Task Complete

Shen Che walked slowly to Lei Lie's corpse and bent down to pull out the Meteor Thunder Blade.

The blade was a deep, dark violet, forged from some unknown material. It felt heavy in his hand.

He flicked it with a finger, and the blade let out a clear, ringing hum.

A fine blade.

He casually tucked the Meteor Thunder Blade behind his waist.

The ordinary iron weapons he had used before could no longer keep up with his strength.

This blade had come at exactly the right time.

Only after finishing all this did he turn and walk toward Elder Bai and Bai Fengling, who were still standing there in a daze.

"This is no place to linger."

"Bai Huaying's backup may not be limited to this one group."

"We'll travel through the night and try to reach Dolin County by dawn tomorrow."

Elder Bai jolted and finally came back to his senses.

He nodded repeatedly, his voice even trembling slightly.

"Right, right! Young Master Shen is correct!"

If he encountered another spectacle like this, these old bones of his would truly fall apart.

The three of them wasted no more time. They led over their horses and swiftly departed from the inn, now reduced to ruins, beneath the cover of night.

They rode in silence, urging their horses onward at full speed.

When the next morning's dawn pierced the darkness and illuminated the earth, the outline of a majestic county city appeared at the end of the horizon.

Elder Bai pointed at the enormous city ahead, unable to conceal the excitement and relief in his voice.

"Young Master Shen, Dolin County is ahead."

"The mansion is in the city. We're safe now."

The White King's Mansion was one of the Great Sun Kingdom's foremost powers, and Prince Bai was a Heavenly Ranking expert renowned throughout the land.

On this patch of land known as Dolin County, no one dared refuse the White King's Mansion its due respect.

The three rode into the city and headed straight for the grandest cluster of residences at its center.

At the entrance to the estate, guards clad in heavy armor stood ramrod straight.

When they saw Elder Bai and Bai Fengling, surprise appeared on their faces.

The captain of the guards quickly stepped forward to greet them.

"Elder Bai, Young Master? You've finally returned!"

"The Prince gave orders for us to wait here. Young Master, the Prince wishes to see you immediately!"

Elder Bai cupped his hands toward Shen Che apologetically.

"Young Master Shen, I'll take Fengling to see the Prince first."

He turned and instructed the guard captain, "This is Young Master Shen, an honored guest of the mansion. Arrange the finest guest room for him at once so he may rest. There must be no mistake."

"Yes!"

The guard captain answered respectfully.

Shen Che followed a guard through pavilions and towers until he reached a quiet, elegant guest courtyard.

After closing the door, he let out a long breath.

This month-long escort mission was finally about to come to an end.

Near noon.

There came a light knock on the door.

Elder Bai and Bai Fengling entered.

Bai Fengling had changed his clothes and tidied himself up, looking clean and sharp, though a trace of complicated emotion still lingered between his brows.

He walked before Shen Che without speaking, then solemnly bent at the waist and gave him a deep bow.

"Young Master Shen, great kindness needs no words of thanks."

"If not for you, my bones, Bai Fengling's bones, would have long been buried beneath the yellow sands."

Shen Che accepted the bow calmly.

Bai Fengling straightened up and took a small, lustrous white jade bottle from his robes, offering it over with both hands.

"This is the Marrow Cleansing Pill my father sought for me. It is also the payment I promised you, Young Master."

Shen Che reached out and accepted the jade bottle.

It felt faintly cool to the touch, with an excellent texture.

He removed the stopper, and a strange fragrance rushed into his nose.

It was done.

The hardship of this journey had not been in vain after all.

Elder Bai's face was creased with smiles as he cupped his hands toward Shen Che.

"Young Master Shen, the Bai family will never forget this great favor."

"Please remain at the mansion for a few more days, so that we may properly fulfill our duties as hosts."

Shen Che nodded.

He happened to need an absolutely safe place to refine the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Elder Bai and Bai Fengling took their leave.

Bai Fengling had only just returned to the mansion, and there were far too many matters he needed to report to his father, Prince Bai.

Before long, Shen Che was the only one left in the vast guest courtyard.

He shut the door securely and slid the bolt into place.

He took the small white jade bottle from his robes, his emotions stirring.

He pulled out the stopper.

An indescribably fresh fragrance instantly filled the entire room.

He poured the pill into his palm.

It was a pill the size of a longan, crystal-clear throughout, with what seemed to be flowing light revolving within it. It looked less like a medicinal pill and more like a flawless work of art.

The Marrow Cleansing Pill of Heavenly Dragon Temple truly lived up to its reputation.

Shen Che recalled the martial path he had traveled thus far.

Whether it was the Vajra Zen Fist or the Black Tiger Saber Technique, both remained at the fledgling stage of artistic conception, unable to break through no matter how long he tried.

He knew that it was not because he had failed to work hard enough, but because the limits of his aptitude stood right there.

He was merely an ordinary person with a little talent, nowhere near a martial arts prodigy.

And the pill before him was his only chance to shatter that ceiling.

Without further thought, Shen Che sat down cross-legged and tossed the Marrow Cleansing Pill into his mouth.

The pill dissolved as soon as it entered his mouth, turning into a cool, warm current that slid down his throat and into his abdomen.

The next moment.

An indescribable scorching sensation suddenly erupted from his dantian.

The heat was like red-hot molten iron, instantly flooding through his limbs and bones, madly searing every inch of flesh and every bone in his body.

Intense agony swept over him, as though his entire body had been thrown into a pill furnace and hammered over and over again.

Shen Che clenched his teeth and did not make a sound.

He could feel certain impurities deep within his body being forcibly driven out by that tyrannical power.

Black, viscous fluid carrying a foul stench continuously seeped from his pores.

Just as the scorching sensation reached its peak, an entirely opposite feeling of ethereal clarity arose from the depths of his mind.

His body was suffering, yet his spirit had never felt so clear and comfortable.

It was like drinking a ladle of ice-cold spring water after sweating profusely beneath the blazing sun.

The two extreme sensations intertwined, forming a marvelous balance.

Time trickled by, drop by drop.

Only after more than two hours did that burning sensation slowly recede.

Shen Che opened his eyes.

He lowered his head and looked at his body. A thick layer of black, greasy grime coated his skin, giving off an unpleasant odor.

He rose to his feet, feeling sticky all over and thoroughly uncomfortable.

He pushed open the side room's door. A huge wooden tub had already been prepared there, filled with hot water.

Submerging his entire body in the warm water, Shen Che let out a long breath.

A feeling of shedding his mortal body and exchanging his bones arose within him.

He carefully sensed the changes in his body.

His strength did not seem to have increased.

Nor had his speed become any faster.

But he could clearly feel that his body had become lighter, and his thoughts sharper than ever before.

Some of the obscure and difficult barriers he had encountered while cultivating Dragon's Roar Iron Shirt now became as clear as patterns in the palm of his hand.

When one method opened the way, ten thousand methods followed.

If you enjoy this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you do not lose it next time.