After killing Wang Xiaohe, Wu Yuan quickly made his escape. Even though he had to slow down to avoid leaving traces, he was still impressively swift. He headed southeast, running without pause for several hours. Eventually, he came to a large river.
I actually ran 600 li, all the way to the Cloud River. This should be the border between the Hillstride and Baihu Provinces.
While he was familiar with the terrain of the entire Jiang Continent, he had never traversed it personally. Deserted riverbanks stretched out as far as his eyes could see, and across the expansive river lay a series of undulating hills.
Wu Yuan drove his divine saber into the ground and casually set down his spear. Then, he stripped off his clothes.
There’s a 600 li distance between the scene of the battle and my current location. I’ve left no traces behind and avoided all settlements. Even the most skilled tracker won’t be able to locate me. Wu Yuan’s lips curled into a faint smile.
He had taken every conceivable precaution. After all, his target was a border commander of Great Jin, a significant figure. His death would surely cause a huge uproar, so excessive caution was necessary.
As he eased the tension in his body, countless tightly sealed pores sprang open, unleashing a deluge of perspiration. A wave of weariness washed over him as he allowed himself a brief respite.
Time for a bath. Wu Yuan leaped into the crystal clear waters of the Cloud River. Though bone-chillingly cold, he found the bath refreshing. A while later, he swam back to the shore.
Wu Yuan slipped back into his clothes, feeling rejuvenated. He took in the vast, tranquil river flowing east. The winter sun wasn’t warm, but it was pleasantly soothing.
Having killed Wang Xiaohe, I’ve accomplished my mission, settled my vendetta, and even stirred up some trouble for Great Jin. Plus, I’ve amassed quite a bit of blood-red mist.
Wu Yuan felt rather cheerful as he sat down and crossed his legs in the lotus position, focusing his consciousness. Within his upper dantian lobe, dense swirls of blood-red mist spiraled around the black pagoda. His body seemed to be rejoicing, craving the blood-red mist.
It’s been half a year since I last assimilated blood-red mist. This time, I hope the mist from the black pagoda will be sufficient. In fact, why not cultivate right here?
Without any hesitation, Wu Yuan started channeling the blood-red mist in his upper dantian lobe.
Boom! The blood-red mist surged out from his upper dantian lobe like a tsunami, rapidly reaching every limb and bone.
Assimilation!
Instantly, Wu Yuan perceived the minute changes in his musculoskeletal system. His entire body seemed to quiver, and his soul appeared to be cheering.
Evolution! Enhancement! Wu Yuan silently marveled.
In terms of miracles, even the Ancient Immortal Dew couldn’t compete with the blood-red mist. One pushed the body to its limit, while the other shattered those limits. There was no comparing the two.
Skin, bones, membrane, internal organs, and even his blood, were all continuously transformed as they assimilated the blood-red mist. At the same time, the dense mist surrounding the black pagoda diminished visibly.
Killing a Savant expert yields so much of this blood-red mist. I’d need to slay hundreds of soldiers to obtain the same amount of mist gained from killing Wang Xiaohe alone.”
The secrets hidden within the black pagoda were profound indeed. Where did the blood-red mist originate from? Was it provided by the pagoda itself as a reward for his kills? But how could the pagoda accurately assess the strength of his enemies?
Or perhaps it devoured some mysterious substance from the deceased? Why could it only devour those he’d slain? He couldn’t figure it out!
The sun began to set in the west.
Just as the blood-red mist in the upper dantian lobe was almost depleted, Wu Yuan finally felt his body reach its saturation point.
I’ve absorbed 90% of the mist. Only 10% remains? Does this mean I’ll need to commit more slaughter? Deep down, Wu Yuan didn’t truly relish taking lives.
Forget it. For now, let’s push my physical constitution to the limit. I can’t wait to see how much stronger I’ll get this time. His eyes glowed with anticipation.
His one-armed punch could now produce a force of 110,000 catties. As he focused on his body, Wu Yuan couldn’t help but sense that this upcoming round of improvements might surpass his expectations.
He retrieved a jade vial from the bundle on the ground. Opening it, a refreshing scent wafted out, arousing a strong desire to consume its contents.
Inside the jade vial was Ancient Immortal Dew. Over three years, the sect had bestowed him with a total of 30 drops of Ancient Immortal Dew. Accounting for the ten drops he already possessed and subtracting the small amount he had used in the past year, he estimated that roughly 36 drops remained.
Ancient Immortal Dew, with its high energy content and compact size, was perfect for carrying on his travels.
Therefore, during his rigorous training on Cloudhill, Wu Yuan rarely consumed the Ancient Immortal Dew to enhance his physique, instead favoring Qi Enhancement Pills and Cloudspring Blood. He had saved these drops specifically for his journey through the world.
Now, I can improve my physical constitution without any obstruction. I wonder if these drops of Ancient Immortal Dew will be enough. Wu Yuan smiled slightly.
He opened his mouth and swallowed a whole, undiluted drop of Ancient Immortal Dew! Instantly, a burst of potent energy erupted from his mouth, cascading down to his stomach. With his current robust physical constitution, he was well-equipped to handle it.
Leaping up, Wu Yuan began practicing the Tiger Leopard Bone Training Technique, each movement stimulating his body.
The overwhelming energy from the Ancient Immortal Dew flooded into every corner of his body.
Like a long-awaited downpour following a drought, Wu Yuan’s muscles and bones greedily absorbed the energy of the Ancient Immortal Dew with an insatiable appetite.
The blood-red mist propelled his physical limits to uncharted heights while the Ancient Immortal Dew itself was free from impurities. With the assistance of both, his physical constitution started to improve at breakneck speed.
With every drop of Ancient Immortal Dew he consumed, Wu Yuan’s physique surged, rapidly climbing from a single-arm strength of 110,000 catties to 120,000 catties, then 130,000 catties, rocketing straight up.
The sun dipped below the horizon and rose once more.
By the time Wu Yuan concluded his cultivation session, the sun was overhead. He stood in place, his heart at peace.
After a day and night, I’ve finally reached my current physical limit! After dispelling the fatigue caused by nonstop cultivation, the blood-red mist has been nearly depleted. Only three drops of the Ancient Immortal Dew are left.
Wu Yuan had consumed over 30 drops of Ancient Immortal Dew, equivalent to spending millions of silver in a single night. However, Wu Yuan didn’t feel the slightest regret. After all, the reason he had toiled so relentlessly to acquire these resources was to enhance his strength. What good was an abundance of treasures if he couldn’t raise his strength?
Wu Yuan slowly opened his eyes, looking down at his palms. Gently clenching them, he could feel a tremendous power within himself, ready to unleash its might at any given moment. His strength had grown exponentially.
Two days ago, his one-armed punch strength was 110,000 catties, and his raw physical constitution was at the bottom tier of second-grade martial artists.
But now? Wu Yuan executed a punch. It was swift, silent, and far faster than before!
Boom! He launched a second punch, this time without integrating the movement into the surrounding environment. The air exploded violently.
My one-armed punch strength is roughly… 160,000 catties! The corners of Wu Yuan’s mouth curled up. The gap between myself and the Grandmasters is closing rapidly.
The minimum physical constitution requirement for a Land Ranker was 200,000 catties.
During his time on Cloudhill, Wu Yuan had read quite a few classics, including some notes from Grandmasters (not insights), allowing him to gain a certain level of understanding of Land Rankers.
Why did the Martial King set the physical constitution of first-grade martial artists at 200,000 catties 3000 years ago? It was the universal standard of human biological limits in the world of the Middle Land.
During Wu Yuan’s previous life in the Human Federation, the physical constitution of a martial arts Grandmaster generally ranged between 25,000 to 30,000 catties for a single-armed punch. In the world of the Middle Land, the one-armed punch strength of a Grandmaster generally ranged from 200,000 to 250,000 catties.
Grandmasters with higher base strength existed. However, such occurrences were rare. It required one to have exceptional innate physical abilities and receive the best training from an early age. On top of those conditions, one still had to reach the level of a Grandmaster. Only then could one see a glimmer of hope to achieve such strength.
An ordinary Grandmaster may not be capable of rivaling my martial skills. Just two days ago, I considered myself virtually invincible below the Grandmaster level.
But now? I should be able to spar with a Grandmaster to some extent.
At the very least, he had the ability to put up a fight, unlike before when he was utterly defenseless. One could say that apart from the legendary Heavenly Rankers, Wu Yuan was nearly at the summit of martial arts in the world of the Middle Land.
Wu Yuan felt his mind ease slightly. In just two years, he had accomplished much. The number of people who could threaten him in this world was shrinking. True freedom and peace of mind could only be obtained through power.
Just like that, Wu Yuan lay quietly by the riverbank, allowing his mind to drift and extend in all directions, leisurely sensing the world around him.
Fifteen minutes passed, then thirty, an hour, two hours.
As the sun gradually set in the west, Wu Yuan’s eyes snapped open. Hmm?
He somersaulted to his feet, the divine saber was already in his hand. His attention was drawn to the forest not too far away. With his powerful senses, he had detected something stirring within the trees. Several figures were dashing towards him at alarming speed.
He didn’t have to wait long.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Several figures leaped into the air and landed in the deserted woods around 100 meters away from him. Only a shallow river lay between them.
These people? Wu Yuan frowned slightly. As he surveyed the five figures, his gaze settled on a stern-faced youth in black robes. This man appeared to be the leader. But after only a glance at him, Wu Yuan’s focus ultimately turned to a man in red robes, radiating an ominous indifference. It was this man who posed the greatest threat!
“Are you Shadow Blade? Did you kill Senior Brother Wang?” The black-robed youth stared intently at Wu Yuan, especially at the large saber in his hand. It was Wang Xiaohe’s divine weapon.
“Senior Brother Wang? Wang Xiaohe?” Wu Yuan squinted slightly, calmly responding, “Are you Grandmaster Sun Dongning’s disciple?”
He knew that Wang Xiaohe was a disciple of a Grandmaster. But so what? It didn’t deter him from ending that man’s life.
“So it really was you!” The black-robed youth’s eyes blazed with unending fury, as if eager to completely devour Wu Yuan.
“Are you here for revenge?” Wu Yuan asked softly.
“I don’t know how you found me so quickly. But it seems you are experts from the Great Jin Empire.” Wu Yuan’s voice was not loud, but it carried crisply to the other side of the riverbank.
“Sir, are you truly Shadow Blade?” The white-robed elderly man suddenly asked.