14: The ninth level of the True Yuan Realm, the combat power surges

Xiao Zhuo sat cross-legged in his room.

On the attribute panel, the names of six Cultivation Techniques flickered: Purple Extreme Burning True Method, Lesser Primordial Pile Stance, Wind and Thunder Fleeting Shadow Steps, Golden Serpent Coiling Silk Hand, Heavenly Thunder Quenching Gold Art, and Great Void Bright Palm.

He held his breath, focused his mind, and immersed his consciousness into the panel, beginning to add Attribute Points and comprehend.

His first choice was Lesser Primordial Pile Stance.

A pure white space suddenly unfolded. Xiao Zhuo’s feet were slightly apart, like eagle claws gripping, his knees bent like bows but not quite, his spine trembled lightly like a hanging pearl, and his arms were held as if embracing a giant cauldron—this was the starting posture of the Lesser Primordial Pile Stance.

Under the guidance of a mysterious power, his originally awkward posture quickly became perfectly fluid.

A cool sensation surged from his nostrils, his lower abdomen tightened abruptly, and the white mist exhaled from his throat, carrying scorching blood Qi, scoured his bones, making them ring with a clear sound.

Profound-rank Cultivation Techniques required at least 5 Attribute Points for each addition and comprehension.

Xiao Zhuo did not stop, spending a full 25 points, finally pushing the Lesser Primordial Pile Stance to the Realm of Perfection.

During his Cultivation, he continuously took out pre-cut Fierce-rank Ox Demon meat from his storage ring.

This pile stance consumed far more energy from his Physical Body than anticipated; thirty catties of beef were swallowed whole, the taste of meat splattering between his teeth with saliva, barely suppressing the churning hunger in his stomach.

With the Lesser Primordial Pile Stance at Perfection, more than half of the marrow in his Physical Body had been refined.

Xiao Zhuo’s thoughts stirred again, and he invested another 60 Attribute Points, forcefully pushing it to a hundred years of cultivation power!

Upon internal inspection, his marrow fluid flowed like molten gold, and his bones showed faint jade-like patterns.

He clearly felt that with the complete cleansing of his bone marrow, the strength of his Physical Body had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.

The Foundation for the True Essence Realm was finally solidified, no longer a castle in the air, and the weakness of prolonged combat was completely eliminated.

Name: Xiao Zhuo

Race: Human Race

True Qi Realm: True Essence Realm First Layer

Cultivation Techniques: Tiger Subduing Fist (MAX); Eight Directions Demon Slaying Saber (MAX); Innate Merit Perfection (100 years of cultivation power); Lesser Primordial Pile Stance Perfection (100 years of cultivation power); Wind and Thunder Fleeting Shadow Steps Entry (1/100); Golden Serpent Coiling Silk Hand Entry (1/100); Heavenly Thunder Quenching Gold Art Entry (1/100); Great Void Bright Palm Entry (1/100)

Ultimate Skills: Extreme Tiger Killing Fist; Eight Extremes Return to Void Slash

Traits: Qi Recovery Speed Increase LV3; Blood and Qi Enhancement LV3 (Greatly increases Physical Body recovery and fatigue dissipation)

Talents: Danger Perception

Attribute Points: 456

The new trait “Blood and Qi Enhancement” brought by the Perfection of Lesser Primordial Pile Stance was remarkably effective.

A hundred years of cultivation power had reached its limit; no more Attribute Points could be added.

Xiao Zhuo did not stop, turning his attention to other Cultivation Techniques.

For two consecutive days, he remained in seclusion, forgetting food and sleep, madly adding Attribute Points.

Wind and Thunder Fleeting Shadow Steps, consuming 120 Attribute Points, directly reached the Realm of Subtle Understanding!

He comprehended the ultimate skill “Floating Light Instant Shadow,” allowing his figure to move like a ghost, capable of traversing more than ten zhang in an instant, requiring Qi recovery only after three consecutive bursts.

This skill was a divine assassination technique.

Even his ordinary movement technique, with True Essence augmentation, was as fast as a gale.

Figures like Niu Kuang from the past would probably not even be able to touch the hem of his clothes now.

Heavenly Thunder Quenching Gold Art, consuming 180 Attribute Points, also stepped into the Realm of Subtle Understanding!

Thunderbolts even manifested in the pure white space; each attribute point addition (10 points/time) was like torture.

Purple lightning struck, tearing his skin and flesh, and the smell of char was pungent, but under the operation of the Cultivation Technique, the newly grown skin glowed with a faint golden light.

After nine Rebirths of his flesh and blood, his originally slightly thin body became robust and tall, reaching eight feet five inches (about 1.85 meters), with bulging muscles and humming tendons.

Upon Major Achievement of the Cultivation Technique, not only did his strength surge, but he also awakened the talent “Innate Divine Strength”—his strength directly doubled!

During normal operation, a True Essence protective armor, similar to a demonic Baleful Rank counter-membrane, appeared on his body surface, and his attacks carried the power of lightning.

The Subtle Understanding ultimate skill “Heavenly Thunder Hegemon Body” allowed him to temporarily burst forth with triple strength, ignoring all negative controls!

Great Void Bright Palm, consuming 110 Attribute Points, ascended to the Realm of Subtle Understanding!

His palm strikes surged like a sea of clouds, and ripples spread like a mirror lake, ethereal and agile.

Each palm strike produced a sonic boom, not only possessing astonishing power but also capable of disrupting the opponent’s True Essence circulation.

The Subtle Understanding ultimate skill “Space Shattering Mark” allowed a single palm strike to vibrate ten zhang of the Void Realm, ignoring defenses and directly penetrating the internal organs!

His combat power reached a new peak.

At this point, only 46 Attribute Points remained.

Xiao Zhuo decisively gave up on the Golden Serpent Coiling Silk Hand and fully invested in the Purple Extreme Burning True Method.

This method had long since reached the Entry level, with only a vague purple extreme rune in his Dantian.

As he began adding points, within the pure white space, a mysterious power automatically guided his True Essence, and the rune perfected and solidified at an astonishing speed!

With just one attribute point addition (10 points), the Purple Extreme Burning True Method reached the perfect third layer!

A purple, shimmering, and flowing rune hovered in his Dantian.

Xiao Zhuo’s thoughts stirred slightly, and a wisp of True Essence was swallowed by the rune, instantly transforming into burning purple True Essence that burst forth.

He flicked a finger.

“Puff—!”

The sturdy room wall was pierced through with a sound, and the force of his finger continued unabated, even penetrating the courtyard wall!

Its power was more than ten times stronger than ordinary True Essence!

Xiao Zhuo smiled with satisfaction and invested the remaining 36 Attribute Points into the Innate Merit.

After the Lesser Primordial Pile Stance solidified his Foundation, the Innate Merit’s Bottleneck loosened.

His cultivation power rapidly climbed to two hundred years, and the panel indicated that it had reached its current limit and could not advance further. At this point, 4 Attribute Points remained.

Apparently, the calculation of the Innate Merit’s cultivation power did not refer to the time spent Cultivating in the White Mist Space, but rather another measure. Xiao Zhuo guessed it should be the cultivation power a normal person could accumulate through a year of regular Cultivation.

He opened the panel.

Name: Xiao Zhuo

Race: Human Race

Realm: True Essence Realm Ninth Layer

Cultivation Techniques: Tiger Subduing Fist (MAX); Eight Directions Demon Slaying Saber (MAX); Innate Merit Perfection (200 years of cultivation power); Lesser Primordial Pile Stance Perfection (100 years of cultivation power); Wind and Thunder Fleeting Shadow Steps Subtle Understanding (MAX); Heavenly Thunder Quenching Gold Art Subtle Understanding (MAX); Great Void Bright Palm Subtle Understanding (MAX); Golden Serpent Coiling Silk Hand Entry (1/100)

Ultimate Skills: Extreme Tiger Killing Fist; Eight Extremes Return to Void Slash; Floating Light Instant Shadow; Heavenly Thunder Hegemon Body; Space Shattering Mark

Secret Arts: Purple Extreme Burning True Method Third Layer

Traits: Qi Recovery Speed Increase LV5; Blood and Qi Enhancement LV5

Talents: Danger Perception; Innate Divine Strength

Attribute Points: 4

Four days of secluded Cultivation had brought about earth-shattering changes in his strength! Although limited by the Innate Merit’s rank, his Realm was stuck at True Essence Ninth Layer, but his Physical Body alone could crush ordinary True Essence Realm Martial Artists or Baleful Rank demons.

If he unleashed all his methods, he would even dare to fight existences above the Baleful Rank!

With his Attribute Points almost depleted, it was time to leave.

But before leaving, Xiao Zhuo decided to investigate the continuous disappearance cases in Heavenly Wolf City.

If it was a demon, it would be a source of Attribute Points; if not, it would still be considered eliminating a hidden danger for the Xiao Family.

The disappearances all occurred at night.

Xiao Zhuo’s figure flickered, leaving only an afterimage behind, as he swept onto the rooftop like a wisp of smoke.

His toes tapped continuously, traversing the continuous rooftops, heading straight for the highest point of Heavenly Wolf City—the Tianyao Tower!

This tower was owned by the City Lord Fan Ye, named after his daughter. It stood over a hundred zhang tall, divided into seven layers, integrating a restaurant, brothel, and gambling house, exclusively for the enjoyment of officials and nobles, with nightly music, singing, and bright lights.

Upon reaching the tower, a beautiful woman wrapped in thin gauze of jiao silk, with her lotus-like arms half-exposed, was about to step forward to solicit customers.

Xiao Zhuo’s shoulder trembled slightly, and a gentle force pushed her back, making her stumble.

Seeing his stern expression, the beauty could only roll her eyes in annoyance and turn to greet others.

Xiao Zhuo was happy for the peace. Passing through three carved moon-shaped archways, various sounds assaulted him: clinking cups, delicate laughter, flirtatious words, the crisp sound of dice, and the jingle of gold and silver.

He kept his gaze straight, walking briskly up the stairs on the right, his target the stargazing platform at the top of the tower—the highest point in Heavenly Wolf City, overlooking the entire city with an unobstructed view.

To repeatedly evade the Demon Suppression Guard’s investigations and come and go without a trace, Xiao Zhuo speculated that the opponent likely possessed the ability to fly.

But if they flew at high altitudes, they should have been exposed long ago… His thoughts raced as his steps remained steady.

Regardless, he would first wait and see for a night!

He reached the top in an instant.

The night wind, carrying the rich aroma of fine wine, blew towards him.

On the thirty-zhang square stargazing platform, mica screens separated more than ten elegant seating areas.

The richly dressed men and women enjoying the moon and revelry turned their heads at the sound. Upon seeing Xiao Zhuo’s simple blue tunic and short pants, undisguised mockery immediately appeared on their lips, and their eyes were filled with condescending arrogance.

“Which family’s rude servant dares to trespass here?” A Young Master in purple robes swayed a luminous cup, the grape wine within swirling with blood-colored ripples.

Xiao Zhuo’s eyes instantly turned cold, and the True Essence in his Physical Body roared into operation!

“Om—!”

An invisible pressure, like a collapsing mountain and a surging sea, pressed down mightily!

The gilded dining table closest to him exploded in response, candied fruits and fresh fruit rolling everywhere.

The gold-inlaid, jade-studded short stools groaned, and the hairpins in the women’s hair rattled wildly, like butterflies in the wind.

The purple-robed Young Master, being the first to bear the brunt, turned deathly pale, his legs trembling like sieves, and the wine in his cup splashed all over him.

“Scram!” Xiao Zhuo spat out a single word coldly.

The pressure receded like a tide, and everyone on the top floor felt as if they had received a great pardon, scrambling to flee, leaving behind a mess of cups and plates.

The clamor dissipated, and the stargazing platform returned to silence.

However, before Xiao Zhuo could thoroughly examine his surroundings, at the stairwell, two stern figures in Demon Suppression Guard uniforms were already ascending the steps.