Martial artists at the sixth level—any one of them would be a huge problem to deal with. Not only did the other party kill, but they also laughed with utter contempt... Their strength is terrifying!

Taking a few steps forward, Thomas Clark glanced at the wound on the Iron-Arm Bear’s heart, then pressed around the corpse again, analyzing, “This guy died because his heart and meridians were shattered by a single punch. The other party was afraid we’d notice... so they deliberately stabbed the corpse with a knife to cover it up!”

He’s hunted at least seventy or eighty wild beasts, if not a hundred, so he can tell the real cause of death at a glance.

But...

Why cover it up?

What’s the purpose?

“The Iron-Arm Bear’s defense is extremely strong. If your martial technique isn’t at the perfected level, it’s almost impossible to kill it with just your fists... And in all of Jiyuan City, there are only a dozen or so people who have mastered martial techniques to this level. Maybe... he was afraid we’d use this to figure out his identity!”

Robert Clark voiced his own guess.

The The Clark Family has Tiger Fist, and the The Harris Family and The Brooks Family also have similar clan-guarding martial arts, but even so, each family only has a handful of people who have reached the perfected realm. All three families plus the City Lord’s mansion together only add up to a little over ten people.

If the heart hadn’t been stabbed with a dagger, maybe they really could have figured something out, but now, all they can do is make wild guesses.

An elder’s eyes showed admiration: “This person is not only bold, but also extremely meticulous. Looks like a formidable character...”

If it were them, facing such a powerful beast, survival alone would be hard. This person killed it easily, and even remembered to tamper with the scene... Truly impressive!

Standing up, Thomas Clark walked a few steps inside the cave, observed the footprints, then continued analyzing, “It seems this expert was roasting rabbit here when the Iron-Arm Bear charged in. Seeing the bear didn’t know its place, he gave a warning punch. Who would have thought the bear not only refused to leave, but fought desperately, so the expert laughed disdainfully and killed it in a single move!”

Logical and very reasonable.

Thomas Clark continued, “This expert entered our clan territory without a sound, finished the leftovers, and left gracefully—no one noticed. Now he’s easily killed the Iron-Arm Bear. More importantly... he laughed loudly as he walked, showing he doesn’t care about the other beasts in the mountains at all... That kind of courage is admirable.”

Late at night is when wild beasts are most active. Even these old hunters are cautious when entering the mountains, afraid of being surrounded, but this person dares to run and laugh at the same time...

That kind of spirit... is invincible!

After his explanation, all the elders, picturing this expert running wildly at night, so unrestrained, showed envy on their faces.

“I think just calling it courage isn’t enough—it’s... arrogance!”

With a sigh, an elder said gravely, “I’ve never seen anyone so domineering and arrogant!”

Chapter 012: Cultivating Martial Techniques

Henry Clark had no idea he’d already been labeled “arrogant,” nor did he know that his cautious actions had been interpreted by his father in so many ways. At this moment, he had already returned to his own residence.

All the elder-level experts of Clark Village had gone up the mountain, so no one noticed he’d gone out.

Laughing all the way had increased his lifespan quite a bit, but as time passed, and with all the running, it had also decreased by more than half.

Now, he had only 0.05 days of lifespan left—just over an hour.

If he didn’t want to suddenly drop dead soon, he had to replenish his strength as quickly as possible.

“Good thing I set up a stove this afternoon...”

To soak his feet at night, he’d prepared a brazier in advance that afternoon, and now it was coming in handy.

He cleaned and skinned all four bear paws, sliced them thin, put them in an iron pot, added seasonings, and started stewing.

Braised would definitely taste better, but with not enough green onions, ginger, or garlic, he had to make do.

While cooking, worried his lifespan wouldn’t last, he dragged a stool over and sat there grinning foolishly for quite a while.

Half an hour later, the bear paws were cooked. Even with just some salt and soy sauce, the aroma was mouthwatering.

He broke off two branches, picked up a piece, put it in his mouth, and instantly felt a surge of robust energy flow into his dantian, coursing through his limbs and bones, making his overdrawn body feel warm and comfortable.

Nutritional replenishment, lifespan: +2.5, +2.5, +2.5...

A bite of the Tiger-Patterned Green Python only increased his lifespan by 0.5 days, but this—five times as much, a full 2.5!

Looks like his earlier guess was right: the stronger the beast, the more nutrition and spiritual energy it contains, and the more nourishing it is to eat!

A few minutes later, he’d finished a whole bear paw, even drinking three big bowls of soup.

Only then did Henry Clark feel his strength return, with no more of the previous worry or panic.

With lifespan, you have confidence!

His eyes fell once more on the Longevity Chart.

Henry Clark: Resident of Jiyuan City’s Clark Village, son of the village chief Thomas Clark.

Cultivation: Early stage of Martial Artist, fifth level.

Lifespan: 16 years / 17 years. (233 days remaining).

...

His lifespan had increased by over a hundred days compared to before.

Through this round of cultivation and eating, he finally understood something.

Cultivating the Green Emperor Longevity Art can increase the upper limit of lifespan. For example, this sudden gain of over a hundred days was brought about by a breakthrough in cultivation.