Chapter 297 - 205: Great Harvest

Chapter 297: Chapter 205: Great Harvest

’If only I could go to Sword Peak...’ He had never been and didn’t know what kind of wondrous place it was or what its effects were, but he imagined it had to be more potent than the Sword Grotto!

’I hope Senior Brother Qin’s mention of a top-tier evaluation will be of some use.’

Xie Yuan and Lin Cheng ate their fill. Back at the Sect, full and satisfied, they were instantly overcome with drowsiness.

After all, the journey had been so arduous that even Xie Yuan felt exhausted. Now, it was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

He had secretly shouldered the most and expended the most energy. This was especially true during his clashes with Roto and Lu Tianyong, which had left him with heavy injuries long ago. The subsequent counter-attack to kill them both and seize the treasures was like dancing on a blade’s edge, a massive drain on his mind and body.

Fortunately, the third floor was filled with treasures, and the Healing Elixirs were incredibly effective. It would be no exaggeration to call many of them Holy Medicines for the Metamorphosis Realm.

After escaping, Xie Yuan had used the top-grade Healing Medicines in the pharmacy to quickly stabilize his injuries. Although he was still weak, he could at least move without issue and had been recovering slowly ever since. Now, all he really needed was rest.

His ability to withstand the attacks of a Third Transformation expert and ultimately emerge without serious harm was thanks to two main factors.

First, his "Sweeping a Thousand Armies" was incomparably powerful, deflecting the bulk of the two Third Transformation Realm experts’ attacks. Second, his physique, transformed by the Celestial Cyan Fruit, was as tough as a boulder. He also came from a background of practicing hard-style skills, and with the Golden Bell Shield suffusing the surface of his body, he was far more durable than an ordinary First Transformation Realm cultivator.

If there were any other advantages, it would be his Body Nourishing Art. Its energy was long-lasting, pure, and full of resilience, which not only helped him defend but also aided in his recovery.

With the aid of heavenly materials, earthly treasures, Divine Skills, and wondrous techniques, Xie Yuan’s shocking combat achievements were not without reason.

After parting ways with Lin Cheng and returning to his room, it was time to take stock of his spoils.

He shut the door and bolted it tight. The weariness in Xie Yuan’s eyes vanished, replaced by a bright glint as his spirits lifted.

He spread open his satchel. It contained none of the things a satchel should, like clothes or other necessities. Xie Yuan had tossed them all out long ago to save space.

The bag was stuffed to the brim, filled entirely with Divine Pills and miraculous medicines for the Metamorphosis Realm, along with earthly treasures and spiritual materials.

A Blood Lingzhi the size of a human head—a top-tier earthly treasure for replenishing blood. Even eating it raw would be more effective than a Blood Dragon Pill, and what’s more, it would benefit his metamorphosing Blood Qi.

This single stalk alone would be a priceless treasure in the outside world. Even Situ Qin would have to give it a second look.

A three-hundred-year-old Mountain King Ginseng, its roots longer than its body, with a distinctly symmetrical, humanoid shape. A specimen of this quality was truly worthy of its "King of Mountain Ginseng" title. It was exceptionally effective at stimulating Qi and Blood, replenishing one’s inner breath, and boosting Inner Power.

The Great Strength Vajra Pill, a secret combat medicine from the Buddhist sects. Its formula was rumored to be lost to time. Although the Prajna Temple still produced it, the effects were on a completely different level from the ancient version. Nevertheless, it was still treasured as a secret medicine.

After taking this pill, one’s body would become like an indestructible vajra, their strength like that of a mighty immortal. It was no exaggeration to say that when paired with the Golden Bell Shield, one’s power would double. It was said that the Buddhist Martial Monks of old were particularly difficult to deal with, thanks in part to this pill. When eighteen Arhats formed an array and consumed Great Strength Vajra Pills, their Eighteen Arhat Formation would become like one of eighteen golden-bodied Bodhisattvas.

Then there was a Holy Medicine for healing like the Small Returning Pill. A single pill provided the triple effect of stabilizing injuries, restoring Blood Qi, and replenishing inner breath. It could turn a severe injury into a minor one, and a minor one into nothing at all, greatly increasing one’s stamina.

"The stuff from the Buddhist sects is just hardcore!"

Xie Yuan beamed as he looked at the various Treasure Medicines spread across his bed.

Setting aside the secret medicines for combat, the cultivation aids alone were enough to make one’s heart race. The items on his bed could take his already lightning-fast cultivation speed and accelerate it even further, drastically shortening the time it would take to advance to the Qi Blood Second Transformation.

And besides these...

Xie Yuan took out his seemingly ordinary sword and a smile touched his lips as he held it.

With a flicker of his thoughts, the sword shifted between a long saber, a great-axe, a small Chopping Wood axe, and a disciple’s sword. The transformations were utterly smooth, without the slightest hitch.

The more he used it and the more frequently he infused it with his Blood Qi and inner breath, the faster and more sensitive the Profound Weapon’s transformations became. It was truly becoming an extension of him.

Before long, Xie Yuan would be able to completely conceal this impossibly sharp and sturdy Hundred-Change Profound Weapon with the Celestial Concealment Skill. When that time came, his true combat power would rise to another level.

The Celestial Concealment Skill truly lived up to its name as a top-tier Secret Technique. It was one of the highest-level Secret Techniques among the myriad Secret Techniques of the Eight Trigrams Lotus. Its uses were endless and unfathomably wondrous. Not only did it greatly increase his combat power, but its utility outside of battle was just as significant, benefiting Xie Yuan at every moment.

’It all started with that Celestial Cyan Fruit... I wonder how Miss Mu is doing now? Now that my name has spread, I wonder if she has heard of me?’

Xie Yuan lay on his bed, gazing at the moon outside his window. His consciousness gradually faded as he drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

「The news of the battle over the ruins in the West Desert, fought between the Central Plains and the Western Regions, quickly spread from Yunzhou and Yanzhou, radiating throughout the entire Great Li empire.」

The newly sixth-ranked master on the Flying Dragon List, Cloud Mountain Sword Sect’s Sect Leader Li Xingtuo, had clashed with a top expert from the Western Regions, the Ming King of the Great Vajra Temple, and hadn’t been at a disadvantage in the slightest!

Such explosive and morale-boosting news naturally spread like wildfire.

Martial Artists were also susceptible to the celebrity effect, and a hook like this was a natural conversation starter for idlers in every street and alley.

And as the details were recounted, the names of the younger generation’s powerhouses—Qin Zhenyang, Huie Jue, Yuan Zhenying, Lu Tianyong, Roto, Qiu Ming, and others—all came up.

This time, however, the name mentioned most often, even before all those famous names with profound backgrounds, was one that many were hearing for the first time.

"Xie Yuan..."

From the Celestial Capital to Jiangnan, wherever Martial Artists gathered, this name was on everyone’s lips. Many well-informed storytellers had already dug up his deeds—killing a County Captain in the street, wiping out the Vajra Sect, and even his exploits in Zhi Fu Town—and were recounting them with great embellishment. For a time, Xie Yuan seemed to have become a star. Anyone who didn’t know his name would surely be chided by their friends, "You’re so out of the loop!"

「Jinling Prefecture, in a bustling tavern.」

"So there was Xie Yuan! Wielding his Hundred-Change Profound Weapon, he stood firm between Black Vajra Roto and the West Desert’s Mad Saber, Lu Tianyong! With one hand behind his back, he single-handedly caught both their ultimate moves and sent them flying back, coughing up blood..."

The patrons crowded around the storyteller, listening with great relish.

At a table in the corner, an ordinary-looking woman sat alone. Hearing the storyteller’s exaggerations, she couldn’t help but smile.

’Xie Yuan... you must have faced many dangers this time, haven’t you? It’s a shame I couldn’t be by your side. But then again, with your skills, handling these things shouldn’t have been a problem.’

The woman murmured to herself, a faint smile on her lips.

She sat quietly for a while, her gaze fixed on a distant residence, a flicker in her eyes. Then, she rose, settled her bill, left the tavern, and disappeared into the crowd.

「Cloud Mountain, the mid-mountain Outer Courtyard.」

Xie Yuan was practicing his swordplay in the morning sun, ignoring the many furtive glances cast his way. He thought to himself:

’I’m just about recovered. It’s time to offer these Treasure Medicines to the temple of my stomach. Sigh, which one should I eat first? Having so many choices is a real headache.’

Suddenly, two disciples from the main peak walked over and called out to him:

"Zhang Mountain, come with us. The Sect Leader wants to see you."