Translator: CinderTL
[Xu Sanyan]
[Age – 18/315]
[Realm – Foundation Establishment (Initial Stage)]
[Cultivation Method – Supreme Truth and Absolute Stillness Sutra (Mid Stage)]
[Mystical Arts – Blood Demon Corpse Refining Method (Not Started). Coffin of Life Technique (Not Started)]
[Techniques – Perfect Circle Stance (Peak Stage). Three Tigers Subduing Dragon Saber (Peak Stage). Horse Appraisal Technique (Peak Stage). Excavator Maintenance & Repair (Initial Stage)…]
[Vitality – 4]
It worked!
Xu Sanyan remembered that when he broke through to Foundation Establishment, his "Vitality" had dropped to zero. Now it had increased to four points, meaning that one spirit stone could increase it by about two points.
Spirit stones were more effective than precious medicines but slightly less effective than spirit herbs.
That was enough!
Spirit stones should be easier to obtain than spirit herbs. As long as he had enough spirit stones, his cultivation could advance by leaps and bounds!
Xu Sanyan carefully observed the panel. The biggest change since he broke through to Foundation Establishment was the lifespan section, which had increased from over 180 years to over 300 years, a gain of more than a century.
And he was only eighteen years old this year, with nearly three hundred years left to live.
The next step was to master those two mystical arts.
He needed to find time to return to Dafeng Town. The Blood Demon corpse he had buried there might have rotted by now.
And the Coffin of Life Technique also required him to prepare materials in advance.
Xu Sanyan carefully read through the mystical arts manual in his room, memorizing all the incantations in preparation for what was to come.
As the sky gradually darkened, the sound of the curfew gong echoed from the distant streets.
Xu Sanyan packed up his things and headed towards the prince's residence.
...
In the northwest corner of the prince's residence stood a warehouse, guarded by a patrol of about thirty soldiers.
Around the royal treasury, seven or eight hidden sentries were stationed, keeping a watchful eye on it from all angles, making the defenses extremely tight.
Xu Sanyan took in everything with a glance. In a flash, he appeared behind one of the sentries and lightly tapped the soldier's back with his finger, causing him to lose consciousness instantly.
In a matter of moments, all eight sentries were dealt with.
Since its construction, the royal treasury had never been breached, and the guards had long since let their guard down. Xu Sanyan moved like a ghost through the night, taking them all out before they could react.
A mere thirty or so Qi Refinement martial artists, with the strongest only at the Inner Qi Realm, were no match for him.
In the past, the prince's residence was guarded by Prince Rui himself, along with cultivators stationed there, so no one dared to risk provoking them. But now, Prince Rui was away on a campaign, and the stationed cultivators were nowhere to be found. With only this small force left, the prince's residence was far from secure.
Xu Sanyan stood before the royal treasury, looking at the shiny lock. With a flick of his sleeve, the iron lock split open, and the heavy door slowly creaked ajar.
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, a cold light shot towards Xu Sanyan's throat.
Behind the cold light, a figure followed, with gray and white hair fluttering in the wind and a pair of turbid eyes that seemed unusually bright.
Xu Sanyan paid it no mind. With two fingers, he caught the blade, twisted his wrist, and the sword shattered. With a backhanded slap, a violent surge of energy sent a wave of dust and sand towards the old man.
Boom—
The old man's expression changed, and he barely managed to dodge at the last moment, but the heavy door behind him couldn't escape. The iron door crashed to the ground with a loud thud.
"A cultivator..."
The old man stood to the side, still shaken, clutching the broken sword in his hand.
"Hehe, who are you?" Xu Sanyan asked.
He was familiar with most people in the Prince's residence, having at least seen them in passing, but this man was a complete stranger.
"With your level of cultivation, why stoop to thievery? If you were to serve under the Prince, I would personally recommend you. Gold, silver, jewels, beautiful wives—all within your grasp," the old man began to recruit Xu Sanyan instead.
"You don't recognize me?" Xu Sanyan asked, puzzled.
The old man was momentarily stunned, then realization dawned on him. "Could it be... you're the Prince's son-in-law?"
He had heard that the Prince had married his youngest daughter to a young martial artist of exceptional talent, but he hadn't expected that talent to be so extraordinary—reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm already?
"Correct."
Xu Sanyan nodded calmly, not bothering to deny it. After all, he had no intention of letting the old man live.
"Then why are you stealing the Prince's treasures?"
The old man was confused. The Royal Treasury was filled with mundane items. With Xu Sanyan's strength, he could simply ask the Prince for them and would likely not be refused.
Xu Sanyan shook his head. "Stealing? That's such an ugly word. This is robbery."
The old man was taken aback. Was he really so brazen?
Without further ado, Xu Sanyan bent his knees slightly and exploded into motion, like a meteor streaking through the night. In an instant, he was in front of the old man, his palm striking the old man's forehead with a sudden burst of force.
Thud!
The old man collapsed without a sound, falling into a deep slumber.
The old man had the strength of an Initial Stage Celestial Being Realm cultivator, which was not weak by any means, but it was still far inferior to Xu Sanyan's.
The gap between the Celestial Being Realm and the Foundation Establishment Realm might seem like just one level, but the difference was as vast as a chasm.
Xu Sanyan entered the Royal Treasury. Rows of neatly stacked gold and silver were placed to one side, while countless rare jewels were displayed on shelves. A mountain of copper coins was piled up in another corner.
At the very back was a stack of wooden boxes. Xu Sanyan's eyebrows raised as he caught the strong scent of medicinal herbs.
He opened the boxes one by one, revealing a collection of Precious medicines. A quick count showed there were at least fifty of them.
Xu Sanyan found a wooden chest, dumped out the silver inside, and carefully placed the Precious medicines from the boxes into it.
Halfway through filling the chest, Xu Sanyan was satisfied—fifty-one Precious medicines in total.
These medicines were beneficial to martial artists and were consumable items, so even the Prince's residence didn't have a large stockpile. Still, this amount was more than enough for him.
It was definitely worth the trip.
Xu Sanyan picked up the chest, his ears twitching as distant shouts reached him.
"A thief has broken in!"
"He's here!"
"Quick, call the city guards! Don't let the thief escape!"
...
Xu Sanyan remained calm. The commotion he had caused earlier must have alerted the Prince's guards. These were just ordinary martial artists, and he didn't see them as a threat. Still, he had no intention of engaging with them. Under the cover of night, he vanished into the darkness.
Back in his room, Xu Sanyan consumed the Precious medicines one by one. The "Vitality" on his panel reached fifty-five points.
Xu Sanyan frowned slightly. "Not enough?"
The plus sign behind his realm still hadn't appeared. It seemed that after reaching Foundation Establishment, the amount of Vitality required for further advancement had increased significantly.
Upon reflection, this made sense. After all, there was a clear divide between the mortal and immortal realms. Once you reached Foundation Establishment, you could no longer judge progress by previous standards.
Just then, the steward, Uncle Zhao, hurriedly ran to Xu Sanyan's room and knocked on the door. "Master, are you asleep?"
Xu Sanyan replied, "What is it?"
Uncle Zhao said softly, "The royal residence has been burglarized. I heard the Royal Treasury was stolen, and dozens of soldiers were killed. The Princess has sent someone to ask you to come and assist with the investigation."
"Alright."
Xu Sanyan didn't refuse, nor was he worried about them suspecting him.
After all, this infiltration plan was nearly flawless—everyone who had seen him was dead.
(End of the Chapter)
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