Chapter 033: The Broken Sword

  "Young friend Yang Tian, you're severely injured. Would you like to recuperate at my residence?" Kuang Lang approached quickly, without any airs of a city lord, and smiled gently.

  "Xiao Tian, go and rest for a while. Delaying too long might leave lasting damage," Lin Yuan agreed.

  "Alright." Yang Tian nodded and followed Kuang Lang to the city lord's mansion.

  Along the way, all eyes were on Yang Tian. Today, he had not only defeated a half-step martial artist, but a series of powerful figures had also made appearances. No one in Kuangyun City dared to underestimate this seemingly gentle young man.

  In a secluded room within the city lord's mansion, Yang Tian examined the two items inside the spatial ring: a jade bottle and a jade slip.

  "This must be the invitation to the Martial Dao Mountain," Yang Tian mused, rubbing the jade slip in his hand. On one corner of the slip was engraved a five-clawed dragon, exuding an aura of nobility.

  "What exactly is so miraculous about this place that everyone covets it?" Yang Tian had heard of the Martial Dao Mountain since childhood and had always been curious. Now, he was on the verge of breaking through to the ninth level of Blood Refinement. However, his foundation was still shallow. Although advancing wouldn't be a problem, his根基 wasn't solid enough.

  Blood Refinement was the most crucial stage, as it concerned the body's acupoints. The stronger the foundation of Blood Refinement, the more powerful the acupoints would be, which in turn affected the development of one's martial path in the later stages. Accumulating a strong foundation was essential for progressing further on the martial path.

  After some thought, Yang Tian picked up the jade bottle and opened it. A pill the size of a longan appeared in his palm, its crystal-clear appearance immediately capturing his attention. The medicinal energy contained within made Yang Tian's heart race, and a faint fragrance wafted into his nostrils, causing his dried-up energy sea to tremble.

  "This is... the Heavenly King's Heart Pill." Yang Tian inhaled sharply as he looked at the ten pills in the bottle. The Heavenly King's Heart Pill was a fourth-grade high-level pill, a holy item for healing injuries. However, using it on Yang Tian felt like overkill.

  Without hesitation, Yang Tian swallowed the pill. As soon as the medicinal energy dissolved, dozens of fiery waves surged through his body, rushing toward his wounds. The cracked skin on his body quickly scabbed over.

  Most of the bones in his body had been broken, and the sharp energy that had given Yang Tian such a headache was completely dispersed by the Heavenly King's Heart Pill. His entire body was enveloped in a mist, and his internal organs trembled.

  "What a powerful pill." Yang Tian clicked his tongue. Not only did the pill heal his injuries, but it also tempered his body.

  Rumble! His dried-up energy sea quickly filled, and the river of blood and energy began to solidify. The newly solidified blood and energy were even clearer than before, shimmering like jade as they churned.

  The vast medicinal energy continuously tempered his body, and Yang Tian could feel his physique undergoing a transformation. His foundation was now more solid than ever, and every bone that had been tempered was stronger than before.

  Rumble! His heart beat like a drum, a sign of immense vitality. Some people with exceptionally strong vitality could even manifest异象, though such individuals were rare, usually being the prodigious disciples of great families who had tempered their bodies with countless rare treasures, making their combat power terrifying.

  Time flew by. After a night of meditation, Yang Tian had only absorbed a small portion of the pill's energy, with most of it dissipating. Only a tiny fraction remained dormant within his body.

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  "Break!" Suddenly, Yang Tian let out a low roar. The river of blood and energy floated above his head, faintly shaking the heavens and earth. As the river continued to tremble, Yang Tian's absorption of the world's essence grew faster and faster.

  "Sizzle." A red hue filled the void as the river of blood and energy trembled violently, rapidly expanding within. As its power grew, even the surrounding vacuum began to ripple.

  "Blood Refinement, eighth level." Sensing the changes within his body, Yang Tian raised his head, a smile tugging at his lips. With this level of strength, he wouldn't be as helpless against Wang Long as before.

  "The Heavenly King's Heart Pill truly lives up to its name. My body is now three times stronger than before, and my blood and energy are more concentrated."

  Yang Tian slowly stood up, patted his stiff arms, and then put on the clean clothes beside him before heading out the door.

  "Creak!"

  The door opened, and Yang Tian's gaze fell on the green-clad girl standing outside.

  The girl at the door was startled, her head jerking back. Then she peeked up at Yang Tian's gentle face and timidly said, "Young master, you're awake."

  Scratching his head, Yang Tian looked at the nervous girl and couldn't help but laugh. "Who are you?"

  "Reporting to the young master, I am Xiao Die, a maid of the city lord's mansion. I'm here to serve you today," the girl replied timidly, her eyes occasionally glancing at Yang Tian's face. She could hardly believe that the earth-shattering events of the previous day had been caused by this seemingly gentle young man.

  Yesterday, the Star Martial Arts Academy had been uprooted, and the academy had been gifted to Lin Yuan by Kuang Lang. The Dragon Star Martial Arts Academy would now be the top force in Kuangyun City, and even the city lord's mansion wouldn't dare offend them.

  "Oh." Yang Tian nodded, touched his nose, and smiled. "I don't need any service. By the way, where is the city lord? Take me to him."

  "Of course, young master, this way." Xiao Die took light steps, and the two slowly made their way to the main hall of the city lord's mansion.

  Along the way, Yang Tian learned about the events of the previous day. The heavy stone that had been weighing on his heart finally lifted. In a few days, he would leave, and though he was reluctant, there were many things ahead of him that demanded his attention. He couldn't afford to slow down.

  "Haha, Brother Yang, your injuries have healed?" As soon as Yang Tian entered the hall, Kuang Lang approached, his eyes widening in surprise at Yang Tian's fully recovered state. Just yesterday, Yang Tian had been severely injured, and Kuang Lang hadn't expected him to recover so quickly in just one night.

  "Thank you for your concern, City Lord. My injuries have healed." Yang Tian cupped his hands and smiled.

  "Brother Yang, you're truly a prodigy. To recover so quickly from such serious injuries is incredible." Kuang Lang couldn't help but click his tongue as he looked at Yang Tian's body in amazement.

  "Ah, right." Kuang Lang patted his forehead and took out a spatial ring. "This is the prize for first place in yesterday's competition. Please take it, Brother Yang."

  "First place?" Yang Tian looked puzzled.

  "Haha, after Brother Yang defeated Wang Long, no one dared to contest the first-place title," Kuang Lang said with a teasing smile.

  "Then I thank the City Lord." Yang Tian didn't stand on ceremony and directly accepted the spatial ring, smiling faintly.

  "Brother Yang, there's still one top-tier blood weapon left. Would you like to go and choose one now?"

  "Sure." Yang Tian nodded and followed Kuang Lang to the treasure vault.

  The treasure vault was the foundation of Kuangyun City, divided into three levels. The first level contained martial arts and techniques, the second level held pills and spiritual herbs, and the fourth level stored a large number of blood weapons.

  Yang Tian's gaze swept across the hundred-zhang-wide hall. Along the walls were four rows of shelves, holding over a hundred blood weapons.

  Yang Tian picked up a purple-copper greatsword from the shelf, weighed it in his hand, and then put it back. Although these blood weapons were valuable in Kuangyun City, they weren't of much use to Yang Tian.

  "The city lord's mansion is indeed wealthy. There are dozens of top-tier blood weapons here, but unfortunately, no玄器." Yang Tian scratched his head. If Kuang Lang knew what Yang Tian was thinking, he'd be shocked.

  "Why is there a broken sword here?" Yang Tian's gaze fell on a pitch-black longsword that was broken in the middle. He frowned slightly. Kuang Lang wouldn't have kept this broken sword without a reason.

  Walking over to the sword, Yang Tian reached out and grabbed the hilt, attempting to lift it.

  "This sword is heavy!" Yang Tian's heart shook. With his current strength of ten thousand jin, he couldn't even lift a broken sword.

  "Up!" With a low shout, the muscles in Yang Tian's arm bulged, and the blood and energy in his body surged into his arm. As his strength continued to increase, the broken sword slowly rose.

  "Up!" Yang Tian roared, his bones cracking like firecrackers. The broken sword was slowly lifted to chest height.

  "What kind of material is this thing made of? How can it be so heavy?" Yang Tian swung the sword a few times, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead, showing just how heavy the broken sword was.

  "Never mind, I'll choose this one. There's nothing else good here anyway."

  Hoisting the broken sword onto his shoulder, Yang Tian headed downstairs.