WHOOSH—!

Everyone whipped their heads around to look at the person who had shouted.

"Zhou Chengbing! What is the meaning of this?" a Hundred Households demanded, his eyes wide.

"My apologies, my apologies."

The tall and burly Zhou Chengbing, with his rugged features, was clad in Starry Sky Armor, his cloak draped loosely. He clasped his fists together and said, "I don’t mean any disrespect to Lord Gu. It’s just that a third-tier Silver Bone requires at least a Heroic Body Realm expert to kill. For Lord Gu to be able to kill one, doesn’t that mean he’s already at the Heroic Body Realm?"

Hearing this, the crowd turned to look at Gu Zheng.

"Haha!"

Meng Taiqi cut in with a laugh. "That’s right, you guessed it! Ping’an is now at the Heroic Body Realm! He lured away the third-tier Silver Bone, went to the other side of the passage, and by a stroke of luck, obtained a Celestial Yin Fruit..."

"Really?"

"Incredible! That’s amazing!"

"I remember Lord Gu only broke through to Super Body·Radiant the month before last, right? To reach the Heroic Body Realm so quickly! Isn’t that a bit too fast?"

"Didn’t you hear General Meng mention the Celestial Yin Fruit? That’s the Celestial Yin Fruit we’re talking about! It takes over a thousand years for a single one to form!"

"Celestial Yin Fruits grow in frigid, yin-heavy places, absorbing the aura of death. It’s certainly possible for one to appear in a Storm Bone Demon Fiend’s territory. Lord Gu’s luck is just too good!"

"Isn’t it? Breaking through to the Heroic Body Realm in two months... that speed is unparalleled."

"Lord Gu deserved it. If he hadn’t lured away the third-tier Silver Bone, we’d all be dead by now."

"..."

Everyone chattered amongst themselves, their discussion lively.

There was envy, awe, and even a touch of wistfulness, but no jealousy.

Charging to the other side of the passage, roaming the Demon Realm... none of them could have done it.

Through it all, Gu Zheng’s expression remained calm, as if he weren’t the person they were discussing.

"And so!"

Meng Taiqi waved his hand and shouted again, "The threat of the Storm Bone Demon Fiends can now be considered minimal. Besides killing two third-tier Silver Bones, Mr. Gu also killed most of the other Storm Bone Demon Fiends. There aren’t many left."

"Excellent!"

"Another passage pacified! Lord Gu is mighty!"

"That’s right, Lord Gu pacified a third-tier passage!"

"..."

The crowd cheered in joyful surprise.

As great as Gu Zheng’s breakthrough to the Heroic Body Realm was, they were even more delighted by the news that most of the Storm Bone Demon Fiends had been slain and the passage’s threat level was now minimal.

This meant they wouldn’t have to work so hard, and fewer people would die.

For a time, the entire stronghold was celebrating.

With a grand wave of his hand, Meng Taiqi brought out his treasured rice wine and let everyone have a little to celebrate.

At a time like this, Gu Zheng couldn’t be a spoilsport, so he joined them for a cup. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Ping’an, your Nine Luminaries Golden Saber should be at the perfection stage now. You’ve comprehended Saber Intent, haven’t you?" At the celebration, Meng Taiqi took a sip of wine, wiped his mouth, and asked.

"Yes, Master."

Gu Zheng nodded and replied, "I have now broken through to the Heroic Body Realm, but I have no direction on the path forward. I hope Master Meng will not be stingy with his guidance."

"The path in the Heroic Body Realm is one you must primarily walk yourself. At most, I can offer some advice for your consideration."

Meng Taiqi said slowly, "The Heroic Body Realm also has three stages: Union, Melting Furnace, and Divine Seed. Each is a step up, and each is more difficult than the last. Every step requires you to perceive the nature of Heaven and Earth."

"You are now at the Union stage. The next step is Melting Furnace. Forging the furnace requires not only the constant accumulation of your own power, but also an indispensable perception of nature."

"As for how to perceive, everyone chooses their own path. However, most rely on the aid of Marvels or Demon Pills!"

"Consuming a Treasure Pill is for the final sprint to a breakthrough. During the forging process, refining a Demon Pill to gain perception is the most common method."

"A Demon Pill is the essence of a Demon Fiend, also condensed from its perception of the Great Dao of nature."

"The process of refining one is the most convenient and direct way to perceive the nature of Heaven and Earth!"

"Of course," Meng Taiqi continued, "some are exceptionally gifted and can break through to the next stage relying on their innate talent alone, without any perception. However, a breakthrough without comprehension leads to far weaker control and manipulation of the Power of Heaven and Earth compared to one achieved through perception."

"It’s like having two people at Super Body·Vajra. One relies solely on Barbaric Force, while the other has cultivated a True Skill. The combat power the latter can unleash will be far superior to the former’s!"

"I see." Gu Zheng came to a realization and clasped his fists in gratitude. "Thank you, Master Meng!"

His current status was—

[Gu Zheng]

[Realm: Heroic Body·Harmonious Yuan]

[Demon Points: 358 (50,000 required for breakthrough)]

[Demon Techniques: Super-speed Self-healing, Spirit Capturing, ..., Fire Manipulation, Steel Claw, Water Manipulation, Earth Manipulation, Spear of the Soul, Underwater Walking, Wind Manipulation]

[True Skill: All Heaven Jade Void Skill Super Body Chapter (Perfection), ..., White Crane Soaring Technique (Perfection), Nine Luminaries Golden Saber (Perfection), ..., Thunderous Waves Skill (Perfection)]

[Equipment Effect: Bronze Elephant Body (Inactive), Nether Heart Slave Seal, Deceptive Appearance, Lord of Hundred Insects, Eyes of Golden Flame, Fearless Hero]

...

The Tripartite Unity had directly merged his physique, Spirit, and Divine Wondrous attributes.

It could be said that any subsequent improvements to his physique would also enhance his Spirit and Divine Wondrous attributes.

Increasing his Divine Wondrous attributes would, in turn, improve his physique and Spirit.

Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

These three had become one, improving and growing in unison.

By consuming Demon Points to allocate stats, he could still achieve breakthroughs.

The panel directly showed that breaking through from Heroic Body·Harmonious Yuan to Heroic Body: Melting Furnace required fifty thousand Demon Points!

Compared to the doubling cost for Super Body·Radiant, the multiplier for breakthroughs between the three stages of the Heroic Body Realm was even greater!

If he continued to collect Demon Points, breaking through would be no problem. Just like before, he would face no bottlenecks or talent-related hindrances.

But Meng Taiqi had just bluntly told him that this kind of talent-based breakthrough resulted in combat power far inferior to one achieved through perception.

This was because the power one grasped after breaking through to the Heroic Body Realm was not just one’s own Divine Wondrous attributes, Barbaric Force, and Spirit, but also the Power of Heaven and Earth!

Personal strength has its limits.

Barbaric Force, Divine Wondrous attributes, and Spirit would eventually be depleted in continuous battle.

But the Power of Heaven and Earth is infinite!

Guiding the Power of Heaven and Earth for one’s own use unleashed the strongest form of power, with no fear of exhaustion.

The nine-stance combined attack of the Nine Luminaries Golden Saber, in fact, drew upon a sliver of the Power of Heaven and Earth.

This was why the strongest move of this True Skill could rival an Ultimate Skill.

Because once an Ultimate Skill is mastered, it is the Power of Heaven and Earth that it mobilizes!

Therefore, perceiving nature and comprehending Heaven and Earth were indispensable.

In other words, the more Demon Pills, the better!

...

"Now that your Saber Technique Perfection and you’ve broken through to the Heroic Body Realm, you can make a trip to the Capital City."

Meng Taiqi sent via voice transmission, "I’ll write you a letter of recommendation. You go back to the State City, find that Old Scoundrel Xie, and get another one from him. Take the letters to the Capital City to be officially instated. After you complete your promotion to Demon-slaying Grand General, go to the Dragon Guard Bureau, find Chen Wuji, and give him the letters and a Token. Then you can receive the Golden Thousand Blades."

"Right, when you see Old Scoundrel Xie, ask him for another Sealing Sword Talisman."

"Thank you, Master Meng. I will remember!" Gu Zheng said with a bow.

Since he had used the excuse of having already used a Sealing Sword Talisman, it was only logical to ask for another.

The power of a full-strength strike from Xie Bisheng was something Gu Zheng wouldn’t mind having more of.

"Isn’t Golden Thousand Blades in the Demon Slayer Bureau’s main repository?"

After thanking him, Gu Zheng recalled something. "Why do I have to go to the Dragon Guard Bureau for it now?"

"It’s been changed." Meng Taiqi raised a hand and huffed. "Certain people in the Court felt the Demon Slayer Bureau had too much power, so they persuaded the Sovereign to rein it in a bit."

"Treasures like Ultimate Skills, Sixth-Turn Treasure Pills, and high-grade Spiritual Soldiers have all been transferred to the Dragon Guard Bureau for safekeeping."

Gu Zheng was speechless. "..."

"It’s not a big deal, really. The good stuff is just being stored in a different place now. It just adds an extra step to the collection process."

Meng Taiqi continued, "When you get to the Capital City, remember to keep your distance from those in the royal family. Don’t get too close. The same goes for the people in the Dragon Guard Bureau and the Observatory. The Divine Capture Bureau is fine, though. In particular, that old man Zhuge Tianxing is a good friend of mine from way back. You can trust him."

"I understand." Gu Zheng nodded, making a mental note of Zhuge Tianxing.

’If he’s friends with Meng Taiqi, he has to be at the Heroic Body Realm at least!’

"Also..."

Meng Taiqi went on, rattling off a few more instructions.

Gu Zheng listened attentively.

Although Fengzhou had many Demon Fiends and spies from other kingdoms occasionally showed up to stir trouble, it was still much clearer compared to the Capital City.

The royal family, powerful dignitaries, Noble Families, the Four Major Organizations, foreign spies...

...a tangled mess of people, where everyone was connected. If you hit a junior, a senior would come out.

It was a complex web that couldn’t be untangled by simply calling it ’chaotic’.

If it wasn’t necessary, Gu Zheng wouldn’t go to the Capital City.

However, promotion to Demon-slaying Grand General required a trip to the Capital City.

And the Ultimate Level True Skill, Golden Thousand Blades, could only be obtained in the Capital City.

Gu Zheng hadn’t forgotten about the Divine Weapon pact.

He had already witnessed the power of Fu Changying’s Sky-Splitting Dragon Hammer Divine Weapon Projection.

The Divine Weapon Fragment he had obtained from the third-tier Storm Bone Demon Fiend was also incomparably sharp.

Relying solely on the sharpness of its material, it could shoot through a third-tier Silver Bone like a knife through tofu.

What kind of power would a true, complete Divine Weapon possess?

Gu Zheng was very much looking forward to finding out.

...

He rested at the Grand Canyon Mountain passage for a day.

The next day, Gu Zheng bid farewell to Meng Taiqi and set off for Fengzhou State City.

As for the Guerrilla General Order, he left it behind for Meng Taiqi to look after temporarily.

If other passages were in dire need of rescue, Meng Taiqi could rush over.

The pressure at the Grand Canyon Mountain passage had been reduced to a minimum, so it was fine for him to be away for a while.

Gu Zheng wasn’t in a hurry to fly back. Instead, he took the land route back to the State City.

Along the way, he familiarized himself with the Demon Pill refining method Meng Taiqi had taught him, preparing for future refinement.

Refining a Demon Pill wasn’t as simple as just swallowing it whole.

Along the way, he also killed any stray Demon Fiends he came across.

This continued until he had left the territory of Kaiyuan Prefecture.

"Come on out."

At the foot of a mountain, Gu Zheng drew his saber and cut down a Wild Boar Demon Fiend a hundred meters away. As he sheathed his weapon, he spoke calmly.

"..."

The surroundings were silent.

"What, do I need to invite you out personally?" Gu Zheng turned to look at a patch of forest to his right.

"Haha, I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. How could this subordinate dare make Lord Gu ask?"

The bushes in the forest rustled, and the tall, burly, and rugged-faced Zhou Chengbing walked out.

Gu Zheng’s expression was impassive. "You followed me all this way just to spout this nonsense?"

When he left Grand Canyon Mountain, Gu Zheng had noticed someone was following him.

After confirming it was Zhou Chengbing, he didn’t expose him, deciding to see what he wanted.

Of course, the fact that Zhou Chengbing showed no malicious intent during the pursuit was also key.

"Please calm your anger, Lord Gu."

Zhou Chengbing was still all smiles as he clasped his fists. "This subordinate is just a messenger, here to deliver a message to Lord Gu on behalf of the Eldest Young Master."

"The Eldest Young Master?" Gu Zheng replied coolly. "Which family’s Eldest Young Master?"

"The Mansion of the King of Lie Mountain!"

Zhou Chengbing’s expression turned serious. "The Eldest Young Master had me inform Lord Gu that Liu Ying has hired assassins to kill you. He urges you to be extremely careful!"

’The Mansion of the King of Lie Mountain?’

’Princess Consort Liu Ying?’

’Zhong Tianlang’s mother?’

’So, she’s finally lost her patience and is making a move against me.’

Gu Zheng’s face was impassive as he said coolly, "Is your Eldest Young Master Zhong Tianhu, or Zhong Tianbao?"

"Young Master Hu, of course."

Zhou Chengbing grinned. "However, in a few more days, Young Master Hu will become the new Crown Prince."

"Oh."

Gu Zheng nodded. "Then my congratulations."

The moment the words left his mouth, his figure suddenly blurred, flashing in front of Zhou Chengbing. He brought a palm down towards his head!