Xia Wanjin's Speculation: Just How Strong Was Liu Yuan?

Inside the room, Liu Yuan sat cross-legged on the bed, sensing the surging Origin Power within him like a rushing river. The corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably.

"The 50th Meridian really was the key!"

His eyes half-closed, he sank his awareness into his body and carefully sensed the flow of every thread of Origin Power.

If the previous forty-nine meridians had been like forty-nine tributaries—broad, yet ultimately separate from one another—

Then now, with the final hidden meridian opened, all fifty meridians had completely formed a flawless closed loop!

The resistance to Origin Power circulating through his body had greatly decreased, and its speed had increased by a full thirty percent!

This was not merely an increase in speed, but a qualitative transformation in both explosive power and endurance.

It was like the same amount of water once flowing through a muddy riverbed, but now surging through smooth jade channels. The power the two could unleash was worlds apart.

"Now, if I went all out, my Origin Power reserves alone would be enough to crush the me from a month ago."

Liu Yuan clenched his fist, feeling the abundant power within him nearly overflow. He was deeply satisfied.

"However..."

After the excitement faded, Liu Yuan quickly calmed down, and the subsequent cultivation method for the Demonic Body surfaced in his mind.

"To truly cultivate the Demonic Body, with its terrifying Self-Healing Ability and mental interference effects, opening the meridians alone is not enough. I need Fiend Ghost Yin Soul Grass as a catalyst to completely fuse that special Fiend Qi into my flesh, blood, and bones."

"Besides the main ingredient, the Extreme Cold Ice Spirit Fruit, I still haven't found the remaining medicinal ingredients needed to refine the Ice Cold Fiend Control Pill for Qing Tan."

Liu Yuan leaped off the bed, lightly stretching his somewhat stiff limbs. A trace of resolve flashed through his eyes.

"Looks like I'll have to make another trip to the Myriad Gold Merchant Association."

As the largest merchant association in Flame City, it was undoubtedly the best place to gather rare treasures.

Having made up his mind, Liu Yuan tidied up briefly, then pushed open the door and left the inn where he had been cultivating in seclusion for a month.

Flame City's streets remained bustling and prosperous, with hawkers' cries rising and falling without end.

After asking around a little, Liu Yuan learned some good news—today happened to be the day the Myriad Gold Merchant Association was holding another grand auction.

"Not bad luck."

Liu Yuan smiled faintly and unconsciously quickened his pace, heading directly toward the magnificent building at the city's center.

Myriad Gold Merchant Association.

As Flame City's most prestigious establishment, the entrance to the merchant association was packed with carriages and people today, exceptionally lively.

Countless Martial Artists dressed in all manner of clothing streamed in from every direction. Some gathered in groups of three or five, chatting loudly, while others hurried along alone like lone wanderers.

The air was filled with a feverish atmosphere called "desire" and "wealth," while the clamor merged into a massive tide of sound that surged toward the heavens.

On the second floor, inside a luxurious private room with an excellent view.

Xia Wanjin, dressed in embroidered finery, stood with his hands behind his back before the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the ant-like crowds below.

At his side, Xuan Su, dressed in red and possessing a graceful figure, elegantly held a teacup. Though her beautiful eyes appeared to be fixed on the tea in her hands, the corner of her gaze remained attentive to Xia Wanjin's expression.

"Sigh..."

Xia Wanjin suddenly let out a soft sigh, his tone carrying an indescribable sense of reflection.

"Xuan Su, it truly makes one sigh when one thinks of it. Last month, at this very time, on a day just as lively as this..."

He paused as the image of a sinister, gaunt old face surfaced in his mind.

"That Ice Old Ghost was still throwing his weight around at the entrance of our Wanjin Auction."

"But who could have expected that old fellow, who had run rampant through Flame City for so many years, would die so inexplicably in the streets, without even leaving behind an intact corpse?"

At those words, Xuan Su's hand holding the teacup paused slightly. She then gently set it down, and a trace of solemnity appeared on her charming face.

"President, the city has been abuzz over Ice Old Ghost's cause of death this past month. You... still suspect it was that young man who bought the Extreme Cold Ice Spirit Fruit at the last auction?"

"Who else could it have been?"

Xia Wanjin turned around, his gaze profound.

"You know Ice Old Ghost's temperament. He was arrogant, but he was no fool. He did not dare provoke any of Flame City's three major powers, so it could not have been one of them."

"And that day, his only prey was that young man."

"In the end, the hunter died, while the prey vanished without a trace."

"The connection between the two is simply too obvious."

At this point, Xia Wanjin lowered his voice, and an almost imperceptible apprehension entered his tone.

"Ice Old Ghost was an Origin Core Realm Minor Perfection expert, and his methods were vicious. To kill him within Flame City without anyone noticing... even if the person who acted had not reached Origin Core Realm Great Perfection, he must have been close."

"So there are only two possibilities."

Xia Wanjin raised two fingers.

"First, that young man had an extremely terrifying major power behind him, and when Ice Old Ghost attacked him, they stepped in and erased Ice Old Ghost."

"Second..."

Xia Wanjin took a deep breath, his expression becoming more serious than ever.

"That young man himself possessed terrifying strength sufficient to crush Ice Old Ghost!"

"If it was the former, that would be manageable. But if it was the latter..."

Xia Wanjin shook his head and did not continue, but the shock in his eyes was already impossible to conceal.

A young man who appeared to be no more than seventeen or eighteen, yet possessed the strength to kill an Origin Core Realm Minor Perfection expert—such talent was a Monster among Monsters!

Hearing this, Xuan Su could not help nodding, a ripple stirring within her heart.

No matter which possibility was true, that young man whom they had once believed to be doomed was clearly not the helpless lamb awaiting slaughter they had imagined.

"Looks like we misjudged him..."

Xuan Su sighed softly, then casually cast her gaze toward the bustling crowd below.

It had originally been nothing more than a careless glance.

But in the next instant, her delicate body gave a Sudden Tremor. Her beautiful eyes widened at once, as though she had seen something unbelievable.

Amid the crowded flow of people, a figure in a blue robe with a calm demeanor was unhurriedly walking toward the auction house entrance.

That exceptionally handsome face, that composed and unruffled bearing...

Even after a month, even though he had changed into new clothes, Xuan Su recognized him at a glance!

It was the very young man they had believed would certainly die a month ago!

"President, look!"

Xuan Su abruptly extended her jade-like hand and pointed at the blue figure below, her voice carrying undisguised excitement and astonishment.

"It's him! That young man... he's back!"