The bloody stench had yet to disperse from Sword Forging Manor when the startled cries of its disciples pierced the brief silence.
"What? The Divine Sword was actually stolen?!"
The disciple's voice was like a thunderclap, exploding beside the ears of everyone who had just escaped a life-and-death battle with the Demonic Cult.
Shock mingled across Deng Wuzong's aged face, and his clouded eyes abruptly widened. "Say that again!"
The disciple who had brought the news was pale as a sheet, his voice trembling. "After that demon, the Red Dust Envoy, escaped using that bizarre evil art, the Divine Sword Embryo in Sky Fire Cave was gone! The disciples guarding the cave entrance never left their posts for even half a step!"
The moment those words fell, an uproar erupted.
The people gathered around the square looked at one another, disbelief filling their eyes. The Divine Sword had actually been lost?
Dragging his heavily wounded body, Tu Xiong said, "The Red Dust Envoy was already grievously injured by Daoist Priest Zhang. Even his escape depended on an eruption of evil arts. He had no chance to enter Sky Fire Cave again."
"Besides, disciples of the manor and experts from every side were watching outside the cave the entire time. How could he have stolen the sword embryo?"
"Could it be that the Demonic Cult still has an insider?" someone guessed, their wary gaze sweeping across the surroundings.
"Absolutely impossible!" Deng Wuzong immediately rejected the idea.
"During the Demonic Cult's assault, every disciple in the manor fought bathed in blood. Not one retreated. Lord Tu and all of you witnessed it yourselves. There cannot possibly be an insider within the manor."
He had great confidence in the manor's disciples.
"Old Manor Lord, it is not that we are making wild guesses, but other than an insider, who present could possess such ability?"
"Now that all the Demonic Cult bandits have been slain and the Red Dust Envoy has fled, how could the Divine Sword Embryo vanish into thin air?"
Everyone clung to their own opinions, speculation mounting without end. The cloud of doubt hung like heavy black storm clouds over Sword Forging Manor.
Sky Fire Cave was close at hand.
Yet the Divine Sword had vanished into thin air.
That was the Divine Sword—whoever obtained it could roam the martial world unhindered. Every face was written with confusion.
Only Zhang Chu, standing to one side of the crowd,
remained calm.
It was as though this upheaval, one concerning the very foundations of Sword Forging Manor, had nothing to do with him.
He wore a cyan Daoist robe, its hem stained with a little blood, yet it could not conceal his refined bearing.
To him, no matter how profound the sword embryo's mysteries were, they could not compare to the importance of breaking through in cultivation.
This trip to Sword Forging Manor had truly been worthwhile. Along the way, he had unexpectedly gained one hundred thousand Merit Points.
This was the true great opportunity!
While everyone was preoccupied with the sword embryo's disappearance, Zhang Chu stepped forward and said, "Manor Lord Deng, the great battle has only just ended. Zhang has consumed too much Gang Qi and wishes to find a quiet place to regulate his breathing and cultivate. I hope Manor Lord Deng can grant this convenience."
Deng Wuzong froze for a moment before suddenly understanding.
That was right. Zhang Chu had fought the Demonic Cult's fiends to save Sword Forging Manor and had not rested until now.
"This old man was muddleheaded."
Deng Wuzong said apologetically, "Daoist Priest, you saved my manor from peril, yet this old man even forgot that you needed rest. I truly should not have. Someone, take Daoist Priest Zhang to the secret chamber in the back mountain. Also, bring out all our precious medicines to aid the Daoist Priest in restoring his Gang Qi!"
"Daoist Priest Zhang, go and recuperate without worry. Leave the matter of the Divine Sword to us. No outsiders will disturb you."
Deng Wuzong spoke respectfully.
The others all voiced their agreement. They had witnessed Zhang Chu's strength with their own eyes; they should not trouble him further with the search for the sword.
"Thank you."
Zhang Chu offered his thanks and followed a disciple toward the back mountain.
The secret chamber was located in the back mountain of Sword Forging Manor. Its entrance was forged from hard mystic iron and layered with defenses.
It was the perfect place for cultivation.
The disciple guiding him escorted Zhang Chu to the entrance, bowed respectfully, and withdrew. The stone door closed, and silence descended within the cave.
[Zhang Chu] [Realm: True Gang] [Martial Arts: Yellow Court Inner Strength (Eighth Layer), unenhanced. Northern Cold Flame True Hand (second layer), unenhanced.] [Merit Points: 110,300] [Consume Merit Points to enhance martial arts?]
Looking at the prompt on the panel, Zhang Chu was delighted.
"This time, I've truly reaped a bountiful harvest. My Merit Points have exceeded one hundred thousand—enough to complete two enhancements!"
He had already enhanced Yellow Court Inner Strength through the seventh layer. Only the Eighth and Ninth Layers remained before it was complete.
"Next, I'll strike while the iron is hot—reach the pinnacle of the True Gang Realm in one stroke, then break through into the Jade Liquid Realm!"
He had waited a long time for the Grandmaster realm.
[Enhancing Yellow Court Inner Strength, Eighth Layer, requires 30,000 Merit Points. Enhance? Please confirm.]
Just as he had expected, the Eighth Layer of Yellow Court Inner Strength required at least thirty thousand Merit Points.
"Confirm!" Zhang Chu did not hesitate.
With a soft hum, a tremor sounded within his Sea of Consciousness, and thirty thousand Merit Points surged out like a tide.
In an instant, Zhang Chu felt the Cold Flame Gang Qi within his body ignite and begin to churn madly.
Within his meridians, one half was bone-piercing cold, while the other was a scorching heatwave.
Under the augmentation of Merit Power, the two extreme forces began to fuse, temper, and grow with frenzied intensity.
"Rumble!!"
It was as though thunder roared within his body. Yellow Court Inner Strength surged like a rushing river, circulating rapidly through his meridians.
The eighth reconstruction of his muscles and bones had begun!
With every cycle, the density of his Gang Qi rose another fraction, and the fusion of cold and flame became ever more harmonious.
Across Zhang Chu's body,
a layer of dual-colored radiance gradually emerged.
The left half of his body was ice blue, while the right was crimson gold. As the glow flowed, one side of the surrounding stone walls condensed a thin layer of frost, while the other was roasted red.
His hair gradually turned half white and half gold.
Within his pupils,
two rays of light, one blue and one crimson, flashed in alternation!
A phantom silhouette even vaguely emerged behind him. Its left half was a Mystic Turtle exhaling freezing mist, while its right half was a Withered Monk burning with golden flames, radiating a heart-palpitating aura.
The Eighth Layer of Yellow Court Inner Strength was complete!
"Hum!" Zhang Chu abruptly opened his eyes. His left eye was ice blue like a frigid pool, while his right was crimson gold like a furnace.
"I have reached the end of the True Gang Realm."
He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. Its left half became ice crystals and scattered, while its right half ignited into sparks and dissipated.
At this moment, Zhang Chu's Gang Qi had condensed to the utmost limit. All he needed was an opportunity to transform Gang Qi into liquid and enter the Jade Liquid Realm, achieving Grandmasterhood.
"The Jade Liquid Realm refers to transforming Gang Qi into liquid."
"My Cold Flame Gang Qi has now condensed to the extreme. I am only one kick away from the door of liquefaction!"
Do not underestimate this step. This seemingly simple step had trapped countless Grandmasters.
Transforming Gang Qi into liquid required compressing an enormous amount of true qi. Ordinary Grandmasters might cultivate bitterly for ten years without necessarily accumulating enough.
"Then I'll strike while the iron is hot and break through completely!"
"Shenlan, add points for me!"
[Enhancing Yellow Court Inner Strength, Ninth Layer, requires 80,000 Merit Points. Enhance? Please confirm.]
Seeing that he had exactly enough Merit Points, Zhang Chu immediately shouted confirmation in his heart. Today, he would break through without fail.
"Rumble..."
This time, it was no longer a violent impact.
It was a transformation at an even deeper level.
Zhang Chu's consciousness sank into the qi sea of his dantian. It was no longer a fog-shrouded scene. His Gang Qi was condensing, every drop containing terrifying energy.
It was as though an invisible giant hand pressed down fiercely upon the sea's surface, and the entire qi sea began to contract and compress inward.
"Gurgle..."
A strange sound came from the depths of the qi sea. One drop, two drops, three drops... the Gang Qi liquefied!
At first, there were only a few scattered drops,
but as the compression continued, more and more Gang Qi liquefied. It gradually formed a thin stream, then gathered into a creek.
Gradually, the scene within the qi sea began to change as well.
That vast sea of Gang Qi truly transformed into a "Northern Sea"! Its surface was deep and dark, with undercurrents surging beneath the waves.
At the center of the Northern Sea, an ancient colossal beast seemed to lie dormant. It resembled a turtle and serpent entwined together, suppressing the qi sea.
And the changes had yet to end.
"Hum..."
Golden light suddenly shone from the depths of the Northern Sea. A point of golden radiance rose from the seabed and slowly floated upward.
That golden glow grew ever brighter.
It was actually a lotus seed!
The golden lotus seed bobbed within the qi sea, absorbing the liquefied Gang Qi. With every fraction it absorbed, the lotus seed grew another fraction.
Gradually, roots sprouted from the seed and plunged into the depths of the qi sea. The roots spread, and a stalk broke through the water's surface.
"Boom!"
A world-opening roar erupted from within Zhang Chu's body.
At this moment, Yellow Court Inner Strength had officially broken through to the Ninth Layer. Moreover, unlike what the martial art described, the instant his qi sea appeared, it was incomparably vast.
And it was accompanied by the phantom of a colossal beast and a golden lotus.
"True Martial in the north, a Buddhist lotus born alongside it. My breakthrough actually came with a Manifestation—'Anomaly: Northern Sea Sows Golden Lotus'!"
Zhang Chu snapped his eyes open. The temperature throughout the secret chamber returned to normal, and every manifestation vanished without a trace.
At this moment, the divine light in his eyes had withdrawn inward. The cold and flame colors were gone, leaving only profound stillness.
Yet on closer inspection, a colossal beast seemed to flash through the depths of his pupils, followed by the fleeting phantom of a golden lotus.
"The Jade Liquid Realm is complete!"
Zhang Chu raised his right hand, palm facing upward.
With a slight movement of his mind, a drop of Jade Liquid Gang Qi seeped from his fingertip. The liquid was crystalline and translucent, its left half ice blue and its right half crimson gold, cold and flame perfectly fused.
"A Jade Liquid Grandmaster! With the augmentation of one hundred ten thousand Merit Points, I have finally entered this realm. Even looking across the entire world, I am among the foremost experts!"
"And a Grandmaster with a manifestation, at that!"
A faint smile curved Zhang Chu's lips.
Before you continue