195: Home

"Buzz, buzz, buzz—!"

All two hundred and six bones in his body hummed in unison, and countless great tendons suddenly awakened like dormant Python Dragons, violently vibrating, stretching, and tightening!

The sound of rushing Qi and Blood transformed from a trickling stream into a mighty river, letting out a rumbling roar within his body!

The cyclones of his five viscera spun at an unprecedented speed, breathing in a massive amount of Origin Qi, while the Great Sun True Flame spark within his heart fire shone brilliantly, dispersing pure and fiery power into his four limbs and all bones!

The Bottleneck was broken!

It was not a normal minor Realm increase, but a direct leap from the Late Stage of the Jiaojin Realm into the Perfection of the Jiaojin Realm!

The great tendons throughout his body were tempered to their current limit, becoming as tough as dragons and pythons. His total Qi and Blood, condensation, explosive power, and recovery speed all surged across the board!

"Hah!" Chen Linsheng shouted as he exhaled, his Aura suddenly soaring. A scorching, heavy, and unified Hunyuan pressure spread out, actually forcing back the sinister Sword Intent and the foul wind from the flying daggers by thirty percent.

His eyes shone with divine light, and his movements were more than just a level faster than before!

Facing the slashing poison sword, he advanced instead of retreating, turning his left hand from a palm into a claw. A pale golden-white color enveloped his fingers, and he actually caught the blade with unerring precision! The cold Sword Qi and corrosive power on the poison sword frantically lashed against his palm, but were firmly resisted by a new, even stronger "True Yang Gauze" and his Hunyuan Qi and Blood, making a "hissing" burning sound.

"Let go!" Chen Linsheng shouted coldly, his fingers exerting force as the spiral penetration of Python Dragon Strength merged with his newfound immense power.

"Crack!" The high-quality steel longsword was actually snapped in half by him with brute force!

The swordsman turned pale with fright, abandoning the sword and retreating hastily.

But Chen Linsheng's right foot had already kicked out silently, striking him squarely in the abdomen. The violent force penetrated his body, and the swordsman screamed as he was sent flying, his internal organs already shattered while he was still in the air.

The last assassin, who had been releasing hidden weapons, saw that things were going south and turned to flee, his Movement Technique like smoke. Chen Linsheng didn't even look as he casually grabbed the half-broken sword from the ground and flicked his wrist.

"Swoosh—!"

The broken sword turned into a gray streak of light, arriving first despite being launched later. It pierced through the assassin's back and came out through his chest, bringing with it a spray of blood.

The assassin's body stiffened, and he fell face-first to the ground.

From the ambush to the counter-killing of the three men, only a dozen or so breaths had passed.

Under the blazing sun, the smell of blood permeated the air. Chen Linsheng stood alone among the three corpses, slowly calming the Qi and Blood that was racing like a dragon inside him, feeling the brand-new power brought by the Perfection of the Jiaojin Realm. The great tendons throughout his body emitted low rumbles like thunder, his Qi and Blood circulated smoothly without hindrance, his spiritual terrace was clear, and his perception range and accuracy had increased once again.

He walked to the corpse of the bald giant and searched his breast, pulling out a piece of parchment that was mostly soaked in blood. On it, a line of text and a simple map were written in a special code, pointing to this ambush location. The signature was a twisted flame mark—not the lotus of the White Lotus Sect, but more like the mark of some anonymous middleman or assassin organization.

"As I thought..." Chen Linsheng crushed the parchment. The bounty had arrived; this would definitely not be the last time.

After this battle, he completely stabilized his Realm at the Perfection of the Jiaojin Realm and fully digested and absorbed the opening Profound Truth of the Great Sun Burning Heaven Physique obtained from the Secret Realm, his new Hunyuan Qi and Blood, the characteristics of the Great Sun True Flame, and his combat insights. His strength had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.

He bent down and picked up the sachet from the sand, which had been nearly stepped into the ground. He gently patted off the dust and carefully tucked it into the place in his breast closest to his heart. A soft sensation came through, as if it could isolate the blood and killing intent of the outside world.

A man's wealth is his ruin; there would surely be many thorns on the road ahead. But likewise, with power in hand and purpose in heart, what was there to fear from the storms?

He raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the endless Gobi and mountains, looking toward Jiuqu Prefecture in the south, toward that peaceful little courtyard in Yuqian Lane.

His desire to return became even more intense... The night was as dark as ink, and Yuqian Lane slept in the cool early autumn evening breeze.

When Chen Linsheng pushed open the door, the grape trellis in the courtyard cast mottled shadows under the moonlight, and the scent of herbs in the medicinal garden was so familiar it made his eyes sting.

His footsteps were extremely light, almost like treading on snow without a trace, not even disturbing the wind chimes hanging under the eaves in the slightest.

But the door to the side room still opened.

Su Wan stood inside the door, draped in a light green outer garment, still holding an unclosed medical book in her hand. The candlelight spread out from behind her, making her features look soft, yet carrying a hint of tension that was hard to detect.

The moment their eyes met, the thin layer of ice-like worry in her eyes instantly melted, turning into a spring of clear water that rippled with genuine warmth.

"...You're back." Her voice was very light, as if afraid of disturbing something.

Chen Linsheng nodded, stepped into the courtyard, and closed the gate behind him. The soft sound of the bolt falling was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Su Wan stepped forward two paces, looking at him carefully by the moonlight.

In just a few months, the Aura of the person before her had become completely different.

It was as heavy as an abyss and as solid as a mountain, yet it also had a hidden fiery intensity, like a divine weapon tucked into its sheath; even with its edge restrained, it still made one's heart skip a beat. Only deep within those eyes was a trace of almost imperceptible fatigue, a mark left after enduring life-and-death combat and long-term mental tension.

She didn't speak, only reaching out to gently brush away a smudge of dust from his shoulder, her movements as natural as if she had done it a thousand times.

"Come inside first." She stepped aside to let him pass. "There's porridge warming on the stove."

After a bowl of hot porridge, warmth spread from his stomach to his four limbs and all bones. Chen Linsheng sat at the familiar wooden table, watching Su Wan's back as she cleared the dishes, and the heartstrings that had been tense for months finally loosened bit by bit.

At night, the two of them lay side by side on the bed.

Su Wan turned to face him, her fingertips gently tracing a new, faint scar on his left shoulder that was almost invisible, then sliding to several subtle calluses on his right knuckles—marks left by drawing a bow and gripping a blade, slightly thicker than when he had left.

"You encountered danger," she said softly, not as a question.

Chen Linsheng took her hand and pressed that slightly cool palm against his heart, feeling the steady and powerful heartbeat. "It's all in the past."

He omitted the narrow escapes in the Black Sandstorm, the tragic scene of the Iron Bone Realm Martial Artist turning to ash before the stone gate, the torment of the three lifetimes of Heart Demons on the Heart Refining Bridge, the life-and-death struggle with the White Lotus Cult Heretics in the starry sky illusion, and even the dangerous ambush on the return journey.

He only picked out some of the strange sights in the Secret Realm to talk about: the floating and burning Starry Stones, the boiling fire lake in Chiyan Mountain, the ten-fold gravity pressure on the Bone Forging Road, the bizarre illusions on the Heart Refining Bridge, and the vast starry sky illusion within the Inheritance Hall.

Finally, he mentioned the Great Sun Burning Heaven Physique.

"That is a fragment of an ancient body-tempering divine technique; I obtained the first three levels," Chen Linsheng said nonchalantly. "It is quite beneficial to my cultivation."

Su Wan listened quietly, her eyes bright as stars in the darkness.

She could piece together the unstated dangers from his calm narration—could a Secret Realm that allowed an ancient divine technique to appear be an ordinary place? Would the various Geniuses and power elites who entered together easily give it up?

Her fingertips tightened slightly as she gripped his hand.

"It's good that you're safe." She buried her face in the crook of his shoulder, her voice muffled and carrying warm breath. "It's just... I'm afraid even more people will be watching you from now on."

Chen Linsheng was silent for a moment, then wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer into his embrace.

"I know," he said in a low voice. "Having obtained an Opportunity, I must bear its weight. The White Lotus Sect will not let it go, and there will be no shortage of those coveting it in the shadows. In Iron Rock City, there are already rumors."

Su Wan raised her head, gazing into his eyes in the dim light. "You must be careful."

"I will." He stroked her loose long hair with gentle movements. "You too. Now that my name has spread, it's hard to guarantee that no one will target you. Has the house been peaceful these past few months?"

"Everything has been as usual," Su Wan said softly. "I've kept a low profile; the neighbors only know you went on a long trip. It's just... a few days ago, two unfamiliar peddlers appeared at the entrance of the lane and stayed for three days before leaving."

Chen Linsheng's eyes turned slightly cold.

As expected, someone had already found their way here.

"Tomorrow, I will secretly set up some small warning mechanisms in the courtyard," he whispered. "When you go in and out normally, pay more attention to your surroundings. If there's anything unusual, immediately go to the martial arts hall to find Instructor Zhao, or go to Huichun Hall in the east of the city to find Dr. Sun—I have a history with him, he is trustworthy."

Su Wan nodded and huddled further into his embrace, as if this could dispel the wisp of unease in her heart.

The night grew deeper, and the sound of the watchman's clapper faintly drifted from afar.

Chen Linsheng listened to the gradually steady breathing of the person in his arms, but his gaze looked out the window toward the heavy darkness.

The Secret Realm Legacy and the Perfection of the Jiaojin Realm seemed like a leap to the heavens, but they had also pushed him to the eye of the storm.

Those eyes that were hidden in the shadows before probably now shone with the light of greed.