We're practicing all martial arts, so why did you switch to easy mode?

Chapter 217 Seven Star Grass, Seeking its own death, the ninth profound vein! (10,000 words)

Zhou Yan changed his mind at the last minute and started wandering around the Wan Hai Chamber of Commerce.

However, his gaze would always inadvertently drift towards Su Chen's location as he swept his eyes around.

"Seven-star grass?"

Zhou Yan was taken aback when he saw the items being traded between the two parties.

Seven-Star Grass is a spiritual medicine for body refinement, containing a faint stellar power, and is generally used for cultivating pure Yang martial arts.

Seeing Su Chen buy Seven Star Grass, he subconsciously assumed that Su Chen intended to cultivate Pure Yang Martial Arts together.

Pure Yang martial arts cultivate the body in two directions: strength and defense.

Its cultivation difficulty is, in some ways, greater than that of Yuanli Martial Arts and Divine Weapon Martial Arts, but it is an extremely easy martial art to learn.

If Su Chen bought one, he might not have had this thought, but the two of them traded at least three or four Seven Star Grasses.

The Seven Star Grass is not abundant within the territory of the Ziyang Sect, which makes it quite expensive, often requiring a thousand Spirit Essence Pills for a single plant.

Three or four Seven Star Grass plants are equivalent to three or four thousand Spirit Essence Pills.

No one would buy so many Seven Star Grasses at once unless they planned to cultivate Pure Yang Martial Arts together.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Yan understood the reason.

"Like me, Su Chen has reached the limit in the Meridian Opening Realm and is unable to open up new Xuan Meridians. He can only improve his strength through other means."

I remember he was a martial artist at the peak of the Five Meridians stage; with his wealth, he could easily have bought a Gathering Yuan Pill to break through to the next level.

But he didn't do that. Instead, he chose to buy Seven Star Grass to improve his physique, which seemed to indicate that he intended to cultivate Pure Yang Martial Arts.

Ultimately, they were martial artists from a small town, with a short-sighted vision. Although the Pure Yang Martial Arts was very easy to learn, it was also known as the 'money-burning martial arts'.

It's like a bottomless pit; once you start cultivating, it consumes a huge amount of resources.

Su Chen didn't care what martial arts he practiced, but what he was spending was his future wealth, which caused him to have a heart attack.

"No, once he cultivates the Pure Yang Martial Path and uses the Seven Star Grass, his physique will become stronger. Even if I break through to the Gathering Yuan Realm, it will become difficult to kill him. I must break through to the Gathering Yuan Realm before he refines these Seven Star Grasses and try to kill him at the lowest possible cost."

Zhou Yan stood there gazing for a long time until Su Chen left, and only then did he walk out of the Wan Hai Chamber of Commerce.

Using runes, a faint stream of elemental energy was projected onto Su Chen to make him easier to locate.

Zhou Yan immediately took the Gathering Yuan Pill back to his residence without delay.

the other side.

Su Chen was somewhat disappointed. Although the Wan Hai Chamber of Commerce had Seven Star Grass, they could only produce four, not ten at once.

The Seven Star Grass originates from the territory of the Dragon Elephant Sect and is generally used by disciples of the Dragon Elephant Sect for cultivation.

The Dragon Elephant Sect is far from the Purple Sun Sect, and even with the Wan Hai Chamber of Commerce's transportation, it would take three days.

In other words, Su Chen can only make the purchase in three days.

The shopkeeper also recommended a place to Su Chen where he might be able to buy Seven Star Grass: Qingyang City Canyon.

This is a market similar to the Night Market, where people from various sects, families, and independent cultivators come and go, making it a diverse and bustling place.

However, its scale is incomparable to that of the Night Market.

According to the guy, you can even buy real divine weapons in the canyon market of Qingyang City.

Su Chen was initially somewhat tempted, but when he learned that the people going there were either rich, powerful, or influential, he decided to give up.

Even a Nascent Soul Realm martial artist could be assassinated if they went to the Qingyang City Canyon Market. Wouldn't a piece of trash like him, who was only at the Meridian Opening Realm, be completely wiped out if he went there?

Let's just wait three days to buy the Seven Star Grass.

"Before that, let's earn some Spirit Essence Pills."

The four Seven Star Grasses cost a total of four thousand Spirit Essence Pills, which had already exhausted the few Spirit Essence Pills he had left.

He wanted to wait three days to buy the Seven Star Grass, and he needed to earn six thousand Spirit Yuan Pills within those three days.

"After returning to the city, go to the Myriad Wonders Cave to use up the remaining time. You can use it to consume Seven Star Grass, and then go to the martial arts arena or the market to earn Spirit Essence Pills."

After finalizing the plan, Su Chen returned to the city without stopping.

Zhao Mansion.

Zhao Heng's injuries had somewhat healed, but he appeared slightly sickly and his face was somewhat pale.

A series of footsteps approached, and Zhao Qing, looking anxious, pushed open the half-closed door and went inside.

Upon seeing Zhao Qing, Zhao Heng hurriedly asked, "How did things go?"

Zhao Qing smiled bitterly, completely unable to reconcile the person before him with the once spirited Zhao Heng.

She took a deep breath, shook her head, and whispered, "Brother Heng, Su Chen isn't here."

"Is it that you don't want to see me, or are you really not here?" Zhao Heng asked, his brows furrowed.

“No more,” Zhao Qing said definitively. “I asked a female martial artist who shared a courtyard with him, and she told me that Su Chen often goes out and hasn’t returned for several days.”

Seeing Zhao Heng breathe a sigh of relief, Zhao Qing hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Brother Heng, is it really necessary?"

"What?" Zhao Heng was stunned.

"I mean, even if Su Chen retaliates against us, we don't need to worry too much because of the sect's rules," Zhao Qing said, pursing her lips.

Ever since Zhao Heng was defeated by Su Chen, she has noticed that Zhao Heng has completely changed.

Not only did she have to contact her family for financial assistance, but she also had to apologize to Su Chen.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Heng sighed softly, his face showing bewilderment.

After a long silence, he said, "If I were slightly inferior to Su Chen and lost the match, it wouldn't have been necessary to do this, but I was defeated by him in one move."

He paused, then looked at Zhao Qing with a complicated expression.

Zhao Heng continued, "These past two days, I've been constantly replaying the scene of our fight in my mind, and the more I think about it, the more terrifying this person seems."

If it weren't for the sect's rules, he could have killed me in one move.

I'm asking you to apologize, not to befriend this person, but only to seek their forgiveness.

If he doesn't let this go, I'll have no choice but to die, and my family won't fare any better."

Zhao Qing fell silent.

Zhao Heng didn't say much, but sighed softly: "Let's look for it again. If we really can't find it, we should at least give him the apology gift."

"Okay!" Zhao Qing nodded, got up and left.

……

Wanmiao Cave, within a certain formation.

Low, painful cries echoed within the formation, sounding like the roars and howls of hundreds or thousands of wild beasts.

Su Chen hadn't expected that consuming the Seven Star Grass would be so painful during cultivation.

It felt as if his entire body was being pierced by ten thousand golden needles, cut by ten thousand knives, and smashed by ten thousand iron hammers.

The pain was so intense that even his willpower could barely withstand it.

Even with the repairing power of Yuan Qi, his skin still cracked inch by inch, and blood slowly flowed out like droplets of water.

The internal organs were shattered by the stellar power contained in the Seven Star Grass.

The pain gradually subsided after an incense stick had burned.

Immediately afterwards, the originally extremely violent star power became docile and began to repair Su Chen's physical body.

The internal organs regained their vitality, the blood on the skin scabbed over, and the wound healed.

Su Chen opened his eyes as if he had survived a catastrophe, his pupils filled with confusion, the intense and prolonged pain still lingering in his mind.

After a short while, Su Chen's eyes cleared, his mouth opened slightly, and he exhaled a breath of turbid air that stretched for several meters before slowly dissipating.

He examined his body and his eyes lit up with surprise: "Not only has my skin become much tougher, but my internal organs have also become much stronger."

In addition, the Xuanmai (mysterious veins) also seemed to have been strengthened and become more solid.

"But the Seven Star Grass is too potent. Just one plant almost killed me. I'm afraid I can't continue taking it today. I'll wait until tomorrow."

Looking at the three remaining Seven Star Grasses in his hand, Su Chen decisively gave up the idea of ​​continuing to consume them and also abandoned the thought of continuing to cultivate.

With less than half an hour left before the formation closed, Su Chen got up, packed his things, and left the Myriad Wonders Cave with his pills and divine weapons.

It was still early, with half a day before nightfall, so Su Chen headed to the martial arts arena.

Whether it was spurred by the battle between Chang Yuan and Teng Gui, or because the rankings were about to be updated, the entire martial arts arena was five times more lively than usual.

Each arena was filled with fighters, much like a theatrical performance, with one person finishing their act only to be replaced by another, resulting in a passionate clash.

This also made things easier for Su Chen, as he began to move between various arenas.

Compared to before, Su Chen's vision and strength have improved significantly, and even his senses have become more acute.

The Pure Yuan Scripture reduced his lifespan but enhanced his perception, making his judgments about the outcome of the martial arts competition increasingly accurate.

He was no longer satisfied with duels where the outcome was immediately apparent; instead, he specifically chose duels where the opponents were evenly matched and the strength of the opponent was difficult to discern.

These types of martial arts competitions generally offer a higher chance of earning Spirit Essence Pills.

Of course, he also made mistakes sometimes. After all, such competitions are unpredictable, and even the best eyesight and the sharpest judgment can lead to failure.

Overall, Su Chen lost less and won more.

As evening approached, the number of people competing in martial arts did not decrease; on the contrary, it increased even more.

This made Su Chen, who was planning to go to the market, change his mind and stay at the martial arts arena to place his bets.

After a night, Su Chen had earned seven hundred Spirit Essence Pills, a considerable haul.

During the day, Su Chen went to the Myriad Wonders Cave to reopen a cultivation cave and consumed the Seven Star Grass.

Having already endured the pain once, Su Chen remained much calmer the second time, without wailing or howling.

After taking it, he found that the pain caused by the Seven Star Grass was reduced, but the tempering effect was also reduced.

He didn't pay much attention and after practicing the Myriad Wonders of the Profound Heart for half a day, he went to the martial arts arena to continue placing bets.

Time flies like a gentle stream, and three days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Su Chen finally managed to collect six thousand Spirit Essence Pills.

Of course, not all of these six thousand Spirit Essence Pills were earned by him.

Two thousand eight hundred of them were earned from the martial arts arena, and the remaining three thousand were an apology gift from Zhao Heng.

With his existing savings, Su Chen had enough to buy six Seven Star Grasses.

Around noon, Su Chen crossed the river to the outer city.

Zhou House.

Zhou Yan, noticing that Su Chen had left the inner city, couldn't help but smile.

With the help of the Gathering Yuan Pill, he successfully broke through to the Gathering Yuan Realm. As long as he reports to the sect, he can become an inner city disciple of the Ziyang Sect.

However, there's no rush. Before becoming an inner city disciple, he still needs to do something.

In fact, he had already broken through the barrier the next day, but unfortunately Su Chen returned to the inner city, so he had no way to proceed.

He had no choice but to continue cultivating within the mansion.

It took Zhou Yan two days to stabilize his realm, and his strength increased even more since his breakthrough.

Even though Su Chen had taken the Seven Star Grass to enhance his physique, he remained completely unafraid.

"It's a pity that there's a period of weakness after taking the Seven Star Grass. If I could have acted during that period, it would have saved me time and energy. But acting now is just as good," Zhou Yan murmured.

Puff puff.

He was about to get up and leave when he suddenly saw the family carrier pigeon flying in mid-air and was taken aback.

"Huh? This is..."

Seize the carrier pigeon and examine the secret message.

When Zhou Yan saw the special symbol on the letter that he and Zhou Hanwen had agreed upon, he was first startled, and then his face lit up with ecstasy.

"Hahaha, found it! After ten years, we have finally found this place of inheritance."

Zhou Yan was extremely excited, and tears welled up in his eyes.

After ten years of searching, the results have finally come today, how could he not be happy?

Most importantly, once the Zhou family obtains the inheritance, they will surely soar to great heights!
After a long while, Zhou Yan calmed down and then destroyed the secret letter and carrier pigeon in his hand to prevent the information from being leaked.

The matter of the inheritance site must never be known to anyone other than him and Zhou Hanwen, otherwise it will surely bring annihilation to the family.

"Once I kill Su Chen, I will immediately return to my family!"

A cold glint flashed in Zhou Yan's eyes, and with a chilling killing intent, he left the inner city.

Wanhai Chamber of Commerce.

"Guest, the Seven Star Grass has arrived."

The waiter recognized Su Chen and went up to him.

Su Chen nodded: "How many are there in total?"

"There were ten plants in total, but three were bought by other customers, leaving seven. Do you need six?" the waiter asked.

Su Chen nodded, took out six pill tickets, and handed them to the shopkeeper: "Okay."

After receiving the ticket, the shopkeeper turned around and took out an exquisite box containing six Seven Star Grasses.

After checking it briefly, Su Chen closed the box with peace of mind.

Wan Hai Chamber of Commerce values ​​its reputation highly and would not deceive him regarding quality.

After buying the Seven Star Grass, Su Chen turned to leave when he suddenly saw a familiar figure walking towards him.

"It's Teng Gui."

He looked closely and recognized the person who had come.

"Young Master Teng."

The waiter recognized Teng Gui and greeted him very respectfully.

Teng Gui nodded indifferently and said, "I need five Seven Star Grasses."

"This..." The shopkeeper looked troubled upon hearing this. "Young Master Teng, the Chamber of Commerce only has one Seven Star Grass left. The next batch will take three days to arrive."

"Is there any other way?" Teng Gui's icy voice rang out.

The waiter thought for a moment and said, "Young Master Teng, a distinguished guest just bought six Seven Star Grasses at once. You can ask him about it. He's the same young master who just went out not long ago."

Su Chen, who had just left, looked at Teng Gui, who had appeared before him, with a puzzled expression.

Teng Gui glanced at the box in Su Chen's hand and said indifferently, "I want all the Seven Star Grass you have. Name your price."

Hearing that Teng Gui also wanted the Seven Star Grass, Su Chen was taken aback, but he quickly refused, saying, "Sorry, I have a use for it."

"Ten thousand Spirit Essence Pills!" Teng Gui didn't waste any words and directly offered his price.

Su Chen still shook his head.

"You're a disciple of the Ziyang Sect, aren't you?" Teng Gui didn't continue to offer a price, but instead asked a question.

Sensing the increasingly sharp aura emanating from Teng Gui, Su Chen raised an eyebrow: "What?"

Teng Gui shook his head without answering, but instead gave Su Chen a deep look before turning and leaving.

Watching Teng Gui leave, a hint of surprise flashed in Su Chen's eyes. He thought the other party was about to make a move.

"We are both martial artists at the Eight Meridians Perfection level, but I feel that his strength is slightly stronger than mine."

In terms of profound veins, Su Chen has caught up with Chang Yuan and Teng Gui, but not in other aspects.

His foundation is still too shallow. Compared with top-tier martial artists like Chang Yuan and Teng Gui, he is somewhat lacking in skill.

But it doesn't matter. As long as Su Chen is given some time, he will surpass the two of them sooner or later.

Even so, he would have been fearless had Teng Gui actually made a move.

With his sword-drawing skills, he still has the ability to fight.

"Huh? Someone's following me."

On his way back, Su Chen sensed something was wrong; a subtle aura had been following him ever since he left the Wan Hai Chamber of Commerce.

"I thought Teng Gui had the bearing of a strongman, but I didn't expect him to be so petty."

Su Chen chuckled softly and shook his head slightly.

To follow him for just six Seven-Star Grasses—such magnanimity is hardly befitting his status.

"Very well, let's see how big the gap is between the Eight Meridians Perfection and the Eight Meridians Perfection."

A fierce fighting spirit blazed in Su Chen's eyes. He changed direction and headed out of the city.

That subtle presence followed him the whole time.

"Come out."

Reaching a desolate, wilderness area, Su Chen stopped, looked back, and said in a deep voice.

A figure darted out from a thousand meters away and arrived in front of Su Chen in the blink of an eye.

To Su Chen's surprise, the person in front of him was not Teng Gui, but someone he had never seen before.

"Who are you?" Su Chen stared at the other person, searching his memories, but he did not recognize him.

Zhou Yan scoffed after hearing this: "Knowing that I was following you, you still deliberately exposed yourself. Should I call you stupid, or do you think you're courting death?"

After Su Chen suddenly left the city, Zhou Yan realized that he had been exposed.

This surprised him somewhat. He had already concealed his aura to the extreme, but Su Chen still managed to discover him.

To his delight, Su Chen, despite discovering him, still chose to leave the city, which saved him a lot of trouble.

He stared at Su Chen and chuckled, "Su Chen, I'll give you a chance. As long as you hand over that demigod weapon, I'll spare your life."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Yan stomped his foot on the ground, causing the ground to tremble violently, and a sun of elemental energy instantly condensed behind him.

The moment the Yuanli Sun appeared, the surrounding temperature suddenly rose, enveloping all the plants in its location.

The intense heat caused these plants to wither at a visible rate.

Although it cannot compare with Chang Yuan and Teng Gui's Yuanli Sun in terms of light and temperature, the purity of its Yuanli made Su Chen feel a slight sense of unease.

The person before me has clearly entered the Gathering Yuan Realm, opened up his dantian, and is able to initially mobilize the Yuan energy of heaven and earth for his own use.

Although he has not yet grasped the power of Yuan energy, his strength is still not to be underestimated.

In no time, Zhou Yan's Yuan Power Sun condensed into shape. He raised his arm, flicked his sleeve, and the Yuan Power Sun soared into the air.

It then fell rapidly, shrinking in size with each step it took to land in your hand, resembling a dazzling golden ball.

Zhou Yan held the blazing sun in his palm, his body levitating into the air, looking down at Su Chen with a dangerous aura in his eyes.

"You only have one chance to choose, and I hope you will consider it carefully."

The threat was palpable, and action could be taken in an instant.

Su Chen didn't speak; the Yuan Power rising from his body was the best response.

Zhou Yan's eyes turned cold, and a sneer curled at the corner of his lips. He was about to make a move when the rising Yuan energy suddenly dissipated. "What, have you thought it through?" Zhou Yan smiled faintly, quite satisfied with Su Chen's pragmatism.

Su Chen remained silent, but his eyes suddenly sharpened.

He withdrew his energy, not because he gave up the fight.

Instead, he felt that since his swordsmanship was clearly superior, why should he foolishly use his Yuan energy to fight his opponent?

The fourth level of the Annihilation Sword Drawing Technique allows one to wield the power of a divine weapon even without one.

Its power far surpasses the divine weapon he used during the Great Qian era; it is his strongest technique to date.

Moreover, he might possess a semi-divine weapon, the Heaven-Slaying Blade.

With the blessing of the Heaven-Severing Blade, it will surely be able to unleash the full power of the divine weapon.

Why abandon the essential for the trivial and try to gain a large profit with a small investment?

It should be understood that the power of divine weapons is equivalent to the power of elemental energy.

In the realm of Yuanli martial arts, he is merely a Qi-opening martial artist, but in the realm of divine weapon martial arts, he is a Qi-realm martial artist.

Dealing with a Qi Gathering Warrior is a piece of cake.

Looking at the smile on Zhou Yan's face, he felt a little sorry for him. This guy had no idea what kind of existence he was facing.

Sympathy was one thing, but the actions taken showed no mercy.

Su Chen gripped the Heaven-Slaying Blade in his backhand, the tip and back of the blade slicing across the scabbard.

With a clang, a cold light shot out, instantly releasing a bone-chilling cold.

Seeing this, Zhou Yan's eyes turned cold, he snorted lightly, and killing intent leaped from his eyes. He shouted sharply, "Since you're courting death, then I'll grant your wish."

The shouts roared like thunder, carrying with them a torrent of Yuan energy that swept over the area.

The golden ball of Yuan energy in his hand stirred up the Yuan energy from all directions, and burst forth in an instant.

The tiny golden ball, which could be held in one hand, suddenly erupted with terrifying flames the moment it was released.

The golden ball streaked across the sky like lightning, leaving a dazzling trail as it hurtled towards us.

In just a few breaths, the golden sphere transformed into a massive mountain.

The Yuanli Mountains have a distinct outline, are covered with vegetation, and have rugged rocks.

With each increase in size, everything on the mountain became clearer, until finally, it resembled a real mountain crashing down on Su Chen.

Seeing this, Su Chen flicked his arm, and the Heaven-Slaying Blade immediately emitted a buzzing sound, as if responding to him.

He raised his arm, held the Heaven-Severing Blade high, and slashed it diagonally down as the Yuan Power Mountain came crashing down on him.

In an instant, a commonplace semi-circular arc of light shot out from the tip of the blade.

There was no fluctuation of elemental energy above, only the power of the divine weapon compressed to the extreme.

Hidden within this divine weapon's power is an even more terrifying force.

Without the enhancement of a divine weapon, the arc of light was merely an unsheathed treasure sword, dull and sluggish.

Once its divine power is unleashed, it transforms into the sharpest and most razor-sharp sword, capable of destroying any obstacle in its path.

Click!

The moment the arc of light collided with the golden sphere of elemental energy, time seemed to stand still.

There was no earth-shattering impact, only an extremely fast slash.

The Yuanli Mountain was sliced ​​in two by the arc of light without any resistance, and its accumulated momentum crumbled inch by inch in an instant.

It transformed into a sky full of light and shadow, drifting down gracefully.

The smile on Zhou Yan's face froze completely as the divine weapon's power was unleashed.

"How could he possibly unleash the power of a divine weapon?"

Zhou Yan's face was filled with horror as he muttered to himself.

The power of divine weapons can only be used by divine weapons, so why can a half-divine weapon also use it?

However, he had no time to think about it at that moment.

The arc of light slashed down the mountain, but instead of dissipating, it rushed towards him at an astonishing speed.

In that instant, the ordinary arc of light, amplified by the power of a divine weapon, became terrifying in his eyes.

Zhou Yan was terrified. Under the suppression of the divine weapon's power, the Yuan energy within his body seemed to be imprisoned.

Even with his frantic efforts, he still couldn't create much of a stir.

"No!" Zhou Yan screamed in agony, and was immediately engulfed in the arc of light.

Just when Su Chen thought Zhou Yan was doomed, a figure suddenly shot out from the ball of light; it was Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan was sent flying backwards like a cannonball for over a hundred meters, blood spurting everywhere, crashing into dozens of large trees along the way.

The falling tree made a loud rumbling sound as it crashed to the ground, but it couldn't mask the commotion caused by Zhou Yan's landing. His body even dragged a trail nearly fifty meters long across the ground.

puff.

Upon landing, Zhou Yan coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining his clothes and pants crimson.

His aura instantly weakened, and he became like a dead body.

Although he is still breathing, he will likely die soon if he does not receive treatment.

Su Chen leaped and appeared a hundred meters away from Zhou Yan. He fixed his gaze on Zhou Yan and his eyes narrowed.

"No wonder he didn't die; he was wearing an inner armor."

However, under the fierce attack of the divine weapon, this inner armor was already shattered beyond recognition.

"Fine, let's finish this off."

Seeing that Zhou Yan was not dead, Su Chen was too lazy to waste time. He spun his palm and gathered a surge of Yuan Power, intending to kill the other party.

As if sensing the impending danger, Zhou Yan forced his eyelids open and pleaded, "No, don't kill me, I'll tell you my name."

Su Chen sneered inwardly upon hearing this. He had seen people beg for mercy and give up all their possessions, but this was the first time he had seen someone beg for mercy and give their name.

He was about to make a move without hesitation, but the next moment, Zhou Yan's aura rapidly weakened until it disappeared completely.

"All this talk is just empty words. You won't even last a single move. You're just wasting everyone's time."

After confirming Zhou Yan's death, Su Chen shook his head slightly and returned to his old ways, groping Zhou Yan's body.

Most things were reduced to ashes under the overwhelming force of the divine weapon, leaving only a token behind.

Su Chen recognized the token; it was a disciple token of the Ziyang Sect.

"Zhou...Yan".

Su Chen quickly learned the other party's identity information from the token.

He didn't know this person and had never heard of the name before, but when it appeared, a familiar name came to mind.

The Great Zhou Dynasty!

"Is this person from the Great Zhou Dynasty?"

Su Chen frowned slightly, tossed the token aside, and then flicked his finger, sending a wisp of Yuan energy fire landing on Zhou Yan's corpse.

The fire raged and quickly burned the body to ashes.

Returning to the outer city with doubts, Su Chen changed his appearance and inquired about Zhou Yan's identity.

"They really are from the Great Zhou Dynasty!"

The information he gathered matched his guess exactly: Zhou Yan was not only a member of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but also the great-grandson of Zhou Hanwen.

Zhou Yan was intelligent from a young age. With his talent that surpassed that of his peers, he was highly valued by Zhou Hanwen. After he opened up five profound meridians, Zhou Hanwen sent him to the Ziyang Sect for training.

Zhou Yan lived up to expectations, not only opening up the sixth Xuan Meridian, but also establishing himself in just a few years, giving back to his family, making the Great Zhou Dynasty stronger and stronger, and leaping to become the strongest dynasty among the surrounding dynasties.

Unfortunately, all of this ended with Su Chen.

"So, it is because the Great Zhou Dynasty knew that I had joined the Ziyang Sect, that they sent Zhou Yan to deal with me."

After a moment's thought, Su Chen guessed the reason.

Song Yang had previously mentioned that there were people in the sects of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but he did not expect that they would find out about his joining the Ziyang Sect so quickly.

After reviewing Zhou Yan's information, Su Chen stopped paying attention to him.

There was only one disciple, Zhou Yan, who had joined the Ziyang Sect in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty. There was no need to worry about killing him and incurring retaliation from the Great Zhou Dynasty.

On the contrary, the Great Zhou Dynasty prospered because of Zhou Yan, but it may also decline after Zhou Yan's death.

Having regained his identity as a disciple of the Ziyang Sect, Su Chen returned home laden with spoils and crossed the river into the inner city.

Upon entering the city, he couldn't wait to head to the Myriad Wonders Cave to cultivate.

He has now prepared enough Seven Star Grass. As long as he cultivates step by step, he will be able to meet the requirements of the panel and open up the ninth Xuan Meridian.

Sitting cross-legged in the center of the formation, Su Chen's face showed anticipation.

Among all the disciples in the outer city of the Ziyang Sect, Chang Yuan, the strongest, had only opened up eight Xuan Meridians.

Before long, he will open up his ninth profound vein. How much stronger will he become then?

Without thinking too much, Su Chen calmed his mind, took out a Seven Star Grass, and devoted himself to cultivation.

While Su Chen was engrossed in his cultivation, the outside world became increasingly lively.

There are less than seven days left until the list is updated.

At various training and testing sites such as Wanxing Cliff, Wanmiao Cave, and the Crimson Corridor, disciples flock to the sites one after another every day.

Everyone was giving it their all, planning to make a final sprint in hopes of achieving a better ranking.

Under this fierce force, the inner city, which was as calm as a stagnant pool, was stirred up by waves.

Not only have some previously unknown martial artists among the senior disciples suddenly become famous, but also some formidable dark horses have emerged among the new disciples.

The most outstanding among them was a newly recruited disciple named Shang Shuo.

Martial arts arena.

Overcrowded.

A group of people rushed towards a certain arena in the middle, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation.

"I missed the last arena battle between Chang Yuan and Teng Gui, but I'm determined to see the fight between Shang Shuo and Jiang Ran this time."

"This Shang Shuo is truly the most formidable among this batch of newcomers. He has only been in the sect for less than three months, yet he dares to challenge Jiang Ran."

"Yes, you should know that Jiang Ran is a disciple who can break into the top 100 in all three rankings. His strength is undeniably formidable."

"Jiang Ran is strong, but Shang Shuo is not weak either. Both of them are martial artists at the seventh level of martial arts perfection, and their realms are evenly matched."

"Moreover, Shang Shuo is not weak either. With his strength, he will definitely be able to enter the top 100 as long as he goes to the Crimson Corridor."

"how is this possible?"

"You probably don't know, but Shang Shuo has been challenging people in the arena every day lately. His challengers are getting higher and higher in the rankings of the three lists, but he hasn't lost a single match yet. Hmm, I've won several hundred spirit pills from him. I'm betting on him to win again this time!"

"Then I'll bet on Jiang Ran, since she's my dream girl."

"..."

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, a man and a woman clashed fiercely on the arena, their figures flashing and intertwining.

The crowd below the stage was even more nervous than the two people on stage, all holding their breath and watching the two combatants intently.

While other powerful martial artists were desperately trying to climb the rankings, their duel was all the more precious.

It can almost be called the most remarkable battle since the battle between Chang Yuan and Teng Gui.

Many martial artists went to observe, including Zhang Youyou.

Zhang Youyou stared nervously at the handsome figure on the stage, completely unaware of the meaningful glances from her sisters beside her.

"Youyou, this Shang Shuo doesn't seem to be very capable."

The woman, dressed in a long purple dress and wearing a veil, rang out with a bell-like sound that reached Zhang Youyou's ears precisely amidst the noise.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Youyou paused for a moment, then looked away and said with an awkward smile, "Sister Qingyou, although you are very strong, if you give Shang Shuo some time, I'm afraid you will be in danger when the rankings are updated next time."

The woman was the only woman among the top three in the three lists, Zhu Qingyou.

Zhu Qingyou pursed her lips after hearing this: "Is that so? Then I'll be waiting to see."

“Mm.” Zhang Youyou nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Then, as if remembering something, she turned her head and saw Zhu Qingyou covering her mouth and laughing, her eyes filled with a hint of mockery.

Zhang Youyou blushed, coughed lightly, and changed the subject: "By the way, Sister Qingyou, who do you think will win this competition?"

With her limited strength (at the initial stage of the Five Meridians), she couldn't even clearly see the two fighting, so she naturally couldn't judge who won or lost.

Zhu Qingyou didn't answer, but instead asked with a smile, "So who do you hope will win?"

"I...don't know." Zhang Youyou, who was about to blurt out, quickly realized her mistake and rolled her eyes at Zhu Qingyou.

Zhu Qingyou smiled slightly, then turned to the arena and said, "The two are at the same level, so it depends on their level of cultivation of the Purple Origin Technique."

The deeper one cultivates the "Forms and Quantities of Yuan Power" chapter of the Purple Origin Technique, the more exquisite one's application of the forms of Yuan Power becomes.

The more proficient one is in cultivating the Purple Origin Technique, the stronger the boost to one's Yuan Power.

There are many other factors as well, but Zhu Qingyou didn't elaborate.

In her opinion, these two qualities alone were enough for Jiang Ran to widen the gap between herself and Shang Shuo.

As Zhang Youyou said, Shang Shuo had only been in the Ziyang Sect for a short time, and his foundation and experience were not as good as Jiang Ran's.

If three months pass and Shang Shuo has matured, even she might not be able to predict who will win or lose.

"Qingyou, what about you?" Zhang Youyou suddenly asked.

"Me?" Zhu Qingyou was taken aback, then realized, "You mean Chang Yuan and Teng Gui?"

Zhang Youyou nodded: "Hmm, will Chang Yuan be number one on all three lists again this time?"

"I don't know," Zhu Qingyou shook her head.

She had witnessed the previous battle between Chang Yuan and Teng Gui, and neither of them had used their full strength, so she couldn't judge their strength.

Regardless, she will do her best to compete for the top spot.

"Hehe, Qingyou, you guessed wrong." Just as she was thinking this, Zhang Youyou chuckled.

Zhu Qingyou snapped out of her daze and looked at the arena, a hint of surprise in her beautiful eyes.

Shang Shuo won the duel.

Upon seeing Jiang Ran's beautiful face, swollen from the beating, Zhu Qingyou was slightly taken aback: "This Shang Shuo doesn't seem to know how to be gentle with women, he just keeps slapping people in the face!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Youyou's face also showed embarrassment. Such behavior was indeed somewhat unfair.

Seeing this, some of Jiang Ran's admirers in the audience were filled with righteous indignation and wanted to go on stage to challenge Shang Shuo.

Shang Shuo remained unmoved, his gaze as calm and still as a deep pool, without a ripple.

After defeating Jiang Ran, Shang Shuo jumped off the stage and quickly disappeared from everyone's sight.

For the next two days, he didn't plan to challenge anyone, but instead focused on climbing the leaderboard.

……

Inside the imperial palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Upon receiving an urgent summons from Zhou Hanwen, Emperor Zhou hurriedly came to pay his respects.

"Zhou Yan is dead."

Before the Emperor could even pay his respects, he heard Zhou Hanwen's icy voice echo in the not-so-cold hall, sending chills down his spine.

Emperor Zhou looked up in astonishment, exclaiming incredulously, "How could this be?"

Zhou Hanwen did not speak, but instead threw a secret letter to Emperor Zhou.

Emperor Zhou took the secret letter, opened it hastily, and stared at it with a furrowed brow.

"The Ziyang Sect only found Zhou Yan's token, not his body. It's likely that the body was destroyed to cover up the crime."

Zhou Hanwen said calmly, his voice brimming with barely suppressed anger.

After reading the secret letter, Emperor Zhou trembled involuntarily. He could already imagine the consequences this matter would bring to the Great Zhou.

The Zhou Dynasty's dominance was largely due to Zhou Yan's status as a disciple of the Ziyang Sect.

Now that Zhou Yan is dead, the Great Zhou Dynasty has no foundation left in the Ziyang Sect.

If this matter were to leak out, it would surely cause a huge uproar in several dynasties near the Great Zhou, and the Great Zhou Dynasty, which was already surrounded by wolves, would become even more precarious.

"Ancestor, what should we do about this?" The Zhou Emperor was in a state of panic and full of worry.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Hanwen closed his eyes tightly, his face appearing somewhat pale.

The reason why the Zhou family was able to become the royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty was not because of his own strength, but because of Zhou Yan.

With Zhou Yan's death, his status as the Great Zhou's envoy to the country will certainly disappear.

Once other disciples of the Ziyang Sect obtain the qualifications and settle in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Great Zhou royal family will inevitably face a purge and a great calamity.

Just as the Zhou family had become the royal family, they eradicated all the forces of the previous dynasty.

"You can go out now," Zhou Hanwen waved his hand.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhou swayed and retreated with a worried expression.

Zhou Hanwen was the only one left in the entire hall.

After a long silence, Zhou Hanwen opened his eyes, his gaze resolute.

"The only option now is to abandon that legacy and seek protection!" he sighed heavily.

This legacy, which should have been the key to the Zhou family's rise, has now been abandoned, causing him great distress.

But right now, there's no better way.

He got up, took out his phone, and went into the secret room to peruse the numerous messages Zhou Yan had brought back from the Ziyang Sect.

These messages have all been recorded and include the identities of many disciples of the Ziyang Sect.

After looking at it for a long time, Zhou Hanwen's gaze settled on one of the pages, and he murmured to himself, "It's him, Pang Hao!"

……

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

This day.

Inside the formation, Su Chen swallowed the last Seven Star Grass and focused his mind on refining it.

The Seven Star Grass could no longer cause him much pain, and his body soon returned to normal.

The progress on the panel was also completed at this moment.

A smile appeared on Su Chen's face: "We can begin to develop the ninth profound vein."

He then issued the command: "Panel, activate easy mode!"

(End of this chapter)