Chapter 44: Departure!

Left the conference hall.

Qin Shuo immediately found Lin Feng and Song Yan, and sincerely said: "Second Senior Brother, Fifth Senior Sister, I know nothing about purchasing medicinal materials. For this trip to the prefecture city, I hope you Senior Brothers and Sisters will look after me."

What he said was true—he could still fight, but letting him command a caravan and transport medicinal materials was indeed not his forte.

"Junior Brother Qin, don't worry. The purchasing will be handled by the medicine shop owner; we only need to ensure the caravan's safety. The rest is nothing for us to worry about," Lin Feng said with a reassuring smile.

"Oh? Is that so? Then I can relax!" Qin Shuo's expression eased.

Originally, he had worried that as the team leader, he would have to handle everything, but now it seemed completely otherwise.

"Just rest assured. If anything really happens, I and your Second Senior Brother will also help you," Song Yan also said to comfort him.

Due to the procurement and transportation of medicinal materials, the medicine shop owner was fully responsible.

Qin Shuo and the other two only needed to accompany the caravan and ensure safety; all other miscellaneous matters were completely unnecessary for them to handle.

So in the following days, Qin Shuo became leisurely again.

He cultivated while waiting for the medicine shop's notice to depart.

Every day, besides eating, he spent all his time in Wei Yuan's study comprehending saber intent.

【Ingredients: White Ape Tiangang Saber Intent Diagram!】

【Current refinement progress: 35/36】

Seeing the text prompt appear on the panel before him, Qin Shuo curled the corner of his mouth into a smile.

Finally, he had refined all thirty-five previous saber intent techniques.

Next, he could begin refining the final one, White Ape Splits the Mountain!

According to Wei Yuan's words, this final White Ape Splits the Mountain had already reached the level of superior martial arts.

If he could master it, even when facing a Tongmai Realm expert, he would have the strength to fight.

"Now let me see, just what mysteries does this so-called superior martial arts hold?"

Qin Shuo laughed as he muttered to himself, his right palm already pressing onto the final White Ape Splits the Mountain diagram.

Boom!

At the instant his palm touched the White Ape Splits the Mountain diagram, thirty-five spiritual phantoms suddenly appeared within the Taotie Cauldron.

"This is……the saber intent of the previous thirty-five techniques?" Qin Shuo exclaimed in astonishment.

But before he could even think further, the thirty-five spiritual phantoms had already begun to move.

Starting from the spiritual phantom of the first technique, Cross Slash, the thirty-five phantoms merged one after another, until only one remained.

Only then did this final spiritual phantom suddenly leap up, hands holding the saber raised above its head, and chop downward into the void ahead.

Boom—!

Cold light flashed, peerlessly sharp!

The fierce saber light, like dawn light cutting through darkness.

In a daze, Qin Shuo seemed to see a hundred-zhang-high mountain split in two by a single saber strike, smoke and dust rolling, shattered stones shooting into the sky.

Enlightenment arose in his heart.

It turned out that this final White Ape Splits the Mountain was simply combining the force variations and intent flow of the previous thirty-five techniques into one, forming a sharp saber light.

No wonder Wei Laotou said only after comprehending the previous thirty-five saber intents could one achieve Three Origins Merging into One and thus comprehend this final White Ape Splits the Mountain.

"When the thirty-five middle-grade saber techniques merge into one, one can condense a superior saber move. The gap between superior and middle-grade martial arts is indeed enormous!" Qin Shuo sincerely exclaimed.

Afterwards, he immersed his mind and spirit into the saber intent, beginning to comprehend the profundities and variations of this superior saber technique.

Time flowed like water.

In the blink of an eye, another three days passed.

During these three days, Qin Shuo forgot sleep and food, devoting all his thoughts to refining the saber intent of the final White Ape Splits the Mountain.

The power of superior martial arts was far beyond that of middle-grade martial arts.

But the difficulty of cultivation was likewise incomparably greater than that of middle-grade martial arts.

Even with Qin Shuo having the Taotie Cauldron's aid, in three days he could barely fuse only the first and second techniques.

The difficulty of learning superior martial arts is evident.

However, if Wei Yuan knew that he himself had spent years to fully comprehend White Ape Splits the Mountain, while Qin Shuo had only used three days to get started, he would probably be shocked to the point of dropping his jaw, calling him a freak.

Unknowingly, another five days passed.

During this period, Qin Shuo visited Zhang Xiong's home and borrowed an Iron-Fetal Bow from him.

He also went to the weapons forge and bought over a hundred Iron-Skin Heavy Arrows with greater killing power.

These heavy arrows are heavy in weight, long in range, and extremely strong in killing power—true weapons capable of piercing iron and stone.

All preparations are complete!

Finally, on a bright and sunny morning.

The Liuhe Martial Arts Hall's team heading to Songyang Prefecture City to purchase medicinal materials set off in a mighty procession!

……

Inner City of Black Water City.

In a secluded small courtyard of the Mang Mountain Martial Arts Hall.

Yan Song looked at the bed where Lutong was tightly wrapped in white cloth, resembling a mummy, and surging anger welled up in his eyes.

"Doctor, how is my disciple's injury?"

He took a deep breath, turned his head to look at the blue-clothed old elder beside him who was taking Lutong's pulse.

"The injury has basically stabilized. With another two or three months of rest, he should be able to get out of bed."

The old elder placed Lutong's arm back on the bed and exclaimed in amazement: "Fortunately, Lutong's qi and blood are vigorous; otherwise, with such a severe injury, an ordinary person would have long been dead."

But Master Yan also needs to be mentally prepared: Lutong has multiple fractures throughout his body, and even if he fully recovers in the future, he probably will not be able to continue practicing martial arts anymore."

"What? Luo Tong can't practice martial arts anymore?"

Yan Song's pupils contracted, his face instantly turning grim.

"Alas! The attacker was too ruthless—Luo Gongzi's meridians were severed seven out of eight; preserving his life is already a blessing from heaven." The blue-clothed old man shook his head and sighed.

After seeing off the physician, Yan Song returned to the room.

As he watched Luo Tong still lying motionless on the bed a month later, a raging fury welled up from his depths, refusing to subside.

"Qin Shuo, Wei Yuan—I, Yan Song, will make you master and disciple pay the price!"

He gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with terrifying fury and killing intent.

"Master, there's movement at the Liuhe Martial Arts Hall!"

At that moment, a thin-built youth hurried into the courtyard, panting,

"Master, I went into the city this morning and saw Qin Shuo of the Liuhe Martial Arts Hall, along with their two instructors, leading a group out of the city."

"Left the city? Are you sure you didn't mistake it?"

Yan Song raised his brow, a flash of ruthlessness crossing his eyes.

"Absolutely sure."

The thin youth spoke firmly, then added: "From what I've heard, they seem to have taken a medicinal order from the Sky Wolf Gang and are heading to Songyang Prefecture City to purchase herbs."

"Going to Songyang Prefecture to buy herbs?"

Yan Song's tone was contemplative, as if pondering something, and only after a long while did he say to the thin youth: "You may withdraw first—I now know of this."

The thin youth bowed and departed.

Yan Song's face instantly showed a ferocious expression.

He muttered softly: "Heaven helps me! Truly, heaven helps me."

"If that Qin brat kept hiding in the Liuhe Martial Arts Hall, it would be fine."

"With that old scoundrel Wei Yuan protecting him, I could do nothing to him."

"But he actually left the city—and went to the prefectural city!"

"That road is overrun with bandits; even if he meets with some mishap, who could trace it back to me?"

"Besides, Zhan Bai was injured last time on Erlong Mountain, which is the necessary route to the prefectural city."

"As long as I set an ambush there beforehand, blending among the bandits of Erlong Mountain, I can silently eliminate that Qin brat,"

Yan Song's eyes surged with killing intent.

He had already made up his mind: Qin Shuo's trip to the prefectural city would be one-way.

……

Just as Yan Song was calculating how to use the bandits' identity to ambush and kill Qin Shuo,

The unaware Qin Shuo had already led the martial hall's caravan, traveling eastward toward the prefectural city.

Since the Sky Wolf Gang needed the herbs urgently, this caravan traveled light and fast, unlike before when they would also carry local specialties and weapons to sell in the prefectural city.

The caravan consisted of strong, hardworking young men who could endure hardship and march swiftly.

With no cargo on the wagons, everyone felt relatively relaxed.

In just five days, they had traveled from Black Water City, dusty and weary, to the vicinity of Erlong Mountain.