On a cliff at the Iron Sword Sect, shrouded in clouds and mist.
Han Tie sat cross-legged, holding a Jade Scroll Simple and reading it carefully. He didn’t have Zhang Bin’s photographic mory, so he had to read slowly and digest every detail. Besides, advancing to the Golden Core Realm was neither easy nor simple. The thod was intricate and involved many aspects, especially the ntal precautions, which were a real headache.
"Hahaha! I’ve finally grasped the secret technique for cultivating to the Golden Core Realm! So that’s how it is, so many subtleties and precautions. The Three Purities Secret Technique is far superior to our Iron Sword Sect’s cultivation techniques—so much more comprehensive and complete. No wonder no one from our sect has reached the Golden Core Realm in all these years," Han Tie finally withdrew his spiritual power, letting out a laugh of excitent and pride. "Once I reach the Peak of the Liquid Phase, breaking through to the Golden Core Realm will be no trouble at all. I will be the first genius in the Iron Sword Sect to reach the Golden Core Realm. My trip to Sanchahe Village was the most brilliant move of my life."
Thinking back on his proud achievents from two months ago, he was especially pleased and excited.
First, he had acceded to the request of the outcast Turen Xiong and sent Gu Yang to deal with Zhang Bin. He had already calculated that the Special Action Team would intervene and that Gu Yang would be unable to succeed. So, he disguised himself as a middle-aged man and stealthily followed. The initial plan was to strike covertly, capture Zhang Bin to obtain his inheritance, and then kill him to ensure his silence.
No one would ever suspect him, Han Tie. After all, he had already dispatched a master like Gu Yang, who should have been perfectly capable of crushing Zhang Bin; there was no reason for Han Tie to act personally. Besides, if a disguise was needed, Gu Yang could have worn one and killed Zhang Bin just as silently.
However, he hadn’t expected Zhao Dawei to discover him hiding on the rooftop of Zhang Bin’s villa and even send a ssage to Master Tianlong for help. Seizing the opportunity, he struck decisively, seized his prize, and fled imdiately.
Sure enough, mbers of the Special Action Team ca to inquire later, but they had no evidence. He even had the gall to retort, "If that were really , would I have just stood by and watched my junior brother Gu Yang get his cultivation level crippled by Zhang Bin? If it were , why would I have sent Gu Yang in the first place? That would have been completely redundant!"
The Special Action Team couldn’t refute his argunt and was left helpless. And so, he remained at large, beyond the reach of the law.
The only thing that irked him was that Zhang Bin hadn’t died. And Qian Bing, the man he thought he’d killed, hadn’t died either.
"Once the heat dies down, I’ll make another trip to Sanchahe Village. I’ll cut off Zhang Bin’s head, chop it into pieces, and burn it to ashes. I refuse to believe he can co back from that," Han Tie’s face twisted into a vicious smile. "Even if people suspect later on, by that ti I will have already reached the Golden Core Realm. I’ll be invincible, unafraid of even Master Tianlong himself. Who would dare confront ? Even the nation will have to rely on ."
He was well aware that since Zhang Bin had survived, the boy might connect the attack to him and would surely seek revenge in the future. Zhang Bin, so young and yet having already opened nineteen ridians, was a peerless genius who would surely reach the Golden Core Realm as well. Han Tie couldn’t allow such a potential enemy to grow stronger; he was determined to kill him.
His greatest regret was not beheading Zhang Bin when he had the chance. He had been too worried that Master Tianlong would arrive, leaving him with no chance of escape. That was why he made such a mistake.
But was it really a mistake? He had already severed Zhang Bin’s hands and feet and cut his throat and trachea. Logically, Zhang Bin should have been dead without a doubt. Yet, with so miraculous dical skill, he had co back to life.
"Now that I have cultivated to the Liquid Transformation Late Stage," Han Tie murmured, "once I refine the True Essence Pill, I will soon achieve the Great Perfection of the Liquid Phase. With just one more special elixir to concoct, I should be able to break through to the Golden Core Realm quickly."
He had obtained the Jade Scroll Simple and, naturally, the pill recipes recorded within it, which were far superior to those of his Iron Sword Sect.
His eyes blazed with eagerness as he gazed at a herb garden near the cliff’s edge. The Iron Sword Sect, with nearly a thousand years of history, had always cultivated Spiritual dicine. Thus, the garden contained Ginseng, Lingzhi, Polygonum Multiflorum, and many other precious herbs. Although none were five hundred years old, several were over four hundred. Carefully nurtured, their dicinal power was not far from that of a five-hundred-year-old specin.
"In another year, I should be able to start alchemy," Han Tie mumbled. "Should I wait a year, reach the Golden Core Realm, and then kill Zhang Bin? Or should I go kill him in a few days? This truly is a difficult choice. However, Zhang Bin, one way or another, you have at most one year to live."
Suddenly, the sound of a helicopter sliced through the sky.
An icy chill spread across Han Tie’s face, his eyes shimring with a murderous glare as he stared at the approaching aircraft. Once he saw it clearly, he sneered, "The Special Action Team is here again? Do they really think they can find evidence? What a bunch of idiots."
He casually hid the Jade Scroll Simple within a specially made cavity in the cliffside rocks, then, with a cold smirk, made his way down to the spacious training ground.
Many disciples of the Iron Sword Sect also surged out, glaring with killing intent at the approaching helicopter. They felt no warmth toward the Special Action Team, for the team had captured their sect elder, Gu Yang, and had yet to release him. Furthermore, the Special Action Team had visited multiple tis on suspicion that Sect Leader Han Tie had gone to Sanchahe Village to murder and steal treasure. How could their upstanding Sect Leader Han Tie do such a thing? He had rely gone out to gather herbs to concoct a precious elixir. The suspicions of the Special Action Team were utterly baseless—outright slander.
The helicopter finally descended steadily onto the training ground.
The door slamd open.
Five figures leaped agilely from the aircraft.
Han Tie’s pupils instantly contracted, his frosty gaze locking onto Luo Chengliang as a hint of wariness surfaced on his face. This was because Luo Chengliang had also cultivated to the Liquid Transformation Late Stage, matching his own realm. This ti, it seed the Special Action Team was serious, sending such a formidable expert.
However, this is the Iron Sword Sect’s domain. Here, a dragon must coil and a tiger must lie down. Not unless Master Tianlong himself cos. Han Tie sneered inwardly, but his face blood into a sincere smile as he strode forward. "Brother Luo, Xiao Zhao, what brings you here?"
He paid no mind to Zhang Kai, the disguise Zhang Bin was wearing, not even sparing him a glance. After all, he posed no threat. As a Liquid Transformation Late Stage expert, a cultivator in the Qi Sea Realm was like a little lamb to him, easily crushed with a flick of his hand.
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