Chapter 259: King

In a special training base 120 miles outside the capital city of Tianyuan Federation.

This place was originally one of the sites Fu Qingtian used to conduct his Astral Technique experiments. From the layout and environment to the materials used, everything was top-tier.

The site had been repurposed for special training sessions for Ye Chengyuan, Bai Liying, Ying Zhen, White Emperor, Wan Yuexin, and others. The area had been specifically designated for their use.

At the moment, a Martial Saint with a sinister, cold presence was giving a lesson.

"To kill, you must not only understand yourself but also the structure of the human body. No matter how powerful a Martial Saint is, they can't escape the limitations of the mortal body. What is a mortal body? Even a child wielding a godly weapon could kill them! The human body, in essence, is fragile... But if we study its weak points and train accordingly, we can maximize the lethality of our attacks."

The Martial Saint's voice echoed through the area as Ye Chengyuan, Bai Liying, Ying Zhen, White Emperor, and Wan Yuexin listened attentively.

Though they didn't entirely agree with the instructor's words... they had no choice but to listen on. Half a month ago, they had faced him in a fight with nothing off-limits.

The result? All five of them lost.

It wasn't a simple loss either—it was an utter defeat. Ye Chengyuan and Wan Yuexin didn't even get a chance to see the instructor before being "killed."

As for the method... it was simple.

In Ye Chengyuan's case, the instructor used his authority to order him to dismantle a package that contained a powerful bomb.

Wan Yuexin, on the other hand, was poisoned while resting. A servant brought her tea and snacks which had been laced with toxins.

The others, too, fell into similar traps.

In such circumstances, despite their belief that they could defeat the instructor in a direct fight, they had no choice but to willingly accept his teachings.

Not far away, Wan Qingshan, the person in charge of the special training base, observed for a moment before leaving the scene. He headed toward a small attic situated next to an artificial lake a few hundred meters away.

Inside, Mo Wangqing, the overall head of the base, was conversing with a man. Although to be more precise, it was mostly the man speaking, with Mo Wangqing listening.

The man revealed, "This is the best drug formulation we've developed. It can greatly enhance the body's reaction time, reduce pain, and stimulate qi and blood circulation, boosting combat power by thirty percent. What's more, this drug can be integrated with a Martial Saint's secret art and qi and blood... The price, however, is that it consumes a significant amount of the Martial Saint's primordial qi.

"But we have a supplementary drug. If taken in time, it can halt the depletion of primordial qi. If, within a day, a Top-Tier Sorcerer with an in-depth understanding of the drug uses their psychic power for guidance and treatment, along with the aid of astral equipment and healing techniques, the person can recover fully."

Sorcerers was a common term for Astral Cultivators following the Beast-Taming path. They were a branch of Astral Cultivation focused on spiritual and sensory abilities. While their physical bodies weren't weak, they couldn't compare to regular Astral Cultivators.

However, psychic power, an ability that manifested when a Sorcerer reached the Top-Tier realm, allowed them to reflect on others' minds, uncovering all their secrets and guiding or controlling their behaviors.

It was similar to hypnosis, but much more thorough! In more mystical terms... it could be described as possession.

"Let a group of Sorcerers familiarize themselves with the drug's recovery method. Also, add it to the backup drug list for the King of the Century," Mo Wangqing instructed.

"Yes," The man complied. He quickly remembered something, adding, "The Golden Blood project has completed its third round of optimization. Now, Martial Saints who take Golden Blood won't die immediately. Depending on their physique, spirit, and willpower, they can maintain the Golden Body state for one to two minutes."

"What about the hidden risks? Still no solution? Will they die after taking it?" Mo Wangqing asked.

"This drug is meant for Martial Saints in desperate situations. Its power is maximized, so we never considered what happens after consumption...." The man gave a bitter smile. "Not taking it means certain death. At least if they do, they can drag someone down with them...."

Mo Wangqing dismissed him with a wave. "We'll see."

Seeing this, the man bowed and left the study.

Once he left, Wan Qingshan entered with a sigh. "The team from the Astral Equipment Research Department... has actually succeeded in refining the Golden Blood."

"Everyone has their area of expertise. What we do is assign the right tasks to the right people," Mo Wangqing said. He paused for a moment. "But the Golden Blood...."

"Master Mo, are you worried?"

Mo Wangqing's expression grew somber. "The correct term for Golden Blood should be 'Purgatory Stone.' It's a power that only a handful of lord-level ferocious beasts and demonic creatures can withstand. It often pushes them beyond their species' limits."

Humans generally categorized ferocious beasts and demonic creatures into six tiers. Ordinary, mid-tier, high-tier, top-tier, lord-level, and legendary. However, within large populations, mutations inevitably arose, creating what people called lord-level creatures, like the Giant Centipedes, the Yeti King among yetis, or the Beastfolk Chieftains.

Over a decade ago, a Martial Saint made a startling discovery. Some lord-level creatures could break through their species' limits even further after mutation. After years of research, it was confirmed ten years ago that this phenomenon wasn't a coincidence.

Due to unknown reasons, these already powerful, mutated lord-level creatures would absorb a unique power that made them even stronger and more terrifying. Because of their horrifying appearance after this transformation, resembling beasts that crawled out from the depths of purgatory, they became known as "Purgatory Creatures."

Three years ago, while hunting and intentionally tracking these transformed lord-level creatures, researchers discovered a unique crystal inside their bodies, distinct from Astral Crystals—the Purgatory Stone.

It was a unique substance that could trigger chaotic mutations in astral equipment, treasures, and even Astral Cultivators themselves. After mutating, these objects and beings would grow significantly stronger, but... the user's mind would become twisted.

In the past three years, continued study of the Purgatory Stone has yielded various applications. Golden Blood was one of them.

When Astral Cultivators, whose bodies contain powerful astral energy, consumed it, they would immediately transform into formidable monsters.

However, martial artists with far less astral energy within them could gain immense strength without undergoing monstrous transformations or losing their sanity and becoming bloodlust.

However, that didn't mean anything; the power of the Golden Blood was too much for martial artists to handle, and they would die shortly after consuming it.

"A new power always brings concerns, but if we don't innovate, the gap between us and the ferocious beasts and demonic creatures will only grow," Wan Qingshan remarked.

Mo Wangqing shook his head, unwilling to continue the topic. However, his mind still dwelled on whether to use the Golden Blood.

"Among the Martial Saints fighting for Tianyuan, aren't there twelve whose potential is exhausted and who are nearing death? Let each of them prepare a dose of Golden Blood. It's the perfect choice," Wan Qingshan suggested. "Besides, even if we don't use it, Great Shang, Solar Radiance, the Star Alliance, Royal Empire, and the East Sea's Thirty-Six Countries certainly will."

"Yes, if we don't use it, others definitely will. In that case, we would be putting our own law-abiding people at risk." Mo Wangqing agreed, finalizing the decision. He glanced at Wan Qingshan. "Now, what brings you here?"

"We've got a lead on Li Pin," Wan Qingshan replied.

Mo Wangqing was taken aback. "You found him!?"

He quickly urged, "What are you waiting for? Get someone to bring him to the training base immediately! At the very least, he needs to be brought back to Dragon Gate Hall. Does he not realize his current position? The King of the Century grand battle hasn't even begun, and he's already wandering around outside recklessly, putting himself in danger! This is pure foolishness!"

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Wan Qingshan bitterly smiled and revealed, "Earlier today, he appeared in Taibai Jiang Province and met up with Xiang Tianxing, the local Guardian Hall Warden. After that, he left Jiang Province City and vanished again.

"Li Pin has been moving through desolate wilderness areas, which are crawling with ferocious beasts and demonic creatures. While their levels are generally low, our technology can't monitor those places. He's a Supreme Martial Saint; as long as he avoids perilous regions, he'll be in little danger. But if he keeps avoiding the cities, contacting him will remain virtually impossible."

"What on earth is Li Pin thinking!?" Mo Wangqing muttered in frustration. "He's as stubborn as a mule!"

"Master Mo, are you eager to get Li Pin back because of the 'King' plan? You want to ensure that the figure we've promoted and touted as the 'King' can draw everyone's attention, right? Interestingly enough, what happened in Jiang Province could be spun into a perfect publicity angle."

Wan Qingshan didn't hold anything back and recounted, "Li Pin was ambushed by a group of people. We've more or less identified the attackers. They're connected to our neighbor across the sea, Great Shang."

Mo Wangqing narrowed his eyes slightly. "Great Shang."

Among the Six Extremities, the country with the most influence was undoubtedly Great Shang.

The Star Alliance, renowned for its technological prowess, was increasingly suppressed by the Astral Cultivation system, while the powerful Solar Radiance United Empire was too entangled with Bloodmoon Gorge to focus elsewhere. This left Great Shang as the most active power among the Six Extremities.

Their auction events and the promotion of their Astral Palace system only boosted their reputation.

If Tianyuan wasn't so distant from Great Shang, their influence would have reached even further.

"People from Great Shang attacked Li Pin? What happened?" Mo Wangqing asked.

"They initially tried to recruit Li Pin, but when negotiations fell through, they had no choice but to strike. As for the result..." Wan Qingshan continued. "There were seven of them, five Martial Saints and two grandmasters. Li Pin killed three of them on the spot. Among the dead were the Supreme Martial Saint Wang Hualong and two Extreme Martial Saints."