Treasures

"Begin!"

Gu Han dared not delay upon seeing this. He quickly sat cross-legged, continuously controlling the medicinal force to drive his blood and qi to scour his body.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Sounds like muffled thunderclaps rang out from within Gu Han's body. As the Great Return Pill took effect, the surging blood and qi inside him began to churn like great rivers, ceaselessly scouring his flesh, his five viscera and six bowels, strengthening his body, and pushing him toward Minor Accomplishment of Blood Tempering and Minor Accomplishment of Organ Refining.

If, before Gu Han swallowed the Great Return Pill, his cultivation speed was one, then at this moment, it had become ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand!

This speed was almost incomparable to before. Such was the terror of the Treasure Pearl Temple's Great Return Pill—even its mere side effects were enough to astonish the world.

One incense stick's time!

Two incense sticks' time!

Three incense sticks' time!

Four incense sticks' time!

As time passed, after about two quarters of an hour, a sound like "pop!" rang out from within Gu Han's body, as if a bottleneck had been shattered. Gu Han's body trembled, and a powerful aura rose from him.

Minor Accomplishment of Blood Tempering, Minor Accomplishment of Organ Refining—breakthrough!

Feeling the terrifying power within his body, nearly twice as formidable as before, a flicker of joy passed through Gu Han's eyes. He lightly clenched his fist, feeling as if even the air itself had been crushed in his grip, brimming with explosive force.

One Great Return Pill had not only allowed Gu Han to simultaneously break through to Minor Accomplishment in Blood Tempering and Organ Refining, but had also let him cover a considerable distance within both realms.

As he was now, his strength might still fall somewhat short of the Treasure Pearl Temple's historical patriarchs Jue Ming and Liao Kong, or the current supreme powerhouse, the Barbarian King A Yanda, but the gap was not large. At the very least, he could trade three hundred rounds with them, exchanging over a thousand moves without issue.

As for A Yanda wanting to kill him—that was even more impossible.

Gu Han thought to himself, then took a few light breaths. The rapidly swelling aura around him quickly calmed, returning to normal.

Having reached his level of physical cultivation, while he had not fully fathomed every secret of the body or achieved perfect micro-control, he would never lose command over his own surging power.

Whether his physical strength had doubled or increased tenfold, it made no difference to him.

"Jingyuan, wait for me. Your senior brother is coming to avenge you now."

Gu Han put his bamboo hat back on, murmured softly to himself, then walked out of the inn, donned his straw rain cape, and stepped into the heavy rain.

"Drip, drop!"

Above, the rain poured down as if it would never cease. Occasionally, a few thunderclaps exploded, startling the stray cats and dogs sheltering under the eaves into bristling their fur.

On the main street, usually bustling with people and lively, it was now utterly silent. Only a few scattered figures hurriedly ran, seeking shelter from the rain.

In all of Xiongyuan City of Fangnan Prefecture, only the magnificent mansion at the city's center, surrounded by hundreds of barbarian soldiers, overflowed with laughter and merriment.

"Haha! The King is truly a god descended to earth! The Treasure Pearl Temple, established for a thousand years, is the most powerful martial sect in the Great Yan Kingdom, even earning the saying 'All martial arts under heaven come from Treasure Pearl.' Its strength is immense.

Over this millennium, from the former dynasty's all-powerful Chancellor Zhang Xibai over six hundred years ago, to King Tang Li Hanhai, who ruled the four prefectures of Jiangnan with hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers just over a decade ago—more than a dozen men have harbored the ambition to destroy the Treasure Pearl Temple and swallow its centuries-accumulated wealth. Yet all were thwarted by various reasons.

Now, who would have thought that the King, with a single strike, would take the Treasure Pearl Temple in one day? Truly remarkable! Your Majesty, your subordinate Wang Zhongyi toasts to you."

In the banquet hall of the mansion, amidst a scene of song and dance, Wang Zhongyi, seated below the many barbarian chieftains, suddenly rose. While flattering A Yanda on the main seat above, he picked up a cup of fine wine beside him, drained it in one gulp, and then laughed heartily.

"Haha! Wang Zhongyi, you old fox sure know how to flatter. But this time, you're exaggerating a bit. Though I have attained martial divinity and am unmatched under heaven, the Treasure Pearl Temple's strength is indeed not to be underestimated. If I had come alone, destroying it would have been beyond my power.

That this succeeded is thanks to the help of our barbarian warriors and chieftains—especially Salachi, who, with only Minor Accomplishment of Internal Qi, managed to slay two old monks also at Minor Accomplishment of Internal Qi. Truly remarkable! For this, I toast to you all!"

A Yanda first laughed and scolded Wang Zhongyi, then quickly rose, lifted his cup, and smiled at the assembled barbarian chieftains.

Such tactics of winning hearts were something A Yanda would never have used or deigned to use a decade or two ago.

Because among the great barbarian tribes, might made right. If a barbarian was weak, no amount of talk would help; if he was strong, even without words, he could easily subdue others.

But that was the past. Now that they had defeated Zhu Hong and were about to march north to conquer the Central Plains, ruling the people there with the old barbaric ways would naturally not work.

Moreover, after over a decade of studying the cultural heritage of the Central Plains, A Yanda had come to appreciate its immense charm and the profound wisdom of its ancient sages.

Compared to them, the barbarian tribe he hailed from was indeed somewhat backward in various cultural traditions.

"Haha! The King flatters us. This time, we relied entirely on your help. Without you, we could never have dealt with those two old monks, Yuanyin and Ben Zhen of the Treasure Pearl Temple.

Who would have thought that two mere Great Accomplishment of Internal Qi martial artists—one of them even an old man with one foot in the grave—could be so powerful? The two of them together could even trade nearly a thousand moves with the King, holding you off for several quarters of an hour. Truly unbelievable!"

Hearing A Yanda's praise, the barbarians beamed with smiles but spoke with some humility and flattery. When they mentioned Yuanyin and Ben Zhen, they still shuddered with lingering fear.

The reason was simple: those two were far too strong. For a martial artist at A Yanda's level, ordinary Great Accomplishment of Internal Qi experts could not withstand three moves or two kicks. Even if several such experts joined forces, they would last no more than a hundred moves.

Yet now, just two Great Accomplishment of Internal Qi martial artists from the Treasure Pearl Temple, Ben Zhen and Yuanyin, had accomplished what ten such experts could not. How could this not shock them?

"Report!"

"Reporting! Someone outside requests an audience, claiming to have a treasure to present to the King!"

Just as the barbarians in the hall were discussing Ben Zhen and Yuanyin, a barbarian soldier suddenly ran in swiftly, knelt on one knee respectfully before the Barbarian King A Yanda on the main seat, and announced.

"Oh? A treasure? What treasure?"

Hearing the soldier's words, A Yanda's face showed a hint of curiosity as he asked in confusion.

"Your Majesty, the man did not say. He only said the treasure was too precious, and he could only produce it in your presence."

Seeing A Yanda's inquiry, the soldier dared not delay and quickly replied.

"Very well, then let him in."

A Yanda nodded and spoke.