Breakthrough! Jade Liquid! Phenomenon! North Sea Sown Golden Lotus!

The bloody stench had yet to disperse from Sword Forging Manor when the startled cries of its disciples tore through the brief silence.

"What? The Divine Sword was actually stolen?!"

The disciple's voice crashed like thunder beside the ears of everyone who had just escaped a desperate battle against the Demonic Cult.

Astonishment mingled across Deng Wuzong's aged face, and his clouded eyes flew wide. "Say that again!"

The disciple delivering the news was white as a sheet, his voice trembling. "After that demon Red Dust Envoy escaped using that bizarre evil art, the Divine Sword Embryo in Sky Fire Cave was gone! The disciples guarded the cave entrance and never left even half a step!"

The moment those words fell, an uproar erupted.

The crowd gathered in the square looked at one another, disbelief filling their eyes. The Divine Sword had actually been lost?

Dragging his heavily injured body, Tu Xiong said, "Red Dust Envoy was severely wounded by Daoist Priest Zhang. Even his escape relied on an eruption of his evil art—he had no chance whatsoever to enter Sky Fire Cave again."

"Besides, disciples of the manor and experts from every side had been watching outside the cave the entire time. How could he have stolen the sword embryo?"

"Could the Demonic Cult still have an insider?" someone speculated, their gaze sweeping over the surroundings with caution.

"Absolutely impossible!" Deng Wuzong immediately rejected the notion.

"When the Demonic Cult attacked this time, every disciple in the manor fought bathed in blood. Not one retreated. Lord Tu and all of you witnessed it yourselves—there can be no insider within the manor."

He had immense faith in the manor's disciples.

"Old Manor Lord, it is not that we are making wild guesses, but aside from an insider, who else present could possess such ability?"

"Now that all the Demonic Cult bandits have been put to death and Red Dust Envoy has fled, how could the Divine Sword Embryo vanish into thin air?"

Everyone held to their own views, speculation mounting without end. The cloud of suspicion hung over Sword Forging Manor like heavy black clouds.

Sky Fire Cave was right there.

Yet the Divine Sword had vanished into thin air.

One had to know, that was the Divine Sword. Whoever obtained it could roam the Jianghu unchecked. Confusion was written across every face.

Only Zhang Chu, standing off to one side of the crowd, remained calm.

It was as though this upheaval, one that concerned the very foundations of Sword Forging Manor, had nothing to do with him.

He wore a blue Daoist robe, its hem stained with a little blood, yet it could not conceal his refined, elegant bearing.

To him, no matter how wondrous the sword embryo might be, it could not compare to a breakthrough in his own cultivation.

Coming to Sword Forging Manor this time had truly been the right choice. Along the way, he had unexpectedly harvested one hundred thousand Merit Points.

This was the true great opportunity!

While everyone was distracted by the sword embryo's disappearance, Zhang Chu stepped forward. "Manor Lord Deng, the great battle has only just ended, and Zhang has expended too much Gang Qi. I would like to find a quiet place to regulate my breath and cultivate. I hope Manor Lord Deng can accommodate me."

Deng Wuzong froze for a moment, then suddenly understood.

That was right—Zhang Chu had fought the Demonic Cult fiends to save Sword Forging Manor, yet he had not rested until now.

"This old man has been muddleheaded."

Deng Wuzong said apologetically, "Daoist Priest, you saved my manor from peril, yet I even forgot that you needed rest. I truly should not have. Someone, take Daoist Priest Zhang to the secret chamber in the rear mountain. Also, bring out all the precious medicinal treasures to help Daoist Priest Zhang restore his Gang Qi!"

"Daoist Priest Zhang, please rest without worry. Leave the matter of the Divine Sword to us. We will absolutely not allow outsiders to disturb you."

Deng Wuzong spoke respectfully.

The others all voiced their agreement. They had witnessed Zhang Chu's strength firsthand; 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 rear mountain.

The secret chamber was located in the rear mountain of Sword Forging Manor. Its entrance was forged from tough black iron and protected by layer upon layer of defenses.

It was the perfect place for cultivation.

The disciple leading the way escorted Zhang Chu to the entrance, bowed respectfully, and withdrew. The stone doors closed, and silence descended within the chamber.

[Zhang Chu]

[Realm: True Gang]

[Martial Arts: Yellow Court Inner Strength (Eighth Layer), not enhanced. Northern Cold Flame True Hand (Second Layer), not enhanced.]

[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 struck it rich. My Merit Points have surpassed one hundred thousand—this should be enough to complete two enhancements!"

He had already finished enhancing the Seventh Layer of Yellow Court Inner Strength. Only the Eighth and Ninth Layers remained before it reached completion.

"Next, I'll press on in one go—first reaching the very peak of the True Gang Realm, then breaking through to the Jade Liquid Realm!"

He had waited a long time for the Grandmaster Realm.

[Enhancing the Eighth Layer of Yellow Court Inner Strength requires 30,000 Merit Points. Enhance? Please confirm.]

Just as he had thought before, 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 rang out within his Sea of Consciousness as thirty thousand Merit Points surged forth like a tide.

In an instant, Zhang Chu felt the Cold Flame Gang Qi within his body ignite, churning wildly.

Within his meridians, one half was filled with bone-piercing chill, the other with scorching waves of heat.

Under the augmentation of Merit Power, these two extreme forces began to meld, temper, and grow with frantic intensity.

"Rumble!!"

It was as though thunder exploded within his body. Yellow Court Inner Strength surged through his meridians like a rushing river.

The eighth reshaping of his sinews and bones had begun!

With every circulation, the density of his gang qi increased by a fraction, while the fusion of cold and flame grew ever more seamless.

Over Zhang Chu's body, a layer of dual-colored radiance gradually emerged.

The left half of his body was Ice Blue, the right half crimson gold. As the glow flowed, thin frost formed over the stone walls on one side, while the other was roasted red-hot.

His hair slowly turned half white and half gold.

Within his pupils, one blue and one crimson gleam flashed in alternation!

A phantom image also faintly emerged behind him: on the left, a Mystic Turtle exhaled freezing mist; on the right, a Withered Monk burned with golden flames, emanating a heart-quailing 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 turned into ice crystals and scattered, while its right half ignited into sparks and vanished.

At this moment, Zhang Chu's gang qi had solidified to the absolute limit. All he needed was an opportunity to transform gang qi into liquid and step into the Jade Liquid Realm, achieving Grandmaster status.

"The Jade Liquid Realm refers to transforming gang qi into liquid."

"My Cold Flame Gang Qi has now solidified to its utmost limit. I am only one step away from liquefying it!"

Do not underestimate this single step. This seemingly simple step had trapped countless masters.

Transforming gang qi into liquid required the compression of an enormous amount of true qi. Ordinary masters 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 to the Ninth Layer requires eighty thousand Merit Points. Enhance? Please confirm.]

Seeing that he had just enough Merit Points, Zhang Chu immediately shouted confirmation in his heart. Today, he would definitely break through.

"Rumble!..."

This time, it was no longer a violent impact.

It was a deeper transformation.

Zhang Chu's consciousness sank into the qi sea of his dantian. It was no longer a mist-shrouded sight; his gang qi was condensing, every drop containing terrifying energy.

It was as though an invisible giant hand fiercely pressed down upon the sea's surface, causing the entire qi sea to contract and compress inward.

"Gurgle..."

A strange sound rose from the depths of the qi sea. One drop, two drops, three drops... the gang qi was liquefying!

At first, there were only a few scattered drops, but as the compression continued, more and more gang qi liquefied, gradually forming a thin stream, then gathering into a brook.

Gradually, the scenery within the qi sea began to change as well.

That vast sea of gang qi truly transformed into a "Northern Sea"! Its surface was dark and deep, with hidden currents roiling beneath the waves.

At the center of the Northern Sea, an ancient colossal beast seemed to lie dormant, shaped like a turtle and serpent entwined, suppressing the qi sea.

And the changes had yet to end.

"Hum..."

A golden light suddenly shone from the depths of the Northern Sea. A speck of golden radiance rose from the seabed, slowly floating upward.

That golden glow grew brighter and 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 seed grew a fraction larger.

Gradually, roots sprouted from the lotus seed and plunged into the depths of the qi sea. The roots spread, and a stalk broke through the water.

"Rumble!"

A thunderous boom, as if heaven and earth were being split apart, erupted from within Zhang Chu's body.

At this moment, the Yellow Court Inner Strength had officially broken through to the Ninth Layer. Unlike what the martial art manual described, the instant his sea of qi formed, it was incomparably vast.

It was accompanied by the phantom of a colossal beast and a golden lotus.

"True Martial in the north, Buddhist lotus born alongside it... My breakthrough actually came with an anomaly—Anomaly: Northern Sea Sows Golden Lotus!"

Zhang Chu abruptly opened his eyes. The temperature within the secret chamber returned to normal, and every anomaly vanished without a trace.

The divine light in his eyes had now withdrawn inward. The icy blue and fiery red hues were gone, leaving behind only profound tranquility.

Yet upon closer inspection, a colossal beast seemed to flicker through the depths of his pupils, followed by the fleeting flash of a golden lotus phantom.

"Jade Liquid Realm... achieved!"

Zhang Chu raised his right hand, palm facing upward.

With a slight stir of thought, a droplet 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, the energies of frost and flame merging in perfect harmony.

"A Jade Liquid Grandmaster! With the blessing of one hundred and ten thousand merit points, I've finally stepped into this realm. Even looking across the entire world, I now count among the top experts!"

"And an anomaly Grandmaster at that!"

A faint smile curled at the corner of Zhang Chu's lips.