Cultivation: Start From Simplifying Martial Arts Techniques

Hundred Horn City Xuanhe Gang’s residence.

“Step aside, I need to see several gang leaders. My brother is dead. If the gang doesn’t want to step forward, then I’ll take my men and go kill them myself!” Meng Zongping shouted loudly, trying to step into the courtyard ahead, but he was blocked by the surrounding guards.

“The leaders are currently entertaining Dong Dexue from the City Lord’s Mansion. Please come back tomorrow, Master Meng,” the guard said in a low voice.

“The murderer is still living freely in Hundred Horn City. I can’t wait until tomorrow.”

Upon hearing Dong Dexue’s name, Meng Zongping hesitated for a moment. However, when he thought of the death of his brother Ren Shitai, he couldn’t suppress his anger.

Together they had been in Xuanhe Gang for thirty years, even planning to break through to the next realm together in the future. But now, Ren Shitai had died so tragically, and Meng Zongping couldn’t accept it.

Moreover, Meng Zongping had received information that the person who killed his brother was now in Hundred Horn City.

With the murderer so close at hand, how could he not seek justice for his brother’s soul?

Furthermore, both Meng Zongping and Ren Shitai had worked tirelessly for Xuanhe Gang without complaint. Now that Ren Shitai was dead, it was both morally and logically necessary for Xuanhe Gang to seek justice for him.

Otherwise, how would the gang members under Xuanhe Gang view them?

“What’s all this commotion about? Don’t you know the gang leaders are entertaining esteemed guests?” A steward-like figure stepped forward, frowning slightly upon seeing Meng Zongping.

“Steward, Ren Shitai, the leader of the Ren Hall, has died,” whispered the guard as he saw the steward.

“What? When did this happen?” The steward was startled, quickly asking.

Ren Shitai was considered a skilled practitioner in the later stages of the Visceral Tempering realm within Xuanhe Gang. If he had continued progressing at his current pace, there might have been hope for him to breakthrough to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm in the future.

His death was a significant loss for the entire Xuanhe Gang.

“Steward, please intercede for my brother.”

Meng Zongping stepped forward, explaining Ren Shitai’s situation in detail.

Ren Shitai intercepted a merchant convoy a hundred miles away today, which wasn’t officially sanctioned by Xuanhe Gang.

After all, intercepting a convoy wasn’t considered a major task for Xuanhe Gang, and each hall under the gang had the authority to make decisions.

However, according to the unwritten rules of Xuanhe Gang, when intercepting, they must clearly display their gang sign.

Moreover, there was an unwritten rule in Xuanhe Gang that during such interceptions, unnecessary conflicts with caravans should be avoided.

If someone comes knocking on the door afterwards, they might just abandon him.

But in so many years, the Xuanhe Gang has never been chased after.

The people of Xuanhe Gang have rich experience in knowing whom to provoke and whom absolutely not to touch.

Sometimes, if they’re unsure about a situation, they’d rather not act, to avoid trouble, and thus have always been safe and sound.

The murder of a hall master like Ren Shitai is indeed the first time something like this has happened in so many years for Xuanhe Gang.

Today, Ren Shitai went out to intercept a convoy. Originally, Meng Zongping was invited along, but he drank too much last night and was unwilling to move today, so he didn’t go.

By evening, when Ren Shitai still hadn’t returned, Meng Zongping sent someone to check, and soon they found Ren Shitai’s and many other Xuanhe Gang members’ corpses a hundred miles away.

“I just heard you say you found the murderer?” The steward frowned.

To be able to kill such a skilled expert in the Visceral Tempering realm like Ren Shitai, and leave not a single member of Xuanhe Gang present alive, such power is not to be underestimated.

Normally, they would clean up loose ends thoroughly, so how did Meng Zongping find the perpetrator so quickly?

“Yes! Because that person directly rode in a carriage of the caravan and entered the city,” Meng Zongping said hoarsely.

A hundred miles away, not only were there corpses of Xuanhe Gang members, but also the carriage left behind by the caravan.

As one of the prominent gangs in Hundred Horn City, Xuanhe Gang had informants stationed at several city gates.

Initially, no one paid attention when the carriage entered the city. However, once the incident outside the city unfolded and the two were connected, they immediately locked onto the suspect.

Meng Zongping also directly apprehended the caravan’s leader, who was introduced in the courtyard today, and learned about their situation.

There was only one man and a few female companions.

“Wait here, I’ll go talk to the gang leaders,” the steward nodded and turned back into the courtyard.

If indeed one person had slain Ren Shitai and the others, that person’s strength was not to be underestimated. Even if not in the Aperture Tempering realm, they must be among the top in the Visceral Tempering realm.

Moreover, for them to boldly enter Hundred Horn City in such a manner, they must have some backing, which should not be underestimated.

In less than a moment, the steward returned with four others from the courtyard.

“Today was supposed to be for entertaining Mr. Dong, unexpectedly encountering such an incident, disturbing Mr. Dong,” Ning Junkang expressed regret on his face.

“Ah, Master Ning, what nonsense is this! Your group of over thirty people were senselessly slaughtered. If these madmen had not entered Hundred Horn City, it would have been acceptable, but now they dare to show up in Hundred Horn City, it’s simply disrespecting our city!”

Dong Dexue waved his hand, speaking loudly and firmly.

“Mr. Dong speaks with righteousness. Such madmen indeed deserve extreme punishment to serve as a warning!” Kang Boyuan nodded.

“Feel free to act as you see fit, whether to kill or to torture, but be mindful of the repercussions and try not to cause too much disturbance,” Dong Dexue added sternly.

Killing was permissible, but not at the expense of disrupting the peace of Hundred Horn City.

“Rest assured, Mr. Dong, we understand this,” Ning Junkang nodded, then turned to Meng Zongping.

“Where is Master Ren’s body? Lead us to see.”

Ning Junkang wanted to verify the killer’s methods to ascertain their level of cultivation.

For someone in the Visceral Tempering realm, it was unnecessary to say much —directly confronting someone in the Aperture Tempering realm could be captured, or even directly captured and brought back to Xuanhe Gang, where they could be tortured to death in front of all the gang members.

But if they were in the Aperture Tempering realm, they needed to be more cautious.

“Perhaps the three of them will have to act together to bring him down.”

“Over here.”

Meng Zongping quickly led the way, guiding them to a large hall.

The hall was now filled with corpses, all members of Xuanhe Gang who had been outside the city earlier, and the thick scent of blood permeated the air.

No one else showed any reaction to the smell, clearly already accustomed to it.

Ning Junkang stepped forward, meticulously examining the injuries of each gang member, while Dong Dexue and a few others observed closely.

Ning Junkang assessed the killer’s level of cultivation, while Dong Dexue confirmed it as well. If the perpetrator was a skilled martial artist who had also evaded Xuanhe Gang’s pursuit afterward, the City Lord’s Mansion would need to be cautious in the future.

Of course, if there was an opportunity, they might not necessarily become enemies; making a friend was not out of the question. However, the crucial point was whether the perpetrator could evade this incident.

Ning Junkang inspected Ren Shitai’s body with utmost care.

After a moment, Ning Junkang stood up, his previously furrowed brows now relaxed somewhat.

Their greatest concern earlier had been if someone in the Aperture Tempering realm had acted, especially someone in the later stages of that realm. If that were the case, Xuanhe Gang would need to seriously consider whether to retaliate.

After all, Xuanhe Gang only has three Aperture Tempering realm experts now, and the strongest among them has just entered the late stage of the Aperture Tempering realm.

It’s hard to predict the outcome when facing off against a peer of similar strength; one cannot be certain how events will unfold.

Now that Ning Junkang had examined all the wounds, he could confirm that the perpetrator’s strength was only in the Visceral Tempering realm.

Of course, there are significant differences even within the Visceral Tempering realm. Judging from how Ren Shitai was killed with a single blow, it’s likely the perpetrator is just one step away from entering the Aperture Tempering realm.

The control over their own strength that the perpetrator exhibits has reached an exquisite level. Just by looking at the wounds, Ning Junkang can imagine the profound technique used by the perpetrator at the time.

“Let me handle this; after all, he’s just in the Visceral Tempering realm,” Kang Boyuan said.

Kang Boyuan was in the early stage of the Aperture Tempering realm, but it was more than enough to kill someone in the Visceral Tempering realm. Regardless of how strong they were in the Visceral Tempering realm, they were ultimately no match for someone in the Aperture Tempering realm.

“This person is somewhat special; let Junkanghandle it,” Chu Wentao, who had been silent, said in a deep voice.

Chu Wentao was the strongest member of Xuanhe Gang, having broken through to the late stage of the Aperture Tempering realm two years ago.

It was precisely because of Chu Wentao’s breakthrough that Xuanhe Gang’s position in Hundred Horn City had been significantly elevated once again.

At Chu Wentao’s age, there was a great hope of reaching the peak of the Aperture Tempering realm cultivation and possibly even breaking through to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

Someone of his caliber deserved special treatment, which was why Dong Dexue had frequented Xuanhe Gang multiple times in the last two years.

The Lord’s Mansion needed to harness the power of Xuanhe Gang to truly stabilize Hundred Horn City.

“Good! I’ll go and return shortly!”

Ning Junkang readily agreed, reaching out to grab Meng Zongping nearby and swiftly disappearing into the hall.

“With the Second Hall Master taking action, success is practically assured,” Dong Dexue clapped his hands in satisfaction.

“May Mr. Dong’s words be blessed,” Chu Wentao smiled slightly in response.

Several miles away, in a small courtyard,

As the storm abated, several women had already collapsed onto their beds, completely drained of energy.

“Young Master, those bandits with the horses seem to have other connections behind them. Should we stay in Hundred Horn City like this…?”

Xue Jiaoru struggled to support herself, speaking softly to Chen Fei beside her.

“Are you only thinking about this now?”

Chen Fei, with a mischievous smile, reached out and pinched softly. Amid Xue Jiaoru’s shy protests, he burst into hearty laughter.

Casually throwing on a piece of clothing, Chen Fei stood up, emitting a sudden surge of aura from within.

In a location only discernible to his mental focus, an aperture suddenly lit up.

Chen Fei’s original self possessed seven innate talents, a gift that naturally extended to his demonic body form.

Although his current cultivation was too low to fully utilize the innate talents bestowed by the Divine Palace, at most, it only slightly diminished their power. Many of these talents, such as the Sword Mastery, Endless Regeneration, Adamantine Body, Thunderstorm, Divine Blessings, and Prison Suppression, were currently accessible.

Especially the Endless Regeneration talent allowed him to draw elemental energy directly from the void, providing a tremendous source of power for Chen Fei.

Thanks to these talents, Chen Fei swiftly advanced to the Visceral Tempering realm in a single leap.

Now, after a day’s time, having achieved mastery in the Visceral Tempering realm, the breakthrough to the Aperture Tempering realm was imminent and effortlessly achieved!