Back in his room, Zou Feng rested for a moment before eagerly starting to take stock of his spoils.
Five pills of Celestial Immortal Joy Powder.
Over twenty red and black Evil Pills in total.
These were all types of Elixirs that Zou Feng had confiscated before.
However, the three white Elixirs on the Eighth Grade Cultist’s body were something new.
And it was these white Elixirs that Zou Feng was most interested in.
After all, if he wasn’t mistaken, the Eighth Grade Cultist had taken one of these white Elixirs to gain that "Summoning Gods Possession" like strength.
He had even managed to produce a Qi Force that resembled Gang Qi.
’So if I use this stuff to cultivate the Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Force, it’s bound to bring a pleasant surprise.’
The Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Force was an Inner Qi Heart Skill, and this Elixir could alter the form of Inner Qi, making it perfect for assisting Cultivation.
Without further delay, Zou Feng immediately prepared to start cultivating.
He had won his head-on clash with the Eighth Grade Martial Artist, but it hadn’t been an easy victory.
This was not ideal. Ever since Zou Feng began his Cultivation of Evil Skills, he had almost always won his fights by completely crushing his opponents.
The moment he couldn’t dominate them, he would feel a sense of unease.
Therefore, advancing to the Eighth Grade was an urgent necessity!
Adding the white Elixirs to his medicinal bath, Zou Feng immediately began to soak.
This time, the moment he started circulating the Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Force, he felt a difference.
His Cultivating speed was suddenly more than three times what it was before.
Meridians that had been somewhat blocked were instantly cleared, and his Inner Qi seemed to come alive, cheering joyfully within his body.
With such a potent effect, one could only imagine how severe the side effects would be.
’My top supporter Ji Changsheng is in for a rough time...’
At this point, Zou Feng didn’t even need to check his status panel; he was certain that the Cultivation progress for his Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Force had entered a frenzied sprint.
As noon approached, Zou Feng leaped out of the medicinal bath. With a slight circulation of his qi, the water stains on his body vanished.
"Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Force (Integration and Mastery), Progress: 7%"
’The Evil Pills carried by an Eighth Grade Ten Directions Cultist are truly potent!’
The Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Force had originally been the slowest progressing of the three Evil Skills Zou Feng had recently been cultivating.
Unexpectedly, it was now the first one to reach Integration and Mastery.
After this great leap in his Cultivation Skill, the morbid, deathly pale color of Zou Feng’s skin had also mostly faded.
After savoring the feeling of the Black Tortoise Sea-Suppressing Force at the Realm of Synthesis and Mastery for a while, Zou Feng didn’t even bother with lunch and immediately began cultivating his Chaos Finger.
Of the two prerequisites he had set for advancing to Eighth Grade, the only one remaining was to train his Chaos Finger to the level of Refined Skill...
***
The afternoon sun was always particularly lazy, making one feel drowsy.
The Guard, Lin Chen, was succumbing to its influence, dozing off on a stone stool in the courtyard.
However, just as he had drifted into a hazy sleep, a tremendous BANG startled him so badly he nearly flew into the air.
He opened his eyes to see that Zou Incense Master’s room had suddenly exploded for some unknown reason, even blowing the door off its hinges.
But due to the billowing smoke and dust, he couldn’t yet see the situation inside.
Caught off guard by this sudden event, Lin Chen thought an assassin had attacked and hastily drew his saber as he rushed over.
"Zou Incense Master!"
"COUGH COUGH... I’m fine..."
Zou Feng’s voice came from within the dust, and he soon walked out.
"I was just trying out a new prescription, but I didn’t expect the cauldron to explode..." Zou Feng said with an embarrassed look.
Because Zou Feng was "severely injured and not yet recovered," and also knew a little about medicine himself, he often brewed his own remedies in his room.
Lin Chen knew all of this.
But he still couldn’t comprehend what on earth Zou Incense Master had added to make the cauldron explode so dramatically...
Of course, Lin Chen would never guess that it wasn’t a cauldron explosion at all. Rather, Zou Feng had successfully broken through to the Eighth Grade in one fell swoop. Overjoyed, before he had a chance to properly adapt to his new Inner Qi, he had rashly tried to use his full-power Bursting Qi, and as a result, things had literally... burst.
If Lin Chen hadn’t been there, Zou Feng would have already been laughing maniacally.
Not only because he had successfully broken through to the Eighth Grade, but also because the current density of his Inner Qi far exceeded his expectations.
He could even perform an Inner Qi Release over a distance of about ten feet without any loss of power!
The Inner Qi of a Ninth Grade Martial Artist was scattered and unconcentrated, while that of an Eighth Grade was condensed as if it were solid.
At the Seventh Grade, Inner Qi could be released several tens of feet, allowing one to strike a target through a mountain.
Although Zou Feng could currently only release it about ten feet while maintaining its full power, possessing such an ability right after advancing to the Eighth Grade made him a complete Alien Species!
However, considering he had frantically cultivated multiple Evil Skills without suffering their side effects, it was only natural that he would be different from other Martial Artists of the same Realm.
Overjoyed, Zou Feng also breathed a secret sigh of relief.
’Finally, I don’t have to worry about the likes of the Blood-handed Butcher or Ji Changsheng coming after me.’
’Also, I can’t keep faking this injury forever. Sooner or later, I’ll have to participate in the operation to exterminate the remnants of the Ten Directions Sect.’
’Fortunately, it doesn’t matter now.’
’Being an Abnormal Eighth Grade is my foundation of confidence!’
’When exterminating the remnants of the Ten Directions Sect, as long as I act cautiously, don’t go off on my own, and quickly use my gang brothers as shields if trouble starts, there’s no reason I should suffer an unexpected and humiliating failure.’
’Besides, the effects of my Chaos Finger, now at the Realm of Refining Fire, are probably just as terrifying.’
Now, just looking at the middle finger of his left hand sent a shiver down his own spine.
Previously, right after cultivating his Chaos Finger to the Realm of Refining Fire, Zou Feng hadn’t immediately tried to break through to Eighth Grade. Instead, he had first gone to the backyard and caught a rat.
Then, he circulated the lightest dose of its poison, tapped the rat, and quickly retreated.
He soon saw the rat rolling on the ground and squealing erratically for a while before its body swelled to twice its original size.
Then, it went into an abnormal Frenzy and pounced on a stray cat that was dozing in a corner...
If Zou Feng hadn’t intervened in time and killed the rat, the stray cat would have likely died a particularly gruesome death.
So, if he were to use the full power of his Chaos Finger on a Martial Artist with low resistance, it would be like instantly creating an unhinged monster!
This made Zou Feng reflect to himself that his enemies really shouldn’t force him to give them the middle finger.
But having advanced to the Eighth Grade, Zou Feng certainly wasn’t going to run around announcing it.
’Since leaving the Yang Mansion as an Entering Grade, my advancement speed to Eighth Grade has been a bit too outrageous.’
’I need to lie low for a while longer and find a suitable opportunity...’
And so, after another three leisurely days passed, Zou Feng finally received a notice from the Black Flood Dragon Gang, ordering him to cooperate in an operation that evening.
Recently, the Black Flood Dragon Gang had been driven to their wits’ end.
But they had already accepted payment from the Celestial Essence Sword Sect, and now they were in a situation where it was hard to back down.
It was said that even the Vice Gang Leader, Xiang Kang, had suffered minor injuries a few days ago.
Zou Feng was genuinely surprised when he heard this news.
’A Seventh Grade was injured?’
’Tsk, why does this feel more and more wrong?’
’Were the remnants of the Ten Directions Sect really beaten by the Celestial Essence Sword Sect and forced to flee to Yuan Guang County, or did they come here specifically to stir up trouble?’
Doubts were doubts, but Zou Feng still participated in the evening search operation on time.
This time, it wasn’t a mountain search. Instead, he would be joining Martial Artists from other gangs to sweep the shantytown for hidden remnants of the Ten Directions Sect.
The shantytown was basically a massive slum, not only covering a huge area but also being as intricate as a maze inside.
The composition of its residents was equally chaotic.
There were destitute locals from Yuan Guang County, beggars, ruffians, refugees who had fled here, wanted criminals, and so on.
With remnants of the Ten Directions Sect now mixed in, the situation was a complete mess.
Therefore, clearing out the shantytown was no small undertaking.
The Danxin Alliance, the Mountain and River Association, and the two martial arts schools in Yuan Guang County had all sent people.
The Black Flood Dragon Gang had mobilized over a hundred members, with the Gang Leader’s head disciple, Bian Yixia, personally leading the team.
Seeing so many brothers who could be placed in front of him, Zou Feng immediately felt much more at ease.
When he met up with his gang brothers, Zou Feng would approach anyone with injuries to inquire about their condition and offer treatment advice.
He would even pretend to perform acupuncture, when in fact he was using the anesthetic effect of his Chaos Finger.
Displaying his medical skills like this was, of course, to lay the groundwork for hopefully being transferred to a logistics role in the future.
However, even though he was an Incense Master, most members of the Black Flood Dragon Gang politely declined his sudden enthusiasm.
Only a few, for reasons like showing him respect, allowed him to help with their injuries.
"You know medicine?"
Just as Zou Feng used the anesthetic effect to make an injured gang member’s face relax in comfort, the Miss’s voice came from behind him.
"Greetings, Miss!" Zou Feng immediately turned and bowed.
Bian Yixia waved her hand. "No need for formalities. Answer the question!"
"To answer the Miss, when your subordinate was still at the Yang Mansion, I studied under Luo Yong, who is an expert in medicinal cuisine. So now I do indeed have a slight understanding of pharmacology."
"After this operation is over, go and take a look at Uncle Xiang."
Zou Feng naturally knew that the "Uncle Xiang" she spoke of was the currently recuperating Vice Gang Leader, Xiang Kang.
"Yes, your subordinate will do his best!" Zou Feng did not refuse.
The higher a Martial Artist’s Realm, the more troublesome their injuries were.
They either had to take Healing Elixirs or circulate their own skill to heal, waiting for the body to recover on its own.
The bodies of stronger Martial Artists had long since surpassed the limits of ordinary people, making them superhuman. This rendered ordinary doctors almost useless to them.
A doctor who also possessed a high Realm of strength was, naturally, a rare commodity.
Nodding at Zou Feng, Bian Yixia said no more and turned to leave.
This time, she didn’t suggest a friendly spar like she did last time, which pleased Zou Feng greatly.
’She must have just been saying it casually last time. It wasn’t to be taken seriously.’
Not long after, the hundred-plus members of the Black Flood Dragon Gang were divided into groups of three and began the great purge of the shantytown.
The Elite Disciples of the Celestial Essence Sword Sect did show up, but what Zou Feng found rather underwhelming was that only five of them came.
Moreover, these five Elite Disciples, who all looked down their noses at everyone, would not be entering the filthy shantytown. They would merely guard a few intersections where they might be able to block the Ten Directions Sect remnants, waiting for the prey to come to them.
And the job of flushing out the "rabbits" naturally fell to gang members like Zou Feng.
As Zou Feng was an Entering Grade Incense Master, after being divided into a group of three, he was naturally the temporary leader.
The two people assigned to him were named Xie Yang and Lu Zhenbang.
He didn’t know either of them.
’If a situation arises later that I can handle, I naturally won’t pretend to be a coward.’
’But if a Seventh Grade remnant of the Ten Directions Sect pops up, then I’ll have no choice but to place these two in front of me.’