Chapter 021: "Sound Reaches the Realm of the Ear"

“Was he brought here deliberately?”

Su Jingxing recalled the burly man’s stitched mouth and the ambush by the group of young men. From these two things, it was clear the burly man had suffered abuse. Yet his presence here meant he had managed to escape. However, the force that captured him evidently refused to let him go, sending the young men in pursuit.

Though he was initially at a disadvantage, the final outcome showed the burly man had feigned death on purpose. His false death was not only to seize the opportunity for a surprise attack, but also related to some power unique to the barbarian tribes. Just as martial artists possess internal energy, so too do the barbarians cultivate their own force. This force required feigned death, or the gathering of momentum, to erupt. If Su Jingxing hadn’t happened to pass by, the burly man’s plan would have succeeded—he would have killed his pursuers in a sudden burst and escaped from Qinghe City.

Unfortunately…

“Capturing barbarians and stitching their mouths shut—what is this force plotting?”

Su Jingxing felt a headache coming on. He had merely taken a shortcut, only to stumble upon the machinations of some powerful organization. Ordinary people neither have the courage nor the skill to capture barbarians and smuggle them into Qinghe City. The act was clearly driven by some sinister purpose.

What were they after?

“Forget it.”

Shaking his head, Su Jingxing suppressed his wild speculations and forced himself to shift focus. Since this was not a barbarian invasion but a man-made capture, he wanted no part in this muddy water. No one knew he was involved, after all. This path had no surveillance cameras. In fact, in Yu Nation’s cities, except for main roads, alleys and side streets lacked monitoring. It wasn’t for lack of funds, but because city martial artists valued their privacy—any camera installed would soon be destroyed. Over time, the authorities simply stopped caring.

So, although Su Jingxing killed the burly man, no one knew it was him. The scene was so thoroughly wrecked that he couldn’t cover it up even if he tried, so he decided to ignore it and let others handle the aftermath.

Tsk tsk, a barbarian corpse appearing in the city would surely stir up a commotion in Qinghe City.

Whatever the force capturing barbarians was plotting, this incident would bring them trouble.

Having reasoned through all this, Su Jingxing responded silently in his heart—“Yes”—and picked up a card from the burly man’s corpse.

Instinctively, he took it out for a look—

“A Martial Training Card?”

Su Jingxing was stunned, then delighted.

“It’s actually a Martial Training Card, with fourteen years of training time—excellent!”

Why he could extract a Martial Training Card from a barbarian corpse was a question he set aside for now.

He quickly moved toward the young man’s corpse—

[Corpse detected. Retrieve?]

“Yes!”

A card appeared in his pocket.

Su Jingxing continued to walk toward the other corpses, taking out the card to examine it.

A Skill Card!

“Not bad, not bad. But what’s this ‘Sound Realm of the Ear’?”

Su Jingxing frowned.

The Skill Card retrieved from the young man’s corpse wasn’t a martial arts manual, nor a skill in hacking or singing and dancing, but a strange ability.

Sound Realm of the Ear!

He held the card and absorbed its information.

“So that’s it.”

Suddenly enlightened, Su Jingxing’s face lit up with joy.

This “Sound Realm of the Ear” was actually a secret technique!

Unlike martial arts, secret techniques were purer and more convenient. To explain it, a secret technique was akin to a superpower. Once mastered, it could be used indefinitely.

For example, “Sound Realm of the Ear” used internal energy to repeatedly stimulate the ear’s acupoints, enhancing hearing and enabling the reception of various sound waves. Within a certain range, any fluctuation in sound could be received. By interpreting these waves, one could determine the source—whether rustling grass, insects chirping, birds singing, or even the breath and heartbeat of a person!

Previously, the young man had discovered Su Jingxing thanks to this secret technique.

What a pleasant surprise!

Though he had faced danger on this shortcut, the rewards were extraordinary.

[Corpse detected. Retrieve?]

“Yes!”

[Corpse detected. Retrieve?]

“Yes!”

…

From the other corpses, Su Jingxing collected over a dozen cards.

He quickly left the scene, riding away.

Back at his courtyard residence, he took out the cards and examined them one by one.

Internal Energy Card, Internal Energy Card, Strength Card, Strength Card, Vitality Card…

After checking, he found no new Skill Cards or other types.

They were all Internal Energy Cards, Strength Cards, and Vitality Cards.

Su Jingxing wasn’t disappointed.

He immediately unlocked the Internal Energy Cards, absorbing their power into his body. He unlocked the Vitality Cards, gaining several Vitality Pills, which he continued to accumulate. He unlocked the Strength Cards, obtaining Strength Pills and swallowing them without hesitation.

Once everything was done, Su Jingxing took out the Martial Training Card and pondered why a barbarian corpse could also yield such a card.

The first Martial Training Card had come from a corpse puppet, the second from a barbarian.

What connection was there between the two?

He thought it over for a while, but when he couldn’t figure it out, he let the matter drop. Whether corpse puppets or barbarians, they were far removed from Su Jingxing’s world. The odds of encountering their corpses again were too low.

Su Jingxing never aimed too high; grasping what was before him was key.

With that in mind, he unlocked the Martial Training Card, which transformed into a ray of light enveloping his whole body.

His consciousness entered that vast, white space once again.

Here, he couldn’t help but practice the Seven-Step Fist.

Over and over, again and again.

No fatigue, no hunger or thirst, no soreness.

As if all else was forgotten, only relentless training remained.

Repeatedly, endlessly.

Time passed.

He didn’t know how long it took, but eventually Su Jingxing’s awareness returned.

The white space, unlike last time, hadn’t collapsed.

“What’s happening? Why am I still here?”

Su Jingxing was puzzled.

His consciousness sensed his surroundings, confirming the space remained.

But the Seven-Step Fist had ceased…

“Hmm, wait!”

Suddenly, Su Jingxing realized something and tried to perform the Seven-Step Fist.

Sure enough, he found his mastery had reached the deepest level—he could take all seven steps at once, achieving a transcendent realm!

“The Seven-Step Fist has reached its highest level, and there’s still time left, so this space persists?”

Su Jingxing recalled the Martial Training Card’s fourteen-year limit, four years more than the previous one.

With the Seven-Step Fist perfected, the space’s operation automatically halted.

If Su Jingxing wished, he could return his consciousness to his body.

But if he did, the remaining time in this space would go to waste.

Martial Training Cards were rare, and wasting them was shameful.

Thinking this, Su Jingxing switched techniques, focusing on the secret skill “Sound Realm of the Ear” for further refinement.

The moment this thought arose, the internal energy within his body gathered uncontrollably to his ear acupoints, beginning a slow and orderly stimulation…

…

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