Chapter 20: Iron-Copper Hand, Talent [Thick-Skinned]!

After leaving the sect, Meng Zhangqing galloped toward the direction of his family.

As for his mount, it was a spirit horse that had been trained by the sect for a full two and a half years.

It possessed great stamina; while it couldn't travel a thousand miles a day, seven or eight hundred was easy.

"Come to think of it, it's been two years since I last went back."

Gazing at the vast horizon, a faint emotion stirred in Meng Zhangqing's heart.

There was no special reason for not returning; it was mainly because his cultivation progress had been too slow, and he felt he hadn't lived up to the family's resources.

But now that he had broken through to the Qi Opening realm, that was no longer an issue.

It could be considered returning home in glory.

"Aunt."

A figure appeared in Meng Zhangqing's mind.

The current head of the Meng Merchant Guild.

She always wore a bamboo hat and a black dress.

Strictly speaking, she wasn't his real aunt; according to the clan elders, she was his mother's junior sister.

She was also a Qi Opening realm martial artist.

If not for her, the Meng Merchant Guild would likely have been swallowed up by others over a decade ago.

Over the years, it was because of her support that he had been able to enjoy the family's resources without them being cut.

"Giddyap!"

Collecting his thoughts, Meng Zhangqing rode the spirit horse toward the distance.

――

Three days later.

White Cloud Mountain Range.

A stretch of mountains spanning hundreds of miles, with towering ancient trees, perilous peaks, and roaming spirit beasts.

In short.

It was a place of great danger.

Unless one was a martial artist, ordinary people dared not come here.

The White Cloud Bandits were a group of bandits that had recently appeared.

They were powerful, and many passing merchant caravans had been looted and slaughtered.

This had caused widespread panic, and no one dared to pass through this area anymore.

To prevent being tracked down.

The White Cloud Bandits were quite clever, hiding their stronghold very deeply and discreetly.

Unfortunately, in front of the Profound Heaven Sect, this bit of cleverness was not enough.

Once targeted, they could be found in the blink of an eye.

And then they were put into a mission.

Used as training for the sect's disciples.

BOOM!

The high gate of the mountain stronghold shattered violently, turning into countless splinters that scattered everywhere.

Some bandits who couldn't dodge in time were swept up, ending up covered in blood.

"You hid quite well."

An indifferent voice sounded slowly.

At the broken gate, a youth in white stepped through the sunlight, walking in leisurely.

He held his sword in one hand, his black hair dancing lightly.

A formidable aura enveloped the entire scene.

"Enemy attack!"

Cries of alarm rang out incessantly.

Soon, a dense crowd of bandits gathered.

There were at least a hundred of them.

Their strength varied, but they were mostly in the Pulse Forging realm.

And hovering around the second or third level.

With only a dozen or so at the seventh or eighth level.

As for the Qi Opening realm, none had appeared yet.

"It's a disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect!"

Someone recognized Meng Zhangqing's attire, and fear surged in their voice.

In Yunzhou, the Profound Heaven Sect could be considered a hegemonic power.

It stood alongside the Blazing Sun Valley, the Giant Spirit Gate, and Wind Cloud City.

Outside, no one dared to easily provoke disciples from these powers!

"What are you panicking about!"

A deep voice suddenly rang out.

Three figures descended from the sky, standing before the crowd and facing Meng Zhangqing.

They were the leader of the White Cloud Bandits and his two deputies.

No one knew the leader's actual name.

In any case, the outside world called him Iron-Copper Hand.

Because his fist techniques were exceptional; once unleashed, his fists were like molten copper poured into shape.

Not only was his strength immense, but his defense was also terrifying.

Even when clashing with weapons, he was rarely injured.

His cultivation was at the seventh level of the Qi Opening realm.

Three levels higher than Meng Zhangqing.

That was why, when Meng Zhangqing chose this mission, the disciple at the Mission Hall had tried to dissuade him.

In the end, he couldn't be talked out of it.

He could only urge him to act according to his ability.

A martial artist of this level could almost rival an inner sect disciple.

With such a large gap in realms, it was very difficult to kill him.

One might even die at his hands.

But Meng Zhangqing was no ordinary inner sect disciple.

Whether it was the Wind-Thunder Sword Art or the Sword Step, both had been "cultivated" to the Perfection realm, not to mention he possessed Sword Intent!

Going all out, let alone a seventh-level Qi Opening martial artist, even those at the eighth or ninth level would have to lose their heads!

Unless they also had many trump cards.

"A Profound Heaven Sect disciple, fourth level of the Qi Opening realm."

Iron-Copper Hand sized up Meng Zhangqing, his expression relaxing slightly.

If the martial artist who came had a higher realm than his, he wouldn't say a word and would just take his deputies and run.

But a mere fourth level of the Qi Opening realm.

Not even the same level.

He could still handle this.

"It seems the Profound Heaven Sect has already taken us, the White Cloud Bandits, as a training mission."

Bronze Hand sneered, "You dare to come here at only the fourth stage? You truly don't know how to write the word 'death'."

"Do you think I'm like that trash outside?"

"That you can easily leapfrog stages to defeat?"

"You talk so much—is it because you know you're about to die and won't have another chance?"

Meng Zhangqing spoke slowly, his expression calm.

At the same time, he began to observe the character panels of these three men.

Basic Information:

【Name: Bronze Hand (Lin Tie)】

【Race: Human】

【Cultivation Base: Seventh Stage of Qi Opening Realm】

Attribute Information:

【Root Bone: Fourth Grade】

【Comprehension: Average】

【Talent: Thick-Skinned】

【Martial Skill: "Demon Blood Bronze Fist" (Great Success)】

"Huh, he actually has a talent?"

Meng Zhangqing was somewhat surprised.

So-called talents refer to certain parts of the body that are different from ordinary people.

They are not the same as bloodline constitutions.

Nor can they compare to those two.

For instance, Bai Suxi’s nimble hands.

"Does this guy not know he has this talent?"

Judging by the name, 【Thick-Skinned】 seems to lean toward body tempering; if one were to practice body-tempering techniques, the results would be significantly better than average.

Yet this Bronze Hand practiced fist techniques instead.

Clearly, he was unaware.

Actually, this is normal; talents are not as obvious as bloodline constitutions.

Many people don't even know they have them.

"This talent is not bad."

The corners of Meng Zhangqing's mouth curled up slightly.

The look he gave Bronze Hand became a bit 'gentler'.

If he could obtain this talent, would it be enough to make the defensive power of his "Bronze Armor Art" comparable to a Profound-grade low-tier technique?