Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Search

If he used a secret movement technique, his speed would be even faster!

"System!"

Qin Yi:

Five Qi Converging Fist: Perfected (Fivefold Force)
Pivot Palm: Perfected
Yaoguang Footwork: Perfected (Soaring Shift)
Azure Void Skill: Embryonic Breath
Tianxuan Step: Perfected (Instant Step)
Tianquan Claw: Perfected (Penetrating Deeply)
Heart Purity Skill: Reforged
Golden Snake Stab: Perfected (Swallowing Whale)
Meteor Chasing Moon Step: Perfected (Treading the Moon)
Mighty Elephant Power: Perfected (Overturning Heaven)
Silent Profundity Skill: Circulating Qi
Golden Swallow Art: Perfected (Soaring in Air)
Energy: 545

"My current speed shouldn't be any slower than that of Elder Zhang Daoxuan back then. In fact, I might even be faster!" Qin Yi recalled the many times Zhang Daoxuan had displayed his speed that day, quietly making his own assessment.

After all, he had trained in four different movement arts!

Two of them were at level six, two at level five!

...

Quanzhen Daoist Temple.

Master Qingcheng looked at Qin Yi, who had come to bid farewell, and said with mild surprise, "You’re heading home?"

He had thought Qin Yi would stay another ten days or even longer.

"There's some family business I need to take care of, so I plan to head home today." Qin Yi replied with a smile.

"Oh, then travel safely. By the way, I heard you’ve been learning our temple’s Golden Swallow Art. Would you like to buy some matching secret elixirs to take home? In case you don’t have time to return and continue your studies soon, you can still practice at home with the elixirs." Qingcheng quickly tried to promote their secret medicines, seeing that this important patron was leaving.

"I don’t need the elixirs for now. I’ll come back to study after a while." Qin Yi declined with a smile.

"Master, do you happen to know any other Daoist scholastic arts? Or does anyone else in the temple know any other Daoist literary arts?" Qin Yi asked.

Seeing that Qin Yi wasn’t buying anything, Qingcheng felt a twinge of regret but answered seriously after thinking for a moment, "No, and I don’t think anyone here does. Scholastic arts aren’t as valued as martial skills. Most people in our temple haven’t even put much effort into our own scholastic arts, let alone learn those from other temples."

"That’s true," Qin Yi nodded.

The main reason was that the practical value of scholastic arts didn’t seem as high as that of martial skills.

In fact, most people only cultivated them to the first or second layer, thinking they were pretty much useless.

But Qin Yi had trained in so many of these arts, all up to the third layer, and he knew full well their immense value.

At present, the greatest benefits he had experienced were mental vigor and much faster healing from injuries—several times faster than before. This was also why the scholastic arts could suppress his internal wounds.

As for whether they could grant longevity, he hadn’t experienced that yet.

...

The next morning.

Qin Yi returned to Xiangzhou City with He Xiaoming.

Golden Tiger Gang Headquarters.

When He Hongjun saw his gang leader return with his son, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Leader, you’re back?" He Hongjun hurried over to greet him.

"Mm. Nothing major happened in the gang while I was away, I hope?" Qin Yi asked.

"Nothing major. As you instructed, we’ve been collecting Daoist diagrams these past days. We’ve gathered a batch—would you like to take a look?" He Hongjun replied.

"Send them to my house."

"Understood!"

"I have another matter for you," Qin Yi continued after a moment’s thought.

"Please instruct us, Leader."

"Mobilize our members to search within Xiangzhou City and even other places to see if there are any Daoists around. If you find any, invite them politely to our Golden Tiger Gang. There are some matters regarding the Daoist Canon I wish to discuss with them," Qin Yi said.

He thought that perhaps he might find some wandering Daoists from other branches. If he could invite them over, he might learn new scholastic arts from them.

Though it seemed unlikely, it was still better to try than not.

"Uh, yes," He Hongjun agreed, though he was puzzled by his leader’s obsession with all things Daoist, but dared not ask why.

"Also, send people to investigate and search for any Daoist scholastic arts that might be circulating. If you find any, collect them for me," Qin Yi added.

You never know what might turn up.

"Yes!" He Hongjun nodded.

"Alright, if there’s nothing else, go back to your duties."

"Yes, Leader." He Hongjun left, taking his son with him.

...

That afternoon, at home.

Qin Yi sat in his study, gazing at dozens of Daoist diagrams of various kinds, with seven or eight incomplete ones among them.

"Having others do the work for me really saves a lot of effort," Qin Yi mused, picking up the first diagram.

"Not a genuine Daoist diagram—just something painted by an artist," he said, tossing it aside.

The Daoist depicted was not the temple’s blue-robed Patriarch.

He quickly flipped through the rest.

In the end, he was somewhat disappointed to find that none were what he sought.

"It seems finding that missing fragment really is a tremendous challenge," he said helplessly.

"Never mind for now. Tomorrow, I’ll find a martial school and start learning new techniques."

...

Jiangning Prefecture.

By now, the city was firmly under the control of the rebel army.

Inside a courtyard.

Wu Yulong stood at the window, his gaze fixed on the white porcelain urn on the table.

Inside lay the ashes of his beloved wife.

Ten days ago, he had finally found her corpse at the bottom of a well. Though the body had long decayed, he recognized the clothing!

"Qin Feng!" At the thought, Wu Yulong’s fists clenched with a cracking sound.

Huo Boru was dead, and before dying had sworn he hadn’t killed Wu Yulong’s wife.

That left only one prime suspect: Qin Feng!

At this moment, footsteps sounded outside the door.

A subordinate knocked respectfully.

"Come in."

A burly man entered, knelt on one knee, and reported, "Master, our intelligence network has found traces of Qin Feng!"

Swish!

Wu Yulong seized the man and lifted him up. "Where?"

"In Xiangzhou City," the man replied, sweat beading on his forehead.

At that moment, his master seemed like a venomous serpent.

Bang!

Wu Yulong threw the man to the ground, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "At last, I’ve found you!"

He intended to make Qin Feng suffer every torture imaginable before letting him die in agony.

Though Zhou Wuzhi of the Crimson Sect had warned that Qin Feng was suspected to be a ninth-tier expert—

Heh, in Wu Yulong’s eyes, so what if he really was ninth-tier?

Was he short of ninth-tier experts he’d killed?

His greatest feat was taking on three ninth-tier opponents at once—killing one and severely injuring two. All three were formidable even among their rank.

Why was he so powerful?

Because he had mastered a first-class martial art—a ninth-tier technique!

And he was widely regarded as one of the most promising hall masters of the Golden Alliance, with the potential to break into the innate realm!