Taking out the alluring Four Divine Fruits, Lu Ye focused his mind and consumed them, dissolving as they entered his mouth.

In an instant, a gentle, majestic energy surged within Lu Ye's body.

While refining this incredibly pure energy, Lu Ye immersed his mind, striving to grasp the enlightenment contained within the Four Divine Fruits.

...

At the same time, in Cloud Leaf City, inside a Tian Family shop.

Watching a man in black with a bamboo hat leave the shop, Tian Qing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Recently, the storage ring that Young Master Lu entrusted to him was finally sold.

Five hundred fifty thousand silver.

Originally, according to the market price of storage rings, it should be around five hundred thousand taels, but due to recent scarcity, the price was slightly raised.

Just then, on the road outside the shop, a group of six or seven horse riders, with arrogant expressions, slowly passed through the city.

Tian Qing glanced up, and his eyelid twitched slightly.

This group, Tian Qing recognized, was not from the Northern Territory of Xuanzhou, but from the Eastern Territory.

The Xuanzhou Prefecture City is located in the Supreme Profound City of the Eastern Territory.

Recently, in the Northern Territory, there have been several atrocious incidents where entire villages were exterminated by mysterious figures.

These accumulated incidents have angered the Lord Governor of Xuanzhou immensely, prompting them to immediately dispatch several teams to the Northern Territory.

Each team is led by an Innate Realm captain to ensure that the evil cultivators committing crimes throughout the Northern Territory are captured and brought to justice.

The Eastern Territory is the wealthiest and has the highest martial arts level in Xuanzhou, with more Innate Realm individuals than the Northern Territory.

Moreover, these martial artists from the Eastern Territory naturally carry a sense of superiority when facing people from the Northern Territory due to their noble origins.

During their few days stationed in Cloud Leaf City, there have already been two minor conflicts.

Tian Qing heard that even in other places where Eastern Territory people are stationed, similar conflicts have occurred.

After all, with evil cultivators causing trouble, these individuals are powerful and their methods are strange. Ordinary court troops aren't very efficient, so martial artists are more useful.

However, among the summoned martial artists, there are many arrogant ones, so when Tian Qing saw this group passing by, he felt a bit fearful, afraid of accidentally provoking them.

Meanwhile, in a remote village in the Northern Territory.

An old man with a face showing intense bloodlust threw aside a villager drained of blood, the bloodlust on his face gradually fading.

In fact, because he absorbed a tremendous amount of blood power, his whole being appeared somewhat younger.

"Heh heh heh... The enmity of the Wang Family's destruction, I, Wang Tiancheng, will never forget!"

This man is the Wang Family Elder, Wang Tiancheng, who previously escaped from prison.

Originally, he thought that after escaping, conveying the message to Wang Youcai, who had joined Yinmang Mountain, would mean his enemies would be vanquished.

Unexpectedly, not only were the enemies not killed, but Wang Youcai and his master met their demise!

The news that came out terrified Wang Tiancheng, as the enemy turned out to be a top martial arts practitioner who achieved the Grandmaster Realm in the Northern Territory!

Immediately, Wang Tiancheng fled several hundred miles, spending several fearful days before finally resolving to cultivate the backup Great Celestial Demon Ancestor Technique left by the Wang Family Ancestor!

Unexpectedly, once he truly began cultivation and let go of all moral boundaries.

Wang Tiancheng was pleasantly surprised to find that cultivation could be this easy.

In just a few short days, his strength, which had been stuck at the Postnatal Seventh Layer, began to rise rapidly, breaking through barriers and ascending directly to the Postnatal Eighth Layer!

Now, he's not too far from the Postnatal Ninth Layer.

"I never imagined that one day I, Wang Tiancheng, would have the chance to glimpse the Innate Realm."

Such terrifying advancement also inflated Wang Tiancheng's ego, believing that given time, attempting the high and mighty Martial Arts Grandmaster Realm overlooking the Northern Territory might not be out of reach!

"Dare to come capture me, I shall ensure none return!"

Wang Tiancheng was already aware that someone was coming to capture him.

Once he achieves the Innate Realm, with the might of the Great Celestial Demon Ancestor Technique...

By then, all those so-called righteous martial artists daring to come capture him will die!

Gazing at the withered corpses scattered across the village, like a human purgatory, Wang Tiancheng's heart was filled with a bloodthirsty desire.

...

In a mountain cave.

Lu Ye continued to refine the tremendous energy of the Four Divine Fruits.

In his Qi Sea Dantian, strands of the newly refined Grandmaster's Source Qi began to fill it.

Having just entered the Middle Stage of the First Layer Grandmaster not half a day ago, under the push of the powerful energy of the Four Divine Fruits, Lu Ye's aura began to rise once more.

With a clear mind, Lu Ye strove to grasp any possible insights that might appear.

Uncertain how much time had passed...

Just as the tremendous energy of the Four Divine Fruits was about to be completely refined by the Ancient Star Scripture, Lu Ye finally caught a glimmer of insight.

"Divine Origin Invisible Sword Qi... is this an upgraded version of Innate Body-Breaking Sword Qi?"

In an instant, Lu Ye immersed himself in this insight.

The Innate Invisible Sword Qi was an ultimate killing move for him, its single-target destructive power surpassing even the Heaven-Defying Three Swords created by the Sword Immortal!

Unexpectedly, after advancing to Grandmaster, the Body-Breaking Invisible Sword Qi triggered realization and advanced again.

"The First Layer of the Grandmaster Realm is now perfected..."

Subsequently, realizing that his cultivation, propelled by the Four Divine Fruits, had reached perfection in the First Layer, the wall of the Second Layer of the Grandmaster Realm was right before him.

After pondering for a moment, Lu Ye estimated that with the remaining energy and the addition of a few Source Crystals, he should be able to support the breakthrough, directly choosing to challenge the Second Layer Realm!

After a long while, a sound akin to a barrier shattering seemed to echo through his meridians.

Lu Ye's Qi Sea Dantian expanded considerably, allowing it to hold more Grandmaster's Source Qi.

"Grandmaster Second Layer..."

Though not as thrilling as breaking through from Innate Ninth Layer to Martial Arts Grandmaster,

the Second Layer of the Grandmaster Realm still indeed increased his combat power significantly.

Lu Ye estimated that now, even with the lowest tier Chaotic Cloak Sword Technique, a casual swing could slay that Half-Step Grandmaster Flood Dragon.

When strength reaches a certain level, sheer force... can overcome all techniques!

"Stay here to stabilize the realm, and in a few days, return to Cloud Leaf City..."

After contemplating for a moment, Lu Ye conducted a short closed-door cultivation in this unnamed mountain cave, digesting the cultivation resources he acquired.

...

Cloud Leaf City.

Jiang Qingge emerged from a Jiang Family store that specialized in selling low-tier weapons, right next to the shop managed by Tian Qing.

Seeing the Eldest Miss Jiang passing by the entrance, Tian Qing was slightly startled and quickly greeted her with a hearty smile: "Miss Jiang, inspecting the shops again?"

In the past, Tian Qing, being in the Innate Realm and on par with the Jiang Family Ancestor.

Would consider it a courtesy to merely nod and greet a junior like Jiang Qingge, let alone being so enthusiastic.

However... Jiang Qingge's other identity actually makes her half a master to Tian Qing.

Young Master Lu, a dragon hidden in the abyss... his true wedded wife!

Tian Qing knew that, with someone like Young Master Lu, it was very possible he would have more than one close confidante in the future.

From what Tian Qing knew, Chen Lingxiang from the Chen Family also had a very good relationship with Lu Ye.

But the elegant and refined Jiang Family Eldest Miss before him... regardless of anyone else's acquaintance with Lu Ye, Jiang Qingge is always the one with the first marriage certificate in hand.

Tian Qing thought to himself... this prime position, Miss Qingge is likely to hold onto it firmly.

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