Seeing that Gong Yulei was still unconvinced, Luo Kun shook his head.

"Do you know what the Iron Skin Realm truly means?!"

He slowly scanned the crowd and said in a deep voice,

"In all of Lin Yuan City, there are at least five hundred Martial Artists at the Stone Skin Realm who have broken through the Second Level of Qi and Blood! But do you know how many of them manage to break through to the Third Level of Qi Blood and reach the Iron Skin Realm each year?"

Everyone shook their heads.

Luo Kun held up one finger.

"One!"

Everyone was stunned.

Luo Kun’s expression was grim. He said,

"Don’t be fooled into thinking the Iron Skin Realm is just one step above the Stone Skin Realm. The truth is, the gap between them is far, far greater than you can imagine!

"Ten expert Stone Skin cultivators couldn’t even beat a single person at the Iron Skin Realm! At the Iron Skin Realm, your skin becomes like iron. Ordinary swords and blades can’t harm you in the slightest!

"Simply put, if you, at your measly Stone Skin Realm, were to punch them, not only would you fail to cause any harm, you’d likely injure yourself from the impact!

"But when an Iron Skin Realm expert hits you, it’s like a hammer striking brick—you shatter on contact!"

"That’s insane?!"

Everyone looked at each other, speechless.

"Any Martial Artist who breaks through to the Third Level of Qi Blood and reaches the Iron Skin Realm is a true pillar of a major power," Luo Kun continued.

"You could say that stepping into the Iron Skin Realm means you’ve truly crossed the threshold on the path of the Martial Dao."

"If that’s the case, why would a master like that do something so monstrous?" Zhang Xiong asked, confused.

Luo Kun slowly shook his head.

"Chief Liu didn’t provide any more details. But I’ve heard that some people, in their desperation to break through to Force Integration, resort to heretical methods."

"These methods include murder for sacrificial offerings! Of course, that’s just my guess. I can’t be certain."

"Murder for sacrificial offerings!"

Everyone’s expression changed.

Seeing their grim faces, Luo Kun nodded. It seemed his words had sunk in; his warnings hadn’t been a waste.

Even Gong Yulei’s expression turned serious.

His own training had always gone so smoothly that he’d never given much thought to other martial experts.

Now, understanding the difficulty of reaching the Iron Skin Realm, he felt a faint sense of pressure.

Still, he was confident that he would eventually break through to the Iron Skin Realm—it was just a matter of time.

Although the Fish Dragon Gang still had much to do, he decided to heed his master’s warning and stay home for the time being, to watch how things developed.

"Master, what about Jiang Che?" Zhang Xiong asked, hesitating.

He was worried that Jiang Che would emerge from his secluded training, be unaware of the situation, and fall victim to this killer. That would be a terrible outcome.

"You don’t need to worry about Jiang Che. He already knows."

Hearing this, Zhang Xiong breathed a sigh of relief.

What Luo Kun left unsaid was...

He had heard about Jiang Che from Chief Liu.

When Chief Liu delivered the news, he had mentioned that Luo Kun’s disciple, Jiang Che, was now involved in the case. He said Jiang Che was helping them hunt the mysterious figure.

This left Luo Kun deeply confused.

’Jiang Che is only at the Bull Skin Realm. How could he possibly take part in a manhunt of this caliber?’

He had expressed his confusion, as well as his concern for Jiang Che’s safety.

But Chief Liu had thumped his chest and guaranteed Jiang Che’s absolute safety. As for what specific role he would play, the chief remained silent.

It was, after all, a Government Office secret, so Luo Kun didn’t press the issue.

Afterward, Luo Kun dismissed everyone, telling them to go home early.

...

That day, after telling Jiang Ling to stay in her bedroom and not come out, Jiang Che left the house and headed for the Government Office.

He was going to help capture the Blood Sacrifice.

「A few days earlier.」

It was the day after he had broken through to the Stone Skin Realm.

Liu Hai had suddenly sought him out.

Seeing that Jiang Che had broken through to the Stone Skin Realm, Liu Hai’s face lit up with delight.

After offering his congratulations, he stated the purpose of his visit.

It turned out that, in order to capture the Blood Sacrifice...

...the Government Office had commissioned a special pill that could conceal a person’s aura.

The pill could temporarily hide the aura of a high-level expert.

However, the Blood Sacrifice’s senses were incredibly sharp. Under normal circumstances, there was no fooling it.

It could only be deceived when it was distracted, either fighting or in pursuit.

Thus, the Government Office devised a plan.

An expert would take the pill and hide at a distance.

Then, they would use a Martial Artist of a lower Realm as bait to draw it out.

When the Blood Sacrifice appeared and gave chase...

...the person acting as bait would run toward the hidden expert.

Once the Blood Sacrifice was led into the trap, they would emerge and kill it.

The problem was, the bait couldn’t be of too high a Realm.

The Blood Sacrifice was extremely cautious.

Even though it was at least at the Early Stage of the Iron Skin Realm...

...it wouldn’t necessarily strike at someone who was at the Peak of the Stone Skin Realm. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

It only hunted Martial Artists who were significantly weaker than itself.

Specifically, Martial Artists at the Late-stage Stone Skin Realm or lower.

But an ordinary Martial Artist from those lower Realms would be killed instantly, with no time to make it to the ambush point.

This put the Government Office in a bind.

That’s when Liu Hai thought of Jiang Che.

He was only at the Peak of the Bull Skin Realm, yet he had managed to escape from a Blood Sacrifice at the Early Stage of the Iron Skin Realm.

’Wasn’t he the perfect bait?’

Still, he felt a little guilty about asking Jiang Che to take on the risk of being the lure.

But to capture the Blood Sacrifice, Liu Hai had no choice but to seek him out.

"Sigh... Brother Jiang, I’m truly at my wit’s end! If we let this Blood Sacrifice run rampant, the Outer City will descend into chaos!"

"So, please, Little Brother Jiang, help me with this. Of course, I wouldn’t ask you to do it for free."

"If the capture is successful, the Government Office has prepared a reward of five catties of Top Grade Exotic Beast Meat!"

"Even if we fail, you’ll receive twenty catties of Middle-Grade Exotic Beast Meat. You absolutely will not be treated unfairly."

"Of course, if you’re really unwilling, Little Brother Jiang, I, Liu Hai, will not force you!"

After speaking, he cupped his fist in salute and looked at Jiang Che with an expectant expression.

"Chief Liu, what kind of person do you take me for? As long as this Blood Sacrifice remains at large, my sister and I will never know a day of peace."

"Besides, that thing seriously injured me. I won’t be able to rest until I get my revenge!"

Jiang Che declared loudly.

’Are you kidding? Five catties of the legendary Top Grade Exotic Beast Meat! I’d be a fool not to take it!’ Jiang Che thought to himself.

’Besides, now that I’ve broken through to Stone Skin, I know my strength has increased dramatically.’

’If it’s just a matter of being bait, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem!’

’What’s more, Chief Liu has saved my life twice now. I owe him.’

’I’m more than willing to repay the favor.’

"Really? That’s wonderful!" Liu Hai was overjoyed. "Rest assured, Little Brother Jiang. I’ll give you a signal flare. If you find yourself in a life-or-death situation, light it, and we’ll come to your aid immediately!"

"Alright. Just let me know when it’s time, and I’ll be there," Jiang Che said with a smile.

...

「The Government Office.」

At Liu Hai’s invitation, Jiang Che arrived at the rear courtyard.

He saw two men standing there, chatting.

One was short and stocky with a round, perpetually smiling face—it was Liu Hai.

The other man appeared older, with streaks of white at his temples.

But he had a powerful build, standing half a head taller than Jiang Che—around six-foot-three—and showed no signs of old age.

He had a square jaw, a ruddy complexion, and sharp eyes that seemed to see right through a person.

Even before getting close, Jiang Che could feel the man’s abundant Qi and Blood. It was so potent it was almost suffocating.

Liu Hai, who usually seemed unfathomably deep, appeared almost ordinary next to him.

’This man’s presence,’ Jiang Che thought, a chill going down his spine, ’is almost on par with my master’s!’

’A Force Integration Expert!’

"You’re here!" Liu Hai greeted him with a smile before introducing the powerfully built man beside him.

"This is Elder Li Rushan of the Seven Stars Gang, also known as Ju Men Star. He is the expert who will be joining us to capture the Blood Sacrifice!"

’The Seven Stars Gang... the legendary number one power in Lin Yuan City! No wonder he’s so strong,’ Jiang Che thought.

He quickly cupped his fist in salute. "Jiang Che of the White Cloud Martial Arts Hall. It is an honor to meet you, Senior Li!"

But Li Rushan just frowned, looking Jiang Che up and down before turning to Liu Hai.

"Chief Liu, this is the bait you found? A greenhorn kid who just entered the Stone Skin Realm? This is ridiculous!"