Volume One, Chapter 24: The Secret Comes to Light?

"Fifth stage of Qi Refining, here I come!" As the elixir entered his body, Ji Die closed his eyes and felt a warm current flow smoothly down his throat. Instantly, the aura around him began to intensify, and within him, his spiritual energy surged as if answering a summons, rising in mighty, tempestuous waves like a sudden storm at sea.

At a certain moment, his aura seemed to reach a critical threshold. Then, a low yet melodious boom erupted from within him. The momentum of the fifth stage of Qi Refining radiated outward!

At that instant, his senses sharpened—his hearing and sight became crystal clear, and even the faintest rustle of wind on the grass outside seemed to reach his ears.

"So this is what the fifth stage of Qi Refining feels like..." As the energy within him settled...

After all, examiners are human, too, and have their own preferences. Not one of them is immune to the charms of poetry.

Ning Xiu lifted the corner of the carriage curtain and glanced outside. The broad official road lay before them, with barely a carriage or horse in sight, lending the scene an air of quiet desolation.

Yang Qingqing finally took in the lay of the land around her and began calculating her options for when the Emperor came to claim her head. Should she run or beg for mercy? No matter how she ran the numbers, begging for mercy seemed the more sensible choice.

Jiang Xiao, who had just been about to move, halted. Jiang Ling would never act so rashly. He knew all too well that Yu Jue and his family were at odds—how could he be so careless as to recognize kin here and fall into a trap? There must be some special reason behind it.

Trailing behind, Nangong Yun Yao and the others were stunned. When they flew to the spot where the tiger peaks had vanished, they discovered a long, narrow gorge below, and their gazes hesitated with uncertainty.

"What do you mean, 'really nice'?" As Yang Qingqing admired the blue sky, a cloud suddenly blotted out the sun overhead. She blinked, only to realize it was the Fourth Prince, Huangfu Weiye.

He had no fear of the crowds inside the inner city. After all, he still possessed vast stores of cultivation resources seized from Earth's major organizations—more than he could ever use up.

Lin Yuan's face stiffened and turned deathly pale. Under Xi Chen's scrutinizing gaze, he shrank back, not daring to utter a word. How could this be? Just now, Xi Chen's expression had been so calm, as if he already knew, yet wasn't surprised. But now it seemed he had only just realized! What should he do?

The road ahead was eerily quiet. Aside from the occasional hidden enemy sentry, there was no sign of the enemy at all.

After over a month of stalemate, by the second month of the sixth year of Ji De, Gao Xianzhi felt the time for a decisive battle had come.

Xuan Cheng, seeing that his ancestor showed little emotion and merely nodded, felt a flicker of doubt in his heart.

His rent had been slashed by eight thousand by his own boss, yet here the landlord was, thanking his boss? How could this be?

Perhaps, in the southern frontiers, they were willing to use children as bait for wolves. If the King of the Southern Borders truly cast Jinglong aside and a Sentiment Master became the legitimate husband, the balance of power between himself and Xiao Yuan would instantly reverse.

Yang Yuhuan watched Li Chang leave, her gaze following him until he vanished from sight. Only then did her eyes grow faintly red.

It had taken great effort for their company to finally gain some momentum and secure the rights to develop a mine.

From Su Chen Mantis's perspective, it was as if he beheld the legendary Kunpeng—vast beyond reckoning, stretching on for thousands of miles, grand and imposing beyond compare.

This time, his purpose in coming from the capital to the Changlu salt fields was to start with salt and gradually build up the royal trading house, while also dealing with corrupt officials.

"Of course," Lu Yao replied, unaware of her thoughts. "If Jiang Yongjie were a Hengyang native, he’d never want to incite war between Jinglong and Hengyang." Moreover, in Hengyang, Ge Yao was a legend. Any sensible Hengyang person would never wish for her line to be extinguished.

Although Liang Dong couldn’t discover anything concrete, his instincts served him well. Just earlier, he had suddenly felt a sense of urgency. At first, he ignored it, but as time passed, he began to sense that something was amiss.

Suddenly, the rear of the car was struck several times, terrifying the two occupants so much that they nearly lost their wits. As they frantically considered how to shake off the car behind them, the headlights vanished and the pursuing vehicle disappeared as well.

Because the King of Wind would also vanish! In that case, even though those at the core were formidable, his own status would remain utterly unaffected! The King of Thunder’s face gradually broke into a broad grin as he looked around at the disappointed faces and burst out laughing.

But should trouble actually arise, they would undoubtedly remain on the sidelines, hoping the battle would grow ever more 'fierce.'

She had thought that after Li Haonan’s dramatic display that afternoon, he wouldn’t return for at least ten days or half a month. Unexpectedly, he was back that very night. This man was unpredictable—he simply couldn’t be judged by ordinary logic.

"First, lose the tail behind us. Then, we’ll go get some ice cream, and after that, head home!" Dantai Mingyue glanced in the rearview mirror and saw that the car behind had also slowed down. Ma Xingyao started the engine, and they followed once more.

"Leap high into the sky—Blizzard at full force!" The tiny dragon leapt from the water into the air, ignoring the polluted pool below, and unleashed a blizzard that instantly froze the surface into a thick sheet of ice, trapping the foul slime within.

That was why Akame had come here first. Her cautious, earnest demeanor was utterly unlike the previous day, when she’d been so easily bribed by Chelsea with a single lollipop while lost in the pleasures of food.

"X!" Lu Feiyang muttered offhandedly. Or rather, by now, he no longer had any real concept of power levels. "What?!" At these words, at least half the people present exclaimed in shock.

Hearing this, Ma Xingyao fell silent, pondering inwardly that he must ask Chenxu under what circumstances a monster bloodline might awaken.

Duan Yusong and Duan Yubai, brothers dressed in indigo short jackets with headbands embroidered with the character "Duan," strode in with heroic bearing. Following them were the legitimate sons of the fourth branch, Master Duan Yusen and Master Duan Yulin, both born of the Feng family.

With that, Su Lian rose briskly to her feet. Just as she grabbed her handbag to leave, Mu Xiya slapped her again. But this time, her hand didn’t strike Su Lian’s handbag—it landed straight across her face.