Immortal Refiner

A clear and resonant rooster’s crow jolted Li Qing awake from his deep martial arts practice.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the fire in the stove was gradually dying out, yet Li Qing didn’t feel the slightest chill.

After a whole night of cultivation, he was surprised to discover a peculiar sensation in his meridians.

As he focused his mind, it felt like a warm current flowing through his body, though the sensation was subtle, as fine as a thread, and almost imperceptible if not carefully felt.

After several more attempts, Li Qing finally confirmed a fact.

”I’ve cultivated Inner Strength!”

Inner Strength!

The hallmark of internal martial arts, being able to cultivate Inner Strength meant that one had begun to master this internal martial art.

Discovering the existence of Inner Strength, Li Qing was both shocked and delighted, his face unable to conceal his smile.

Unlike external martial arts, internal martial arts heavily rely on talent. Many people, even if they obtained a superior internal martial art, might not necessarily cultivate Inner Strength.

This was also why Li Qing had temporarily given up on the Turtle Breathing Art before; the progress was indeed too slow, and after a long time, there was still no sign of improvement, not even a way to begin, leaving him without a direction to strive for.

What he never expected was that practicing the Turtle Breathing Art alongside the Golden Body Technique had a synergistic effect, allowing him to cultivate Inner Strength in just one night.

Of course, this was certainly due to Li Qing’s previous diligent practice.

But even so, if it were to spread that Li Qing had mastered two martial arts that could be practiced simultaneously—one external and one internal—the entire martial world would likely go crazy.

”This secret must be kept. If people found out, even those grandmasters of Inner Strength would be unable to sit still!”

He didn’t want to become an enemy of the martial world, living a life constantly pursued by a horde of experts.

Having cultivated Inner Strength, Li Qing felt refreshed and left the house early in the morning, his face beaming with an irrepressible smile.

”Master Li, good morning! Would you like a bowl of wontons?” the owner of the neighboring wonton shop greeted with a smile.

Li Qing returned the smile and said, ”Yes! Two bowls of wontons, with extra chili oil!”

Soon, two steaming bowls of wontons were served, generously sprinkled with red chili oil, their aroma tantalizing and whetting the appetite.

”Master Li, why isn’t Xiao Qi here today?” the wonton shop owner casually asked.

Hearing this, Li Qing was momentarily stunned, only then remembering that Qi Kang had left last night. He had subconsciously ordered two bowls of wontons.

”Him? He said there’s something going on back home, so he probably won’t be returning to Sheng Tian for a while,” Li Qing replied in a slightly calmer tone before starting to eat.

Seeing this, the owner just smiled, casually draped a towel over his shoulder, and went about his business.

As Li Qing was engrossed in eating his two bowls of wontons, someone at the next table suddenly exclaimed excitedly, ”The war has stopped! The war has stopped! The court has ceased fighting with Liang Country!”

The excited shout initially caught the attention of some, but it was quickly ignored by the other diners.

For the people of Sheng Tian, no matter how fierce the battles at the border were, as long as they didn’t reach Sheng Tian, it couldn’t affect their mood.

In their view, although the army of Liang Country was formidable, it still fell short compared to the Wu Li Army of Maple Country, which was composed of martial artists. They had great confidence in the imperial court.

Li Qing, however, pondered slightly.

The ceasefire was within expectations, and it seemed that neither side would resort to further conflict in the short term.

In the current harsh winter, the grassland bandits had also disappeared, leaving both sides at a stalemate. Continuing the war would only result in unnecessary casualties without much significance.

As Li Qing had anticipated, with the intensifying snowstorms, the grassland bandits ceased their involvement in the war between Liang Country and Maple Country. Eventually, both sides agreed to a ceasefire during this cold winter.

Previously, Liang Country had repeatedly used triple crossbows to breach the gates of the border city, Wangyuan City. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, they could only break through the gates but failed to capture the city under the staunch defense of the Wu Li Army.

After a prolonged stalemate, both sides finally chose to lay down their arms and make peace.

Both sides had paid a heavy price. The Wu Li Army, with a total of eighteen thousand soldiers, suffered over six thousand casualties by the end of the war.

Liang Country, in their attempt to seize the city, suffered even more severe losses, with casualties exceeding ten thousand!

However, most of the Wu Li Army were martial artists. Nearly twenty Centurions with Outer Strength had perished, and even a Chiliarch with Inner Strength had fallen on the battlefield.

These battle reports deeply pained the commanding general of the Wu Li Army and caused significant distress to the imperial court.

”Even an Inner Strength expert has fallen on the battlefield. War is truly terrifying,” Li Qing sighed as he reviewed the battlefield intelligence he had personally gathered.

To the common folk, these casualties might just be numbers.

But Li Qing knew that these numbers represented real, substantial losses—a heavy price indeed.

The imperial court spent a considerable amount of resources to train each soldier of the Wu Li Army, especially those with Outer Strength and Inner Strength. Each of them was a costly investment.

Moreover, the soldiers who died on the battlefield required substantial compensation, adding another unavoidable and heavy burden.

”Regardless, the war has finally ended,” Li Qing slowly put down the intelligence report from the border and sighed softly.

Without Qi Kang by his side, Li Qing now had to gather information mostly on his own.

This made him feel somewhat uncomfortable, and he suddenly missed Qi Kang.

In the following days, Li Qing worked at the blacksmith’s forge, earning his lifespan while continuing to practice martial arts.

Occasionally, he would visit the inn on the neighboring street, listening to the drinkers for any recent happenings in the martial world.

Finally, news about Small Jade Ridge emerged.

”Someone has died! Someone has died at Small Jade Ridge!”

Hearing this, the martial artists drinking in the inn all tensed up.

Clearly, recent events at Small Jade Ridge were no longer a secret, and many were already aware.

”Brother, could you elaborate on this?”

”Right, right, hurry up and tell us what exactly happened over at Small Jade Ridge. It’s been so long, and finally, some news has come out.”

Faced with everyone’s eager questions, the person who first brought up the news maintained a mysterious expression, in no rush to speak.

However, the innkeeper clearly knew how to handle such situations. Seeing this, he immediately said, ”Sir, today’s drinks are on me. How about you tell everyone about what happened at Small Jade Ridge?”

Upon hearing this, the man finally showed a satisfied expression.

”Hahaha, it’s not really a secret. I’m sure you’ll all find out in a few days even if I don’t tell you.”

”So, Small Jade Ridge...”

(End of the Chapter)

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