46: Are you moved?

Xuan Yangzi hummed a tune, his steps light as he hurried back to the Main Hall of Qingyun Peak.

He walked with a spring in his step, and even the usual frown on his brow was tinged with joy.

"Hehe, Junior Brother Gu was truly generous this time."

He touched the Jade Bottle in his sleeve, his lips curling into an unconscious smile.

"The effect of this Marrow Cleansing Pill is simply Heaven-Defying."

As soon as he stepped into the Main Hall, Xuan Yangzi eagerly pulled out a Transmission Jade Slip, a flash of spiritual power at his fingertips, and a line of text appeared on it.

"Junior Brother Shi, good news, come quickly."

The Jade Slip transformed into a streak of light and shot out. In less than half an incense stick's time, heavy footsteps echoed from outside the hall.

Shi Wanshan's rotund figure pushed open the hall door, his gray robe still stained with dirt from the spiritual fields, clearly having come directly from the spiritual fields behind the mountain.

"What's the rush for good news?"

Shi Wanshan wiped away sweat, plopped down onto the grand armchair, and grabbed a spiritual fruit from the table, stuffing it into his mouth.

"My golden-thread spiritual rice is at a crucial stage!"

Xuan Yangzi smiled mysteriously, not answering immediately.

He flicked his fingers, sending out streaks of spiritual light at the hall door and windows. A light blue barrier spread out like a thin veil, completely enveloping the entire hall.

Shi Wanshan's chewing of the spiritual fruit abruptly stopped, his eyebrows raised high.

"Such a big fuss? Did you find some great treasure?"

"Even more precious than that."

Xuan Yangzi slowly took out a glistening white Jade Bottle from his sleeve. The bottle body radiated a warm luster, and his fingertips, holding the stopper, trembled slightly, his movements as gentle as if he were holding fragileColored Glaze.

Shi Wanshan's gaze was instantly captivated by the Jade Bottle, his Adam's apple bobbing – anything Xuan Yangzi treated with such care was definitely no ordinary item.

"This..."

Shi Wanshan's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and his fruit-stained beard bristled.

He was all too familiar with that expression – thirty years ago, when Xuan Yangzi discovered the ancient Pill Formula, he had been just as excited and restrained.

"Junior Brother Shi."

Xuan Yangzi suddenly leaned closer, lowering his voice, his eyes gleaming with barely contained excitement.

"Do you know what this is?"

He enunciated each word very softly, as if afraid of waking the treasure in the bottle.

Shi Wanshan stared at the Jade Bottle for a long while, then his pupils suddenly constricted.

He slapped his thigh with a "pah," and a spiritual fruit pit shot out of his mouth with a "poof": "Could it be the legendary..."

"Yes, it is..."

Just as Xuan Yangzi was about to speak, Shi Wanshan interrupted him.

"Hahaha, it really is the legendary 'Fierce Tiger Blazing Sun Pill'!"

Shi Wanshan's voice was like a booming bell, and his spittle sprayed all over Xuan Yangzi's face.

His fan-sized hands rubbed together excitedly.

"I heard this treasure can make old trees sprout new leaves, and an eighty-year-old man can... Ouch!"

Xuan Yangzi's hand, which was pulling out the stopper, suddenly froze, and the smile on his face solidified with a "crack."

His Daoist robe's wide sleeves trembled, and his usually gentle face was now flushed crimson.

He slowly turned his head, his eyes filled with a bewildered expression that screamed, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

After a long moment, he squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Yes... Yes, my foot!"

"Damn it!"

Xuan Yangzi was so angry he almost dropped the Jade Bottle, pointing at Shi Wanshan's nose, his voice cracking.

"Who told you this was an aphrodisiac? This is a Marrow Cleansing Pill that can improve Aptitude! Improve Aptitude! Do you understand?!"

The last three words were practically shouted, shaking dust from the rafters.

Xuan Yangzi then seemed to remember something. He slowly looked up at a certain spot on Shi Wanshan.

Shi Wanshan suddenly noticed Xuan Yangzi's gaze strangely moving between his belly and waist.

That look was three parts pity and seven parts sudden realization, just like a medical cultivator looking at a terminally ill patient.

Junior Brother Shi is in his prime, could he secretly have such a hidden ailment? No wonder he spends all day tending to the spiritual fields, cultivating those Spiritual Plants that strengthen the foundation and nourish the origin. So that's it...

"Senior... Senior Brother?"

Shi Wanshan felt uncomfortable under that gaze, inexplicably shivering, and subconsciously pulled up his belt.

He cleared his throat twice: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Xuan Yangzi suddenly sighed deeply and patted his shoulder.

"Forget it, who told me I'm the Senior Brother?"

His voice softened by eight degrees: "Junior Brother, don't worry. I, your Senior Brother, can understand your feelings. For your happy life, I will definitely help you ask Junior Brother Gu another day..."

"Bullshit!"

Shi Wanshan's plump face instantly turned redder than a cooked crab.

All the fat on his body trembled with his roar.

"I'm very capable, very capable!"

As he spoke, he suddenly reacted, his eyes widening.

"Wait, you said this is a Marrow Cleansing Pill that can improve Aptitude?"

"This is a peerless Medicinal Pill I specially requested from Junior Brother Gu of Zizhu Peak!"

Xuan Yangzi took a deep breath, and holding the Jade Bottle he had almost crushed, he offered it to Shi Wanshan. The warm luster of the bottle reflected in his shining eyes.

"There are only two in the entire Azure Profound Sect. I took one myself, and my Aptitude soared. This is the last one, and I thought of you first!"

He paused, leaned in closer, and lowered his voice.

"This matter still needs to be kept secret, after all, there's only one left. I don't want to cause dissatisfaction among the Junior Brothers of the other peaks."

Shi Wanshan's flushed face instantly froze, and the hand scratching the back of his head slowly lowered. His round belly no longer seemed so prominent.

He looked at Xuan Yangzi's eyes, red with excitement, and then at the Medicinal Pill gleaming like a pearl in the Jade Bottle, and suddenly felt a tightness in his throat.

"Is this real?"

His voice was a little hoarse, and his fingertips rubbed against his knee.

"Of course it's real!"

Xuan Yangzi patted his chest, with an expression that said, "I'm the best to you."

"You are my blood-related Junior Brother. I didn't tell anyone else; I saved it just for you."

He grabbed Shi Wanshan's hand and pressed the Jade Bottle into his palm with enough force to crush bluestone: "Eat it quickly!"

Shi Wanshan held the warm Jade Bottle, his thumb caressing the spiritual light flowing on its surface.

He suddenly chuckled, but his eyes were a little moist.

He no longer refused, pulled out the stopper, and tossed the Medicinal Pill into his mouth, mumbling: "Then I won't be polite... In the future, I will protect the Azure Profound Sect!"

Xuan Yangzi chuckled inwardly: "Hmph, you old man, always fighting with me for spiritual fields and resources."

"Now that you've taken my Marrow Cleansing Pill, let's see if you'll still have the nerve to argue with me in the future."

"Touched, aren't you?"

"Being touched is good. From now on, you'll have to obey my commands."

The moment the Medicinal Pill entered his throat, a golden warm current exploded. Shi Wanshan suddenly tilted his head back, and the spiritual power of his King Realm Middle Stage surged like a tsunami, making the barrier hum.

Golden light surged over his body like a tide, and a layer of black Impurities actually appeared on his skin.

As the Impurities were continuously expelled, Shi Wanshan's aura grew stronger, and his originally rotund figure gradually became more upright.

Suddenly, he sharply opened his eyes, and two brilliant golden lights shot out, emanating a powerful aura.

"Hahahaha, I've had a Breakthrough!"

Shi Wanshan felt the surging spiritual power within him and laughed excitedly.

His cultivation directly had a Breakthrough from King Realm Middle Stage to King Realm Late Stage, and his Aptitude even reached Saint-Grade Low Grade.