219: Chapter 219 Distributing the Treasure

Seeing his two companions killed instantly, the last man was scared to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, and he turned to flee.

The moment he moved, his vision blurred. Lin Tian had already blocked his path like a ghost, executing the Cloud Shadow Step; it was silent and swift, as if he had appeared out of thin air.

The man's face turned ghastly pale, his legs went weak, and he knelt down directly.

"Spare my life! Spare me, brother! I was only following orders, please let me live!"

Lin Tian looked down at him, his eyes devoid of any emotion. From the moment they had attacked him, the outcome had already been decided.

He didn't speak, simply raising his hand and striking down with a palm.

The palm force of the Great Strength Vajra Palm descended like a collapsing mountain, and the man didn't even have time to scream before his breath ceased.

The corpse collapsed limply.

Lin Tian withdrew his palm, his gaze sweeping over the three corpses on the ground, his expression calm.

He began to collect the spoils of war.

He searched the three bodies carefully, his movements practiced; clearly, this was not his first time doing such a thing.

A moment later, he had a stack of silver banknotes and several porcelain bottles in his hands.

The silver banknotes were scattered, some in denominations of one thousand taels, others in hundreds, totaling nine thousand taels.

He opened the porcelain bottles and sniffed them; they contained Medicinal Pills for improving Cultivate and healing wounds, but the quality was average, nothing worth noting.

Lin Tian put the items away, brushed the dust off his robe, and turned to leave.

With a few leaps, his figure vanished into the night.

By the time he returned to the Yunhai Fishery, it was already dark. The courtyard was quiet, and the Treasure Fish in the pond swam slowly through the water, their scales shimmering with a faint luster under the moonlight.

Lin Tian pushed the door open, entered the room, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to regulate his breath.

Half an hour later, he opened his eyes, his Aura having recovered to its Peak state.

Only then did he take out the spoils and count them carefully.

The silver banknotes totaled nine thousand taels, and adding what he had saved before, he now had over twenty thousand taels of silver. This amount of money was a huge sum for an ordinary Martial Artist, but for him, it was far from enough.

The further one advances in Cultivate, the more vast the resources required.

He picked up the porcelain bottles again and poured out the Medicinal Pills to examine them. They were all Medicinal Pills for improving Cultivate, with ordinary medicinal potency.

They might be useful to an ordinary Martial Artist, but for him, they weren't as practical as eating two Treasure Fish.

Lin Tian casually put the Medicinal Pills into a box. Just because he didn't think much of them didn't mean he would throw them away; finding a chance to sell them later would still be some income.

After putting away the spoils, he began to organize his thoughts.

Over the past year, he had gone to the Wanbao Pavilion several times, selling Treasure Fish each time, and every time he had been extremely cautious. Yet, he had still been targeted.

Those three Fifth-Grade Martial Artists had come specifically for him.

This meant he could no longer go to the Wanbao Pavilion. This time, three Fifth-Grade Martial Artists had come, but what about next time? Perhaps it would be Fifth-Grade Late Stage, or even Fifth-Grade Peak.

It might even attract Sixth-Grade experts.

Lin Tian's eyes darkened at the thought.

The Wanbao Pavilion was the largest merchant guild in Yunhai City; he had been selling Treasure Fish too frequently, so it would be strange if he hadn't attracted attention.

He had to change locations.

If Yunhai City wouldn't work, he would go to other merchant guilds in Yunzhou Prefecture.

A few days later, Lin Tian changed his attire and went to Yunzhou Prefecture.

He found two fairly large merchant guilds and sold the Treasure Fish under a pseudonym.

The first time went smoothly, and the transaction was completed. But the second time, he noticed someone watching him in the shadows again.

Those gazes were hidden and dangerous, like vipers lurking in the dark.

Lin Tian made a prompt decision and left immediately.

He couldn't stay in Yunzhou Prefecture either.

He had no choice but to look further afield. There were many cities around Yunzhou Prefecture; although the journey was longer and more time-consuming, it was better than being targeted.

Just like that, Lin Tian began to travel between the various cities around Yunzhou Prefecture.

Every time he went to a place, he only made one sale and never lingered. He would leave right after selling, never appearing in the same city a second time.

Time passed day by day like this.

Another year passed.

Over this year, Lin Tian had made five sales in total. Each time, he changed to a different city, a different merchant guild, and a different identity.

Even with such caution, there were still several times he was almost followed, but fortunately, his Cloud Shadow Step had reached Perfection, and his movement technique was ghostly, allowing him to shake off his tails at the last moment.

Five sales had brought him a total of over one hundred thousand taels of silver.

Over one hundred thousand taels was a fortune an ordinary person could not spend in a lifetime.

But Lin Tian poured almost all of this money into his Cultivate.

He didn't even blink when exchanging it for Medicinal Pills and resources for his Cultivate.

Meanwhile, another type of Treasure Fish he was raising also began to breed rapidly. The effect of this Treasure Fish was superior to the green fish, and it was of great benefit to the improvement of his cultivation.

In this year, he had eaten over a hundred Treasure Fish.

The power of the Treasure Fish accumulated within his body, constantly washing over his Meridians and Dantian. Finally, one day, everything fell into place.

The barrier of the Fifth-Grade Late Stage was broken.

The moment his cultivation broke through, Lin Tian felt his Meridians become unobstructed, his Internal Energy surging like a river, several times stronger than before.

And this was just a Breakthrough in his cultivation.

Over this year, all the various martial arts in his possession had also been trained to the Realm of Perfection.

Purple Qi Diagram, Xiaguang Sword Technique, Cloud Shadow Step, Xiuli Flying Dagger, Meteor Sword Technique, Great Strength Vajra Palm, Thunderclap Sword Technique, Dragon Roar Iron Shirt, Divine Turtle Breathing Method, White Dragon in the Waves... one after another, all had reached Perfection.

Lin Tian calmed his mind and looked at the proficiency panel in his mind.

Name: Lin Tian

Cultivation: Fifth-Grade Late Stage

Martial Arts:

Purple Qi Diagram (Perfection) 10000/10000

Xiaguang Sword Technique (Perfection) 10000/10000

Cloud Shadow Step (Perfection) 10000/10000

Xiuli Flying Dagger (Perfection)

Meteor Sword Technique (Perfection)

Great Strength Vajra Palm (Perfection)

Thunderclap Sword Technique (Perfection)

Dragon Roar Iron Shirt (Perfection)

Divine Turtle Breathing Method (Perfection)

White Dragon in the Waves (Perfection)

Wanling Seal (Major Achievement) 310/5000

Except for the Wanling Seal, which still needed some work, all other martial arts had reached Perfection.

The long list of "Perfection" was shocking to behold.

For any other Fifth-Grade Martial Artist, having one or two martial arts trained to Perfection was already rare, yet he had over ten martial arts at Perfection.

What did this mean?

It meant that at the Fifth-Grade Late Stage, he was almost an invincible existence. Within the same Realm, no one could withstand the barrage of his ten perfected martial arts.

Even when facing a Fifth-Grade Peak, he would not be afraid at all.

Lin Tian put away the panel, clenched his fist, felt the surging power in his body, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

This strength felt solid.

Next, it was time to continue his Cultivate.

Now that his cultivation had reached the Fifth-Grade Late Stage, the resources required to break through further would only increase.

He still needed to sell Treasure Fish and earn silver.

But he couldn't go to the nearby cities anymore.

Over the past year, he had made five sales; although he changed locations each time, the informants of those merchant guilds were everywhere, and his characteristics had likely been spread. It was too risky to sell in the vicinity again.

He could only go to more distant cities.

But this way, a round trip would take at least over half a month, or even more than a month. All his time would be wasted on the road.

Lin Tian frowned; this was indeed a troublesome matter.

Just as he was worrying about this, news arrived.

It was an ordinary afternoon, and Lin Tian was Cultivate in the courtyard when he suddenly heard cheers coming from outside the fishery. The noise grew louder and louder, as if the place had exploded.

He opened his eyes, stood up, and walked out of the courtyard.

The workers of the fishery were all running about telling each other the news, their faces filled with wild joy, some even so excited that their eyes were red.

"We won! We won!"

"The great war is over!"

"The Demonic Sect has been defeated!"

Lin Tian grabbed a worker running past him: "What news?"

The worker's voice was trembling with excitement: "Brother Lin, the battle with the Demonic Sect is over! News has come from the Qixia Sect, a great victory! A great victory! The Demonic Sect has been defeated!"

Lin Tian's pupils constricted sharply.

"What else?" he asked.

The worker swallowed and said in one breath: "The Martial King Treasure Trove has been divided by the major Schools, and our Qixia Sect has received a huge share! I heard that our Sect's Disciples and Elders will be back soon, and they are bringing the Martial King Treasure Trove!"

Lin Tian stood there, silent for a long time.

It was finally over.

This great war had lasted for nearly two years from start to finish.

In these two years, how many people had rushed to the battlefield, and how many had never returned.

Now, the great war was over.

In the end, they had won.

Lin Tian felt a surge of warmth in his chest, and his mouth slowly curled into a smile.

That's great.

The news spread as if it had wings, reaching not only the Yunhai Fishery but also the Qixia Sect, and spreading throughout the entire Yunzhou Prefecture. In Yunzhou City, the streets and alleys were filled with cheering crowds; some beat gongs and drums, others set off firecrackers, and the entire city was immersed in immense joy.

Another half month passed.

The Disciples and Elders who had gone to the battlefield finally returned.

That day, the Qixia Sect's mountain gate was thrown wide open, and the Sect Master led the remaining Elders to welcome them personally at the gate.

Leading them were several Elders, each with a profound and steady Aura, carrying a strong air of slaughter—the Aura of having killed their way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Behind them were hundreds of Disciples.

The number was much smaller than when they had set out, but the Aura of every survivor was completely different.

Their eyes were sharper, their Auras more profound and steady, like pieces of fine steel tempered in fire.

These Disciples returned, bringing back the Martial King Treasure Trove as well.

Once the news spread, the entire Qixia Sect was completely boiling with excitement.

In the main hall of the Sect Master, the Sect Master sat on the high seat, looking at the returning Elders and Core Disciple below with a satisfied expression.

This battle had cost the Qixia Sect dearly. Many Disciples had died on the battlefield, remaining there forever.

But behind the cost was a huge harvest.

"In this battle, our Qixia Sect has achieved great merit." The Sect Master's voice echoed in the main hall, "First, we repelled the Demonic Sect and thwarted their conspiracy. Second, the surviving Disciples have been tempered between life and death, becoming stronger."

His gaze swept over the crowd below, his tone filled with a hint of gratification: "Some Disciples broke through during the battle, stepping from the Fourth-Grade into the Fifth-Grade. Several top Disciples even surged to the Fifth-Grade Late Stage in one go, and some even reached the Fifth-Grade Peak."

As soon as these words were spoken, many people in the hall showed expressions of emotion.

One must know that under normal circumstances, breaking through from Fourth-Grade Peak to Fifth-Grade, and then to Fifth-Grade Late Stage, would simply be impossible without three to five years.

For those with slightly less talent, being trapped at a Bottleneck for ten or eight years was not rare.

But now?

In just two short years, so many Disciples had broken through.

There was no other reason; first, it was the tempering of life and death, dancing on the tip of a blade, where the stimulation of potential far exceeded daily hard Cultivate.

Second, in the ancient ruins, those Disciples found some treasures left behind in the Martial King Treasure Trove, and their strength soared after consuming them.

The Sect Master paused, his tone becoming solemn: "As for the third benefit, it is the Martial King Treasure Trove itself."

Everyone's eyes in the hall were focused on the Sect Master.

"The Martial King Treasure Trove is an unimaginably huge fortune. After the Demonic Sect retreated, the major Schools divided this Treasure Trove. As one of the main forces in Yunzhou Prefecture, our Qixia Sect naturally received a large share."

The Sect Master said, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "Now, the Treasure Trove has been brought back. So, next, there is only one question left."

In the main hall, there was silence.

Everyone held their breath.

"How should this Martial King Treasure Trove be distributed?"