The smoke of battle finally drifted away, and the fierce wind that raged all night gradually came to a halt.
As the first rays of morning sunlight spilled onto the streets, some brave souls quietly opened their doors and windows to peer outside.
Only once everything truly seemed to have settled did they dare to step onto the street.
As more people ventured out, this ancient capital, after a night of bloodshed and storm, slowly regained its vitality.
Meanwhile, in the Capital Prefecture, most people were fast asleep.
After all, after a whole night of turmoil, even the toughest men couldn’t keep going.
Zhao Ya, however, did not rest.
He was taking stock of the night’s gains.
First and foremost was the Profound Sun True Force Secret Manual seized from Xie Tianfeng.
This secret manual was invaluable, especially for Fifth Realm Martial Artists aiming to advance to Meridian Opening; it was priceless.
Only someone absolutely confident in their strength like Xie Tianfeng would dare carry such a precious item around.
However, Zhao Ya just skimmed it before handing it over to Master Lu Dingtai.
Next were the gold notes found on the Paradise Sect Leader and Feng Rong.
Zhao Ya roughly counted them and found there were as many as 130,000 liang in total, adding to his previous savings.
Zhao Ya’s current wealth now surpassed 200,000 liang, which was astonishing.
Piled together, the gold notes looked like a small mountain, shimmering golden and dazzling to the eye.
But Zhao Ya found it a bit of a headache.
Because where he was headed next was Beyond the World, far from the Great Yan, where these gold notes would be nothing but waste paper.
So before leaving, he needed to convert these gold notes into universally accepted hard currency.
Gold was out of the question; converting over 200,000 liang into gold would be about ten tons.
Even if Zhao Ya could carry that weight, it would be a huge burden.
So this hard currency had to be valuable, lightweight, and universally accepted.
Thus, Zhao Ya decided to use all the gold notes to buy jerky.
Every Martial Artist needs jerky, and in Beyond the World where there are many Martial Artists, the demand must be even greater.
So bringing high-grade jerky over should be a good choice.
As Zhao Ya was contemplating these things, Zui’Er pushed the door open and came in.
"Ya, have some tea." Zui’Er handed him a cup of hot tea.
"Alright." Zhao Ya took the cup and looked up, seeing Zui’Er’s eyes red with tears not yet dry, clearly having just cried.
Zhao Ya sighed inwardly, knowing the young girl couldn’t bear to part.
Even though staying behind to train in martial arts was her idea, now that they were about to part, Zui’Er couldn’t suppress her sadness.
After all, since she became aware of things, she’d been by Zhao Ya’s side, never parting all these years.
But this trip to Wanshou County made Zui’Er feel like a burden.
Not only could she not help Zhao Ya, he had to carry her on the journey.
This always gave Zui’Er a sense of guilt.
Though she knew Zhao Ya took her to Wanshou County out of kindness, wanting her to meet long-lost friends.
The more so, the more Zui’Er felt she was dragging Zhao Ya down.
She regretted not putting in more effort before, even if she couldn’t reach Zhao Ya’s realm, at least she could share some of his burden.
Thus she resolutely proposed to Zhao Ya that she wanted to stay behind.
Seeing Zui’Er so dejected, Zhao Ya felt a pang of heartache.
He reached out, took Zui’Er’s hand, and gently pulled her into his arms.
"If you really can’t bear it, then..."
"Don’t say it, Ya." Zui’Er shook her head, "Since I’ve made my decision, I won’t change."
"Master Lu is right, rather than being dragged further away by you bit by bit, I should calm down and hone myself, so when I become strong, I can traverse this vast world with you."
Hearing Zui’Er’s earnest words, Zhao Ya was somewhat surprised and moved.
"Silly girl!"
Zhao Ya gently kissed Zui’Er.
Zui’Er leaned into Zhao Ya’s embrace, blushing, and softly said, "Carry me to bed, Ya."
Text omitted...
Half an hour later, Zhao Ya walked outside, finding the sunlight glaring.
Sitting on the swing under the tree, Shang Luoluo quietly laughed.
Though she said nothing, Zhao Ya found it more embarrassing than words.
"Uh... why are you here?" Zhao Ya said.
"I heard you were leaving, so I came to see you. Considering you were busy, I naturally could only wait here." Shang Luoluo said with a smile, glancing into the house.
"Is Zui’Er... okay?"
"She’s fine."
"That’s good. I thought she really wasn’t going to make it."
This remark left Shang Luoluo blushing.
For it’s not something an unmarried girl should say.
Zhao Ya, with his thick skin, didn’t mind and smoothly changed the topic.
"Actually, even if you didn’t come, I was planning to find you."
"Why are you looking for me?" Shang Luoluo suddenly became nervous.
Zhao Ya laughed wryly, "Don’t get me wrong, I just have some things to explain to you."
"Oh, I see!" Shang Luoluo breathed a sigh of relief, "Go ahead, what’s the matter."
"Actually, it’s not that important. It’s just that this time when I went to Wanshou County, I encountered people from the Beast Taming Sect."
"Beast Taming Sect? The group that launched the beast tide attack on Yunxiao County back then?" Shang Luoluo had a good memory and immediately recalled.
"Exactly, that’s them."
Then Zhao Ya recounted how he searched for the Eastern King’s Legacy, formed an alliance with Xiao Yan, and later subdued Cong Bo with poison.
After listening, Shang Luoluo frowned, "So, you mean for me to take over these two Beast Taming Sect intelligence channels for you?"
"Exactly, this Beast Taming Sect is ultimately a serious threat. Now that I’ve managed to plant two nails inside, if no one takes over after I leave, wouldn’t that be a waste?"
"Where is the agreed intelligence exchange location in the Capital City that you have with them?" Shang Luoluo asked.
Talking to smart people saves trouble. After Zhao Ya told the location, he took out a small bottle.
"Inside here is the antidote for three years. If Cong Bo comes to Yan Capital City, you can use this to control him. As for Xiao Yan, you don’t need to worry; she voluntarily defected. Even if she rebels, it won’t harm us."
"You trust me that much?" Shang Luoluo took the bottle of antidote and asked with a meaningful tone.
Zhao Ya smiled, "Of course, I trust you because with your intelligence and wit, these two people can’t make any waves."
"But you’d better not show yourself publicly. Sometimes hiding in the shadows is more intimidating than standing in the open. I’m sure you understand this principle."
Shang Luoluo pursed her lips and smiled, "You want me to do this dirty work, and all I get is one compliment?"
Zhao Ya also laughed, "Then what do you want?"
But then, Shang Luoluo’s words caught Zhao Ya a bit off guard.
"I heard that the land beyond is quite chaotic. I don’t want anything else; just that you return safely within three years."
After saying this, Shang Luoluo shook the small bottle in her hand, "Don’t get me wrong, I’m only setting the time because of this. Without this antidote, I can’t guarantee I can control Cong Bo."
Looking at the serious expression on Shang Luoluo’s face, Zhao Ya was silent for a moment, then nodded solemnly.
"Alright, I promise to return safely within three years."
Shang Luoluo left.
Zui’Er was still sleeping.
Zhao Ya stood in the courtyard, beginning his exercises under the warm and gentle sunlight.
The Eight Vajra Longevity Skill’s movements were fluid and expansive, and especially when Zhao Ya performed them, they had a unique charm.
Moreover, Zhao Ya recently discovered that when practicing the Vajra Skill, if he combined it with the Star-devouring True Power breathing technique, the True Power Seed in his dantian would become noticeably more active.
Thus, Zhao Ya often practiced the two together.
Although it was daytime and the stars were not visible, Zhao Ya knew they were simply hidden by the blazing sunlight; their essence always existed in the sky.
Therefore, accompanying Zhao Ya’s movements and breathing, starlight gathered in his dantian, slowly cultivating the Foundation of True Power.
Zhao Ya felt like his dantian was a sea of light, with a seed being nurtured within.
Once this seed was fully nurtured and took root, it would be the day the Foundation of True Power was established.
After completing a set of cultivation techniques, a thin layer of sweat appeared on Zhao Ya’s forehead. Habitually, he opened the attribute panel.
Name: Zhao Ya. Age: 20 years. Remaining lifespan: 1221 (+53 days) years
Skills: Eight Vajra Longevity Skill (Peak Performance 99%)
Five Tiger Fist (Returning to the Essence 99%)
Wind-Slaying Saber Technique (Extraordinary to Saint)
Light as a Feather (Returning to the Essence 99%)
Spirit Turtle Hibernation Technique (Returning to the Essence 39%)
Great Stone-Throwing Hand (Peak Performance 99%)
Great Vajra Fist (Peak Performance 99%)
Golden Body Armor Technique (Returning to the Essence 28%)
Little Five Paths Chasing Soul Leg (Peak Performance 99%)
[Gallbladder unlock progress: 71%]
Aside from the lifespan increasing by over a hundred years, the progress in martial arts skills hadn’t changed much.
This was due to all being stuck at a bottleneck.
Especially the fist technique, almost the same as the knife technique years ago, hindered by lack of insight, unable to break through.
However, the martial arts foundation of the Great Yan was quite weak. Breaking through the knife technique was only successful due to the Golden Saber Institute’s decades of collected books.
Fist techniques being the most significant branch of the Martial Dao, no sect in the Great Yan could gather enough secret manuals.
Simply put, the foundation wasn’t strong enough.
This is why Zhao Ya must go to the land beyond.
Only by broadening his horizons can innovation occur, and progress be made.
Sitting secluded in the mountains, the most one can attain is a higher realm, but martial skills cannot improve.
Fortunately, the gallbladder unlock progress reached 71%, but Zhao Ya didn’t feel any change.
If anything, his mind was a bit clearer, and his decision-making slightly stronger.
Could this be related to emotions?
After pondering briefly, Zhao Ya opened the Human Body Outline Map.
Apart from the already unlocked organs, the most prominent was the starlight spot at the dantian.
The starlight, initially faint, had become much more intense now.
At first glance, it seemed as if he had swallowed a star.