44: Chapter 44 Golden Body Fruit

Ye Tian did not linger in the depths of the Black Cloud Mountains.

Although he had killed three bandits from the Black Cloud Stronghold, one had escaped, and news would soon reach the Black Cloud Stronghold.

Especially since he was carrying a treasure as significant as the golden body fruit!

He quickly cleaned up the traces of the battle, disposed of the three bandits' bodies and any useful items, and then followed the path he had come, returning toward the Ye family encampment at his top speed.

Along the way, he was exceptionally careful, restraining his aura and avoiding areas where powerful Vicious Beasts might roam.

His luck seemed to be good; the journey back was quite smooth, and he did not encounter any trouble.

By evening, Ye Tian had safely returned to his small courtyard.

When his mother, Lady Liu, saw her son return, although he looked a bit travel-worn, he was uninjured, so she finally set her heart at ease and hurried to prepare dinner.

Ye Tian did not say much, comforted his mother with a few words, and then went straight back to his room.

Closing the door, he took a deep breath to calm his mood.

This trip to the Black Cloud Mountains had yielded far more than he had expected!

Not only had he cultivated the Overlapping Wave Fist to Great Perfection and greatly increased his practical combat experience, but more importantly, he had obtained this item that would drive countless Body Refining Martial Artists insane.

The golden body fruit!

With a thought, he took out the fruit, which was flowing with golden light, from the storage ring he had bought at the market for one hundred Spirit Stones.

The golden body fruit lay quietly in his palm, emitting pure Body Tempering essence.

Just by holding it, Ye Tian felt the blood and Qi throughout his body faintly boiling.

"With this, my Body Refining Realm will surely be able to break through to the Fourth Layer!"

The Body Refining Fourth Layer is a qualitative change!

Once he broke through, his Physical Body strength, power, speed, and recovery would all see a leap in improvement, and he might even be able to withstand an attack from the Early Stage of the Ningyuan Realm!

This would be a huge boost to his overall combat power!

Of course, this was assuming the opponent did not use their full strength; after all, the gap between the Qi Gathering Realm and the Ningyuan Realm was not small.

He did not have the slightest hesitation, sat cross-legged on his bed, adjusted his breathing, and brought his state to its Peak.

He then opened his mouth and swallowed the precious golden body fruit.

The moment the fruit entered his mouth, it turned into a torrent of scorching heat, instantly rushing down his throat and sweeping through his entire body!

Ye Tian let out a muffled groan, his whole body shaking violently!

This energy was too immense!

It was even more domineering than the leaf of the tree of longevity!

His skin instantly turned bright red, veins bulged out, and his bones cracked and popped!

Intense pain washed over every inch of his flesh and every meridian!

This was the Body Tempering spiritual fruit taking effect, cleansing his tendons and marrow, breaking him down so he could be rebuilt!

Ye Tian gritted his teeth, cold sweat streaming down his forehead, but his eyes remained firm.

He immediately channeled the Nameless Body Refining Art, guiding this violent energy along the path to temper his Physical Body.

At the same time, the chaos bead in his bosom once again emitted a gentle suction, helping him refine this massive medicinal power.

Time ticked away, but the pain felt exceptionally long.

Ye Tian could clearly feel his flesh being torn apart and reformed over and over again, becoming even more solid.

His bones were repeatedly tempered, their density greatly increased, and they began to emit a faint luster.

His Meridians were also widened, able to withstand stronger impacts.

The barrier between the Body Refining Third Layer and the Fourth Layer began to vibrate violently.

He did not know how much time had passed, but when the medicinal power of the golden body fruit had been mostly refined.

The shackles of the Body Refining Third Layer were suddenly shattered!

The Qi and blood throughout his body surged, the crimson red on the surface of his skin rapidly faded, and was replaced by a warm, moist luster!

A Physical Body strength far more powerful than before!

Fourth Layer!

Success!

Ye Tian slowly opened his eyes and lightly clenched his fist, emitting a faint sound of an air explosion!

"Is this the power of the Body Refining Fourth Layer?"

Ye Tian felt this power, excitement in his heart.

He felt that now, relying solely on his Physical Body strength, he was enough to crush an ordinary Qi Gathering Level 6 Martial Artist!

If he were to combine this with the Overlapping Wave Fist and True Qi, what level would his combat power reach?

But which Senior had created this Nameless Body Refining Cultivation Technique?

Why would such a treasure be casually thrown under the incense burner in the Ye family Ancestral Hall to be used as a footrest?

"It is a pity that Uncle Zhong is no longer here; perhaps he would have known something..."

Ye Tian shook his head; with Uncle Zhong gone, thinking more about it was useless.

He did not stop, continuing to channel his Cultivation Technique to completely absorb the remaining medicinal power of the golden body fruit.

It was not until the sky turned slightly bright that he slowly finished his cultivation.

One night of cultivation, and he had been reborn!

At this moment, Ye Tian's cultivation was stabilized at the Late Stage of Qi Gathering Level 6, his Body Refining Realm had broken through to the Fourth Layer, and his Overlapping Wave Fist had reached Great Perfection!

His overall strength had undergone a earth-shaking change compared to before he entered the Secret Realm!

He pushed open the door, and his mother was busy in the courtyard; seeing her son come out, she was stunned for a moment.

She felt that her son seemed a bit different today, though she couldn't say exactly what was different; she just felt that as he stood there, he gave off an impressive aura.

"Tian'er, you..." Lady Liu was somewhat puzzled.

Ye Tian smiled slightly: "Mother, I am fine, I feel great."

He knew that with his current strength, among the younger generation of the Ye family, no one could match him.

Even facing some ordinary Elders in the clan, he had the power to fight!

But Ye Tian was not in the least bit arrogant.

He understood that the world outside was vast; just within this Luo City, there were Geniuses stronger than Ye Long, and in the vast world outside, even stronger enemies existed.

Black Cloud Stronghold, side hall of the Gathering Hall.

The Third Chief, Yan Sha, sat on a grand armchair covered with tiger skin, his expression gloomy.

Below him, the man with a blood-stained bandage wrapped around his thigh was kneeling on the ground, shivering all over, not daring to even lift his head.

"Four people... good hands at Qi Gathering Level 6!"

Yan Sha's voice was as cold as a blade, "Dealing with a greenhorn who popped up from nowhere!"

"And what was the result?"

"Three died!"

"And only you, a piece of trash, dragged your crippled leg back!"

"You even lost the golden body fruit that was already in your hands!"

The more Yan Sha spoke, the angrier he became; he slapped his hand down, and the tea table beside him shattered in response!

"What is the use of my Black Cloud Stronghold keeping you trash around?! It is simply a waste of food!"

The terrifying pressure made the Scar-faced man feel like it was difficult to breathe, and he could only kowtow desperately to beg for mercy: "Third Chief, please calm your anger! It is not that this subordinate is incompetent, it is... it is that the kid is just too weird!"

"His fist technique is very strange, the power stacks layer upon layer, and it is incredibly domineering!"

"And his Physical Body is ridiculously strong; he took our attacks head-on and was perfectly fine!"

"We... we really just couldn't beat him!"

"A strange and weird fist technique?"

A look of doubt flashed in Yan Sha's eyes.

His Black Cloud Stronghold had been entrenched in the Black Cloud Mountains for many years, and he knew every Martial Artist with a bit of a reputation in the mountains like the back of his hand; when had such a powerful youngster appeared?

To be able to take on four people alone and easily kill three skilled peers—this strength was probably approaching the Qi Gathering Realm - Level 7!

Was there such a person among the younger generation of Luo City?

The Ye family's Ye Long?

No, although Ye Long was at the Peak of Level 5, he definitely did not have this kind of combat power.

That girl from the Chen family?

That was not her style either.

"Did you see that kid's appearance clearly? What were his features?" Yan Sha asked coldly.

The Scar-faced man tried hard to recall and said tremblingly: "Reporting to the Third Chief, the kid looked about sixteen or seventeen, his appearance was quite refined, but when he fought, his eyes were as ruthless as a wolf!"

"Right! Looking at his clothes, he seemed to be from the Ye family!"

"The Ye family?" Yan Sha frowned.

When did such a powerful young kid pop up in the Ye family?

Apart from Ye Long, he hadn't heard of anyone else...

He pondered for a moment: "The Ye family... has been acting quite lively lately."

"They lost our men in the Secret Realm, and now another kid has popped up to steal our golden body fruit."

"It seems it is time to tighten the screws on the Ye family again!"

He looked at the man kneeling on the ground and waved his hand in disgust: "Get out! If you fail to handle matters properly next time, bring your head to see me!"

"Yes! Yes! Thank you, Third Chief, for sparing my life!" The man quickly kowtowed in gratitude and scrambled out.

Yan Sha sat alone in the hall, his fingers tapping gently on the armrest of the chair, his expression uncertain.

"A kid from the Ye family with good strength, the golden body fruit..." he muttered to himself, calculating in his heart.

Although the golden body fruit did not have much effect on a Martial Artist like him at the Qi Gathering Realm Level 9, it was a rare treasure for the leaders at the Qi Gathering Realm - Level 7 in the stronghold, and it was a pity to lose it just like that.

More importantly, this concerned the face of the Black Cloud Stronghold!

"It seems the plan needs to be advanced a bit."

A vicious look flashed in Yan Sha's eyes, "The Lin family side also needs to be urged."

"Hmph, I will start by using this kid who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth as an example and collect some interest!"

He stood up, walked to the window, looked toward the direction of the Ye family encampment, and a cruel smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

"No matter who you are, if you dare to touch the Black Cloud Stronghold's things, you must pay the price!"