Targeted?

"What did he find out? What could I possibly have that would make him go to such great lengths..."

Chen Han's pupils suddenly dilated in shock. "That's it!!! My talent—my proficiency panel. Someone discovered my true strength and realized that my combat power has reached an almost heaven-defying level in such a short time."

Outsiders only knew him as a Dark Force martial artist, and even Chen Qiuyu, who had business dealings with him, only knew he had just reached the Transformation Realm.

This could be explained by talent, but now that he possessed peak Transformation Realm strength, it was a different story; it was highly likely he had stumbled upon some sort of fortuitous encounter.

"Forget it, let's just leave this matter be."

This world contained the supernatural, so there was naturally no shortage of bizarre and mysterious methods. No matter how carefully he handled his cleanup, there was no such thing as a wall that didn't leak.

Although the reward was generous, Chen Han did not want to gamble, and he certainly would not.

Chen Han lingered in the teahouse for a moment longer before merging into the crowd and leaving Black Lion City.

Inside a mountain cave, Chen Han reached a hand into a jar, a sticky, viscous sound emanating from within.

After fishing around for a while, Chen Han pulled out a bloody object the size of a fist, reeking of a pungent, metallic scent.

This was the heart of a century-old exotic beast, swiped directly from Qing Xue's shop in the Black Market.

To cultivate the Steel-Sinew and Iron-Bone stage of the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique, this century-old exotic beast heart was an absolute necessity.

The heart was the organ that supplied blood and the key to driving circulation throughout the entire body; therefore, the vital energy and blood contained within it were far more concentrated than in mere flesh and blood.

Chen Han had only taken a small taste a few days ago, yet his entire body had burned with heat, and his sweat had been streaked with blood—it had been utterly agonizing.

Items like this were expensive, yet few people sold them precisely because they were too potent; ordinary people simply couldn't withstand them.

"According to the manual for the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique, one only needs to eat one heart a month, but I wouldn't dare eat the whole thing at once. If I really did that, I'd likely bleed from my seven orifices and burn up from the inside out."

"That is why I have to eat a bite every few days, slowly adapting to it."

"As of today, six days have passed, and the vital energy and blood in my body have finally been digested by the health cultivation technique—or, to put it another way, refined."

Thus, Chen Han still had to take another bite now to ensure the steady growth of his proficiency while practicing the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique.

Thinking of this, Chen Han hesitated no longer. Forcing down the nausea, he took a fierce bite of the sticky exotic beast heart in his hand.

Mmph... Chen Han even sucked the tough, unchewable membrane into his mouth.

Suppressing his body's physiological rejection, he chewed it viciously twice before swallowing it whole.

Before long, he felt as if a ball of fire were raging in his stomach, with wisps of flame like tiny snakes flowing into his limbs and bones, burning incessantly.

Chen Han's skin turned an unnatural shade of red, sweat mixed with blood began to seep out again, and visible heat waves rose from his body. Chen Han could no longer hold back and collapsed to his knees.

"This is already better than last time; at least I can still spare the mental energy to think..."

Recalling the previous time, he had struggled on the ground for over several hours before he could regain his senses and find the strength to stand up and practice the technique.

Chen Han's mind remained incredibly calm. Gritting his teeth, he forced his aching body to stand and began to practice.

In the blink of an eye, two days had passed.

Black Lion City.

"No, not this one, why is it still not him..."

Blood Yin Child sat in the main hall, looking at the crowd of Transformation Realm martial artists bowing before him, his expression extremely grim.

Ever since he had colluded with the Xuanyuan Family in the city to spread false rumors, many Transformation Realm martial artists had immediately come to sign up. He had been delighted at the time, believing that the one called Chen Han would surely be unable to resist the temptation and would be among them.

However, things had gone contrary to his wishes; after "screening" them one by one, he had failed to find the person.

"Two hundred and fifty taels of silver a day—even a wealthy clan like the Chen Family should be tempted. It's not as if people from their family haven't come, so why is Chen Han not among them?"

Blood Yin Child muttered to himself, "Could it be that Chen Han sensed something? That shouldn't be possible. He's so young, how could he be so cautious and tread on thin ice like this..."

"My Lord."

At that moment, a subordinate came to report.

"Enter."

"My Lord, I have finished investigating the information on Chen Han."

Blood Yin Child narrowed his eyes. "Speak."

The subordinate then laid out everything he had uncovered. The facts were much as he had already known, but the trail went cold after Chen Han returned to his family, and the next piece of news was his disappearance.

"Are you certain this information is reliable?"

"My Lord, it is absolutely certain. This was told to me personally by an inside informant in the Chen Family."

Blood Yin Child's gaze shifted. "An inside informant? You mean the one called Chen Lei?"

"Exactly, My Lord, your brilliance is boundless. Ever since you easily defeated him last time, he has worshipped you immensely, and by now, he is working entirely for our Black Mountain Gang."

Blood Yin Child chuckled with satisfaction. "Good, very good. You have done well in this matter. You may leave."

After the subordinate left, Blood Yin Child's expression grew slightly solemn.

"It seems this boy truly did sense something. This young man is not simple... to have me personally take action and still return empty-handed."

Chen Han was not in his family, and he couldn't even find the person, let alone lure him out—he couldn't even catch a glimpse of his shadow. This... was truly becoming a difficult situation.

Blood Yin Child pondered this, a smile suddenly surfacing on his face. "Chen Han, you are making me more and more interested. I can hardly wait to eat your flesh and drink your blood."

Six days later.

Deep in the mountains, outside a cave, Chen Han held his breath and focused his mind, standing as steady as a pine. The surroundings were deathly silent, save for the chirping of a few insects and birds in the mountain stream.

Before him lay a massive boulder that had rolled down from the mountainside; it was taller than a man, over twenty feet wide, and weighed more than eight hundred catties.

With a sharp bang, Chen Han stepped to the side, gripped the bottom of the boulder with both hands, and exerted force to lift it upward.

At first, the boulder did not budge, but as Chen Han gradually applied his strength, it began to tremble, until finally, the entire mass was hoisted into the air.

Although it was only lifted by a finger's breadth, for a youth of barely twenty, this was already an extraordinary achievement.

If Chen Feng, the head of the Chen Family, were to witness this scene, he would likely have offered to adopt him as a foster son on the spot.

However, after holding it for two breaths, Chen Han could no longer sustain the effort and let go. The boulder crashed down with a dull thud, causing the very ground to shudder.

Chen Han opened his hands, staring blankly at his palms, before suddenly breaking into a joyful grin.

His punching power had reached an astonishing one thousand catties! Yet, that did not necessarily equate to having one thousand catties of raw lifting strength.

Compared to the burst of a thousand-catty punch, the ability to sustain eight hundred catties of force was clearly even more terrifying.

"Too fast, this is simply too fast."

Let alone others, even Chen Han himself felt that his improvement was progressing at an excessive pace.

It was no wonder Blood Yin Child was so obsessed with him.

Having now completely digested the heart's blood essence from before, it was time to make another trip into the city.

Chen Han put on his shirt, tidied himself for a moment, and once again disguised his appearance before arriving at Black Lion City.

This time he chose a different teahouse, and before long, he overheard a piece of news from the idle chatter of the patrons. The corners of his mouth curled slightly, but his expression soon darkened with gravity.