My cultivation method shines upon all heavens.

"Oh? You can actually sense the shape of a mandarin duck?"

Liu Zhiyuan's eyebrows twitched slightly, and his smile grew even wider:

"This only gives me more confidence in you."

As soon as he finished speaking, his expression shifted slightly, and the divine bird behind him suddenly disappeared, the dark purple aura receding like a tide.

However, the solemnity between his brows did not dissipate, clearly indicating that forcibly subduing the divine bird was not an easy task for him.

Lu Ming felt a sudden relaxation throughout his body, and the oppressive feeling that felt like Mount Tai was pressing down on him instantly dissipated, allowing him to regain control of his body.

Are you confident?

Whom are they trying to use me against this time?

The Taiping Dao, about to part ways?

Or are they just the four powerful forces barely clinging to life?

His mind raced, and countless thoughts flooded his mind.

"My lord, please feel free to give your orders. I will do my utmost, even at the cost of my life!"

Despite a multitude of thoughts swirling in his mind, he maintained an expression of unwavering loyalty.

Liu Zhiyuan stroked his beard and smiled, clearly quite satisfied with Lu Ming's attitude.

"The Taiping Dao is full of wolfish ambitions. I had to endure humiliation and feign compliance with them due to internal and external troubles some time ago, but now I have to be extra careful."

His smile faded, and his tone became serious.

Lu Ming's heart stirred.

This was a clear message to him that the honeymoon period was over, and that he should be more wary of the Taiping Dao from now on, and not be taken advantage of again.

But what gave Liu Zhiyuan such confidence?

Is it simply because the four major powers have been completely suppressed?

No, in such chaotic times, the greatest reliance one can have is always absolute military force.

Considering his recent reclusive lifestyle and his unusually overt presence today—

Liu Zhiyuan has made a breakthrough.

In an instant, he suddenly realized.

"However, to repel external threats, we must first secure internal stability."

Liu Zhiyuan slowly stood up, walked to Lu Ming, and looked directly into his eyes:

"Wang An, that vicious official, ran rampant and tyrannical, destroying countless families and exterminating entire clans... How utterly wicked he was!"

He sighed deeply, reached out and patted Lu Ming's shoulder reassuringly, his eyes full of tenderness:

"I know you've also suffered greatly from this. Now the time has come. I'm giving you a chance. Are you willing to rid the people of this scourge?"

After saying that, he placed his hands on Lu Ming's shoulders, his eyes deep and unfathomable, staring at him intently.

Lu Ming's body stiffened, feeling as if those hands were two iron clamps firmly locking his shoulder bones.

He cursed inwardly, "Old man, you're not giving me a choice at all!"

Moreover, what is Wang An's apparent strength, and what is mine?

Making me, a Bone Forging Realm cultivator, fight against a Blood Condensation Realm cultivator two levels higher is clearly a complete disregard for my life or death.

But he reacted very quickly, his face immediately showing righteous indignation:

"Such villains must be eliminated to appease public anger... It is my duty to do so!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhiyuan's expression relaxed. He loosened his grip, took a half-step back, and stroked his beard with a smile once more.

But Lu Ming didn't stop there. He cautiously looked up and carefully said:

"But... sir, my strength is too weak, and I fear I might hinder your important matters. I wonder if the reward you promised me last time could still be..."

Liu Zhiyuan's face stiffened.

The plague has struck, and yet someone still dares to demand a debt from me.

Over the years, he has always been one to make empty promises.

Get things done before you get paid.

When a person dies, the debt is naturally cleared.

The person isn't dead?

Do you still want to work under me?

You still dare to ask for money?

Do you really think his reputation for "scraping the ground three feet deep" came from nothing?

His expression turned slightly cold, and he was about to offer an excuse.

But then he suddenly remembered that Yun Changfeng was watching him intently outside, and Wang An was sleeping soundly beside him, so he hesitated for a moment.

Fine, consider it a loan. Sooner or later, I'll get it back with interest.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, forcing a smile onto his face:

"Haha, how could I possibly forget?"

As he spoke, he forced back his heartache and called out, "Someone come here!"

The butler, who was waiting outside the door, quickly walked to his side, bowed, and said:

"Sir, you wanted to see me?"

Liu Zhiyuan whispered a few words in his ear, his voice so low that only the two of them could hear him.

Then he straightened up and gave the order:

"Take Lord Lu to the Imperial Treasury to pick out some good stuff... Understand?"

The butler smiled and responded, then turned to Lu Ming and bowed.

"Lord Lu, please follow me."

Lu Ming bowed to Liu Zhiyuan to take his leave, and then followed the steward through the government office.

The corridors were winding, and the blue brick floors were covered with dappled sunlight.

Soon, the two arrived at a hidden warehouse in the northwest corner, concealed by an artificial hill.

The butler fumbled around on the artificial rock wall for a while, seemingly triggering some kind of mechanism.

"Boom!"

A heavy stone door slowly slid open to one side, revealing a deep passage behind it.

"Young Master Lu, please wait a moment... I'll be right back."

The steward apologized to Lu Ming and stepped into the stone gate, his footsteps fading into the distance.

Lu Ming stood at the door, gazing at the deep entrance, his eyebrows twitching slightly.

Ha... Is this some kind of "garbage" I'm supposed to be getting?

He was utterly speechless at this upright and just official.

After a while, the butler came out, smiling and gesturing towards him:

"Lord Lu, you may choose any item from inside... This time, as a special favor, it's free."

Lu Ming forcibly suppressed the twitching on his face, nodded, and stepped inside.

The passage was deep and dry, with luminous pearls embedded in its arched ceiling, emitting a warm and soft glow that illuminated the bluestone pavement beneath our feet.

After walking about several dozen meters, the view suddenly opened up before us.

A circular hall appeared before us, with rows of shelves laid out horizontally.

The shelves, which should have been overflowing with goods, now only had a few scattered items left, as if locusts had swept through the area.

Lu Ming's expression was indifferent; he was already too exhausted to even comment.

He walked over and casually rummaged through the items on the shelves.

Unsurprisingly, the vast majority were just shoddy work.

Broken scrolls, broken jade artifacts, withered tree roots whose age is indistinguishable... there are very few things that are even remotely acceptable.

He picked and chose, finally selecting three items and placing them in front of him.

On the far left is a blue-paged manual, with the words "Tiger's Fury Technique" still fresh in ink on the cover.

Lu Ming casually flipped it open, but unfortunately, no heart imprint remained.

He slowly closed the book, his eyes filled with an inscrutable expression.

To his surprise, this "Tiger Mantra" was actually a low-grade spiritual manual for the Marrow Refining Realm.

But given Liu Zhiyuan's stingy nature, he wouldn't be so generous for no reason.

When you're eyeing his wallet, he's already eyeing your life.

The main reason why the "Violent Tiger Technique" can be considered a low-grade spiritual scripture is its "Violent Blood" method.

Forcibly shaking the bone marrow to produce blood stimulates the body's activity, causing the blood to boil, making him almost comparable to a martial artist in the Blood Coagulation Realm in a short period of time.

Of course, the consequences were also extremely serious:

At best, it will result in serious injury and chronic illness, making it difficult to make any progress in cultivation and leaving the body extremely weak;

In severe cases, it can lead to immediate death, a condition that even Bian Que (a legendary physician) could not cure, and Hua Tuo (another legendary physician) could not save.

"It seems this manual was prepared specifically for me."

He immediately understood Liu Zhiyuan's scheme.

The other party thought he was a genius and wanted him to use this secret manual to advance to the Marrow Refining Realm in a short time, and then fight Wang An to the death with the Blood Explosion Method.

If they're lucky, both will suffer heavy losses; if they're unlucky, Lu Ming could inflict even more damage on the already severely injured Wang An.

No matter how you look at it, he didn't lose out.

These old scumbags, their hearts are all dirty.

Lu Ming sneered inwardly:

"Unfortunately, you miscalculated in the end."

He's a fake genius; this secret technique is useless to him, and he would never risk his life for others by harming himself.

Most importantly, he had already reached the Marrow Refining Realm.

Then he looked at the second item: a bottle of Marrow Cleansing Pills.

This was clearly something the other side had prepared carefully.

You look down on "The Tiger's Secret"?

It's alright, I'll provide you with pills to help you break through to the Marrow Refining Realm, and then you can fight desperately.

Lu Ming couldn't help but chuckle.

Liu Zhiyuan's plan was indeed shrewd, but unfortunately, his starting point was wrong.

A supreme talent is still a supreme talent; even with the strength of Liu Zhiyuan and Lian Feng, they were unable to see through his true cultivation level.

A slight smile played on his lips as he turned to look at the last item.

It was a blood-red membrane, dry and twisted like a crumpled old skin, emitting a faint, sweet, fishy smell that was repulsive to look at.

Clearly, even Liu Zhiyuan couldn't see anything special about this thing, so he just used it to make up the numbers.

However, the moment Lu Ming reached out and touched it, the Heavenly Heart Scroll suddenly changed its direction:

[A Heart Imprint has been discovered, along with a fragment of a superior-grade earth-book, the *Blood Prison Underworld Embryo Scripture*. Should it be refined?]

"Hehe, this is truly an unexpected delight."

He felt the prompt in his mind and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

He looked again at the Marrow Cleansing Pill beside him.

This elixir is extremely precious and can help him quickly complete the cultivation of the "Moon Toad Scripture".

If you have to choose between two options, how should you decide?

"Hmph, of course I want them all."

Recalling Liu Zhiyuan's stingy face, he clenched the blood membrane in his hand, sneered, and a thought flickered in his mind:

"Refine!"

In an instant, the white mist on the Heavenly Heart Scroll suddenly churned.

However, an unexpected change occurred.

[Ding! The Heart Imprint possesses its own consciousness; the refining process has failed!]

Lu Ming narrowed his eyes, and an expression of disbelief immediately appeared in them.

Refining failed?

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

"Hmm? The day of the 'Grand Feast' hasn't arrived yet... Why did I wake up early?"

A cold, slightly bewildered voice suddenly echoed from the depths of my mind, hoarse and eerie, carrying the feeling of someone who had been asleep for a long time.

Lu Ming's expression changed slightly.

As that eerie voice rang out, his blood suddenly boiled and surged, his heart pounded, and his mind was filled with turmoil.

What's going on?

Is there consciousness within this blood membrane?

Moreover... just one sentence was enough to make my blood and qi lose control!