Five Months of Training, Nine-Star Dou Zhe! The Target: Cave Treasure!

"Young Hero Lu, this cup is a toast from Yao. If not for you, Xiao Yi Xian and these brothers might not have made it back today." Mr. Yao raised his cup, his expression utterly sincere.

Lu Heng did not stand on ceremony. He lifted his cup and drained it in one gulp.

Although Boss Yao had coveted the treasure Xiao Yi Xian obtained in the original story, things had not reached that point yet. Some matters did not need to be interfered with too early.

"Boss Yao, you're too polite. Drawing one's blade when injustice is seen is only natural."

"Young Hero Lu, what a drinker!"

Mad Blade gave him a thumbs-up from the side. Though his arm was still wrapped in bandages, it did not stop him from flattering Lu Heng.

"That palm strike just now was downright miraculous! I, Mad Blade, have never admired anyone in my life. You're the first!"

Xiao Yi Xian sat nearby. Though she did not say much, her beautiful eyes kept wandering back to Lu Heng.

She found this young man rather interesting.

The way he spoke and acted seemed casual, yet he carried an unhurried composure.

And when he looked at her, his gaze was clear, without the repulsive greed and lust of those other men.

There even seemed to be an inexplicable trace of pity?

It had to be an illusion.

Xiao Yi Xian shook her head and poured herself a cup of tea.

After several rounds of wine and dishes.

Mr. Yao probed, "May I ask where Young Hero Lu learned from? Judging from your Dou Technique, it does not seem ordinary."

Here it came.

Lu Heng laughed inwardly.

They were already trying to sound him out.

He set down his chopsticks and gave Mr. Yao a half-smiling look. "Boss Yao, some things are better left unknown. The less you know, the better. Wouldn't you agree?"

Mr. Yao's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly laughed it off. "Yes, yes, Yao has spoken out of turn. Spoken out of turn."

He became even more certain that this young man's background was unfathomable.

Then Mr. Yao turned toward Xiao Yi Xian, who was quietly eating beside them.

"This time, we truly have Young Hero Lu to thank. If the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion's chief physician had perished in the mountains, it would have been a tremendous loss."

Xiao Yi Xian had been picking up a strand of greens. At his words, she set down her chopsticks and looked at Lu Heng with clear eyes, giving a slight bow.

"The forest was too chaotic before, so I never properly thanked Young Master Lu."

Beneath the lamplight, the young girl's face was soft and tranquil. She lacked Ya Fei's soul-stirring allure, but possessed an ethereal quality that calmed the heart.

Lu Heng rubbed his chin, his gaze openly traveling over Xiao Yi Xian's body. Yet there was none of the offensive lustfulness one might expect; it was more like appreciation.

"There's no need to thank me. This meal is quite tasty." Lu Heng pointed at the braised lion's head meatballs on the table.

"But honestly, Miss Xiao Yi Xian, the Magical Beast Mountain Range is no place for a stroll.

"If a delicate beauty like you really got slapped into minced meat by that monkey, it would be such a waste that even I would grieve for days."

His words were somewhat frivolous.

Mad Blade grimaced beside them, thinking that this kid had some nerve, flirting with a young lady right in front of everyone.

Yet Xiao Yi Xian did not get angry. Instead, she covered her mouth and gave a soft laugh. That momentary liveliness was like an orchid blooming in a secluded valley.

"Young Master Lu jests." Xiao Yi Xian's voice was gentle, but not timid.

"Gathering herbs and saving lives is a healer's duty. If one fears death, one cannot become a physician."

"That makes sense."

Lu Heng nodded and rose to his feet.

"In this world, if you want to live well, you either have to be ruthless or strong.

"It is good for a lady to be kind-hearted, but sometimes kindness is a poison that can kill you."

Having said that, Lu Heng ignored everyone's reactions and waved as he got up.

"I've eaten my fill and had enough to drink, so I won't keep everyone from making their fortune.

"Captain Mad Blade, remember to heal properly. You won't be so lucky next time."

Mad Blade gave a bitter smile and clasped his fists.

"Take care, Young Hero Lu."

Lu Heng strode out of the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion, his black silhouette quickly melting into the night.

Xiao Yi Xian watched the curtain at the doorway sway, the chopsticks in her hand remaining suspended for a long while.

"Kindness is poison..." she murmured softly. A trace of confusion flashed through her eyes before her usual cool detachment returned.

In the days that followed, Green Mountain Town had one less youth mooching meals everywhere, while the depths of the Magical Beast Mountain Range gained a mad hunter.

Lu Heng's life became extraordinarily monotonous—one could even call it self-torture.

At dawn, he meditated beneath a waterfall, using the pressure of the rushing water to temper his body while circulating the Five Spirits Chaos Art to absorb the wood and fire energies between heaven and earth.

At noon, he would seek out second-tier magical beasts for a chat.

From his initial frantic escapes to later being evenly matched with them, the thrill of fists striking flesh and the improvement in his combat instincts both delighted Lu Heng.

Evenings were for alchemy.

Lu Heng set up a medicine cauldron in a dry cave. The flame condensed from his Separating Fire Dou Qi was far purer and more stable than it had been half a year ago.

Yuan-Nurturing Powder, Qi Recovery Pills, healing medicine... bottle after bottle of medicinal pills was refined, then swallowed by him like candy.

If those independent cultivators outside saw this method of using money to smash his way upward in cultivation, they would likely turn red-eyed with jealousy and cough up blood.

Five months, one hundred and fifty days.

For ordinary people, it might have been nothing more than the changing of seasons.

But for Lu Heng, these were one hundred and fifty days of complete transformation.

Inside the cave.

A powerful aura suddenly erupted. The surrounding stones were swept into the air by the shockwave and slammed against the rock walls with sharp crackling sounds.

Lu Heng slowly opened his eyes.

In that instant, two flashes of light seemed to streak through the pitch-black cave—one lush green, the other blood-red.

Bare-chested, his once fair skin now possessed a bronze sheen. His muscles were not exaggerated, yet they were like tightly twisted steel cables, every inch containing explosive power.

"Nine-Star Dou Zhe."

Lu Heng clenched his fist, crushing the air in his palm with a crisp burst.

He took a jade bottle from his Storage Ring and poured out a round pill.

Yuan-Gathering Pill.

He had refined it on the night before leaving Wutan City. It gave a Nine-Star Dou Zhe a fifty percent chance of directly breaking through the Dou Master barrier.

As long as he swallowed it, he could attempt to break through to Dou Master right now.

Lu Heng stared at the pill for a long while before putting it back into his Storage Ring.

"No rush."

Lu Heng stood and walked to the cave entrance. Looking at the rolling mountain range in the distance, the corners of his mouth lifted.

"It'll be safer to break through after I get back."

In truth, Lu Heng was simply a little homesick.

He missed Sister Ya Fei, who always carefully calculated every expense yet was willing to spend money on him; he missed the pleasant scent of incense on her body; he missed the way she would stomp her feet in anger at him, yet be utterly helpless about it.

"Since I'm going back, I should take that treasure first."

Lu Heng dusted himself off and turned his gaze toward a steep cliff on the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

He had long since scouted out that location.

In the original story, it was Xiao Yan's first pot of gold—the treasure containing a fragmented map of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame and a flying Dou Technique.

Over the past five months, Lu Heng had thoroughly surveyed the surrounding area.

With a tap of his toes, Lu Heng shot rapidly in that direction.