Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

In the valley, the stench of blood mingled with dust, making one's throat dry.

Yi Yang leaned on the Xuan Yuan Blade, barely managing to stand.

With each breath, it felt like a gash was being torn open in his chest, burning with pain; his internal energy was completely depleted.

At that moment, a familiar figure appeared silently once again in the valley.

Jiang Zhongtian emerged from the shadows. His sharp eyes swept over the corpse of Huang Yi on the ground.

His gaze then fell upon the swaying Yi Yang, a barely perceptible hint of approval flashing in his eyes as he said:

"good."

Jiang Zhongtian spoke, his voice calm: "To be able to use divine sense to kill a Transcendent Realm expert even when one's true energy is exhausted."

"What level has your spiritual consciousness cultivated to?"

Yi Yang tightened his grip on Xuan Yuan's fingers, panting heavily with his chest heaving. He didn't answer immediately, his mind racing as he processed the information contained in those few words.

"Since this Lord Jiang mentioned that he used his divine sense to kill someone, it means that the other party had been observing him for a long time. But now he is asking me what level of cultivation I have reached."

This means that the other party did not see through his true strength. Apart from Lu Quan'an, who was far away in Suining Prefecture, no one knew that he had broken through to the Breaking Illusion Realm. Divine sense cultivation techniques are rare, and there are even fewer practitioners.

When you don't know the other party's intentions, it's best to keep your cards close to your chest.

Yi Yang feigned extreme weakness, as if he were on his last legs, and said with difficulty:

"Replying to your question, sir."

"The first realm of divine consciousness, the realm of observing myself is perfected."

He was lying.

The trump card of the Breaking Illusion Realm is never revealed to anyone unless absolutely necessary. Not even to one's superior.

Upon hearing the answer, Jiang Zhongtian's eyes showed even more surprise. He raised an eyebrow and asked in astonishment:

"Is my perception of the perfect realm?"

He looked Yi Yang up and down, nodded, and said, "His talent is indeed quite good."

After saying that, he took out a white porcelain bottle about the thickness of a finger from his storage ring and threw it at Yi Yang.

The porcelain bottle traced an arc in the air.

Yi Yang reached out and caught it, then twisted the stopper open with his thumb and looked inside.

Inside was actually a pill.

The pill was entirely emerald green, far surpassing the quality of any other recovery pill he had ever seen.

A faint, almost invisible sheen flowed across the surface, and the moment the medicinal fragrance wafted from the bottle's opening, every pore on Yi Yang's body opened simultaneously.

Even the depleted meridians within the body, like a riverbed that has been parched for three months encountering rain, frantically absorbed the medicinal power released from the elixir.

nice one.

Moreover, the person in front of him is a top expert on the Hidden Dragon Ranking. If the other party wanted to kill him, he could solve the problem with just one finger. There was no need to poison the pill.

Without hesitation, Yi Yang tilted his head back and swallowed it.

The pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth, and a surge of powerful medicinal energy flowed down his throat, coursing into his limbs and bones. His nearly depleted internal energy began to recover and replenish itself at a visible speed.

Less than ten breaths.

Within his dantian, the emerald green seed of profound light shone anew.

Yi Yang opened his eyes, the ashen color on his face fading considerably, and he straightened his back again, speaking respectfully:

"Thank you, sir."

Jiang Zhongtian waved his hand and said casually, "No need to thank me."

He looked at Yi Yang and suddenly smiled. The smile that appeared on his usually stern face felt rather unusual.

Are you curious why I'm here?

Upon hearing this, Yi Yang's heart skipped a beat; he was indeed curious.

But he knew even better that he shouldn't ask questions he shouldn't ask.

"Your actions have their own profound meaning. I dare not presume to speculate." Yi Yang bowed slightly. "If it concerns confidential matters, you need not inform me."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhongtian's smile deepened. "You're quite an interesting person."

"This matter was originally classified."

He paused, then changed the subject.

"But now, I've already taken care of it. And since you were involved, it's nothing."

As Jiang Zhongtian spoke, he took out an item from his storage ring and casually threw it on the ground in front of Yi Yang.

It is a human head.

Snapped.

The head slammed onto the gravel three feet in front of Yi Yang, rolled half a circle, and came to rest face up at his feet.

Yi Yang looked down, and his pupils contracted slightly.

The head's hairstyle and face had a distinct Wu Kingdom style, with wide-open eyes and an expression of extreme terror and disbelief.

But what truly sent chills down Yi Yang's spine wasn't that face.

It was the lingering scent on the skull.

Even though the original body of the head had died, a powerful and chilling aura still lingered on it.

That aura far surpassed that of Ye Hanqian and Huang Yi, who had just been killed by Yi Yang.

Yi Yang couldn't even fathom the depth of this aura.

This indicates that the owner of the head was at least a powerful expert at the fourth level of the Profound Realm, known as "Returning to the Profound."

Even higher.

Looking at the head, Yi Yang already had some ideas in mind.

But he still raised his head, looked at Jiang Zhongtian, and asked, "Sir, what is this?"

Jiang Zhongtian crossed his arms and nodded his chin toward the head. "You don't really think that the opposition in the Witch Kingdom sent someone like Huang Yi, along with a few useless members of the Nine Evil Cult, to sabotage trade between the two countries, do you?"

"That would be a gross underestimation of those old fogies in the Witch King's court."

"The owner of this head is called 'Tuhe,' a priest of one of the nine tribes of the Witch Kingdom, whose status is equivalent to that of an elder in the royal court."

"His strength is at the fifth level of the Profound Realm, Transformation Realm."

"He was the true executor of this interception operation."

The fifth realm of profound understanding.

Hua Xuan.

Yi Yang's mind went blank for a moment.

The Five Realms of Profound Understanding: Enlightenment, Manifestation, Dharma Body, Return to Profound Understanding, and Transformation into Profound Understanding.

Transformation into the profound means that the physical body is the Dharma body, and the form and spirit are united.

A powerhouse of this caliber would be considered a top figure in the entire Qingzhou.

Yi Yang looked at the head in front of him, then at Jiang Zhongtian standing in front of him, opened his mouth slightly, swallowed, and asked:

"So, Huang Yi and Ye Hanqian..."

"piece."

Jiang Zhongtian took over the conversation, making a chess piece gesture with two fingers.

"They're the ones who're being pushed forward to take the hits. Tuhe is the real trump card of the Witch Kingdom's opposition. His mission isn't to kill Ug and Wuyanluo—that kind of thing doesn't need a witch priest at the Transformation Realm to do."

"His mission was to leave traces of the Great Yu Sky Patrol Bureau at the scene after killing people."

Yi Yang's back was covered in a layer of cold sweat.

To frame someone.

A high-ranking priest at the Transcendent Realm, after killing a member of the royal family of the Witch Kingdom, fabricated evidence that the Great Yu Celestial Patrol Bureau had taken action. If this tactic succeeds, not only will trade between the two countries be canceled, but it could very well lead to war.

As for Yi Yang, a deputy chief inspector with thirty Zhenfu Guards, he didn't even have the qualifications to withstand a single blow from Tu He.

He wasn't there to escort Wu Yanluo at all.

From the very beginning, he was just a facade.

Since I am merely a pawn, the true player can only be the person before me.

Yi Yang raised his head and cautiously asked Jiang Zhongtian:

"Then, sir, you are here because..."

"That's right."

Before Yi Yang could finish speaking, Jiang Zhongtian admitted it directly.

He nodded to Yi Yang, confirming his guess, "I am the one in charge of handling this matter in Qingzhou."

"While you were still drinking and chatting in Qingzhou City, I had already arrived in Wanfeng County."

"Those people in Qingzhou are all eyeing the three major towns like a piece of fat meat, their eyes are red with envy. If I, the deputy governor of Hengyue, were still wandering around Qingzhou City, I don't know how many people would come to visit me."

"Therefore, we can only do it in secret."

He patted his armor and said, "I was originally stationed in Hengyue, a major town. No one will suspect anything if I take this opportunity to come here on this errand. It's perfectly normal for a deputy governor to occasionally leave his post to handle personal matters."

Upon hearing this, Yi Yang suddenly felt a jolt in his mind. He immediately thought of his own situation, having been assigned this task by Yan Wuyuan.

He looked at Jiang Zhongtian, his lips moved, and he asked:

"Then, sir... was my mission also assigned by you?"

Jiang Zhongtian didn't say anything, just looked at him with a smile.

That expression is more effective than saying "yes" a thousand times.

Yi Yang went through all the details.

Yan Wuyuan had him get into that carriage at the Qingyu Marquis's residence; Wu Yanluo and Wu Ge were already inside. He assumed Yan Wuyuan had arranged it.

But now it seems that the person who was really pulling the strings behind the scenes was not Yan Wuyuan.

It's Jiang Zhongtian.

He used the Qingzhou Astronomical Bureau to establish a connection between this matter and the Qingyu Marquis's residence. Yan Wuyuan acted as the middleman, while Yi Yang was chosen as the executor in name only.

As for the reason—

"My lord, why did you choose me?"

That's a very direct question.

Upon hearing Yi Yang's question, Jiang Zhongtian answered frankly:

"It's related to that old bastard Lu Quan'an."

Yi Yang was stunned for a moment.

"Lord Lu?"

"When I was in Hengyue, a major town, I received a letter from him," Jiang Zhongtian said casually, stretching. "The letter asked me to keep an eye on a young man who came from his area. He said the young man had good potential and was worth cultivating."

He glanced at Yi Yang sideways, "But I, Jiang Zhongtian, have a problem—when someone asks me to look after someone, I have to see if that person has the ability first."

"That old fox Lu Quan'an rarely says this."

Since he's brought it up, I should at least give him some face. But in the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains, death is easier than food, and I don't keep useless people under my command.

"So this is a test."

"If you die at the hands of Huang Yi or Ye Hanqian, it means Lu Quan'an misjudged you. If you die, you die. You can't blame anyone else."

"If you survive, it proves you deserve my help."

Yi Yang understood what the other party meant.

He was assigned to escort Wu Yanluo openly, which was ostensibly a mission, but in reality, it was Jiang Zhongtian's test of him.

From the moment he left Qingzhou City, he was being watched.

Ye Hanqian, Huang Yi, and the three leaders of the Nine Evil Cults—these enemies are real, but the very act of "letting Yi Yang face these enemies" is a test.

The real big fish, the Shaman Tuhe who had reached the Transformation Realm, was never within Yi Yang's assessment scope from beginning to end.

That was Jiang Zhongtian's own prey.

"You killed Ye Hanqian."

"He killed another servant named Huang."

"Two people at the Transcendent Realm, one is a Blood Envoy of the Nine Evil Sect, and the other is a fierce general of the Witch King's Court."

He withdrew his two fingers and gave Yi Yang a look that held a hint of appreciation, affirming:

"For someone who has just entered the Profound Realm to kill two manifested beings is enough to prove your strength."

"So you passed the test."

Looking at the unfathomable man before him, Yi Yang felt a mix of emotions.

But he took a deep breath, suppressing all those chaotic thoughts, and bowed respectfully, saying:

"Thank you for your kind words, sir."

"No need to thank me, you earned it all yourself. Now that you've passed the test, you'll naturally receive a reward."

As Jiang Zhongtian spoke, he reached into his storage ring, rummaged through it a couple of times, and pulled out a booklet.

The booklet was thin, with a yellowed cover tied with a hemp thread, and looked quite old.

He tossed the booklet to Yi Yang.

Yi Yang caught it with one hand and glanced down at the words on the cover.

"The Mind-Monkey Guardian Technique: The Dynamic Image Chapter"

Upon seeing this manual, Yi Yang's fingers tightened suddenly.