Yuan’s Ascension

A member of the Pleiades Guild could redeem a drop of Ancient Immortal Dew in exchange for 60,000 merits. 60,000 merits could be exchanged for 120,000 silver taels. Did this mean that when converted to silver, the jade vial was roughly equivalent to 1,200,000 silver taels?

Killing and arson fetch golden belts [1], the ancients did not deceive me. Wu Yuan sighed inwardly. Plundering indeed brought swift wealth.

However, Wu Yuan understood that such precious natural treasures couldn't be measured with silver. Converting it into silver was not difficult, but buying it back with silver was very troublesome, requiring the right channels.

Even the act of killing a regular first-rate Adept or a Savant expert doesn’t guarantee the acquisition of such a treasure.

Chen Tangru, who could barely be considered a Savant expert, was a disciple of a Land Ranker. It was unsurprising for him to own more treasures than the average Savant expert.

The acquisition of treasures boiled down to luck. When his luck was good, he could procure four drops of Ancient Immortal Dew just by killing a second-rate Adept, such as in Yang Long's case. When his luck was mediocre, killing a first-rate Adept only yielded a handful of gold and silver, such as in Bai Yuxian's case.

Everything went smoothly tonight because my abilities have greatly improved and my physical constitution has reached the third grade. That is why I was able to face numerous experts without breaking a sweat.

If his strength had remained unchanged from the time he had killed Bai Yuxian? Forget killing Xu Shouyi, even escaping with his life would have been difficult. The risks of plundering were high. Unless one possessed invincible strength, each plundering endeavor brought with it the risk of encountering an expert one could not withstand. And once that happened, death was the inevitable outcome.

During the assassination of Bald Wolf Wang Xian, everything went according to plan. But the death of Xu Shouyi was only accomplished by sheer strength and resilience. Wu Yuan's mind remained unclouded by greed as his gaze fell on the jade vial before him.

Why was it that Wu Yuan could engage in prolonged battles against Chen Tangru, Wang Zhushan, and Mo Jingchen, unleashing secret techniques without exhibiting any signs of weariness? The answer was the blood-red mist!

Wu Yuan's physical constitution had reached its current limit. Therefore, the blood-red mist could no longer enhance his physique, it only relieved his fatigue and sustained his stamina. The rapid enhancements over the past few months had compensated for his body's deficits accumulated over ten years of growth.

Wu Yuan estimated that even if he hadn't reached the so-called perfect body, he was not far off. At fourteen and a half, he could unleash a punch with 68,000 catties of force! In the historical records of the Middle Land, there had never been such a case, at least not in the literature that Wu Yuan had read.

After slaying two Savant experts from Yuanhu Villa, Old Yuanhu must be hell-bent on my demise. Wu Yuan chuckled.

Yuanhu Villa? He couldn’t care less. Old Yuanhu, already frail and in his 90s, lacked a substantial force under his command. With only two Savant subordinates, his faction paled in comparison to the might of the Cloudstride Sect.

Wu Yuan just had to conceal his identity for a short while. A decade later, when his strength reached its peak, Old Yuanhu would be over 100 years old, his body deteriorating with each passing day. By then, even if his true identity were revealed, what could the other party possibly do to him?

What lies ahead is a gradual progression in my growth. Wu Yuan's eyes gleamed with anticipation. When I reach the age of eighteen, I will naturally progress to the Viscera Cultivation phase.

In the Human Federation, the path of martial arts cultivation was divided into three distinct phases: Strength Training, Viscera Cultivation, and Acupoint Connection. None of these phases were inherently superior or weaker than the others.

The boundary between Strength Training and Viscera Cultivation was not clearly defined. Those who focused on Viscera Cultivation did not necessarily possess a stronger physical constitution than those who practiced Strength Training.

For instance, take a teenager like Wu Yuan, whose body was constantly developing. His muscles, bones, skin, and membranes grew stronger every day. How could one declare that he had concluded the Strength Training phase? Only when the body settled into its final form could one roughly judge the Strength Training phase to be completed. This was when the Viscera Cultivation phase could begin.

Viscera Cultivation, in essence, was about nurturing the body, maintaining its peak condition for several decades while also strengthening the internal organs in order to reinvigorate the musculoskeletal system, allowing the physical constitution to continue improving even after Strength Training largely concluded!

Strength Training and Viscera Cultivation complemented each other. As Wu Yuan's musculoskeletal system grew stronger, his internal organs were also getting strengthened despite having yet to employ any specific cultivation methods targeting the stimulation of his internal organs.

I still have 700 bone-forging pills and twenty Qi Enhancement Pills left. The Starlight Liquid has been used up, but I've gained ten drops of Ancient Immortal Dew. Once I enter the sect, I will be granted a large amount of Cloudspring Blood as mentioned by Gao Yu. All of these combined should suffice for my daily needs.

Cloudspring Blood was a natural treasure unique to the Cloudstride Sect. Few details about it were divulged, and it was only granted to the upper echelons and elite disciples of the sect.

Once the news about this battle in Li City spreads, it’s likely to cause a great stir. Shadow Blade? Is that what the various factions have nicknamed me?

Shadow Blade, a blade that moved in the shadows. It is fitting.

It's already August. The new Jiang Continent Human Rankings will be released in October. I wonder if the Starcom Consortium will include me in the list.

Although he didn't care about fame and did not wish to disclose his identity, witnessing his name on the list was akin to leaving his mark in the Middle Land. It was an intriguing feeling.

The Chu-Jiang Token? Wu Yuan extracted the unusual token with the characters ‘Chu-Jiang’ etched onto the front.

What kind of treasure could this be? What could possibly motivate multiple powerful factions to mobilize their experts and dispatch them to Li City, all driven by a glimmer of hope to acquire it?

He stared at the token for a long while.

Suddenly, he gripped each end of the token, gradually intensifying his strength in an attempt to pry apart the Chu-Jiang Token. But even when he exerted a force of 200,000 catties, no changes were observed.

It's more resilient than a third-grade divine weapon? Wu Yuan's pupils contracted slightly. Truly extraordinary!

This object must hold immense importance. Wu Yuan pocketed it carefully.

Once I enter the Cloudstride Sect, I’ll explore the sect's library to decipher it. Once I possess the power of a Land Ranker, perhaps I’ll be able to unravel its secrets.

He suppressed the whirlwind of thoughts in his mind. Without actual power, all thoughts were nothing more than thoughts.

Time to rest. I need to stay in the room for two more days before meeting Gu Ji. Wu Yuan tidied up his room and settled into bed, swiftly succumbing to sleep.

However, he left a strand of consciousness awake to sense his surroundings passively. Should anyone draw close, Wu Yuan would awaken in an instant. This was a martial artist's spiritual sense. A powerful body nurtured a strong mind and soul, naturally developing spiritual sense. Given his formidable body, Wu Yuan’s spiritual sense was incredibly strong.

…

Upon his return to the Paddy Field Crossing, Wu Yuan resumed his role as a prodigious young martial artist aboard the boat.

As the first rays of daylight began to break, Li City was put under complete lockdown and thoroughly searched by the Cloudstride Sect. However, news had already started to spread like wildfire. The Starcom Consortium, Pleiades Guild, Ninedeaths Circle, and the Great Jin Empire, among others, began either openly or covertly investigating the matter.

Wu Yuan's battle was public, and the destruction caused by the battle between Wu Yuan, Chen Tangru, and Wang Zhushan was impossible to hide. Moreover, at dawn, the three sons of Xu Shouyi were found dead in their manor. Xu Shouyi himself had met a tragic end!

There was no stopping the dissemination of this news. Even with incomplete information, the various factions could piece together most of the situation through various sources. The damage left in the wake of the conflict was comparable to a duel between Savant experts.

Before long, urgent messages were dispatched from Li City, rapidly reaching the higher echelons of the various factions. One such message found its way directly to the Cloudstride Sect's headquarters.

...

A day later, on the eighth floor of the Starcom Consortium in Southdream City.

Overseer! There's news of Shadow Blade! The first to receive the news was the Starcom Consortium's Intelligence Division, who promptly reported it to the overseer.

"What? Shadow Blade battled Chen Tangru and Wang Zhushan in Li City, killing them both? Even Mo Jingchen suffered grievous wounds at his hands?" A middle-aged man was shocked beyond belief, "He was still concealing his true power during the previous skirmish in the provincial city?"

"Yes! Without a shadow of a doubt." A black-robed elderly man replied respectfully, "We managed to acquire firsthand evidence of Mo Jingchen's injuries by bribing several city guards."

A prolonged sigh escaped the lips of the middle-aged man. "It all adds up. During the battle in the provincial city, he slipped away with ease and didn't necessarily reveal his full strength. But during the battle in Li City, he was surrounded and attacked by numerous experts. He had no choice but to go all out." The middle-aged man shook his head slightly, "I didn't expect him to be a Savant expert." There weren’t even a hundred Savant experts across the entire Jiang Continent.

"Overseer, I have more to report. Shadow Blade may possess a Chu-Jiang Token." The black-robed elderly man said, "This was publicly announced by Mo Jingchen."

"Following this lead, we traced back the clues and discovered that this Chu-Jiang Token originated from a small gang in Li City, likely lost by a survivor of the Chu-Jiang Empire's royal family while on the run," the black-robed elder explained.

"A Chu-Jiang Token?" The middle-aged man grew even more astonished, "Legend has it that this token is tied to the greatest secret behind the rise of the Chu-Jiang Empire, their most prized treasure."

"Great Jin, Cloudstride, Yuanhu, Baijiang Kingdom, Eastdream and Westdream, even the eight sects of the Dong Continent... which power doesn't wish to obtain a Chu-Jiang Token?" The middle-aged man shook his head slightly, "It’s a pity that there are only eighteen Chu-Jiang Tokens. When the Chu-Jiang Empire fell, the tokens were scattered."

"Most of them should have already been obtained by various powers. This Shadow Blade, he managed to get one?" The middle-aged man sighed, "However, it has yet to be seen whether it's a blessing or a curse for him."

"Then what should we do?" The black-robed elder asked.

"That Mo Jingchen, although he is ranked 79th on the Human Rankings, he's getting older, and his strength wanes with each passing year." The middle-aged man shook his head, “For the imminent update of the Human Rankings, draft a new report and propose an appropriate adjustment to Shadow Blade's rank."

"Understood." The black-robed elder acknowledged.

…

"Thousand Mountains is a Savant expert?" Within the Pleiades Guild's Southdream branch, Branch Master Qing and Custodian Qin were equally stunned upon receiving this piece of news. They had known all along that Thousand Mountains was none other than Shadow Blade in the Starcom Consortium's intelligence.

"His strength is just a secondary matter. The crucial point is the Chu-Jiang Token," Branch Master Qing said in a hushed voice, "If we were to obtain it from him and offer it up, the headquarters would surely reward us generously."

"But how do we entice Thousand Mountains here? Will he come to claim the mission reward for Xu Shouyi?"

1. Those who engaged in wicked deeds seemed to amass wealth effortlessly, owning belts made of gold. Second half: those who dedicate themselves to honest jobs like building bridges and repairing roads hardly die with intact corpses ☜