116: A breakthrough in seclusion, a silly dog ​​barking at the door.

After Wealthy Gold left, the Shura Hall returned to peace, but the air was thick with the urgency of an impending storm.

Three months later, the Myriad Races Prodigy Battle.

The chance to travel between planes.

Those unfathomable powers in the Central District.

And... the obsession with returning to the original world for revenge.

All these were like massive boulders weighing on everyone's hearts.

"My Lord," the Blood Emperor said in a deep voice, "the Central District is not like the East District; it's a place where experts are as common as clouds and powers are deeply entrenched."

"The Myriad Races Prodigy Battle gathers the top younger generation of the entire Blood Prison Battlefield. There are many Martial Emperor-level Prodigies among them, and... legend has it that Late Stage Martial Emperor monsters also participate."

Ice Soul also said softly, "Furthermore, those ancient powers in the Central District have always looked down on us country bumpkins from the Four Districts."

"Although my Lord is strong, you have only just unified the East District, and your Foundation is not yet stable. If you head there rashly, I'm afraid..."

"I'm afraid I'll be targeted? Besieged? Treated like a soft persimmon to be squeezed?"

Lin Fan took over the conversation, a sneer appearing on his face.

"Isn't that exactly what I want?"

"I was just worrying about having nowhere to grind... cough, nowhere to temper myself."

Everyone: "..."

"Alright, stop looking like you're facing a great enemy."

Lin Fan waved his hand, his tone casual yet carrying an unquestionable confidence:

"Soldiers will be blocked by generals, and water will be covered by earth."

"No matter how strong the Central District Prodigies are, it's not like they're immortal."

"The priority now is for me to enter closed-door Cultivation for a Breakthrough."

He looked at the Blood Emperor and Ice Soul:

"For this month, I'll leave the integration of the East District to you."

"Su Muyu, Qin Yue, hurry up and Cultivate the Cultivation Technique Ice Soul gave you. Breakthrough to the Martial Ancestor Realm as soon as possible."

"Red Diamond, you're responsible for liaising with the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. Gather as much intelligence on the Central District as possible, especially concerning those top Prodigies and major powers."

"Old Blade, the training of the city defenses and the Personal Guard cannot be slackened."

Commands were issued clearly, and everyone responded in unison.

"Alright, dismissed."

Lin Fan stood up and walked toward the secret chamber behind the hall.

"Unless it's a life-or-death matter, do not disturb me."

"In one month, I want to see..."

He paused, turned back, and gave a meaningful smile:

"...a new East District that satisfies me."

...Inside the secret chamber, layers of Formations were activated, cutting off all prying eyes.

Lin Fan sat cross-legged. In front of him were three star dao fruits, as well as the top resources scavenged from the treasuries of the Blood Emperor, Ice Soul, and Bone Emperor—dozens of top-grade Blood Crystals, seven or eight stalks of thousand-year Spirit Medicine, and several odd items emitting Law fluctuations.

"130,570 prestige value..." Lin Fan mused, "System, recommend the most suitable resources for my current Breakthrough."

"[Scanning...]"

"[Recommendation 1: Heaven Rank Medium Grade Medicinal Pill, the Universe Creation Pill. It can significantly increase the Breakthrough chance for small stages within the Martial King Realm with no side effects. Price: 50,000 prestige value.]"

"[Recommendation 2: Special item, law fragment experience card. Upon use, it allows a momentary experience of all Laws. Price: 30,000 prestige value.]"

"[Recommendation 3: cultivation acceleration card (30x, three days). Price: 20,000 prestige value.]"

None of them were cheap.

But to Breakthrough as quickly as possible, it was worth it.

"Purchase the Universe Creation Pill, law fragment experience card, and cultivation acceleration card."

"[Ding! Consumed 50,000 + 30,000 + 20,000 = 100,000 prestige value. Purchase successful!]"

"[Remaining prestige value: 30,570 points]"

Seeing his prestige value shrink to only thirty thousand, Lin Fan felt a moment of pain, but his gaze immediately became firm.

Investing in oneself is always the most profitable deal.

"First, consume the star dao fruit to solidify the Foundation."

Lin Fan picked up a star dao fruit. It felt warm in his hand, and the interior seemed to have a flowing galaxy.

He swallowed it, and pure astral power instantly exploded within his body, washing through his limbs and bones, tempering every inch of flesh and bone.

"Devouring Heaven Demonic Art, devour!"

Lin Fan circulated his Cultivation Technique. The pitch-black Devilish Qi, like a greedy beast, crazily devoured and refined the astral power while simultaneously pulling the resources piled in front of him into his body.

The top-grade Blood Crystals turned into pure blood Qi, the Spirit Medicine replenished his life Origin, and the Law fragments within the odd items were stripped, analyzed, and absorbed... His aura began to climb at a visible rate!

Peak Early-stage Martial King... the threshold of Mid Martial King... but just at the critical moment of Breakthrough, Lin Fan forcibly suppressed his restless cultivation.

"Not enough."

"The Foundation must be laid firmly; every small stage must reach the limit."

"Otherwise, even if I Breakthrough to Peak Martial King, it will just be a hollow shell."

He took a deep breath and took out the "Universe Creation Pill" he had just purchased.

The pill was the size of a dragon's eye, chaotic in color, with nine cloud patterns flowing on the surface, emitting a profound aura of creating heaven and earth.

"Swallow!"

The pill entered his stomach and exploded!

A majestic force of creation, beyond imagination, poured into his Dantian, perfectly Fusion with the energy refined by the Devouring Heaven Demonic Art, and began to impact the barrier of Mid Martial King!

At the same time, Lin Fan crushed the "law fragment experience card."

Buzz!

In his mind, countless Law fragments flashed past like a meteor shower.

The sharpness of Gold, the vitality of Wood, the flexibility of Water, the violence of Fire, the heaviness of Earth... the mystery of Space, the secrecy of Time, the Reincarnation of life and death, the entanglement of Karma... though these Law fragments were only a glimpse, they instantly raised Lin Fan's understanding of the "Dao" to a new level!

"So... this is the essence of Laws..."

With a sudden flash of insight, he subconsciously began to circulate the middle chapter of the Self-Transformation Freedom Technique.

The power of time and space flowed within him; past, present, and future... the three dimensions of time gradually became clear in his perception.

"I understand..."

Lin Fan opened his eyes. In the depths of his pupils, the river of time and space seemed to be reflected.

"If I could also Cultivate the Future Body..."

The thought flashed by, but Lin Fan knew that with his current Realm and understanding of the Laws of time and space, he was still far from achieving it.

"Breakthrough first!"

He focused his mind and made a full-force impact!

Boom!!!

It felt as if something inside him had been shattered.

Mid Martial King, achieved!

His aura surged, his Protective Aura became refined, and his Domain's range doubled!

But Lin Fan didn't stop.

"cultivation acceleration card, use!"

Buzz!

An invisible force enveloped his body, and the flow of time seemed to be distorted. One day outside was... thirty days in the secret chamber!

"Continue!"

Lin Fan grabbed the remaining two star dao fruits and, along with all the resources, swallowed them all at once!

The Devouring Heaven Demonic Art circulated crazily, like a bottomless black hole, greedily devouring and refining all energy!

Mid Martial King stabilized... Peak Mid Martial King... threshold of Late-stage Martial King... days passed one by one.

Inside the secret chamber, Lin Fan's aura soared like a rocket!

Outside the secret chamber, the integration of the East District was also proceeding in full swing under the leadership of the Blood Emperor and Ice Soul.

The remaining forces of the Bone Emperor Domain were quickly cleared out, and the White Bone Legion was reorganized and integrated into the Blood-Clad Guard.

The Ice Soul Emperor Domain was relatively stable. Ice Soul was still the nominal ruler, but all core power and resources had been transferred to Asura City.

Under Ice Soul's personal guidance, Su Muyu and Qin Yue made rapid progress in Cultivating Ice-attribute Cultivation Techniques, both breaking through to the Martial Ancestor Early-stage.

Negotiations between Red Diamond and the Myriad Treasures Pavilion also made progress, resulting in the signing of a "Priority Cooperation Agreement" and the acquisition of a large amount of intelligence regarding the Central District.

Old Blade expanded the Personal Guard to three thousand men, all composed of experts at the Martial Ancestor level or higher, training day and night with overwhelming Killing Intent.

Everything was developing in the direction Lin Fan expected.

Until... half a month later.

Outside Asura City, an uninvited guest arrived... "Halt! This is the restricted area of Asura City; unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter!"

At the city gate, a squad of the Personal Guard blocked the way of the newcomer.

It was a young man wearing a white robe, with a long sword at his waist, handsome but carrying a thick air of arrogance.

He looked to be only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, but his aura had reached the Mid Martial King stage, and he had a "noble" temperament distinctly different from the Martial Artists of the East District.

At this moment, he was scanning the Asura City walls and guards with the look of someone sizing up country bumpkins, a blatant sneer hanging on his lips.

"Asura City? Heh, a backwater place like the East District dares to call itself a city?"

The young man chuckled and casually threw out a token.

The token traced an arc in the air and landed in the hands of the Personal Guard captain.

The captain looked down, and his pupils constricted.

The token was dark gold, with a flamboyant "Sword" character carved on the front and the three ancient seal characters for "Heavenly Sword Sect" on the back.

Central District, Heavenly Sword Sect!

"I am an Inner Sect Disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Zhao Wuji."

The young man—Zhao Wuji—stood with his hands behind his back, his tone indifferent:

"I heard that some Asura King emerged in the East District, unifying it as a Martial King and claiming to be able to fight across Realms against a Martial Emperor?"

"This Young Master is traveling through here today and has come specifically to see for himself."

He emphasized the words "see for himself," and anyone could hear the provocation in them.

The captain's face darkened, but due to the other's status, he suppressed his anger:

"Young Master Zhao, my Lord is currently in closed-door Cultivation and is not seeing guests. Please..."

"Closed-door Cultivation?"

Zhao Wuji interrupted him with a loud laugh:

"Could it be that he heard this Young Master was coming and was so scared he hid away?"

"It makes sense. In a place like the East District, so-called Emperors are just frogs at the bottom of a well. After luckily winning against one or two decrepit Martial Emperors, they really think they're invincible?"

"Little do they know that in the Central District, Geniuses like him are a dime a dozen."

His voice was loud, reaching halfway across the city wall.

The soldiers guarding the city all showed expressions of rage, wishing they could immediately draw their blades and cut down this arrogant fellow.

But Zhao Wuji ignored them, becoming even more conceited!