When Xu Wuzhou returned to the Martial Hall, the sun had already set, and the disciples had left. He glanced at the Armory, noticing a large lock had been added to the door.
"Just a lock, and they think that's enough?"
Xu Wuzhou had assumed that after the weapons were stolen once, they would leave someone to guard the place. But to his surprise, they just locked it up and left.
"Who do they think they're underestimating?" Xu Wuzhou was displeased. Did they really think such a simple measure could stop his superior thieving skills? How insulting!
So, Xu Wuzhou approached the Armory again. The Black Bowl touched the iron lock, and it was instantly devoured.
The Armory was restocked with weapons, and Xu Wuzhou didn't hesitate to use the Black Bowl to swallow them all. The liquid inside the bowl increased to seventy-one drops.
Looking at the now-empty Armory, Xu Wuzhou muttered, "Tomorrow, they'll understand that the Divine Thief cannot be insulted."
The Martial Hall was deserted. Xu Wuzhou sat on a stone platform, his mind immersed in the Black Bowl. Under his control, a drop of the liquid entered his body.
As before, the Sword Intent and the blood-colored liquid merged, transforming into a warm current that flowed through his limbs and bones. Xu Wuzhou clearly felt a sense of comfort.
As the blood-colored liquid and Sword Intent continuously merged into his body, his Vital Energy and Blood surged wildly. If he were a pond, the Blood Qi generated by the liquid would be like a stream, flowing endlessly into him, rapidly filling the pond.
Ten drops brought a change to Xu Wuzhou's body. He knew his cultivation realm was advancing.
Ten drops, Fourth Layer!
Twenty drops, Fifth Layer!
Thirty drops, Sixth Layer!
Forty drops, Seventh Layer!
Fifty drops, Eighth Layer!
Sixty drops, Ninth Layer!
Such unimaginable progress—who could cultivate like this? Ordinary people accumulate Blood Qi bit by bit to achieve a breakthrough, but Xu Wuzhou... his Blood Qi flowed like a stream, defying the natural order.
In less than half a day, he went from having no strength to possessing the Power of Nine Bulls.
At this moment, he felt as if all the power within him could erupt, capable of shattering stone and steel.
"The liquid from the Black Bowl can elevate cultivation realms like this—it's terrifying," Xu Wuzhou thought, still unable to calm down. Who could cultivate like this? He swallowed hard, the terrifying ability leaving him parched.
Of course, Xu Wuzhou was also delighted. This was like having a cheat code on his path of cultivation. How could he fear falling behind others now?
"With the Ninth Layer of Vital Energy and Blood, I should rank in the top five among all the disciples in the Martial Hall," Xu Wuzhou muttered. According to his memory, fewer than five disciples had reached the Ninth Layer. In Lin'an City, being at the Ninth Layer among the younger generation was notable, and reaching the Postnatal Realm was considered excellent. After all, even the heads of the Six Great Clans were only at the Innate Realm.
With his current strength, he was no longer a disgrace among the younger generation in Lin'an City.
Of course, Xu Wuzhou didn't know that his Ninth Layer of Vital Energy and Blood, possessing the Power of Nine Bulls, was something other cultivators could only achieve at the Postnatal Realm.
Nurturing the body with Sword Intent—how could other cultivators compare?
Xu Wuzhou thought of Qin Li and the heads of the Six Great Clans, who were only at the Innate Realm. If he gathered more metal, could he quickly reach the Innate Realm?
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With this thought, Xu Wuzhou grew more eager for those ten thousand taels of silver.
As he contemplated whether to continue absorbing the remaining eleven drops of liquid in the Black Bowl, his ears suddenly twitched. He looked in a direction and saw two figures sneaking into the Martial Hall.
Under the moonlight, Xu Wuzhou recognized them. Shi Lei and Shi Sen, brothers from a minor clan in Lin'an City, were Xu Wuzhou's old drinking buddies. They used to follow him around when he squandered his family's wealth, but after Qin Li took control of the Xu Family's assets, they never sought him out again.
"What are they up to?"
Xu Wuzhou was puzzled. The Shi brothers also spotted him under the moonlight. They were delighted and quickly flanked Xu Wuzhou, drawing long blades from behind their backs.
Even a fool could see their ill intentions. Xu Wuzhou frowned and asked, "What do you want?"
"Heh, blame Qin Li. You committed such a beastly act, and Qin Li didn't kill you, so we have to do it," Shi Lei said.
Xu Wuzhou frowned. "Did Lin Qingci send you?"
"That little girl couldn't possibly hire us. It's because she couldn't get the job done that we're here to kill you today," Shi Sen snorted.
"You want to kill me?" Xu Wuzhou looked at them, his body tensing slightly.
"What? Surprised? Did you really think we considered you a brother just because we partied with you? We just thought it was fun to have a fool buy us drinks," Shi Lei sneered.
Xu Wuzhou looked at them and said, "I am a bit surprised. But if it's not Lin Qingci, then who wants me dead? Xie Guangping?"
"That's none of your concern. Out of respect for old times, we're giving you a chance to end it yourself, so we don't have to dirty our hands," Shi Lei said, waving his blade menacingly at Xu Wuzhou.
"Are you so sure you can kill me? Couldn't it be me who kills you?" Xu Wuzhou asked.
"Hahaha!" The two laughed as if they had heard the funniest joke. They had partied with Xu Wuzhou countless times and knew him well. He probably couldn't even kill a chicken. They couldn't understand where this fool got his confidence today.
"Here, take the blade and kill us," Shi Lei laughed, tossing his blade at Xu Wuzhou's feet. "Hahaha, can you even lift it?"
Xu Wuzhou knew he was considered useless by everyone, but he didn't expect to be so underestimated. Someone came to kill him, and they threw a blade at his feet, inviting him to kill them.
How disgusting!
"Hahaha, pick up the blade, come on, strike me, if you can kill me, you're amazing," Shi Lei taunted, walking towards Xu Wuzhou, pointing at him and laughing. "Coward, you wouldn't even dare to strike, would you? You can't even stand the sight of blood."
"Oh, you actually raised the blade. What? Did I provoke you to strike me? Hahaha, come on, show me. Do you dare? If not, should I walk up to you and let you strike?"
Xu Wuzhou's face turned red with shame at Shi Lei's insults. How incompetent must one be to be mocked and humiliated like this?
Seeing Xu Wuzhou blush, Shi Lei laughed even more arrogantly. "Blushing because I hit the mark, Xu Wuzhou, before you die, let me tell you the truth. In our eyes, you're not even as good as a sick dog, a ridiculous maggot. What? Raising it so high, are you going to strike me..."
Shi Lei continued to mock, but when Xu Wuzhou swung the blade down, his face was full of disdain. He could easily dodge such a strike.
But halfway through, the blade's speed suddenly surged, so fast that Shi Lei's expression changed. He tried to retreat in panic, but it was too late. He could only raise his hand to block.
"Ah!" A scream echoed as blood spurted, and an arm was severed. Shi Lei writhed in pain on the ground.
At that moment, Xu Wuzhou stepped forward, stomping hard on Shi Lei's head, his foot pressing down, distorting Shi Lei's face.
"I've never seen anyone so eager to be struck. How could I not fulfill such a wish?"
As Xu Wuzhou spoke, he increased the pressure, crimson blood flowing from Shi Lei's face.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan