Chapter 71: Shaking Tianyang Peak! Summoned by the Peak Master!

"It seems I have to find that lowly maid when I have time..."

Feeling the increasingly dry and hot Qi within his body, Jiang Ye forcefully suppressed the churning thoughts in his mind.

He turned and returned to the wooden house, scooped up a basin of cool water, wanting to use the coolness to pour over the agitation in his heart.

The clear water splashed on his face, sliding down his neck, bringing a moment of coolness.

But when he lifted his head, his gaze inadvertently swept across that blurry bronze mirror.

His whole person was stunned.

That face in the mirror still looked aged.

But at the roots of that graying hair, strands of pitch-black were quietly emerging, like withered wood meeting spring, stubbornly sprouting new buds in the white desert.

"I've become younger?!"

A joy that was hard to suppress suddenly burst forth from Jiang Ye's aged eyes.

He leaned close to the bronze mirror, staring fixedly at those newly born black hairs, as if to confirm this wasn't an illusion.

At this moment, he suddenly remembered a sentence Liu Qingshi once said—

The martial path, once it reaches a certain level, is no longer just a killing technique, but a life-saving method.

Jiang Ye, who had stepped into the Embracing the Pill Realm, undoubtedly confirmed this point.

"Hahahahaha!!!"

Jiang Ye couldn't help but laugh out loud.

That laughter echoed in the small wooden house, startling a few birds resting outside.

He didn't rush to come out of seclusion, but continued to settle.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, another seven days passed.

At night, inside the Tiankui Herb Garden.

The moonlight was like water, spilling onto that blood-red herb field.

A figure with a spine as straight as a javelin stood quietly in the center of the open space, the aura around him carrying a scorching heat like a blazing sun.

It was none other than Jiang Ye.

He threw a punch abruptly!

On the fist, a layer of red-gold true qi suddenly emerged.

That true qi was condensed like substance, shining with scorching light in the moonlight, like a ball of flame compressed to the limit.

Boom—!!!

Twenty meters away, a large tree as thick as a bowl exploded in response.

The moment the trunk shattered, a strange flame burst out from within, instantly igniting those fragments and turning them into a raging ball of fire.

Immediately after, he curled his five fingers, and a curved blade shining with cold light appeared in his hand.

With a backhand, he slashed out fiercely!

Swish—!!!

A red-gold Blood Moon blade light tore through the night sky.

That blade light was stunningly beautiful, carrying a scorching heat that burned everything, sweeping out.

Twenty meters away, more than a dozen large trees in different positions were actually cut in half at the waist at the same time.

The cross-sections were as smooth as mirrors, yet faintly had charred traces; that was caused by the fire qi remaining on the blade edge.

The trunks fell to the ground with a crash, raising dust all over the sky.

This small forest outside the herb garden was like being wiped out by some divine power, leaving only a mess of broken wood and charred marks.

Jiang Ye stood with his blade, looked at the scene before him, and finally nodded with satisfaction.

After seven days of practice, his strength had reached another level.

Host: Jiang Ye

Lifespan: 70/150

Strength: Embracing the Pill Realm (Early Stage)

Fate: Ladder to Divinity 【Effect 1: Superb Comprehension!】

Qi-Nurturing Method Mastered: Great Sun Heavenly Flame Qi-Nurturing Method (Entry, 328/1000)

Martial Arts Mastered: Five Animals Fist (Perfected), Blood Moon Blade (Major Success, 3688/5000), Jin Gang Body-Refining Technique (Entry, 896/1000)

Intent Mastered: Tiger Walk Like Sickness, Spirit Ape Thousand Changes, Startled Deer No Trace, Riding the Wind Soaring Sky

The realm had been thoroughly stabilized, and the application of true qi had become increasingly proficient.

The Blood Moon Blade had reached Major Success, not far from Perfected, and under the blessing of true qi, every strike had unfathomable power.

The Jin Gang Body-Refining Technique was also close to Minor Success; at this moment, his physical strength far exceeded solid stone, approaching Copper Clothing.

Every morning, Jiang Ye's pants would even be torn open, which was truly exaggerated.

"It's a pity that the Snow Yang Grass and Green Water Luo have all been used up..."

Jiang Ye sighed inwardly.

Originally, he thought those herbs could support him in practicing the "Jin Gang Body-Refining Technique" to Minor Success.

As a result, his speed of absorbing secret medicine was faster than he imagined.

Only half a month had passed, and the herbs were already exhausted.

"Need to find a way to get more herbs."

Just as Jiang Ye was pondering in his heart.

In the soil not far away, a fire centipede about a foot long quietly poked its head out, looking around vigilantly.

"Let's use it to test my current physical strength."

A hint of playfulness flashed in Jiang Ye's eyes, and he stomped his feet abruptly.

Bang.

A dull sound came from underground.

That fire centipede that had just poked its head out was actually shaken out by a clever force, flying into mid-air.

Chirp!

The fire centipede emitted a terrified and angry scream, its long, thin body twisting crazily in the air.

Before it could react, two withered and thin fingers had already clamped it steadily.

It struggled violently, instinctively opening those ferocious mandibles, biting hard on Jiang Ye's finger.

As a result, a soft "clang" sound.

The fire centipede was stunned, a hint of human-like confusion flowing in its pitch-black compound eyes.

Why couldn't it bite through.

"It seems this kind of ordinary poison can no longer hurt me."

Jiang Ye nodded inwardly.

His intention shifted, and a wisp of red-gold true qi suddenly surged from between his fingers.

Sizzle...

That fire centipede didn't even have time to struggle before it was burned into a piece of charcoal in an instant, and a burnt, foul smell permeated the air.

At this time.

Hiss~~~

An excited hissing sound came from under his feet.

Jiang Ye looked down; it was Xiao Huo, which he had been raising in the herb garden.

This little guy clearly saw that scene just now and was excited, circling around his feet, its two pairs of mandibles opening and closing, eager to try, seemingly wanting to test if it could bite him too.

Jiang Ye looked at those two pairs of mandibles that were like sickles and waved his hand speechlessly: "Go away, go away."

This little guy's bite force far exceeded that of ordinary fire centipedes, and its fire poison was extremely violent.

He really didn't dare to test it.

If he were scratched by this little guy, he might have to amputate.

Hiss...

Xiao Huo was driven away, emitting a wronged hiss, but didn't dare to act presumptuously, and could only retreat back into the depths of the herb field.

"Time to rest."

Jiang Ye shook his head slightly and turned back into the wooden house.

The next day.

At noon.

Jiang Ye sat cross-legged on the open space in the center of the Tiankui Herb Garden, eyes slightly closed, breathing long and steady.

The scorching sun above his head spilled ten thousand zhang of light; he was in the midst of it, yet seemed to be integrated with that light, a red-gold halo faintly flowing around his body.

At this time.

A burst of footsteps came from not far away.

Jiang Ye opened his eyes, seemingly sensing something.

In those aged eyes, a wisp of golden light flowed, disappearing in a flash.

The person coming was that little fatty Lu Ming, his round figure walking along the herb garden path, clearly coming to find him for a chat.

Sure enough, Lu Ming saw Jiang Ye sitting cross-legged in the herb garden from afar, a smile piled up on his face, and he subconsciously greeted: "Jiang Zhishi, I haven't come to find you for a while..."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lu Ming's footsteps stopped abruptly.

The smile on his face froze instantly, as if he had been hit by a freezing spell.

Those small eyes widened, staring fixedly at Jiang Ye, full of disbelief.

"Jiang Zhishi... Jiang Zhishi..."

Lu Ming's voice began to tremble, his round cheeks shaking slightly: "You... you embraced the pill?!"

After getting closer, he could clearly feel that the aura around Jiang Ye was already carrying a scorching heat like a blazing sun.

This was clearly a characteristic of practicing fire-element true qi after successfully embracing the pill.

"Hmm, it can be considered a fluke."

Jiang Ye smiled faintly, that smile without a hint of arrogance, still the peace of the past.

"Flu... fluke..."

Lu Ming stood stunned in place for a good while, the expression on that round face extremely wonderful.

Shock, envy, awe, all kinds of emotions contained within.

The next moment, he rushed toward Jiang Ye, his round body actually bursting with agility inconsistent with his size.

Rushing to Jiang Ye, he didn't say a word, directly sliding to his knees with a "thump," his hands trembling as he fumbled on his body, taking out several banknotes, totaling ten thousand taels.

"I knew Old Jiang would be able to successfully embrace the pill! Old Jiang is truly a god-man!"

He held the banknotes with both hands, respectfully lifting them above his head, his voice full of excitement and fawning:

"Congratulations on stepping into the Embracing the Pill Realm! This is a little token of my heart, please you must accept it!"

Jiang Ye shook his head slightly, wanting to decline.

But Lu Ming's attitude was stubborn, kneeling on the ground and refusing to get up, having the posture of "if you don't accept, I won't get up."

Finally, he could only reach out and accept the banknotes, smiled and said: "Then thank you for your heart."

Seeing Jiang Ye accept the banknotes, Lu Ming beamed with joy, and a hint of ruddiness appeared on his round face.

Immediately after, this little fatty started flattering Jiang Ye non-stop, almost blowing Jiang Ye up to be a reincarnated celestial being.

"This old man really just broke through by fluke."

Seeing Lu Ming blowing it more and more outrageously, Jiang Ye could only stop him helplessly.

"By the way, Old Man Jiang."

After Lu Ming gave a hehe laugh, he asked cautiously, "Can I spread the news that you broke through to the Embracing the Pill Realm...?"

"No problem."

Jiang Ye nodded slightly.

After stepping into the Embracing the Pill Realm, he could be considered middle-to-high level in the Tianqing Sect, and could obtain better cultivation resources.

He didn't want to hide it either.

After getting Jiang Ye's approval, Lu Ming's round face became even more excited.

Afterward, the two chatted for a few more sentences; Lu Ming's demeanor was more respectful than usual, and his words carried a bit more caution.

Not long after, another burst of footsteps came.

A graceful figure walked along the path, it was Chen Lili.

She was wearing a light cyan dress today, her figure swaying as she walked, and the wide robe still couldn't hide the waves rising and falling in front of her chest.

"Haha, Junior Brother Lu, Old Man Jiang..."

Chen Lili was about to greet the two with a smile.

The next moment.

The smile on her face also froze abruptly.

Because she also felt the scorching aura like a blazing sun around Jiang Ye.

"Old Man Jiang... you embraced the pill?!"

Different from Lu Ming's trembling voice, Chen Lili directly let out a scream of disbelief.

That scream echoed over the herb garden, startling a few birds resting.

"Broke through by fluke."

Jiang Ye still had that faint smile.

Hearing this, the expression on Chen Lili's face was as shocked as Lu Ming's, but not as exaggerated as Lu Ming's, directly sliding to her knees beside Jiang Ye.

She ran to Jiang Ye's side in two or three steps, then fumbled on her body, taking out a few banknotes carrying a faint fragrance, totaling six thousand taels, and handed them to Jiang Ye respectfully, "Congratulations to Old Man Jiang for successfully embracing the pill, this is a little token of my heart."

With Lu Ming's example in front, Jiang Ye didn't stand on ceremony too much, smiled faintly, and accepted the banknotes, "Thank you for your heart, Miss Chen."

Seeing that the banknotes Chen Lili sent weren't as many as his, a hint of pride flashed on Lu Ming's face.

Seeing Jiang Ye accept the banknotes, Chen Lili also happily joined the chat.

But this girl who was usually carefree and would spout a few tiger-wolf words at every turn became cautious today.

She sat on the side, her voice softening when she spoke, and the gaze she looked at Jiang Ye with carried a bit more cautious respect.

Jiang Ye saw all this in his eyes and sighed inwardly.

He hadn't changed.

Lu Ming hadn't changed.

Chen Lili hadn't changed.

But with the improvement of his strength, the status between the three had ultimately changed quietly.

That kind of change was invisible and intangible, yet like a transparent wall, standing between them.

The chat between the three didn't last long.

Because both Lu Ming and Chen Lili were worried about disturbing Jiang Ye's cultivation.

About half a cup of tea's time later, the two stood up and bid farewell respectfully.

Watching the two's backs recede, a hint of obscure complexity flashed on Jiang Ye's aged face.

Another half a cup of tea's time passed.

"Jiang Zhishi, the Peak Master requests your presence!"

A voice came from not far away. ===== CHAPTER 72 =====