"Want the antidote?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"If you want it, bring sothing in exchange."
"Of course, of course! Any amount of money is fine!"
"Fools! Do you think I'm short on cash?"
"This..."
After so back-and-forth, they finally understood. The shakedown Lin Tang was planning was for the priceless treasures in their collection rooms, items that were nearly impossible to buy even with money.
"Alright, no problem! But please, give us the antidote first, then we'll take you there!" Jiao Zhengjin could only compromise as he felt his stomach churn violently again.
Lin Tang, however, stated that he only needed the location of the collection rooms. He would go there alone. Once he had the treasures, he would return and give them the antidote.
Hearing this, the n started wailing again. Only after begging repeatedly with snot and tears did they persuade Lin Tang to make an exception and give them a temporary antidote that would prevent any bathroom ergencies for a few hours.
Afterward, Lin Tang got the address and t up with Lee Encai. Without a mont's rest, they set off again.
He sprinted for hundreds of kiloters in a single breath, crossing high mountains and vast lakes. The feat left Lee Encai utterly stunned.
"You're insanely powerful! Is it too late for to start learning martial arts now?"
"It's not too late. I can teach you later!"
Cultivation required a specific constitution; without it, that path was almost completely barred. But with martial arts, as long as one could persevere, anyone had a chance to start. Although Lin Tang didn't currently know any martial arts, he was confident he could master any secret manual he was given in short order.
Jiao Zhengjin and his n hadn't dared to deceive Lin Tang, so upon arrival, he easily found the collection room. The guards here were naturally no match for him, and he blasted the encrypted door lock to smithereens.
As soon as he stepped inside, he saw Zhao Xinghe, the chief officer of the Star Evil Group, sitting cross-legged and circulating his energy.
Ever since breaking out with serious injuries, Zhao Xinghe had rushed back here by car. He first had his n remove the bullet, then stop the bleeding and bandage his wounds. Next, he tried various antidote pills, but they proved completely useless. Left with no other choice, he could only circulate his vital energy to see if he could forcibly expel the poison.
"Who are you?" Zhao Xinghe's eyes snapped open at the sound. Ignoring the sweat drenching his face, he prepared to strike.
"Get lost!" Lin Tang waved a single hand, conjuring a powerful whirlwind that sent Zhao Xinghe tumbling to the side from several ters away.
Zhao Xinghe was horrified. He never imagined this person could be so overwhelmingly powerful. Forget being seriously injured and poisoned—even at his peak, he wouldn't be a match for a single one of this man's fingers.
"S-Senior..." Zhao Xinghe stamred, trembling like a quail, not daring to move an inch. He could only watch helplessly as the intruder ransacked the room like a robber, going through piles of treasures and packing away the most valuable items.
This naturally included the Earth Spirit Ginseng. With this, he had acquired three of the five materials needed for the Five Spirit Pill. Only the Water Spirit Crystal and the Gold Spirit Marrow remained. Unfortunately, he didn't find any spiritual materials suitable for refining a flying sword, which was a small regret.
Lin Tang shouldered the bag and finally glanced at Zhao Xinghe. "You've been poisoned by a Seven-Star Begonia. You can't force it out like this. You might as well get your affairs in order."
"Ah? Senior, since you know the poison's na, you must have a cure, right? Please, I'm begging you, save !" Zhao Xinghe's scalp went numb. He wasn't ready to die! He imdiately dropped to his knees and kowtowed frantically, his head bobbing like he was pounding garlic.
"Why should I save you? What can you offer ?" Lin Tang asked playfully.
"This..." Zhao Xinghe choked. The man had already taken all the most precious items from the collection room. He doubted anything left would catch his eye.
"I'm leaving." Lin Tang started to walk away.
"Don't go!" Zhao Xinghe cried out in desperation. "I can pledge myself to you as your subordinate! The entire Star Evil Group will follow your lead!"
Lin Tang didn't stop.
Seeing this, Zhao Xinghe no longer hesitated and blurted out, "I will offer you a Heaven-rank martial arts secret manual! Senior, you must be a Grandmaster, right? Don't you wish to witness a Heavenly King in your lifeti? Only by practicing a Heaven-rank secret manual does one have the chance to touch the threshold of the Heavenly King realm..."
"Hmm?" Lin Tang's eyebrows shot up. I was just teasing this bastard. He deserved to die from the poison for daring to sneak into Villa No. 1 to steal my things. I never actually planned on saving him. But to think this guy has such an incredible item? A Heaven-rank manual? The threshold of the Heavenly King realm? That sounds impressive.
"You're rely in the Innate Realm. How could you possess sothing so valuable?" Lin Tang questioned.
Zhao Xinghe replied bitterly, "To be honest, I am from the main branch of the reclusive Zhao Family. But when I was ten years old..."
According to his story, his branch of the family had been annihilated by the third branch—led by his own paternal uncle. He was the only one to miraculously escape, and he had managed to take with him the Zhao Family's most essential martial arts manual—the *Heart Monkey Nine Calming Techniques*.
"As long as you cure my poison, Senior, I will present it to you. Of course, you must also swear an oath not to kill for my secret after I've given it to you." Zhao Xinghe looked at Lin Tang with pleading eyes.
Lin Tang stroked his chin, genuinely interested. "How do I know you'll actually give it to after I save you?"
Zhao Xinghe hurriedly replied, "You're a Grandmaster! To you, I'm no different than an ant. If I don't honor my promise, you could kill again with ease."
"True," Lin Tang nodded. "Alright, I'll cure you now!"
Although the Seven-Star Begonia poison was potent, Zhao Xinghe had only been afflicted by a small amount. Combined with Lin Tang's superb dical skills, he neutralized it with a few simple maneuvers.
Zhao Xinghe collapsed to the floor, completely drained, the relief of surviving a disaster washing over his face. He was truly reluctant to part with his family's Cultivation Technique, but he knew at this point he had no other choice. So, after Lin Tang swore his oath, Zhao Xinghe led him to a seemingly ordinary study. He pulled dozens of books from a shelf and carefully extracted single pages from various locations within them. Finally, he assembled the pages into a thin, new book and presented it to Lin Tang.
As Lin Tang flipped through it, he asked, "Are you sure nothing is missing or altered?"
"Of course not. Why would I dig my own grave?" Zhao Xinghe's heart was bleeding. His hatred for Lin Tang grew even deeper. If he hadn't set a trap to poison , I would never have been forced to reveal this manual! He hadn't the faintest clue that the senior who had just introduced himself as Long Tianji was Lin Tang himself. If he knew, he probably would have coughed up three liters of blood from sheer rage.
"Is that so?" Lin Tang closed the manual and gave him a strange, sudden smile.
"Not good!" Zhao Xinghe's eyelids twitched violently. Before he could react, Lin Tang's palm shot toward his forehead.
"You swore an oath..." Zhao Xinghe's pupils shrank as he watched the lines on Lin Tang's palm grow larger and larger. He thought he was dead for sure.
But Lin Tang was only feinting. He grabbed Zhao Xinghe's head and pulled it close. "Look into my eyes!"
Already terrified out of his wits and on the verge of a ntal breakdown, Zhao Xinghe subconsciously obeyed. As their eyes t, he felt an invisible hand reach into his skull and stir his mind violently. He lost consciousness before he could even let out a whimper. Just like Zhu Yingning before him, he had been forcefully hypnotized by Lin Tang.
The manual is genuine, with nothing missing or altered, but it's missing the Heart Monkey Visualization Diagram? And the only copy is hidden in the Zhao Family's secret vault? It can't be replicated? Interesting.
After a round of interrogation, Lin Tang's eyes glead. Only by using the visualization diagram could one cultivate their formless spiritual will into a tangible ripple, also known as an "Aura." Possessing a tangible Aura was the standard for entering the Heavenly King realm. Without the diagram, one could at best train to the peak of the Grandmaster realm. Moreover, only the original diagram was effective; copies were completely useless.
An Aura... it sounds remarkably similar to the Divine Sense one condenses after breaking through to the Golden Core Stage in cultivation! This thought flashed through Lin Tang's mind.
As a novice in the ways of martial arts, he asked so more basic questions, such as why Zhao Xinghe was still only in the Innate Realm despite possessing such a manual. Even under hypnosis and compelled to answer everything, Zhao Xinghe visibly stalled for a second before saying faintly, "How could a genius like you ever understand the suffering of a diocre person like ?"
Just having a manual didn't guarantee one could master it. In fact, the more advanced the manual, the harder it was to learn. Manuals were generally categorized into Heaven, Earth, and Human ranks. Human-rank manuals were the most common and the easiest to learn, but at their peak, one could only reach the Master realm. Earth-rank manuals corresponded to the Grandmaster realm, and Heaven-rank manuals corresponded to the Heavenly King realm.
Of course, since all manuals were created by human predecessors, nothing was absolute. It wasn't unheard of for a super-genius to start with a Human-rank manual and, through accumulation and enlightennt, create their own Earth-rank technique to break through. A monstrous genius might even create their own Heaven-rank manual and forcefully step into the Heavenly King realm.
When Lin Tang asked about the Martial Saint realm above that of the Heavenly Kings, Zhao Xinghe ca up blank. In its thousand-year history, the Zhao Family had never produced a single Martial Saint.
***
"Ah, I'm dead! Wait, I'm not dead?" When Zhao Xinghe jolted awake and realized his heart was still beating, he was ecstatic. He then rubbed his throbbing head. "What happened? What did Senior Long do to ?"
He couldn't rember a thing. He looked around but found no trace of Lin Tang. Then, he spotted a letter and a freshly made token. One side of the token was engraved with the character for "Dragon," while the other was carved with the pattern of a talisman. It had no magical properties but served as an excellent anti-counterfeiting asure.
In the letter, Lin Tang ordered him to stop the Star Evil Group from committing evil acts and to continue collecting more treasures. In the future, if soone arrived with an identical "Dragon King Order," he was to hand over the treasures and obey their commands. If he dared to disobey, he would face the consequences.
Damn it! He's really treating like a servant! Even servants get paid, but he isn't giving any benefits... Zhao Xinghe cursed inwardly but didn't dare to disobey. Even though Lin Tang had sworn not to kill him, he could still make his life a living hell.
「Elsewhere」
Lin Tang was already on his way back to Jiangbei, carrying Lee Encai on his back. Dawn was breaking, and the sky was growing light.
The phantom slaves who had been scouring the city for Lin Tang suddenly all turned their heads in unison, watching as he strolled nonchalantly past them...
"Stop right there!"
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