"What kind of treasure is this Yuanpin Pearl, anyway?!" Shen Zhui had only cultivated for a short while before he opened his eyes in astonishment.
He had broken through not long ago. In these past dozen days, he had long since passed the period of explosive growth. His cultivation afterward had been like water grinding stone, making progress difficult to detect.
Yet after merely circulating his energy once, he could clearly feel that the total amount of his vital energy had increased slightly, while also becoming purer.
"Truly worthy of being the supreme existence of an entire region. Profound beyond measure." Shen Zhui sighed with emotion.
When he had seen Wang Long earlier, he had only felt that Wang Long was countless times stronger than him.
But Wei Wenhe had given him the feeling of being no different from an ordinary person. He could not sense anything from him at all.
Clearly, the County Magistrate could not possibly be an ordinary person. That meant the other man's strength surpassed his by far, far too much.
During the remaining ten days, Shen Zhui devoted himself to cultivating the Bloodburn technique.
With the Yuanpin Pearl assisting him, his cultivation had advanced greatly. Sixteen strands of Essence of Vital Energy had already formed within his body. The Yuanpin Pearl even transmitted a wondrous power that constantly tempered and refined the Essence of Vital Energy inside him.
A Xiantian Being could live for two hundred years, whereas a Houtian Martial Artist could live no more than a hundred.
To break through to the Xiantian Realm, the vital energy within one's body had to undergo a fundamental transformation.
Ordinarily, only after reaching the Peak Houtian, when one's vital energy had nourished the body to its limit, could it slowly accumulate and condense until it ultimately underwent a qualitative change.
But the Yuanpin Pearl not only did not delay the nourishment of the body by vital energy; it also caused that vital energy to begin condensing right away. It was clearly far superior to the normal method of cultivating to the Peak Houtian.
It was equivalent to preparing for advancement to the Xiantian Realm one step ahead of time.
Another ten days passed. On the morning of the tenth day, Shen Zhui's detention period finally ended.
"Clank, clank~" The sound of the door's chains being unlocked rang out.
Scarface He Jiu and Zhao Hu walked in together. This time, Zhao Hu had been ordered to release Shen Zhui, and had also brought him a new set of clothing and equipment.
A Ninth-Rank Waist Token, Silver Scale Soft Armor, and a set of clean clothes. As for his original Iron Ruler, since Shen Zhui had broken through to the Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm, it needed to be reforged.
Shen Zhui did not stand on ceremony. He accepted the things and went to a dedicated washroom to clean himself up. In Scarface's words, it was to get rid of the bad luck.
"Brother Shen, it's time to go." He Jiu spoke respectfully. He had no choice but to be respectful. For the County Magistrate to personally issue a gag order clearly showed that Shen Zhui was no ordinary person in his eyes.
"Brother Scarface, I really am a little reluctant to leave this place of yours." Shen Zhui walked out looking radiant and teased him.
Over this month, he had broken through to the Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm, reached Unity of Heaven and Man in the Ruler Technique, and even received the County Magistrate's gift of the Yuanpin Pearl. It had truly brought him good fortune.
"Then why don't you sit a while longer?" He Jiu asked with complete seriousness.
"No, forget it." Shen Zhui waved his hand and walked out with a laugh.
"Haha." He Jiu and Zhao Hu both smiled.
After leaving the county office prison, Shen Zhui returned home.
His adoptive father Shen Shan's injuries had long since healed. Since Shen Zhui now only needed to await orders from the County Magistrate and Captain Wang, he was happy to enjoy some leisure whenever no orders came. He stayed home to keep his adoptive father company and practiced his techniques on the side, hoping to return to the Unity of Heaven and Man realm as soon as possible.
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed. The first snow of winter finally began falling over Heyuan County.
"Swish, swish, swish~" In the courtyard, Shen Zhui wore only a thin shirt. He held a Steel Battle Saber in his right hand and a round shield in his left, swinging them incessantly.
Saber light filled the courtyard, stirring up gusts of wind and snow. Shen Zhui's figure grew faster and faster, while the snowflakes flying chaotically in every direction gradually fell into order, circling around him.
"Huff~" Shen Zhui lowered his saber. Steam rose from his entire body as he looked at the surrounding snowflakes, a trace of a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.
"As expected, upon reaching the Unity of Heaven and Man realm, the path and techniques are completely different from those of my predecessors. Replacing the ruler with this steel saber and creating moves of my own suits the display of my strength even better."
Several days ago, Shen Zhui had decided to modify the techniques in the Nine Layers of Iron Ruler, making them more suited to him.
As for replacing the ruler with a saber, Shen Zhui had already had the thought while in prison.
During the process of pondering how to return to the Unity of Heaven and Man realm after the Awakening Time...
He had vaguely sensed that he would inevitably have to change his original techniques and create moves that belonged solely to him.
Using a saber was more suitable.
Removing the side branches on both sides of the Iron Ruler and replacing it with a simple steel saber not only better suited his fierce and forceful style, but also made it easier for him to sense that mysterious fluctuation while practicing.
At his level, there was originally little difference between using a saber and a ruler. A saber was simply more helpful for comprehending the Unity of Heaven and Man realm, and Shen Zhui was happy to follow what his heart told him.
Thus, while still in his cell, he had asked Zhao Hu to help replace his pair of Iron Rulers with a Steel Battle Saber and a round shield.
Now, he had finally returned to the Unity of Heaven and Man realm and created his own saber technique.
"Although using the pair of Iron Rulers earlier had considerable power and allowed me to attack and defend at once, I was ultimately splitting my attention between two things."
"Now, I only need to become slightly familiar with the shield to achieve the defensive effect I had before. I can completely devote more energy to the saber technique."
With the saber technique newly formed, Shen Zhui felt more and more that his decision had been correct.
In fact, he had sensed earlier that something was wrong. He simply had not fully grasped the Nine Layers of Iron Ruler, so naturally he had not discovered it.
Now, everything was completely different. His comprehension of techniques had already reached perfection. The experience of his predecessors could no longer improve him, so he naturally had to make improvements himself.
"Ten days in prison, followed by another half a month after getting out. My self-created saber technique has finally helped me return to the Unity of Heaven and Man realm. Since it was created during the first snow of winter, I'll name this technique the Falling Snow Saber Technique."
"And the first move of the Falling Snow Saber Technique..." Shen Zhui smiled.
"Slay Cang!"
Having treated Elder Cang as his imagined enemy for many days, Shen Zhui's newly created saber technique filled him with soaring heroism.
He wanted this saber strike of his to sever the head of that Xiantian Martial Artist Elder Cang!
Just as Shen Zhui was deep in thought, suddenly—
Buzz, buzz!
The silver waist token at Shen Zhui's waist suddenly began vibrating!
Several lines of writing appeared on the smooth, palm-sized waist token.
"The County Magistrate has issued an order. Come to the Martial Class Hall at once!"
"Hm?" After glancing at the Message Waist Token, Shen Zhui immediately understood that Class Master Wang Long was summoning him.
The Martial Arts Department's main hall at the county office.
When Shen Zhui arrived, more than a dozen Houtian Martial Artists were already waiting inside the hall.
"Brother Hu, what's going on?" Shen Zhui quietly asked Zhao Hu.
"I just arrived too. But with so many people here, there must be some major case!" Zhao Hu said solemnly.
"Let's go ask." Shen Zhui was also somewhat excited. The Martial Arts Department was the strongest military force under the County Magistrate, with only around a hundred Houtian Martial Artists in total.
There were only around thirty at the Eighth Stage of Acquired Realm or above, and only ten at the Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm, even counting Shen Zhui.
Yet most of them were here now!
"What happened? Does anyone know?" The moment the two entered the hall, they quickly sought people out for information.
"We just arrived too and don't know. It may simply be some major case."
"Right. It could be a case involving a Xiantian Martial Artist. Otherwise, there'd be no reason to mobilize so many people!"
Everyone speculated about the purpose of the summons.
"A Xiantian Martial Artist?" Shen Zhui's heart tightened. Although he had reached the Unity of Heaven and Man realm and created a saber technique with which he intended to slay a Xiantian Martial Artist...
He understood as well that unless the Xiantian Martial Artist stood there and let him hack away, killing a Xiantian Master who could briefly fly through the air would be exceedingly difficult!
Xiantian Martial Artists possessed formidable bodies, perfectly unified strength, protective Gang Qi, and the ability to fly through the air for brief periods...
Kill one? Difficult, difficult, difficult!
"The Class Master is here!"
"Quiet, he's here!"
Before long, Wang Long walked in.
Following beside him was a handsome, fair-skinned man in blue robes.
Once the two entered, the hall doors thundered shut.
"Brothers!" Class Master Wang Long stood on the high platform in the main hall and looked at the crowd below as he spoke in a deep voice:
"I summoned everyone here today to cooperate with the Wu'an Army in accomplishing a major undertaking."
The moment these words were spoken, the expressions of everyone below tightened.
"The Wu'an Army! People from the Wu'an Army actually came! Word is, the minimum requirement to enlist in the Wu'an Army is the Seventh Stage of Acquired Realm. Judging by the captain's courteous attitude, this person is at least a squad leader commanding a hundred men. Only a Xiantian Master can hold such a position!"
The Wu'an Army was reputed to have more than ten thousand Xiantian Martial Artists. It was an absolute behemoth!
"This must be a major case!" Shen Zhui's heart surged with excitement.
"Lord Lin, please!" Wang Long respectfully gestured with an outstretched hand.
"Sorry for the trouble, Captain Wang." The blue-robed man inclined his body slightly and spoke softly.
The moment Shen Zhui heard this man's voice, he frowned. His voice was feminine and carried a sense of ethereal clarity, utterly unlike that of a vigorous martial artist.
Could he be a Qi Cultivation True Person who cultivated the Dao?!
"Everyone, the criminal we are arresting this time is a Qi Cultivation True Person at the Xiantian Realm." The handsome young man surnamed Lin did not waste words and went straight to the point.
"As for this person's appearance..." The handsome young man surnamed Lin waved his hand. A Disc immediately appeared in his palm, and then—
Buzz!
A Water Curtain Mirror resembling a sheet of glass appeared out of thin air in midair.
The Water Curtain Mirror was incomparably stable and clear. On it appeared the image of a man with pointed ears and a hooked nose, whose overall appearance was sinister.
Daoist magic!
He truly was a Qi Cultivation True Person!
"This person is a traitor of the Wu'an Army! We have learned that he is hiding in a manor in the vicinity of Heyuan City."
"We will handle the capture and the battle ourselves. You only need to form groups of three to five, guard the various parts of the manor, and assist from the side. If you discover the criminal, hold him back for a moment and shout loudly."
"To prevent word from leaking out, I must trouble all of you to remain in this hall from now onward."
"Yes!"
At the Martial Class Hall, the Daoist surnamed Lin and Class Master Wang Long had already left.
Only fifteen Houtian Martial Artists remained in the hall, waiting for further orders.
"A Qi Cultivation True Person at the Xiantian Realm, and judging by this formation, his strength is probably greater than that of ordinary Xiantian Martial Artists." Shen Zhui sensed that the case was not simple.
Qi Cultivation True Persons were different from martial artists.
Martial artists were divided into the Houtian and Xiantian realms. The fundamental difference between them lay in the true essence within their bodies.
Houtian Martial Artists circulated vital energy within their bodies, while Xiantian Martial Artists circulated Xiantian Spiritual Energy of a higher quality.
But Qi Cultivation True Persons possessed Xiantian Spiritual Energy within their bodies from the very beginning!
Qi Cultivation True Persons were stronger than martial artists and far rarer.
Because the threshold was higher!
First, they needed outstanding aptitude and an excellent Root Bone.
Second, they needed someone to guide them from a very young age and preserve that sliver of Xiantian True Qi remaining from birth. If it was discovered too late, the Xiantian True Qi would gradually dissipate as they aged and their bodies became polluted by the mortal world.
Through bitter cultivation, anyone could become a Houtian Martial Artist.
But not everyone could become a Qi Cultivation True Person.
Yet once they embarked upon the Qi Refining Path, they could preserve that sliver of Xiantian True Qi within their bodies with proper guidance. They could also sense and control the Xiantian True Qi inside them, causing it to continuously gestate and grow stronger.
They began cultivating at the Xiantian Realm from the very start!
"At least Mid-stage Xiantian, and perhaps even High-stage Xiantian. If he is High-stage Xiantian, this will be a major problem. If the captain and the Wu'an Army fail to restrain him, we probably won't be able to withstand him..."
Shen Zhui had never hoped that the criminal's strength would be Early-stage Xiantian. If he were only at the initial stage, the true qi within his body would still be weak. Casting one or two minor spells would probably exhaust all the true qi in his body.
Clearly, there would be no need to mobilize so many people for that.
He had to be Mid-stage Xiantian, or even High-stage Xiantian!
After a while, Wang Long returned, but his expression was somewhat ugly.
He announced some news, and the people present immediately began clamoring. Shen Zhui's heart, meanwhile, gave a heavy thump.
"The criminal's strength cannot be underestimated. In addition to our county office sending people to assist with the encirclement and suppression, the Wu'an Army will also invite the powerful clans of the city to participate. Each clan will send a Xiantian Master into battle."
New book seeking recommendations and collections!