A Long Grind to Daoist Monarch-Chapter 168 - 139: Blacklist Experts, Heretical Cultivators

The dawn light barely illuminated, casting countless tiny floating dust motes through the window lattice.

[Skill: Silk Binding Strength (Minor Achievement)]

[Progress: 15/800]

[Effect: With one motion, everything moves, sound follows the hand]

"Silk Binding Strength has reached minor achievement after just one night. It's unimaginable how fast those aristocratic scions can train."

Bai Qi got out of bed, couldn't help but rub the dragon-shaped jade pendant on his right thumb, once again sighing that being born was truly a skill.

The Human Soul Pearl, such a martial treasure, probably no one in Black River County has seen it, except for Old Li who once served Grand General Zhao of Celestial Water Prefecture.

"I wonder if Xia He's family might have a collection of Human Soul Pearls..."

With such a useful thing, Bai Qi naturally hoped to acquire several more, preferably enough to adorn both hands completely.

He indulged in a brief fantasy, then rose, washed, and pushed open the door to step into the backyard, breathing the fresh air of the morning.

All around was silent, indicating the hour was still early, so Bai Qi decided to continue his training.

Moving slowly as before, with heavy fists and feet, he gradually practiced a set of Silk Binding Strength.

The essence of this martial art lies in slowness, using the solid and full tendons and muscles to squeeze the Qi blood, refining the power little by little.

This is called coiling strength.

Until the palms feel as if wrapped in layers of silk thread, each move appearing light and gentle, yet in reality insidious and fierce; any touch, even a slight one, would let the power seep through the skin to the bones, exploding like muffled thunder, rupturing the viscera, causing blood to flow from the seven orifices.

"With one motion, everything moves, sound follows the hand, the entire body connected; its root in the foot, issuing from the leg, controlled by the waist, shaped in the fingers. In combat, every part of the body - hand, foot, body, and power - moves in harmony as one.

This level of fighting, even a Second Bone Training Barrier expert may not necessarily achieve it."

Bai Qi slowly extended his fighting stance, profoundly realizing the Human Soul Pearl had saved him two or three days of rigorous practice by allowing him to train overnight.

Water wears away stone, gradually over time; breaking through all Five Captures before spring seems not as difficult as anticipated.

The passing down of Tongwen Hall's three great true skills is within reach!

After training for about half an hour, Ah Di Bai Ming got up, washed, and went out as usual to buy breakfast.

The two brothers, along with Old Xu, the stable keeper in the backyard, gathered around the table, eating fragrant meat buns.

Bai Qi, idle and drinking the thick meat porridge he had cooked himself, casually asked:

"Old Xu, you used to rally with Uncle Dao on Fulong Mountain, do you know of any formidable experts in Yihai Prefecture?"

He would have to go to the county city eventually, even if it was a dragon's pool and tiger's den.

Investigating in advance is prudent preparation.

"Well, every five years, Yihai Prefecture updates the Black List, featuring ten people in the Fourth-Practice as the main roster and the Third-Practice as the subsidiary. The First Muscle Training Barrier and Second Bone Training Barrier aren't noteworthy and aren't mentioned."

Old Xu held a large bowl of meat porridge in one hand while grabbing a thin-skinned, stuffed meat bun with the other, opting to squat and speak instead of sitting at the table.

That's his habit, preferring to squat on the threshold or steps rather than sitting.

"Ten years ago, I vaguely remember a few Fourth-Practice experts on the Black List's main roster: Mao Yanshou from the Mao Family, whose Thunderbolt Hand dominated the county city; Su Dingwen from the Su Family, known as the Iron Sword across the river, and Han Quan of the Han Family..."

Bai Qi listened with suspicion, Mao, Su, Han?

It sounded like those businesses extinguished by Ninghai Zen.

"But those experts all died. It's rumored they provoked a fierce figure, extremely brutal, cunning, and cruel, who targeted the Black List for killings, using poisons and assassinations by all means.

This led to many notable families in Yihai Prefecture, with many accomplished Third-Practice and Fourth-Practice experts, each spending silver to bribe Daoist Temples to keep off the list..."

Xu Sanyin scratched his head. As a groom from Red Eyebrow on Fulong Mountain, he only heard bits and pieces and didn't know Ninghai Zen's name.

"Could it be that Master has already wiped out the older generation of experts?"

Bai Qi wiped his mouth, mulling over in his heart:

"Indeed, when the Seventeenth Lineage shares bonds, killing one would involve many, enough for Master to eradicate them one by one for a while."

Thinking about what Ninghai Zen told him, that one should keep a tally in mind, the Master's way of doing things seemed similar to the Book of Life and Death by King of Hell?

Anyone whose name gets remembered, who can escape?

"And now?"

Bai Qi asked again.

"Not too clear. That fierce figure wreaked havoc in Yihai Prefecture, causing chaos. Those high-born scions now practice martial arts less, all striving to join the Daoist School.

The Black List's main and subsidiary rosters, twenty people mostly from the Pai Bang; ruling first for over a decade is the Pai Bang Leader, followed by notable Squad Leaders and Hall Masters."

Xu Sanyin licked the bowl's remaining thick porridge and truthfully responded.

"Master's hand was too heavy, leaving Yihai Prefecture in a talent gap for Fourth-Practice martial experts?"

Bai Qi clicked his tongue, with Ah Di Bai Ming practicing stances, waiting until noon; having finished a meal, he went out to find He Jingfeng.

...

...

"Brother Bai... Brother Bai! Ouch, be gentle!"

In the backyard of the He Family, He Jingfeng, dressed in brocade, covered his face and repeatedly pleaded, feeling quite aggrieved:

"Brother Bai, I'm going to cultivate the Dao in the future. I really don't know much about martial arts; it's all just empty posturing. Why do you want to spar with me?"

Bai Qi steadily restrained his posture, feeling speechless. How could he have imagined that the Seventh Young Master of the He Family's main branch, appearing strong and sturdy, had achieved the First Stage of Muscle Training with great success.

It turned out that he was just a decorative pillow, weak on the inside, unable to withstand even a simple punch with only thirty percent of Bai Qi's strength.

Is it really just about spending money and taking drugs to level up without practicing any skills?

"I haven't even tried hard, and you've already fallen. Anyone would think you were pretending to be hit for compensation..."

Bai Qi swallowed those words back and instead asked:

"Your He Family's Refined Power and Sunset Saber are renowned. Do you truly not learn any of them?"

Rubbing his slightly aching chest, He Jingfeng quickly called for Uncle Yang to fetch some medicinal wine for bruises, and justified:

"What's the point? My second and third uncles pushed Refined Power to the ninth level, breaking through the Third-Stage Skin Cultivation, wearing the Water and Fire Immortal Robe. One perfected the Sunset Saber.

And what happened? They were beaten to death with a few punches from your master... Of course, Brother Bai, please don't misunderstand; I hold no grudges. I'm merely expressing that no matter how high one's martial arts go, it's no match for Ninghai Zen's fists.

So, it's better to cultivate the Dao and learn the arts, receiving teachings to refine methods!"

Bai Qi was at a loss, inexplicably feeling that Xia He was making some sense, after a long pause:

"If you succeed in your Dao arts, can you then spar with my master?"

He Jingfeng, pulling open his brocade robes, applied the medicinal wine to his chest where no bruises had appeared yet, said firmly:

"Well, it's still hard. After all, even the Daoist Official was once invited to take action, with little effect.

But if I become a student of the Daoist School and complete the Dao Trial, I can leave Yihai Prefecture and go to Celestial Water Prefecture in the future.

If I can't provoke, I can always avoid, isn't that right?"

Bai Qi now truly had nothing to say but had to nod in praise:

"As expected, the most intelligent and unparalleled Seventh Young Master of the main branch of the He Family."

He Jingfeng laughed:

"One should act according to their ability. Your master made such a mess back then, and even the Seventeenth Lineage couldn't suppress it; now changing to the Thirteenth Lineage, there's even less chance.

Besides, who knows what realm Ninghai Zen will be in ten years? How many lives would it take to deal with him? We all are wearing shoes, so everything must be considered for its consequences."

Bai Qi's expression remained unchanged, but he was secretly delighted. The words of He Jingfeng represented the attitude of the high gates of Yihai Prefecture as well.

If those big lords saw things so clearly, he might encounter fewer twists and turns when entering the County City in the future.

"However..."

He Jingfeng, making a fuss over applying the medicinal wine, continued:

"The Seventeenth Lineage turned into the Thirteenth Lineage, and the four eradicated families have now become barefooted ones. Brother Bai, you still have to be cautious; your senior brother has encountered no less than twenty random assassination attempts."

Bai Qi's heart jolted; the depth of roots of these high families was truly astonishing.

The Su, Mao, Han, and Fang families were annihilated for ten years, yet their lingering spirits still haunted the descendant of Tongwen Hall?

"Our small clans in the county city run their affairs learned from the aristocrats and noble factions' methods.

Generations of favor-giving, nurturing scholars and guest scholars."

He Jingfeng thought it normal, straightforwardly said:

"Brother Bai, don't underestimate these tactics. Take Mao Yanshou of the Mao Family, for instance; he ran a pharmacy and raised the price of medicinal materials during the plague, earning over three hundred thousand taels in just a few days by giving away a thousand taels for a charitable name. I'd be happy to do it too.

As for adopting abandoned infants, even more unscrupulous, secretly raising them into living drugs, extracting eyeballs, heart, liver, and even drawing blood... When the other three families were eradicated, the Daoist Official intervened a bit, but not a word of consequence was mentioned when the Mao Family was exterminated.

In the courtyard behind their mansion, three hundred sixty-nine bone urns were unearthed, all examined by a forensic doctor, none over thirteen years old."

Outside lineage?

Bai Qi timely showed a puzzled expression, prompting Xia He to eagerly explain.

He Jingfeng, who usually felt his head spinning while reading, finally found the opportunity to put what he had learned to use, said enthusiastically:

"Dragon Court governs various spiritual paths, and the threshold for Dao cultivation is so high that not everyone can afford it.

Therefore, there are outside lineage cultivators, continuing the wicked practices from the chaos of Dao loss, using the flesh, blood, and souls of creatures to advance their own refining methods.

Most of them inevitably fall into the Turbid Tide, becoming 'demons'."