Chapter 27: The Hall of Opportunity, Great Z Mountain Range

Bones and flesh swiftly regenerated under the immense power of vital energy and the force of the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir. The broken bones were being reforged, and the twisted flesh, under the miraculous effects of the body-refining elixir, rapidly returned to its original form. Where Wang Fan’s body had collapsed limply, it now recovered at astonishing speed, and before dawn broke, he was fully restored. After this recovery, his physical body reached the consummation of the first stage, just a single step away from its ultimate limit.

This perfection of the flesh consumed some of the medicinal power of the Nine-Orifice Golden Elixir that resided in Wang Fan’s heart. The pill itself remained the same size, but its luster had faded from its initial brilliance. Not only had the medicinal energy been depleted, but a significant portion of his vital energy was also spent. Now, within a radius of five to six hundred meters around Wang Fan, all the plants had withered; half the vegetation in the botanical garden had perished.

The path of cultivation is fraught with difficulty; every step forward demands an enormous expenditure of resources. This is especially true for one like Wang Fan, who practices a demonic method, an Emperor’s technique—with each advance, his consumption is even greater.

But only through such great sacrifice can the strongest body be forged!

Now, Wang Fan could feel that his physical strength had increased many times over since before—he felt as if he could kill ten bulls with a single punch.

He gazed toward the east, and as soon as he saw the first red gleam rising, he knew it was time to go. With this thought, he rose and departed, planning to return to his rented room early in the morning and change all his clothes.

After all, he had killed someone last night. Even though the act had not been caught on camera, he knew he should take precautions: change his hat, change his clothes.

Utilizing the stealthy techniques from the Earthen Fiend Assassination Art, Wang Fan slipped out of the botanical garden in a few swift movements. Yet this time, he had miscalculated. As he scaled the wall in utter silence, he unexpectedly encountered someone outside—the director of the botanical garden, a man of no small importance.

Around his neck hung his identification: Director Chen Shu. Concerned about the possibility of a contagion among the plants, Chen Shu had come early to inspect the garden. As he walked, he caught sight of someone vaulting over the wall, and his eyes widened in astonishment.

Could it be that the plants were not stricken by disease, but rather that this person had used some method to bring about their abnormal demise?

This possibility flashed through Chen Shu’s mind, and he immediately charged at Wang Fan, shouting, “Scoundrel! What have you done in the botanical garden?” His eyes reddened with rage, and he raised his fist to strike Wang Fan, aiming to subdue him with a single blow.

But as Chen Shu’s fist shot forward, Wang Fan did not even look back. He merely twitched his ear, then raised his left hand, and, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, seized Chen Shu’s punch with a tiger-like grip. With a slight exertion of strength, he sent Chen Shu flying.

Wang Fan finished with a devastating over-the-shoulder throw, slamming Chen Shu hard into the ground.

Blood spurted from Chen Shu’s mouth as he hit the earth, staining his face. Stunned and badly wounded, his hostile glare turned to sheer terror, as though he had seen a ghost.

Trouble, Wang Fan thought with a frown. To have been discovered by the director, he realized he could no longer return to this garden.

With these thoughts, he crouched slightly and, reaching out with his other hand like a serpent’s shadow flickering through the air, struck Chen Shu’s neck with such speed and precision that the director instantly lost consciousness.

As Chen Shu lay fainted, Wang Fan considered whether to kill him. But recalling the two days he had spent cultivating in the garden, and the great benefit it had brought him, he decided against it. Quickly, he departed. Not long after, the security guards arrived wielding batons.

They were shocked to find the director collapsed on the ground, his face smeared with blood. When they checked for breath and found him alive but merely unconscious, they all breathed a sigh of relief and carried him to the security room to await his recovery.

In fact, the director soon regained consciousness. Upon waking, his first words were, “The mass withering of the plants in the garden was not caused by a natural disease, but by human hands.”

His words caused the guards to pale with alarm, setting off a chain of subsequent events.

...

After leaving the botanical garden, Wang Fan kept his head down as he passed by one surveillance camera after another, eventually making his way back to his own apartment. There, he bathed away the sweat and changed into fresh clothes and a new hat.

Once in new attire, Wang Fan left the apartment again, keeping his head lowered as he walked, scrolling through messages on his phone.

He was seeking a way to push both his body and soul to their ultimate limits. One could achieve this through time and perseverance, or by seeking external opportunities to hasten the breakthrough.

If he relied on time alone, even Wang Fan himself could not tell how long it would take for his body and soul to reach the ultimate boundary. If it took too long, he simply could not afford to wait.

He knew that in this world, he was likely not the only one practicing such an advanced cultivation method. If he failed to keep pressing ahead, he might be left behind by the leading group.

Whether it was the physical or spiritual limit, he had to break through as soon as possible!

With this determination, Wang Fan scrolled through the news, and soon came upon an article from the official Z City Daily. It reported that a Palace of Fortuity had appeared in Z City—within its halls lay countless opportunities, accessible to those with strength and a measure of luck.

The Palace of Fortuity now stood atop a great mountain outside Z City, on the summit of the Daz Mountain Range. The military had already been dispatched, and many cultivators, both from within and outside the city, had ascended the mountain.