Three days passed in a flash.
In Qingniao Yard, Lin Sheng was cultivating with his eyes closed in his own cultivation quiet room.
As a second-rate martial art, Ape Embryo Skill, after entering the Blood Transportation Realm, he had already cultivated this technique to its peak.
The upper limit of second-rate martial arts is basically the Early Stage of Blood Transportation. Now, this martial art cannot progress further.
Therefore, the only techniques he could Cultivate now were Three Corpse Soul Severing Palm and Qingniao Chasing Star Finger.
Due to the lack of poisonous substances, the cultivation progress of Three Corpse Soul Severing Palm was not significant, so at this time, he could only focus his cultivation on Qingniao Chasing Star Finger.
As a genuine True Technique, this True Technique would serve as his main cultivation method for a long time in the future.
It was just a pity that currently, among the exotic beasts recorded in the mountain and sea scroll, there were no suitable avian exotic beasts. He could now clearly feel the difficulty in cultivating this technique.
He knew very well that he had never been a Genius. He had no Bloodline potential at all, and his comprehension could only be considered average among the crowd.
The difficulty of cultivating True Techniques is inherently more demanding than ordinary martial arts. Without a suitable Spirit Beast to integrate, let alone cultivating this Qingniao Chasing Star Finger to a profound Realm, it would probably take at least half a year to even step into the third layer, and that's with the assistance of Qingyu Pill.
In fact, this cultivation progress was already considered average compared to the ordinary Disciples in the yard, but for him, this speed was too slow.
"The next step should be to start collecting avian Spirit Beasts..."
He muttered to himself.
"Also, I need to start preparing for the activation of the third imprint..."
Thinking of this made him feel a bit of a headache, after all, either of these two things required strong financial support.
But staying cooped up in this Qingniao Yard, he had no income.
These two plans would be delayed again and again.
So before all that, he had to deal with Shi Gu first, otherwise everything would be empty talk.
Thinking of this, he had already gotten up and gone to the communication area in the door. Before long, a small blue bird flew out of the yard, circled once to confirm the direction, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
...
Wanhua City, East District.
Spring Moon Lake.
Flower boats adorned with red lanterns were docked along the lake, on which one could occasionally see women with seductive figures, heavy makeup, and revealing clothes, leaning on the boats and displaying alluring smiles to the passersby on the dock.
Many pedestrians, unable to bear the loneliness, boarded the boats under the guidance of special attendants, indulging in revelry and debauchery, making it quite lively.
This was the largest red-light district in the city, the most bustling place for seeking pleasure.
The flesh trade was a highly profitable business no matter where it was located.
Furthermore, the business on these flower boats was not just simple flesh trade; they were also gambling houses and restaurants.
It could be said that countless silver taels came in every day. Such a lucrative piece of meat was naturally not something ordinary forces could covet.
The controllers of these flower boats were the White Dragon Gang, one of the top forces in Wanhua City.
And the White Dragon Gang started their fortune relying on these businesses.
At this moment, on the largest and most luxurious main boat among the flower boats on Spring Moon Lake.
Inside a spacious third-floor private room.
A burly and sturdy man, like an iron tower, sat in the main seat.
The man had dark skin, and his features actually looked quite handsome, but unfortunately, they were completely ruined by a hideous scar from his eyebrow to his left jaw. Looking at him, one could only feel an indescribable ferocity.
The man sat in his seat with a wide stance, his upper body bare, revealing his strong chest. He was drinking wine freely, and the wine slid down from the corner of his mouth, passing over the black dragon-shaped tattoo that covered half of his chest.
The man was none other than Shi Yan, the leader of the White Dragon Gang, who was notoriously fierce in Wanhua City. However, he was more widely known by his other name, Black Dragon.
Bang...
Shi Yan slammed the large bowl in his hand onto the table, a look of enjoyment on his face, as if his recent drinking had been quite satisfying. A beautiful maid immediately stepped forward from the side, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the wine stains from the corners of his mouth.
"Third Brother, let's put the Seven Forms Sect matter aside for now. Since it has already been exposed, there's no point in continuing. For the time being, focus your energy on the Crimson Whale Hall side."
Black Dragon's gaze fell on the gaunt and pale-faced Shi Gu below the hall, and he spoke lightly.
"Brother, did that old fellow Ouyang Bing send you a message?"
There was no surprise on Shi Gu's face; instead, he smiled and spoke.
"That's right, Ouyang Bing sent a letter to me."
Black Dragon said unhurriedly.
"It was too risky for you to make a move on that Xie Qingyun. Killing a few core Disciples is certainly not a big deal. Although that old fellow Ouyang Bing has some scruples, if something happens to the higher-ups of the seven yards, he is not someone easy to deal with. If he decided to kill, you might not have been able to return..."
"Brother, of course, I know that. Before I made my move, the mole in the Seven Forms Sect had already informed me that Xie Qingyun had left the mountain. Given how much that old fellow Ouyang Bing values his core members, I also guessed that he might follow."
The smile on Shi Gu's face remained unchanged, and the curve of his lips even widened slightly.
"If I wanted to kill those few core Disciples, why would I wait until Xie Qingyun arrived? That old guy is really patient. If he had appeared a little later, maybe I could have really taken away this head of Qingniao Yard. Even so, that woman's injury won't heal without a month or so."
"However, that old guy didn't dare to attack me even when I provoked him. I am 90% sure that old fellow Ouyang Bing suffered a serious hidden injury when he failed his last Breakthrough several years ago, which is why the Seven Forms Sect has been acting more low-key in recent years."
Speaking of this, the expression on Shi Gu's face became excited and greedy, and his eyes even showed a hint of twisted madness.
"So in my opinion, instead of fighting over these beast mines, it's better to directly target the Seven Forms Sect. With over a thousand years of history, the Seven Forms Sect has accumulated an unknown amount of wealth. The value of the True Techniques within its sect alone is incomparable to these so-called beast mines..."
Upon hearing this, Black Dragon narrowed his eyes, reached out his palm and rubbed his chin, as if considering something.
Outsiders all said that his Third Brother had a violent temper, and his mental state was quite extreme and abnormal compared to ordinary people; some even called him a lunatic. But he knew very well that all of this was just his Third Brother's disguise.
Even within the White Dragon Gang, only a few people knew Shi Gu's true face.
His mind was vicious, his decisions were decisive, and his root bone talent and even Bloodline potential were quite formidable.
He was much stronger than he appeared on the surface.
Aside from him, the strongest person in the White Dragon Gang was Shi Gu.
His strength was not as simple as it seemed, just Bones Transformation Fifth Layer.
Understanding that his Brother was considering the feasibility, Shi Gu was not in a hurry. He picked up a teacup from the side, took a light sip, and quietly waited for his Brother's decision.
After a while, Black Dragon finally spoke.
"Third Brother, you should be close to breaking through, right?"
He knew that his younger brother cultivated a very advanced blood energy concealment technique.
Even he found it difficult to discern his exact Realm.
However, calculating the time, he should be close to breaking through.
"Yes, I will definitely break through within a year," Shi Gu nodded lightly.
"Very good, then let's not rush this matter. After you break through, we can then target the Seven Forms Sect... That old fellow Ouyang Bing is very hidden, and the Seven Forms Sect has a long history. Who knows what kind of hidden resources they might have within? So to be safe, it's not too late to act after you break through."
Hearing this, Black Dragon smiled.
"During this time, stop all actions against the Seven Forms Sect, so as not to let that old fellow detect anything."
"I understand, Brother..."
An hour later, Shi Gu had already left the flower boat and was strolling on the city streets, but he was whispering softly.
"Seven Forms Sect, next will be Crimson Whale Hall, and the Fang Family will be dealt with last. However, the Fu City side is a big problem... Forget it, it will take a lot of time to reach that step. By absorbing the resources of these families, maybe I can take that step, but it must be concealed and not let the Fu City side notice..."
"Otherwise, I might follow in that old fellow's footsteps. To be safe, I will first share some interests at that time. I think that should be able to delay for a while..."
He whispered from time to time, his brows sometimes furrowing and sometimes relaxing.
But soon, the same crazy smile as before reappeared.
At this moment, two of his trusted subordinates had approached him.
"Third Boss, the First Boss has given the order to stop actions against the Seven Forms Sect. How should we deal with that kid? And that monkey..."
The two trusted subordinates asked in low voices.
"Should we withdraw our men and sell that monkey?"
"Withdraw the men, but leave that monkey there and don't move it..."
"But..."
Hearing this, the two trusted subordinates thought they had misheard. In their eyes, that monkey was a real Spirit Beast, and especially rare because it was alive, definitely worth a fortune.
"Hmm?"
But before they could speak, they saw that chilling smile.
The two trusted subordinates quickly lowered their heads and nodded in agreement repeatedly.
"We'll do it now, we'll do it now."
Watching his trusted subordinates leave quickly, Shi Gu slightly moved his neck, a hint of playfulness in his eyes.
"Let me see what secrets this kid has. I hope he can give me some surprises..."
After learning that Fei Long was in trouble, he ordered someone to retrieve all of Lin Sheng's information.
Naturally, his several residences in the city could not escape his eyes.
Originally, he didn't have much interest in a young Martial Artist who had just joined the Seven Forms Sect and came from a small County Town.
His actions against him were merely for venting his anger and maintaining his persona.
After all, in his eyes, Fei Long was a decent dog.
But what he didn't expect was that this investigation actually piqued his interest in this small Martial Artist.
A mere Forging Tendons Martial Artist's residence actually hid a Spirit Beast, a living Spirit Beast.
Although he found out after a single investigation that this Spirit Beast came from Ten Thousand Beasts Hall.
But tens of thousands of silver taels was not something a Forging Tendons Martial Artist without any background could produce.
Moreover, in another residence, he was actually raising a considerable number of poisonous insects. These poisonous insects were all highly venomous; a Forging Tendons Martial Artist would probably die on the spot if bitten by one.
This was something he hadn't expected at all, so this small Martial Artist, rarely, interested him.
What interested him even more was that the other party was actually able to detect his presence in advance. After intentionally testing several times, the other party could accurately avoid his direction, and the sensory ability displayed was almost equal to his own. Such sensory ability was definitely not something a Martial Artist who had just entered Blood Transportation could possess.
In the subsequent confrontation, he had held back a bit against Wei Yun.
But he didn't hold back much in his attack on Lin Sheng. What seemed like a casual kick carried a strong Bone Strength on the shattered rocks.
Even a Blood Transportation Late Stage defensive Martial Artist would definitely have no chance of survival.
And the other party actually survived, and in his perception, there was no life-threatening danger.
So he was very curious about what secret the other party had that enabled him to do this.
He had a premonition that perhaps he would bring him an indescribable surprise.
...
Time flowed by, and another three days passed.
It was night.
Qingniao Yard.
A figure quietly descended the mountain.
The figure was none other than Lin Sheng.
Leaving the Seven Forms Sect mountain gate, Lin Sheng plunged into the dense mountain forest.
Under the high perception of Caiyu Worm and Big Yellow combined.
After a while in the forest, Lin Sheng confirmed that no one was following him.
"Body Integration: Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey."
As his voice fell, Lin Sheng's figure expanded, transforming into a crimson giant.
Feeling the surging power and vibrant vitality within his body.
A smile appeared on his face.
"This state is still the most comfortable."
Moving his limbs, the next moment his figure shot out, transforming into a crimson phantom, disappearing into the mountain forest in the blink of an eye.
In less than half an hour.
The majestic city walls of Wanhua City appeared in his sight.
With a thought, his figure returned to normal.
At a section of the city wall without guards, he leaped up, and with a few bounds, he crossed the city wall and landed steadily on the ground.
He then quickly ran towards the city.
As he approached his residence, he stopped, waited for a while, and then looked up at the crescent moon in the sky, as if confirming something.
Without further hesitation, he flashed towards the residence.
In just a few breaths, he had reached the front of the residence.
After sensing around and confirming that no one was inside, he leaped in.
Passing through the courtyard and arriving at the door, he exerted force with his hand, and the door opened with a creak.
Hiss—hiss—
A low, hoarse roar immediately came from the room.
It was the Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey.
At this time, the Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey looked no different from when he left.
However, it was somewhat listless all over, and its spirit was much worse than before.
This appearance was clearly due to not eating for these past few days, starving it.
Lin Sheng stared at the Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey for a couple of seconds, his eyes flickering.
Although the Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey looked no different, and the room seemed untouched, as if the White Dragon Gang had not discovered this courtyard at all.
But he didn't believe that the other party wouldn't have noticed.
However, since no one was present now, he didn't plan to miss this opportunity.
He immediately fetched some meat from another room in the courtyard.
Smelling the food, the Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey immediately became excited, showing no sign of vigilance as Lin Sheng approached.
Casually throwing a piece of meat over, while the Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey was eating, Lin Sheng suddenly struck, landing a solid palm on its neck, and the potent poison of Three Corpse Soul Severing Palm also surged into its body.
Roar!
With a low roar, the Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey's body went limp.
Lin Sheng grabbed the helpless Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey and was about to turn and leave, when at this moment, a gaunt figure had appeared in the originally empty courtyard at some point.
"You came much earlier than I expected. It seems this monkey is very important to you..."