Chapter 10

To the east of Ping Shui County lies the Eagle Sigh Mountain Range, which means even eagles sigh when they see these mountains.

The Eagle Sigh Mountain Range is a series of towering peaks, with treacherous terrain, steep ridges, and deep ravines. Every ten steps there is a ravine, every hundred steps a mountain range, and every thousand steps a cliff.

Many bandit hideouts are located here, where warhorses are of little use, making it very suitable for escape and evasion.

Under the guidance of a noble, Jiang Ping'an was galloping towards the Eagle Sigh Mountain Range.

The soldiers behind him did not dare to pursue too closely, only making a show of it, for fear of being killed.

As the Eagle Sigh Mountain Range came into view, a wild laugh echoed from behind.

"Haha, I have such good luck! I gave up searching for you and returned to the city, only to find you right there in the city!"

A burly man on a black warhorse appeared. His horse was extremely fast, outpacing the ordinary pursuers and rapidly closing in on Jiang Ping'an.

"Brat, hand over the opportunity, and I'll give you a quick death!"

The burly man grew increasingly excited.

Jiang Ping'an glanced at the man's armor and attire, which were the same as Cui Xiao's.

This man was also a squad leader, but it was unknown how strong he was.

Squad leaders were ranked, with the weakest being at the third level of Qi cultivation and the strongest at the fifth level.

Seeing the man getting closer, Jiang Ping'an's face darkened.

He couldn't run anymore.

He suddenly grabbed the reins, stopping the horse, and dismounted.

"I surrender."

The burly man was taken aback by this. Surrender so easily?

Seeing the man approach, Jiang Ping'an took out three spirit stones from his pocket and threw them on the ground. "I surrender. This is all I have."

The burly man looked down.

At the same time, Jiang Ping'an drew his long knife and swung it at the burly man.

"Clang~"

The two knives collided, sparks flying.

"Haha, foolish brat, do you think I'm as stupid as Cui Xiao?"

The burly man laughed wildly, his strong hands gradually overpowering Jiang Ping'an.

Jiang Ping'an's face changed drastically. This man was stronger than Cui Xiao!

His tiger's mouth was split and bleeding, and the muscles in his arm felt like they were tearing, causing intense pain.

Close combat was indeed the forte of martial artists.

Their strength was on a completely different level!

The burly man sneered, "Comparing close combat with us martial artists? What a fool."

Jiang Ping'an's knife was pressed close to his neck. If the man applied more force, his neck would be cut open!

A green light flashed, instantly deflecting the burly man's knife.

"I'll break through your defense!" The burly man swung his knife again, even harder.

The young man in front of him was no match for him. It was only a matter of time before he was defeated.

Jiang Ping'an endured the pain in his arm and quickly swung his knife to meet the attack.

"It's useless! Illusory Blade!"

A shadow cut through Jiang Ping'an's knife and struck his protective shield.

"Bang!"

The man's knife hit the shield again.

However, he made no further move.

"Clang~"

The burly man's knife fell to the ground.

He clutched his neck tightly, blood gushing out between his fingers.

"Illusory... Illusory Blade..."

The man's face was filled with disbelief.

He had spent years cultivating to learn the first level of Illusory Blade, yet this boy had only had the Illusory Blade technique for a few days and could already use it.

A genius, the boy was a martial arts genius...

Jiang Ping'an slowly sheathed his bloody knife, panting heavily.

"Although I only learned the basics of Illusory Blade, it was enough to catch him off guard."

These days, he had been studying the Illusory Blade technique while improving his cultivation.

As these martial artists said, close combat was his weakness, so he had to learn close combat techniques.

After studying for five or six days, he could barely create a faint shadow. If one observed carefully, they wouldn't be deceived.

It was just that the man never expected him to use their own technique against them.

"Thud~"

The burly man fell off his horse, lifeless.

Picking up the spirit stones, Jiang Ping'an searched the man's body, finding two bottles of medicine and a book. He then picked up the man's knife and quickly rushed into the Eagle Sigh Mountain Range.

Once inside the mountain range, the horses were of no use, and the cavalry's combat effectiveness would be greatly reduced.

The pursuing soldiers, seeing the dead burly man, were filled with shock.

This squad leader was clearly stronger than Cui Xiao. How could he be defeated so quickly?

Could it be that the boy's strength had increased in just five or six days?

They dared not pursue further, as fear and the threat of death loomed over them.

This boy was too terrifying.

Jiang Ping'an ran wildly through the mountains.

This time, he had only caught a lone pursuer. If a group of people at the same level came, he would surely die, so he had to run as fast as possible.

He ran for a whole day, crossing dozens of mountains and ravines, and falling into ravines several times. If not for the protective talisman, he might have died from the falls.

He finally stopped at a clear pond with no signs of human presence.

The pond was crystal clear, and there was a crack in the rock nearby, large enough to accommodate two or three people.

Jiang Ping'an cut a branch and stuck it at the entrance of the crack to block it, then crawled inside.

Without resting, Jiang Ping'an took out his loot from the treasure pot.

Two bottles of pills, one bottle of Blood Qi Pills, containing three pills, plus the bottle he had previously seized, making a total of five.

These Blood Qi Pills were used to cultivate blood qi and were very expensive. Even a squad leader could only receive up to three a month.

There was also a bottle of Golden Wound Medicine, used to stop bleeding.

And a book, the same as the one he had seized from Cui Xiao, the Blood Qi Technique.

Cultivating this technique would make one a martial artist, increasing blood qi and strength.

Touching the scab on his tiger's mouth, Jiang Ping'an pondered for a long time and decided to cultivate this technique.

Yesterday, when he fought the burly man, his tiger's mouth was split, and his arm still ached.

If the man hadn't been caught off guard by his use of the Illusory Blade, he wouldn't have escaped.

These people were too strong. If not for the protective talisman, he wouldn't know how many times he would have died.

Other cultivators could spout fire, control water, and manipulate wood... but he couldn't do any of that.

At this stage, increasing his strength and sword skills was the most practical.

However, before learning the Blood Qi Technique, he needed to break through to the next level.

Copying the spirit stones once more today should be enough to break through.

An hour later, a crisp cracking sound echoed from the rock crack, and the surrounding spiritual energy surged wildly, with gusts of wind blowing past.

Level 4 Qi Cultivation.

The next breakthrough would require over 160 spirit stones, which would take at least 16 days.

This was only Level 4 Qi Cultivation. As one reached higher levels, the time and spirit stones required would increase.

He had heard from some old men in the teahouse that after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, it wasn't just a matter of having enough spirit stones; one also needed a teacher.

Not to mention reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, even reaching it was not easy, as it required a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Regardless, he would use this time to cultivate the Blood Qi Technique.

The Blood Qi Technique had three levels. Reaching the first level was equivalent to the third level of Qi Cultivation, the second level to the sixth level, and mastering it all to the ninth level.

Of course, this was only in terms of strength.

If Jiang Ping'an knew any spells, he could easily deal with these martial artists.

Swallowing a Blood Qi Pill, Jiang Ping'an felt a flame rise in his stomach, the heat spreading to his limbs.

He took out his knife and jumped into the nearby pond, beginning his sword practice.

Martial artists were different from cultivators. Cultivators could break through by meditating and breathing, but martial artists needed to temper their bodies, which meant making their bodies tired.

The clear pond water became murky as Jiang Ping'an entered.

As he was cultivating, a group of soldiers entered the Eagle Sigh Mountain Range.

"Alive or dead, this rascal dared to kill our soldiers and must be executed!"

"Whoever finds him will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver!"

"Captain is mighty!!"

With the incentive of the reward, the soldiers were highly motivated. They were determined to capture this boy!