Chapter Fifty-Nine: Crimson Sand Palm, Breakthrough

“Is there truly a master of True Intention hidden within the city?”

Fixing his gaze on the burly man who had, with a furious shout, struck the gourd spirits and grievously wounded them, Qi Xiu narrowed his eyes. That location... Was it the residence of the newly arrived magistrate?

The back hall of the county office, once ruined by the former magistrate Guo Youfang’s service to the fox demon, had eventually been set alight by Yuan Baiyi. Thus, after the new magistrate’s arrival, he temporarily took up residence in a house adjacent to the county office.

“Yue Ting, what is causing such a commotion?”

After his roar had injured the gourd spirits, the new magistrate of Baohe County, Song Tingye, emerged slowly from the eastern wing. He was young, with a handsome, refined appearance, dressed in a tailored white robe that exuded an air of gentle composure.

“Young Master, a few wandering sorcerers broke in during the night. I was about to detain them,” Sun Yueting replied. Seeing Song Tingye awakened, he flicked his fingers, sending a rushing force that immediately knocked the gourd spirits unconscious.

“Wandering sorcerers?”

Approaching the courtyard, Song Tingye looked indifferently at the strange-clad men lying senseless on the ground. “What brings them here?”

“It seems they were searching for something. After entering the courtyard, one of them recited an obscure spell, likely to activate a magical artifact.”

“A magical artifact?”

Retracting his gaze, Song Tingye walked slowly to the red-eyed man. “Visiting so late, what is your purpose?”

The red-eyed man glanced warily at Sun Yueting behind him, his expression shifting. “One of our brothers is missing. We were just using dialect to look for him.”

Song Tingye regarded him silently for a moment, then chuckled softly. “Lying. Yue Ting, kill him.”

“Yes!”

“Wait, I’ll tell, I—”

With a sickening sound, the immense figure flashed before the red-eyed man, and with a massive hand, crushed his head like a tomato, splattering red and white matter over the others.

“Big Brother!”

The gourd spirits cried out in anguish at their leader’s brutal death.

Song Tingye’s gaze now fell on the man with the wine-reddened nose. His tone remained calm as he questioned, “I’ll give you one more chance: why are you here at this hour?”

Still steaming, the sticky, foul-smelling matter clung to him. The wine-nosed man nervously glanced at the impassive Sun Yueting.

“We—we came to find a magical artifact.”

“So you truly came for an artifact. What artifact, and why would it be in this county?”

“I don’t know. Only our big brother knew its details. We only know it’s a black jade thumb ring.

A few days ago, the artifact was lost in a wild mountain outside the city, then picked up by someone. Baohe County is the only town nearby.”

“So you guessed it was brought here?”

Song Tingye stared at the wine-nosed man for several seconds, then nodded in understanding. “Yue Ting, deal with the rest of them.”

“You—”

With a tiger’s roar and a chilling fist, Sun Yueting swiftly dispatched the remaining wandering sorcerers. Wiping his hands, he approached Song Tingye. “Young Master, should we find the one who’s hiding the artifact? Otherwise, it remains a threat in the city.”

“No need. Artifacts prized by wandering sorcerers are rarely truly valuable. There’s no reason to make a fuss over this. Don’t forget our purpose here. Jiufang has proven that the ancestors and elders’ years of planning and speculation were correct. We must stick to the plan and not let Jiufang get too far ahead.”

He waved his hand, dismissing Sun Yueting’s suggestion to pursue the artifact.

“Young Master, since we’re taking this path, why not choose a prosperous county? Baohe is so remote and poor, and recently ravaged by demons, its people’s spirits are low. Isn’t this slower than the other young masters?” Sun Yueting asked, confused.

“A grand county does have a stronger spirit and more vibrant energy, making cultivation faster. But these are turbulent times. Especially due to Xiangchu Province, many demons and evil cultivators have fled here. Even the Commander has been alarmed and personally leads inspections. Large counties are clear targets, often suffering attacks. If the people’s morale collapses, all would be lost. This small county is more stable, allowing gradual progress. Besides...”

He paused, turning over a bluish-gray bronze mirror, which reflected a man in black. Two streams of black-red aura swirled around him.

“Two artifacts, hm…”

...

“The new magistrate is certainly extraordinary.”

Returning home, Qi Xiu peeled off his hundred-faced mask, poured a cup of tea, and rubbed the rim thoughtfully.

He kept a master of True Intention as his bodyguard. What kind of person would come to Baohe County as magistrate? Masters of True Intention are exceedingly rare in the mundane world. Except for the major sects and noble families, such masters are usually sect leaders, the hidden power of their clans. Even Xifeng Army’s vanguard officer Nie Xun, with Yuan Baiyi’s full support, has only just reached the peak of the Condensing Qi realm. This new magistrate, with a True Intention master as his guard...

Is his status higher than Yuan Baiyi’s?

“These are troubled times. I’d best stay in and advance the Crimson Sand Palm to the third stage and begin training True Skill. One day outside the path is a day as an ant.”

He pursed his lips, drained the tea, and turned back indoors.

...

Days slipped by.

At dawn, Qi Xiu took advantage of the empty streets, using his Ghostly Shadow skill to leave Baohe County like a phantom.

Day and night, he’d trained exhaustively. His Crimson Sand Palm was now at 99.99% proficiency—just one final push would bring him to the third stage, reaching its peak.

To avoid drawing attention during his breakthrough, Qi Xiu left the city and found a secluded mountain. Sheer cliffs rose nearly a hundred meters on all sides, inaccessible even to skilled light-footed martial artists. Only those who had integrated the Swallow’s Flight technique into their Ghostly Shadow could hover and move sideways to scale such an absolute cliff.

The sun was bright, the breeze refreshing.

His wide sleeves fluttered, and gazing out over the boundless blue sea, Qi Xiu let out a deep breath, then began practicing the Crimson Sand Palm.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, the air around him grew scorching hot. Qi Xiu’s expression became solemn; every move and stance revealed a severity bordering on perfection.

He regulated his breath and circulated his internal energy.

As his qi completed its cycle, Qi Xiu’s mind exploded with sensation.

In the next instant, wondrous power surged from deep within, flooding his limbs, bones, muscles, organs—even his cells, all rapidly metabolizing and reborn.

Cracks covered his upper body, like a shattered porcelain vessel glued back together.

At the same time, a blurred vision appeared in his mind, seething with scorching heat and corrosive poison.

Focusing his spirit, Qi Xiu finally discerned the form of this True Intention image—a fire-red gourd, seemingly forged from molten lava, its mouth belching thick black smoke, exuding a terrifying aura of utter desolation.

He suddenly opened his eyes and struck a towering tree nearby.

Boom—

Flames erupted skyward; the massive tree was instantly reduced to ash, scattered as black sand across the ground.

With a wave of his sleeve, Qi Xiu summoned the black sand, each grain imbued with fearsome fire and poison.

Staring at the fire-poisoned sand floating in midair, Qi Xiu’s expression became resolute.

He had achieved the True Intention stage!

...