Working in Secret

Yanjing South Market.

Lu Chen stood before the counter of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion and tapped the display case. "How many spirit stones for a third-tier ice-attributed demon core?"

The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes as he sized up the young man in coarse linen clothes, his smile false and insincere.

"You jest, sir. How could an ordinary person afford such a treasure?"

Before he finished speaking, a bag of spirit stones slammed onto the counter.

The mouth of the bag hung slightly open, revealing three hundred low-grade spirit stones gleaming within.

The shopkeeper's throat bobbed as he prepared to change his tune, but a sneer suddenly came from behind him.

"I'll take the demon core. He's a Tianyan disciple. Do you not want to do business anymore?"

A cultivator in golden robes strode into the shop, the pressure of a third-layer Golden Core Realm cultivator crashing down like a mountain collapse.

The emblem of Tianyu Academy was embroidered over his chest.

Lu Chen turned around and sneered. "Yanjing is the capital of Great Yan, not Tianyu territory. Interfering in a merchant's affairs—are you in such a hurry to rebel?"

The word "rebel" struck deeply at everyone present.

There had always been rumors like that, but who dared say them aloud?

The very word "rebel" dragged down Tianyu Academy's standing, and the academy itself forbade people from saying it.

"Courting death!" The golden-robed cultivator formed a sword with two fingers, sending Sword Qi streaking like a rainbow toward Lu Chen's throat.

Lu Chen twisted through the air with Wind and Thunder Steps, his Qi and Blood condensing into a massive hand that struck back.

Sword Qi and palm wind collided, and the blast of air knocked over quite a few people.

The golden-robed cultivator formed a hand seal and summoned nine flying swords, their sword formation blooming like a lotus.

Lu Chen sneered as his Qi and Blood Domain abruptly spread outward.

The flying swords entered the domain as though they had sunk into a swamp. He seized one with his bare hand and hurled it back.

Clang! The sword formation shattered, and blood splashed from the golden-robed cultivator's shoulder.

"My turn."

Lu Chen flashed behind him, flooding his palm with Qi and Blood before chopping at his neck with a hand blade.

The golden-robed cultivator let out a muffled groan and fell. Lu Chen stripped the storage ring from his hand in one swift motion.

The shopkeeper brought out the demon core. Lu Chen tossed the ring to him. "Use the spirit stones inside to settle the bill. Package all the rest into spirit rice."

"Yes, yes, yes!" The shopkeeper did not dare hesitate and hurried away to make the arrangements.

On the second floor, Young Master Qiu hid among the spectators, one eyebrow lifting slightly.

What did the Imperial Loyalists mean by picking trouble with Lu Chen?

Tianyu Academy was not truly a monolith. Aside from the Radical Faction that wanted to overthrow Great Yan, it also had Imperial Loyalists who supported Great Yan.

However, their voice carried far less weight than that of the Radical Faction.

The Radical Faction had not attacked Lu Chen, yet the Imperial Loyalists had stepped forward instead.

That allowed Young Master Qiu to see an opportunity.

Given Lu Chen's habit of cutting weeds and pulling out the roots, what would happen next?

Should he fan the flames a little, then...

Little did he know that Lu Chen had received a secret voice transmission from his opponent during their battle.

The clamor of Yanjing South Market gradually faded behind him as Lu Chen moved through the dense forest.

The setting sun filtered through the branches and leaves in mottled patches. He rubbed the hilt of the Soul Severing Saber, a faint smile curling his lips.

In the storage ring of that Golden Core cultivator from the Imperial Loyalists, whom he had fought at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, there had actually been a third-tier fire-attributed demon core.

Together with the ice-attributed demon core he had bought and the Lightning Fire Essence he had obtained earlier, he had gathered all the mutually restraining energy treasures needed to break through to the eighth layer.

To advance from the seventh layer of the Qi Surge Realm to the eighth, he needed to fuse three treasures with conflicting attributes and truly achieve Qi and Blood manifestation.

"Junior Brother, the tail has caught up." Xiong Yao's voice transmission rang out abruptly, her rough voice carrying a hint of teasing.

From the corner of his eye, Lu Chen caught several lingering streaks of light flashing through the shadows between the trees.

The Imperial Loyalists truly kept their word. Their promised "first gift" had arrived quickly enough.

He deliberately slowed down.

Whoosh!

Eight black shadows rose into the air from all directions. The three in front wore black robes embroidered with gold and covered their faces with dark iron ghost masks, their Golden Core pressure crushing down on Lu Chen like a tide.

Behind them, five peak Foundation Establishment cultivators formed a formation to seal off the path, the talismans in their hands glowing with a cold, ghostly blue light.

"Little brat, where do you think you're going?"

The leading Golden Core cultivator spoke in a hoarse voice. A long spear condensed in his palm, lightning patterns faintly visible along its tip. It was unmistakably a spiritual weapon.

Lu Chen sneered. The Soul Severing Saber suddenly blazed with light, but before its blade aura could emerge, an explosive shout erupted behind him.

"Testing your blade? Ask this old lady's hammer first!"

Boom!

Xiong Yao crashed down like a meteor, her dark iron heavy hammer sweeping across. Two Foundation Establishment cultivators were caught off guard, their protective Spiritual Light shattering like paper as they flew backward and smashed through three ancient pines.

Fang Jiuding dropped from the treetops like a ghost. An iron pot flipped upside down above him, its bottom flickering as it absorbed all the spiritual power from the formation.

"A formation cultivator?" The black-robed Golden Core cultivator's pupils shrank. He swung his spear around and stabbed straight at Fang Jiuding's throat. "Kill this meddlesome bastard first!"

"Meddle with your grandpa!" Lu Chen used Wind and Thunder Steps to flash over, his blade smashing head-on into the spear tip as sparks scattered in all directions.

The black-robed Golden Core cultivator felt his tiger's mouth go numb. The lightning patterns on the spear shaft were actually being eroded by blade Qi, and he cursed inwardly as he withdrew.

How could Lu Chen let him retreat?

The phantom of the Myriad Manifestations Furnace appeared, and a sweep of dim light from its mouth drew the spear's lightning-fire essence away like streams flowing into a river.

The black-robed Golden Core cultivator reached out in horror to reclaim his treasure, only to see Xiong Yao's heavy hammer already above his head. He could only abandon the spear and retreat wildly.

"Don't let a single one escape!"

Fang Jiuding shook his iron pot. The pot abruptly expanded, covering the entire forest.

The five Foundation Establishment cultivators formed hand seals to break the formation, but Lu Chen's three clones suddenly appeared. Their overlapping Qi and Blood Domains pressed down, making the five feel as though they had fallen into a quagmire.

The tide of battle changed in an instant.

Xiong Yao's hammer shadows loomed like mountains, deliberately seeking out the Golden Core cultivators for head-on clashes.

Fang Jiuding moved about, controlling the formation, occasionally catching people off guard with a smack from his pot. Every strike landed true.

Lu Chen's blade Qi spread like a net, working with the furnace to devour the essence of their magical treasures.

In less than half an incense stick's time, all eight masked cultivators lay sprawled on the ground.

"This gift from the Imperial Loyalists is generous enough."

Lu Chen weighed the confiscated storage bags. The demon cores from three Golden Core cultivators gleamed with a lustrous glow inside. They were practically delivering cultivation resources to him in disguise!

Xiong Yao planted a foot on the leading Golden Core cultivator's chest and grinned. "Hiding your heads and showing your tails? Why not strip off those masks and let Senior Sister have a look?"

"You can't!" Lu Chen hurriedly stopped her. "Since the Imperial Loyalists want to kill with a borrowed knife, we'll play dumb to the end."

As he spoke, he stabbed them to death one by one and stored them in the Myriad Manifestations Furnace.

"Hurry back!"

Lu Chen shouted sharply. The three of them moved at once, shooting toward Tianyan Academy like bolts of lightning.

The energy was too abundant. The Myriad Manifestations Furnace was about to erupt.

When Old Ancestor Tianyan saw Lu Chen throw out the Myriad Manifestations Furnace, energy surging and pulsing within it, he swept his sleeve.

Ancient formation patterns emerged across the floor of the ruined main hall, drawing the spiritual power into the Earth Vein.

The entire mountain trembled faintly, and withered grass visibly turned green and sprouted anew.

Fang Jiuding clicked his tongue in amazement. "Once the Spirit Gathering Array is activated, we can start forging artifacts."

"Forging artifacts? It's more than that!" Xiong Yao swung her hammer into a boulder. As shattered stones flew, a spiritual spring burst forth from underground. "At this density of spiritual power, it's enough for me to charge toward the fourth layer of the Golden Core Realm!"

But was that all the energy there was?

There were also the corpses of three Golden Core cultivators, still untouched in the external furnace.

However, Lu Chen did not take them out.

He wanted to save them for himself.

Once the energy had been released, the Myriad Manifestations Furnace finally calmed down.

"I can refine myself properly again!" Lu Chen looked toward the towering statue of will, a faint curve rising at the corner of his mouth.

"What are you staring blankly for?" Xiong Yao struck Lu Chen's shoulder with her hammer, nearly smacking him into the ground. "Come on! Senior Sister will take you to hunt mountain chickens and celebrate!"

Lu Chen rubbed his shoulder with a bitter smile. Was this really a girl?

She was more manly than most men!

At the top floor of Yanjing's Drunken Immortal Tower, a woman leaned against the railing and drank alone, the moonlight outside the window reflected in the jade cup in her hand.

A Shadow Guard knelt on the floor and reported softly, "Lu Chen has returned to Tianyan Academy. Our people... were all wiped out."

The woman's hand trembled.

"Keep watching him. If an opportunity arises, continue the operation!"

Her voice was icy, brimming with killing intent.

The Shadow Guard hesitated. "But..."

"There are no buts. Just follow orders!"

The Shadow Guard withdrew. The woman gently took a sip of red wine and looked toward Tianyan Academy, her eyes flickering slightly.

She wondered whether he knew that she had arranged everything.

Could he cooperate well?