Chapter 120: A Clash With A Grandmaster (4)

Chapter 120: A Clash With A Grandmaster (4)

After killing Wang Xiaohe, Wu Yuan quickly made his escape. Even though he had to slow down to avoid leaving traces, he was still impressively swift. He headed southeast, running without pause for several hours. Eventually, he came to a large river.

I actually ran 600 li, all the way to the Cloud River. This should be the border between the Hillstride and Baihu Provinces.

While he was familiar with the terrain of the entire Jiang Continent, he had never traversed it personally. Deserted riverbanks stretched out as far as his eyes could see, and across the expansive river lay a series of undulating hills.

Wu Yuan drove his divine saber into the ground and casually set down his spear. Then, he stripped off his clothes.

There's a 600 li distance between the scene of the battle and my current location. I've left no traces behind and avoided all settlements. Even the most skilled tracker won't be able to locate me. Wu Yuan's lips curled into a faint smile.

He had taken every conceivable precaution. After all, his target was a border commander of Great Jin, a significant figure. His death would surely cause a huge uproar, so excessive caution was necessary.

As he eased the tension in his body, countless tightly sealed pores sprang open, unleashing a deluge of perspiration. A wave of weariness washed over him as he allowed himself a brief respite.

Time for a bath. Wu Yuan leaped into the crystal clear waters of the Cloud River. Though bone-chillingly cold, he found the bath refreshing. A while later, he swam back to the shore.

Wu Yuan slipped back into his clothes, feeling rejuvenated. He took in the vast, tranquil river flowing east. The winter sun wasn't warm, but it was pleasantly soothing.

Having killed Wang Xiaohe, I've accomplished my mission, settled my vendetta, and even stirred up some trouble for Great Jin. Plus, I've amassed quite a bit of blood-red mist.

Wu Yuan felt rather cheerful as he sat down and crossed his legs in the lotus position, focusing his consciousness. Within his upper dantian lobe, dense swirls of blood-red mist spiraled around the black pagoda. His body seemed to be rejoicing, craving the blood-red mist.

It's been half a year since I last assimilated blood-red mist. This time, I hope the mist from the black pagoda will be sufficient. In fact, why not cultivate right here?

Without any hesitation, Wu Yuan started channeling the blood-red mist in his upper dantian lobe.

Boom! The blood-red mist surged out from his upper dantian lobe like a tsunami, rapidly reaching every limb and bone.

Assimilation!

Instantly, Wu Yuan perceived the minute changes in his musculoskeletal system. His entire body seemed to quiver, and his soul appeared to be cheering.

Evolution! Enhancement! Wu Yuan silently marveled.

In terms of miracles, even the Ancient Immortal Dew couldn't compete with the blood-red mist. One pushed the body to its limit, while the other shattered those limits. There was no comparing the two.

Skin, bones, membrane, internal organs, and even his blood, were all continuously transformed as they assimilated the blood-red mist. At the same time, the dense mist surrounding the black pagoda diminished visibly.

Killing a Savant expert yields so much of this blood-red mist. I'd need to slay hundreds of soldiers to obtain the same amount of mist gained from killing Wang Xiaohe alone."

The secrets hidden within the black pagoda were profound indeed. Where did the blood-red mist originate from? Was it provided by the pagoda itself as a reward for his kills? But how could the pagoda accurately assess the strength of his enemies?

Or perhaps it devoured some mysterious substance from the deceased? Why could it only devour those he'd slain? He couldn't figure it out!

My one-armed punch strength is roughly... 160,000 catties! The corners of Wu Yuan's mouth curled up. The gap between myself and the Grandmasters is closing rapidly.

The minimum physical constitution requirement for a Land Ranker was 200,000 catties.

During his time on Cloudhill, Wu Yuan had read quite a few classics, including some notes from Grandmasters (not insights), allowing him to gain a certain level of understanding of Land Rankers.

Why did the Martial King set the physical constitution of first-grade martial artists at 200,000 catties 3000 years ago? It was the universal standard of human biological limits in the world of the Middle Land.

During Wu Yuan's previous life in the Human Federation, the physical constitution of a martial arts Grandmaster generally ranged between 25,000 to 30,000 catties for a single-armed punch. In the world of the Middle Land, the one-armed punch strength of a Grandmaster generally ranged from 200,000 to 250,000 catties.

Grandmasters with higher base strength existed. However, such occurrences were rare. It required one to have exceptional innate physical abilities and receive the best training from an early age. On top of those conditions, one still had to reach the level of a Grandmaster. Only then could one see a glimmer of hope to achieve such strength.

An ordinary Grandmaster may not be capable of rivaling my martial skills. Just two days ago, I considered myself virtually invincible below the Grandmaster level.

But now? I should be able to spar with a Grandmaster to some extent.

At the very least, he had the ability to put up a fight, unlike before when he was utterly defenseless. One could say that apart from the legendary Heavenly Rankers, Wu Yuan was nearly at the summit of martial arts in the world of the Middle Land.

Wu Yuan felt his mind ease slightly. In just two years, he had accomplished much. The number of people who could threaten him in this world was shrinking. True freedom and peace of mind could only be obtained through power.

Just like that, Wu Yuan lay quietly by the riverbank, allowing his mind to drift and extend in all directions, leisurely sensing the world around him.

Fifteen minutes passed, then thirty, an hour, two hours.

As the sun gradually set in the west, Wu Yuan's eyes snapped open. Hmm?

He somersaulted to his feet, the divine saber was already in his hand. His attention was drawn to the forest not too far away. With his powerful senses, he had detected something stirring within the trees. Several figures were dashing towards him at alarming speed.

He didn't have to wait long.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Several figures leaped into the air and landed in the deserted woods around 100 meters away from him. Only a shallow river lay between them.

These people? Wu Yuan frowned slightly. As he surveyed the five figures, his gaze settled on a stern-faced youth in black robes. This man appeared to be the leader. But after only a glance at him, Wu Yuan's focus ultimately turned to a man in red robes, radiating an ominous indifference. It was this man who posed the greatest threat!

"Are you Shadow Blade? Did you kill Senior Brother Wang?" The black-robed youth stared intently at Wu Yuan, especially at the large saber in his hand. It was Wang Xiaohe's divine weapon.

"Senior Brother Wang? Wang Xiaohe?" Wu Yuan squinted slightly, calmly responding, "Are you Grandmaster Sun Dongning's disciple?"

He knew that Wang Xiaohe was a disciple of a Grandmaster. But so what? It didn’t deter him from ending that man’s life.

"So it really was you!" The black-robed youth's eyes blazed with unending fury, as if eager to completely devour Wu Yuan.

"Are you here for revenge?" Wu Yuan asked softly.

"I don’t know how you found me so quickly. But it seems you are experts from the Great Jin Empire." Wu Yuan's voice was not loud, but it carried crisply to the other side of the riverbank.

"Sir, are you truly Shadow Blade?" The white-robed elderly man suddenly asked.