Chapter 23

After two intermediate draws yielded nothing good, Su Xin was starting to lose confidence in the third draw. However, this kind of luck-based thing has no technical aspect, so Su Xin gritted his teeth and proceeded with the third draw. The wheel slowly turned and surprisingly landed on the cultivation method section. This time, a young swordsman appeared on the big screen. Dressed in a bright red robe, he was tall and slender with clear, beautiful eyes. At first glance, he seemed to be a handsome young man. But upon closer inspection, one could see that his eyebrows were slightly curved like willow leaves, and his skin was so fine that it didn't seem like that of a normal man, containing a hint of feminine beauty. Moreover, the young swordsman's eyes carried a look of sinister, desperate madness, making people feel a chill down their spines. "Congratulations, host, you have drawn the character Lin Pingzhi, who comes with the cultivation method 'Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual.' No further draws are needed, and the cultivation method is rated two and a half stars." After hearing the system's words, Su Xin's vision went dark, and he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. Of course, Su Xin needed a two-and-a-half-star cultivation method, but what was the prerequisite for cultivating the Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual? Dominating the martial arts world by castrating oneself! As a man, few would be willing to cultivate such a method. If Su Xin were to send it to the imperial palace of the Great Zhou, those eunuchs would probably be very interested. After three consecutive intermediate draws yielded nothing good, Su Xin finally decided to give up. He left one intermediate draw unused, reserving it for emergencies. And the 200 villain points were even more indispensable. Whether for choosing a cultivation method after drawing a character or for the store when it opened, these villain points were hard currency. Using them for a draw would be too wasteful. Just as Su Xin was about to throw the Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual into a corner of the system and exit the space, the system issued another main quest. "Activate main quest 'Heroic Posture (Part 2)' Task Explanation: Since you have money, you should seize power. Become one of the spokespersons of the Flying Eagle Gang (Hall Master level), within one year. Failure Consequence: Randomly disable one martial skill and demote one minor level. Task Reward: 50% completion, reward with one draw of a specified category (two to three stars). 100% completion, reward with Purple Mist Divine Skill (two and a half stars), 800 villain points, and two intermediate draws." "It really doesn't give people time to rest. These main quests come one after another." Exiting the space, Su Xin shook his head and sighed. Today, his luck was not good. Three intermediate draws, and the only useful thing was the Spirit-Opening Powder. The other two were a chicken rib and a waste. Moreover, this newly issued main quest was not easy to complete. Becoming a spokesperson of the Flying Eagle Gang, at least at the Hall Master level, and completing it within one year, was a very strict condition. Before meeting Sha Feiyang and the three Hall Masters, he wouldn't have felt this way, but now, seeing the real people, these gang leaders who founded the Flying Eagle Gang, were all much stronger than him. Of course, although the task conditions were strict, the rewards were indeed generous. There was even a two-and-a-half-star internal skill, the famous Purple Mist Divine Skill. Moreover, a reward could be claimed when the task completion reached 50%, indicating that the system knew this task had a large span and thus gave some benefits in advance. Su Xin also noticed that compared to martial skills, the chance of drawing internal skills was much lower. If he relied solely on draws, it would be hard to say when he could draw a good internal skill. The reward for this task was indeed very tempting. With a one-year deadline, time was not abundant, so Su Xin had to focus on cultivating himself and building his own power. Taking out the Spirit-Opening Powder, Su Xin put a little in his mouth and swallowed it directly. A cool sensation immediately spread throughout his body. Su Xin could clearly feel that under the influence of the Spirit-Opening Powder, his true qi and blood were flowing three times faster than before, impacting the acupoints in his body. However, although the Spirit-Opening Powder was rated two stars, its power was not enough to directly open an acupoint. Su Xin had spent over a month opening thirty-six acupoints, which seemed fast, but the speed would inevitably slow down afterward. The human body has 108 acupoints, and the later ones would take longer to open. The first thirty-six acupoints were just an appetizer. Taking advantage of the Spirit-Opening Powder's influence, Su Xin went to the courtyard, lifted two stone locks weighing a total of 300 pounds, and quickly moved them, making his qi and blood circulate even faster. In the realm of acquired skills, just sitting and meditating was a foolish act. Cultivating martial arts was actually a process of developing one's own treasures. Acquired body cultivation, innate qi cultivation. The 'practice' in the innate realm referred to sitting and meditating. The 'tempering' in the acquired realm referred to hammering and refining, treating one's body like a piece of iron, and after thousands of hammerings, a divine weapon would begin to show its sharpness. A single character difference revealed the essence of the two major realms. The next morning, after having breakfast with Xing'er, Su Xin went directly to the Happy Forest. After more than a month of development, the Happy Forest was ten times more prosperous than before. Even during the day, the streets were bustling with people. If one didn't look at other parts of Changning Prefecture, one might think this was the center of Changning. "Boss Su, congratulations." The owner of Drunken Moon Tower, Liu, holding a folding fan, said with a smile. Su Xin raised an eyebrow: "Oh? What's there to congratulate?" Liu opened his fan with a 'swish' and flattered, "Everyone knows that Boss Su assassinated Dai Chong for your brother. You are indeed a man of principle. Although the Flying Eagle Gang did not reward you, your position within the gang is now secure." Su Xin looked at Liu with surprise; he saw through things very clearly. This time, Su Xin not only overcame the immediate crisis but also won the hearts of people. The subordinates of the Happy Forest were not the only ones who recognized Su Xin. Now, in the nearly ten-thousand-member Flying Eagle Gang, Su Xin was no longer an unknown. Whoever mentioned Su Xin would remember, "Oh, that's the man who assassinated the Green Bamboo Gang's leader to avenge his brother." This hidden status, though not obvious, represented Su Xin's formal recognition by the Flying Eagle Gang. Like Liu Sandao in the past, although he was a small leader, his position was not legitimate. When Su Xin killed him with one sword, no one would remember such a person. But now, if someone wanted to move against Su Xin, it wouldn't be so easy. Even the gang leader would need a good reason to take down Su Xin; otherwise, other gang members would be disheartened. "Hehe, I, Su Xin, don't seek any rewards. I only seek a clear conscience. But I am quite curious, why are you here to congratulate me, Mr. Liu? I thought everyone in the Happy Forest was hoping for my death, so no one would take your dividends." Su Xin said with a smile. Liu's expression turned serious, and he put away his fan, whispering, "Boss Su, rest assured. I, Liu Kun, am not a short-sighted person. I don't know what others think, but I will always support you. As the spokesperson of the Happy Forest, you only take a portion of the dividends, but in return, we get a stable environment. If it were someone else from the Flying Eagle Gang, we would be a group of fat sheep." At this point, Liu revealed a cold smile, "I know the character of the leaders in other places. They give their subordinates the least monthly pay, and the gang members have to find extra income from us. A little here, a little there, money is a small matter, but it affects our business. The short-sighted people in the Happy Forest might think that a new person in charge would turn the dividends into regular pay, but they don't realize that the dividends can only increase, not decrease." Su Xin patted Liu Kun's shoulder with a smile, "Mr. Liu is indeed a wise man. They think I'm taking their dividends, but if someone else were in charge, it wouldn't just be taking their meat, it would be bleeding them dry." The two exchanged a few more words, and after expressing his loyalty to Su Xin, Liu Kun left, fanning himself. With his handsome and refined appearance, he had more charm than the top scholar of Changning Prefecture, but unfortunately, he was still a pimp. Huang Bingcheng came out of the hall and, seeing Liu's back, asked, "Boss, are those merchants up to something again?" Su Xin shook his head, "They didn't dare before, and they dare even less now. Mr. Liu is a smart man; he won't do that. On the contrary, he will stop some not-so-smart people." Huang Bingcheng was not stupid and understood what Su Xin meant. It seemed they were here to show loyalty to the boss. This pimp had a good eye. "Go get Li Hua, we need to discuss something." Su Xin ordered. Huang Bingcheng nodded and ran off to find Li Hua. Li Hua was a cold and unfriendly person, and everyone under Su Xin used to be afraid of him. One reason was his personality, and the other was his strength. When he was under Tiger San's command, Li Hua was already well-known, but for his notorious reputation. This guy seemed to have a violent tendency; whenever he fought, it was either death or severe injury. Even the gang members dared not spar with him. But after following Su Xin to assassinate Dai Chong, people's perception of him improved. They thought he was cold but warm-hearted and would not hesitate for his brothers. Although Li Hua followed Su Xin to assassinate Dai Chong purely for the thrill of battle. Thus, when people saw Li Hua again, they started to greet him actively, with a very gentle tone, which made Li Hua quite uncomfortable. He was used to cold interactions, and now that people were showing him kindness, he was not used to it. This morning, as Li Hua was about to go to the training ground in the back of the hall to practice, he was surrounded by several young gang members with admiring looks. "Brother Li, tell us how you and the boss took down Dai Chong." "Yeah, Brother Li, I heard Dai Chong was eight feet tall and had a waist of eight feet. Is that true?" Li Hua's head was sweating, and he couldn't say a word. It was easy for him to kill people, but it was difficult for him to communicate with these young gang members. At this moment, Huang Bingcheng ran over and scolded, "What are you all doing here? In the morning, you should be training and strengthening your bodies, not asking how to take down Dai Chong. Do you think you can do it with your mouths?" After scolding the gang members away, Huang Bingcheng said, "Li Hua, the boss wants to see you." Li Hua wiped the sweat from his forehead, nodded to Huang Bingcheng, and even showed a hint of gratitude in his eyes, which made Huang Bingcheng shudder, thinking, "Is Li Hua not taking his medicine today?"