Chapter 59

Wei He slowly removed the mask, black clothes, headscarf, and coat from his body.

He also took off the metal-spiked gloves, which were a good find from the last time he confiscated them from the fat man at Shaoyang Gate. After repairing them, he wore them to sneak attack others, and they never missed.

When he took off the gloves, he suddenly noticed that the spikes embedded in them had all been broken off in a row.

He was surprised, reached out, and gently pinched the metal part of the glove.

This pinch was not a simple one; it was done with all his strength, as if his whole body was taut, using all his might to pick up a small cup.

Silently, the metal layer on the glove, as thick as a finger, was lightly pinched into a dent.

Wei He was silent.

He put down the glove and clapped his hands together.

Clang.

His palms were like metal, making a hard, crisp sound when they collided.

"Is this the third level of qi and blood? Is this the fourth realm of the Five Ridge Palm?"

The Five Ridge Palm has five realms: Qing, He, Yun, Bai, and Wu.

At the beginning of practice, it is Qing, the first realm. Only after mastering this level can one truly enter the gate, with qi and blood strong enough to proceed to the next step.

Then comes the second realm, He. This level involves compressing and transforming the strengthened qi and blood, then breaking through.

This is the first breakthrough of qi and blood, which leads to the Bullhide Qi and Blood realm of the Return Mountain Fist.

The third realm, Yun, corresponds to the Stone Skin of the Return Mountain Fist, the second breakthrough of qi and blood.

The fourth realm, Bai, corresponds to the Iron Skin, the third breakthrough of qi and blood.

"But now, my Return Mountain Fist has only condensed one Nine Dawn Flower. Previously, to accumulate qi and blood, I gave everything to the realm-breaking pearl, completely stopping the progress of skin refinement and Nine Dawn Flower condensation."

The condensation of the Nine Dawn Flower requires a large amount of qi and blood.

The human body produces qi and blood at all times, and the daily production of qi and blood is determined by the body's constitution and the quality of food and drink.

It's like a cow producing milk; if it doesn't rest well or eat well, it will produce less milk.

The same goes for martial artists.

Moreover, the daily production of qi and blood is limited. If used for one thing, it cannot be used for another.

Therefore, practicing multiple things simultaneously will severely delay progress, which is inevitable.

So Wei He stopped practicing the Return Mountain Fist, and the accumulation speed of the realm-breaking pearl rapidly increased.

"Now, the third breakthrough of qi and blood..." Wei He carefully felt the changes in his body.

His internal qi and blood surged, his body felt as if it had just had a deep, refreshing sleep, full of energy and vigor, with a clear and sharp mind.

His thoughts and ideas moved extremely fast, without any hesitation or pause.

These were just his own feelings, but more clearly:

Wei He walked to his wardrobe.

He picked up the entire wardrobe and placed it flat on the bed.

Then, he felt a pull ring on the ground under the wardrobe and pulled it up.

Instantly, a large square compartment was pulled out.

Inside was a rectangular secret compartment made of black wood.

In the secret compartment were various powders, hidden weapons, daggers, money pouches, and more.

Wei He took out the miscellaneous items he found on Xiao Ran and checked them.

A silver-edged money pouch, a small green porcelain bottle, a small silk handkerchief with a lotus flower, and a book filled with various indecent erotic pictures.

"This kid... tsk tsk." Wei He threw the silk handkerchief and the book into the secret compartment, then picked up the silver-edged money pouch, untied the string, and shook it over the ground.

A hundred-tael gold note, several gold leaves, two small gold beans, and some small wooden plaques, which were likely identity proofs of affiliated organizations, fell out of the money pouch.

"Poor guy." Wei He shook his head, picked up the gold note, smelled its fragrant scent, then took the gold leaves and gold beans, and threw the rest of the wooden plaques into the secret compartment.

He would deal with them later in the evening.

"Xiao He, it's time to eat!" his second sister's voice called from outside.

"Coming." Wei He stood up, took the porcelain bottle, quickly put the secret compartment back, and returned the wardrobe to its original place.

He sighed deeply and stretched his hands.

Leaving the bedroom, Wei He passed through the courtyard and suddenly stopped at the place where he usually practiced the Five Ridge Palm.

He looked at the large black stone where he could only create a dent with his full strength.

This black stone was not ordinary; it contained certain minerals, making it hard and tough.

The Return Mountain Fist Academy also used this type of stone. Wei He found many on Shaoyang Mountain and chose a larger one to bring home.

The oval black stone was covered with various fist and palm prints from his previous practices.

Because he hit it diagonally towards the ground, the soil behind the stone was compacted tightly.

Wei He looked at the palm print he left the day before.

The palm print was over an inch deep, with clear palm lines, looking quite impressive.

Suddenly, he had an idea and lightly slapped the black stone with his left hand.

His qi and blood surged, and with full effort, he activated the fourth realm of the Five Ridge Palm. An invisible force naturally gathered and, with this slap, gently landed on the black stone.

Pang.

The black stone suddenly sank, and the back part sank deeper into the ground.

Wei He lifted his left hand and looked at the cracks on the black stone, momentarily stunned.

This black stone was extremely tough, and it was rare to hear of anyone breaking it; usually, it would only be dented.

The depth of the dent was used to judge the strength.

But with this palm, he actually cracked the black stone.

In the center of the black stone, the palm print was over three inches deep, completely embedded in the stone surface.

The edges of the palm print were covered with fine, web-like cracks.

Wei He suddenly understood. No wonder when he killed Xiao Ran, his palm strike went through without any resistance.

It felt like hitting a piece of tofu, with no resistance at all.

Then he saw Xiao Ran fly out.

Like a garbage bag, it hit the wall with a puff and immediately lost its breath.

"Such powerful force...!" Wei He was amazed. This palm, after the third breakthrough of qi and blood in the Five Ridge Palm, was not just twice as powerful as before.

He could previously only create a one-inch deep palm print with full effort, but now he could create a three-inch deep print with surrounding cracks.

No wonder... the third breakthrough of qi and blood was so rare, and the second breakthrough was so common. The difference in status was so great. Now he understood... now he understood!

Wei He had a clear understanding.

The gap between the third and second breakthroughs of qi and blood was not just a little.

Before the breakthrough, he couldn't defeat Xiao Ran head-on and was still lacking in qi and blood strength.

After the breakthrough, he could kill Xiao Ran with one palm, and even resistance was a luxury.

No wonder Master Zheng always longed for a disciple to achieve the third breakthrough of qi and blood.

"Xiao He, hurry up, the dishes are getting cold." Wei Ying poked her head out of the house and called.

"Coming." Wei He put away his thoughts and walked into the inner room.

The Five Ridge Palm, after the breakthrough, concentrated all its power in the palms, making them incredibly hard, impervious to ordinary weapons. It could be his greatest trump card, with the palm force subtly carrying a sense of explosive power.

Hitting a second breakthrough would result in severe injury, and a fatal strike.

Moreover, Wei He clearly felt that after the breakthrough, his body was gradually improving. The large amount of qi and blood after the breakthrough was slowly strengthening his entire body.

His digestion was better, his spirit was better, and he felt his body constantly expelling impurities and producing qi and blood at a faster and higher quality than before.

According to what Master Zheng had mentioned, after the third breakthrough of qi and blood, one's lifespan would be extended by twenty years, and the peak of physical condition would no longer be limited to twenty years but would extend to forty.

This was a complete transformation.

Entering the inner room, Wei He sat cross-legged and looked at the two dishes and one soup in front of him: mountain yam old duck soup, stir-fried celery with bean curd, and braised mountain rabbit with green peas.

"Where did the old duck and mountain rabbit come from?" He was puzzled, as he hadn't hunted any recently.

"Oh, it was your junior, Ouyang Zhuang, who sent them. He said he met a hunter who made traps in the market and bought over ten mountain rabbits and wild ducks from him. He sent some to us," Wei Ying explained with a smile.

Wei He looked at the old duck and mountain rabbit in the bowl. This was a big gift. Ouyang Zhuang had a heart.

He picked up his bowl and started eating carefully.

After a few bites, the courtyard gate was suddenly knocked on urgently.

"Who is it?" Wei He got up to open the door.

"It's me, Senior Wei, open the door quickly, something big has happened!" It was Zhang Jue's voice.

This guy was an old-timer in the courtyard, still at the Bullhide stage, with his potential already exhausted, though he still refused to accept it.

Although not very close to Wei He, they occasionally spoke a few words.

Without a word, Wei He quickly walked to the courtyard gate, lifted the latch, and opened the door.

"What's the big deal?"

He looked at the pale-faced Li Jue outside the door.

"It's... Xiao Ran! Xiao Ran... he... he was killed!" Li Jue spoke urgently, more in shock and amazement than sorrow.

Xiao Ran, in the eyes of ordinary disciples, was an absolute genius, a seed for the third breakthrough of qi and blood. He was in a different league from ordinary people, a future Master Zheng.

But now...

He was actually killed?

Who had the nerve to do this, without fear of Master Zheng's pursuit?

"What? Xiao Ran was killed!?" Wei He's movements paused, and his voice rose sharply.

"Go! Take me to see!" He turned to Wei Ying, closed the door, and followed Li Jue's hurried steps, quickly heading to the Return Mountain Fist Academy.

The academy was already filled with all the disciples. Xiao Ran, now the strongest disciple in the entire academy, had been killed in the city.

If even someone as skilled as Xiao Ran could be killed, wouldn't it be easy for that person to kill others with a single palm, effortlessly?

In the large courtyard, everyone gathered in a circle, silently looking at Xiao Ran's body in the center.

The body was placed on a wooden stretcher, covered with a thin white cloth.

Xiao Ran's parents squatted beside it, pale and grief-stricken, unable to speak, just tightly gripping the white cloth, their bodies trembling.

They had only one son, a son with a bright future, now killed...

Zheng Fugui stood to the side, his hands behind his back, looking at the body with a dull gaze.

He was calculating accounts, feeling that his business was improving, and was happy when suddenly this news came, stunning him.

A few of Xiao Ran's friends stood to the side, unable to hold back their low sobs.

They were crying because no one would pay their bills or back them up in fights anymore.

From this perspective, they were indeed the ones who cried the most sincerely, apart from Xiao Ran's parents.

The surrounding brothers and sisters, none of them were sad, and some were even secretly rejoicing, though they didn't show it at this moment.

Xiao Ran was not well-liked in the academy; no one liked him. But he was still a symbol of the Return Mountain Fist Academy, representing the most outstanding and promising disciple.