176: Chapter 176 Rumors, Cultivation

Chen Ran left the prison and did not return home directly.

He turned into a secluded alley and sat down at an open-air tea stall at the street corner.

He ordered a pot of the cheapest coarse tea and a plate of blackened roasted sunflower seeds.

Tea stalls had always been the most well-informed places for street news.

People from all walks of life, from peddlers to laborers, liked to stop here to rest and chat.

Several idlers wearing short jackets were huddled around a table, chatting enthusiastically and spitting as they gossiped about the latest news in the capital.

Before Chen Ran even got close, he could hear them talking.

"Have you heard? The Wu Family in the east of the city was wiped out last night!"

A pockmarked man lowered his voice, but his tone was filled with unconcealable excitement.

"Which Wu Family?" someone nearby asked.

"Which one could it be? The one that bullies men and oppresses women just because they have someone working in the Ministry of Revenue, of course."

The pockmarked man snorted coldly, grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds and cracking them loudly.

"Serves them right. These animals should have died a long time ago."

An old man slammed his teacup down, gritting his teeth.

"Last month, that young master of the Wu Family was riding his horse through the street and trampled my neighbor Old Man Li's leg until it broke. When Old Man Li went to report it, he didn't even make it past the yamen gate before he was beaten up and thrown out."

"Exactly. I heard that dozens of people in the Wu Family were killed this time; not even a dog was left alive. They were all beheaded."

"Truly, Heaven has eyes. Evil brings its own retribution."

"Shh, keep it down. I heard Six Doors has already caught the culprit. He's a madman suffering from Qi Deviation."

"I heard that when the culprit broke into the Wu Family residence, the dozen or so guards didn't even have a chance to draw their blades; they were all cut in two with one strike."

"Serves them right. Those guards often helped the Wu Family commit evil deeds anyway."

"It's just a pity. I heard the second son of the Wu Family happened to be at Wenxin Hall at the time, so he was lucky enough to survive. Otherwise..."

The conversation at the stall gradually became livelier.

This massacre was an important topic of conversation for them after tea and meals.

Chen Ran picked up his teacup and took a sip of the bitter tea.

No wonder the Prison Officer's expression was strange when he asked about it earlier; he had likely heard the rumors on the street.

The file stated that Shi Taichu had fallen into the Demonic Path, was bloodthirsty by nature, and killed innocents indiscriminately.

Yet the Sin Value on the heavenly book of prison suppression was only "Medium."

How could a Devil Head who slaughtered an entire family only have a medium Sin Value?

"It seems this person really is hiding quite a few secrets."

Considering the man was only in his early thirties and had already managed to Cultivate to the Peak of the Aperture Condensation Realm, Chen Ran thought his talent must be quite high.

He put down the teacup, tossed down two copper coins, stood up, and brushed the dust off his hem.

He couldn't be bothered with upholding justice, and he had even less interest in overturning the case.

There were too many messy accounts in the Great Wei Dynasty; why should a small Prison Officer like him worry about these things?

However, Shi Taichu might be able to bring him some rewards.

He hadn't seen a "Wishes" column on a prisoner for a long time.

Ordinary prisoners simply didn't have this column, or rather, most prisoners weren't worth having their wishes displayed.

The appearance of this column proved that, in the evaluation of the heavenly book of prison suppression, this person was hiding many secrets.

"The first time I fulfilled a wish was for Ghost Hand, and it gave me the Breath Concealment Technique and the Turtle Breathing Technique."

"The second time was that Flower Rain Pavilion assassin, which yielded the Glazed Golden Body Art."

"The third time, I wonder what it will be..."

A Peak Fourth Grade expert who could slaughter a wealthy family and withstand several moves under the joint hunt of Six Doors Gold-Badge Constables.

There would definitely be plenty to gain from him.

Once the effect of the Soul Suppression Talisman wore off, he would have to go and probe the bottom of things himself.

...

Returning to his own small courtyard.

The night was deep.

Chen Ran closed the courtyard gate and carefully checked the early warning measures he had set up around the perimeter.

After confirming it was safe, he walked into the bedroom and sat cross-legged on the bed.

There was still half an hour until the Hour of the Rat (midnight).

He was not in a hurry to Cultivate, but instead closed his eyes to rest and regulate his breathing.

During this period, the capital was surging with undercurrents.

The Grand Martial Arts Tournament had attracted countless Jianghu experts.

The Red Lotus Demonic Cult was lurking in the shadows, preparing to open the secret treasury of the previous dynasty.

The First Prince had been assassinated, and the factional struggles in the imperial court were intensifying.

With various forces intertwining, one careless move could lead to destruction.

Chen Ran knew very well that while hiding in the prison was safe, one still needed personal strength to forge success.

Only with absolute strength could one survive in these chaotic times.

Once midnight arrived.

The familiar, ancient heavenly book in his mind slowly opened.

[Guarded the prison for one day, gained one year of cultivation.]

An extremely pure warm current appeared out of thin air within his Dantian.

Chen Ran opened his eyes.

It was time to Breakthrough.

He took a jade bottle from his bosom and poured out a dark red Medicinal Pill.

This was the Fourth Grade ningyuan pill he had previously asked Fang Yi to refine using a demon core. He hadn't used it before because he could Breakthrough at any time.

Now was the time to let this Medicinal Pill play its role.

Chen Ran swallowed the Medicinal Pill in one gulp.

The Medicinal Pill dissolved upon entering his mouth, turning into a violent medicinal force that rushed directly through his limbs and bones.

Chen Ran did not hesitate and immediately guided this medicinal force, combining it with the cultivation gained from the heavenly book, to circulate the Red Lotus Karmic Fire Scripture.

The Upper Three Grades were the key to the martial Dao's transformation from "Mortal" to "Saint."

And the Third Grade Return to Truth Realm was the final step before returning from Acquired to Innate.

The core lay in the physical transformation of the internal Qi.

Under the frantic tempering of the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, the Crimson Blood True Qi within his body began to constantly compress and purify.

The gaseous True Qi, which had been surging like a river, was forcibly squeezed together.

Pfft.

Blood surged through his veins, washing against the walls of his Meridians.

Wisps of dark red, impure Acquired Qi were forcibly expelled from his body through his pores.

Intense pain arrived.

It felt like countless small knives were cutting inside his body, and it was as if he had been thrown into a steel-smelting furnace and repeatedly calcined.

Chen Ran frowned slightly and gritted his teeth.

As long as he could finish tempering all the Acquired Qi in his body, his Physical Body would be flawless and leak-free, allowing him to advance to the Innate Realm.

As time passed.

The True Qi vortex within his Dantian became increasingly dense, while its volume continued to shrink.

Finally, quantitative change led to qualitative change.

The originally gaseous True Qi completely transformed into a liquid state.

Drops of dark red True Essence condensed at the bottom of his Dantian.

Every drop of high-density True Essence contained the terrifying destructive power to break mountains and sever cliffs.

Boom!

A muffled sound echoed from within Chen Ran's body.

Some kind of shackle was shattered with a bang.

A powerful wave of Qi spread outward from him as the center.

The tables and chairs in the room trembled slightly, and the window paper was torn by the strong wind.

Chen Ran opened his eyes, and a flash of dark red fire flickered across his pupils before vanishing.

Return to Truth Realm Middle Stage.

He could clearly feel that while his Physical Body and internal Qi had not yet reached the flawless and unblemished state at this moment, they were far superior to before by several times.

He felt light all over, and with a casual wave of his hand, he could stir up a whistling wind.

"This is only one step closer to the Innate Realm, yet it has such an effect. I dare not imagine how terrifying Innate Realm experts truly are..."

Chen Ran whispered,

No wonder he had been evenly matched with that assassin at the Perfection of the Return to Truth Realm last time.

If it hadn't been for his Major Achievement in hard-body training, with Physical Body strength far exceeding those of the same rank by several times, he would have likely been killed by the opponent's palm strike long ago.

Chen Ran silently raised the threat level of the Innate Realm in his heart a few notches.

He clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within his body.

Swish!

True Essence was released externally, turning into a layer of dark red Protective Aura that covered the surface of his body.

As the Protective Aura flowed, there were faint phantoms of Red Lotus blooming.

Now, his Protective Aura was enough to withstand heavy weaponry like crossbows.

Chen Ran stood up and stretched his muscles and bones.

His bones emitted a series of crisp cracking sounds, one after another.

He took a step into the void, his figure flashing across the courtyard like a ghost, landing lightly in front of the water vat.

He drew a bucket of well water and poured it over his head.

The cold well water washed away the Impurities and sweat expelled from his body.

He changed into a clean robe.

Chen Ran returned to the room and sat cross-legged again.