Chapter Nineteen: The Ultimate Mastery of the Black Tiger Blade Technique

Yang Ze had entered a state of cultivation. The small courtyard where he resided was sealed off by Old Xie’s orders; aside from the person who delivered his meals each day, no one was permitted to set foot within the grounds without explicit command. No one dared to defy these instructions—for Old Xie was formidable in strength and had authority over the household. Moreover, following a thorough investigation of the Sitong Square, Old Xie began to make various arrangements with his subordinates, and the entire Yang Family’s North City stronghold was soon abuzz with activity.

…

“Yang Ze of the Yang Family, in charge of Tongyang Bank?” A rotund, thick-necked middle-aged man sat at the head of a gathering, his stubby fingers tapping on the table as he muttered to himself.

In his other hand, he held an intelligence dossier, which he continued to peruse aloud: “Xie Shi, mid-level Qi Induction; Yang Ze, early-level Qi Induction. What a pair of master and servant from the Yang Family. Yang Yuanzhen dares to stretch his reach into North City.”

Jiang Yiting flipped through the intelligence, smirking coldly as he read each entry regarding the Yang Family’s North City stronghold and its key members. On either side below him sat several chairs, each occupied by a person whose aura betrayed their own cultivation at the early stage of Qi Induction.

This was the council hall of the Furious Stone Gang, and the man at the head was none other than its leader, Jiang Yiting—the most accomplished martial artist of the gang, standing at the peak of mid-level Qi Induction and on the verge of breaking through to high-level.

The others seated were all top experts of the Furious Stone Gang who had stepped into the realm of Qi Induction. For this meeting, the gang’s elites were all present.

“Leader, the Yang Family is a formidable force—one of South City’s overlords and a top clan throughout Yuyang. A head-on clash with them would be unwise,” said an elder with white eyebrows, Wang Hong, another mid-level Qi Induction expert in the gang.

“That’s not right, Elder Wang. Why should we undermine our own spirit? The Yang Family is strong, but this is North City. What can a single master and servant do to withstand us?” This time the speaker was Bai Zheng, the gang’s deputy leader.

There were three mid-level Qi Induction experts in the Furious Stone Gang: Leader Jiang Yiting, Deputy Bai Zheng, and Elder Wang Hong. Though Jiang Yiting’s cultivation was highest, Bai Zheng and Wang Hong never saw eye to eye, and he could do little about it.

At Bai Zheng’s words, Wang Hong grew irritated, and the two began arguing again, trading barbs while the others dared not interject. Jiang Yiting grew weary of their bickering but remained silent.

Finally, as their quarrel escalated, Jiang Yiting lost patience and slammed the table, restoring quiet to the hall.

“Enough! All you do is argue, never offering any real action. What is it you both want?”

Hearing their leader, Bai Zheng and Wang Hong dared not continue and returned to their seats.

“Leader, I have a strategy—may I speak?” Bai Zheng’s eyes gleamed as he spoke up suddenly.

“If you have something to say, out with it. No need to beat around the bush.”

“Very well, Leader. Aside from our Furious Stone Gang, there is another gang in this area you mustn’t forget.”

“You mean the Broken Mountain Gang?”

“Exactly, the Broken Mountain Gang. In terms of strength, they are our equals, and they too have come under pressure from the Yang Family of late. Why not use them to test the strength of this master and servant pair from the Yang Family?”

“Brilliant—a fine case of killing with a borrowed knife! If the Broken Mountain Gang succeeds, we can make our move then. The territory the Yang Family has seized recently is not something the Broken Mountain Gang can swallow at once. But does Deputy Bai have a plan to coax them into acting? It won’t be easy to trick them.”

“That’s simple. We just need to pull back a little; the Broken Mountain Gang will find themselves at the forefront. Tai Zhen of the Broken Mountain Gang has more brawn than brains—give him a gentle nudge and he’ll take the bait!”

“Hahaha, well said, Deputy Bai. With you on this, I have no worries. I’ll leave the matter entirely in your hands.”

Jiang Yiting laughed heartily, and Bai Zheng accepted the order without hesitation.

Meanwhile, Yang Ze had devoted himself to cultivation for two months. Now, he stood in his courtyard, wielding a broadsword with the force of a raging tiger, practicing his Black Tiger Blade Technique.

He began with Tiger Slaughter, sweeping with a howl, then finished with a Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain—his blade cleaving forward, raising a violent wind that set the willow branches swaying, and with a flash of steel, a mark was left on the trunk.

Only then did Yang Ze sheath his blade, exhaling a long breath as his gaze fell upon the scar on the willow.

One must not underestimate this small mark—if Yang Yuanzhen were present, he would surely be astonished, for to carve such a scar upon a willow proved that Yang Ze’s Black Tiger Blade Technique had reached the realm of Mastery.

Once the Black Tiger Blade Technique was mastered, all three forms could be unleashed in a single breath, at will. At this point, the technique’s greatest power would erupt, reaching the level of cutting objects at a distance. The scar on the willow was proof—Yang Ze’s blade had not struck the tree, yet still left a mark.

“It seems my Black Tiger Blade Technique has advanced again—perfection should not be far off,” Yang Ze murmured as he gazed at the scar.

Had Yang Yuanzhen witnessed this, he would have been stunned; the highest level recorded in the Black Tiger Blade Technique was Mastery—when had another stage, Perfection, appeared?

But Yang Ze was no ordinary man. In these two months, using the Black Stone’s perfected version of the Black Tiger Blade Technique, he had swiftly achieved Mastery.

But that was not all. In the mysterious space, Yang Ze had seen the Black Stone demonstrate an even more formidable version of the Black Tiger Blade Technique—once mastered, it would allow him to unleash blade energy!

To wield weapon energy was something only martial artists of the Post-Heaven realm could achieve, yet the perfected Black Tiger Blade Technique enabled this. If word got out, it would shake the entire martial world of Yuyang.

For convenience, Yang Ze called this ultimate stage Perfection.

As for how the Black Tiger Blade Technique, which was thought to reach only Mastery, had found new heights, Yang Ze could only attribute it to the perfected version filling in its flaws. The original creator of the technique may have reached his limit, but the Black Stone was different—it could perfect and open a new realm. This made Yang Ze wonder if the Sea Heart Art he practiced could also be taken to greater heights.

But there was no rush. He was still far from the fifth layer of the Sea Heart Art—even after two months of hard training, he had only reached the third layer.

The key was, as the Sea Heart Art advanced, the Black Stone imparted its perfected version of the third layer to him, and his cultivation also rose to mid-level Qi Induction.

Not yet nineteen and already at mid-level Qi Induction, Yang Ze was among the top of the younger generation in Yuyang, if not the very best.

“It’s a pity—even though my realm has advanced, my Black Tiger Blade Technique is still just shy of Perfection. I can’t remain in seclusion any longer; things outside will not stay calm much longer.”

Yang Ze muttered to himself. Although he had been cultivating in the courtyard, he was well aware of the situation in Sitong Square. Old Xie brought him reports every time he visited, so Yang Ze kept a close eye on the developments.

This brings us to the general situation in North City. Unlike the South, which had several powerhouses, North City had only two clans guarded by peak Qi Induction masters.

The three largest markets in North City were divided thus: one under direct government control, one jointly held by the two great families, and the last—Sitong Square—remained.

Sitong Square was surrounded by four streets, each corresponding to a direction. The government and the two families each took one, leaving the last—Xiangyun Street.

Neither the government nor the two families interfered with Xiangyun Street, instead making an agreement to let the smaller gangs and families compete freely there, which was why the Yang Family had chosen it as their point of entry.

In the past two months, Yang Ze had used Tongyang Bank as his base to act on Xiangyun Street, forming alliances with large shops and absorbing smaller ones, gradually taking over a considerable area.

Yet, as they were few in number and lacked a resident master, they dared not use force outright. If the two great families took notice and the authorities intervened, all agreements would be rendered void, and the Yang Family’s stronghold in North City would be uprooted.

Thus, Yang Ze acted slowly, aiming to control most of Xiangyun Street. That would give him leverage against the other families; with enough at stake, Yang Yuanzhen would surely help him keep it.

Unfortunately, trouble had arisen, and Yang Ze could not delay his appearance any longer.

He opened the courtyard gate and stepped out, just as Old Xie approached.

“Second Young Master, are you coming out at last?” Old Xie inquired as he saw Yang Ze.

“Yes. Further cultivation won’t bring a breakthrough for now, and I’m curious to see who dares to oppose us.”

“Then your timing is perfect—I have fresh intelligence that just arrived today, and I was about to bring it to you.” With their base expanding, Old Xie had recruited several men for intelligence gathering, and this report was the day’s harvest.

Yang Ze took the dossier and, opening it, saw two names: Furious Stone Gang and Broken Mountain Gang.