Body Refining Seventh Level

Grand Tutor Mansion.

Grand Tutor Gao Fan, Cavalry General Song Xiu, and several other officials sat together, chatting and laughing.

"Everyone, please, have some tea," Gao Fan said with a smile, half-raising his cup. "This is made from the Spirit Peach Leaf from Azure Dragon Mountain. I usually only take small sips."

Upon hearing that it was the Spirit Peach Leaf from Azure Dragon Mountain, Song Xiu and the others were flattered; they were well aware of how precious those leaves were.

Gao Fan laughed. "Drink, drink."

Song Xiu and the others nodded repeatedly. After taking a sip, they found their mouths filled with a refreshing fragrance and sweetness, their internal organs feeling as if they had been cleansed by a cool breeze.

Song Xiu took another sip and smiled at Gao Fan. "Although the Emperor didn't express his stance yesterday, from what I could tell, he intends to strip Zhou Wei of his position as General of the Nation."

Gao Fan chuckled. "Zhou Wei's strength does not match his rank. As General of the Nation, he isn't even at the Xiantian realm; he climbed to his position entirely through military merit. The high-ranking generals in the army have long had grievances, and now that his heart meridians are damaged, if he continues to serve as General of the Nation, the military will surely be resentful."

"The Emperor must have considered this."

"Therefore, even if he isn't removed from the post of General of the Nation right now, he will certainly be removed in a few days!"

"Unless Zhou Wei's injuries can recover."

"But as for his recovery? He can wait for his next life."

After Gao Fan finished speaking, Song Xiu and the others burst into laughter.

"Once the Emperor strips Zhou Wei of his rank, I will recommend you to him," Gao Fan said to Song Xiu with a confident expression. "I will see you seated in Zhou Wei's chair."

Upon hearing this, Cavalry General Song Xiu was ecstatic. He stood up and bowed to Gao Fan. "Many thanks, Grand Tutor. This subordinate will certainly not fail your high expectations."

Gao Fan waved his hand, smiling. "We are colleagues; it is only right that we help one another."

Just then, a captain of the Grand Tutor Mansion's guards rushed in, falling to his knees with panic written all over his face. "Grand Tutor, Young Master Gao Jun... we found them, but..." He dared not continue.

Gao Fan's brow furrowed, a bad feeling rising within him. "But what?"

"But Young Master Gao Jun and the others... they are dead. All of them are dead." As the guard captain spoke, his voice trembled.

"What!" Gao Fan rose abruptly, his eyes wide with rage. Like a lion breaking out of its cage, his aura surged toward the heavens.

Song Xiu and the other officials were also shocked. The Grand Tutor's grandson had been killed?!

Who could be so bold!

"Where?" Gao Fan roared, his thick, white eyebrows arching in a way that made the guard captain's heart tremble. He stammered, "In the Green Demon Mountain Range. We did not dare move Young Master Gao Jun's body before reporting to you."

As soon as he finished, Gao Fan stormed out of the Grand Tutor Mansion like a whirlwind, mounted his warhorse, and charged toward the Green Demon Mountain Range.

Song Xiu and the other officials did not hesitate, each mounting their own horses to follow.

The remaining guards of the Grand Tutor Mansion also scrambled to mount their horses and follow suit.

Gao Fan galloped with murderous intent, followed by the panicked crowd of guards, drawing the speculation of various officials throughout the Dafeng Capital along the way.

Gao Fan reached the Green Demon Mountain Range at top speed, arriving before the corpse of his grandson, Gao Jun.

Looking at his grandson's body, Gao Fan knelt down tremblingly, reached out to embrace the remains, and his eyes turned red.

By this time, the bodies of Gao Jun and the guards had already been partially gnawed upon by demonic beasts.

Gao Fan stroked his grandson's body in silence, tears falling soundlessly.

Song Xiu and the others remained silent.

Although Gao Fan was the Grand Tutor, he did not have many descendants—two sons and four grandsons. Gao Jun was his favorite, so one could imagine the depth of his grief.

No one dared to speak or interrupt.

After a long while, Gao Fan finally spoke. "Investigate!" It was only one word, yet it sent a chill through everyone present.

Nearly a thousand guards of the Grand Tutor Mansion shouted their acknowledgment in unison.

Zhou Cheng, who was at the Heavenly Dragon Temple, knew nothing of the events at the Grand Tutor Mansion. He had requested a vacant room from the monks and began practicing the Wind-Facing Willow Steps.

Although the three martial arts techniques could cultivate automatically, sitting idle was still sitting idle; it was better to actively practice the Wind-Facing Willow Steps to accelerate its progress.

Of the three techniques, only the Wind-Facing Willow Steps had yet to reach the "Entering the Hall" stage.

He would strive to reach that stage by tomorrow.

In the main hall of the Heavenly Dragon Temple, the Emperor of Great Feng, Zhu Xuan, was discussing Buddhist scriptures with the Abbot. Suddenly, the commander of his guards entered and whispered something into Zhu Xuan's ear.

Zhu Xuan was visibly stunned. "Dead?!"

The report from the guard commander was about the murder of the Grand Tutor's grandson, Gao Jun, and over twenty guards from the Grand Tutor Mansion.

Grand Tutor Gao Fan was a veteran of three reigns, a man of immense power whose slightest movement could make the Great Feng Dynasty tremble. The murder of his grandson was, naturally, no small matter.

"Your Majesty, what is your view on this?" the guard commander asked for instructions.

"Observe the situation for now," Zhu Xuan mused.

The guard commander understood and withdrew.

Zhu Xuan suddenly turned to the Abbot of the Heavenly Dragon Temple, Ming De. "Master Ming De, what is your take on the Buddhist phenomenon that occurred at the temple yesterday? Could it truly have been a sign of a real Buddha manifesting in the world?"

Ming De held his right palm upright, his expression solemn. "Amitabha."

"Based on yesterday's phenomenon, this old monk deduces that even if a true Buddha has not descended, someone has certainly resonated with all the Buddhas," said Abbot Ming De of the Heavenly Dragon Temple. "Furthermore, it must be someone who was present at the Heavenly Dragon Temple yesterday morning."

Zhu Xuan was astonished. "Resonated with all the Buddhas? Could this person possess a supreme Buddha physique?"

Abbot Ming De replied, "That is likely the case, though all of this is merely this old monk's deduction."

Zhu Xuan fell into deep thought.

Time flowed by.

At high noon, the system's voice rang out in Zhou Cheng's mind.

"Due to your location within an ancient Buddhist temple permeated with Buddha-nature, your Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique has accelerated, reaching one hundred percent progress and breaking through to the seventh level."

Finally, the seventh level.

The light of the Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique vibrated incessantly.

It was more intense than the light from any of his previous breakthroughs.

Whether in body tempering, qi cultivation, or innate realms, the fourth and seventh stages are both critical watersheds.

Once one breaks through to the seventh stage of body tempering, both physical strength and defense undergo a massive, qualitative leap.

Feeling the changes in his skin, muscles, and internal organs, Zhou Cheng threw a punch, the force of which stirred up a wave of air.

Even a tenth-stage body tempering expert could not generate such a shockwave with a punch, yet Zhou Cheng had achieved it.

"Congratulations to the host for breaking through to the seventh stage of body tempering. You have received a breakthrough gift pack."

"Do you wish to open the breakthrough gift pack now?"

Zhou Cheng was already familiar with this process and spoke without hesitation: "Open."

Instantly, the breakthrough gift pack flashed with light and opened.

"You have obtained one Marrow-Cleansing Pill."

"You have obtained one Bronze-Armored Guard."

"You have obtained one juvenile Black Tortoise Divine Beast."

Seeing that the breakthrough gift pack contained another Marrow-Cleansing Pill after reaching the seventh stage of body tempering, Zhou Cheng smiled. This breakthrough gift pack was truly satisfying.

His aptitude was already top-tier; with a few more Marrow-Cleansing Pills, he should be able to become a once-in-a-century genius, right?

It really is a constant thrill to keep breaking through.