King of Ten Thousand Years

”Master Xu, are you feeling unwell?”

Lin Dongfeng noticed that the red-robed Pill Master’s expression was off.

”Just go!”

Master Xu suppressed his displeasure and, in a foul mood, shooed them away.

Seven Jade Spirit Pills.

They were all Two-star Spirit Pills, corresponding to the Spirit Sea Realm. Coupled with their miraculous effect of improving one’s innate constitution, their value far surpassed other Spirit Pills of the same rank.

However.

The two pills of the highest quality among them had been taken by Luo Tian!

One of them was even close to the Two-star Middle Grade.

When he did the math...

The two Jade Spirit Pills Luo Tian had chosen were worth nearly as much as the remaining three combined.

”We’ll be on our way!”

Luo Tian laughed, shot Lin Dongfeng a look, and quickly left the Herb Workshop.

A moment after the two had left.

”Something’s not right!”

Master Xu’s brow twitched as he recalled a detail.

When Luo Tian was choosing the pills, he had only glanced at them for a moment, yet in that extremely short time, he picked out the two Jade Spirit Pills with the best quality.

Even for him, it would have taken a moment of appraisal, of careful sniffing and touching, to accomplish the same feat.

The difference in their abilities was instantly clear!

’Was it a coincidence?’

Master Xu didn’t believe it.

Luo Tian had been extremely decisive and confident when selecting the Elixir Pills.

’Could it be...?’

’Is that kid an expert well-versed in the art of alchemy and pharmacology?’

If that were true, Luo Tian’s knowledge of alchemy was at least several times greater than his own.

Coincidentally, Master Xu had recently encountered a difficult problem in his Alchemy and needed to discuss it with someone.

”Quick! Go and invite that young man back... No, that master!”

Master Xu ordered his apprentice.

But Luo Tian and his companion were too fast; they were already long gone.

...

After leaving the Herb Workshop, Lin Dongfeng’s thoughts turned, and he quickly understood what had happened.

”You clever kid! It looks like I’ll have to bring you along to appraise things on occasions like this in the future.”

Lin Dongfeng couldn’t help but find it amusing.

At the same time, he also reminded Luo Tian, ”The Jade Spirit Pill is a Two-star Spirit Pill, meant for the Spirit Sea Realm. Even if you cultivate the Guiyuan Technique, you’ll need to be at least at the Half-step Spirit Sea Realm to properly consume this pill.”

”I understand,” Luo Tian said with a smile.

For someone in the Meridian Opening Realm, the Medicinal Power of a Two-star Spirit Pill was simply too immense.

If one were to consume it rashly, leaving aside whether they could even withstand the Medicinal Power, it would be a case of ’pulling up seedlings to help them grow’—it would destabilize their foundation.

Of course, Lin Dongfeng didn’t know that Luo Tian possessed a Divine Vein and cultivated the Guiyuan True Skill, which had reached the Earth Level Middle Grade, allowing him to consume it much earlier.

Luo Tian’s plan was this:

Of the two Jade Spirit Pills, he would sell one and keep the other for himself.

This was because the Jade Spirit Pill’s ability to improve one’s innate constitution made it far more valuable than other Spirit Pills of the same rank. Coincidentally, Luo Tian had already bathed in Jade Spirit Blood and achieved a perfect result, so he no longer needed this effect.

He bid farewell to his Mentor.

Luo Tian returned to Sunrise Peak.

This time, however, he made a trip to the Bronze Area.

He went straight to the Bronze Stone House belonging to the ”Bronze Lord,” Cao Yang.

”Senior Luo, please, come in.”

Cao Yang looked respectful as he invited Luo Tian inside and quickly shut the door.

Luo Tian asked, ”Do you have any results on that matter I asked you to look into?”

”I’ve found out everything. This is the information on the Du Family of Qingchang City.”

Cao Yang took out a dossier.

”Mm.”

Luo Tian took the dossier, which detailed the relevant figures and events concerning the Du Family.

Among them, the name of the Du Family Patriarch, ”Du Hong,” was listed.

The name of Young Master Du Yuncheng had a red ’X’ next to it.

It turned out that before preparing to go to the Royal Capital, Luo Tian had remembered his grudge with the Du Family of Qingchang City.

Qingchang City was, after all, the hometown where Luo Tian had lived for over a decade.

It was because of the Du Family’s bounty and pursuit that Luo Tian had been forced to leave his home.

Now that Luo Tian’s strength had soared, he naturally had to deal with the Du Family. Otherwise, he couldn’t even return home with his head held high.

But before making a move, he needed to probe the Du Family’s true strength.

Luo Tian was now ranked high on the Human List and would easily attract attention, so it wasn’t suitable for him to investigate personally.

So, he had entrusted Cao Yang to go to the Martial City and spend some Spiritual Essence Coins to gather intelligence on the Du Family.

Before long, Luo Tian committed the entire contents of the dossier to memory.

’The Du Family actually has an aged Spirit Sea Realm ancestor holding down the fort...’

A sharp glint flashed in Luo Tian’s eyes.

’If I hadn’t investigated clearly and just charged in, I might have suffered a loss.’

PFFT!

With a flash of crystalline yellow energy from Luo Tian’s hand, the dossier turned into a pile of charred black powder.

”Senior Luo, rest assured, I will keep my lips sealed about this matter.”

Cao Yang’s face was full of reverence and fear.

Before a ”Golden Area Lord” like Luo Tian, he was several tiers lower. Just being able to maintain a relationship with him was a rare opportunity.

”Mm.”

Luo Tian nodded in satisfaction and left Cao Yang’s stone house.

Just as he was about to leave the Bronze Area.

”Brother Luo, you actually have time to visit the Bronze Area?”

Chen Haofei was heading out, carrying several bundles on his back.

”You’re heading out too?” Luo Tian asked.

”Heh! It’s my grandfather’s birthday, so I’m heading back to the County City for a bit,” Chen Haofei explained.

”What a coincidence, we’re heading the same way,” Luo Tian said with a smile.

Qingchang City was under the jurisdiction of Lingyun County, located in the same region.

”That’s great!”

Chen Haofei’s face lit up with pleasant surprise.

「An hour later.」

Luo Tian and Chen Haofei rented two warhorses and left the Sun Chasing Holy Mansion together.

Along the way, the two rode side-by-side, talking and laughing.

Chen Haofei asked Luo Tian for advice on some issues with his Martial Skill cultivation, and Luo Tian answered everything he knew.

When he encountered a question he didn’t understand, Luo Tian could simply ask the Celestial Book. Questions at the Meridian Opening Realm level consumed very little energy, and answering them also helped him deepen his own understanding of Martial Arts.

After consuming the Jade Spirit Heart Blood, Chen Haofei’s innate constitution had improved significantly.

He had now cultivated to the Peak of the Sixth Layer, and his progress in Martial Skills and other areas far surpassed what it was before.

「Several days later.」

Luo Tian and Chen Haofei entered the territory of Lingyun County.

”Brother Chen, let’s part ways here. I’m going to make a trip to Qingchang City first,” Luo Tian said with a smile, brandishing his whip.

”Remember to come visit me in the County City!” Chen Haofei said enthusiastically.

”Alright! Once I’ve handled my business, I’ll attend your grandfather’s birthday banquet and present a humble gift,” Luo Tian replied readily.

HYAH! HYAH! HYAH!

The two spurred their horses and parted ways, one heading for the County City, the other for Qingchang City.

「Half a day later.」

Night had just begun to fall.

Luo Tian arrived at the edge of Qingchang City. Gazing at the familiar city before him, he felt a mix of complicated emotions.

This time, he wasn’t returning to reminisce; he was likely here to unleash a massacre.

SWISH!

Luo Tian transformed into a ghostly Black Shadow and approached Qingchang City.

A few breaths later.

CREAK! CREAK!

Luo Tian’s body suddenly shrank, his once-tall and straight figure becoming average.

This was the Bone Shrinking Skill he had obtained from the yellow-skinned assassin.

Immediately after, Luo Tian took out a human-skin mask and placed it on his face; this item had also come from the assassin.

In an instant, Luo Tian’s appearance transformed, and he became an ordinary-looking, yellow-skinned young man of average build.

He entered the city without a hitch.

Luo Tian swaggered straight toward the Du Family, one of the three great families.

”Who goes there!”

Two Guards stood before the Du Family’s mansion. The estate within was dotted with lanterns, presenting a scene of prosperity.

”Noisy!”

Luo Tian’s voice was hoarse as he waved a single palm through the air.

WHOOSH! SLAP! SLAP!

An invisible gale struck the two Guards, leaving their faces red and swollen as they collapsed, unconscious.

”How dare you! You dare to trespass in the Du Mansion!”

”Get him!”

Amid the shocked shouts of the Du Family guards, Luo Tian neither retreated nor yielded, heading straight for the residence of Patriarch Du Hong.

THUD! THUD!

All the guards who tried to get close were sent flying and spat blood, struck by palm winds from a distance.

”This is bad! He’s an expert at the Seventh Layer of Meridian Opening or higher!”

The expressions of the ordinary guards changed drastically; they couldn’t even get near him.

Just as Luo Tian was less than a hundred meters from Patriarch Du Hong’s residence, two powerful auras closed in on him.

”What an arrogant villain, daring to act so wantonly in the Du Mansion!”

SWISH! SWISH!

Two Martial Artists rushed over from the west. One was a scar-faced youth, the other a middle-aged man with a missing arm. Their cultivations were at the Seventh and Eighth Layers of Meridian Opening, respectively.

Both men were Honored Guests of the Du Family who occasionally stepped in to resolve troublesome matters.

”From now on, anyone who blocks my path will die.”

Luo Tian revealed a trace of impatience.

”Simply too arrogant!”

The scar-faced youth and the one-armed middle-aged man were both shocked and furious.

In all their years guarding the Du Family, the most they had ever seen were petty thieves. Encountering an assassin was already a major event.

They had never before seen someone like Luo Tian who would charge in head-on.

”You’re courting death!”

The scar-faced youth threw a whistling fist shadow through the air.

The one-armed middle-aged man attacked from the side, unleashing a reddish-green saber gleam over two meters long.

PFFT! PFFT! CHH!

The Fist Force and the saber gleam both struck Luo Tian, but it was like a stone sinking into the ocean.

A shimmering yellow film of Qi flashed over Luo Tian’s body and vanished.

”How is that possible!”

The scar-faced youth at the Seventh Layer of Meridian Opening was in disbelief.

”Just now, that seemed to be... Protective True Qi...”

The one-armed middle-aged man’s body trembled, and an expression of extreme terror suddenly appeared on his face.

Protective True Qi!

Only those at the Spirit Sea Realm could use it.

”Die!”

With a flick of his wrist, Luo Tian sent two dark, cold glints of light flying. They carved screeching arcs through the air and struck the two Martial Artists.

THWIP! THWIP!

The scar-faced youth and the one-armed middle-aged man shuddered, a dart embedded in each of their hearts.

That’s right, Darts!

Luo Tian had learned the yellow-skinned youth’s Bone Shrinking Skill, as well as another Spirit Level Hidden Weapon Martial Skill.

This time, he was charging into the Du Family openly, in the guise of an assassin.

He was giving them a taste of their own medicine.

”Ahh...”

After that, every Martial Artist who tried to stop Luo Tian was, without exception, killed by his Darts.

The power of Luo Tian’s Hidden Weapons, enhanced by his Guiyuan True Qi, was several times stronger than that of the yellow-skinned youth.

Even someone at the Ninth Layer of Meridian Opening would find it difficult to block them.

”I’m here.”

Luo Tian quickly closed in on Patriarch Du Hong’s room.

”Who is this scoundrel!”

A middle-aged man burst through the door, his body emanating the fluctuations of nine Qi Veins. His aura was tyrannical.

Judging by his appearance, he bore a slight resemblance to Du Yuncheng.

”Patriarch, be careful!”

The nearby Guards and Honored Guests all cried out in alarm.

Before this, Luo Tian’s Hidden Weapons had already killed four or five experts at the Seventh Layer of Meridian Opening or higher.

Du Hong’s gaze swept over the corpses behind the intruder, and his expression changed.

To kill so many skilled fighters in such a short time... this person’s strength was only above his, not below.

”Who are you? Who sent you?”

Du Hong’s gaze was chilling. He felt this yellow-skinned youth’s style was very much like that of a Black Market assassin.

”I... am an assassin hired by Luo Tian.”

The yellow-skinned youth gave a strange, playful smile.

Luo Tian?

Patriarch Du Hong’s expression faltered. He thought of that terrifying youth who had already made a name for himself on the Human List.

Back then, his Du Family had dispatched numerous people to hunt him down, even posting a bounty on the Black Market, but they had failed to kill the boy.

And now look.

Luo Tian had turned the tables and hired an assassin to deal with the Du Family.

It seemed only right and proper.

If the Du Family could hire assassins, why couldn’t Luo Tian?

”Kill him!”

Du Hong’s voice was Yin Cold as he activated his nine Qi Veins and struck out at Luo Tian with his palm.

At the same time.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! BOOM!

Two elderly men shot out from the left and right. Their Cultivation was at the Ninth Layer of Meridian Opening, with one even at the Peak of the Ninth Layer.

Three experts at the Ninth Layer of Meridian Opening attacked Luo Tian at once!