injured in a fight with someone, and he's been suffering from the same old wound ever since. Otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up opening a martial arts school in Qinghe County. If we were to really fight, I might not be afraid of him."

However, this matter is of great importance and requires careful discussion.

As he spoke, Ma Yanwang looked at Qin Chuan and said, "You've been wronged this time, and the gang has taken note of it. We'll seek justice when the time comes. Just rest and recover these next few days. Once this is over, the gang will not treat you unfairly."

Qin Chuan naturally nodded in agreement. The Taoist priest beside him draped his whisk over his arm, strolled over, and looked Qin Chuan up and down, his tone unusually concerned: "Disciple, was Qi Xiuyuan's attack too heavy? Did he injure any bones or tendons?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Chuan raised his hand to cover his chest, his brows furrowed slightly, and coughed twice before saying, "Thank you for your concern, Master. That Qi Xiuyuan truly lives up to his reputation as a master of the Bone Forging Realm. Even after taking the medicine, my chest still feels tight, I'm afraid I've suffered some serious internal injuries."

Upon hearing this, Master Hu frowned, his face showing displeasure.

He wasn't worried about this cheap apprentice; whether Qin Chuan was injured or not made little difference to him.

But this injury came at the worst possible time.

He was just thinking about getting some of the boy's essence blood, which he could use to refine pills for King Ma, and also keep some for himself to study slowly.

Who would have thought that something like this would happen? How is he supposed to bring it up now?

He draped his whisk over his arm, suppressing the irritation in his heart. His expression remained one of concern as he gently patted Qin Chuan's shoulder. "In that case, take good rest for the next two days. I'll prescribe a formula for you to regulate your qi and remove blood stasis, and have it sent over."

He paused, thought for a moment, and then took out two talismans from his pocket and handed them over: "Take these two talismans for self-defense. If you encounter something like this again in the future, you won't be in this situation."

He spoke with a tone full of protectiveness, but what he was thinking was to give the boy some benefits first, and once he recovered from his injuries, it would be natural for him to ask for his essence blood again, given their friendship.

Why not take advantage of a benefit that's offered to you?

Qin Chuan took the talisman with both hands and then glanced at it.

Both were fireball talismans, but they were completely different from the ones he usually drew on yellow talisman paper.

The talisman paper felt quite heavy upon handling, and its texture was supple and tough. It wasn't ordinary yellow paper, but rather made from the thin hide of some kind of animal. The cinnabar on the talisman paper was also not ordinary cinnabar; its color was dark red, almost black, clearly indicating that it was made from some special material.

This talisman is probably far more powerful than the ordinary fire talismans he had tried before.

The next day, Qin Chuan stood on a thick branch that stretched out horizontally, his palm open, and a bird was perched in his palm.

He looked at the tiny creature in his palm, pushed it forward slightly, and the bird flapped its wings and flew up, drawing a short arc in the air before landing back on the treetop beside it.

Qin Chuan did not rush down. Instead, he closed his eyes and slowly assumed a bird-shaped starting stance.

With arms outstretched like wings, and one foot touching the ground like a perch.

Without stopping, he moved nimbly among the branches, sometimes sidestepping around the trunk like a bird flying through the forest, and sometimes standing on the thinnest branch like a crane perched on a pine tree.

Standing under the tree, Liu Ding was so shocked by Qin Chuan's actions that he forgot to close his mouth.

To be honest, Qin Chuan already thought it was absurd enough that he had caught a few birds in the yard and touched the threshold of the true meaning of bird form last time.

But this time, watching the kid climb the tree, catch a few birds, and shoot them down on thin branches that could break at any moment...

After practicing most of the bird-shaped movements, which were lighter and softer than before, a thought suddenly popped into his mind: should he catch a few birds and experience it for himself? Maybe this was the correct way to practice the Five Forms and Twelve Postures?

The martial arts master who taught him the move deliberately kept it a secret, because there's a saying: "Teach your apprentice, and you'll starve."

Looking at Qin Chuan in the tree, Liu Ding glanced at the birds in the tree next to him, then turned around and quietly approached.

After finishing his routine atop the tree, Qin Chuan stopped and stood still, slowly exhaling a long breath of turbid air. Then, with a gentle push of his toes, he fell from the horizontal branch.

The moment he landed, he twisted his waist and hips slightly, like a bird adjusting its center of gravity when folding its wings. The sound of his feet touching the ground was extremely light, as if he had been caught by the ground, without even disturbing the few fallen leaves at his feet.

In the past few days, Qin Chuan has been using "spirit absorption into painting" to absorb the spirituality of birds to assist in his bird-shaped practice. Although he has not yet reached the level of true martial arts, he has made a lot of progress in other aspects. Take that landing just now, for example. It looked light and casual, but in fact, it required a very high level of control over breathing and strength.

Qin Chuan then looked at the panel and saw the latest message that appeared on it.

[Experience capped; Warrior class level increased]

[Occupation: Martial Artist]

【等级：1v3→1v4（2/400）】

[Professional Skill: Blood Tempering and Body Strengthening, Iron Skin and Bones]

After accumulating experience over this period, the martial artist class has finally and steadily crossed the threshold of Lv4.

This was faster than he had expected, but it wasn't entirely unexpected, since his proficiency with "Spirit Absorption in Painting" had increased significantly in his daily practice.

Qin Chuan slowly clenched his right fist, a series of dull and solid cracking sounds emanating from his joints. His blood and qi surged, and the concentrated and undispersed force rose from his dantian, flowing along his meridians all the way to his fist.

To be honest, in terms of physical changes alone, the feeling of this [Martial Artist] upgrade is not very strong. The increase brought by Lv4 is more like deepening an already widened riverbed, rather than turning a stream into a big river.

But then he noticed something unusual: a faint heat lingered around his fist, a feeling he knew all too well—it was Yang Sha Qi.

But just now, I didn't control the Yang Sha Qi to attach to my fist.

Qin Chuan released the force in his hands and tried again.

He retracted his fist, gathered his strength, and threw a punch that pierced the air, the faint heat still lingering.

After trying it several times, he discovered that as the body's Qi and blood circulated naturally, the Yang Sha Qi would automatically condense on his fist.

Qin Chuan simply closed his eyes, focused his mind into his body and carefully sensed the situation. With the help of the [Butcher] class, he understood the reason after a short while.

Yang Sha Qi is inherently dependent on Qi and blood. The more vigorous the Qi and blood, the stronger the Yang Sha Qi. The stronger the Yang Sha Qi, the more refined the Qi and blood become. The two complement each other and are two sides of the same coin.

In the past, perhaps because the [Martial Artist] class level was a bit low, the amount of Qi and Blood was not enough to bring that Yang Sha Qi out of the body.

Now that I've reached Lv4, the amount and speed of my Qi and blood circulation are much higher than before. The Yang Sha Qi that was entrenched between my dantian and meridians is naturally drawn in and surges towards my fist along with my Qi and blood. Without any deliberate effort, a layer of faint, scorching Sha Qi can be condensed on my fist.

Since blood and qi can passively drive evil energy, what if we actively mobilize it?

With a thought, Qin Chuan deliberately pushed the Yang Sha Qi towards his right arm.

The next moment, the faint Yang energy on his fist suddenly became scorching hot, and at first glance, the air around his fist seemed to become slightly distorted.

He aimed his fist at the wooden stake next to him and punched it. With a "bang," the wood instantly shattered, leaving a burnt smell.

Qin Chuan glanced at the few charred wood chips on the ground that were still smoking, and had a rough assessment of the power of the punch.

After he actively mobilized his Yang Sha Qi, his strength did not actually increase much. He did not deliberately add force to that punch; he used only ordinary strength.

What truly shatters and chars the wood is not the sheer force of the impact, but rather the intense, scorching corrosive power of the Yang energy itself.

When this punch lands on an ordinary martial artist, the injury is far more than just a bruise or a few fractures. The scorching, murderous aura will penetrate deep into the meridians through the flesh torn by the fist, like a red-hot iron rod drilling inside. On the surface, it may look like just a fist mark, but the flesh and bones inside have been eroded and scorched.

If a malevolent spirit were to be struck by this punch, the effect would likely be even greater, as the yang energy is specifically designed to counter malevolent spirits, and the burning effect would be several times greater.

Qin Chuan withdrew his fist, having already reached a conclusion in his mind. Although the professional level of the Ghost Suppressor had not increased, his actual control over the Yang Sha Qi had improved significantly.

Clearly, the levels of the Ghost Suppressor and the Warrior are complementary. The former determines the essential strength and skill effects of Yang Sha Qi, while the latter determines the upper limit of the body's ability to bear and exert Sha Qi.

Now that the martial artist has broken through to a higher level, the container for their malevolent energy has become larger, and the amount of malevolent energy they can mobilize has naturally increased as well.

This discovery was an unexpected delight. Even if the level of the Ghost Suppressor is temporarily stuck at a bottleneck, as long as the martial arts profession continues to advance, his control over Yang Sha Qi will not stagnate.

The two complement each other; whoever upgrades first can help the other, making this a truly worthwhile deal.

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