Chapter 54

Huh? No, that’s not right...

Qingxuan suddenly woke up, realizing that the two corpses he had just seen seemed to be the two people he had been following earlier.

After a brief recollection, he was certain... the dark blue samurai attire, Qingxuan was absolutely sure that these two people were the two warriors from "Pingyang Martial Academy" he had been tracking.

He couldn’t believe that in just a moment, two lively people had become two corpses.

Fortunately, he hadn’t followed them too closely (in fact, he had lost them), otherwise, his remains might have been among the mangled bodies.

Curiosity can kill a cat! Qingxuan couldn’t help but feel a bit of fear about his previous curiosity.

What should he do now?

The water buffalo from the Lu family was still tied by the stream.

It was already late; should he return to the temple first and have his senior brothers come to investigate, and then decide what to do next?

Qingxuan’s mind was in a mess, thinking non-stop.

Finally, his eyes fell on his disheveled self, and he couldn’t help but mock himself.

Damn, he had been so eager to be a great hero, but he looked like a mess, and he didn’t have the courage. Even with the help of the "Langhuan Lingmiao Pavilion," what could he really achieve?

After much thought, he became increasingly angry with his own performance. With a loud shout, Qingxuan stood up and roared, "Even if I die, I’ve already died once. I’m not afraid of you anymore—"

Wiping the snot from his face, the young Taoist Qingxuan walked back with a determined stride.

Despite his bold words, Qingxuan was still cautious as he returned.

He found the water buffalo, Ah Hua, still calmly chewing on grass, and he couldn’t help but feel relieved.

Thankfully, it wasn’t a carnivorous beast; otherwise, the two corpses and this arrogant water buffalo would have been torn to pieces.

Slowly approaching the big tree, Qingxuan first found the fine steel longsword in the hands of the thin, yellow-faced man. The blade gleamed coldly, a real weapon.

Qingxuan grabbed it, feeling a bit more confident.

This was much better than the fake sword on his back.

The corpse of the thin, yellow-faced man had indeed not been touched.

Checking his breath and pulse, he confirmed that the man was dead, with his chest bones shattered and internal organs damaged. He must have died immediately after the attack.

Suddenly, Qingxuan felt something hard on the right side of the corpse. After a careful search, he found a small bag containing over a dozen pieces of silver and a book slightly thicker than a palm, titled "Pingyang Martial Manual."

Qingxuan was suddenly delighted. This unlucky fellow indeed had some interesting things. It wasn’t in vain to play the role of Qin Jiaxian, as he could indeed make a small fortune from the dead.

Qin Jiaxian is a character from the puppet show "Pili." He is known as the "First Debater in the World" and is a treasure in the Pili series. In the single-player game "Pili Hero Chronicles," the protagonist Qin Jiaxian makes a living by collecting corpses and scavenging from the dead, even becoming wealthy.

Opening the "Collection System" and giving a simple command, he immediately started collecting the new martial arts.

In no time, two "ding" sounds were heard, and he gained 6 skill points, bringing his total to 74.

Unexpectedly, the "Pingyang Martial Manual" contained three sets of martial techniques, an internal cultivation method called "Pingyang Heart Method," "Pingyang Twenty-Three Swords," and a lightness skill called "Floating Water and Drifting Lotus." Except for the lightness skill, which was a white-level martial art, the other two were green-level lower-grade martial arts.

Ha, it was worth the risk to come and investigate. This adventure in the martial world was indeed profitable.

Just as Qingxuan was feeling secretly pleased, a sudden, indescribable, and extremely dangerous feeling surged in his heart. From his left side, a tangible killing intent rushed at him, like a flame, scorching half of his face.

Suddenly, Qingxuan’s mind became clear and empty, without any thoughts or worries. This state of mind was not forced but came naturally.

His spiritual awareness surged, and Qingxuan clearly felt a strange vibration erupting from his left side, bringing a huge sense of danger.

Qingxuan knew this was a life-or-death moment. His spirit reached its peak, and his true qi instantly filled his meridians. With a powerful kick, he rolled to the right rear without hesitation.

Without thinking, Qingxuan gathered all his strength into the fine steel longsword and slashed it toward his side as he rolled.

At the same time, a huge black shadow burst out of the grass, narrowly missing Qingxuan as it slammed into the tree. The massive tree trunk, which would take three people to encircle, tilted sharply, almost falling over.

As Qingxuan’s sword swung backward, it struck the shadow, but the sharp blade only produced a shower of sparks, like cutting into rock. Qingxuan knew that the sword hadn’t even scratched the surface of the creature.

Qingxuan rolled to his feet and, without thinking, leaped onto another tree nearby.

Qingxuan’s flip, sword swing, retraction, and escape were fluid and lightning-fast.

In this brief moment, which took only a few seconds, Qingxuan felt as if a long time had passed.

Once he stabilized, Qingxuan’s cold sweat poured down, and his heart raced. Damn, the strange feeling he had just experienced was like the protagonist in the movie "Spider-Man" when his super-senses kicked in, slowing down time. Could he have a similar superpower?

Qingxuan didn’t have time to think further. Looking down, he saw a massive, bull-like beast shaking its head and body, covered in thick, green, rock-like scales. It was dazed from Qingxuan’s sudden disappearance and the collision with the tree.

Damn, it’s a Green-Armored Demon Bull.

Qingxuan groaned weakly.

It turned out that the two martial artists had been trying to hunt this beast. Qingxuan couldn’t understand why such a creature would appear near Qingyang Town.

The Green-Armored Demon Bull is a type of beast. It is large and powerful, though herbivorous, it has a bad temper and often attacks other animals, simply because they annoy it. However, as long as it’s not provoked, it won’t attack humans. This thought brought Qingxuan some relief.

This beast has a hard outer skin that even metal weapons can’t penetrate, making it more dangerous than some carnivorous beasts.

The Green-Armored Demon Bull, a high-grade beast, is a highly sought-after material for soul refinement by martial artists. Once a martial artist reaches the Void Realm, they can condense their inner energy into a tangible form, increasing its power, and the beast soul is the main ingredient for this.

The Green-Armored Demon Bull is particularly sought after by martial artists who specialize in strength and defense.

Qingxuan couldn’t believe that such a beast, which is usually found only in the wilderness, would appear near a town. If this happened in a region where martial arts were flourishing, it would likely spark a fierce battle.

Looking at the new sword in his hand, Qingxuan thought that if it had been a regular bull, it would have been gutted by now. But this beast didn’t even have a scratch.

Thinking about the two men who had come to take advantage, one with a crushed body and the other with a flattened chest, Qingxuan realized that the culprit must be this Green-Armored Demon Bull.

Cunning, truly cunning. A beast of such a large size had been lying in wait, motionless, and he hadn’t noticed it at all.

The sudden ambush almost got him. The thought of it made Qingxuan shudder, and he was grateful for his sudden burst of spiritual awareness.

There was no time to think further. The beast, having recovered from its dizziness, let out a long roar and charged at the tree where Qingxuan was standing.

This tree was not as thick as the previous one and crashed to the ground with a loud thud.

Qingxuan, realizing the danger, leaped to another tree as the Green-Armored Demon Bull charged.

Unfortunately, Qingxuan didn’t know lightness skills, and when he landed, the branch snapped, and he fell backward, breaking many branches as he crashed to the ground.

The Green-Armored Demon Bull, of course, wouldn’t miss this opportunity, and it turned around, lowering its head and charging again.

In a blink, Qingxuan found himself in a life-threatening situation.

Falling to the ground would mean certain death!

A sudden fear enveloped Qingxuan, making his heart race and his breathing difficult. The sound of blood rushing in his ears was deafening, and his mind went blank. Suddenly, he entered the same strange state as before.

In an instant, Qingxuan’s mind and body entered an unprecedented state, and the world around him slowed down again.

He felt a sense of unity, as if he had become a powerful force, and the fear no longer mattered.

At this moment, Qingxuan felt as if his thoughts had transcended to another realm, where they moved faster than the world around him.

His thoughts raced, but the speed of his fall remained slow. He could clearly see each leaf, the timing and sequence of their fall, and even guess their size and weight.

A clear "ding" sound rang out, and at this critical moment, Qingxuan’s martial arts realm broke through to the "Seventh Heaven of Body Tempering."

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