Chapter 304: Thief God List, Thunder Dragon True Qi

"Thief God Brother Sikong Xing?

Li Yuan's heart stirred, and he recorded this intelligence in the Listening Sound Ledger.

After forging the three Thunder Dragon Jun Tian Hammers, most of the incense on his body was gone; after the Listening Sound Talisman promoted three ranks, only some first and second-rank incense remained.

From time to time, he would hear something like that, but most of the intelligence obtained was not very useful, mostly trivial scraps.

This entry was one of the few useful ones in two months.

Hmm, very useful.

That batch of incense from the Dao Bureau, Daoist Li was also a bit envious of; he was truly too short on incense.

"It seems there is more than one group eyeing the Dao Bureau's incense."

Closing the Listening Sound Ledger, Li Yuan pondered for a moment; he had no impression of this so-called Thief God, so he immediately rose, walked out of the room, and prepared to first inquire about this Thief God's background.

It was early morning, the red sun just rising, its brilliant light sprinkling over the Longhu Mountains in early spring; clouds and mist surged, the scenery quite good.

"One Qi-Enhancing Pill remains, estimated not enough to forge the final two meridians; adding that Power-Explosive Qi Pill, it should be about enough?"

Facing the morning sun, Li Yuan calculated in his heart: "Hurry up, tonight should be about enough? Spirit Pills are truly good things; pity, they will be gone soon."

The Qi-Enhancing Pill is not an upper-grade Spirit Pill, yet one at least equals a month of his hard cultivation; this is for him; for an ordinary Meridian-Piercing expert, it would equal one or two years of effort.

This bottle of Qi-Enhancing Pills saved him at least over a year of grinding hard work.

"It is hard to go from luxury to frugality."

Touching the last two Spirit Pills in his chest, Li Yuan did not pack up, closed the courtyard gate, and prepared to descend the mountain.

After the New Year, Longhu Temple grew even more lively; every few days, friendly sect forces or lone experts came to visit.

These sect forces and lone experts mostly had intricate connections with Longhu Temple, so they naturally welcomed them gladly.

Walking on the mountain path, Li Yuan could even smell a faint scent of wine; old friends he hadn't seen in years visited, even Old Dragon Head drank quite a few rounds of wine, let alone the other disciples.

Even Li Yuan had to accompany them and drink a few rounds.

"Eh?

On the way down the mountain, Li Yuan moved very fast; occasionally scanning crowded places, suddenly, he stopped his steps and turned back to look into the mountains.

A thought crossed his mind; Li Yuan hurried down the mountain.

After spring warmth and blooming flowers, Mount Hengshan revived with vitality, far more lively than in winter; merchant caravans from other prefectures, even from Dao City, poured into the city.

The weapon forge's business was also very good.

Since Li Yuan slowed down the forging of hammer weapons, the weapon forge turned loss into profit; relying on Li Yuan's reputation, in a few months it actually earned over three thousand taels of silver.

"These days, people come to order weapons from time to time, starting with famous artifacts; I have refused them all."

In the back courtyard of the weapon forge, Liu Zheng handed the account book to Li Yuan, speaking of these days' transactions.

"Hmm."

Li Yuan closed the account book and asked: "Has Gao Liu sent a letter?"

After truly becoming a disciple of Long Xi Xiang and establishing a foothold at Longhu Temple, his first order of business was to send a letter to Gao Liu County, hoping to bring his elder brother, sister-in-law, and the old man over.

"Last September, I entrusted the 'Master Fuyuan Escort Agency' to send the letter; according to the Escort Agency's timeline, it should return in the latter half of the year."

Liu Zheng poured tea for Li Yuan: "Master Fuyuan Escort Agency is one of the largest Escort Agencies in Dao City; its business radiates to nearby prefectures, even having business dealings with Long Yin Dao and Leiyin Dao; it has always been reliable."

"Notify me immediately when there is news." Li Yuan nodded.

The big boss behind Master Fuyuan Escort Agency, Zhong Baoshu, is the eldest senior brother of his lineage; his ranking on the Tiger List is second only to a group of Hall Masters and Long Long Xinglie; the Escort Agency is not short of Longhu Inner Gate elite disciples.

"I understand."

Liu Zheng agreed; after finishing talking about business matters, he began asking about some Wu Gong matters.

Young Master Liu's talent in Wu Gong is average, but following Li Yuan's guidance, step by step, he has already achieved inner strengthening; at most one or two years, at least half a year, he hopes to achieve great inner strengthening.

Li Yuan's Wu Gong foundation is already sufficient; guiding Liu Zheng is naturally effortless for him.

Finally, he took out a thick booklet from his chest: "This booklet is what I wrote in my spare time; read it more when you have time."

"Thank you, Brother Li!"

Liu Zheng accepted it with a grateful face; since last time he received Li Yuan's handwritten letter, he rekindled his longing for Wu Gong.

He couldn't wait to flip through it: "Spirit Ape Force entering the interior requires following these steps, starting from the left index finger, passing through the wrist, shoulder, and arm to the chest and abdomen, returning to the right hand.

Li Yuan's handwritten letter focuses on Shaguashi Sect teaching.

This was specially written according to Liu Zheng's physique and bone structure, as well as his Wu Gong progress; as long as one is diligent, following the steps can achieve great inner strengthening.

"Take your time reading."

Seeing his eagerness, Li Yuan nodded in his heart, put down a bottle of Bone-Strengthening Pills he no longer needed, and walked out the door.

With the weapon forge expanding again and again, it is already quite large; under its command are over one hundred blacksmiths and nearly a thousand apprentices; from far away, one can hear the sound of hammering iron and the sound of bellows.

Li Yuan wandered around for a while before Wang Wang Peiyao came hurriedly.

She wore a plain yellow long robe, her long hair tied back, looking quite capable.

"Congratulations, Brother Li, on your great Wu Gong advancement."

From afar, Young Lady Wang cupped her hands to offer congratulations.

"Oh? How did you tell?" Li Yuan was slightly stunned, somewhat curious.

Only you, this busy person, stay indoors; these days, the Longhu List at Yunshu Lou is selling very hot.

"Brother Li's reputation is spreading very widely."

Wang Wang Peiyao smiled lightly, took out a thin booklet from her sleeve, inscribed with 'Mount Hengshan Longhu List'.

"Is this a new list?"

Li Yuan reached out, took it, and flipped through casually; he found this list overlapped quite a bit with the Dragon List; the difference is it also covers sects in various prefectures and some Jianghu lone experts.

His ranking is thirty-six, five places lower than the Dragon List; these five people are the most elite genius disciples among other sects of Hengshan Dao, excluding Longhu Temple.

"Hmm, one of the new lists."

Wang Wang Peiyao, the little expert in intelligence, nodded: "Such a grand event as the Martial Arts Tournament of All Paths, how could Yunshu Lou miss it? Besides the Dragon and Tiger List and the Rouge List, more than a dozen books have been published, and they have made a fortune."

"Feng Feng Mantian is indeed a genius."

Taking the new lists handed to him by Young Lady Wang, Li Yuan couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration for the owner of Yunshu Lou.

As far as he knew, Feng Feng Mantian's Wu Gong was not high; the reason he could firmly hold the position of Yunshu Lou's owner relied entirely on his endless commercial tactics.

In the sixty or seventy years he managed Yunshu Lou, the sect's power had increased more than tenfold, and even several Grandmasters on the Heroes List had been invited as honored guests.

"Trading in intelligence is a job that offends people."

Wang Wang Peiyao felt no envy about this; she knew very well that money from intelligence is hard to earn.

"True."

After chatting a few words, Li Yuan followed her to the leather shop inside the store, where more than a dozen skilled craftsmen were making boots.

"In the past half year, I recruited over thirty shoemakers in total; after repeated screening, only seventeen remained, all of them highly skilled."

Wang Wang Peiyao also took out the account books; Li Yuan flipped through them and then set them down.

The weapon-forging shop has already turned a profit, but Wang Wang Peiyao here has not a single bit of income; the collected leather and the boots made are strictly forbidden from being sold.

"The boots made in this past half year are all here."

Wang Wang Peiyao led Li Yuan to the inner room; on more than twenty shoe racks, most were filled with various spirit-leather boots, and in the corner lay dozens of various spirit-beast hides.

'Non-ranked: one hundred and twenty-one pairs; First Rank: thirty-six pairs; Second Rank: twenty-one pairs; Third Rank: none.'

Li Yuan glanced over it, and his mind was already clear.

If the incense offerings were sufficient, the boots here would be enough to forge a pair of Fifth Rank boots; counting those in the Weapon-Commanding Space, it might barely be enough to forge a pair of Divine Weapon-grade boots?

"As for the bone ornaments, they are all in my room, probably around three hundred pieces."

Saying this, Wang Wang Peiyao spread her hands, asking for money.

"Bring the boots and bone ornaments to my room; I will take them away tomorrow."

Li Yuan paid very readily; mainly because the 'gift' left by Chu Shan Xuan Kong was astonishing; he handed over three thousand taels of gold notes at once, which made Young Lady Wang somewhat surprised.

"Brother Li, exactly how much silver did Master Master Gongyang give you?"

Young Lady Wang couldn't hold back this time.

"Not much is left."

Li Yuan wore a pained expression; on the gray Dingxin Dingxin Shitai, only two hundred and ninety-six thousand taels of gold notes remained.

"Master Master Gongyang is truly generous." Wang Wang Peiyao took the gold notes; while admiring, she also felt a bit of bitterness; this 'not much' was probably many times more than what her Wang family had accumulated over several generations.

Li Yuan coughed lightly to change the subject: "By the way, have you heard of the Divine Thief, Brother Brother Sikong?"

"The Divine Thief?"

Wang Wang Peiyao repeated it a few times: "Hmm, seems I have some impression."

Saying this, she hurried out, returned to her room, rummaged through things with Fa Huan Yi Tong, and came back holding two booklets.

"The Divine Thief List?" Li Yuan's admiration for Feng Feng Mantian increased a bit more; he even wants to make money from thieves.

"The Divine Thief Brother Sikong Xing, ranked sixty-third on the Divine Thief List; this title is very high. The names listed on this register include all great bandits, divine thieves, and flower-plucking thieves from the Five Great Paths and Nineteen Provinces of Great Yun."

Wang Wang Peiyao flipped through it and handed it to Li Yuan.

"Sixty-third on the Divine Thief List, the Divine Thief Brother Sikong Xing; origin sect unknown, master unknown; skilled in using curved blades, expert in disguise and deception arts, extremely high-level lightness skill; once, with a body refined to the Marrow-Cleansing stage, he stole the sword manual from Changhong Sword Sect, Master Lu Shu of Shan Sect, and escaped unscathed!"

Good heavens!

No wonder he dared to steal the incense offerings from the Dao Bureau; he even dared to steal the sword manual of a Dao Sect Grandmaster.

Li Yuan marveled inwardly and couldn't help but feel a certain determination.

This divine thief has extremely high lightness skill and is good at disguise, but his Wu Gong is not high.

"Daoist is his natural counter!"

Returning to the Shopkeeper's room in the back courtyard, Li Yuan sat cross-legged in meditation, suppressed his restless thoughts, took out the last two spirit pills, and prepared to forge the last two Qi meridians before nightfall.

Buzz~

Li Yuan focused his spirit and calmly observed his own body.

The effect of one bottle of Qi-Boosting Pills is extremely astonishing; at this moment, the Qi meridian network within his body could be described as complex, with thirty-four meridians crisscrossing and covering his four limbs and hundred bones.

"According to Old Dragon Head's words, having more Qi meridians is not necessarily better; they must match the Wu Gong one practices."

Li Yuan murmured to himself, yet this did not delay him from swallowing that Qi-Boosting Pill; as the medicinal power spread, the internal Qi, which was already circulating rapidly, became even more turbulent.

Having previously refined thirty-four Qi meridians, he was already well-versed in this; with the support of the medicinal power, soon, the last two Qi meridians began to take shape.

"Not a single one will be left."

With just this little bit remaining, Li Yuan made a ruthless decision and swallowed that Qi-Explosion Pill.

Boom!

As soon as this pill entered his stomach, Li Yuan's face instantly turned red; the medicinal power of this Qi-Explosion Pill far surpassed that of the Qi-Boosting Pill.

Whether one Qi-Explosion Pill can increase internal Qi by five years, Li Yuan did not know, but at this moment he felt his internal Qi as if it were endless.

"Hundred Beasts Thunder Dragon!"

Sensing signs of his internal Qi losing control, Li Yuan immediately activated the Hundred Beasts Thunder Dragon without hesitation.

Only a 'buzz' sound was heard; the room with doors and windows tightly closed was already flooded with Lei Guang; tables, chairs, and vases instantly turned to dust, and the walls and the house shook.

"Even with only eighty percent of the medicinal power, it is this fierce?" Li Yuan was slightly surprised, but possessing over thirty Qi meridians and two major acupoints, he quickly suppressed the turbulent internal Qi.

Under his perception, the remaining two Qi meridians took shape at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"The medicinal power cannot be wasted!"

Transform internal Qi into True Qi; first, transform it into Thunder Dragon True Qi!

Daoist Li calculated carefully; after slightly sensing the remaining amount of medicinal power, before the last two Qi meridians fully formed, he began circulating his internal Qi to start 'Transforming Internal Qi into True Qi'.

"Huff!"

Within his body, there seemed to be the sound of a dragon's cry and a tiger's roar.

Li Yuan sank his qi into his dantian. With the experience of comprehending the Sea-Splitting Mystic Whale Diagram, his control over his internal qi was exquisite; in a short while, the boiling internal qi had been forcibly suppressed within his dantian by him.

Along with that tiger-roar and dragon-cry, within his dantian, amid the pure yellow internal qi hazy as fog, a small blue-black dragon seemed to be born.

"Woo!"

The thunder dragon formed from internal qi swam about within the dantian, constantly stirring the fog-like internal qi; then, at Li Yuan's urging, it opened its mouth and devoured.

Wisp after wisp, stream after stream.

The tiny thunder dragon, slender as an earthworm, greedily devoured the internal qi; its form swelled at a speed visible to the naked eye, and very soon its body was about to fill the entire dantian.

"Huff!"

Li Yuan opened his eyes, overlapped his hands, and pressed them over his dantian; that swollen thunder dragon opened its mouth and roared in fury, and a single drop of blue-black liquid dripped down within the dantian.

"Drip!"