Chapter 18: An envoy from the Wu'an army

"What on earth is this Yuan Di Pearl?!" Shen Zhui exclaimed, opening his eyes in surprise after a moment of cultivation.

He had just broken through, and the explosive growth period in the past ten days has already passed, and the subsequent cultivation was subtle, with hardly noticeable progress.

But just now, after only one circulation, he clearly felt that his overall energy increased slightly and became purer.

"As expected of a county's supreme treasure, truly unfathomable." Shen Zhui commented.

When he first met Wang Long, he simply felt that Wang Long was many times stronger than him.

However, the impression Wei Wenhe gave him was like an ordinary person, not feeling anything special.

Obviously a county's supreme cannot be an ordinary people, which means his strength is far beyond his.

......

For the rest of the ten days, Shen Zhui focused on the cultivation of the "Blood Ignition" technique.

With the aid of the Yuan Di Pearl, he made significant progress. Sixteen strands of pure energy had already formed in his body, and the pearl even transferred a magical power to him, continuously refining and condensing the energy in his body.

Innate living beings have a lifespan of two hundred years. However, the lifespan of martial artists is less than a hundred.

To break through to the Innate Realm, a fundamental change must occur in the energy in the body.

Typically, one has to reach the peak of the Postnatal Realm, nourishing the body to its limit through vital energy, to gradually accumulate and refine until the final qualitative change.

However, this Yuan Di Pearl, while ceaselessly cultivating the body's vital energy, also begins to refine the vital energy simultaneously, obviously much more powerful than the traditional way of cultivating to the peak of the Postnatal Realm.

This is equivalent to preparing for promotion to the Innate Realm in advance.

......

Another ten days passed. Early in the morning of the tenth day, Shen Zhui's detention period was up.

"Squeak~" The sound of unlocking and opening the door came.

He Jiu, with a scarred face, and Zhao Hu walked in. Zhao Hu had been ordered to come and release Shen Zhui, and had brought a new outfit as well.

A ninth-rank waist badge, a silver scale soft armor, and a set of clean clothes. His original weapon, Iron Ruler, needed to be reforged due to Shen Zhui's breakthrough to the Ninth Stage of the Postnatal Realm.

Shen Zhui took the items without hesitation, and went to the designated washing room to freshen up. In He Jiu's words, he was to get rid of bad luck.

"Brother Shen, it's time to leave." He Jiu said respectfully. He had to be respectful because the county's supreme had personally issued a gag order, showing how highly valued Shen Zhui was.

"Brother Scars, I'm actually a little reluctant to leave this place." Shen Zhui popped out, looking radiant, and teased.

Over this month, he broke through to the Ninth Stage of the Postnatal Realm, mastered the Unity of Heaven and Man, and was rewarded with a Yuan Di Pearl by the county's supreme, which indeed brought him good luck.

"Would you like to stay a while longer?" He Jiu seriously asked.

"No, let's forget it." Shen Zhui waved his hand and walked out laughing.

"Haha." Both He Jiu and Zhao Hu smiled.

After leaving the county prison, Shen Zhui returned home.

His adoptive father, Shen Shan's injury had healed long ago. Since he only needed to follow the orders of the county's supreme and Captain Wang, when no orders were coming, Shen Zhui was delighted to stay at home with his adoptive father, practicing his techniques to quickly return to the Unity of Heaven and Man stage.

......

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed and it finally began to snow for the first time this winter in Heyuan County.

"Swipe, swipe, swipe~" In the courtyard, Shen Zhui, wearing only a thin shirt, was wielding a steel combat sword in his right hand and a round shield in his left, continuously swinging them.

The courtyard was filled with glimmers of the sword, stirring up a flurry of snowflakes as Shen Zhui's figure became faster, and the snowflakes flying around gradually became orderly, swirling around Shen Zhui.

"Phew~" Shen Zhui sheathed his sword, his body steaming with heat. He looked at the snowflakes around him and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Indeed, upon reaching the stage of Unity of Heaven and Man, my technique is completely different from others. Changing to this steel sword, creating my own moves, fits better with my strength."

A few days ago, Shen Zhui had decided to modify the moves of the Iron Ruler Ninefold to better suit himself.

And to switch from a ruler to a sword, Shen Zhui actually had a thought of doing so while being in jail.

After his Enlightenment Time, while attempting to regain the Unity of Heaven and Man stage through contemplation...

He faintly felt that he inevitably had to change the existing moves and create his own moves.

Using a sword was more appropriate.

Removing the extensions on both sides of the iron ruler and changing to a simple steel sword, not only resonated more strongly with his straightforward style, but during practice, it was easier to perceive the mysterious fluctuations.

At his level, whether using a sword or a ruler didn't create a huge difference, but a sword was more conducive to understanding the realm of Unity of Heaven and Man, so Shen Zhui was happy to follow his heart's desire.

So as early as when he was in jail, he had asked Zhao Hu to help him exchange his double iron rulers for a fine steel battle sword and a round shield.

Now he had returned to the realm of Unity of Heaven and Man and even created his own sword technique.

"Previously, when I used the double iron rulers, although it was powerful and balanced in offense and defense, it always required dividing my attention."

"Now, I just need to get used to the shield, I can achieve the previous defensive effect, and I can focus more energy on the sword technique."

Having just mastered his sword technique, Shen Zhui increasingly felt that his decision was correct.

In fact, he had felt something was off before, but as he had not fully grasped the Iron Ruler Ninefold, he naturally wouldn't have found out.

Now it's completely different, his understanding of the techniques is perfect, the experiences of others no longer have any further influence on him, naturally, he needs to improve himself.

"After ten days in jail, and another half a month outside, my self-created sword technique finally has helped me return to Unity of Heaven and Man. Since it was created in the first snow of winter, the sword technique will be called Falling Snow Sword Technique."

"And the first move of this Falling Snow Sword Technique..." Shen Zhui laughed.

"Behead the Sky!"

For many days, using an elderly man by the surname of Cang as an imaginary opponent, Shen Zhui, who has just created his sword technique, is brimming with heroic spirit.

He wants to decapitate the Innate Realm martial artist named Cang with this sword!

Just as Shen Zhui was deep in thought, suddenly -

Buzz, buzz!

At Shen Zhui's waist, a silver waist badge suddenly started vibrating!

From the flat and smooth badge, the size of a palm, a few lines of writing appeared.

"By the orders of the county's supreme, promptly come to the Martial Division's Great Hall!"

"Hmm?" Shen Zhui looked at the message on the waist badge and immediately understood that Captain Wang Long was summoning him.

......

County office, the Martial Division's Great Hall.

When Shen Zhui arrived, more than ten postnatal martial artists were already waiting there.

"Brother Hu, what's happening?" Shen Zhui quietly asked Zhao Hu.

"I just arrived too, but seeing this many people, there must be an important case!" Zhao Hu said sternly.

"Let's go, let's find out." Shen Zhui also spoke excitedly, the martial class room held the strongest force under the county respect, totaling around a hundred Postnatal warriors.

Among them, there were only about thirty who were at the eighth rank or above and just ten at the ninth rank, including Shen Zhui.

But now, more than half of them are here!

"What's going on? Does anyone know?" The two asked around as soon as they entered the hall.

"We just arrived too, we're not sure, but it seems like there might be a major case."

"Right, it might be a case involving an Innate warrior; otherwise, they wouldn't have mobilized so many people!"

Everyone speculated about the purpose of this assembly.

"Is it really an Innate warrior?" Shen Zhui felt a tightening in his heart. Despite reaching the 'Unity of Heaven and Man' realm and devising a sword skill to kill Innate warriors,

He knew very well that it was almost impossible to kill an Innate expert capable of temporally manipulating space, unless that person stood still and allowed him to attack!

Innate warriors have extraordinary physical strength, complete energy, protective qi, and can manipulate space temporarily...

Killing one? Difficult, very difficult!

"Here comes the Squad Leader!"

"Quiet, he's coming!"

...

Before long, Wang Long entered the room.

Next to him was a handsome man in blue clothes with fair skin.

When the two of them entered, the door closed with a thud.

"Brothers!" Squad leader Wang Long stood on the high platform in the hall, looking at the people below, he spoke solemnly:

"I called you all here today to cooperate with the Wu'an Army to perform a significant task."

The crowd below instantly became serious at these words.

"The Wu'an Army! It is the Wu'an Army who sent people here. It is rumored that the requirements to join the Wu'an Army are at least the seventh Level and above. From the Squad Leader's polite attitude, this person must at least be the small team leader who can command a hundred men; only an Innate expert can take on this role!"

It is known that the Wu'an Army has tens of thousands of Innate warriors; they are indeed a massive force!

"This must be a big case!" Shen Zhui was excited.

"Sir Lin, please!" Wang Long gestured respectfully.

"Thank you, Captain Wang." The man in the blue shirt slightly bowed and spoke softly.

As soon as this man spoke, Shen Zhui frowned. The man's voice was soft and ethereal; he did not seem like a vigorous warrior at all.

Could he be... a Qi Cultivator practicing Daoism?!

"Brothers, the criminal we are trying to arrest this time is an Innate Qi Cultivator." The handsome young man with the surname Lin got straight to the point without wasting any words.

"This criminal's appearance ..." At a wave of the handsome young man surnamed Lin, a disc appeared in his hand, then--

Buzz!

A mirror-like water curtain appeared in mid-air.

The water curtain was incredibly stable and clear, with a sinister-looking figure with pointed ears and hawk-like nose hovering over it.

Daoism!

It really is a Qi Cultivator!

"This man is a traitor from the Wu'an Army! We've received information that he is hiding in a mansion near Heyuan City."

"As for arresting and fighting, we will handle it. You just need to work in groups of three to five, guard the various parts of the mansion, and assist from the side. If you find the criminal, delay him for a moment and shout out."

"To avoid the leakage of news, I would like to ask everyone here to stay in this hall from now on."

"Yes!"

...

In the martial-class hall, the Daoist surnamed Lin and Squad leader Wang Long had already left.

Only fifteen Postnatal warriors remained in the hall, waiting for further instructions.

"It's an Innate Qi Cultivator! Judging from this lineup, his strength is probably stronger than the average Innate warrior." Shen Zhui felt the case was not simple.

Qi Cultivators are different from warriors.

Warriors are divided into Postnatal and Innate, the fundamental difference being the true essence within them.

Postnatal Warriors circulate Qi within their bodies while Innate Warriors circulate Innate aura, which is a higher quality than Qi.

But Qi Cultivators start off with Innate Aura!

The Qi Cultivator is stronger than the warrior, and also rarer.

Because the hurdle is higher!

Firstly, one needs to have outstanding talent and must possess very good roots and marrow.

Secondly, there needs to be guidance from an early age to preserve the trace of Innate aura when one is born. If discovered too late, with the increase in age and contamination by worldly matters, this aura will dissipate gradually.

Through hard cultivation, anyone can become a Postnatal Warrior.

However, not everyone can become a Qi Cultivator.

But once one follows the path of cultivating Qi, with guidance, one can preserve that bit of Innate aura and control it, causing it to grow and multiply.

They start off in the Innate realm from the beginning!

"At least an Innate mid-level, or even possibly an Innate high level. If it is the Innate high level, then it's trouble. If the Squad leader and the Wu'an Army couldn't control him, we might have a hard time resisting..."

Shen Zhui had no illusions that the criminal was at the early stage of Innate level. Because true aura is very weak at the early Innate level, if one or two minor spells were released, it would be likely to exhaust the true aura in his body.

Obviously, there was no need to mobilize so many people.

It must be the Innate middle level or even the high level!

...

After a while, Wang Long returned, but he looked somewhat upset.

He announced a piece of news. The news immediately made the people present start chattering, and Shen Zhui's heart skipped a beat.

"The strength of the criminal is not to be underestimated. In addition to sending assistance from the county office, the Wu'an Army will also invite cities' prominent families to send an Innate expert to join the fight."