Advance to Seventh Grade

"What's wrong with that? I'm still young; I have no use for this Longevity Jade Liquid. But you're getting on in years. Can't you take it as your disciple's filial offering?" Xia Daoming said with a smile.

"But you seized all of this yourself. As your master..." Liang Jingtang's hand trembled slightly as he held the jade bottle.

He was already past sixty. Over the years, he had spent vast sums on tonics, barely managing to slow the decline of his qi, blood, and inner strength.

But as he grew older, that decline would only accelerate.

Yet with a potent medicine like Longevity Jade Liquid, at his age, he could likely maintain his qi, blood, and inner strength until at least seventy before they began to decline again.

Moreover, Longevity Jade Liquid could also prolong one's life.

What martial artist did not wish to retain formidable strength? And who did not wish for longevity?

Liang Jingtang felt unworthy of accepting it, yet he truly could not bear to cast aside such a tremendous opportunity.

"Hehe, if you put it that way, then you put in a great deal of effort on this trip too. You take the Longevity Jade Liquid, and I'll take these Ice Rabbits and Ice-Cold Purple Ganoderma. That makes things fair and square," Xia Daoming said with a grin.

"Forget it. I won't argue with you anymore. With such an outstanding disciple as you, I don't want to lose face either. I want to live a few more years and watch how you carry forward and glorify our Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School!" Liang Jingtang finally laughed heartily, then carefully put away the bottle.

"That's more like it!" Xia Daoming smiled, then bent down, lifted the corpses of Xu Zhiji and Xu Shisen, and tossed them straight off the cliff.

Liang Jingtang watched silently, an inexplicable chill creeping up from the soles of his feet.

Those were an elder of the Xu Lineage and one of its most outstanding younger members, yet Xia Daoming had tossed them off the cliff like garbage!

However, Liang Jingtang knew this was the cleanest and most efficient way to destroy the evidence.

Moreover, grandfather and grandson Xu Zhiji and Xu Shisen had been arrogant and cruel, with no telling how many lives stained their hands. This was simply reaping what they had sown; there was nothing to pity.

"Master, let's go!" Xia Daoming said, picking up the sack and bundle.

"Alright!" Liang Jingtang nodded.

The two quickly left the mountain peak and vanished into the dense forest.

Not long after they departed, people gradually crawled out from the clouds and mist at different points along the cliff.

Every one of them was pale-faced and covered in blood.

Six days later.

Night fell.

At the foot of the Vast Mountain Range, a bonfire burned in the courtyard of a dilapidated house in an abandoned mountain village.

A large pot sat over the fire.

Inside, three Ice Rabbit hearts and a stalk of Golden Crow Grass bobbed and churned in the boiling water.

Xia Daoming and Liang Jingtang sat beside the fire, constantly feeding it more wood.

About two hours passed.

The three Ice Rabbit hearts and Golden Crow Grass had boiled into a thick soup.

Xia Daoming scooped up a small spoonful and tipped his head back to swallow it.

The moment the soup entered his throat, Xia Daoming felt surging energy spread through his organs, limbs, and bones.

"How is it?" Liang Jingtang asked nervously.

"Very good!" Xia Daoming replied happily. Then he scooped out a small bowl, drained it in one gulp, and sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, circulating the Dragon Serpent Art.

Seeing this, Liang Jingtang leaped onto the roof and landed softly. He sat cross-legged but did not close his eyes to cultivate. Instead, his eyes flashed with sharp light as he looked down from above, vigilantly guarding all directions.

To Liang Jingtang, the Golden Crow Returning Origin Soup was an exceptionally fierce medicine. The slightest distraction could send its medicinal power out of control and damage Xia Daoming's meridians, so he could not allow any accident to disturb him.

The Golden Crow Returning Origin Soup's medicinal power was indeed extremely fierce.

But Xia Daoming differed from others. As long as he could withstand the first step, his meridians could rapidly strengthen and advance, allowing him to endure even more medicinal power.

Therefore, on the first day, he drank only one small bowl.

On the second day, he drank two small bowls in succession, making Liang Jingtang's heart leap into his throat.

On the third day, he drank three small bowls in succession.

On the fourth day, he drank the remaining half of the medicinal soup all at once.

By then, Liang Jingtang had gone numb from watching!

That night, Xia Daoming not only used the medicine's power to complete Ninth Level Meridian Strengthening in the Sixth-Rank Realm and smash through his seventh meridian like bamboo splitting before the wind, becoming a Seventh-Rank Great Martial Master, but also completed more than another level of meridian strengthening with the remaining medicinal power.

On the fifth day, when master and disciple left the abandoned mountain village, the interface in Xia Daoming's mind had changed to:

Xia Daoming--

Cultivation: Seventh-Rank Realm.

Level Two Meridian Strengthening Progress: 30%.

Walking along the mountain road and feeling the surging qi, blood, and inner strength within him, Xia Daoming was very satisfied with the gains from this journey.

Not only had his cultivation successfully broken through to the seventh rank, but he still had sixteen stalks of Ice-Cold Purple Ganoderma for further meridian strengthening in the Seventh-Rank Realm. Most importantly, he now knew the location of the Dragon Transformation Fruit.

Thus, his Transforming Strength realm was now within reach.

On the return journey, master and disciple deliberately stopped and started along the way, dragging out their travel time.

Of the group that had entered the mountains with them, aside from the two of them, it would already be fortunate if as many as five people had managed to escape alive.

With such grievous losses and nothing to show for it, the Xu Lineage would surely fly into a rage and interrogate the survivors.

Although Liang Jingtang and Xia Daoming had long prepared their story, they still had guilty consciences. There was no guarantee they would not inadvertently reveal some clue.

But if others returned to Li City first—especially Xu Lineage survivors—and reported the matter to the Xu Lineage, then once the Xu Lineage understood the "truth" and formed a preconceived judgment, Liang Jingtang reckoned he would only need to report to them before it was over, without wasting much breath.

Ten days later, master and disciple arrived at Li City's east gate looking "travel-worn and dusty."

"Liang Jingtang and his disciple are back!"

"Master and Junior Brother are back!"

"Master! Master!"

The moment Xia Daoming reached the city gate, he spotted Liu Qiaolian among the crowd, weeping with joy, along with Yuchi Xiao and the other fellow disciples from the martial arts school.

However, several Xu Lineage martial masters blocked them from approaching.

A Xu Lineage steward stepped forward and brought Liang Jingtang and Xia Daoming up to the gate tower.

An elder of the Xu Lineage stood atop the tower.

"You've returned. Is there any news of Elder Xu Zhiji and Xu Shisen?" the Xu Lineage elder asked gravely as he slowly turned around.

"When the Rabbit King appeared, everyone scattered to flee for their lives. After that, we never saw Elder Xu Zhiji or Young Master Xu Shisen again," Liang Jingtang replied with a slight bow.

Upon hearing this, the Xu Lineage elder said nothing. He slowly turned back around and waved a hand behind him without looking back.

Clearly, this was the outcome he had expected long ago.

"This junior takes his leave!" Liang Jingtang and Xia Daoming bowed once more, then turned and descended the gate tower.

"Master! Junior Brother!"

"Master!"

The moment they came down, Yuchi Xiao and the others crowded around them excitedly.

Liu Qiaolian gazed at Xia Daoming with tears in her eyes. She longed to throw herself into his arms, yet she restrained herself with all her might.

"We'll talk after we get back!" Liang Jingtang said, waving a large hand.

--

"It's so good to be home!"

In the rear courtyard of the Xia residence, after a hearty round of card-playing practice with Liu Qiaolian, Xia Daoming held her snow-white body in his arms, utterly satisfied.

"Master has gotten stronger again!" Liu Qiaolian flattered him with a satisfied expression.

"Of course!" Hearing this, Xia Daoming's heroic spirit rose. With a turn, he rolled over and was about to have another round of card-playing practice with Liu Qiaolian, frightening her into hurriedly begging for mercy.

"Hehe, then next time!" Xia Daoming knew Liu Qiaolian's physical constitution could not compare with his, so he could only give it up.

"Should this servant call Xia He and Yue Gui in?" Liu Qiaolian whispered, breathing hot air into Xia Daoming's ear.

"Am I that casual a man?" Xia Daoming said with a stern face, looking every inch the chaste and unyielding man whom feminine charms could not corrupt.

"Master!" Liu Qiaolian cried emotionally, hugging Xia Daoming tightly.

"Don't! When I get casual, I'm not even human!" Xia Daoming felt the fiery body in his arms and endured bitterly, on the verge of tears.

--

The Ji Family.

That quiet courtyard in the western district of Ji Mansion.

"Thank heavens! I knew Big Brother would be alright!" Upon hearing her subordinate's report, Ji Wenyue let out a long breath, but tears still slid uncontrollably down her cheeks.

News of the accident suffered by Xu Zhiji's group in the Vast Mountain Range had been spreading through the city like wildfire these past few days.

Only then did Ji Wenyue learn that Xia Daoming had gone along with Liang Jingtang. She had worried herself sick, unable to eat, unable to sleep, and had grown noticeably thinner.

Now that she had finally heard the news that Liang Jingtang and Xia Daoming had returned safely, the heart hanging in her chest finally settled back into place.

PS: The new book is in PK. Please continue to collect and follow!

Thanks to readers Purple Bamboo Xianglin, Autumn Divine Light, Li Gongzi 2019, and others for their rewards.