The moonlight was like frost, pouring down on the dark street, coating the blue stone path with a layer of silver sheen.

Qin An suddenly stopped, his sword-like eyebrows slightly knitted, his gaze sweeping like lightning towards the stumbling beggar approaching him.

This person neither had the aura fluctuations of a cultivator nor the evil aura entangled with pseudo-gods, yet he walked straight towards him.

The matter of the Demon Transformation Pool was urgent and could not withstand the slightest error.

Qin An casually placed his hand on the hilt of the Cold Star Saber.

The beggar, trembling slightly, moved closer, intimidated by the sharp aura emanating from Qin An, not daring even to lift his head: "Are you... Mr. Qin?"

Qin An frowned and said, "Who are you?"

The beggar shakily put down a coarse cloth bundle, his voice trembling: "Someone... gave this little person some silver to hand this over to you..."

He was just a street urchin, how could he have ever encountered such a figure?

If it weren't for the lure of a few pieces of silver, he wouldn't have dared come close even if given ten times the courage.

Qin An eyed the cloth bundle on the ground, pulled out the Cold Star from his waist, and used the tip of his knife to lift open the bundle from the top.

A book appeared before his eyes, with the three words "Eight Silk Fist" written on it.

Fist technique?

Qin An furrowed his brows slightly, True Qi circulating around him, and the Protective Gang Qi of the Xuanqi Inner Body instantly enveloped him, only then did he cautiously pick up the manual to read.

After flipping through a few pages, nothing unusual occurred, it was just a normal cultivation technique.

However, what Qin An did not understand was why someone gave him a Gui Cang Realm cultivation technique again.

The last time he obtained a saber technique, it was given to him through Ye Lengyu's hand.

Now another cultivation technique reached him via a beggar, what was the hidden motive of the person behind it?

The beggar trembled in fright when he saw Qin An draw the straight blade.

Seeing Qin An pick up the book to read, he was even more terrified.

"Sir..." the beggar quivered, "this little one is only doing this for money..."

Qin An regained his composure and asked in a deep voice, "The person who gave you the book, what did they look like?"

Although he didn't understand who this person was, since there was an interaction with the beggar, Qin An wanted to see if he could get some answers through him.

"Masked face... even the voice was deliberately made hoarse..." the beggar waved his hands repeatedly: "I truly don't know!"

This answer was expected.

Since the other party gave him the book through a beggar, they naturally wouldn't reveal their identity.

He inquired of the beggar just to try his luck.

Since there wasn't any luck, he might as well put it aside for now.

Qin An sheathed his saber, the Cold Star ringing out a clear clang: "Go, next time do not engage in such transactions."

The beggar, as if granted amnesty, scrambled away into the shadows of the street corners.

Whether or not the beggar took his words to heart was known only to the beggar himself.

Qin An gazed at the beggar's hurried figure, rubbing the manual with a pensive look.

Although he didn't know the intention of the person behind it, the manual came at just the right time.

When the blacksmithing skill breaks through to level nine, he could directly advance the unarmed technique to the Pulse Condensation Realm.

In the moonlight, his figure grew more distant, eventually blending into the shadows of the street.

...

A few days later, deep in the wilderness.

Gao Lingyu's green garment was soaked with sweat, and her bangs clung tightly to her skin.

The array patterns under her feet flickered irregularly, spreading out like ripples.

The Grand Elder of the Profound Celestial Array Gate stood silently to the side, his expression so heavy it could drip water.

After a long while, the array patterns beneath Gao Lingyu's feet disappeared, and she let out a long sigh, as if she had unloaded a burden from her back.

The Grand Elder's voice was hoarse: "Sect Leader, this matter must be reported to the central state immediately."

Gao Lingyu took out a handkerchief, wiped the sweat from her forehead: "Second Elder, I'll leave this matter to you."

The Second Elder nodded slightly: "As you command!"

With that, the array patterns beneath the Second Elder's feet suddenly brightened, and he vanished into the twilight like an arrow released from a bowstring.

The Grand Elder asked worriedly: "Sect Leader, do we need to return to fetch more people?"

Gao Lingyu shook her head, her black hair fluttering lightly in the wind: "The more people, the easier it would be to alert the snake by beating the grass, especially when the demon hall dares to steal the earth vein power of Lingzhou to nourish the Demon Transformation Pool, this needs careful consideration and must await the central state's decision."

Recently, Gao Lingyu had been secretly traversing the wilderness, investigating the matter of the Demon Transformation Pool.

The more she investigated, the more shocking it became.

The earth beneath the entire Lingzhou had been laid with a terrifying formation by the demon hall.

This formation could seize all the power of the earth veins, but it took only a thread, thus not damaging the veins.

This wasn't due to the demon hall's benevolence, but because they didn't want to be discovered by the Evil Extermination Bureau.

The formation was terrifying, even Gao Lingyu found it extremely difficult to break.

If broken, it would surely be detected by the demon hall.

Unless the Profound Celestial Array Gate members were brought over and patrol guards were dispatched, otherwise, the three of them wouldn't be able to break the formation before being silently eliminated by the demon hall.

This situation could only be handled by letting the central state make a decision.

The Grand Elder asked: "Should we continue to investigate?"

Gao Lingyu shook her head: "There's no need to continue, it's just wasting time now that we've investigated thoroughly."

The Grand Elder nodded slightly: "Then shall we return to Lingzhou temporarily?"

Gao Lingyu thought for a moment and said: "Let's first return and discuss later."

When Lingzhou was mentioned, Gao Lingyu gazed towards its direction, thinking of the man in black.

Although the Profound Celestial Array Gate was not known for its combat skills, it was closely tied to various sect powers.

Who knew that the patrol silver guard in Lingzhou would actually refuse them.

"I wonder if he has since died on some task after so many days." Gao Lingyu thought to herself.

The night wind blew, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees.

Without further words, Gao Lingyu and the Grand Elder returned to Lingzhou under the moonlight.

...

The next morning, at the blacksmith shop.

The continuous sound of hammering echoed.

At first, it was muffled, then became gentle, until finally it became inaudible.

Qin An set down the hammer, wiped his face with a sweat towel, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Wisps of blue smoke gathered before his eyes, forming lines of ancient characters.

[Blacksmith lv.9 (0/3000): The quality of the items you forge increases, material consumption decreases, item characteristics are enhanced]

[Talent: Mastery of Gui Cang Realm strength-type cultivation techniques, Gui Cang Realm Forged Object Spirituality Granting, Mastery of Gui Cang Realm Heart Forging Skill]

The smoke dissipated suddenly, and a flood of information rushed into his mind like a tide.

Qin An closed his eyes to focus, and within a few breaths, he assimilated all the insights into blacksmithing.

At this moment, Qin An, holding the hammer, seemed like a master craftsman steeped in the blacksmithing trade for years, everything about forging came effortlessly to him.

"This talent is quite decent," Qin An murmured to himself.

Reaching the ninth level as a blacksmith, an additional enhancement to item characteristics was gained.

The effect of this characteristic is that the items Qin An forges are extremely outstanding in a specific aspect.

For example, when forging weapons, they become exceedingly sharp in terms of attack.

If it's armor being forged, it becomes as hard as a rock in defense.

More importantly, there's an additional talent.

Now, all of the blacksmith's talents have been upgraded to Gui Cang Realm proficiency, with an added proficiency in the Heart Forging Skill of the Gui Cang Realm.

The so-called Heart Forging Skill is the most profound forging method in the blacksmithing industry.

Ordinary people forge with physical strength, while unparalleled blacksmiths forge with heart.

No matter the quality or spirituality, the items forged are significantly improved.

One could say the objects crafted using the Heart Forging Skill are no longer ordinary.

Qin An didn't rush back to enhance his barehanded cultivation technique but instead drew out the Cold Star from his waist, casting his gaze on this straight blade.

"Old buddy, it's time for an upgrade."

This saber, which had accompanied him through countless life-and-death battles, had endured many such struggles.

Now, the quality of the Cold Star was beginning to fall behind.

After reaching blacksmith level nine, Qin An could reforge Cold Star to enhance its quality.

It's time for a complete transformation.

The Cold Star slightly resonated, as if the trace of spirituality it possessed was responding to Qin An.

Without hesitation, Qin An tossed the Cold Star into the furnace.

The fiery flames reflected Qin An's focused side profile.

Then, the sound of hammering began to ring out in the blacksmith shop...

An incense stick's time later.

Qin An set down the hammer and grasped the hilt of the Cold Star, carefully observing it.

The shape of the Cold Star had not changed; it remained a straight blade.

However, its quality had become more refined.

The Heart Forging Skill elevated Cold Star by a tier, and with the mastery of Spirituality Granting, Cold Star's internal spirit became more pure.

Qin An tried swinging the Cold Star, a clear blade sound resonating.

He seemed to feel the Cold Star's constant resonance, as if it were responding to him.

"If this spirituality continues to increase, might Cold Star develop self-awareness?"

"Blade spirit? Surely not?"

Qin An's thoughts veered a bit, and he quickly shook his head to dispel the idea from his mind.

"It's time to return, the Blood-Burning Dragon Demon Hand can be upgraded to Pulse Condensation."

Thinking of this, Qin An stopped dwelling, exchanged a few words with the blacksmith, and headed towards the Evil Extermination Bureau.

...

Before returning to his room, Qin An had lunch at a roadside stall.

Closing the door, the cultivation technique was already laid on the table by Qin An.

The Eight Silk Fist is a Gui Cang Realm Taoist barehanded technique, emphasizing smoothness and naturalness, particularly in nurturing the body and mind.

But it doesn't mean it lacks in attack.

On the contrary, the Eight Silk Fist uses softness to subdue hardness, which is extremely useful for Qin An.

The Blood-Burning Dragon Demon Hand is powerful, but excessively fierce.

The saying "overly rigid breaks easily" applies, as overly aggressive fist techniques can easily run out of steam.

If the Eight Silk Fist and the Blood-Burning Dragon Demon Hand can be combined into one, it would make up for the shortcomings of the Blood-Burning Dragon Demon Hand.

Qin An closed his eyes, reviewing the contents he had just seen in his mind, then began moving in the room according to the patterns of the Blood-Burning Dragon Demon Hand.

His motions were slow, akin to performing a health exercise.

But anyone knowledgeable in barehanded cultivation techniques would understand that while the fist moves slowly, it can attack an enemy invisibly.

As Qin An practiced the Eight Silk Fist, a mist slowly appeared before him.

[You practice the Eight Silk Fist, and due to having the Blood-Burning Dragon Demon Hand, your understanding of barehanded techniques deepens greatly]

[Eight Silk Fist (Consummate)]

The ninth-level blacksmith talent, combined with the assistance of the Blood-Burning Dragon Demon Hand, allowed the Eight Silk Fist to reach the consummate level smoothly.

But for Qin An, it's still far from enough.

Qin An took a short break, burning the demonic essence within himself, and began deducing the path of unifying the two.

Setting aside the recently acquired demonic crystals, in terms of sheer demonic essence quantity, deducting the previously consumed six demonic essences, Qin An still had a reserve of twenty-six demonic essences.

In this deduction, Qin An had no worries about blood vitality.

Before him, snake-like text appeared again.

[You possess the Blood-Burning Dragon Demon Hand, attempting to merge the Eight Silk Fist with the Blood-Burning Dragon Demon Hand]

[But due to insufficient talent, the attempt fails]

[Unwilling to give up, you sit in meditation for years, then start burning the demonic essence within you frantically]

[After a massive burn of blood vitality, a spark of enlightenment emerges in your mind]

[You continue burning blood vitality, and the spark gradually deepens]

[Finally, the spark coalesces into a river, and you gain profound insight]

[You name the new cultivation technique the Blood-Burning Eight-Forged Dragon Demon Hand]

[Blood-Burning Eight-Forged Dragon Demon Hand (Initial Understanding)]

Initial Understanding!

It's done!

Qin An opened his eyes, a torrent of information flooding in like a tide.

It was as if there was a phantom in his mind, continuously executing the fist techniques.

The intricate essentials of the Blood-Burning Eight-Forged Dragon Demon Hand were all grasped by Qin An.

Qin An stood up, raised his hand, and threw a punch.

Layers of fist shadows enveloped his entire body.

The sound of dragon roars continuously echoed.

If observed carefully, one would find that Qin An's fist techniques not only contain a demonic madness, fierce like a dragon, but also a resilient softness, like gentle finger wraps.

Moments later, Qin An retracted his fists and stood satisfied.

Now, not only had his power reached the initial understanding of the Pulse Condensation Realm, but he had also raised both his saber and fist techniques to this level.

Merely in the attack domain, for now, it suffices.

Before his eyes, the mist reappeared, forming a line of text floating in mid-air.

[Healer lv.7 (0/1500): Your patient treatment effectiveness improves, and the treatment time shortens]

[Talent: Jade Bone Realm medical technique mastery, Jade Bone Realm poison resistance great success]

Qin An's eyes sparked with brilliance: "The attack techniques are complete, next is the defensive method."

His next step was to elevate the healer to level nine, then deduce the Mysterious Gang Medical Body.

Just as Qin An made this plan, the silver medallion on his chest suddenly trembled slightly.

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