The Money Shop.
Wang Chong fiddled with his abacus, his mood foul.
News that Chen Han had defeated Chen Liang in a single move had reached his ears.
"Hmph, a piece of trash managed to beat Chen Liang?" Wang Chong sneered. In his eyes, Chen Han had already been written off as useless, with no chance of ever making a comeback in this lifetime. 'Why did I ever believe that little bastard's words back then? I should have driven his whole family out of Qingcheng Mountain.'
Just as he was thinking this, the main door of the Money Shop was kicked open.
A youth, covered in blood and dust, rushed in.
"How may I help you?" Wang Chong couldn't help but ask, sensing the youth's extraordinary presence.
SLAP!
Chen Han slapped silver notes worth ten thousand taels onto the table. "I'm here to redeem my family's residence and the Ruo Shui Golden Saber my father pawned to you!"
What?
Only after Chen Han finished speaking did Wang Chong realize that the youth before him was none other than Chen Han!
"Where did you get so much money?" Wang Chong asked, stunned.
"None of your damn business," Chen Han sneered. "I told you before: fortunes rise and fall, so never underestimate a young man for being poor. Here are ten thousand taels of silver, and I'll even pay you an extra two thousand in interest. Now cut the crap... and give me back the Ruo Shui Golden Saber!"
Wang Chong's expression changed again and again.
He stared at Chen Han, his heart filled with bitter unwillingness.
"Fine!"
After a moment's hesitation, Wang Chong finally nodded.
He handed over the deed to the house that Chen Tianzheng had pawned, and, of course, the Ruo Shui Golden Saber as well.
'The Ruo Shui Golden Saber!'
As Chen Han took the Golden Saber, his eyes lit up. It was truly a Weapon worthy of a Twelfth Layer Martial Disciple.
The cloud patterns on the blade were uniform, and its edge gleamed with a cold light, exuding an aura of calm composure.
He joyfully put the Ruo Shui Golden Saber away. As for that worn-out Hunting Saber, Chen Han had long since tossed it aside in the Cloud Heaven Forest.
Striding out of the Money Shop, Chen Han immediately headed for the largest medicinal herb shop in Qingcheng Mountain.
"Shopkeeper, how much for these Blood Ginsengs?" Chen Han asked.
"Centennial Blood Ginsengs are five hundred taels each, two-hundred-year-old ones are one thousand taels, and three-hundred-year-old Blood Ginsengs are five thousand taels!" the Shopkeeper said.
'So expensive?'
Chen Han's brow furrowed slightly.
Besides absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, Cultivators could also use precious medicinal herbs to supplement their training and accelerate their progress.
Chen Han wasn't just aiming to recover the strength he had three years ago.
His goal was the very Peak of the Martial Dao!
"Four Centennial Blood Ginsengs. Here's two thousand taels of silver." Chen Han gritted his teeth and handed over the silver notes.
With the Blood Ginsengs in hand, Chen Han returned home.
He planned to give the remaining silver to his parents. His family had fallen deep into debt over the past three years, and Chen Han hoped this money would relieve their pressing financial burden.
However, when a silver note for one thousand taels was placed in Chen Tianzheng's hands, he couldn't help but ask in astonishment, "Where did you get so much money?"
"Father, I spent the last few days training in the Cloud Heaven Forest and killed some beasts..." Chen Han recounted his experiences, but he omitted the part about encountering the Spirit Beast. After all, the meteor inheritance within him was a matter of great importance. It wasn't that Chen Han intentionally wanted to hide it, but rather that no one would believe him even if he told them.
Chen Tianzheng froze.
He hadn't expected that Chen Han's strength had truly returned.
"In that case, you should keep this money and buy some Blood Ginseng," said Chen Tianzheng.
"There's no need. I've already redeemed the house from Wang Chong, and the Ruo Shui Golden Saber is back with us," Chen Han said with a smile. "If we need more money, I can just go hunt more beasts in the Cloud Heaven Forest."
Chen Tianzheng couldn't persuade him, so he had to let the matter drop.
Back in his room, Chen Han took out the Centennial Blood Ginsengs and consumed them all on the spot.
He understood.
Martial Dao Cultivation required an enormous amount of precious resources. These four Blood Ginsengs were just the beginning.
After circulating his Cultivation Technique for a moment, Chen Han felt his Dantian grow hot as a warm current began to circulate within him.
The Nebula Map inside his body also began to spin rapidly, digesting the warm current.
Because he had just reached the Martial Disciple Second Layer, Chen Han's foundation was not yet stable. This was why he hadn't continued his training in the Cloud Heaven Forest. Only with a solid foundation could his Cultivation yield twice the results with half the effort.
「The next morning.」
Chen Han awoke from his Meditation.
He discovered that the Power inside him was surging like a galloping horse, fierce and unrelenting. With a slight twist of his body, a series of sharp cracks, like popping soybeans, echoed out.
"Martial Arts Second Layer!"
Chen Han slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.
In just four days, he had advanced another layer. No one would believe such a rate of progress if he told them.
'With my current strength, the Ruo Shui Golden Saber, and the Vast Sea Step, I'm already far ahead of anyone else at the same level. I might even stand a fighting chance against a Martial Disciple Third Layer opponent!'
Chen Han calmly assessed.
He slowly closed his eyes, recalling the scenes from his training in the Cloud Heaven Forest over the past four days.
The experience gained in a battle of life and death was often far greater than what could be obtained through ordinary practice.
If he could fully integrate this experience, Chen Han believed his combat abilities would rise to another level.
Thinking this, Chen Han headed to the Martial Arts Arena.
Finding a deserted corner, Chen Han began to practice his Saber Technique.
Each slash and posture didn't belong to any particular school, but every move was a life-or-death gamble. This was the conclusion Chen Han had reached in the Cloud Heaven Forest—a single strike must be fatal!
Gradually, Chen Han's swings grew faster and faster, the Ruo Shui Golden Saber in his hand blurring into an impenetrable wall of blades before him.
He was integrating the experience from his training at an unimaginable speed.
"You beast! You actually dare to show your face! I thought you'd hide like a coward for the rest of your life!"
In the Martial Arts Arena, a youth in green robes spotted Chen Han in the corner and couldn't help but roar in fury.
It was Chen Liang, the same young man Chen Han had defeated in a single move several days ago.
After his defeat, Chen Liang had carefully considered why he had lost to Chen Han. He concluded there were three main reasons:
First: Chen Han was too lucky.
Second: His own Celestial Wolf Transformation was not yet perfected.
Third: He had underestimated his enemy.
For the past few days, in order to wash away his shame, he had been diligently cultivating the Celestial Wolf Transformation and had successfully reached the Initial Stage.
He had been looking to get his revenge on Chen Han.
However, he hadn't expected that Chen Han had been in the Cloud Heaven Forest for the past few days and hadn't come to the Martial Arts Arena at all.
Now that they met, it was a classic case of enemies seeing red at the sight of each other.
He roared in anger and charged toward Chen Han.
"Celestial Wolf Transformation, Third Stance!"
Before he even got close, Chen Liang let out a sudden roar.
His hands transformed into wolf claws, tearing through the air with a sharp whistle as they shot toward Chen Han. The attack was filled with Chen Liang's boundless fury and the absolute resolve to annihilate Chen Han completely.
"A sneak attack!"
"Chen Liang is actually launching a sneak attack...!"
"It's over. Chen Han probably won't be as lucky this time."
The youths in the Martial Arts Arena couldn't help but cry out in alarm when they saw this.
The Celestial Wolf Transformation was a Middle Level Martial Art.
Even at the Initial Stage, it could unleash considerable destructive power. And now, being used in a sneak attack from behind, if the blow landed, Chen Han would have no chance of survival!
Chen Han, who was immersed in his saber practice, suddenly felt a chill creep up the back of his neck.
Without the slightest hesitation, he instinctively activated the Vast Sea Step, his figure swiftly gliding to the left.
In an instant, that chilling power descended from the sky, smashing violently onto the floor of the Martial Arts Arena. A terrifying force erupted, blasting a huge crater where Chen Han had been standing just a moment before.
Turning his head, Chen Han's eyes narrowed as he spat out, word by word, "Chen Liang, you again!"
In that moment, rage surged from Chen Han's heart, and a vicious resolve took hold.
If he hadn't learned the Vast Sea Step, that last attack from the Celestial Wolf Transformation would have killed him outright!
"You piece of trash, you're always so damn lucky! You actually dodged it," Chen Liang sneered, gritting his teeth. "You dared to humiliate me like that last time. Today, I've cultivated the Celestial Wolf Transformation to the Initial Stage. Let's see how I take your worthless life!"
With that, Chen Liang exploded forward, his twin claws lashing out like Flood Dragons emerging from the sea as he lunged swiftly at Chen Han.
"Die!"
With this strike, Chen Liang was already using one hundred and twenty percent of his Power.
The memory of how Chen Han had humiliated him in front of Chen Yuxin made Chen Liang's blood boil with rage.
"Trash will always be trash! If you want to make a comeback, stop daydreaming!"
As he spoke, Chen Liang's attack was already upon him.
However, the unexpected happened.
BOOM!
Everyone heard a dull, heavy thud. Chen Liang's body suddenly froze in front of Chen Han... Before anyone could react, Chen Liang screamed and was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground and spewing a mouthful of blood.
"What happened?"
"Why did it happen like that?"
The Chen Family disciples in the Martial Arts Arena were all shocked when they saw this.
They still hadn't recovered from the shock of Chen Han dodging the fatal sneak attack, and now, in the blink of an eye, Chen Liang, who had clearly held the initiative, was defeated once again.
If one could say that Chen Liang's previous defeat was due to his carelessness and underestimating his opponent, then this time, Chen Liang could no longer find any excuse for his failure...
"The trash has made a comeback..."
"It's true, he really defeated Chen Liang this time."
Amidst the crowd's astonished gasps, Chen Han slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the fallen and defeated Chen Liang.
He narrowed his eyes and sneered.
"Chen Liang, I let you off last time, but I never thought you'd dare to sneak attack me again. A venomous person like you absolutely cannot be left alone," Chen Han said coldly, striding forward.
Chen Liang's eyes widened in terror. Watching Chen Han approach, he couldn't help but stammer, "Wh-what... what are you going to do?"
"What am I going to do?"
The corner of Chen Han's mouth curved into a smirk, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"I'm not going to give you another chance to ambush me. So, I'm going to cripple you!"
"Cripple you, completely and utterly!"
Chen Han said, enunciating each word.