The assassin, at the Peak of Spirit Sea Realm Sixth Layer, was finally slain by Luo Tian’s sword.
The battle had been incredibly difficult, as he was fighting far above his own level.
Luo Tian had unleashed his full arsenal and even fought using two types of True Intent simultaneously. The mental toll was immense.
If the fight had truly dragged on, the outcome would... still have been Luo Tian’s victory, because he would have used the Red Lotus Sword.
"That assassin, Ghost Face, and also Black Fox... they must be from the Soul-Seeking Underworld!"
Luo Tian said in a grim voice.
The Soul-Seeking Underworld was a renowned assassin organization within the Black Market, with a presence in every nation across the continent. It was said that for the right price, the Soul-Seeking Underworld could assassinate any expert.
As for who put a bounty on his head, Luo Tian didn’t even have to think about it. It was undoubtedly the two Princes of the Chilong Dynasty.
After all, an assassin had found him the moment he left the Yunxiao Sect. It was obvious someone inside the Sect had tipped them off.
The only power he had offended both inside and outside the Yunxiao Sect was the Chilong Dynasty.
"CAW CAW CAW! Not bad, kid. You’ve got a bit of this god’s style from back in the day!"
The Crow landed and cawed narcissistically.
"You knew how to use a sword back then?"
Luo Tian teased.
"Er... This god was a master of all thirty-six martial disciplines, proficient in every single one! Swordplay is the simplest of them all. Why, back in my day, I split a star with a single sword strike..."
The Crow was momentarily stunned by the question, but immediately steeled itself and plowed ahead with its tale of past heroics, acting as if it were all true.
"Shut up and stop bragging!"
Luo Tian was left speechless.
After taking the loot from Ghost Face’s body, he quickly departed.
「One day later.」
Luo Tian returned safely to the Yunxiao Sect.
As soon as he reached his residence, Luo Tian saw a member of the Law Enforcement Hall waiting outside his door.
"You’re Luo Tian?"
The Law Enforcement member walked up to him.
"May I ask what business you have, Senior Brother?"
Luo Tian was puzzled. ’Why would someone from the Law Enforcement Team be looking for me?’
The Law Enforcement members in the Yunxiao Sect enforced the Sect’s laws and held the power of life and death, so most disciples were quite afraid of them.
"This is from Hermit Hidden Dragon. He asked me to give it to you."
The man took out a wooden box.
"Hermit Hidden Dragon?"
Luo Tian nodded slightly.
’As long as he’s not here to cause trouble, it’s fine.’
"Back when Hermit Hidden Dragon was a Steward in the Yunxiao Sect, he looked out for me. Since you’re his grand-disciple, if anyone gives you trouble here in the Lower Sect Area, you can come find me."
The man gave Luo Tian’s shoulder a light pat and then departed.
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
Luo Tian watched him leave.
’I can tell this Law Enforcement member isn’t interested in me personally. He’s only doing this out of respect for Hermit Hidden Dragon.’
’If I really ran into major trouble, whether he’d actually be willing to help is another story.’
"This box..."
Luo Tian opened it and found a milky-white elixir pill inside.
"A Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill!"
Luo Tian realized.
He had gifted Hermit Hidden Dragon a Red Lotus Fruit for his birthday celebration.
Hermit Hidden Dragon had promised that when the elixir pills were refined from the Red Lotus Fruit, he would send him a Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill.
The Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill was used for Washing Marrow, a process that could improve one’s physical constitution and even one’s innate aptitude. The younger the user, the more effective it was.
In the Martial Arts Realm, Heavenly and Earthly Treasures that could improve one’s aptitude were exceptionally precious.
Furthermore, this pill could increase a Spirit Sea Realm cultivator’s chances of breaking through to the Earth Element Realm by ten percent.
’Oh, right. First, I need to deliver the Five-Colored Spirit Deer’s antlers and the Ghost Crocodile’s bone marrow to Pharmacist Yu.’
Luo Tian put the wooden box away and left.
He didn’t notice a young man with large ears standing not far behind him. It was Liu Yi.
Liu Yi had also just returned and happened to witness the scene of Luo Tian talking with the Law Enforcement member.
’What did that Senior Brother from the Law Enforcement Team give Luo Tian?’
’It looks like Luo Tian’s relationship with the Law Enforcement Elder really is extraordinary!’
A bitter feeling welled up in Liu Yi’s heart.
The rumors were true; Luo Tian really did have a connection to the Law Enforcement Elder.
He hated Luo Tian to the bone, yet he didn’t dare to make a move. During their exploration of the Celestial Extreme Mountain Range, he even had to worry about Luo Tian getting killed.
"Sigh... I can’t afford to provoke him. I’ll just stay far away from him from now on!"
Liu Yi sighed and returned to his residence to recuperate.
The expedition to the Celestial Extreme Mountain Range had yielded very little.
Liu Yi planned to go out and train again after he recovered.
"I must become an Upper Sect Disciple within two months!"
Liu Yi said with unshakable determination.
「Alchemy Peak.」
Luo Tian arrived at the residence of Yu the Alchemist.
"Pharmacist Yu, have all the ingredients for the Clearing Qi Three Elements Pill been gathered?"
As Luo Tian entered, he saw a simply dressed and elegant female alchemist.
"All the ingredients are ready except for the Ghost Crocodile bone marrow. I’ve already sent someone to keep an eye on the herb repository. As soon as any Ghost Crocodile bone marrow comes in, I will immediately begin refining the pill for you."
Pharmacist Yu said with a smile.
Having obtained the recipe for the Clearing Qi Three Elements Pill, she was also eager to refine it. However, the main ingredient, Ghost Crocodile bone marrow, was incredibly difficult to find.
The Five-Colored Deer Antlers could be substituted with Tri-colored Deer Antlers, at least.
"So you’re saying, only the Ghost Crocodile bone marrow is missing?"
Luo Tian took out a jade bottle and placed it on the table in front of Pharmacist Yu.
"This is... Ghost Crocodile bone marrow!"
Pharmacist Yu had her suspicions. She opened the stopper, took a light sniff, and immediately identified it.
"That’s right!"
A slight smile touched the corners of Luo Tian’s mouth.
"It’s only been a few days, and you’ve already managed to get Ghost Crocodile bone marrow. It seems you’re quite well-connected, Junior Brother."
Pharmacist Yu, assuming Luo Tian must have a powerful background, flashed a dazzling smile.
Before, she had dismissed him as an ordinary cultivator at the Third Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm and hadn’t thought much of him.
THUD!
Luo Tian also took out the Five-Colored Spirit Deer’s antlers and placed them on the table.
"These are... Five-Colored Deer Antlers?"
Pharmacist Yu was taken aback.
The Five-Colored Spirit Deer was an extremely rare Demon Beast. Every part of its body was a treasure, a key ingredient for refining numerous Spirit Pills.
Moreover, Luo Tian hadn’t produced just a small fragment, but a complete set of Five-Colored Deer Antlers, which was even more valuable.
"Use the Five-Colored Deer Antlers to refine the Clearing Qi Three Elements Pill. With whatever is left over, refine it all into Qi Replenishing Pills and Qi Condensing Pills!"
Qi Replenishing Pills could rapidly restore a Spirit Sea Realm cultivator’s consumed True Qi.
Qi Condensing Pills could increase a Spirit Sea Realm cultivator’s cultivation speed.
"Pharmacist Yu, you promised to refine pills for free five times. That offer still stands, right?"
Luo Tian asked.
"Of course it does!"
A brilliant smile spread across Pharmacist Yu’s face.
The antlers of a Five-Colored Spirit Deer were not something an ordinary person could get their hands on.
’Judging by the bloodstains, it was clearly killed just a few days ago.’
’Could Luo Tian have hunted it himself?’
"Then I’ll leave it in your hands, Pharmacist Yu."
After settling a few more details, Luo Tian departed.
Pharmacist Yu immediately inspected the Five-Colored Deer Antlers and the Ghost Crocodile bone marrow. They were incredibly fresh, clearly harvested very recently.
"The Five-Colored Deer Antlers, the Ghost Crocodile bone marrow... could he have hunted them all himself?"
Pharmacist Yu wondered in astonishment.
But Luo Tian was only at the Third Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm.
Both of these Demon Beasts were rare and extremely difficult to hunt. The Ghost Crocodile, in particular, was notoriously elusive and had devoured countless hunters.
Luo Tian returned to his residence and immediately entered seclusion to cultivate.
He had experienced numerous battles, both large and small, during his trip to the Celestial Extreme Mountain Range, and had gained much insight.
The First Technique of his Nine Heavens Sword Technique had reached the Great Success stage and was not far from Perfection.
After using it repeatedly in real combat, he could now execute the Guiyuan Cloud-Dispelling Hand with perfect proficiency. He had even managed to comprehend True Palm Skill Intent in the process!
The first layer of his Celestial Furnace Treasure Body was now completely stabilized, and he could begin cultivating the Second-Layer.
’The biggest disparity between me and the Upper Sect Disciples is still my cultivation level.’
Luo Tian temporarily set everything else aside and focused solely on the Guiyuan True Skill to perfect his Spirit Sea Vortex.
He took out a few Spiritual Essence Coins, began absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within them, and started his cultivation.
BUZZ! BUZZ!
Under the guidance of the Guiyuan True Skill, the pure, cool Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi flowed through his limbs and meridians, finally converging in his Qi Sea.
Perhaps because he had been tempered by so much real combat over the past few days, his cultivation progressed with remarkable ease.
「Three days later.」
His Third-Layer Spirit Sea Vortex reached fifty percent completion.
「One month later.」
His Third-Layer Spirit Sea Vortex reached eighty percent completion.
’At this rate, I can break through to the Peak of Spirit Sea Realm Third Layer within half a month.’
This cultivation speed was already incredibly fast.
This was especially true considering Luo Tian was only cultivating with Spiritual Essence Coins, without the aid of any elixir pills or the Cultivation Tower.
’But it’s still too slow!’
Luo Tian shook his head slightly.
He had witnessed the power of the Upper Sect Disciples with his own eyes.
An expert as strong as Black Fox had an arm severed by that refined-looking young man’s single palm strike.
The Demon Beast group that had sent him, Liu Yi, and the others fleeing in disarray was being effortlessly crushed and hunted down by a handful of Upper Sect Disciples!
What’s more, countless Lower Sect Disciples were now trying to become Upper Sect Disciples.
As far as Luo Tian knew, the Yunxiao Sect held an assessment once a month, admitting a maximum of five people each time.
Typically, only two or three people managed to pass the assessment each month.
But in the next two months, the full five slots would certainly be filled, and the competition would be incredibly fierce.
’Hasn’t Pharmacist Yu finished refining the pills yet?’
Luo Tian was getting anxious. He left his residence and headed for Alchemy Peak.
「Meanwhile, in the residential area for the Upper Sect’s core members.」
A refined-looking young man entered the Third Elder’s estate.
He arrived in a large hall and saw a man with a wide face.
"Fifth Senior Brother, you’re here too!"
The refined young man offered a greeting.
He then looked up at a middle-aged, white-robed man seated on a high chair and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Master!"
The middle-aged man was quite handsome, but his eyes were murky and profound, like a bottomless Dark Pool. His entire being emanated a deep, transcendent aura.
He was none other than the Third Elder of the Yunxiao Sect!
"Yes, I have something to report to Master."
The wide-faced man offered a quick explanation before turning his attention back to the white-robed man.
"Master, today while I was handling some affairs for you, I was checking the Sect’s mission records and came across an interesting new disciple. I took the liberty of looking up his file."
"According to the file, this person is from the Azure Cloud Kingdom, and his Mentor is... Lin Dongfeng."
The wide-faced man said slowly.
"Lin Dongfeng?"
A strange light glinted in the Third Elder’s eyes as a faint smile appeared on his face. "After so many years, I’d almost forgotten about him. To think he’d still dare send a student to the Yunxiao Sect."
"Lin Dongfeng?"
The refined young man had heard that name before. He was supposedly one of his master’s old enemies from his youth.
"Master, should I take care of Lin Dongfeng’s student for you?"
the wide-faced man asked.
"Heh, just let me handle it. Senior Brother, as one of the Sect’s ten great Core Disciples, wouldn’t you become a laughingstock for dealing with a mere Lower Sect Disciple?"
The refined young man chuckled.
"Handle such a trivial matter yourselves."
With a flick of his long sleeve, the Third Elder drifted away.
’Master agreed. It seems his hatred for that old rival runs deep,’ the refined young man thought.
He couldn’t help but smile, then immediately asked, "Senior Brother, who is this kid? What’s his name?"
The wide-faced man took out a piece of paper that contained Luo Tian’s detailed information.
"This kid..."
The refined young man’s expression suddenly froze.
Wasn’t this the very same young man he had run into during his recent excursion?
He remembered him clearly because the boy had an incredibly ugly Crow as a Spirit Pet.
"Feihang? You know this boy?"
The wide-faced man was surprised.
The refined young man, Ying Feihang, was an Upper Sect Disciple. It was strange that he would know a Lower Sect Disciple who had only recently joined.
"Er... We’ve crossed paths before!"
Ying Feihang had indeed only met Luo Tian once, but in that encounter, he had saved him from Black Fox.
This was awkward.
The disciple he had casually saved turned out to be the student of his master’s enemy.
If his master ever heard about this, he would surely be punished.
"Senior Brother, leave this matter to me! I guarantee I’ll deal with this kid permanently!"
Ying Feihang thumped his chest in assurance.
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