The bandit leader... let's just call him the Bandit Chief.
Right now, he's like a wounded tiger in dire straits, his aura surging. The blood-stained red spots on his coarse clothing are still growing. He's been running from you. He wasn't able to focus on treating the wounds from his previous battle with He Yi, so he didn't use his energy to plug them.
[Under the roof, you hear the screams of the wealthy woman and the curious questions of the children. Seven or eight servants are shouting in the courtyard, asking you and the bandit leader to get down quickly and obey the law...]
The thief leader spat out a mouthful of red-white energy, which directly opened a hole in the head of a servant, causing the others to flee in fear.
[You and the bandit leader begin fighting.]
Each of his blows was powerful and devastating, leaving your hands numb, but it was clearly not as strong as it had been two weeks ago. This was either due to injury or him conserving his energy.
[Ping-pong, the flash of swords, the shadow of two broadswords clashing head-on, two different energies vibrating the surrounding air and making it hum. The spreading wind blew your clothes rustling.]
You fought and retreated repeatedly, the tiles on the eaves beneath your feet breaking and shattering one by one. Amidst the crackling sounds, the bandit leader suddenly swung his sword, knocking you back dozens of steps!
Your right foot misses a step, your body losing balance and you're about to fall. But in a moment of desperation, a huge amount of energy condenses, transforming into a step in the air. You step on it and then hold your sword in front of you, blocking the bandit leader's full-strength sword thrust!
This is the bandit leader's fatal strike. Crimson energy surges over him like waves. You feel the blade of your "Ming Zhan Dao" tremble, as if it will be severed at any moment.
[And in the next instant, your arms and body were blown away by an irresistible force, as if facing an elephant's charge. They flew backwards with a clang, smashing through the wooden door of the wealthy house below. Then, they scraped against the ground for several meters, smashing the woman's dressing table to pieces as she screamed.]
[At this moment, your entire body aches with numbness and pain, your bones nearly falling apart, yet a glimmer of hope lingers in your heart: Fortunately, you managed to concentrate your energy and land that single step firmly. Otherwise, with nowhere to gain leverage during the fall, you would have been stabbed through the chest by the bandit leader in a panic, and you would have been killed without a doubt!]
Now at least you're alive, you stumble to your feet, reaching for the sword beside you. Ignoring the woman's screams, you gather your energy, adjust your breathing, and prepare to meet the bandit leader's arrival.
[...]
Ten seconds later, you let out a "fuck" and rushed out of the door you had broken through. After that fatal blow, the thief leader had exhausted all his energy and started to escape again.
This time, he had no chance. When you found the thief leader in an alley, he had lost his strength and after only a dozen rounds, you shattered his finger bones and sent his long sword flying out of his hand.
You strike again, and the bandit leader raises his left arm. You fiercely slice through his flesh, but when you hit the arm bone, it feels like you're cutting through solid rock; it's incredibly hard. He's truly reached the stage of "strength penetrating the bones."
[Unfortunately—you drew your sword and slashed again, three times in a row, severing the bandit leader's arm bones amidst his roar. Losing his energy, the strength of a first-rate warrior was greatly reduced. He is now only a second-rate warrior.]
[Crack! Crack! Crack! You sever the head of this powerful, first-rate warrior alive. Seeing his eyes still staring, you kindly close them.]
[Then you searched the corpse, and besides the silver and money, you also surprisingly found a master's martial arts manual!]
[While common Iron Body Skills can enable qualified warriors to become Masters, Grandmasters, and even Grandmasters, there are always better martial arts that offer higher bonuses, allowing those with only second-rate skills to become Masters.]
[Let those who are only first-rate have the hope of becoming grandmasters! ]
[You briefly flipped through this master's martial arts book and discovered that it wasn't from a sect native to Qing Country, but rather from the Hongniu Sect of the neighboring Wu Country.]
[It seems that this bandit leader's "Bone-Bone Strength" may not have progressed very far. His high combat power may be due to the powerful bonus of Grandmaster-level martial arts.]
[You accept this martial arts manual, but do not plan to transfer to it. First, inform the city guards to deal with the bandits. After a period of time, when the turmoil in Donglin City has subsided, you can begin searching for information about the "Hongniu Sect" of Wu State.]
You paid for information from the intelligence organization "Golden Wind Tower" and learned that a disciple named "He Ping'an" defected from the Hongniu Sect over a decade ago. You believe this person is the ringleader. His age matches, his martial arts skills match, and his appearance... The Golden Wind Tower isn't that detailed and doesn't have any relevant information.
In the 283rd year of the Daqing era, a new city lord arrived in Donglin City. He's even more devoted to you than the old one, and he clearly considers you a top-tier warrior.
[The depth of "Milky Way Flow" has finally reached perfection, and your energy has gained an additional boost.]
[In the 284th year of Daqing, you are 29 years old, your foundation is at 143%, and your internal organs are nearly 70% advanced.]
[You didn't disperse your power and switch to the Grandmaster-level martial arts, because you knew your original body wouldn't choose the martial arts advancement option. It's better to wait until the next simulation, when your aptitude is higher, before switching to that.]
[(The main reason is that the characteristics of this martial art are too obvious, and you are afraid that the Hongniu Sect will "take back the martial arts")]
[That same year, you heard that the Daoist sect was going to hold a Grandmasters' Conference, inviting Grandmasters from all over the world to participate.]
[Taoism is the guardian sect of Qing Nation, and it thrives alongside the nation. It is rumored that the Taoist sect has never lost its Grandmaster lineage, and even today, there are multiple Grandmasters practicing in seclusion.]
[For these Grandmaster Conferences, the Dao Sect not only invited the sects within the country, but also invited the various sects from the two neighboring countries: Wu and Ning.]
[But you know it was a trap. The Grandmasters' Meeting was actually a trap, and its purpose was to destroy a group of Grandmasters from the Wu Kingdom.]
[As for why...how do you know? You didn't choose to inherit the memory.]
[According to the information in the previous simulator, after the group of masters were tricked to death, a hidden great master emerged from the Wu Kingdom.]
[After his birth, he did not go straight to the Daoist sect, but assisted the army in breaking through the city.]
So you speculate that the Grandmasters' meeting trap is related to the Qing Kingdom. This isn't a conspiracy between sects, but a shady trick played by a nation.
But it doesn't matter, you think to yourself that it's none of your business.
[Those people I value: Old Man Wang, Uncle Ji, and the others have already been sent to Qingcheng by you. They now have their own means of living in the city. The Wu army cannot break through Qingcheng because Zhu Baowen will intervene.]
In the 285th year of the Daqing era, the Wu Kingdom attacked and killed people in Qing villages on the border. You believe this was staged by Qing, though you have no evidence.
In the year 287 of the Daqing reign, a young man suddenly visited the mansion where you lived, seeking advice from you, the elder and master. You took a closer look: Ye Hongqi.
[Recalling briefly, it seems that in the simulation, it was this young man and others who teamed up with you to defeat the Tiger King (actually, it was all thanks to Ye Hongqi's temporary breakthrough)]
[As a senior expert, you gave him some serious guidance with a warm attitude, which made this young genius extremely grateful.]