Immortal Refiner

Clang!

The iron lock snapped, and a man dressed in black swaggered into Li Qing’s blacksmith shop.

He made no effort to conceal his presence, still holding an oil lamp in his hand, using its dim, yellowish light to survey the various furnishings in the blacksmith shop.

”Tsk, tsk, tsk. No wonder blacksmiths in Shengtian are well-off. Just the iron here is worth a fortune,” the man remarked with a frivolous and disdainful tone.

Facing a mere blacksmith, he was confident he could easily handle the situation.

The man with the oil lamp continued inward, passing through the corridor, and pushed open the door to Li Qing’s room.

Creak~ A strong aroma of alcohol wafted out, causing the black-clad man to furrow his brow.

He thought to himself, ”This guy really is a drunkard. He’s probably passed out by now.”

With this assumption, the man raised the oil lamp and shone it inside. The moment he saw the scene before him, his entire body stiffened involuntarily.

By the bedside, Li Qing was holding a jar of Winter Plum Wine in one hand, staring at him with a half-smile, half-mocking expression.

At this moment, Li Qing exuded an intense aura of ferocity—an intangible force left behind from slaying a fierce tiger, or what could be called the Tiger Force!

Especially striking was the sight of a young tiger lying at his feet.

”Hand... hand over the silver... and I’ll spare your life,” the man stammered, already intimidated by the scene before him.

But his words carried no authority. In fact, after speaking, he realized his legs were trembling uncontrollably.

”Seeking death!”

Li Qing suddenly stood up and strode toward the man with purpose.

Boom! The man’s received response was nothing more than a Tiger Fist. As Li Qing swung, his energy surged like a rainbow, coursing through his body.

Bang! Even a mountain tiger would have felt pain from this punch, let alone a martial artist who hadn’t even mastered Outer Strength.

Li Qing’s fist landed squarely on the man’s chest. The powerful blow shattered his sternum instantly, and his heart stopped beating in an instant.

”Hmph, I overestimated them. Not even an External Strength Martial Artist, yet daring to come here to rob,” Li Qing muttered.

With that, he kicked the corpse, causing a few pieces of broken silver and some copper coins to fall out.

Seeing this, Li Qing couldn’t help but chuckle. This guy was, at best, a street thug. Killing him was hardly satisfying.

He then raised the wine jar and took a hearty swig, wiped the corner of his mouth, and sat back down to continue his training.

The night passed, and three waves of intruders came to the blacksmith shop. Without exception, all were beaten to death by Li Qing’s fists. Every one of these ill-intentioned individuals met their end without return.

As dawn broke, Li Qing walked outside the shop, yawning as he replaced the lock on the door.

Boss Zhang, who was setting up his wonton stall nearby, looked at Li Qing with a strange expression and couldn’t help but ask, ”Master Li, you made quite a racket last night. How did you manage to break the lock?”

Without looking up, Li Qing replied, ”Yeah, I was working late forging iron. The lock was already broken, so I’m just replacing it with a new one today.”

”Old Zhang, hurry up and make me two bowls of wontons to cool down first. The weather is just too hot!”

Old Zhang replied cheerfully, ”Got it!”

If one were to look inside Li Qing’s blacksmith shop at this moment, they would find not a single corpse, not even a trace. Because he had already disposed of the bodies in the World of Eternal Night at the first opportunity.

After a night of commotion, three waves totaling four people had come, but not a single External Strength Martial Artist was to be seen.

This left Li Qing somewhat disappointed. However, upon careful consideration, it made sense. If they were truly External Strength Martial Artists, in today’s Shengtian City, they would have the capability to take over a street and collect protection fees monthly.

The deaths of these few individuals didn’t even make a ripple.

In the current capital, where winds of change are blowing, even Inner Strength experts occasionally engage in fierce battles. No one would pay attention to a few martial artists who aren’t even at the External Strength level.

Spring turned to summer, and time slipped away like sand through fingers, silently and unnoticed.

With the Wu Li Army stationed here, the situation in the capital gradually stabilized. Martial artists from all over seemed to have laid down their arms.

However, the Wu Li Army is ultimately the army of Maple Country. Whenever there’s a hint of conflict at the borders, this army must rush there. They can’t truly be stationed in the capital day and night like this.

To avoid a situation of internal and external troubles, a capable minister in the court proposed a strategy to the emperor.

Select talents from among the martial artists to form an organization composed of martial artists, specifically to manage those who cause trouble.

As soon as this strategy was proposed, it received high praise from the current Taiwen Emperor and was immediately approved.

In the height of summer, the court promptly announced the news.

The Maple Guard is about to be established, a direct imperial agency specifically for managing martial artists who cause trouble. Talented individuals are encouraged to sign up, and those who pass the assessment can join.

Upon hearing this news, Li Qing found the move quite intriguing.

A direct imperial agency, like the Imperial Guards? The Eastern Depot?

If one were to successfully be selected, they would become an official with a position! Despite the constant criticism from the martial artists about being the emperor’s lackeys, their actions in signing up were not slow at all.

In just a few days, the place for signing up and taking the assessment was packed.

Having a secure job is much better than fighting and killing for territory in the martial world! Learn the art of dragon-slaying, and sell it to the emperor’s house! Coinciding with the current abundance of martial artists in Shengtian, even External Strength level experts came forward in droves to sign up. Even those who had taken over one or two streets as their territory were tempted by this secure job.

For example, the eight Liangzhou Heroes from Chiming Street immediately started planning.

”Young Yang, what do you think about this?” Boss Fang asked directly. Among the eight of them, despite Yang Xing’s young age, he was the most intelligent, a strategist-level figure.

Yang Xing’s eyes flickered slightly as he said in a low voice, ”If one of us could hold a position in the Maple Guard, it would definitely be a beneficial thing with no drawbacks!”

Boss Fang also nodded straightforwardly, saying, ”Well said. Having connections in the court makes things easier, especially in this Maple Guard. We must have our people there!”

The other six men were essentially brutes who didn’t think much. They felt that their current lives were already quite comfortable, far better than the days when they had to endure the hardships of the wilderness.

”Aren’t we living quite freely now? Going to work for the court would be thankless and exhausting!”

”That’s right! My foster father was killed by those corrupt officials. I won’t go!”

Boss Fang was well aware of the temperaments of his other brothers and naturally didn’t place his hopes on them.

So, he turned his gaze to Yang Xing.

Among them, Yang Xing was the youngest, but he had already reached the level of Outer Strength in his internal martial arts training, and he was also quite clever.

Yang Xing exchanged a glance with Boss Fang, then nodded solemnly.

”Big Brother, let me go.”

(End of the Chapter)

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