The task of performing the funeral rites for Old One-Eye Zuo fell upon Bai Yu.

Bai Yu personally organized everything, ensuring Old One-Eye Zuo's funeral was grand and dignified.

From start to finish, he played the suona himself, earning great praise from Old One-Eye Zuo's family.

However, what they didn't know was that the tune Bai Yu played was called the Soul Extinguishing Melody.

The Soul Extinguishing Melody is a piece from the Zhuyou Yin Talisman Scripture, with the sole effect of annihilating malevolent spirits.

Regardless of whether Old One-Eye Zuo had a ghost after his death, there would certainly be none from now on.

Even if Judge Bao came to summon spirits, he would find nothing.

The deceased's emotions are currently stable.

Old One-Eye Zuo's coffin was successfully buried, and his sister, who was the wife of the gang leader, gave each person at the charity mortuary five taels of silver.

Master Lin and Master Xiao Bai, for their hard work, received twenty taels.

Bai Yu and Uncle Jiu accepted the silver, exchanging a knowing smile.

Rumors spread in the town, with some saying someone was plagued by sha energy and met with retribution.

Others claimed it was Old Zhou's family, who sold wontons, seeking vengeance on Old One-Eye Zuo.

But none of this concerned Bai Yu.

[Funeral procession successful, participation 86%, family satisfaction 88%, two optional rewards available.]

[Standard rewards: Qi and Blood +35, Life Experience +166.]

[Optional rewards: Black Wolf Mind Technique, Mountain Breaking Blade Technique, Iron Wire Fist, Blade Technique Experience +1308...]

Bai Yu was overjoyed, not expecting such an unexpected gain!

There was even an internal cultivation technique, the complete Black Wolf Mind Technique, of lower-grade Xuan level!

Moreover, this Xuan level technique was something people would fight over in the black market.

It turned out Liu Dulong, the deputy leader of the Black Wolf Gang, had a soft spot for his wife's guiding words and secretly passed the Black Wolf Mind Technique to his brother-in-law.

Bai Yu first chose the Black Wolf Mind Technique.

A vast array of knowledge flooded his mind, and when he closed his eyes, he could see the routes of Qi and Blood flow.

Next, he chose the Blade Technique Experience.

[Blade Technique Experience +1308!]

Instantly, it was as if he had pierced through a barrier, and his Soul Severing Blade Technique advanced!

[Soul Severing Blade Technique: Slight Accomplishment, 277/100000.]

Now, Bai Yu could unleash three consecutive lethal strikes in the blink of an eye!

Bai Yu smiled slightly and began to practice the Black Wolf Mind Technique.

He sat cross-legged, and a diagram of Qi and Blood circulation appeared in his mind.

Focusing his spirit internally, he slowly guided the Qi and Blood along the technique's path.

Bai Yu stumbled through the circulation of Qi and Blood, continuously guiding it forward.

Unknowingly, an hour passed.

Finally, after one cycle, a stream of internal energy was born from the Qi and Blood.

[Qi and Blood -5!]

[Internal Energy +0.5!]

Bai Yu opened his eyes, unable to hide his delight.

The Black Wolf Mind Technique truly lived up to its Xuan level status, with immediate effects.

It could convert Qi and Blood into internal energy, with a conversion ratio of about ten to one.

Bai Yu was thrilled and spent the next few days practicing the Black Wolf Mind Technique.

He practiced it to the level of practice makes perfect, gaining an additional 3 points in aptitude.

As his proficiency increased, the time to complete one cycle decreased, greatly enhancing the efficiency of internal energy conversion.

The internal energy within Bai Yu became more robust.

One day, he channeled all his internal energy towards the Gallbladder Meridian of the Foot Shaoyang.

The surging internal energy, like a flood, broke through layers of obstacles.

The meridian that had always been blocked was now unobstructed, as if the water had reached the channel.

He pressed on, guiding the internal energy to impact the last Small Intestine Meridian of the Hand Taiyang.

Sure enough, the last meridian also opened with a roar.

All twelve meridians were completely unobstructed!

Bai Yu coughed, spitting out a mouthful of black blood.

This was the accumulation of many hidden injuries and impurities in his body, now all expelled.

Bai Yu suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and bright.

He felt an immense comfort throughout his body, even his senses became much clearer.

With the twelve meridians opened, he officially stepped into the fifth stage, the Bone Tempering Realm!

Next, he would temper his bones with Qi and Blood and internal energy.

To make his bones incredibly strong, capable of withstanding the body's immense strength.

His attribute panel became:

[Name: Bai Yu.]

[Aptitude: 11]

[Qi and Blood: 666]

[Strength: 166]

[Internal Energy: 66]

[Cultivation: Fifth Stage, Bone Tempering Realm.]

[Cultivation Techniques: Four Symbols Five Elements Fist (Thorough Understanding), Black Wolf Mind Technique (Practice Makes Perfect)]

[Martial Skills: Soul Severing Blade (Slight Accomplishment), Mysterious Turtle Qi Gathering Technique (Practice Makes Perfect), Swallow's Void Walking Step (Practice Makes Perfect), Vajra Iron Armor Technique (Thorough Understanding)]

[Divine Ability: Immortality.]

[Other Skills: Play Suona (Thorough Understanding), Essence-Nourishing Powder (Practice Makes Perfect), Zhuyou Yin Talisman Scripture (Practice Makes Perfect), Blood Talisman Technique (Practice Makes Perfect), Archery (Practice Makes Perfect), etc.]

Bai Yu allowed himself a moment of pride.

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In these days, his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.

His fist techniques, blade techniques, mind techniques, and talisman techniques all grew rapidly, greatly increasing his chances of survival should anything change in River City.

However, he quickly calmed down and said to Old Mo:

"Old Mo, the third rule of the Survival Path: never get complacent."

"The moment you're most proud is when your guard is down, and you might do something unwise."

Old Mo hurriedly took out a small notebook and began to jot down with his paw.

The Survival Path says: The third rule, never get complacent.

The first few pages of the notebook also contained the second and first rules.

The notebook was titled the Survival Path Sayings.

Bai Yu patted the dog's head with a smile:

"You're a teachable child."

Having broken through to the Bone Tempering Realm, Bai Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He went out to buy a roast chicken to reward himself.

After walking a few hundred meters, he arrived at Widow Sun's shop.

Widow Sun's roast chicken was one of the best on Willow Street, with an incredibly authentic taste.

Many people, whether they ate roast chicken or not, loved to visit this place.

A large crowd gathered at the roast chicken shop's entrance.

Bai Yu thought to himself:

"It seems there are quite a few roast chicken lovers today."

Listening from the edge of the crowd, Bai Yu gathered the gist of the situation.

It turned out the soldiers had gone out to suppress bandits, driving away the water bandits on the White Dragon River and reclaiming the grain ships.

The grain prices in the city dropped in response, and everyone was overjoyed.

Widow Sun took this opportunity to offer a 20% discount at her roast chicken shop.

After waiting for a while, Bai Yu finally bought a roast chicken.

Widow Sun's roast chicken truly lived up to its reputation.

Just the plump chicken breast was worth the name.

Bai Yu carried a lotus leaf package, leisurely heading back.

Compared to usual, the faces of the people coming and going were noticeably more cheerful.

Bai Yu thought to himself:

"Could my previous premonition have been wrong? Is nothing going to happen?"

He had previously felt an ominous sense of unrest, but it now seemed like just a minor hiccup.

Bai Yu pondered for a moment and decided it was better to be prepared.

His past experience of scrambling for food taught him that having grain at hand brings peace of mind.

In one morning, Bai Yu brought home five bags of rice.

With not much work recently, he planned to craft a magical artifact.

The lower volume of the Yin Talisman Scripture recorded many methods for crafting magical artifacts, mostly peachwood swords, coin swords, and eight trigrams mirrors.

These usually weren't very powerful, only effective against some malevolent entities.

Unlike celestial artifacts, which had astonishing destructive power.

Bai Yu decided to craft a Soul Calming Banner.