Inside the Misty Rain Tower stronghold's meditation room,
Ye Junlin sat cross-legged, holding the "Barrier Breaking Pill" obtained from the system lottery.
The pill was amber-colored, with a faint spiritual glow flowing across its surface. A surge of pure medicinal energy seeped through its outer shell, stirring the surrounding Spiritual Energy.
"The bottleneck between the mid and late Grandmaster Realm is perfect for this."
Ye Junlin muttered, then placed the Barrier Breaking Pill in his mouth.
The pill dissolved instantly, transforming into a gentle, warm current that surged into his dantian.
Unlike the violent effects of ordinary pills, this medicinal energy flowed like a trickling stream, yet carried an irresistible penetrating force as it slowly seeped toward the bottleneck in his meridians.
Ye Junlin circulated the Supreme God-Demon Scripture, guiding the medicinal energy as it battered that invisible shackle.
"Buzz—"
The Spiritual Energy in his dantian was stirred by the medicinal energy, repeatedly washing over it like waves.
At first, the bottleneck remained completely unmoved and even faintly rebounded. Yet the medicinal energy of the Barrier Breaking Pill seemed to carry a certain "momentum," continuously seeping in and wearing it down.
After half an hour, a faint, crisp sound echoed inside his body. The bottleneck that had troubled Ye Junlin for days was finally broken through!
His Spiritual Energy surged like a flood bursting through a dam. After circulating through his meridians once, it all poured into his dantian. His aura climbed steadily, finally stabilizing at the late Grandmaster Realm.
Ye Junlin slowly ended his circulation. When he opened his eyes, a glint flashed through them.
With every gesture, his Spiritual Energy flowed increasingly smoothly. Though he was still in the Grandmaster Realm, he already faintly possessed the air of returning to simplicity.
"System, check my status panel."
[Ding, command received] [Host]: Ye Junlin [Age]: 17 years old [Realm]: Late Grandmaster Realm [Physique]: Supreme God-Demon Physique (Supreme Grade) [Technique]: Supreme God-Demon Scripture (Supreme Grade) [Martial Skills]: Emperor Seal Art, Shadow Step, Ye Family Thirteen Forms [Items]: Eternal Night Heaven Token 10, Storage Ring 3, 100,000 mid-grade Spirit Stones,... [Energy Points]: 5,000 points [Summoned Characters]: Six Absolutes: Yuan Tiangang (late Heaven Human Realm) Seven Stars: 1. Di Yun (mid Nirvana) 2. Linghu Chong (mid Nirvana) Eight Guards: 1. Jing Ke (peak Void Glimpse Realm), 2. Yao Li (late Void Glimpse Realm), 3. Nie Zheng (peak Void Glimpse Realm), 4. Zhuan Zhu (late Void Glimpse Realm), 5. Yu Rang (late Void Glimpse Realm), 6. Cao Mo (late Void Glimpse Realm), 7. Chu Yu (late Void Glimpse Realm)]
Ye Junlin looked at the panel, satisfaction flashing through his eyes.
There was no need to mention the potential of the Supreme God-Demon Physique and Supreme God-Demon Scripture. Now that his cultivation had advanced another step,
although he was still far from the top experts, he was already strong enough to handle quite a few situations.
At the same time, inside a General Store deep in Qingzhou City's Black Market,
Ground Rat was arranging the shelves when the curtain was suddenly lifted and a brawny man in coarse cloth walked in.
The man was powerfully built, with broad shoulders and a thick back. A scar extended from his brow ridge to his jaw,
and his eyes were filled with hatred and murderous intent. A thick callus covered the webbing of his right hand.
"What can I get you?"
Ground Rat asked out of habit, his gaze landing on the callus on the man's hand,
as he wondered inwardly—judging by his appearance, he seemed like a martial artist who had wielded weapons for years.
Unexpectedly, the man shook his head and said hoarsely,
"I didn't come here to buy anything, nor am I here to place a bounty."
After a brief pause, he looked straight at Ground Rat. "I've come to beg the Misty Rain Tower to give me a chance—to let me join the Misty Rain Tower!"
Ground Rat froze when he heard this, then realized what he meant. "You want to join the Misty Rain Tower?"
"That's right." The man nodded,
"My name is Shi Yong. I've long heard of the Misty Rain Tower and yearned to join it."
"Though I'm not a top expert, I possess great brute strength. I hope you'll give me this opportunity."
Ground Rat scrutinized him from head to toe. Anyone seeking to join the Misty Rain Tower was clearly no ordinary person,
but he was merely the guardian of the secondary stele. How could he dare make such a decision on his own?
Thus, he said, "I can't decide this. Wait here. I'll go report it."
With that, Ground Rat lifted the curtain and entered the back room. He came before the secondary stele, gathered Spiritual Energy at his fingertip, and carved a line of text:
"Someone calling himself Shi Yong requests an audience and wishes to join the Misty Rain Tower. Late Grandmaster Realm cultivation, powerfully built, with hatred and murderous intent filling his eyes."
Inside the Rainwatch Pavilion at the Misty Rain Tower stronghold, the main stele suddenly shone with green light, and new words appeared.
Jing Ke, who was discussing the recruitment of new members with Nie Zheng and the others, saw this and rose with a laugh:
"Well, we were just talking about recruiting people, and someone has already come knocking? I thought it was another bounty."
Nie Zheng leaned closer for a look. "Shi Yong, late Grandmaster Realm. The hatred and murderous intent in his eyes do fit our standards for assassins."
"I'll go take a look." Jing Ke adjusted the dagger at his waist.
"I might as well walk around near the Black Market and see whether I can run into a few more unaffiliated cultivators."
With that, Jing Ke's figure flashed and vanished outside the Rainwatch Pavilion.
Inside the General Store, Shi Yong stood quietly in a corner, his gaze resting on the assorted goods on the shelves, his expression somewhat complicated.
Ground Rat came out of the back room and said, "Wait a moment. My lord will be here soon."
Shi Yong nodded and said no more. He merely straightened his back, as though awaiting a judgment that would decide his fate.
A moment later, the curtain moved on its own despite the absence of wind. A figure appeared silently inside the store—it was Jing Ke.
His gaze swept over Shi Yong. The first thing that caught his attention was the thick callus on the man's hand and the scar on his face,
and the second was the hatred and murderous intent in the man's eyes. Someone like this was practically born to be an assassin.
Jing Ke then smiled and said, "You're Shi Yong?"
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