Chapter 196: Planning for the White-Belt Martial Master

Regardless of whether Zhang Huaimin believed him or not, Zhou You persisted in this explanation.

The old man was meticulous and cunning; although he had his suspicions, he did not expose them to his face.

He carefully asked about the places where Yan Ping had 'appeared,' saying he would go there himself to see if there were any gains. Nowadays, all of Fucheng knew that Yan Ping carried the wealth accumulated by the Moyun Stronghold over several decades; finding him meant never having to worry about food or drink for a lifetime.

Commander Chen led troops to pursue and capture him everywhere, and other martial artists were also looking for opportunities.

Unfortunately, these people were destined to return empty-handed.

"Brother, before we part, let's shake hands."

Zhang Huaimin did not wait for Zhou You to refuse; his movement was as fast as lightning as he grabbed the back of Zhou You's hand.

Qi and blood, like a thin thread, burrowed into the back of Zhou You's hand, surfaced on the skin, and shrank into a red dot.

"From now on, no matter where you are in the world, brother, I will be able to find you."

The old man was full of schemes; not only did he not relax his suspicion, but he also wanted to play the long game!

The red dot on the back of Zhou You's hand was like a tracker, emitting a fixed-point signal at every moment, with Zhang Huaimin as the receiver.

With his current strength, it was impossible to erase the traces left by this touch of qi and blood.

He breathed a sigh of relief; it was fine to leave a mark, as it would make the other party feel at ease enough to let him leave.

Sure enough...

"Sending a friend a thousand miles must end in a parting; brother, I won't see you off any further."

Zhang Huaimin held up the face of the man from Gao Village, "I will go cash in the bounty for you; we brothers will split it fifty-fifty."

Zhou You thought to himself, I'd be a fool to believe you; you'll definitely swallow it all, just consider it feeding a dog.

"Take care, elder brother!"

After sending Zhang Huaimin away, Zhou You turned his head to look at the corpses covering the ground.

He was not interested in the corpses of Hua Zhuomo and his group, but to him, even a mosquito's leg was meat.

"Poor ghosts, 6 or 7 people, and you can't even scrape together 1000 taels of silver; you bunch of scumbags."

"Don't you know that a fist should never leave the hand? If you don't carry secret manuals on you, how can you review them at any time? Bah!"

"Hmm, what is this?"

Although this group had been reduced to highway robbery, after searching them, the extent of their poverty still made Zhou You feel resentful.

To be as poor as a street rat, what a disgrace to a martial artist! In the end, there was a harvest on Hua Zhuomo's body...

A pure silver round box containing insect eggs like caviar; through qi and blood probing, he knew they were not dead things, but alive.

Blood Qi Gu, insect eggs that had not yet hatched.

Because hatching required a large amount of qi and blood and time, with Hua Zhuomo's capital, he had only raised one adult, and the rest were eggs.

And also...

"A property deed, a property deed in Fucheng?"

Zhou You held a thin piece of paper with text, red seals, and a thumbprint on it.

There was also a large bunch of keys attached.

Hua Zhuomo didn't have much silver on him, and he had thought he was a poor ghost too, yet he had hidden such a large amount of real estate.

The property deed stated clearly: an independent courtyard in the Inner City, covering half a mu, which was over 300 square meters.

Although it was not as large as the one priced at the Doujichang, it was better in location and much quieter.

Looking at the seal on the property deed, it was actually a fake name... Ye Ying, not Hua Zhuomo himself.

Zhou You found the corresponding keys and the seal from the pile of scraps, and his mind was made up.

Holding the seal, property deed, and keys, whoever showed up could take over that independent courtyard in Fucheng.

His cheap brother had left too early; if he had stayed a moment longer, he would definitely have wanted to monopolize this wealth.

But now...

"It's mine."

Zhou You had long since planned it; Gongliang City was not a place to stay for long, and he would definitely have to move to the larger and safer Fucheng in the future.

But there were two conditions to solve in Fucheng: one was a place to live, and two was an income. Now the place to live was solved, leaving only the livelihood to support a family in the future.

"Increasing wealth is a good thing, but exceeding one's own strength is a disaster! Now with Zhang Huaimin lurking, my level of qi and blood cannot protect this wealth!"

Zhou You had to raise his strength to the level of a Martial Master in the shortest possible time to protect himself and face the turbulent times ahead.

The Tiger Subduing Fist he mainly practiced was first excluded due to a lack of subsequent techniques.

The Seven Step Poison Sand was a high-stakes gamble with a nine-in-ten chance of death to break through to Martial Master because of the hidden danger of toxic qi rushing back to the heart.

The Zhou Family Fist could only save his life; it was too specialized and not advisable.

In the end, only one remained...

"Five Blessings Palm and Fist Record"

This fist technique combined the signature skills of the five leaders of the Moyun Stronghold, carrying the shadows of each, yet it was a brand-new path.

The key was that this fist technique led directly to the Martial Master level, and its potential far exceeded ordinary fist techniques.

Zhou You now had to calculate how many Experience Points were needed to reach the Martial Master realm.

His plan was to only raise his realm, discarding all unnecessary secret methods and ultimate moves, so that the best steel could be used on the blade.

In this way, he could reduce unnecessary expenditure of Experience Points.

"Five Blessings Palm and Fist Record, the current level is Strength Peak, and that was just from casual practice."

With his strength at the middle stage of qi and blood, he already had a small foundation from practicing it casually; it would take more effort to raise it to the same level of qi and blood.

"To break through to Qi and Blood Stage 1, it requires 1200 Experience Points, which is even more expensive than the Seven Step Poison Sand Palm."

Considering that the Five Blessings Palm and Fist Record had a higher ceiling and a higher grade, it was normal for it to cost more.

And then from Qi and Blood Stage 1 to Qi and Blood Stage 9...

"From Qi and Blood Stage 1 to Qi and Blood 2nd Stage, Experience Points -1500."

"From Qi and Blood 2nd Stage to Qi and Blood 3rd Stage, Experience Points -2300."

"From Qi and Blood 5th Stage to Qi and Blood 6th Stage, Experience Points -9400."

"From Qi and Blood Stage 8 to Qi and Blood 9th Stage, Experience Points -19000."

"So..."

"From Qi and Blood Stage 1 to Qi and Blood 9th Stage, the total required Experience Points, let me calculate, is over 100,000 Experience Points in total."

This astronomical figure is not just for a simple increase in Qi and Blood, but also includes the proficiency of the internal circulation of the Five Blessings Palm and Fist Record.

The two are inextricably linked and neither can be dispensed with; there is no possibility of upgrading them separately.

Without the support of a cultivation technique, if his Qi and Blood were to suddenly surge to the Martial Master level, it would only cause Zhou You to explode on the spot and happily win a Darwin Award.

Conversely, if his Qi and Blood are not up to par, the internal circulation of the fist technique is like an unblocked irrigation ditch, nothing more than strokes on a blueprint.

Zhou You did some quick mental math to see how his Experience Points financial situation stood...

"Gao Laozhuang brought to justice, four-star mission completed, Experience Points +5000."

"Hua Zhuomo and his gang, Experience Points +2000."

"Total Experience Points: 17600."

Having just over ten thousand Experience Points is the wealthiest he has ever been, but compared to his upcoming crazy plan, it is still a drop in the bucket.

"There are still over 150 days left until my six-month sick leave ends. If I want to reach the Martial Master level within this time, I must save up 100,000 Experience Points, which means I need to bring in 500 to 600 Experience Points every day."

That's a joke; even if he didn't eat, drink, or sleep for 12 hours a day, it would be impossible to meet this requirement.

Currently, the fist technique that earns Zhou You the most Experience Points through cultivation is the Zhou Family Fist, at 20 Experience Points per hour.

Even if he were to go into seclusion and not come out, his daily practice time could not exceed 7 or 8 hours at most, or something would go wrong.

Relying solely on burying his head in hard work won't be enough to scrape together such a massive amount of Experience Points.

"I still need to do more missions and dig up more Trial Projects."

Although Trial Projects are dangerous, the income is high, which is far more satisfying than the slow trickle of self-cultivation.

(End of chapter)