Strengths Soar

"Who on earth sent a Foundation Establishment assassin?" Chen Zhengqing said furiously.

"Godfather, I think the Tang Family is the most suspicious, but I don't have any evidence either," Yang Lingtian guessed.

"Hmph, the Tang Family is going too far. One of our First-Rank Artifact Refiners was assassinated back then, and I suspected the Tang Family was behind it." Chen Zhengqing's eyes flashed with killing intent.

The Chen Family and the Tang Family had been locked in covert friction for many years, but neither side had ever made things explicit.

Now, their friction had grown increasingly intense. They had even resorted to assassination.

But without evidence, the Chen Family could not seek justice from them.

All they could do was continue investigating in secret.

After discussing the assassination, Yang Lingtian also returned to request relief from the burden of serving as Chief Artifact Refiner.

"Godfather, I won't be going to the Weapon Workshop anymore. I've already chosen someone to replace me."

"Oh? You're recommending that fellow called Wang Tiechui, right? I heard you've been grooming him all along. But he still can't handle this job yet, can he?" Chen Zhengqing asked doubtfully.

"Don't worry, Godfather. Wang Tiechui is already at the level of a top-grade apprentice. He can handle it completely."

"What? In less than a month, his forging skills have reached the level of a top-grade apprentice?"

"He advanced that quickly? Back in my day, it took me several years to become a top-grade apprentice." Chen Zhengqing was astonished.

"I guided him day and night. Besides, he truly has extraordinary talent in artifact refinement. It's perfectly normal for him to become a top-grade apprentice in less than a month."

"Perhaps he'll become a First-Rank Artifact Refiner before long," Yang Lingtian said lightly.

Chen Zhengqing's face lit up with delight. "Good! In that case, I won't need to recruit another First-Rank Artifact Refiner."

"Then tomorrow, I'll appoint him as the new Chief Artifact Refiner. Our Weapon Workshop will be able to keep operating for a long time."

[Congratulations, Host, on solving a crisis for the Chen Family. As a special reward, you have received one drop of Divine Ape Bloodline.]

[Refining the Divine Ape Bloodline can alter your physique and increase your physical strength.]

"This feels amazing. I finally got another system reward."

"And it even rewarded me with a treasure that can improve this useless body's physique. Divine Ape Bloodline... it sounds extraordinary just from the name."

Yang Lingtian was inwardly delighted. To become a powerhouse, a powerful physique was also extremely important.

His predecessor's body had possessed an utterly ordinary physique.

The Divine Ape Bloodline could alter his physique and increase his physical strength. It was exactly what Yang Lingtian needed.

This would let him take another step forward on the road to becoming a powerhouse.

After returning to his room, Yang Lingtian immediately took out the Divine Ape Bloodline and began refining it.

The Divine Ape Bloodline contained an extremely powerful vitality. He felt himself surrounded by that immense energy.

It was as if a powerful force were gradually seeping into his body, connecting with his bloodline and dancing together with his soul.

This force was powerful and wild, constantly battering his body.

Under Yang Lingtian's ceaseless refinement, the power of the Divine Ape Bloodline gradually merged into his body.

He felt as though his body were undergoing a complete transformation. His physique was continuously growing stronger, and his physical strength was constantly increasing.

It took him a full three days to completely refine the entire drop of Divine Ape Bloodline.

Yang Lingtian's body now possessed a trace of the characteristics of the Divine Ape Physique.

Although he was still at Qi Refining Level 7, his physical strength had already reached Qi Refining Level 9.

This was the might of the Divine Ape Physique. As his cultivation rose, his physical strength would continue to grow stronger as well.

Now, even without activating his Spiritual Power, the strength he could unleash could reach Qi Refining Level 9.

If he activated the Spiritual Power within his body, his strength would stack on top of that, and his might would soar.

Yang Lingtian was confident that if he encountered that assassin from several days ago again, he would not have to flee in such a sorry state.

But he felt that it still wasn't enough. His cultivation had to continue improving.

Thus, he took out the Alchemy Furnace, intending to refine a large quantity of pills to raise his cultivation.

After all, relying solely on absorbing the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth was far too slow.

Fortunately, he had obtained a large amount of spirit herbs in the Monster Beast Mountain Range earlier, enough to refine a great many pills for himself.

After five days and five nights of refinement, Yang Lingtian produced over a hundred Spirit Elixirs.

These pills all contained tremendous energy. Once refined, they could raise one's cultivation.

For an ordinary Qi Refining Stage cultivator, refining all these hundred-plus cultivation-boosting Spirit Elixirs would take a year or two.

But Yang Lingtian knew that the Chaos Bead within his body could help him refine them rapidly.

Unfortunately, most of the energy would be absorbed by the Chaos Bead after refinement.

There was nothing he could do about it, so Yang Lingtian began refining the Spirit Elixirs he had just made.

Sure enough, the pills quickly transformed into streams of energy that surged into the Chaos Bead in his dantian.

Only wisps of pure energy were left behind for his dantian to absorb.

He had refined over a hundred Spirit Elixirs all at once!

None of the other three great lineages could be so extravagantly wasteful as to use up over a hundred Spirit Elixirs in one go.

Soon, Yang Lingtian's aura involuntarily spread outward.

He broke through to Qi Refining Level 8. He was now only one step away from Qi Refining Level 9.

Unfortunately, he had no spirit herbs left to refine into Spirit Elixirs. He could only improve his strength through other means for now.

His Hundred Shadow Cold Sword had only reached the Greater Mastery stage, while his Movement Technique, Flowing Cloud Wind Movement, had only entered the Initiate stage.

If he cultivated these two martial techniques to perfection, his strength would soar again.

Especially Flowing Cloud Wind Movement. If he cultivated it to perfection, then even when facing someone with a higher cultivation than his—

as long as the opponent did not possess a comparable Movement Technique and the gap was not enormous, the opponent would be unable to catch him if he fled.

However, these two martial techniques were difficult to cultivate. With his current comprehension—

it would probably take several years.

Fortunately, he still had one hundred Enlightenment Pills. These Enlightenment Pills were fourth-tier Spirit Elixirs, priceless treasures.

Every Enlightenment Pill placed in Tianchen City would trigger a mad scramble.

They generally appeared only at auctions.

Yang Lingtian directly swallowed an Enlightenment Pill, then began cultivating the two martial techniques.

For an entire month, Yang Lingtian did not leave his room, immersing himself in cultivation. In the end, he cultivated both martial techniques to the Perfection stage.

[Congratulations, Host. The first stage of Hundred Shadow Cold Sword and the first stage of Flowing Cloud Wind Movement have been cultivated to the Perfection stage.]

The system's congratulatory announcement rang out.

His strength had soared! This system truly was the Strongman Assistance System.

Without the Enlightenment Pills provided by the system, even if he secluded himself to cultivate for several years, he might not have been able to cultivate both martial techniques to perfection.

Yang Lingtian was in an excellent mood. Since he had already cultivated them to perfection, it was time to leave seclusion.

At this moment, the entire Chen Manor had already become bustling with activity.

For more than a month, he had kept both ears shut to the outside world, and even had people deliver his meals at fixed times.

He had no idea what had happened outside.

During that time, when Chen Zhengqing saw Yang Lingtian cultivating in seclusion, he had not disturbed him either.

Having decided to end his seclusion, Yang Lingtian straightened his clothes and walked out of his courtyard.

When he saw the scene outside, he froze.

The entire Chen Manor was decorated with lanterns and colored banners, brimming with a festive atmosphere.

"What's the occasion? Is there a festival?" Yang Lingtian asked, his face filled with confusion.

Only after asking around did he learn that Chen Yiyue's eighteenth birthday was in a few days—and it would also be the day she and Yang Lingtian got married.

Everyone in the Chen Manor knew about it. Yang Lingtian alone was the last to find out.

He really had not been taking it seriously enough.

Chen Yiyue, however, was still somewhat resistant to the wedding.

At that moment, Chen Zhengqing was in Chen Yiyue's boudoir, earnestly trying to persuade her.

"Yiyue, your wedding with Ling Tian is in two days. Don't keep wearing such a long face. You need to cheer up."

"Ling Tian isn't the spendthrift he used to be anymore. He's become a completely different person. Look at him—he's even been cultivating like mad lately."

Chen Yiyue said impatiently, "All right, Father, I know. Stop talking about it. I never said I wouldn't marry him."

"Very well. From childhood until now, you and Ling Tian have never really gotten along. I hope that after the wedding, you'll be able to understand each other and deepen your feelings."

After Chen Zhengqing finished speaking and left, Yang Lingtian arrived at Chen Yiyue's courtyard.

When she saw Yang Lingtian, Chen Yiyue still wore an icy expression.

Facing Chen Yiyue's cold, frost-like demeanor, Yang Lingtian began thinking of a countermeasure.

"Yiyue looks like the sort of person who's extremely aloof. Her heart will be very difficult to warm!"

"This mission from the system is a little troublesome. How am I supposed to win her heart?"

"Every woman yearns to admire a strong man. If I defeat her, perhaps she'll think more highly of me and be won over by my strength."

Having made up his mind, he spoke. "Yiyue, long time no see."

"I've been cultivating for the past month and have made some progress. I thought I'd come spar with you."

Chen Yiyue was somewhat surprised. "What? You came to me just to spar?"

"You'd better think it through. Although I'm still at Qi Refining Level 9, I'm only one opportunity away from breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm."

Yang Lingtian smiled faintly. "It's fine. Use your full strength. I'll go easy on you."

"Hmph, all talk!" Chen Yiyue looked at Yang Lingtian with disdain.

Yang Lingtian took out an ordinary longsword and charged forward without another word, attacking Chen Yiyue.

Chen Yiyue remained calm and also drew a longsword.

As Chen Yiyue and Yang Lingtian's sword moves collided, a powerful aura instantly spread outward. The surrounding air seemed to tremble.

Yang Lingtian's swordsmanship was sharp and swift, like a violent storm that left no time to react.

His sword moves looked casual, but the power contained within them could not be underestimated.

Every slash he made carried the sound of something tearing through the air, the noise reverberating around them.

Chen Yiyue's swordsmanship, by contrast, was completely different. Her sword moves flowed like drifting clouds and running water. They appeared gentle, yet were filled with ingenious force.

Her sword path was graceful—at times delicate as a startled dragon, at times resolute and decisive.

The two swords clashed in midair, producing a series of crisp metallic rings as their figures continuously crossed and interwove.

Both used the simplest moves without employing any martial techniques, and they appeared evenly matched.

Chen Yiyue was somewhat astonished inwardly. She could sense that the force behind Yang Lingtian's attacks was no weaker than hers.

She had been tempered at Qi Refining Level 9 for a long time, and the purity of the Spiritual Power in her body was already close to that of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

By rights, her strength should have been greater than Yang Lingtian's, since he was only at Qi Refining Level 8.

"Yiyue, be careful. I'm going to use a martial technique," Yang Lingtian warned her.