Huang Rong from The Return of the Condor Heroes: Guo'er, calm down.

The third quarter of the hour of Zi (11:45 PM).

The wind from the back mountain made the thatch on the roof of the dilapidated shed rustle.

Yang Guo sat cross-legged on a straw mat, without lighting a lamp.

It was pitch black, except for a pair of bright eyes that were staring intently at the dark grove outside.

He is waiting.

About half an hour later, the furtive figure finally appeared.

Yin Zhiping, like a thieving rat, kept looking back every few steps. He had no footing and broke a dry branch with a loud "crack".

He was so frightened that he shuddered violently and almost fell to the ground.

Yang Guo shook his head at the sight. With such poor mental fortitude, he actually tries to steal?

"Master, over here," Yang Guo called out in a low voice.

Yin Zhiping felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He scrambled into the thatched hut, grabbed Yang Guo's arm, and his palms were covered in cold sweat and felt slippery.

"Master, are you going to steal medicine or to steal a person?" Yang Guo asked slowly, his tone tinged with a hint of teasing.

"Shh! Keep your voice down!"

Startled, Yin Zhiping lunged forward to cover Yang Guo's mouth, but Yang Guo dodged by turning his head away.

"Got it?" Yang Guo held out his hand.

Yin Zhiping shakily pulled a brocade box from his robes. The box was small, made of sandalwood, and bore the distinctive seal of the Quanzhen Sect, though it had been torn open.

"For this thing... I've risked my life." Yin Zhiping handed over the box, his hands still trembling. "Uncle Liu was fast asleep, but when I went in, I almost knocked over the copper bell next to the alchemy furnace... Guo'er, that's a capital offense."

Yang Guo snatched the brocade box and opened it with a snap.

A rich aroma of medicine instantly filled the air.

The smell was pungent, with a spicy and bitter herbal scent; just one whiff made your head spin. In the center of the brocade box lay a vermilion pill the size of a longan, its surface covered with a layer of wax that shimmered faintly.

Nine-Turn Life-Extending Pill.

The most treasured possession of the Quanzhen School.

"Good stuff," Yang Guo praised, closing the box and tucking it into his robes. "Master, you've worked hard. With this, tomorrow's performance will be a success."

Yin Zhiping watched as the box went into Yang Guo's arms, a flicker of heartache crossing his eyes, but mostly worry: "Guo'er, you...you really want to do this? This medicine is effective, but reversing meridians is something that can be fatal if not handled carefully. Perhaps...we should think of another way?"

Although he wanted to pursue Miss Long, he didn't want to actually kill his only "strategist".

"Master, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub." Yang Guo patted his chest. "Don't worry. I value my life very much and won't do anything I'm not sure of. Once this pill is in my stomach, it will protect my heart meridian. I'll then circulate my qi a little to create the illusion of qi deviation, which will be enough to fool Granny Sun."

"Then... then be careful."

Yin Zhiping didn't dare linger. He was like a frightened bird, and the slightest disturbance made him think that the disciplinary monastery was coming to arrest him.

"After it's done, don't forget to draw the diagrams," Yin Zhiping added, still concerned.

"I can't forget it. You should leave quickly, don't let anyone see you."

Yin Zhiping walked away, turning back every few steps.

Watching that hastily fleeing figure, Yang Guo sneered.

This master cultivated Taoism for half his life, but in the end, he wasn't even as bold as a rat.

Quiet returned to the thatched hut.

Yang Guo took out the brocade box and ran his fingertips along the smooth wood grain.

This elixir is said to be able to bring the dead back to life and increase one's cultivation by ten years.

For him now, this is a key to becoming a top master.

Once you enter the ancient tomb and obtain the Nine Yin Manual, combined with the medicinal power of this elixir, even if you can't master the skills of the Five Greats, you can at least roam freely in this martial arts world.

"For Sister Rong..."

Fortune favors the bold.

Yang Guo crushed the wax coating on the pill.

The medicinal aroma grew stronger, making people feel slightly dizzy.

Without hesitation, he tilted his head back, threw the pill into his mouth, and swallowed it with a gulp.

The elixir entered the stomach.

At first, I didn't feel anything; it was like eating a piece of candy.

Yang Guo crossed his legs, adopting a posture with his palms facing upwards, ready to receive the effects of the medicine.

According to his plan, this Nine-Turn Life-Extending Pill was mild and mellow, a pure Taoist elixir of the Quanzhen Sect. After taking it, a warm current would protect his internal organs. At this time, he would then use the Toad Skill taught by his adoptive father, Ouyang Feng, to reverse the flow of energy through his meridians.

The Toad Style Kung Fu is domineering; going against the flow of Qi through the meridians is tantamount to courting death.

But with this miraculous medicine protecting him, it was like adding a railing to the edge of a cliff. He only needed to control the heat, make his face look frightening, and his pulse erratic, and he could terrify Granny Sun to death.

Once inside the ancient tomb, he immediately stopped his reverse journey and used the medicinal properties to recuperate. Not only was he unharmed, he also gained a significant amount of internal energy.

Simply perfect.

"It's getting hot."

A sudden surge of heat rose in my abdomen.

But the heat came too quickly and too intensely.

It wasn't a gentle warm current at all; it was like swallowing a burning ember!

The heat exploded instantly, rushing wildly through the twelve meridians. Yang Guo felt as if a gunpowder had been stuffed into his stomach, causing him to see stars.

"How...how can it be so powerful?"

Yang Guo gritted his teeth, and beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

He dared not be careless and quickly activated the internal energy cultivation method of the Quanzhen Sect, trying to guide the heat flow back into his dantian.

But this heat was completely uncontrollable. It was like a wild horse, rampaging through the meridians. Wherever it passed, the meridians swelled and ached as if they were about to burst.

"No... I can't hold it in..."

Yang Guo's heart skipped a beat.

He underestimated the power of the Nine-Turn Life-Extending Pill.

This was a treasure accumulated by generations of the Quanzhen Sect, containing highly nourishing ingredients like century-old ginseng and thousand-year-old lingzhi mushrooms. If a master with profound internal energy were to consume it, they could naturally refine it slowly. But Yang Guo had only practiced martial arts for a few days? His meager internal energy was instantly overwhelmed by the immense medicinal power.

Yang Guo felt as if his blood was on fire, his skin was burning hot, and his blood was about to evaporate.

"I need to vent... I need to let this energy out..."

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and he remembered the Toad Kung Fu taught by his godfather.

Toad Kung Fu emphasizes using stillness to control movement and accumulating power for explosive release. Most importantly, its energy flow path is quite different from that of ordinary people, with some meridians even flowing in reverse.

Since going with the flow doesn't work, let's go against it!

Yang Guo was desperate and decided to try anything. He suddenly lay down on the ground, supporting himself with his hands, puffing out his cheeks, and making strange "gurgling" sounds in his throat.

The Toad Stance technique is activated with a single turn.

He forcibly reversed the direction of the originally flowing true energy.

That twist caused a disaster.

The Nine-Turn Life-Extending Pill is a pure Taoist yang substance, emphasizing harmony with nature and humanity, and moderation. The Toad Skill, on the other hand, is the unique martial art of Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison, which follows a sinister and treacherous path, adhering to the principles of defying the heavens.

These two completely different forces collided within Yang Guo's body.

Yang Guo felt a loud bang in his head, as if he had been struck by lightning.

puff!

He spat out a mouthful of blood.

pain.

It hurts too much.

If what happened before was just burning, now it's like someone is cutting his flesh and grinding his bones with a dull knife.

The internal energy within his body was completely out of control.

The medicinal power, amplified by the Toad Style technique, became even more violent. It began to frantically attack the normally closed acupoints.

"ah--"

Yang Guo couldn't help but scream out in pain.

He was curled up on the ground, convulsing. His skin was turning red at a visible speed, like a boiled shrimp.

This time they really messed up.

What? Pretending to be possessed by a demon? This is fucking deadly!