The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

Chapter 473: Chapter 472: In a Sorry State

A white light flashed and was gone. In the next moment, Qin Ya and the others found themselves in a loft. Suddenly, a vast stream of information flooded into Qin Ya’s mind.

The information was an insight into the Mysterious Speed.

’This... is this the reward for clearing the first floor?’ A slight smile played on Qin Ya’s lips, a hint of surprise in his eyes. ’Truly worthy of a Saint’s legacy. This insight alone is worth three years of my own efforts to comprehend such mysteries.’

"A Spirit Pill!!"

Suddenly, one of his companions cried out in astonishment. A milky-white elixir had appeared in the man’s hand, its fragrance filling the air and causing one’s True Essence to stir. It was a Spirit Pill... a Realm-Breaking Pill!

A Spirit Level Realm-Breaking Pill could increase a Half-Step King’s chances of breaking through to the King Realm by thirty percent. And the companion who received it was already at the Half-Step King cultivation level. He was so excited that his face flushed crimson.

"A Spiritual Artifact..."

"Huh? This is a Mysterious Technique!"

"Incredible... the old hidden injuries in my body have actually been healed."

Leng Qiushan, Luox Xinyu, and the others let out cries of amazement, clearly stunned by the rewards for the first floor. It took them a moment to compose themselves.

Only then did they begin to slowly survey their surroundings. They were in a quaint, antique Elegant Pavilion, and in the center of it stood a landscape painting.

The landscape painting was rendered in black and white, clearly the work of a Master. Every stroke was perfection, vividly capturing the essence of the scene.

With a single glance, Qin Ya and the others felt as if they had been pulled into the magnificent landscape.

The sound of gurgling water filled their ears. Countless streams converged at the edge of a cliff, forming a majestic, surging waterfall with a deafening RUMBLE.

On both banks, shade trees grew in abundance, surrounded by countless strange peaks and grotesque rock formations...

Suddenly, a majestic Realm flooded Qin Ya’s mind like a flash flood, kicking up tumultuous waves. The endless mountains and rivers had transformed into a giant hand!

Its five fingers were like five sky-piercing peaks. It seemed to contain the power of mountains, rivers, and the world itself as it suddenly descended from the heavens, giving Qin Ya no chance to escape!

The instant before the palm struck, Qin Ya jolted awake.

PANT, PANT...

Qin Ya gasped for breath, his eyes wide with shock.

He couldn’t shake the image of that hand, a hand made of mountains and rivers.

When he came to his senses and looked around, his brow furrowed.

The loft was gone. He was in an empty, boundless white space. Luox Xinyu, Leng Qiushan, and the others were nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, a voice spoke.

"Congratulations. You’ve reached the fifth floor."

’The fifth floor?’

The mysterious voice said dispassionately, "Yes. The Mountain and River Map on the second floor was a test of your comprehension. You are very impressive. You actually managed to grasp the Mysterious Technique... Mountain and River Movement... in such a short amount of time. I therefore judged that you could skip the trials of the third and fourth floors and come directly to the fifth."

"Accordingly, the rewards for the second, third, and fourth floors have been combined into one: the complete Mountain and River Movement Mysterious Technique. With your aptitude for comprehension, you should be able to use it with a little effort. It’s not even out of the question that you could grasp its underlying mysteries."

"Do not underestimate Mountain and River Movement. It is a Seventh-Grade Profound Technique."

’A Seventh-Grade Profound Technique?’

"Yes. Mysterious Techniques are divided into Nine Grades. Most prodigies can only ever comprehend a Fourth-Grade Profound Technique at best. If they spend decades, they might push it to the Fifth or Sixth Grade, but a Seventh-Grade technique is exceedingly rare. Even a high and mighty Venerable might not possess one."

Hearing this, Qin Ya finally understood the magnitude of the opportunity he had just been given.

’Even though I got fewer rewards, I definitely came out ahead.’

’This is the fifth floor. So, what’s the trial here?’

’Here it comes.’

The moment the thought crossed his mind, his surroundings changed. The air filled with a scorching energy. Gusts of dust and licks of flame erupted from the ground. The distant horizon glowed fiery red. He was on a massive, scorching volcano, standing right at the edge of the crater.

Blasts of hot wind battered his face, leaving his mouth parched and dry. The swirling volcanic ash made it difficult to breathe. He tried to circulate his True Essence to shield himself from the heat and ash, but his expression suddenly changed to one of gravity.

’My True Essence... it’s gone.’

That was right. He, a mighty Celestial Human Martial Artist, could not feel the slightest trace of True Essence. It was as if he had never practiced Martial Arts in his life.

BOOM...

Just then, the volcano erupted with a massive blast of hot air. The searing heat made Qin Ya flinch and stumble back a dozen steps. He missed his footing and lost his balance. Fortunately, though his True Essence was gone, his agility remained. He planted his right hand on the ground, vaulted into the air, and landed smoothly on his feet.

’What exactly is the trial for this level?’

Qin Ya frowned and shouted into the empty air, but there was no reply. Helpless, he had no choice but to start walking aimlessly.

His True Essence was gone. His Divine Thought was gone. Even the Qi and Blood in his physical body had vanished. He couldn’t even open the Storage Ring on his finger. Now, he was nothing more than an agile mortal, which was to say, he was extremely vulnerable.

In this seemingly endless volcanic range, a lone figure trudged on like a dejected wanderer, his shadow stretched long and thin by the setting sun.

More than half a day passed. Without food or water, Qin Ya felt waves of exhaustion wash over him. He found a place to sit down and rest, but a moment later, his heart leaped. Pure combat instinct sent him jumping to his feet.

WHOOSH...

A fireball slammed into the spot where he had been sitting, blasting a large crater in the ground. Qin Ya looked over and saw a fiery-red, four-legged lizard staring at him. Its pale yellow eyes held an icy glint as it suddenly lunged at him.

RIP...

Sharp claws tore a chunk of flesh from Qin Ya’s chest. The Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact he wore offered no protection at all. Agony instantly shot through his body.

"Damn it."

His eyes grew cold. He sank into a low crouch, fists clenched, and stared at the fiery lizard. He didn’t dare let his guard down for even a second; he was on high alert.

He wasn’t that peerless prodigy anymore. This lizard’s strength was only at the common Human Element level, yet it was now a threat to his very life.

HISS...

The lizard flicked its forked tongue and charged again.

Qin Ya’s gaze sharpened. He quickly sidestepped the attack and landed a backfist on the lizard’s head. The blow only sent it stumbling back a few meters, while his own fist was scraped bloody by its hard scales.

The lizard shook its head and charged again. Qin Ya cursed under his breath, a crazed glint in his eyes. He lunged forward and grabbed the lizard’s head, pinning it to the ground. He snatched a nearby rock and began smashing it down with all his might. He’d only struck twice when its tail whipped across his back, making him spit up blood.

’I refuse to believe I can’t take down one single beast!’

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Qin Ya held the lizard’s head down. He ignored its claws scraping his hand down to the bone and just kept desperately smashing the rock against its skull.

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