Similar to what was described in the novels I read in my past life, each layer was harder than the last. Without enough talent, one had to spend time grinding through it.
As long as one had a lifespan of several thousand years, even someone with the worst innate talent could definitely cultivate the thirteenth layer.
However, over the past two years, from the various rumors Li Daoqiang had heard, even grandmasters who suppressed the world and spanned past and present only had lifespans of a few hundred years, at most less than a thousand.
So this divine art was incredibly powerful, but among a host of peerless techniques, it was also somewhat of a white elephant.
Li Daoqiang was well aware of his own limits. Setting aside his talent for now, the more important issue was that he had only started learning martial arts at twenty-two, long past the optimal age for training.
Without the Big Bandit System, it would have been absolutely impossible for him to go from nothing, with no support, and in an environment like a bandit den, to successfully cultivate the second layer of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art in just over two years.
He understood very clearly that if he wanted to gain formidable strength, he had to rely on the Big Bandit System.
Still, his own training was somewhat useful, at least allowing him to save some bandit points.
For example, to successfully cultivate the third layer of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art, he needed a total of three hundred bandit points.
But after several months of hard training, he had already saved over fifty points. He only needed a little more than two hundred and forty points to succeed.
As for the three low-level martial arts—Iron Shirt, Stone-Shattering Palm, and Cicada-Chasing Step—which he had painstakingly acquired over the past two years, he had reached the Great Completion stage through his own hard work, supplemented by bandit point enhancements.
Given his current situation, obtaining bandit points was not easy.
From the information about the Big Bandit System that he naturally understood through some vague intuition, there were only three ways to gain bandit points.
Three ways that perfectly aligned with a man's desires.
The first and simplest was money.
The second was beautiful women—women who reached a certain level of attractiveness.
The third was status and power.
Money, beautiful women, status, and power—without a doubt, these were the three fundamental desires of men, and also the three avenues for the Big Bandit System to gain bandit points.
As for beautiful women, Li Daoqiang knew well that the kind of beauty he could access now was beyond his reach. Even if given to him, he wouldn't be qualified to possess it; it would only bring disaster.
As for status and power, there had been no progress yet. The Big Bandit System seemed utterly indifferent to his identity as the Second Chief of Black Dragon Stronghold.
So, over the past two years, Li Daoqiang had only one avenue left: money.
One tael of silver equaled one bandit point.
Don't be fooled by the fact that he was a bandit. After more than two years of effort, through various means, he had only managed to obtain about three hundred taels of silver.
This shows how difficult it was to gain bandit points. Every little bit saved counted.
The Dragon-Elephant Prajna inner energy circulated, slowly strengthening both the energy itself and his physical body.
In the blink of an eye, a night passed quietly.
Li Daoqiang finished his practice and walked outside, immediately spotting Li Si.
"Second Chief." Li Si promptly saluted with respect.
Li Daoqiang showed a hearty smile and said, "Good brother, you've worked hard."
Li Si replied with a simple, honest grin, "It's our honor to keep watch for the Second Chief."
Li Daoqiang felt satisfied and waved his hand. "Alright, go back and rest now."
"Yes." Li Si acknowledged, clasped his fists in salute, and left.
Watching Li Si disappear, Li Daoqiang began his training in the courtyard. Cultivating martial arts generally involved two aspects.
First, strengthening the foundation of one's own power, such as inner energy techniques.
Second, the methods of applying that power, which were martial arts techniques.
Having power without knowing how to use it would be a complete joke.
The two were like the Dao and its methods. Having the Dao without methods could even lead to being killed by someone weaker.
Having methods without the Dao was just an empty shell.
Thus, both were indispensable.
The Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art was Li Daoqiang's foundation, his Dao, continuously enhancing his inherent power.
Stone-Shattering Palm, Iron Shirt, and Cicada-Chasing Step were his methods for applying his power. Though they were low-level martial arts, they were better than nothing.
Moreover, even low-level martial arts, when cultivated to a high level, could be quite formidable.
Entry, Minor Completion, Great Completion, and Perfection at the pinnacle.
Generally speaking, martial arts techniques were divided into these four major realms.
The gaps between each major realm were also significant. Li Daoqiang's three martial arts were all at the initial stage of Great Completion, with plenty of room for improvement.
He first practiced Stone-Shattering Palm and Cicada-Chasing Step carefully a few times, then finally worked on Iron Shirt, a hard-body technique.
In less than half an hour, the person delivering food arrived.
As the Second Chief, he had this privilege, so he didn't have to crowd into the communal dining hall.
Two bowls of rice, a large plate of meat, and a small plate of vegetables. After eating his fill, a man arrived carrying a box.
"Second Chief, the First Chief ordered me to deliver two hundred taels of silver."
Li Daoqiang didn't hide his delight, nodded, took the box, opened it, glanced at it, and smiled. "Mm, go back and tell the First Chief that I'll visit to thank him in person this afternoon."
"Yes."
The man left, and Li Daoqiang took a light breath, controlling his excitement as he carried the silver into his room.
He checked the information panel in his mind; no mistake—the bandit points had changed from 50 to 250.
Without hesitation, he willed it, and the 250 bandit points instantly became 5.
At the same time, a mysterious and powerful force seemed to appear out of nowhere within his body. The third layer of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art began to cultivate at an extremely rapid pace.
His inner energy swelled quickly, his physical body grew stronger, and both his physical strength and inner energy increased in tandem.
Li Daoqiang immersed his entire mind in the process. The myriad mysteries of the third layer of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art became clear to him. This rapid cultivation felt as if he were training step by step himself.
Solid, perfect mastery.
In what seemed like a single breath, his inner energy broke through the Yang Qiao Meridian of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, then the Yin Qiao, Yin Wei, Yang Wei, Belt, and Thoroughfare Meridians, stopping at the Ren and Du Meridians.
His inner energy, now more than twice as powerful as before, surged through the Twelve Regular Meridians and the Six Extraordinary Meridians.
A sense of exhilaration arose naturally.
As his inner energy changed, his body also transformed visibly. His muscles became stronger and more powerful.
His chest, abdomen, legs, arms, and other areas all subtly expanded by a circle.
When the transformation ended, Li Daoqiang clenched his fists.
Power—inner energy combined with physical strength—an overwhelming sense of might filled him, stirring his ambition.
He had finally become a true expert in the Postnatal Realm.
For the first time in a long while, he felt a bit more secure.
Then, a flame seemed to ignite in his eyes.
This Black Dragon Stronghold could no longer confine him.
He cast a deep glance in one direction, practiced his techniques for a while, then put away the two hundred taels of silver.
One tael of silver equaled one bandit point, but the silver itself didn't disappear. As long as it was confirmed that Li Daoqiang possessed it, the bandit points would increase accordingly.
After storing it away, he went to Lin Sanlong's residence in the afternoon to express his gratitude properly, reaffirming their brotherly bond.
After sharing dinner together, Li Daoqiang returned to his own place.
He continued his training, and the night passed quietly.
The next few days were as usual, quite peaceful.
Li Daoqiang didn't go down the mountain to take action, since the road that Black Dragon Stronghold controlled usually only saw targets requiring the full force of the stronghold every so often.
Normally, just collecting tolls sufficed—it was an unspoken rule.
In this world, bandits and outlaws who were too greedy or didn't follow certain rules didn't last long.
Amid the stronghold's calm, the impact of the banquet from a few days ago gradually faded, and everything seemed to return to normal.
One afternoon, while Li Daoqiang was training, one of Lin Sanlong's attendants came and respectfully said, "Second Chief, the First Chief invites you to join him for drinks tonight."
Li Daoqiang readily agreed. "Good, go back and tell the First Chief that I'll be there on time."
"Yes."
The man left, and Li Daoqiang pondered for a moment before suppressing his thoughts and continuing his training.
At dusk, Li Daoqiang, dressed in a black martial arts outfit, left his quarters and arrived at the courtyard where Lin Sanlong and his wife lived.
"Big Brother, Sister-in-Law, I'm here."
Before he even entered the courtyard, his hearty voice rang out, carrying a tone of familiarity.
"Second Brother, come in quickly." A woman with a charming demeanor came out to greet him, her face full of a seductive smile.
She then glanced at the two figures guarding the courtyard gate and casually said, "The First Chief and I are going to drink and chat with the Second Chief. You don't need to stay on guard. Go back and rest."
"Yes." The two guards saluted and left.
Li Daoqiang's expression flickered almost imperceptibly, but then his smile grew even broader, tinged with a simple, honest look.
"Sister-in-Law, where's Big Brother?"
As he spoke, he walked into the courtyard as casually as usual.
"Your Big Brother said he's in a good mood today and wants to have a proper drink with you, so he went to fetch some fine wine he buried years ago. He'll be back soon," Liu Si said with a smile.
Li Daoqiang nodded, curious. "What's made Big Brother so happy?"
"Wait until your Big Brother comes back, and he'll tell you himself. Come on, let's go inside first. The food's already prepared." Liu Si gestured for him to enter, leading the way into the main hall.
Li Daoqiang followed behind, his eyes narrowing slightly, but his smile remained unchanged as he went in.
They sat down, and Liu Si picked up the wine jug to pour two cups. She chuckled lightly, "Second Brother, come on. This isn't your Big Brother's fine wine, but it's not bad either. Let's have a drink together while we wait for his good wine."
With that, she took a sip first, her attitude clearly not allowing refusal.
Li Daoqiang's face showed a hint of reluctance. After all, being alone with his sister-in-law in the same room, drinking together, could easily lead to gossip.
But it was hard to refuse. After hesitating for half a breath, he still drank the cup.
The moment he drank, his hand holding the cup stiffened briefly, but he set it down without any visible change.
Liu Si's seductive face lit up with an even more radiant smile. She quickly refilled the cup. "Come on, Second Brother, let's have another drink together."
After saying this, she downed her cup again.
"Alright, one more cup, and then we'll wait for Big Brother to come back and drink together," Li Daoqiang said with a reluctant expression.
"Fine." Liu Si agreed readily.
After the second cup, Liu Si didn't pour another. Instead, she slowly stood up, took two steps back, and her graceful figure was fully on display.
Suddenly, she gave Li Daoqiang a seductive smile and said softly, "Second Brother, tell me, is your sister-in-law beautiful?"
Li Daoqiang's face immediately stiffened. He frowned and said in a low voice, "Sister-in-Law, what do you mean by this?"
"Second Brother, I just want to ask you, am I beautiful?" Liu Si's expression didn't change as she asked coquettishly.
Li Daoqiang remained silent, his frown deepening.
But Liu Si smiled triumphantly, as if she had gotten her answer. Her eyes, full of allure, blinked, and she said with honeyed sweetness, "Second Brother, since I'm so beautiful, don't you want to... do something with me?"