The Strength of a Quasi-Martial Artist

"The efficacy of the blood ginseng is truly astonishing," Yun Che muttered in disbelief.He had initially assumed that even with the aid of a two-hundred-year-old blood ginseng, breaking through to the third stage of martial arts would take him two or three days. To his surprise, he succeeded within just one day.Upon reflection, Yun Che realized that if everyone experienced such remarkable results from consuming blood ginseng, martial artists at the fourth stage or beyond would not hold such value.Ultimately, he deduced three reasons for his success:First, he had never consumed such precious medicinal herbs before, and his body's absorption of the blood ginseng's effects was incredibly strong.

Second, with his cultivation of the Pushing Qi Technique reaching the third level, his vitality and blood had already surpassed that of an average martial artist at the third stage.

Third, after integrating with his mysterious eye, Yun Che felt his body gradually transforming, as if being "reconstructed."

After successfully breaking through to the third stage, Yun Che briefly basked in his joy, before gradually calming his emotions. After all, at his age in the Yun family, a breakthrough to the third stage was considered excellent, but not yet a sign of true genius.Take the talented "Yun Fei" from the branch family as an example; two months ago, he had already reached the peak of the third stage and even started cultivating internal martial force, resembling a quasi-martial artist."With my current strength, I should be able to contend with powerful opponents like Xin Fei and Yun Yijian, but victory is not guaranteed," Yun Che calmly assessed. After all, both Xin Fei and Yun Yijian practiced high-level martial arts, at least in the minor perfection stage, far beyond the half-baked skills of someone like Yun Kun.For the next two days, Yun Che remained at the inn, consolidating his cultivation. While practicing the Pushing Qi Technique, he noticed a faint, low humming sound resonating within his body as his vitality and blood moved.Activating his left eye, Yun Che observed a subtle, light cyan and red aura flickering between his flesh and blood."The Pushing Qi Technique is nearing completion of the third layer, and my vitality and blood strength are now on par with the peak of the third stage, capable of rivaling even a quasi-martial artist like Yun Fei or Xin Fei," Yun Che remarked with delight.Once the Pushing Qi Technique reached its perfect third layer, he could attempt to comprehend and cultivate internal martial force. Achieving this level was something only a quasi-martial artist could do, far beyond the capability of an average martial artist at the third stage.Once his foundation was solidified, Yun Che left the inn and prepared to return to the Yun family. As for the remaining two blood ginsengs, he had no immediate plans to consume them.Just as he stepped outside the inn, a beggar wearing tattered hemp clothes caught sight of him, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He immediately turned and dashed off."Lord Xin, he's coming out!" The beggar rushed to a nearby tavern and spoke to a young man clad in light armor."Good. Here's your payment," the young man said, a faint sneer curling at the corner of his lips.Cloud Che left the inn and walked several miles, entering a remote alley. Suddenly, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps behind him.

Whoosh, whoosh—

Two or three figures swiftly scaled the walls and pursued him from behind.

Who are they?

Cloud Che halted abruptly and turned around swiftly."Boy! If you wish to leave here unharmed, leave behind ten thousand taels of silver!"Three disciples from the Xin family surrounded Cloud Che in a triangular formation. The one speaking was a youth clad in light armor.

Xin Gang!

Cloud Che's expression darkened, immediately recognizing the leader of the group.The three Xin family disciples before him all possessed the strength of the third level of martial arts, with Xin Gang at the pinnacle of the third level."Ten thousand taels of silver? Just the three of you?"Cloud Che stood with his hands behind his back, unfazed and composed.Having spent nearly ten thousand taels in Yu Yang City, he still had over ten thousand left. Clearly, these people had planned this in advance."Boy, don't be arrogant! Last time, I was injured, allowing you to win by a fluke. Today, the three of us will make you pay for the losses in 'Heng Yun Tian Lin'!" Xin Gang sneered darkly."Hmph... That day, while dealing with the Qingtou Tiger King, one of my Xin family members was lost, and you took six parts of the profits for yourself. Aren't you afraid of choking yourself by swallowing a snake?"One of the Xin family disciples behind him glared, his eyes filled with resentment and greed."No more nonsense! Quickly take him down, lest things get worse!"Another Xin family disciple shouted, kicking out with immense force, sending a gust of wind towards Cloud Che.In an instant, the three disciples from the Xin family launched their attacks on Cloud Che."Heh, a bunch of misfits."Cloud Che chuckled lightly, his figure leaping into the air with a whoosh, soaring six to seven meters before landing effortlessly on the wall of a nearby residence.With a casual move, he dodged their relentless attacks."Don't let him escape!"Xin Gang roared angrily, leaping into the air and pouncing on Cloud Che."Escape?"Cloud Che sneered, his Tui Qi Jue circulating instantly as he activated the Piao Ling Du light-body technique. His body transformed into a blur, streaking across the wall in a flash.

Not good!

Xin Gang's heart sank as he felt a suffocating pressure approach from the side.

Bang!

Xin Gang, still airborne, barely managed to block a punch before feeling an overwhelming surge of power slam into him. His body was instantly sent flying.

Woah!

Spitting blood in mid-air, Xin Gang crashed into a stone wall, shattering several bricks."This kid's strength is on par with a quasi-martial artist. I couldn't even take a single blow from him."Xin Gang's vision darkened. He hurriedly warned his companions, "Xin Yu, Xin Chen, be careful—"Before he could finish, a pained cry came from his side."Ah..."Another disciple of the Xin family was sent flying five to six meters by a single punch, his bones instantly broken."Run!"The last disciple of the Xin family, terrified beyond measure, turned and fled in a panic.However, after just a few steps, a sharp wind howled behind him.

Bang!

Before he could react, everything went black, and he fell unconscious.In terms of speed, Cloud Che was faster than most third-level martial artists who practiced advanced light-body techniques, even comparable to those at the fourth level."This time, I'll spare you. If you provoke me again, I won't be so lenient!"Cloud Che shot a cold glance at Xin Gang, then leaped into the air like a swift swallow, vanishing into the distance."Such terrifying strength... and that horrifying speed..."The youth beside Xin Gang was utterly stunned."This Cloud Che, who just reached the third level of martial arts, already possesses strength comparable to that of a 'quasi-martial artist'."Xin Gang inhaled deeply, a lingering fear in his heart.At this moment, Cloud Che's strength could easily rival Xin Fei's, far surpassing Xin Gang's own.After dealing with Xin Gang and the others, Cloud Che made his way back to the Cloud family's territory.Upon entering the outer perimeter of the family estate, some familiar Cloud family disciples glanced at Cloud Che and immediately showed signs of astonishment."When did Cloud Che break through to the third level of martial arts?"These outer disciples were astonished by Cloud Che's cultivation.It should be noted that just twenty days ago, Cloud Che had still been at the first level of martial arts."I heard yesterday that this kid gained a great benefit in 'Heng Yun Tian Lin,' joining forces with Xin family disciples to slay the fierce beast 'Qingtou Tiger King,' and took more than half the profits when others were caught off guard."Some well-informed disciples of the Cloud family spoke."One fierce beast is worth over twenty or thirty thousand taels of silver. This kid must have used some incredibly precious medicinal herbs to boost his cultivation at an astonishing rate.""Relying on external means to break through—what's so impressive about that? Usually, people like this have very poor combat abilities."...Some nearby disciples of the Cloud family either envied or scorned him.Cloud Che smirked, surprised that news of his hunt for the Qingtou Tiger King had spread so quickly within the family.Ignoring the gossip, he continued walking forward.It wasn't long before Cloud Che arrived home.The first thing he saw was his mother, Yun Shi, sewing clothes."Father, Mother, here's one thousand taels of silver."Cloud Che entered the room and placed a stack of silver notes on the table."Silver? One thousand taels?"Yun Shi looked dumbfounded as she picked up the silver notes from the table.At that moment, his father, Yun Tianyang, walked over, his face filled with astonishment."One thousand taels of silver? Where did you get so much money?"Yun Tianyang asked in surprise.Especially when he noticed that his son had reached the third level of martial arts, his eyes showed a hint of disbelief."This is how it happened..."Cloud Che briefly recounted his experience in Heng Yun Tian Lin.After hearing his son's story, Yun Tianyang and Yun Shi exchanged a glance. Besides their joy, there was a trace of doubt.After all, Cloud Che had never shown such extraordinary talent before.However, as parents, who wouldn't wish for their child to succeed?Returning to his room, Cloud Che sat cross-legged, surveying the dilapidated house and courtyard. He murmured to himself, "The family martial arts competition is just over a month away. If I become an inner disciple... my parents' status and treatment within the family will improve accordingly."Closing his eyes, Cloud Che focused his mind on his left eye.In the pitch-black space, the faint blue spiral light extended three feet.When Cloud Che was at the first level of martial arts, the spiral light was only one foot long. At the second level, it extended to two feet.Now, having reached the third level, it had extended to three feet.As the length of the spiral light increased, Cloud Che noticed a significant enhancement in his left eye's abilities. He could now clearly see details within a ten-mile radius, and his reflexes and spiritual strength had also grown stronger.Thinking of this, he began to "decode" the contents behind Piao Ling Du once more.After advancing to the third level of martial arts, Cloud Che's left eye abilities had greatly improved, allowing him to crack the code at an accelerated pace.With each passing moment, the decoding progress was advancing rapidly.One-third... one-quarter... one-fifth...The pace was swift!Late at night.As Cloud Che was utterly exhausted, Piao Ling Du was on the verge of being completely deciphered.At this moment, Cloud Che held his breath and examined the remaining information."This light-body technique actually..."Suddenly, his eyes flashed with an astonishing brilliance, which was quickly replaced by overwhelming joy!