Mid-grade Marrow Cleansing Pill

"Trying to run?"

A cold gleam shot from Cheng Heng's eyes. The blood and qi within him instantly boiled as he threw a punch carrying Thousand-Pound force, tearing through the air!

Feeling the overwhelmingly oppressive aura behind him, Li Teng's back prickled, and a sense of foreboding rose in his heart.

Bang!

The Tiger-Subduing Heavy Fist smashed viciously into Li Teng's back. He flew like a kite with its string cut, vomiting mouthfuls of blood!

"I'm not willing! I'm not willing!"

"I still haven't used the Marrow-Cleansing Pill! I still haven't avenged my family!"

This was Li Teng's final thought before he completely lost consciousness.

Thud!

He then crashed heavily to the ground.

Cheng Heng approached Li Teng without emotion. His eyes showed no hesitation as he drew his steel saber and severed his head with one stroke.

He swiftly searched him for a moment. Aside from a thousand-tael banknote he carried on him, there was only a small jade bottle.

Cheng Heng frowned slightly. Li Teng should have been carrying a great treasure this time. Why was he so poorly equipped?

The dignified young master of the Li Family had carried only a thousand-tael banknote while fleeing?

Puzzled, Cheng Heng gently removed the jade bottle's stopper. At once, a fragrant pill aroma wafted into his nose and mouth.

What a fragrance!

Neither the pills Cheng Heng had taken nor Blood Ginseng had ever possessed such a peculiar scent!

Upon examining the pill closely, he saw a round, flawless pill the size of a longan resting quietly within the jade bottle.

The entire pill was a warm, lustrous white like the finest mutton-fat jade. Within its body, pale golden rosy radiance seemed to flow and swirl.

Its surface was also covered in ancient, indescribable patterns!

Pill patterns!

They were actually pill patterns!

This pill had to be a priceless treasure.

Cheng Heng quietly pondered for a moment. His knowledge was still too shallow; he did not yet know what this pill did.

But merely from the fact that Li Teng had kept it close to his body, this pill was likely worth a fortune and was the Li Family's greatest gain this time!

No one could be allowed to learn of this pill. Cheng Heng swept his gaze over the dense forest, placed the jade bottle within a dead tree, and marked the spot, intending to retrieve it after the commotion had passed.

After making certain there was nothing else left behind nearby, Cheng Heng leapt up and swiftly returned to the Inner City.

By the time he returned to the Inner City, the county office's men had already begun cleaning up the battlefield.

The Li Family had been utterly wiped out by the county office, and Li Wen had, as expected, also been killed by He Chunshan!

"Lord He, I have not failed my mission. I have brought back the head of the Li Family remnant!"

Cheng Heng cupped his fists and placed Li Teng's head before He County Magistrate.

He County Magistrate's face was covered in blood, and his expression was ashen. Only after seeing Cheng Heng return did his expression ease somewhat.

"Well done, Cheng Heng. Did you gain anything?"

Hearing this, Cheng Heng hurriedly took the thousand-tael banknote from his chest and respectfully offered it to He Chunshan.

"This subordinate found only a thousand-tael banknote on Li Teng. Other than that, there were no other gains!"

He Chunshan stared at Cheng Heng with eagle-like eyes for a moment. Seeing nothing unusual about him, he said,

"A thousand-tael banknote. You have rendered considerable merit this time, so keep it for yourself!"

"Yes!"

Cheng Heng cupped his fists again in thanks, then tucked the thousand-tael banknote into his robes.

He Chunshan truly deserved to be a Skill-Transforming Force expert. Merely being scrutinized by him for a moment made Cheng Heng feel intensely uncomfortable beneath that pressure!

There had been nothing improper in his words or actions. It seemed He Chunshan had not grown suspicious.

"He County Magistrate is truly ruthless. The Li Family had several hundred people from top to bottom, and every last one was killed!"

On the way back to the county office, Wang Ming spoke softly to Cheng Heng.

"By rights, He County Magistrate should be pleased after wiping out the Li Family and uncovering the true culprit behind the stolen medicinal ingredients. Why does he seem so angry to me?"

Cheng Heng asked with a puzzled expression.

Wang Ming quickly glanced around. Only after confirming there was no one nearby did he lower his voice.

"Ah, Brother Cheng, you don't know. It's strange! As one of Gaoyang County's four great lineages, the Li Family yielded only a little over three thousand taels of silver after their property was confiscated. Apart from that, there was nothing valuable in their home!"

"How could He County Magistrate not be furious? That batch of stolen medicinal ingredients alone was worth over five thousand taels of silver. How could you expect him to be happy?"

Cheng Heng frowned slightly at this, but said nothing more.

If his estimate was correct, the Li Family's entire fortune had likely been used to purchase that pill.

What kind of pill was it, to be worth such a staggering fortune!

No one could ever be allowed to learn of that pill!

After that, the two spoke no further. Upon returning to the county office, they bade each other farewell and went directly home.

In the time that followed, Cheng Heng never went to retrieve that pill.

However, whenever he had time, he went to Wu Zhong's study to thoroughly study explanations of various medicinal ingredients and basic knowledge of pills.

In the end, he found the origin of that pill in an ancient, detailed treatise on pills.

Mid-Grade Marrow-Cleansing Pill!

Its two pill patterns indicated that it was Mid-Grade.

The Marrow-Cleansing Pill could cleanse one's constitution and improve one's Root Bone!

Reading the ancient text's explanation of the Marrow-Cleansing Pill, Cheng Heng's heart churned like stormy seas.

He himself possessed only Low-Grade Root Bone. If he took that pill, he could certainly improve his aptitude.

However, its precise effects would have to be tested later.

After learning its origin, Cheng Heng instead calmed down. He had hidden the pill extremely well, so there was no rush to retrieve it.

He would wait until he found a safe opportunity in the future before taking back the Marrow-Cleansing Pill.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye, and the day of the Martial Examination arrived!

Outer City, Tiger-Subduing Martial Hall!

[Fate: Heaven Rewards Diligence]

[Persevere without fail, and success will surely come.]

[Vajra Art, Second Layer: (1852/2000)]

[Tiger-Subduing Stance Art, Perfection (4685/7000): ten practices a day, complete in three years]

[Tiger-Subduing Fist Technique, Perfection (4782/7000): ten practices a day, complete in three years]

[Mountain-Cleaving Saber Technique (Complete)]

[Martial Dao Space: Unlocked (Charging 91/100)]

Over these two months, Cheng Heng had finally cultivated the Mountain-Cleaving Saber Technique he had obtained from the Black Tiger Gang to completion.

Though the Mountain-Cleaving Saber Technique was merely an inferior martial art, after Cheng Heng cultivated it to completion, its power was quite remarkable, no weaker than his Tiger-Subduing Fist Technique at the Perfection Stage!

However, the progress of the Vajra Art's second layer had gradually slowed. Cheng Heng had also figured out some of the reasons behind this.

The reason he had advanced by leaps and bounds in the Vajra Art's first layer was that he had already possessed Hidden Force cultivation when he began practicing it.

That was why he had been able to master it so quickly.

But after reaching the second layer, because his current realm remained at Hidden Force, his progress gradually slowed.

The progress of the Tiger-Subduing Stance Art and fist technique had also continued rising steadily. Cheng Heng was brimming with confidence regarding this Martial Examination!

After all, judging from his clash with the Li Family's young master, Li Teng, securing a place in the top ten would not be a problem!

As long as he cultivated steadily, step by step, the day he broke through to Skill-Transforming Force would not be far away.

As for that Marrow-Cleansing Pill, to be safe, Cheng Heng planned to retrieve it only after breaking through to Skill-Transforming Force. Only then could he ensure everything was foolproof!