Diligence System: From Servant to Martial King

Cao Nuyi's pupils greatly shook, filled with both anger and fear, unable to speak a word. He had rushed here, intending to catch his opponent off guard and take the initiative. However, the more the situation required adaptability, the more it played to Li Xian's strengths.

In the face of trouble, Li Xian skillfully maneuvered his words, not only resolving the crisis but also seizing the County Lord's waist order. At this moment, all of Qingning County was under his command alone.

"No, if I truly get caught and taken back, it would surely lead to severe torture and scapegoating. I absolutely must escape," thought Cao Nuyi as he suddenly gave a powerful shake.

Repelling the soldiers grabbing his shoulders. He thought, "After tonight, I will be a wanted man. Just as well, this young master has pent-up frustrations with nowhere to release them, so I'll kill a few to vent."

He suddenly lashed out, seizing a soldier's throat. With a slight force, there was a "puchi" sound, and a line of blood splattered as two soldiers died by his hand.

He leaped away to escape, and the soldiers immediately surrounded to kill. In a fit of rage, Cao Nuyi exploded with tremendous power, revealing himself to be a formidable Chest Drum Thunder Sound master.

Like the boom of a thunderous drum.

He grabbed a long spear and wounded several more. Amidst thousands of troops, he displayed his overwhelming might.

Li Xian said, "This crook's actions have been exposed; he has resisted in public. Where is County Captain Zhang?"

Zhang Yiheng's face was complex, as anyone with a discerning eye could see that the true culprit today was this young man with a red mole on his forehead, handsome and extraordinary.

But this person naturally understands "manipulating momentum," and once this momentum is established, it sways people's hearts. The truth no longer matters.

Zhang Yiheng stepped forward and said, "Martial Captain, I am here."

The County Captain is an Eighth Grade official, managing civil disputes and capturing thieves and criminals. By rights, the two should be on the same level. However, Li Xian, upon assuming office, already overshadowed him significantly.

Equal in rank but not in power.

"How should we handle this criminal?" Li Xian asked.

"This person has secretly killed the County Captain and is now resisting arrest, deserving an immediate execution!" Zhang Yiheng steeled his heart and said loudly.

"Good!" Li Xian said, "As the County Captain, this is your duty. Go quickly!"

"Yes!"

Zhang Yiheng drew his horizontal blade, glanced at the constables beside him. Zhang Yiheng charged first, shouting, "Villain, surrender your life!"

From his shoulder burst forth a glow, attacking with full strength. Cao Nuyi was furious and laughed instead: "Good, what an excellent Qingning County! You have conspired together to murder a court official."

"You will not die well, the Cao family will not let you off!"

Desperate counterattack.

"Nonsense, the crook is rampant."

The two fought back and forth, matching blow for blow. Zhang Yiheng said, "Form the array!" Three red-clad constables charged out.

They used the "Three Talents Capture Evil Array," with all three constables having reached a minor achievement level. They had neither Qi Circulation nor Blood Solidification and Aperture Closure. But their sword techniques complemented each other; one man's attack completed, another would immediately follow up.

The three continuously and endlessly attacked with varied and chaotic moves.

Although Cao Nuyi was a Chest Drum Thunder Sound expert, close to a Food Essence-level master, he was on the defensive, gradually showing signs of exhaustion.

Zhang Yiheng was in front distracting, while the three red-clad constables attacked from the side. Their cooperation was flawless, a delight to watch.

Li Xian thought, "Though the Martial Artist's power is strong, if they coordinate well, the array is formidable. It may compensate for insufficient martial arts mastery and a slightly weaker martial arts realm!"

A great insight, this trip was not in vain.

He couldn't help but wonder, "If I reached Madam's level, what kind of array and coordination would it take to defeat her?"

Unable to come up with an answer, he stopped thinking about it.

At this time, the duel was nearing its end, with Cao Nuyi pounding his chest, intending to use "Chest Drum Thunder Sound" to intimidate and repel his enemies. But the red-clad constables were strong-willed; although affected by the thunder sound, their movements slightly slow and their blade technique stiff, they remained formidable.

Then Zhang Yiheng continued to restrain from the front.

The situation took a sudden turn for the worse.

Zhang Yiheng gathered his strength, his double palms striking forward. Cao Nuyi used his palms to resist. As they competed in inner Qi, two red-clad constables executed "Two Blades in the Ribs" move.

One from the left and one from the right, slashing sideways towards his ribs.

Cao Nuyi was shocked, if he continued to compete in palm power with Zhang Yiheng, he would certainly be hit by these two blades. He immediately tried to retract his palm power, but the inner Qi, like river water about to gush out of his body, forcefully stopped. Unable to calm, it instead injured himself.

He also saw Zhang Yiheng's double palms hit his chest. Injured again, nearly losing his life. But fortunately, he managed to dodge these two blades.

Before he could recover, a "puchi" sound arose.

The third red-clad constable, hidden in the dark, waiting for a chance, executed a move "Piercing Heart from Behind," piercing through the back through to the chest, killing with one strike.

Li Xian noted secretly, "What a formidable array, full of deadly traps, each step leading to the next. The seamless cooperation of the four is immensely powerful. This Criminal Capture Array truly opened my eyes!"

...

...

In this manner.

The two masterminds who plotted against Li Xian were both executed. Li Xian played crook calling for the thief, ensuring uniform testimony throughout the county, leaving no flaws in their scheme.

The case details were organized into files by Zhang Yiheng and reported to the Prefecture City.

It quickly reached the ears of the Cao family. The elder members of the clan discussed:

"Rebellion, it is truly rebellion. This Qingning County intends to rebel!?"

"It is sheer nonsense. That Cao Nuyi was a servant of our Cao family, loyal and devoted. It is impossible for him to conspire with mountain bandits to kill Cao Yun."

"Little did we expect this Qingning County to be so obstinate. In my view, the mastermind of this incident is that Martial Captain. Yun'er said he wanted to deal with the Martial Captain, and then he was murdered."

"As the saying goes, capture the ringleader first; if we do not get rid of this Martial Captain, we cannot swallow Qingning County."

"To think that our greatest resistance in controlling Qingning comes from a rural bumpkin. However, it is also an ant trying to shake a tree, it overestimates itself."

...

Qingning County.

Li Xian seized the County Lord's waist order, hanging it on his belt, declaring that it would be returned to its original owner upon the appointment of the next County Magistrate.

In Immortal Dream Tower, Li Xian hosted a mourning banquet to grieve Cao Yun's death, inviting three halls and two sects, county officials, various constables, aristocratic families…

Everyone who received the invitation was present, and the lively scene far surpassed the original gathering.

The main seat was occupied by Zhang Yiheng. Li Xian sat at the side, but the crowd's attention was focused solely on him.

Li Xian said, "Although County Magistrate Cao only took office for a few days, he was still our colleague. Let's observe a moment of silence for him."

No one dared to disobey, and everyone felt deeply moved, contemplating how, in such a short time, this young man's influence had become unstoppable within the county.

He was like a local tyrant.

His strength was formidable, just one aspect. Previously, Xu Liefeng of the Leopard Saber Sect reigned in Qingning County with immense power, instantly suppressing three schools and two sects.

But even Xu Liefeng never reached this level of authority.

No matter how strong, if people are determined to oppose you, what can you do? Kill them all? Human strength eventually runs out. When Inner Qi is depleted, can one remain so forceful?

Moreover, with formations of bows, spears, shields, and halberds… although ordinary weapons, when arranged into formations, they are quite formidable.

What truly commanded respect was the natural charisma, the grasp of major trends, innate abilities. Li Xian led Black River Village against bandits and coordinated Yihetang Manor to repel the Yellow Dragon Army.

At this moment, Qingning County… was much the same. Everything happened naturally. He didn't even deliberately scheme or plan.

"Gentlemen," Li Xian continued, "Cao Yun, the County Magistrate, wasn't entirely wrong. Corruption does exist in Qingning County. The new County Magistrate has yet to be appointed. As the Martial Captain, I will temporarily assume the duties of the County Magistrate and indeed plan to rectify this atmosphere."

"This…" Many people's complexions changed greatly.

"I won't dig into past matters," Li Xian said nonchalantly, "but I hope that from today onwards, the sky in Qingning County will be bluer, and the people's livelihoods will be more stable."

The local powers of Qingning County were overawed by him. If he were to join them in acquiring wealth, their ties would surely be stronger, more united.

However, his statements would inevitably damage the influential aristocratic families and martial arts schools, yet he didn't care, following his heart in all things, indifferent to much else.

"The Martial Captain works wholeheartedly for the people, we are in admiration!" everyone said, all with different thoughts in mind, yet none dared to defy him.

"Very well, everyone, please enjoy the drinks and entertainment," Li Xian said with a smile.

Melodious music played, dancers swayed gracefully.

Amidst songs, dance, wine, and indulgence.

Li Xian left halfway through, heading onto the street.

The gentle breeze was perfect tonight, soft and not overpowering, though the moon was only partially visible, hidden by clouds, lacking some beauty.

Li Xian wandered leisurely through the streets, hands resting behind his head. Unknowingly, he arrived in a residential area.

Candle flames flickered, and Li Xian curiously observed, appreciating the various scenes of everyday life in each household.

Some couples were affectionate, some mischievous children were not obedient, while some scholars studied hard by candlelight. Li Xian occasionally relaxed his mind with these sights, finding a unique sense of joy.

"It's rare to feel so relaxed, to occasionally put aside martial arts, and wander aimlessly like this, not bad at all."

Li Xian ventured deeper and deeper.

His ears, sharp and sensitive, suddenly caught faint breaths. Li Xian reckoned it was the time for couples to share a private moment.

Li Xian smiled to himself, not going any further, turned back to Martial Captain Hall.

…

…

"I killed Cao Yun and framed Cao Nuyi. This could deceive ordinary people, but the Cao family surely knows I am the one behind it."

"I don't know what actions they will take. The power of the Cao family is vast, beyond my comparison. I can only go with the flow and adapt as necessary."

Li Xian set aside all these trivial matters from his mind.

Drawing his sword, he began to practice "Setting Sun Bloodsword", a sword technique that accumulates Yang Qi without leaking. For minimizing side effects, Li Xian practiced during the cool night.

"Three Yangs Opening", "Dawn of the Setting Sun", "Hanging Sun", "White Snow in Spring"… various sword techniques, performed one by one.

Li Xian didn't know how many times he had practiced, yet never felt weary, his sword in hand extending like another limb, easily wielded, fully expressing his intentions.

Practicing the sword was about practicing intent, practicing essence was about practicing virtue.

A set of sword techniques contained numerous aspects. How much one gained depended solely on personal insight. Though Li Xian believed in Heaven rewarding diligence, he was never about blind hard work.

He often contemplated the marvelous uses of sword techniques and how to practice them to achieve results quicker.

[Skill level +3]

[Skill level +3]

…

Suddenly, in an instant.

Li Xian's sword let out a dragon's roar, and the Setting Sun Bloodsword reached [Perfection]!

All insights rushed into his mind. The essence of the sword was thoroughly mastered. Achieving "Perfection" in martial arts was always something to be proud of.

Even for basic martial arts, reaching perfection was extremely challenging.

As for "Peak".

This could not be forced, many talented martial artists spent their entire lives pursuing it, yet the more they sought, the less attainable it became.

Li Xian sat cross-legged, his Inner Qi growing wildly. The momentum was strong, and in a flash, the Qi Lake expanded over two zhang.

[Setting Sun Bloodsword]

[Skill level: 32/80000 Perfection]

[Description: Practicing by day and by night, dual swords united. Finally, perfecting this sword technique, revealing the profound mysteries of the sword moves. You mastered the "Yang Yuan Sword Qi", cultivating a strand of "Life-saving Yang Qi".]

The Yang Yuan Sword Qi, when performing the Yin Yang Immortal Lovers Sword, the Sword Qi burned like fire, extending three zhang from the body, cutting down foes before one's horse. If the dual swords unite, the power more than doubles!

Life-saving Yang Qi, cultivated through persistence over time, a trace of life-sustaining, pure Yang Qi, necessary for life preservation and protection.

"Superior martial arts are truly extraordinary!" Li Xian was overjoyed.