New Guest in Luoyun Town

The night wind howled, carrying the unique chill of the mountains and forests.

Chen Chen guided the flying sword, as large as a door panel, soaring rapidly hundreds of meters in the air.

This was the first time he had truly flown through the air.

Before, when he was escaping, he had relied solely on his Blood Essence to push through, with no time to feel anything. Now, with his mind calm, an unprecedented, wondrous feeling surged within him.

Below him, mountains and rivers rapidly receded. The wind whistled past his ears, and the vastness of the world unfolded before his eyes.

This, was the world of cultivators!

It was an experience on a completely different level compared to Body Tempering Realm martial artists rushing on the ground.

The True Qi within his body, following the methods of the Asura God Transformation Art, slowly infused the flying sword beneath his feet. Although the spiritual light on the sword was still dim, its speed and stability were more than double what they were when he had used Blood Essence to propel it.

"True Qi... is indeed a higher level of energy than Blood Essence," Chen Chen marveled inwardly.

He could feel that with every rotation of the small, blood-colored vortex in his Dantian, a thread of pure True Qi was produced, flowing through his limbs and bones, filling his entire body with strength.

After his Nine Nether Soul Refining Art reached Minor Accomplishment, his soul power had also surged. Within a thousand-meter radius, not a single blade of grass stirred without his awareness. This gave him a greater sense of composure and security while flying his sword.

He glanced back in the direction of Qingyang City, which had long since vanished into the vast night.

"Blood Fiend Tower..."

"Wang Teng..."

Chen Chen's gaze was as cold as frost.

He knew that while his current strength was enough to dominate in a place like Qingyang City, in the grand scheme of the world, being at the First Stage of Qi Condensation was merely the starting point of the cultivation path.

Neither the mysterious envoy from the Blood Fiend Tower nor Wang Teng, who was in the Azure Cloud Sect, were individuals he could easily deal with right now.

Not to mention the White-robed Woman, who had cut open a spatial rift with a single sword strike, her strength was unfathomably deep.

Heavenly Sword Peak, the three-month agreement.

This was an opportunity, but also immense pressure.

"The priority now is to find a place to thoroughly stabilize my cultivation and, at the same time, convert this haul into true strength."

Chen Chen made up his mind.

He currently possessed a treasure trove but lacked the time to sort through it. The items in Wang Zhan's Storage Bag, the staggering 1540 Cultivation Points, and the newly awakened divine ability, Asura Battle Body, all required him to calm himself and study them thoroughly.

He changed direction, no longer flying aimlessly. Instead, he chose a direction far from Qingyang City, intending to find an inconspicuous small town to temporarily settle down.

Two days later.

Nearly a thousand kilometers away from Qingyang City, a small town named "Luoyun Town" appeared in Chen Chen's sight.

The town was built against the mountains, not large in scale, and appeared ordinary. However, among the pedestrians coming and going, many were martial artists carrying swords and exuding a fierce aura.

Chen Chen even sensed several faint auras belonging to cultivators in the Qi Condensation Realm.

This was clearly a place where cultivators and mortals coexisted, a gathering point for various martial artists and rogue cultivators.

A mixed crowd, perfect for hiding his identity.

Chen Chen landed in a dense forest about ten miles outside the town.

He put away his flying sword and changed out of his tattered clothes, donning a plain blue martial artist's uniform he had found in Wang Zhan's Storage Bag.

Then, he washed the bloodstains from his face with clean water and used a special medicinal solution to alter his features slightly, making him appear a few years older than his actual age and adding a touch of world-weariness to his expression.

After completing these preparations, he concealed his aura completely, suppressing his cultivation to resemble the Seventh or Eighth Level of Body Tempering, and then strode towards Luoyun Town.

As he entered the town, an atmosphere completely different from Qingyang City enveloped him.

Shops lined both sides of the street.

Besides common taverns, inns, and grain stores, there were also many shops with signs like "Hundred Herbs Hall," "Artifact Refining Pavilion," and "Talisman Studio."

Martial artists frequently entered and exited the shops, their conversations revolving around topics like "Demonic Beasts," "Spirit Medicine," and "Missions."

Chen Chen found an inn that looked the most ordinary and requested a room.

Upon entering the room, the first thing he did was use his soul power to meticulously scan the entire room, and even the several rooms next door.

Only after confirming there were no surveillance devices or restrictions did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He closed the doors and windows, set up a simple alarm formation, and then fully immersed his consciousness into the System.

[Name: Chen Chen]
[Realm: Qi Condensation First Stage]
[Cultivation Method: Asura God Transformation Art (Second Level), Nine Nether Soul Refining Art (Minor Accomplishment)]
[Martial Skill: Seven Shadows Step (Mastered)]
[Divine Ability: Eye of Asura, Asura Battle Body (Initial Stage)]
[Cultivation Points: 1500]

Looking at the 1500 Cultivation Points, Chen Chen's heart burned with renewed fervor.

These Cultivation Points are enough to bring about another earth-shattering change in his strength!

"System, how many Cultivation Points are needed to break through to the Second Level of Qi Condensation?"

[Breaking through from the First Level of Qi Condensation to the Second Level of Qi Condensation requires the consumption of 1000 points of cultivation.]

One thousand points!

Chen Chen's brows furrowed.

This consumption was much greater than he had anticipated.

From the Ninth Level of Body Tempering to the First Level of Qi Condensation, a perfect breakthrough only cost 500 points. Yet, from the First to the Second Level of Qi Condensation, it had doubled!

It seemed that every subsequent advancement after the Qi Condensation Realm was a significant hurdle.

However, he had enough Cultivation Points now.

But he didn't choose to break through immediately.

He had just entered the Qi Condensation Realm, his foundation was unstable, and his use of True Qi was still clumsy. Rushing another breakthrough could easily lead to an unstable foundation and leave hidden dangers.

"One must eat one bite at a time."

Chen Chen suppressed the impulse in his heart and shifted his attention to the newly awakened divine ability.

Asura Battle Body (Beginner)!

With a thought, he began to try and activate this divine ability.

[Activating 'Asura Battle Body' requires the consumption of True Qi. With the host's current True Qi reserves, it can be maintained for the duration of one incense stick.]

The System's prompt sounded.

Chen Chen did not hesitate and chose to activate it.

Boom!

A surge of violent, blood-colored malevolent energy erupted from the vortex in his Dantian, instantly flowing through his limbs and bones!

On the surface of his body, beneath his skin, rows of mysterious and complex blood-colored patterns lit up like living things, spreading from his chest to his cheeks and limbs.

His hair, without wind, moved on its own, its tips faintly tinged with an eerie blood-red.

A terrifying and domineering aura, far more potent than before, exploded from within him!

Chen Chen clenched his fist. He could feel that his physical strength had at least tripled at this moment!

Not only that, but his physical defense had also reached a frightening level. He extended a finger and forcefully drew it across his arm, producing a "clang" sound, like metal striking metal. Not even a white mark appeared on his skin!

"Such powerful flesh!"

A terrifying glint erupted in Chen Chen's eyes.

This was only the beginner stage of the Asura Battle Body! If he cultivated it to a profound level, wouldn't he be able to achieve physical sainthood, impervious to all magic?

Heaven-tier cultivation techniques were indeed terrifying!

He carefully felt the changes brought about by the Asura Battle Body. It wasn't until an incense stick's worth of time had passed and the True Qi in his body was depleted that the blood-colored patterns on his body slowly faded.

A wave of weakness washed over him.

Chen Chen immediately sat down cross-legged and took out a Low-grade Spirit Stone from his Storage Bag.

This was his first time attempting to use Spirit Stones to recover cultivation.

Following the methods of the Asura God Transformation Art, he began to absorb the pure Spiritual Energy from the Spirit Stone.

Wisps of pure Spiritual Energy were drawn from the Spirit Stone and flowed into his body, rapidly replenishing the dry vortex in his Dantian.

A Low-grade Spirit Stone quickly turned to dust.

And the True Qi he had consumed was also recovered by about seventy to eighty percent.

"Cultivating with Spirit Stones is indeed more than a hundred times faster than cultivating on my own!"

Chen Chen marveled inwardly.

No wonder they say that cultivation is all about resources.

Without resources, no matter how high your talent, you can't progress an inch.

He glanced at the over a thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones in Wang Zhan's Storage Bag, feeling a little relieved.

These resources would be enough for him to spend for a while.

Besides Cultivation Points and divine abilities, he also needed to sort through Wang Zhan's Storage Bag.

Apart from Spirit Stones and Qi Condensation Pills, there were quite a few good things inside.

Several Yellow-tier and Black-tier Martial Skill Manuals. Although their paths didn't align with his cultivation technique, they could still provide many insights through analogy.

Especially the Low-grade Black Tier Blood Fiend Saber Technique, some of its moves could be borrowed and used.

There were also various pills, talismans, and some unknown materials.

He couldn't use these things for now, but he could exchange them for Spirit Stones.

"It's time to go take a look around town."

Chen Chen stood up, pushed open the door, and walked out.

He needed to understand this world, and he also needed to... turn these spoils of war into capital for his continued growth.