Chapter 37: Four Breakthroughs

"Chief, the owner of the Four-Sided Bronze Block lives inside," Li Quan said as he led Lu Yan to a dilapidated house.

After digesting the Four-Sided Bronze Block, Lu Yan immediately sought out Li Quan, asking him to guide him to the person who had sold it. The owners of the previous two 'Dao Food' had been killed by Lu Yan, leaving him with no way to inquire about their origins. This time, he couldn't let the opportunity slip by.

"Knock, and pay a visit," Lu Yan instructed.

Li Quan stepped forward and knocked. Shortly after, the door opened, revealing a young man in tattered clothes, looking listless and dispirited. Upon seeing Li Quan, his eyes brightened. "Mr. Li, you’re here! Please, come in."

"Li Helin, let me introduce you. This is our chief, Lu Shan," Li Quan said.

"Your humble servant greets the chief," Li Helin hurriedly bowed with fists clasped.

"Let’s speak inside," Lu Yan said.

They entered the courtyard. Lu Yan quietly communed with the Dao Book, searching for any sign, but the book remained silent, indicating there was no second Dao Food in Li Helin’s home.

"I bought a Four-Sided Bronze Block from you last time. May I ask where you acquired it?" Lu Yan asked directly.

"In truth, that block wasn’t mine to begin with," Li Helin replied.

"Not yours?" Lu Yan’s brows furrowed.

"It was a relic left by my father," Li Helin explained hurriedly, seeing Lu Yan’s displeasure.

"Do you know where your father got it?" Lu Yan pressed.

"Let me think, let me think. It’s been some years..." Li Helin frowned, pondering. After a while, his eyes lit up. "I remember now—it was from the forbidden zone, from the ruins on Mount Changfeng."

"The forbidden zone on Mount Changfeng?" Lu Yan’s heart stirred.

He knew that Mount Changfeng had such a place, guarded by the Liu and Wu clans, both sending military forces—martial troops, no less—to keep it sealed as a forbidden zone. Ordinary folk were strictly prohibited from entering, including even the Red-Clad Guards.

"Sir, you may know that three years ago, that forbidden zone wasn’t truly forbidden. It was just an ancient ruin; anyone could come and go freely. But three years ago, an earthquake struck Mount Changfeng, collapsing several peaks in those ruins. Since then, the two clans stationed their martial troops and sealed it off. No one but the clans themselves have entered since," Li Helin explained, then tentatively asked, "My father entered three years ago and found that bronze block. Sir, is that block some rare treasure?"

He worried he might have undersold something precious.

"You needn’t concern yourself. It’s no treasure. I simply enjoy collecting antiques and am interested in anything unusual," Lu Yan replied calmly.

He asked a few more questions, but finding nothing further, he turned and left.

"Forbidden zone..." Lu Yan mused.

The Four-Sided Bronze Block came from there—could the previous two Dao Foods also originate from that place? What exactly lay inside? Three years ago, it was merely a scattered ancient ruin. One earthquake shattered several peaks, and the two great clans immediately sealed it off, deploying their core martial forces to guard it year-round. Something was amiss.

Lu Yan knew little about the ruins, so he instructed Li Quan to help find any books recording its history.

The Bamboo Society was highly efficient. In just three days, a book was delivered to Lu Yan. It was a miscellaneous chronicle, mainly describing the local customs and sights around Changfeng City, but it did contain some notes about the forbidden zone.

The book stated that the forbidden zone was likely a relic from before the Great Antiquity, its age exceeding five thousand years. But only a few lines were devoted to it, offering no further details.

"Before the Great Antiquity—an era lost to history?" Lu Yan murmured.

The Kingdom of Great Chu had stood for two thousand years. Before Great Chu, there was a unified imperial dynasty that dominated all lands—the Great Antiquity. The Great Antiquity lasted three thousand years.

But before the Great Antiquity, there were no written records at all, as if history itself were blank. If not for the abundance of ruins, no one would believe such an ancient, splendid civilization ever existed.

Lu Yan pondered for a while, then disguised himself and set out for Mount Changfeng.

Soon, he reached the vicinity of the forbidden zone.

He climbed a high cliff and gazed from afar.

Ahead lay a range of rugged peaks within Mount Changfeng, especially steep and perilous. Several peaks had collapsed, exposing raw cliffs and jagged rocks. Around him, bulky figures occasionally flashed past—they were patrolling martial troops.

"Closer still," Lu Yan thought.

He climbed down and stealthily approached, holding his breath as he hid in the canopy of a large tree. Not far off, two burly martial troops walked by, but did not notice him.

Lu Yan focused his mind and communed with the Dao Book.

Instantly, the Dao Book flickered, transmitting a sense of longing.

"There truly is Dao Food here," Lu Yan's heart burned with excitement.

Even at such a distance, the Dao Book responded, proving that the Dao Food within was extraordinary and immensely powerful.

But Lu Yan restrained his eagerness.

The two great clans guarded the place with countless experts—some had broken their limits four or five times. There might even be a Martial Marquis present. To barge in recklessly would be perilous.

At the very least, his current strength fell short.

Though he was powerful now, he would still be in danger if confronted by a fivefold limit-breaker from the clans, let alone two or more—certain death.

"I’ll wait until I’m stronger, at least four limit breaks, before I try again," he reminded himself.

Then, Lu Yan quietly departed.

...

Life without money was hard to bear.

Martial progress slowed to a crawl, so Lu Yan shifted his focus to building up his vital energy and blood. At least, ordinary meat still had some effect for those at threefold limit break. Though not dramatic, the sheer number of secondary meridians he had unblocked made up for it.

With one second-rate martial art, merging body and mind, he had unblocked 1,152 secondary meridians.

With another second-rate art, reaching supernatural mastery, he had unblocked 576.

Altogether, 1,728 secondary meridians.

Ordinary threefold limit-breakers, practicing third-rate arts, usually unblocked only 72 or 144 meridians. Even those practicing second-rate arts typically managed just 144 or 288.

Lu Yan's progress in accumulating vital energy far outstripped theirs.

Moreover, after three martial body transformations, his cultivation and digestive capacity increased. Now, he could eat over twenty pounds of meat daily without difficulty.

If quality lacked, he compensated with quantity.

With copious meat and occasional martial food, his vital energy and blood steadily increased.

Thus, the calm days slipped by swiftly. In the blink of an eye, a year passed.

After a year, Lu Yan finally reached the overflowing stage of vital energy for threefold limit break.

Counting from the start of his third limit break to this overflowing stage, it took him a year and a half.

The first half-year, with plenty of martial food, progress was rapid.

The following year slowed considerably.

But a year and a half was at least seven or eight times faster than others.

Ordinary people would struggle for ten years or more.

Bear in mind, after three martial body gifts, Lu Yan’s capacity for vital energy was more than twice that of an ordinary person, so reaching overflow required much more.

Of course, those in clans who ate martial food at every meal were exceptions.

As for his progress in the Diamond Body, he had reached 50.5% supernatural mastery.

With martial food every four days from the Red-Clad Guard, plus the two thousand taels earned from the Bamboo Society, all spent on martial food, he had come this far.

Boom!

His vital energy surged; the fourth sealed gate appeared.

The third gate posed no obstacle for Lu Yan—it shattered in one strike. He stepped into the fourfold limit break effortlessly.

Seven days later, his realm stabilized completely.

Whoosh!

Lu Yan threw a punch—the fist tore through the air, sounding like firecrackers.

His punch struck a large bluestone; the rock, taller than a man, fragmented into pieces.

A crimson aura enveloped his skin, burning like flames—proof of vital energy at its peak.

His current vitality already rivaled, or even surpassed, ordinary fivefold limit-breakers.

"It’s time to pay a visit to the forbidden zone," Lu Yan said, anticipation flickering in his eyes.