Breaking the Pillar

These four troublemakers pulled Zhou Heng up and shoved him out heavily.

He was about to turn back when the purple-clad woman said calmly, "Since you're already up, why not come over and give it a try?"

Zhou Heng thought it over and felt at ease. Although he knew he couldn't possibly have any bloodline power, trying wouldn't hurt—his breakthrough in cultivation was easy, but that came after obtaining the Black Sword's inheritance, not something he was born with.

Standing before the Spirit Crystal Pillar, Zhou Heng steadied his breath and reached out to grab it.

A warm sensation immediately flowed through his entire body. When it reached his Dantian, the Black Broken Sword gave a slight tremor, and a pitch-black Sword Qi shot along Zhou Heng's arm into the Spirit Crystal Pillar.

The pillar emitted a jet-black light for an instant, but the process was so brief that no one could see it clearly. Then, with a crack, it shattered into countless fragments!

In his Dantian, the Black Broken Sword bobbed once and returned to stillness, like a supreme expert casually brushing away a bothersome ant, paying it no mind.

Damn, why did it break?

Zhou Heng was stunned. He couldn't afford to pay for this!

"Haha, is this guy afraid of embarrassing himself? He actually used brute force to crush the Spirit Crystal Pillar!"

"With so many of us here, only one person managed to make the pillar react—what's there to be ashamed of!"

"This guy was already putting on an act to get Miss Zixing's attention, and now he's taking it even further!"

Laughter erupted from below. Zhu Zhihe and his three companions silently praised their brother as a true master of the Way of Wind and Moon, always full of clever ideas.

"I'm really sorry for breaking your thing!" Zhou Heng scratched his head. "How much do I need to pay for this?"

Something so amazing couldn't be cheap, right?

A strange light flashed in the purple-clad woman's eyes, but she quickly suppressed it and said calmly, "Don't worry about it, young master. May I ask your name?"

What, that actually worked?

The crowd nearly dropped their jaws. If they'd known breaking the pillar would get Miss Zixing's attention, they'd have done it long ago! But each of them feared offending the purple-clad woman, so who dared to be so reckless?

"This Humble One is Zhou Heng!"

"Young Master Zhou, which sect do you hail from?" the purple-clad woman asked again.

A second question!

Jing Tian was such a prodigy, yet the purple-clad woman only asked for his name. But Zhou Heng broke the Spirit Crystal Pillar and got even more attention—how could anyone accept that?

"Nine Spirits Sect!" Zhou Heng answered simply and directly. He didn't want to interact much with the purple-clad woman.

Seeing the obvious impatience on Zhou Heng's face, everyone wanted to draw their weapons and strike him down. Wasn't he just rubbing salt in their wounds?

The purple-clad woman hadn't expected Zhou Heng's attitude either. She paused briefly, then forced a faint smile and took out a crystal-clear card, handing it to Zhou Heng. "Young Master Zhou, this is our pavilion's VIP Card."

This was a good thing!

Zhou Heng quickly took it and smiled. "Thank you, Miss Zixing!"

Seeing the delighted grin on Zhou Heng's face, the purple-clad woman nearly spat blood!

In his eyes, she was far less important than a VIP Card!

Infuriating! Infuriating!

Though she held a high position, she was still a woman in her twenties, renowned for her beauty. Being so blatantly ignored—how could she not be furious?

"Young Master Zhou, would you care to stay and share a simple meal with me?" Despite her anger, she put on a charming smile.

"Yes! Yes!" Zhu Zhihe and his three companions squeezed over, eagerly agreeing on Zhou Heng's behalf.

"So it's you, Young Masters Zhu," the purple-clad woman said, clearly recognizing them. She gave a faint smile, announced the end of today's Tea Ceremony Gathering to the crowd, and led Zhou Heng and his five companions to an elegant courtyard, where she had wine and dishes set out for them.

The others were naturally jealous, but no one dared cause trouble in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Each had been warned by their sect elders not to make a scene, so they could only glare with reddened eyes.

As for Shen Xinqi and Han Yulian, they never expected that the simple-minded Zhou Heng would have such luck with women, stirring an odd feeling in their hearts.

Though Zhu Zhihe and his three companions adored the purple-clad woman to the point of worship, they didn't dare say a word in her presence. They were all respectful, chatting about ancient and modern topics, each putting on a refined air.

The purple-clad woman's focus was clearly on Zhou Heng. She kept probing into his background. Zhou Heng figured that with the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's capabilities, uncovering his origins would be effortless, so he didn't bother hiding anything—except he would never reveal secrets like the Black Sword.

The host and guests were all satisfied. Zhou Heng dragged away the four who were pretending to be drunk in hopes of staying overnight at the pavilion, much to Zhu Zhihe and his companions' dismay.

"Miss, you say that man named Zhou Heng actually shattered the Spirit Crystal Pillar?" In a secret chamber of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, the purple-clad woman sat drinking tea while a gray-robed old man stood by her side, his face covered in wrinkles, impossible to tell his age.

If any elder from the Three Great Sects were present, they would immediately recognize this old man as Yan Sen, the master of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion in Fengyu City.

"Elder Sen, you know how hard the Spirit Crystal Pillar is. Even a Spirit Gathering Realm martial artist couldn't shatter it with one blow, let alone someone at the peak of the Ninth Layer of Body Refining!" The purple-clad woman's jade-like face still showed traces of annoyance, clearly recalling Zhou Heng's disregard for her.

"Truly baffling!" Yan Sen nodded repeatedly, his wrinkled face revealing no expression.

The purple-clad woman didn't mention one thing—in the moment the Spirit Crystal Pillar shattered, she saw that fleeting black light!

It somewhat resembled the fated person the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was searching for, but not entirely. This matter was too important; she had to return to the main pavilion first to report the situation, at least bringing back a higher-grade Spirit Crystal Pillar for testing.

"Elder Sen, I'll leave tomorrow. Keep an eye on that man for me—don't let anyone harm him," she said after a moment's thought.

"Yes, Miss!" Yan Sen replied respectfully, showing no discontent despite the age gap.

After returning to the inn, Zhou Heng's first task was to unpack the medicines he'd bought from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and prepare the concoction needed to cultivate the Bright Jade Art.

Zhu Zhihe and the other three were busy flattering Zhou Heng, urging him to seek out the purple-clad woman again tomorrow so they could bask in his reflected glory.

Zhou Heng couldn't be bothered with these four fools. He quickly prepared the medicinal bath according to the prescription—simple enough, as long as the ingredients were at hand, he just weighed them out and tossed them into the tub one by one.

He shooed the four out, stripped down to his shorts, and stepped into the bath.

So hot! So scalding!

The water seemed to be boiling, filled with searing heat. Zhou Heng hurriedly followed the Bright Jade Art's method, drawing in the medicinal power and tempering his body.

During cultivation, a martial artist's True Essence Power constantly refines the body. At the peak of the Twelfth Layer of Body Refining, the body's toughness is hardly inferior to rock. Defensive martial skills build on this foundation, going even further—so far that even a sharp sword cannot cut through!

To achieve this extra effect, True Essence Power alone isn't enough. First, one must use medicine to unlock the body's potential.

Zhou Heng sat as if in boiling water, and even his willpower could barely endure it!

No wonder there was a high-grade martial skill just sitting there, yet almost no one in the sect had ever succeeded in cultivating the Bright Jade Art. This first step was so grueling that nine out of ten people would probably jump right back out the moment they stepped in.

Absorbing the medicinal power, strengthening the skin, muscles, and bones—the effect wasn't immediate. It had to be combined with the Bright Jade Art to fuse the medicine with the body and tap into its deeper potential.

After one night, Zhou Heng was astonished to find that the originally red bathwater had turned clear and transparent.

This meant all the medicinal power had been completely absorbed!

According to the art, one dose of medicine should last about ten uses. How had he absorbed it all in a single night?

His body... really seemed different!

Zhou Heng knew that ever since the Black Broken Sword had "awakened," it had been slowly improving his body. He just hadn't expected that after nearly half a year, it had reached such a terrifying degree!

He quickly activated the Bright Jade Art and raised his hands. To his surprise, the surface of his skin had turned jade-like!

This... the first layer of the Bright Jade Art was complete!

Zhou Heng was dumbfounded. This was too exaggerated. Though everyone's talent differed, completing the first layer in a single night was truly jaw-dropping.

Now he could move on to the second layer!

But before he could start, Zhu Zhihe and those three troublesome friends burst through the door, insisting on dragging him to Miss Zixing's tea gathering again.

"Didn't we go yesterday?" Zhou Heng asked irritably.

"Miss Zixing's tea gathering lasts three days at each stop, so we can go for two more days!"

Their plan was sound, but when they arrived at the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, they were told Miss Zixing had left early that morning. Zhou Heng breathed a sigh of relief, while Zhu Zhihe and the other three wailed in dismay.

Since Miss Zixing was gone, the four had no reason to stay. They wanted to continue chasing their goddess.

Still, they had grown quite fond of Zhou Heng, so they stayed an extra day, telling him to visit them at the Black Water Hall whenever he had time. Zhou Heng's forehead was covered in black lines—was the Black Water Hall the kind of place you could just drop by?

Zhou Heng didn't leave immediately. Instead, he stayed at the inn to continue cultivating the Bright Jade Art.

His terrifying cultivation speed persisted. In just two more days, he completed the second and third layers, tempering his skin, flesh, and bones until they were as tough as a solid shield.

Though the Bright Jade Art had ten layers in total, he was now very close to the Blood Refining Realm. It was time to leave.

"To the Heaven-Leveling Mountain Range!"

"In a few more days, I'll break through to the Tenth Layer of Body Refining and be qualified to explore that Cold Pool!"

After checking out of the inn, Zhou Heng immediately left Fengyu City and headed for the Heaven-Leveling Mountain Range. Time was tight—he had to return to the Nine Spirits Sect at the beginning of each month to accept challenges from others, whether anyone actually challenged him or not.

"I've been waiting for you a long time!" Just as he entered the Heaven-Leveling Mountain Range, a figure appeared, blocking his path.