Chu Jiang, Great Jin, Hengyun

When I was in the Great Jin's mountain stronghold.

Time was tight, and Wu Yuan was busy cleaning up the battlefield and rescuing people, so he didn't have time to examine the two treasures he had found.

Now that he was calm and safe in the Martial Arts Academy, he naturally had to ponder them carefully.

The more he observed, the more Wu Yuan felt that this token was unusual.

"It's truly sturdy," Wu Yuan said, sitting cross-legged on the ground with a token in each palm.

He tried again and again.

At first, afraid of crushing it, Wu Yuan only used a few hundred jin of strength to grip one side, then gradually increased the force to several thousand jin, and finally unleashed the full power of both hands to pry it apart!

But he couldn't leave even a trace of a mark on the token.

"Could it be the material of a Divine Weapon?" Wu Yuan frowned slightly.

One should know that even a Fourth-Rank Sharp Weapon is difficult for him to damage directly, but with tens of thousands of jin of force applied, he should theoretically be able to feel the internal stress of the weapon.

However, with this golden token, no matter how much force Wu Yuan applied, it was like a mud ox entering the sea, making it impossible to sense the slightest internal change.

Clearly, tens of thousands of jin of force were far from reaching its load-bearing limit.

It was definitely not an ordinary object.

The only thing Wu Yuan could think of was the Divine Weapons he had seen in the Martial Arts Academy's archives and many biographical novels.

Those that could be called Divine Weapons were made of extraordinary materials.

For example, Fifth-Rank Sharp Weapons, excluding commonly used ones like Flying Daggers which used very little material, typically cost between several hundred to over a thousand taels for common weapons like sabers, axes, spears, and swords.

And Fourth-Rank Sharp Weapons? For example, Yang Long's mountain-splitting saber, which Wu Yuan estimated to be top-tier among Sharp Weapons, should be worth around ten thousand taels of silver.

As for Divine Weapons...

They had special materials, were indestructible, and could easily withstand even a hundred thousand jin of force.

The most ordinary Third-Rank Divine Weapon, even a Flying Dagger with the least amount of material, would generally cost over ten thousand taels of silver!

And normal Third-Rank Divine Weapons usually cost upwards of a hundred thousand taels of silver, and were difficult to obtain.

What about Second-Rank Divine Weapons? First-Rank Divine Weapons?

In the Central Land World, these were already legendary weapons, whose value could not be measured by ordinary means like gold and silver.

Every Second-Rank and First-Rank Divine Weapon had an extraordinary origin.

"If it's truly the material of a Divine Weapon, then the thirty thousand taels of silver notes I received might not even be worth as much as the material of this token," Wu Yuan shook his head slightly.

Divine Weapons and precious treasures had astonishing value.

"Most importantly, what does this token represent? Some kind of credential from the former Chu Jiang Empire? Or a token of the Chu Jiang survivors?" Wu Yuan put down the token and continued to flip through the books in front of him.

He wanted to find some clues.

These books were all collected from the Martial Arts Academy's 'library' and were related to the 'Chu Jiang Empire'.

Such as Six Hundred Years of Chu Jiang, Local Customs of Six Hundred Counties of Chu Jiang, Chronicles of the Chu Jiang Empire, Empire Born from Chuzhou, Secret History of the Chu Jiang Imperial Family's Romance...

There were more than ten books in total.

With the memories of his fused past life, Wu Yuan already knew some of the deeds of the Chu Jiang Empire.

After reading these books in detail today, he gained a deeper understanding of this great empire that had perished decades ago.

The Chu Jiang Empire was established over six hundred years ago in 'Chuzhou'. For several hundred years after its establishment, strong individuals emerged one after another, expanding and rising. Two hundred years ago, it reached its peak, becoming a vast empire spanning across Chu and Jiang provinces, with a territory of over twenty thousand li, under its jurisdiction were twenty-nine prefectures and over six hundred counties, with a population of over five hundred million!

It was once a top empire in the Central Land World.

For example, the Hengyun Sect was once a major martial arts sect under the Chu Jiang Empire. Although it maintained a high degree of independence, it was under the rule of the imperial family and had to fight alongside the empire in critical moments.

Until two hundred years ago!

"The Heavenly Ranking Expert 'Emperor Jin' appeared, suppressed all the experts in the world, rose from the border of 'Xizhou', strategized and maneuvered for twenty years, and finally swept through the three kingdoms and nine sects of the Central Continent, establishing the 'Great Jin', and renaming the Central Continent 'Shengzhou'," Wu Yuan read from the book.

The Central Continent, which is now Shengzhou, was undisputed in its territory, resources, population, and historical culture among the thirteen states of the world, with one state being comparable to several others.

Emperor Jin, a former Heavenly Ranking Expert, was also the universally recognized strongest person in the world at that time!

Sixty years ago, the third Jin Emperor who succeeded him, after completely pacifying internal affairs, launched a war against the 'Chu Jiang Empire'.

One was flourishing, the other was decadent.

The two great empires fought for over thirty years, experiencing six major decisive battles, which finally ended with the Great Jin Empire marching into the capital of the Chu Jiang Empire, and the core of the Chu Jiang Imperial Family being annihilated.

Chuzhou and most of the original province were occupied by the Great Jin Empire.

Even Jiangzhou had three prefectures occupied by them, truly establishing the might of the Great Jin as the number one power in the world.

The Great Jin imperial family also became the recognized top power.

Since the fall of the Chu Jiang Empire, none of the hundred sects and myriad nations in the Central Land World dared to contend with the Great Jin Empire.

At that time.

The core of the Chu Jiang Imperial Family suffered heavy casualties, and chaos erupted in various territories. Finally, the Hengyun Sect and the distant collateral branch of the Chu Jiang Empire, the King of Hundred Rivers, each occupied four prefectures, emerging prominently with the greatest influence.

"It was established for two hundred years, spanning tens of thousands of miles, but the Great Jin Empire's expansion has not yet ended." Wu Yuan sighed inwardly and put down the book.

The Great Jin Empire's martial arts far surpassed those of previous nations.

The successive Jin Emperors possessed astonishing ambition, and their fervent desire to unify the Central Land World was evident in every nation and sect.

The Battle of Hengshan eight years ago.

Was the first battle between the Great Jin Empire's fourth Jin Emperor and the Hengyun Sect.

The Hengyun Sect won initially but was eventually defeated, losing their ancestral land, 'Hengshan Prefecture'. Their controlled territory shrank from four prefectures to three.

The Battle of Hengshan was also seen as a continuation of the 'Great Jin versus Chu Jiang War'.

"Great Jin is ambitious and shows signs of unifying the Central Plains. Major powers in regions like Yanzhou, Wuzhou, and Dongzhou will not stand idly by," Wu Yuan mused inwardly. "They are likely supporting the Hengyun Sect in secret."

After the fall of the Chu Jiang Empire, the Hengyun Sect became the first barrier against Great Jin's eastward expansion.

Otherwise.

With Great Jin controlling over sixty prefectures, billions of people, and millions of soldiers, they could have potentially annihilated the Hengyun Sect at any cost!

"My father died in the Battle of Hengshan." Wu Yuan lowered his gaze.

His memories contained his father's image. Upon inheriting the previous body's memories, he also inherited some of its emotions.

Deep down, Wu Yuan held a dislike for the Great Jin Empire.

"Eight years have passed since the Battle of Hengshan, and while things seem calm, there's no telling when the Great Jin Empire will launch another invasion," Wu Yuan pondered, a sense of urgency growing within him.

His own strength was far from sufficient!

He couldn't even kill a First-class Expert.

Once a national war between these two great powers erupted, how could he possibly stand against Great Jin, with its countless experts and millions of soldiers?

He wouldn't even be able to protect his family and clan!

"This token might hold a great secret," Wu Yuan stared at the token. "The Chu Jiang Empire has fallen, but how profound is the foundation of a six-hundred-year-old empire? The movement to restore the empire has never ceased."

Putting aside other matters, many distant relatives of the Chu Jiang Imperial Family had fled.

For instance, the 'King of Hundred Rivers', who controlled four prefectures, rose from humble beginnings so rapidly, partly because he was a distant royal relative of the Chu Jiang Empire, giving him astonishing influence.

"The First-class Expert I encountered hates me to the bone. The force behind him is likely considerable, perhaps even surpassing the Hengyun Sect," Wu Yuan mused inwardly. "Before I possess sufficient strength, my act of eradicating the Fierce Tiger Gang must not be exposed."

"If it leaks, it could bring about the destruction of my entire clan!"

What good was staying in the prefectural city?

Second-class Experts wouldn't dare act recklessly within the city, but a First-class Expert, as long as they weren't facing the Nanmeng Army in an open field, would dare to assassinate the Prefectural Governor directly.

He naturally had to be cautious.

After the battle on Nine Cloud Mountain, Wu Yuan's understanding of the Central Land World became increasingly clear: might makes right, and human lives are as cheap as grass!

"As for this jade bottle?" Wu Yuan carefully put away the golden token and picked up the green jade bottle.

He opened the stopper, and a wave of fragrance emanated, making Wu Yuan feel incredibly comfortable.

"Judging by this book, Introduction to Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures," Wu Yuan resealed the stopper. "This jade bottle likely contains 'edible Heavenly Materials'."

The Introduction to Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures was vaguely worded, but it clarified some basic knowledge.

Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were divided into three major categories: 'edible', 'mineral', and 'special'.

Each major category was further divided into many subcategories.

What ordinary people commonly referred to as Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were mostly edible types, which could directly enhance a martial artist's strength and improve their physique.

The raw materials for forging Divine Weapons were essentially mineral-type Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

"However, this is just my preliminary judgment; I can't be certain," Wu Yuan shook his head slightly.

Consume it directly? No matter how confident Wu Yuan was or how well he controlled his body, he wouldn't be so reckless.

Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were not always beneficial; they could also be harmful!

Most powerful martial artists were not afraid of ordinary poisons, but it was said that 'potent poisons' made from some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures could even affect Grandmaster-level experts.

"The best way to accurately identify what's in this jade bottle is to go directly to the Stellar Tower," Wu Yuan pondered.

"Secondly, I could seek out the Pill Master in Li City."

The Stellar Tower, encompassing myriad phenomena, gathered all things under the heavens, and they would surely have a way to identify it.

Pill Masters were arguably the people who dealt with 'Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures' the most, so the probability of them identifying this treasure was also high.

However, Wu Yuan was reluctant to pursue either of these options.

Both would increase the risk of exposing himself.

"Li City is too small. The Fierce Tiger Gang has just been wiped out, and the area is likely on high alert, attracting attention from all sides. If I were to reveal such a treasure, I might be targeted," Wu Yuan shook his head slightly. "I'll try some crude methods first."

First, he needed to confirm whether the substance in the jade bottle was beneficial or harmful!