The Supreme Yang Inner Power was already the product of two fused inner powers, making it formidable in its own right. However, in terms of purity, it was still far inferior to the Pure Essence Inner Power. Thus, the collision and fusion of the two naturally fell under the dominance of the latter.
More importantly, the Pure Essence Inner Power possessed the trait of Inner Power Purification. As it fused, it also purified the inner power. It took roughly three wisps of Supreme Yang Inner Power to refine a single wisp of Pure Essence Inner Power. But the resulting inner power was pure to the extreme!
The fusion of his inner power lasted for two Two-hours.
SWISH.
Ji Qing opened his eyes. His inner power was completely fused, and his Martial Arts had also undergone a transformation. The Supreme Yang Rising Sun Skill and the Pure Essence Skill had disappeared, replaced by the "Supreme Yang Pure Essence Skill."
Silently feeling the incomparably pure inner power within him, Ji Qing did not hesitate. He immediately circulated it, beginning to clear the meridians along his Grand Circulation. Meridians that had previously been incredibly difficult to clear were now effortlessly breached under the impact of his pure inner power, naturally breaking open like water flowing into a ready channel.
One Two-hour, two Two-hours, three Two-hours...
In the blink of an eye, three Two-hours passed. When the final meridian was cleared...
BOOM.
Now able to complete a full Grand Circulation, Ji Qing's inner power instantly skyrocketed. Furthermore, as his inner power cycled through the Grand Circulation, it continuously increased with every passing moment.
Ji Qing carefully experienced the benefits of the Grand Circulation. With each successive cycle, his meridians widened, allowing him to erupt with even stronger inner power in a single attack.
This was a Second-class Martial Artist!
Once a Martial Artist advanced to the second-class, they experienced an all-around enhancement. The improvement in their inner power, in particular, was worlds apart compared to a Third-class Martial Artist.
Many Martial Artists in the Martial World worked diligently all their lives. Even if their innate talent was lacking, they could eventually become a Third-class Martial Artist. However, that was their absolute limit. To become a Second-class Martial Artist, one had to be naturally gifted, have fortuitous encounters, or be piled with massive amounts of resources from a young age. Otherwise, achieving that rank was a lifelong impossibility.
Therefore, becoming a Second-class Martial Artist was a major watershed. In the Martial World, only those at this level were considered Experts capable of making a name for themselves in a region. Only they had the qualifications to establish a Sect and oversee it. As for Third-class Martial Artists, they could, at best, open a Martial Arts Hall or an Escort Agency.
Focusing his mind, Ji Qing immediately opened the Demon Monster Record to check his status.
Ji Qing: Second-class Martial Artist
Supreme Yang Pure Essence Skill: Perfection (Supreme Yang Inner Power, inner power burst amplified by 30%, Inner Power Purification)
Thirteen Paths of Swift Saber: Perfection (Ultimate Technique: Heavenly Line)
Cao Shangfei: Perfection (Ultimate Technique: Void Leverage)
Source Point: 4
The information on the Demon Monster Record confirmed it—Ji Qing was now a Second-class Martial Artist! His three inner strength techniques had also successfully fused into a single Inner Strength skill.
After the second-class came the first-class, which was even harder to achieve. A Second-class Martial Artist focused their Cultivation on the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and had to clear them all. Once those meridians were opened, they could advance to become a First-class Martial Artist.
There were generally two methods for a Second-class Martial Artist to clear their Eight Extraordinary Meridians. The first was to rely on their profound Inner Strength Cultivation to open them bit by bit. This required incredibly deep and pure inner power, a condition Ji Qing already met. However, relying solely on one's own inner power to break through these meridians took a very long time. Perhaps it could be achieved in a few years, or maybe it would take decades of bitter effort. For some, it remained impossible for their entire lives.
The second method was to cultivate certain Upper Inner Strength skills. These techniques were specifically designed to train certain parts of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Once mastered, they could clear one or even several of these meridians. But Inner Strength skills capable of this were usually classified as second-class. They were considered the "core" foundation of any Sect and rarely circulated publicly in the Martial World.
For Ji Qing, the second method was obviously more suitable. He had Source Points. As long as he could find those Upper Inner Strength skills targeting the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, he could directly upgrade them using his Source Points.
However, without any Upper Inner Strength currently at his disposal, Ji Qing could only resort to the old-fashioned method: using his own inner power to clear the Eight Extraordinary Meridians bit by bit. Fortunately, his inner power was exceptionally pure. Clearing them manually wouldn't be an issue for him. It was just a matter of time, and it wouldn't be done in a mere ten days or half a month. Clearing just one of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians would take at least half a year to a year. And that was already considered an extremely fast pace.
"Second-class Inner Strength is hard to find, but I can take my time searching. However, upgrading my Saber Technique can't be delayed any longer..." Ji Qing muttered softly.
Even though his Thirteen Paths of Swift Saber had reached Perfection, it was fundamentally still a third-class Saber Technique. Finding a second-class Saber Technique directly would naturally be ideal, but it was just as difficult. Once Martial Arts reached the second-class tier, they became renowned in the Martial World and were often passed down as exclusive ultimate skills. Why would they ever be freely circulated?
If Ji Qing wanted to improve his Saber Technique, he still had to "pile" up third-class Saber Techniques. While second-class Martial Arts were scarce in the Martial World, third-class ones were plentiful.
Thus, Ji Qing immediately stood up and left the courtyard. Wearing a bamboo hat, he headed for the Wind Listening Tower.
Ji Qing wasn't going there to buy intelligence. Information at the Wind Listening Tower was too expensive. Unless it was a highly confidential secret, there was no need to pay for it. Instead, there was a teahouse inside the tower. The patrons were mostly figures from the Martial World, a diverse mix of people from all walks of life. As they chatted and sparred, plenty of information about the Martial World could be gleaned right there in the teahouse.
Best of all, it was free. At most, it cost the price of a cup of tea, which was far more cost-effective than buying intelligence outright. Because of this, many Martial Artists loved visiting the Wind Listening Tower's teahouse to listen to interesting anecdotes or see if they could pick up any useful news.
Ji Qing arrived at the teahouse, ordered a cup of tea, and sat by the window, quietly sipping his drink. The teahouse was currently abuzz with fervent discussions about the Martial World List.
"Everyone, the Lingxiao Pavilion's Evil People List has been updated again! The biggest change and the most eye-catching figure is naturally Ji Qing. He was previously eighth on the list, but thanks to the Lei Family massacre, he's shot straight up to fifth!"
"Rumor has it that Ji Qing practices an Evil Skill that requires him to be heartless and ruthless, taking pleasure in slaughter. That's why he murdered his parents and wiped out the entire Ji Residence. Now, he's even massacred the entire Lei Family!"
"Ji Qing already has a moniker now. They call him the 'Heartless Blade'. It's said his Saber Technique focuses heavily on speed. Coupled with his ruthless nature, his blade always draws blood once drawn. He's terrifying to the extreme!"
"The Government has raised the bounty on 'Ji Qing' again, directly hiking it up to three thousand taels of silver! Tsk, tsk. If I could catch Ji Qing, wouldn't those three thousand taels be all mine?"
"Are you still dreaming? To be able to slaughter the entire Lei Family, and previously kill the Desert Eighteen Riders and the Lingdong Three Monsters, Ji Qing must be a Second-class Martial Artist. If you actually ran into him, I'm afraid you wouldn't even be able to block a single strike."
"Ji Qing indeed has a monstrous reputation and an infamous Evil Name. But Qingzhou's top constable, the Wind Chasing Saber Du Chen, is already on his trail. With Du Chen's strength, he'll definitely bring Ji Qing to justice!"
"I heard that during the Lei Family tragedy, Du Chen was personally pursuing Ji Qing but arrived a step too late, failing to save the Lei Family from his hands..."
There was plenty of news floating around the teahouse regarding the Evil People List. "Ji Qing" had now thoroughly made a name for himself in the Martial World, even earning the title of "Heartless Blade." However, this fame was entirely built upon a notorious Evil Name.
"The Lei Family incident has been pinned on me?" Ji Qing frowned.
He naturally knew the truth behind what happened to the Lei Family. They had all been Skin Puppets controlled by the Painted Skin Demon. How did it turn into him slaughtering them all?
Ji Qing listened carefully again and discovered that this news had been released by the Wind Chasing Saber, Du Chen.
"Wind Chasing Saber Du Chen..." Ji Qing understood now.
Du Chen had been relentlessly pursuing him. The bigger Ji Qing's reputation grew and the more notorious his Evil Name became, the greater the merit Du Chen would claim upon finally catching him.
"You want to make me your scapegoat? Let's see if you have the skill for it..." A flash of killing intent crossed Ji Qing's eyes.
He didn't mind having an Evil Name, but he had no intention of taking the blame for something he didn't do for no reason. Especially not when someone was trying to use him as a stepping stone to gain fame and glory. If Du Chen came after him, they would just have to see whose blade was faster.
CLACK.
Suddenly, the teahouse doors were pushed open. A slender woman dressed in martial attire walked in. The teahouse, which had just been bustling with noise, instantly fell dead silent.
"Is there any hero willing to fight on behalf of my Hundred Battles Sect? Inner Strength, Saber Techniques, and even gold and silver—I will offer them with both hands!"
The woman's voice echoed through the teahouse. Yet, faced with the temptation of wealth and Martial Arts, the same Martial World figures who had just been loudly boasting now lowered their heads and kept their mouths tightly shut.