The lingering warmth of the Nalan Clan's grand banquet had yet to fade, but the shock and influence it had brought were like a boulder dropped into a calm lake.
It had stirred up towering waves throughout Jia Ma Holy City and even the entire empire, growing more turbulent with every passing day.
The name of Master Lin Chen could no longer be summed up as merely "the mysterious young Grandmaster."
Overnight, he had become the true uncrowned king of the Jia Ma Empire—a living legend.
His reputation had even begun to surpass that of Jia Xingtian, the Imperial Family's guardian, and President Fa Ma of the Alchemist Guild.
In the days that followed, the Nalan Clan's estate was besieged by visitors.
Yet those truly qualified to enter the inner hall and pay their respects to Lin Chen were still only the handful of people at the very top of the empire.
After the Brand Poison was removed, Nalan Jie spent two days carefully recuperating. Though he still looked thin, his spirits were high.
The Dou Qi within him had also begun flowing freely again. It was only a matter of time before he regained the vigor of his former Dou Wang self.
His gratitude toward Lin Chen had reached a level beyond words.
Nalan Su, meanwhile, practically worshipped Lin Chen as a god. From top to bottom, every member of the Nalan Clan held him in the highest regard and was utterly devoted to him.
That day, Lin Chen was reading through some ancient notes on alchemy recipes he had obtained from the Alchemist Guild in the quiet courtyard prepared for him by the Nalan Clan.
Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin were quietly cultivating nearby, absorbing the medicinal energy of the pills Lin Chen had given them.
Hai Bodong sat not far away, leisurely sipping tea and enjoying this rare moment of peace.
Even if that peace had been brought about by Lin Chen's absolute strength.
"Master Lin," Nalan Su's respectful voice sounded from outside the courtyard.
"Senior Yun Yun, the Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect, has come to visit. She wishes to thank you in person."
Lin Chen did not look away from the scroll in his hands. He merely replied, "Let her in."
A moment later, a graceful figure in pale green entered the courtyard.
She still wore that elegant, unadorned dress, which accentuated her lovely figure.
The pallor and weakness Yun Yun had shown in the desert had faded. In their place were the dignity and cool composure befitting the Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect.
Yet when she looked at Lin Chen, her bright eyes held a jumble of complicated emotions.
Gratitude, reverence, curiosity, and a trace of bewilderment she could not quite put into words.
No matter how hard she tried, she could not connect the quiet young man reading before her with the mysterious Grandmaster who had suppressed a Dou Emperor with a casual wave in the desert.
Nor could she reconcile him with the mysterious Grandmaster who had refined a Sixth-Grade Pill amid easy conversation in the imperial capital, then removed the Brand Poison that had left even Gu He helpless.
"Yun Yun of the Misty Cloud Sect thanks Master Lin for saving my life in the desert."
Yun Yun gave Lin Chen a solemn bow befitting a junior.
Elder Ge Ye, who had followed behind her, did not even dare raise his head. His body trembled slightly, and he looked terribly nervous.
"It was no trouble." Lin Chen finally set down the scroll and looked up at Yun Yun, his gaze calm and unreadable.
"Please don't dwell on it, Sect Master Yun."
The more indifferent his manner, the heavier the pressure on Yun Yun's heart seemed to grow.
She took a deep breath and brought a jade box out of her Storage Ring. "In any case, I'll always remember your kindness, Master."
"This is a Seven-Colored Spirit Jade Ganoderma I happened to come across. I don't know its grade, but it contains a rather unusual and pure energy."
"It may be of some use to you, Master. Please accept it as a small token of my gratitude."
Lin Chen glanced at the jade box. With a slight probe of his Spirit Realm soul power, he sensed that the ganoderma within was indeed extraordinary.
It contained a peculiar essence of heaven and earth, with notable effects for nourishing the soul and tempering the body. It was an unexpected delight.
He nodded, and Hai Bodong stepped forward to take the jade box.
"You're thoughtful, Sect Master Yun," Lin Chen said, his tone still even.
Seeing that Lin Chen had accepted the gift, Yun Yun felt somewhat relieved. After hesitating for a moment, she added, "Master, the Misty Cloud Sect will always welcome you whenever you have time to visit."
"The sect may have some ancient books and relics that could catch your eye."
She was trying to build ties with him, taking a very humble stance.
After what had happened in the desert and the upheaval in the imperial capital, she knew just how terrifyingly powerful the young man before her was.
The Misty Cloud Sect absolutely could not afford to make an enemy of him. If they could befriend him, it would be an enormous stroke of fortune.
"Mm. If I have the time, I'll take a look," Lin Chen replied noncommittally.
He had little interest in the Misty Cloud Sect itself, but he was rather curious about any ancient items it might have collected.
Seeing that, Yun Yun realized she should not impose any further. She bowed again, then respectfully withdrew with Ge Ye.
Only after leaving the courtyard did she let out a quiet breath. Her back was already slightly damp with sweat.
The invisible pressure she felt facing Lin Chen was even greater than what she felt before her teacher, Yun Shan.
Not long after Yun Yun left, another powerful presence rapidly approached.
Before its owner arrived, a hearty laugh brimming with enthusiasm rang out. "Hahaha, Master Lin, I'm here!"
It was Jia Xingtian. Princess Yao Ye and several Imperial Family retainers followed behind him.
Every face was alight with excitement and anticipation.
Jia Xingtian gripped the jade bottle containing the Break Sect Pill tightly in his hand.
"Looks like Elder Jia is ready," Lin Chen said, looking at him.
"Ready! Everything's ready!" Jia Xingtian could barely contain his excitement.
"The site and the guards are all in place. We're just waiting for you to lend a hand, Master!"
Breaking through to Dou Zong would be an unprecedented occasion for the Jia Ma Empire in nearly a century, and the risks were immense.
If anything went wrong, not only would Jia Xingtian himself be reduced to ashes, but the Jia Ma Imperial Family would also suffer a devastating blow.
But with Lin Chen—a Grandmaster capable of refining a perfect Break Sect Pill and wielding a mysterious Heavenly Flame—standing guard, Jia Xingtian had never felt more confident.
"Lead the way," Lin Chen said, rising to his feet. His words were brief and to the point.
The group quickly arrived at a vast Martial Arts Arena specially constructed deep within the Imperial Family's forbidden grounds.
The Imperial Family's most elite troops had already cordoned off the area, while several Dou Wang retainers guarded each direction.
Nalan Jie, Hai Bodong, Mite Tengshan, and the few others permitted to witness the breakthrough were already waiting there.
All of them looked solemn yet excited.
At the center of the arena, Jia Xingtian sat cross-legged, regulating his breathing and bringing himself to peak condition.
He solemnly took out the Break Sect Pill. The instant it appeared, its rich medicinal fragrance and tremendous energy spread through the air.
Even the surrounding energy of heaven and earth began to ripple faintly.
He looked at Lin Chen, who gave a slight nod.
Jia Xingtian wasted no more time. He tilted his head back and swallowed the Break Sect Pill, glowing with purple light and coiled with dragon patterns!
The pill entered his stomach and instantly transformed into a terrifying flood of energy, erupting like a volcano and surging through every part of his body!
His body jolted violently. His skin turned bright red, and the veins stood out across him.
It seemed as if the enormous energy was about to burst his body apart!
The excruciating pain forced Jia Xingtian to grunt, but he clenched his teeth.
He frantically circulated his cultivation art, guiding the energy toward the Dou Zong barrier that had hindered him for decades!
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
The invisible barrier was incredibly solid. The surging energy battered it again and again, yet barely budged it.
Instead, the impacts churned Jia Xingtian's blood and Qi, and a trace of blood welled from the corner of his mouth.
Those gathered to witness the breakthrough all held their breath, their palms clammy with worry.
Breaking through to Dou Zong really was unimaginably difficult!
At that moment, Lin Chen moved.
With a single step, he appeared as if by teleportation a short distance behind Jia Xingtian.
He made no unnecessary movements, merely raising his right hand slowly.
In the next instant, an eerie yet sacred blood-red lotus appeared in his palm, turning slowly.
There was no terrifying heat—only an immense force that seemed to cleanse all things and soothe everything spread through the air.
"Go."
Lin Chen murmured. A tiny wisp of the Red Lotus Karma Fire separated from the lotus and drifted lightly down onto Jia Xingtian's head.
"Hiss—"
It did not burn him. It merged with him.
Jia Xingtian's face, which had been twisted in agony by the rampaging energy, relaxed considerably at once.
The wisp of karmic fire seemed like the most precise of guides as it traveled through his body.
Wherever it passed, the Break Sect Pill's energy—which had been so violent it was nearly out of control—became far more docile, like a wild horse that had been tamed.
It gathered toward the Dou Zong barrier with far greater precision.
At the same time, the karmic fire subtly burned away the impurities and old injuries that had accumulated in his meridians over the years.
His meridians grew clearer, better able to withstand the force of the assault.
The onlookers could not see all these changes clearly.
But they could plainly see Jia Xingtian's aura settling and growing more immense by the moment!
His assault on the barrier also became more forceful and focused!
"What kind of divine art is this?!" Hai Bodong murmured.
He knew that if he were to take a Break Sect Pill himself, he could never guide its power so effortlessly.
Nalan Jie and the others were dazzled by what they saw, their reverence for Lin Chen's methods reaching its peak.
With the Red Lotus Karma Fire's help, Jia Xingtian's efforts became twice as effective.
No one knew how long it lasted. Perhaps an hour, perhaps two.
Suddenly—
"RUMBLE!!!"
A terrifying aura, far surpassing that of a Peak Dou Emperor, burst from Jia Xingtian and shot straight into the sky!
The clouds shifted and the heavens changed color. An immense mass of energy from heaven and earth gathered frantically overhead.
It formed a gigantic vortex of energy, pouring down like an inverted funnel and flooding into Jia Xingtian's body!
The powerful experts throughout Jia Ma Holy City all looked toward the Imperial Family in shock!
"He succeeded!!!" Someone let out an excited roar.
The influx of energy continued for roughly the time it took an incense stick to burn before gradually subsiding.
Jia Xingtian's tightly closed eyes snapped open, dazzling light shooting from them like rays of substance!
He rose to his full height and felt the vast power inside him, surging like the sea and far surpassing anything he had wielded before.
He could not help letting out a long, sky-shaking roar!
His roar rolled away like thunder, announcing the birth of a new Dou Zong in the Jia Ma Empire!
"Hahahaha! I did it! I've finally broken through to Dou Zong!" Jia Xingtian was wild with joy, so overwhelmed that he could barely contain himself.
He turned to Lin Chen and, in front of everyone, bowed deeply. "Jia Xingtian thanks Master for making this possible!"
"The Imperial Family will never forget this kindness!"
A Dou Zong expert's bow carried immeasurable weight!
Everyone present bowed in turn.
They paid their highest respects to the young man who had wrought this miracle.
Lin Chen accepted their respect without fuss. Withdrawing the karmic fire, he said calmly, "Congratulations, Elder Jia."
Once the joy of his breakthrough had passed, Jia Xingtian could hardly wait to fulfill his promise.
"Master Lin, please come with me. The Imperial Family's treasury is open to you!" Jia Xingtian personally led the way.
His manner was even more respectful than before.
After breaking through to Dou Zong, he could sense more clearly that the power within Lin Chen was as unfathomable as an abyss, and his reverence for him deepened.
The Imperial Family's treasury lay deep beneath the palace. Its defenses were far more formidable than anyone could imagine.
It was covered with mechanisms and formations, and guarded by powerful experts.
After they passed through layer upon layer of restrictions, a door made of special metal and covered in runes slowly opened.
In an instant, dazzling treasures, medicinal fragrances, Dou Qi, and waves of energy surged toward them!
The treasury's interior was vast and divided into several sections.
Gold coins and Purple Gold Cards were piled up like mountains, while high-grade Magic Cores gleamed in a rainbow of colors.
Sharp weapons and armor gleamed coldly, and precious medicinal herbs were carefully preserved in jade boxes.
Ancient scrolls lined the shelves, alongside many peculiar ores, works of art,
and various objects with an ancient aura whose uses were impossible to discern.
This was the accumulated wealth of an empire spanning several centuries!
An ordinary person entering this place would have been dazzled, their breathing quickening.
Lin Chen, however, merely swept his gaze over the treasures valuable by worldly standards.
His steps never faltered.
His Spirit Realm soul power spread like the most precise radar, instantly covering the entire treasury as he sensed every corner in detail.
Seeing this, Jia Xingtian and Princess Yao Ye, who had accompanied them, were even more astonished.
This Master truly had an extraordinary state of mind.
Suddenly, Lin Chen stopped in a relatively secluded corner of the treasury.
Most of the items here were covered in dust and looked old and worn.
They seemed to be "odds and ends" that had been judged worthless or impossible to identify.
Lin Chen's gaze settled on three objects.
The first was a palm-sized, rust-covered fragment of bronze.
Its edges were irregular, and strange, indistinct runes were carved into it. It gave off an extremely faint spatial fluctuation.
The second was a dull gray stone bead, so inconspicuous it was easy to overlook.
It felt cold to the touch. When he probed it with his soul power, it was like a stone sinking into the sea; he could sense nothing at all.
The third item was a dried-up, pitch-black tree branch.
It looked as though it had been struck by lightning and scorched by fire, with no energy fluctuations whatsoever.
Yet the Red Lotus Karma Fire within Lin Chen stirred faintly in its presence.
Jia Xingtian and Yao Ye both froze when they saw Lin Chen choose these three items.
The treasury was filled with countless treasures far more precious than these. Why had the master picked these in particular?
"Master, are you sure you want these three?" Jia Xingtian couldn't help asking.
"According to the records, these items were obtained from some ancient ruins many years ago."
"But the appraisers of every generation have been unable to discover anything special about them..."
"These will do." Lin Chen's tone left no room for argument. He reached out and drew the three items into his hands.
When he touched the withered branch, a clear trace of longing stirred within the Red Lotus Karma Fire inside him.
Though Jia Xingtian didn't understand, he had no objections. He immediately said, "All right! If you like them, Master, please take them!"
Forget three inconspicuous odds and ends—even if Lin Chen wanted to carry off half the treasury, Jia Xingtian would agree without hesitation.
Lin Chen put the three items away without sparing another glance at the rest of the treasury, then turned and said,
"Let's go."
He had already accomplished what he came for.
True treasures often looked unremarkable.
These three items might well be the most valuable things in the entire treasury.
The secrets hidden behind them were worth taking the time to investigate.
Watching Lin Chen's calm figure walk away, Jia Xingtian and Yao Ye exchanged a glance.
Their opinion of this mysterious master rose once more, to a height they could never hope to reach...
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