Chapter 46 - 45: Qi Storage Martial Artist!

Chapter 46: Chapter 45: Qi Storage Martial Artist!

What was the biggest difference between a Qi Storage Martial Artist and a Blood Refining Martial Artist?

Zheng Jun felt it had to be their dietary needs and appetite.

Since undergoing Blood Refining four times and stepping into the Qi Storage realm, Zheng Jun felt his appetite had grown significantly. Plagued by constant hunger, he had devoured every ounce of reserved meat in the house in a single sitting. In the past, during his Blood Refining phase, he only needed to consume a moderate amount of meat each day. Now, he estimated he would need to eat over a dozen pounds of meat daily.

Reaching Qi Storage certainly didn’t mean he could begin Fasting. Although this stage allowed him to circulate True Qi, his core foundation still relied on a trifecta of Qi and Blood, physical strength, and True Qi. He still needed meat to bolster his physical strength and Qi and Blood.

Despite his excitement over breaking through to Qi Storage, Zheng Jun quickly metaphorically poured a few buckets of cold water over himself to cool down. Once his initial thrill subsided, he began to analyze his current situation. This breakthrough had caught him completely off guard, thoroughly disrupting his plans. He originally thought he would need to undergo Blood Refining five or six times before achieving Qi Storage. He never expected to reach this realm after merely four times, which left him in an awkward predicament.

He had yet to even grasp the basics of the Broken Jade Skill. Currently, the martial art he had "borrowed in advance" was the Hard Qi Skill.

The Eagle-Hawk Force and the Broken Jade Skill absorbed a similar type of Heaven and Earth True Qi. However, their circulation methods differed wildly, resulting in entirely different ways of utilizing the True Qi. There wasn’t much to say about the Eagle-Hawk Force; it was merely an ordinary Inner Power Heart Method. Now that Zheng Jun had reached Qi Storage, if he joined the Garrison Command, he could apply for a grappling technique like Tendons and Bones Dislocation.

The Broken Jade Skill, on the other hand, was a different beast entirely. Zheng Jun had studied it and discovered that after reaching Qi Storage, circulating the Broken Jade Skill during combat could convert his regular True Qi into Broken Jade True Qi. The resulting power and momentum would be immense, far more vigorous and profound than that of an ordinary Qi Storage Martial Artist.

This was exactly why Zhang Qingyu had been so unstoppable. With a mere backhand arrow, Zhang Qingyu had slain Captain Wang, a Qi Storage Martial Artist, and then broken through their encirclement to kill Cai Jiu, another Qi Storage expert. If Zheng Jun and Cai Liu hadn’t joined forces, and if the County Captain hadn’t intervened, Zhang Qingyu might have actually fought his way out alive.

Thinking up to this point, Zheng Jun suddenly noticed something fishy. Logically, an Outer Gang Martial Artist suppressing a Qi Storage expert should be as effortless as a Qi Storage expert slaughtering a Blood Refining Martial Artist. The difference between the two should be like night and day. Yet, recalling County Captain Cai’s two interventions, the effects didn’t seem as... overwhelming as he had imagined.

"Why is that? It can’t possibly be that Outer Gang Martial Artists are just mediocre, right? They can even wield True Qi and coat their bodies with it, allowing them to levitate for brief periods," Zheng Jun thought.

Although Cai Xun treated him well, it didn’t stop Zheng Jun from making educated guesses about the man’s true strength. Shaking his head, Zheng Jun glanced at the sky. It was late into the night. Having broken through to Qi Storage tonight, Zheng Jun was brimming with endless vigor. Unable to sleep no matter how hard he tried, he decided to start training his Hard Qi Skill.

"Where can I go to get beaten up?" Zheng Jun wondered, feeling overwhelmed with melancholy and unsure of what to do.

Having ordinary people hit him yielded minimal progress. Even if they snapped an Execution Rod over his body, it would only give him a dozen or so points. He had to find a Martial Artist to do the job. Aside from taking a beating, other methods—like standing under a raging waterfall, carrying massive boulders, or grinding his body with iron sand—were simply too tedious. Getting beaten up was undoubtedly the most effortless and efficient way to level up his Hard Qi Skill.

Maybe... Zheng Jun suddenly thought of an excellent way to get beaten up for free. Speaking of which, it was Ma Zhiyuan from the Ma Family Fist Martial Arts Hall who had given him the idea. He would show up at a dojo and challenge them!

There was Luo Lei, the master of the Hard Qi Skill, and Xu Tianfang from the Xu Family Martial Arts Hall. The former had undergone Blood Refining nine times and was on the verge of Qi Storage, while the latter was already a Qi Storage Martial Artist. If he went to challenge their dojos and let them beat him up, wouldn’t the results be absolutely spectacular?

At this thought, the corners of Zheng Jun’s mouth curled up into a smirk. The plan was flawless.

For tonight, however, he would first study the Broken Jade Pile Skill to see if he could grasp its basics using his astonishing intellect. He had been relying on his interest-free micro-loans every day. But as a proper man standing between heaven and earth, how could he live his life depending solely on such loans?! Could it be that he, Zheng Jun, wasn’t someone with heaven-defying comprehension?! He might just be a naturally gifted prodigy after all.

Early the next morning.

Zheng Jun grabbed his saber and left the house, heading straight for the County Government Office.

"After roll call, I will go challenge the dojos, pay off the micro-loan early, and then quickly borrow the Broken Jade Skill in advance," Zheng Jun thought.

Last night, he had confidently studied the Broken Jade Pile Skill for a two-hour block. However, the cultivation methods detailed within were incredibly obscure and difficult to understand. The text was littered with Chu Region dialects and descriptive terms exclusive to the Shattered Jade Sect. To Zheng Jun, the Eagle-Hawk Force was like solving a simple linear equation with two variables, whereas the Broken Jade Skill felt like tackling advanced calculus. As for his own level of comprehension, he was essentially an elementary school student who had just figured out basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

After some deep meditation on the matter, Zheng Jun decided he was better off remaining an Unparalleled Celestial Pride of Loans and a Credit Card Martial Saint. Thankfully, his system’s loans were interest-free. If they were anything like the predatory micro-loans from his past life—the kind that demanded exorbitant hidden fees to upgrade a flight—he had no idea how miserable his current state would be.

"Squad Leader Zheng."

"Squad Leader!"

Various greetings rang out.

As Zheng Jun entered the County Government Office, the surrounding Black Officials and handymen hurried forward to offer their respects. Historian Xu Heng happened to be at work today as well, and he appeared to be in a rather good mood. However, the moment he spotted Zheng Jun, he practically jumped up with a smile, intending to step forward and welcome him. But suddenly, he sensed an imposing aura radiating from Zheng Jun. The distinct pressure of outward-flowing True Qi washed over him, instantly causing his brain to short-circuit.

"You... You..." Xu Heng stammered, his tongue tying into knots. "You’ve reached Qi Storage?!"

Xu Heng was utterly astounded. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that Zheng Jun could reach this stage in just a little over a month! What kind of Demon was this?! Could the Zheng Family, let alone Black Mountain County... actually produce a genius of this caliber?!

At that moment, the fear festering in Xu Heng’s heart began to magnify. Back then, it was he who had ordered Zhao Da and Zhao Er to make their move. Now that Zheng Jun had taken a massive leap and become a Qi Storage Martial Artist, if that matter were to be exposed, wouldn’t that mean...

"Mm," Zheng Jun replied with a nonchalant nod, not paying Xu Heng much mind. He casually instructed, "Historian Xu, please handle today’s roll call for the Strong Shift on my behalf. While you’re at it, do me a favor and patrol the city walls. You’re free anyway."

With that, Zheng Jun turned and walked away. Completely ignoring Xu Heng’s presence, he strode down the corridor toward the main prison on the other side, without sparing the man a single glance. Seeing Zheng Jun humiliate him so brazenly, Xu Heng’s face instantly twisted into an ugly scowl. Yet, he didn’t dare to lash out and could only watch as Zheng Jun departed.

A nearby Black Shift handyman, who typically followed Xu Heng around, saw this and indignantly protested, "That brat named Zheng is far too arrogant! How dare he speak to a superior official like that! Sir, why don’t we report him to the County Magistrate and—"

"Shut up!" Xu Heng’s expression darkened as he fiercely reprimanded the Black Shift handyman. "Zheng San is a young hero! Naturally, he shouldn’t have to trouble himself with such trivial matters! You, you, and you! The three of you head to the city walls and wait for me. I’ll join you right after I finish roll call for him. And don’t even think about slacking off!"

Having said his piece, Xu Heng stormed through the doors of the Strong Shift in a huff. But as soon as he stepped inside, he saw Zhou Pu sitting in a chair.

Seeing Xu Heng enter, Zhou Pu hurriedly stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful Ritual, and said, "Lord Xu, this is..."

"Brother Zhou, there’s no need for such formalities!" Upon seeing Zhou Pu, Xu Heng’s demeanor immediately softened into a warm, amiable smile. He treated everyone in the Strong Shift with utmost courtesy. "Zheng San has urgent matters to attend to today and entrusted me with the roll call. Brother Zhou, do you happen to know where the roster is? Please, trouble yourself to hand it to me."

Seeing Xu Heng act this way, the members of the Strong Shift were entirely baffled. After all, as the Historian and Commander of the Three Squads and Six Departments, Xu Heng was normally known for being exceedingly cold and arrogant. Why was he being so accommodating today?

Meanwhile, the three Black Shift handymen who usually shadowed Xu Heng were left dumbfounded, completely clueless as to what had just transpired. Why on earth would Historian Xu be afraid of an unranked Squad Leader?

At this moment, Zheng Jun had already arrived at the main prison and stood before Tian Zhenyuan.

"County Magistrate Tian, it’s time to teach me the Continuous Legs today," Zheng Jun said calmly.

Hearing Zheng Jun’s voice, Tian Zhenyuan, who was lying in the corner, barely managed to lift his head. He was just about to mock Zheng Jun for biting off more than he could chew, but when he sensed the young man’s aura, he froze. A tempestuous wave of earth-shattering shock surged through his heart! Even his speech became a stuttering mess.

"You—you, you—you’ve reached Qi Storage?! How is that even possible?!"