Mo Bufan's expression shifted before he finally let out a cold snort.
Suspicious and calculating by nature, seeing Gu Yang's shameless and rascally behavior actually made him doubt whether his own perception was wrong.
This cold sneer went unnoticed on the noisy first floor of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
Shrinking his neck, Gu Yang looked exactly like a destitute bottom-feeder who had stumbled into dumb luck and was terrified of being robbed. Clutching the rusty black iron box tightly to his chest, he slipped past Mo Bufan as if his feet were oiled, instantly disappearing into the crowded stream of people in the market.
Mo Bufan stood in place. His original gentle, jade-like smile gradually faded, replaced by an extreme sense of rationality and scrutiny.
He asked in a deep voice within his sea of consciousness, "Demon Venerable, how is it? Is there a trick to that box?"
The remnant soul of the ancient demon realm titan remained silent for a moment before a suspicious voice sounded, "How strange... Just now, from a distance, this Venerable indeed detected an extremely obscure fluctuation. It seemed to be the aura of a 'Biluo Stone'."
"But when that brat got close, that aura vanished without a trace. Even that iron box truly looked like a piece of ordinary iron. Could it be... did this Venerable really sense it wrong? After all, this old man is but a remnant soul now."
Mo Bufan's brows furrowed tightly. Looking in the direction where Gu Yang vanished, he finally snorted coldly, "Forget it. A stray dog at the fifth level of Qi Condensation wouldn't be able to protect a great treasure even if he had one. The most urgent matter is to go to the second floor and retrieve that 'Blood God Grass'. There's no need to waste time on a madman."
...
Half a quarter of an hour later.
Gu Yang twisted and turned through the alleys of the market. Only when he was certain no one was following him did he slip into an abandoned civilian house.
His fingertips trembled slightly as he shot a faint stream of spiritual energy into the crevice of the black iron box.
"Click."
The rust-mottled iron casing peeled away, revealing a token inside that emitted a faint azure light. The front of the token was engraved with the two characters "Biluo," while the back featured complex star patterns, exuding a sense of desolation that seemed to span through the ages.
[Ding, successfully intercepted a purple fortuitous encounter—Biluo Token.]
[Reward obtained: 50 Destiny Points.]
[Host's current Destiny Points: 210.]
Almost at the exact moment the token was revealed, Mo Bufan, who was far away on the second floor of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, had a drastic change in expression!
"The aura of the 'Biluo Stone' has appeared again, and it's even stronger!"
In his sea of consciousness, the Demon Venerable's voice carried a hint of chagrin. "The Biluo Stone must be in the hands of that person from earlier. He definitely has some secret technique to conceal treasures; he even fooled me!"
"What?!"
The gentle aura surrounding Mo Bufan instantly exploded.
No longer caring about maintaining his composure, his figure turned into a blur as he crashed through the doors of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
To think he dared to snatch away my fortuitous encounter right in front of my face!
Today, even if I have to turn this entire market upside down, I will drag out that scar-faced man who took the iron box!
In a place where no one could see.
Mo Bufan's face turned somewhat ferocious. The frustration of being a master strategist played for a fool by a mere ant nearly drove him into a frenzy.
However, the streets were bustling with crowds. Where was there any sign of that sallow-faced rogue cultivator?
...
Meanwhile, the instigator, Gu Yang, had already altered his appearance again using the Withered Wood Breath Concealment Art. He was walking back to Cold Moon Peak with a calm and composed demeanor.
The Biluo Token in his embrace had been stored in his holding bag, its aura once again concealed.
"Mo Bufan, I, Gu, will gladly accept this gift."
...
Cold Moon Peak, in front of the cave dwelling.
Withered yellow leaves had piled up thickly on the stone steps. After being soaked by last night's rain, they emitted a rotting dampness.
"Martial Uncle Gu, the two-day deadline has arrived."
That familiar Disciplinary Hall disciple once again stood before the cave dwelling.
He pinched a black "Restriction Breaking Token" in his hand, his face bearing a business-like indifference, and even a hint of impatience.
"If Martial Uncle is physically indisposed, then this Martial Nephew will have to act on your behalf and help Martial Uncle pack your bags."
As he spoke, spiritual energy surged in his palm, preparing to forcibly break open the cave dwelling's door.
In his eyes, what kind of waves could a cripple with shattered meridians and a depleted origin make in two days? He was just shamelessly refusing to leave.
However, at the exact moment his hand was about to touch the stone door.
"Boom—!"
The heavy stone door opened inward without any warning.
An extremely scorching wave of air, like floodwaters bursting from a dam, roared out from the dark cave dwelling, carrying an unparalleled, domineering coercion!
"What?!"
The Disciplinary Hall disciple's expression changed drastically. He felt as if what rushed at his face was not wind, but a red-hot iron wall.
He had absolutely no time to react before his entire body was violently sent flying by the air wave. The soles of his feet plowed two deep grooves into the slick bluestone slabs until he crashed into an ancient pine tree, coming to a miserable halt.
"Cough, cough..."
He raised his head in absolute horror.
He saw a slender figure standing at the entrance of the cave dwelling with his hands behind his back.
Gu Yang was wearing a dusty gray handyman disciple uniform, yet he wore it with a profound and towering presence that made others afraid to look him in the eye.
His complexion was ruddy, and a faint golden light flowed as his eyes opened and closed. Where was there even a trace of the terminally ill, deathly aura from two days ago?
"What did Martial Nephew just say you were going to help me pack?"
Gu Yang's voice was very light, yet it carried a scalding sense of oppression like flowing magma.
Perfected Qi Condensation!
And it wasn't an ordinary Perfected Qi Condensation; the density of that spiritual energy was even more terrifying than that of an ordinary cultivator who had just reached Foundation Establishment!
"This... how is this possible?!"
The Disciplinary Hall disciple's pupils trembled as if he had seen a ghost.
His origin was clearly shattered, and his meridians were completely severed. How could it be that after only two days, not only was he fully healed, but his cultivation had advanced even further?
"A misunderstanding! Martial Uncle Gu, this is a misunderstanding!"
The Disciplinary Hall disciple instantly changed his tune, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.
In the cultivation world, strength was reason.
As long as Gu Yang's cultivation was still there, he was a true inheritance disciple. How could a lowly Disciplinary Hall disciple like him afford to offend him?
"My cultivation went slightly awry a few days ago, and I suffered some minor injuries. It seems I've caused the Disciplinary Hall to worry."
Gu Yang stepped out of the shadows. The sunlight spilled over him, yet it could not pierce the profundity hidden in the depths of his eyes.
He patted the disciple's shoulder, a sliver of scalding "Golden Crow Spiritual Energy" flickering in his palm.
Sizzle—
The fabric on the disciple's shoulder instantly turned charred black. He grimaced in pain, but he didn't even dare to move a muscle.
In the cultivation world, rules were made for the weak.
The strong were the rules.
Since Gu Yang had recovered his strength, the previous demotion order was nothing but a piece of scrap paper.
"Go back and tell Hall Master Li that I, Gu, am living very comfortably in my cave dwelling, and there is no need for him to worry."
"Yes, yes, yes! This Martial Nephew will scram right now, scram right now!"
The Disciplinary Hall disciple acted as if granted a grand pardon, scrambling and crawling away from Cold Moon Peak, not even daring to pick up the "Restriction Breaking Token" that had fallen to the ground.
Watching that panicked retreating back, the smile at the corners of Gu Yang's mouth slowly faded.
He turned around, returned to his cave dwelling, and reactivated the restrictions.
Sitting cross-legged on the stone bed, Gu Yang felt the spiritual energy surging like a mighty river within his body.
The Desolate Ancient Extreme Yang Physique was peerlessly overbearing. Just a preliminary awakening had granted him combat prowess far surpassing others of the same realm.
But it was still not enough.
Facing a Golden Core old monster like Zhao Wuji, his current self was still nothing more than a slightly larger ant.
If he wanted to avenge his master and uncover the truth behind his poisoning, he needed to become stronger!
He absolutely had to reach Foundation Establishment.
Furthermore, it had to be—Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment!
...
Midnight had arrived.
The void before Gu Yang rippled slightly, and the familiar ethereal blue screen of light materialized once more.
[Daily Intelligence System is refreshing...]
[Ding! Detected that the host possesses sufficient Destiny Points. Do you wish to spend 100 Destiny Points to upgrade the system to Lv2?]

and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”

ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!

ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!