We're practicing all martial arts, so why did you switch to easy mode?

Chapter 160 Myriad Wonders of the Profound Heart, Lifespan Secret Manual
"Don't get excited, I haven't finished speaking yet."

Once the chill had dissipated somewhat, the middle-aged man thought to himself with a sense of relief: "I can't breathe so heavily when I talk from now on."

Sensing Su Chen's coldness, the middle-aged man dared not be careless and braced himself, saying, "The complete Xuanxin Wanmiao Style has indeed been lost, but there are still incomplete versions circulating in the world."

Seemingly worried that Su Chen might not know the power of this technique, he quickly added, "The Myriad Wonders of the Profound Heart Technique has four forms. Even if you only obtain one form, you will benefit greatly."

There was once a martial artist at the Blood Transformation Realm who obtained one of the moves of the Profound Heart Myriad Wonders Style and used his strength at the fifth level of the Blood Transformation Realm to defeat a Master of the Meridian Opening Realm, which made him famous throughout the Great Qian Dynasty and was hailed as the number one person below the Meridian Opening Realm!
Moreover, this is currently the most suitable technique for you. In terms of level, neither the power generation techniques of the five major clans of Donglin Prefecture, nor the power generation techniques of clans such as Xicang Prefecture and Nanyuan Prefecture, can compare to the Xuanxin Wanmiao Style.

Even though this technique is incomplete, it is still unique, distinctive, unparalleled, and unrivaled, truly unique…

The rest was all nonsense, which Su Chen ignored. He frowned and fell into deep thought.

After a long silence, he looked up and asked, "Where can I obtain this martial arts technique?"

"The Great Qian Imperial Family," the middle-aged man replied without hesitation.

Su Chen's face darkened: "Isn't there anywhere else?"

"without……"

Before he could finish speaking, the middle-aged man felt a chilling coldness wash over him. He opened his mouth, cursing Su Chen in his mind.

"Actually, there is another place."

After thinking it over, he finally flexibly changed his inner principles and said with a troubled expression.

Su Chen's brows relaxed slightly upon hearing this: "Where?"

"The part of this technique that exists at Shadow Assassin headquarters was sold to headquarters by a mysterious person."

clap clap clap!
No sooner had he finished speaking than Su Chen made his move, causing the middle-aged man's expression to change drastically. He exclaimed, "You, what are you doing?"

Su Chen didn't speak. His previous method hadn't caused any harm to the middle-aged man; he had simply used his strength to block the man's movements.

Then, Su Chen placed his palm on the man's chest, stared at the middle-aged man, and asked, "How can I obtain this secret manual?"

Before the middle-aged man could speak, Su Chen's indifferent voice rang out again: "Don't lie. If I sense that you are lying, I will not hesitate to sever your heart meridian."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man took a deep breath to calm his unease.

He thought for a moment and said calmly, "It can be bought for 300,000 taels."

"That simple?" Su Chen frowned.

"Yes," the middle-aged man nodded, "It's just a rubbing."

No wonder.

Su Chen muttered to himself, without doubting the truthfulness of the middle-aged man's words.

The other person's heartbeat showed no obvious abnormalities, indicating that what he said was true.

"Tell me in detail," Su Chen said again.

The middle-aged man honestly replied, "Once the headquarters team arrives in Dafeng City, you can purchase it once you have the money ready. However, this technique is not easy to cultivate and is extremely taxing on the mind."

Su Chen nodded, withdrew his hand, released the binding force within the other's body, and then said, "I'll count to three. If you can escape, I'll let you go."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man turned and ran without a second thought, wishing he had four legs.

But before they had gone far, Su Chen's voice suddenly rang out behind them: "Three!"

"...!"

The middle-aged man was clearly taken aback for a moment by this counting method. Who counts straight to three?!

But he quickly realized that now was not the time to pursue this matter.

Just as he was using all his strength to run at top speed, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

Snapped!
Bah.

After another blackout and a dizzying spin, the middle-aged man was knocked to the ground by Su Chen.

"Too bad you didn't get away."

A voice reached the middle-aged man's ears. He wanted to retort, but after opening his mouth, he ultimately closed it weakly.

Su Chen sighed softly, picked up the middle-aged man's corpse, and began to arrange the scene.

Having successfully framed someone once before, they were much more adept at setting up the setup this time, and soon it looked quite impressive.

"However, if only one person died, it's not very convincing!"

Su Chen sat in the room, looking at the messy floor, and pondered.

"Huh? Who?"

Just then, a light footstep sound came from outside the door. Su Chen frowned, ready to strike.

"Sir, it's me."

The figure finally stopped at the doorway and then spoke.

"come in."

Although he didn't know the other person's identity, it didn't stop Su Chen from pretending to be a middle-aged man.

Squeak.

Snapped!
As soon as the other person walked in, he was slapped by Su Chen. His strength was inferior to that of the middle-aged man, and he couldn't withstand the slap at all.

He was so badly hit that he saw stars and collapsed instantly.

Su Chen did not kill the other party immediately; he still had some questions to ask.

After an incense stick had burned, Su Chen carefully laid out the body.

The other party was not as agile as the middle-aged man; he was young and utterly loyal.

So Su Chen asked him several questions in a row, but he didn't answer any of them. In the end, he committed suicide by poisoning himself.

However, his appearance reminded Su Chen that someone else would probably come tonight, so he hid the two bodies.

Sure enough, half an hour later, another member of the Shadow Assassins appeared, saying the same old thing: "Sir, it's me."

Su Chen let him in, subdued him, and asked him the same questions. Although the other party was not as fierce as the previous Shadow Assassin member, he was not honest and spoke half-truths, making him hard to figure out. Su Chen simply sent him to accompany the other two.

And so it went until dawn, with Su Chen successively eliminating seven or eight Shadow Assassins.

After waiting for nearly an hour, and still no Shadow Assassins appeared, Su Chen decided to leave. He rearranged the scene and left behind "evidence".

As dawn broke, Su Chen returned to the Qiao residence.

Last night's haul was pretty good.

Not only did they find techniques for generating power, they also completed part of their plan.

Next, we'll see how the Hong family and Shadow Killer use their methods.

"However, I asked five or six people last night. Some knew about this technique, while others had never even heard of it. But those who knew about it all said the same thing, which must be because they received different information. This further proves that Shadow Killer does indeed have this technique."

But the reality was quite different from what the person in charge had said. Several people believed it was a gimmicky technique, not worth 300,000 taels at all, and they had never heard of anyone buying it.

Although the others spoke with great conviction, Su Chen still believed the middle-aged man's words more.

On the one hand, the high price is enough to demonstrate the power of the technique.

Even if the people in Shadow Kill are blind, they wouldn't price a gimmicky skill at such a high price; it can only mean that it does have something special about it.

These people call it a gimmick, which sounds like sour grapes.

On the other hand, the middle-aged man showed no signs of lying when he said those words, and he had no reason to lie about it.

The cultivation techniques are all clearly priced; anyone with a little connection can find them.

Moreover, at that time, the other party's life was in Su Chen's hands. Lying about such a thing would be a death wish.

"Three hundred thousand taels of silver is enough; it's worth a try."

If it's true, then Su Chen will have struck gold.

For him, being able to buy a cultivation technique that enhances his strength by spending money was naturally a win.

After all, he's not short of money now!
In addition to these gains, Su Chen also obtained two Blood Strengthening Pills from the middle-aged man.

He was puzzled as to why the other party was so angry when he learned that he had asked for a hundred pills. It turned out that all he had was two Blood Strengthening Pills.

I don't know whether to say he's poor or that the blood-strengthening pills are too expensive.

Shaking his head, Su Chen swallowed the pill and prepared to continue refining the Qi and Blood Pill.

The Qi and Blood Pills that were refined earlier have been completely used up after continuously enhancing the Hunyuan Technique.

If I don't refine them soon, I won't have any Qi and Blood Pills left for my cultivation.

Since Su Chen didn't plan to go out for the next while, he could take the opportunity to study the fourth-generation Bewitching Powder and see if he could improve it further.

Meanwhile, at the city gate of Sifang City.

A force of over a thousand people remained stationed on the official road, waiting quietly.

The sun was high in the sky, and the air was slightly hot, which spread with the whispering crowd.

"What is Hong Jingda up to? Why hasn't he come to greet us yet after all this time?"

An elderly man with white hair and a frail face was like a lit dynamite, extremely fiery.

“We sent the message early this morning, but not only have they not arrived on time, they've also made us wait for them. It's almost noon now, and we haven't seen a single person. I think Hong Jingda doesn't want to be the clan chief anymore!”

The white-haired old man's words indirectly revealed everyone's feelings at this moment. They had traveled a long way from the prefectural city to return, and it was one thing for Hong Jingda, as the patriarch of the Hong clan, not to welcome them, but there was no reason for them to wait for two or three hours. It was simply outrageous!
"That's enough, Deqing. Maybe something has happened to Jingda."

Another elderly woman with silver hair said something, then turned to the leading old man, "Demin, let's not wait any longer and just set off."

Just as Hong Deqing was about to speak, Hong Demin said, "Alright."

Fuming with rage, Hong Deqing gritted his teeth and said, "Hmph, when I get back, I'll definitely teach Hong Jingda a lesson!"

As Hong Jingda's elder, dealing with Hong Jingda would be a piece of cake.

The group quickened their pace and arrived at Qingxi Town half an hour later. Finally, someone discovered their whereabouts and sent people to greet them.

"Why are only you two here? Where are Hong Jingda and Hong Rongfang?"

Upon seeing Hong Sha, Hong Tao, Hong Lang, and others who came to greet him, Hong Demin, sensing something was amiss, asked a question.

"Reporting to the clan elders, the clan leader and Elder Rongfang have been murdered by treacherous people..." Hong Lang said, sobbing uncontrollably.

"What?" Hong Deqing was shocked upon hearing this, then flew into a rage. "Who has the guts to lay a hand on them?"

"Deqing, let's talk about it when we get back," said an old woman named Hong Dexin.

Upon hearing this, Hong Deqing nodded.

Soon, the three of them gathered Hong Lang and the others together.

Hong Dexin cut to the chase: "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Hong Lang and the others dared not hide anything and told the whole story, including what they found when they examined the body.

"Shadow Kill!"

Upon learning that it was Ying Sha who killed Hong Jingda, Hong Rongfang, and the other two, the three elders' expressions all darkened.

Hong Demin, who had been silent all along, asked, "Has the matter been investigated thoroughly?"

"It has been found out that Elder Rongfang wrote the character 'kill' in her hand with blood and clenched her fist tightly, which is why the murderer did not discover it."

Moreover, there was a disciple who had previously been assassinated by Shadow Assassin, and he also had the character 'Shadow' written on his palm.

Furthermore, since they were all killed with a single strike, similar to the Shadow Assassin's Shadow Blade technique, the disciple concluded that it was Shadow Assassin who was responsible.

Hong Sha's reasonable and well-founded explanation made the three elders believe him to some extent.

"Have the Shadow Assassins arrived in Dafeng City yet?" Hong Dexin asked after hearing the news.

“We have arrived,” Hong Lang replied.

“Although our Hong family is not as powerful as the Shadow Killers, we are not to be trifled with. Hong Wu, send some men to deal with this.”

Hong Demin said calmly, then waved for everyone to leave, "You can all go out now."

After Hong Lang and the others left, Hong Dexin looked at Hong Demin and asked, "Wasn't this matter handled too hastily? What if someone framed us?"

“Dexin, you’re just too cautious. The Shadow Assassins are practically riding on our backs, why are you still putting up with it? Since they dare to provoke us, we’re not afraid of them,” Hong Deqing said dismissively.

"Well, let's decide on this. Shadow Killer ran into trouble, so let's make an example of him to warn others. Otherwise, people will always think that the Hong family is all talk and no action."

Upon hearing Hong Demin's words, Hong Dexin nodded and remained silent.

"What about the Moon Worshiping Thieves?" Hong Deqing asked at this moment.

"We came back early this time because of the Moon Worshiping Thief. Before the news has fully spread to Dafeng City, we must find him as soon as possible. Deqing, when the time comes, give the order to use the intelligence network and find this person at all costs."

Hong Demin's expression was unusually solemn; all three of them knew the importance of the Moon Worship Thief.

A month ago, Baiyue Dao stole a secret manual from the palace and fled to the north. Later, under the pursuit of the Dragon Guard, he was forced to travel to Donglin Prefecture.

Before the Dragon Guards could find the Moon Worshiping Thief, the thief leaked the information, causing a huge uproar and shaking Donglin Prefecture.

The reason is that the manual he stole was a manual that could increase lifespan after cultivation!

Even though the Dragon Guard tried their best to suppress the news, countless forces still went crazy for it.

It should be noted that the lifespan of martial artists below the fourth level of the Blood Transformation Realm is generally around one hundred years.

Only by reaching the fifth level of the Blood Transformation Realm and undergoing a complete transformation can one experience a qualitative leap in lifespan, reaching two hundred years, or even three hundred years.

It's easy to imagine how crazy the martial artists were when this news spread.

Especially the patriarchs of various forces, they were so eager to find Baiyue Dao that they would dig three feet into the ground to seize the secret manual from him.

To everyone's disappointment, despite the extensive search, no one ever found any trace of the Moon Thief.

He suddenly appeared in Donglin Prefecture, and then mysteriously disappeared without any warning.

Until recently, when the prefectural city announced its relocation, Hong learned of the whereabouts of the Moon Worshiping Thieves by chance, and he would also go to Dafeng City.

In order to capture the Moon Worshiping Thief, they abandoned everything else and rushed back without stopping.

The key is to plan ahead, find the Moon Thief, and seize the secret manual from him.

After all, the three of them were nearing the end of their lives, and they longed for this secret manual more than anyone else.

The three then continued to discuss and fill in the details.

……

As the year draws to a close, Fengbei City is gradually becoming more lively.

Especially after the news of the relocation of the prefectural city spread, the already bustling atmosphere became even more crowded.

Besides Dafeng City, forces of all sizes also enter Fengdong City, Fengxi City, Fengnan City, and Fengbei City every day.

The most notable example is the four major clans besides the Hong clan. As if by prior agreement, in addition to occupying the territory of Dafeng City, they each occupied a city.

The clan that settled in Fengbei City was the Luo clan.

Therefore, both Qiao Renzhou and Qiao Qiliang have been exceptionally busy these days.

Every day, Qiao Qiliang was either dealing with various forces or on his way to deal with the Luo family and other forces, leaving him no time to even complain to Su Chen.

Hong Ming, Li Mo, and others were also busy. Hong Ming, Tie Rang, Fang Rou, and the others were preparing to buy a house.

After all, with the entry of various forces, the housing prices in Fengbei City have risen sharply.

Since they couldn't live in the Qiao residence all the time like Su Chen, they had no choice but to buy a house.

While busy settling into the Zhang family, Li Mo also had to prepare for Li Yue's 100-day celebration. Fortunately, with Zhang Hong and Zhang Wan'er assisting him, he wasn't too overwhelmed.

On the contrary, Su Chen has been quite free lately.

Every day he either refines elixirs or prepares fourth-generation bewitching powder.

The number of Qi and Blood Pills is increasing every day, but the alchemy technique has not improved much. It must have reached a bottleneck, and the only way to improve is through accumulation.

The improvement of the fourth-generation Bewitching Powder has also reached a stalemate. The further the improvement goes, the more troublesome it becomes. At least in the short term, Su Chen has no way to further increase its toxicity.

This day.

After several busy days, Qiao Qiliang hurriedly entered the courtyard and immediately smelled the medicinal herbs in the yard.

He waved his hand to dispel the pungent smell, then frowned and asked, "What strange and unusual thing are you researching now?"

"It's a mind-altering drug," Su Chen replied.

Then he looked at Qiao Qiliang, who was standing at a distance, not daring to approach, and asked, "What do you want from me?"

"There is some good news." Qiao Qiliang chuckled and stepped forward. "It concerns the Hong family and Shadow Assassins."

"Oh?" Su Chen raised an eyebrow slightly.

Qiao Qiliang laughed and said, "I don't know why, but Shadow Killer and the Hong Clan started fighting like dogs. The Hong Clan wiped out one of Shadow Killer's branches overnight. When Shadow Killer found out, they immediately withdrew the bounty on you from the Hong Clan and instead issued a bounty on the Hong Clan."

"Haha, that's definitely a good thing."

Upon hearing this, Su Chen smiled; things were indeed developing in the direction he had anticipated.

"Oh, right, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about today," Qiao Qiliang suddenly said with a smile.

Su Chen's heart skipped a beat. He was somewhat unaccustomed to this side of Qiao Qiliang. He took a half step back and nodded, saying, "Go on."

Seeing Su Chen's actions, Qiao Qiliang's smile faltered. He coughed a few times and revealed his purpose: "My father plans to rebuild the Four Seas Gang. Would you be interested in becoming the vice leader of the Four Seas Gang?"

(End of this chapter)