He had made two major gains tonight:
First, he had helped the Tang Family resolve a crisis.
Second, his Silk Binding Sword Intent had grown stronger.
On his Martial Arts Tree, the leaf representing the Jinghong Sword Technique now had thirty-two white veins shimmering with a faint glow, illuminating the entire leaf.
He had witnessed the power of thirty-two strands of Silk Binding Sword Intent tonight. It was enough to fight a Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist.
However, that was only against an ordinary Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist.
’Tonight’s circumstances were special. I shouldn’t make a habit of fighting opponents above my level.’
Once his review was complete, Lin Yan lit a candle and picked up the Cultivation Manual.
On the cover were three bold words: Smoke-Stepping Technique.
A Body Technique!
"I have the Mountain-Splitting Fist for unarmed combat and the Jinghong Sword Technique for my weapon. This Body Technique is exactly what I needed."
Feeling the smooth texture of the manual, Lin Yan mused, "This manual is brand new. I can even smell the ink. It was obviously transcribed recently. That Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist must have just acquired this Cultivation Technique; he probably hadn’t learned it yet."
’After killing so many people, this is the first time I’ve actually looted a Cultivation Technique.’
Lin Yan quickly figured out why. ’What Martial Artist would carry the manual for a technique they’ve already mastered?’
’Even if they wanted to teach someone, they could just transcribe a copy when needed.’
’You’d only carry the manual for a technique you haven’t learned yet, so you can study it whenever you have a moment.’
Collecting his thoughts, Lin Yan began to flip through the manual.
As he read through it, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
’The Smoke-Stepping Technique... it’s a Top-grade Body Technique!’
Smoke-Stepping... Smoke-Stepping... The goal is a movement style as ethereal and unpredictable as green smoke.
’No wonder that man hadn’t mastered it,’ Lin Yan thought. ’The Smoke-Stepping Technique has extremely high requirements for Qi Blood control. According to the manual, it’s difficult to master for anyone below the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing.’
He set down the manual, pondering to himself.
The Four Passes of Skin Smoothing weren’t just about increasing one’s Qi Blood; the later stages tested one’s control over it even more.
’Though I haven’t reached the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing, I’ve already developed Silk Binding Sword Intent. My control over Qi Blood should be no weaker than a Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist’s. I can try to practice the Smoke-Stepping Technique.’
After spending a quarter of an hour memorizing the mantra and footwork, Lin Yan blew out the candle, pushed open the door, and stepped into the courtyard.
Practicing the Smoke-Stepping Technique didn’t require much space; the family courtyard was more than enough.
He closed his eyes, centering himself. After running through the mantra and footwork in his mind one last time, he opened his eyes and took the first step.
The mantra for the Smoke-Stepping Technique was only sixteen words long: "Step as if on smoke, tread as if on ice. Feet leave no dust, body casts no shadow."
It sounded mystical, and was even more so to practice.
After several repetitions, though he could barely manage to execute the steps in a few directions, there was a clear disconnect between his stride and his turns. His movements were so stiff he looked like he was being pushed.
But Lin Yan wasn’t discouraged. He practiced again and again.
The distance from the courtyard gate to the steps under the eaves was a mere seventy feet.
He paced back and forth within that seventy-foot space, like a toddler learning to walk—every step was cautious, every step a stumble.
’This really is difficult.’
A quarter of an hour later, Lin Yan stopped, breathing lightly.
The Smoke-Stepping Technique’s demand for Qi Blood control was incredibly high. Every step required the precise mobilization of Qi Blood to coordinate with the footwork. Move too fast, and the Qi Blood would surge; move too slow, and the steps would become disconnected. The slightest mistake would cause him to lose his balance.
The claim that it was difficult to master for anyone below the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing was certainly no empty boast.
’It’s a good thing it’s me. Any other Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist probably wouldn’t even be able to manage the footwork at all.’
Lin Yan instinctively looked inward at his mind, but no new bud had appeared on the Martial Arts Tree.
’Practice a technique a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself.’
’And I haven’t even practiced it a hundred times yet.’
’This must be the normal way for most Martial Artists to learn a technique. Relying on the Martial Arts Tree for a guaranteed result was, in the end, a cheat.’
Lin Yan shook his head wryly. Before, mastering a Cultivation Technique instantly with Martial Arts Leaves and Martial Arts Fruits was basically using a cheat.
Most Martial Artists had to be like him now with the Smoke-Stepping Technique, spending a great deal of time just to get the hang of the basics.
If it’s hard, then I’ll just have to train until I drop.
It’s not like I would just quit Martial Arts without the Martial Arts Tree, right?
Early the next morning, as his aunt was getting up to make breakfast, Lin Yan came out of his room to draw water and wash up.
He hadn’t slept a wink, having spent the entire night practicing the Smoke-Stepping Technique. With his current strength, he could stay up all night and still feel completely refreshed.
The good news was that he had finally gotten the hang of the Smoke-Stepping Technique.
He’d stumbled through it a hundred times before relying on the Martial Arts Tree’s guaranteed success to finally master the basics.
’Totally worth it!’
After having breakfast with his aunt and younger brother, Lin Yan headed to the Martial Arts Hall.
The Tang Family’s overnight disappearance was sure to cause a massive uproar. He figured he could give his master some inside information.
However, upon stepping into the front courtyard of the Martial Arts Hall, he discovered that many of his senior brothers had already arrived, along with many unfamiliar faces.
"Junior Brother Lin is here."
Many disciples greeted him, and Lin Yan nodded in response.
"Senior Brother Zhang, what’s going on?"
He walked over to Zhang Liang. When it came to being well-informed, Senior Brother Zhang was definitely in the top three at the Martial Arts Hall.
Though the senior brothers present were hiding it well, he could still see the panic in their eyes.
"Something huge has happened!" Zhang Liang was so excited that spit flew from his mouth. "The Director of the Inspection Bureau was killed last night, and everyone else at the Bureau has been imprisoned! The Gang Leader of the Four Seas Gang has vanished without a trace, leaving the whole gang leaderless. The entire Martial Arts Community in the county is in an uproar!"
Lin Yan took a subtle half-step back to avoid the spray.
’The Director of the Inspection Bureau killed, and the Gang Leader of the Four Seas Gang missing?’
’No wonder these senior brothers are so panicked.’
Although their master had warned them not to get involved, the families backing his senior brothers had chosen sides. Now, with the Four Seas Gang and the Inspection Bureau in shambles and the situation completely unclear, the senior brothers had naturally come to their master to find out what was going on.
A short while later, Yang Qingfeng appeared in the front courtyard. Seeing the panic in his disciples’ eyes, he sighed inwardly and began to speak:

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