Chapter 58: A Surge in Power, Celestial Immortal Tower (Seeking Continued Reading)

Sunset was sinking in the west.

The lingering rays of the setting sun were as red as blood.

Two majestic flood-dragon horses stepped through the evening glow that filled the sky, returning to Divine Arrow Peak.

Guided by Ruyan, Zhou Chen and Qin Hongyu had spent the entire day strolling around, purchasing a significant amount of daily necessities and broadening their horizons considerably.

In particular, that famous den of pleasure known as the Celestials' Tower was rumored to house the courtesan Fairy Tianxiang, a celebrated beauty listed among the Hundred Flowers Roster.

Regrettably, because Zhou Chen was accompanied by Qin Hongyu and Ruyan, it was inconvenient for him to go inside and test the waters to see how deep the Celestials' Tower truly ran.

He would simply have to wait for another time.

Upon returning home, Zhou Chen took Qin Hongyu in his arms to practice the Secret Tome of Wind and Moon together.

As for his soul, it communed with Ji Fengxia and Liu Ruyi.

He was truly industrious.

Splitting one person into two to be used.

And yet, it still felt insufficient.

The next day.

Zhou Chen wandered around the Azure Cloud Sect and spent a full day browsing the Library Pavilion.

The library of the Azure Cloud Sect was richly stocked, containing not only various martial arts manuals of all kinds, but also a wide assortment of miscellaneous books.

Zhou Chen focused his attention on foundational knowledge regarding this world.

To survive in this realm, broad horizons were essential.

If one knew nothing at all, going out into the world would surely lead to a swift demise.

Originally, Zhou Chen thought he could only linger among beautiful women, but to his surprise, he found he could linger just as well in the Library Pavilion.

He stayed there for half a month straight.

He even became well-acquainted with the old man who guarded the door.

With Zhou Chen's clearance level, he was free to browse anywhere in the Library Pavilion except for the topmost floor.

The secret martial arts manuals of each peak within the Azure Cloud Sect were kept exclusively on that highest tier.

True Disciples were permitted to cultivate all of the sect's secret martial arts without restriction, provided they met the prerequisite of mastering one secret martial art to the Ninth Layer of Body Refining before moving on to the next.

Initially, Zhou Chen had wanted to acquire a secret martial art specialized in powerful close-quarters combat to practice alongside his archery, but because his Art of the Sun-Shooting Archer had not reached the required standard, he was completely unqualified to learn them.

This rule was instituted precisely to prevent disciples from biting off more than they could chew.

However, Zhou Chen was not in a rush.

Besides, he still possessed a complete superior-grade martial art: the General-Slaying Saber.

He was also able to view other non-secret, superior-grade martial arts of the Azure Cloud Sect.

"It has been half a month. Through my unremitting daily efforts, my Wind-Moon Points have finally broken through the mark of one hundred thousand. Should I invest them to comprehend the Sun-Shooting technique?"

Zhou Chen fell into deep contemplation.

"No. Even with the Moon-Chasing stance, I can manage at most three arrows. Forcibly investing points to comprehend Sun-Shooting might not necessarily be a good thing; it could place too heavy a burden on me and end up harming my body."

"Furthermore, what if comprehending Sun-Shooting triggers some sort of celestial phenomenon? Drawing too much attention to my monstrous talent is hardly wise!"

Zhou Chen dismissed the idea of investing in the Sun-Shooting technique and shifted his focus to his cultivation realm.

"The True Disciple Grand Ceremony will take place in half a month. Experts will gather in flocks, the sect master will attend, and perhaps even other powerhouses above the Divine Force Realm..."

Zhou Chen guessed that Li Changfeng was very likely a powerhouse surpassing the Divine Force Realm, only maintaining the outward appearance of the peak Divine Force Realm.

The masters of each peak were all at this realm, but Zhou Chen estimated that some must have broken through already, simply keeping it quiet.

"For now, I must not upgrade my cultivation realm in either martial arts or immortal cultivation, lest I appear too monstrously gifted. In any case, it won't be too late to upgrade my cultivation and immortal arts after the True Disciple Grand Ceremony concludes in half a month."

"Yet, letting so many Wind-Moon Points sit idle is useless, and in half a month I will surely have accumulated another hundred thousand or so..."

"I shall cultivate the General-Slaying Saber!"

Zhou Chen instantly made his decision; after all, he would have to practice it sooner or later.

[General-Slaying Saber: First Layer (0/500)]

"General-Slaying Saber, invest points."

Five hundred Wind-Moon Points were consumed. Zhou Chen felt as though he had spent day after day diligently practicing the saber technique, finally achieving a breakthrough and completing the skin-refining process once more.

Zhou Chen sensed the changes within his body; his skin had grown even tougher, and his physical vessel had grown a fraction stronger.

This was his fourth time refining his skin.

Previously, he had also practiced the Triple-Unity Saber and the Phantom Sword, but the Triple-Unity Saber was incomplete, and the Phantom Sword was merely a middle-grade martial art. Zhou Chen had no intention of wasting Wind-Moon Points on them.

From then on, any martial art he practiced had to be at least of superior grade.

"Continue!"

Zhou Chen invested points five more times, successively completing the refinement of his flesh, tendons, bones, marrow, and blood, bringing the General-Slaying Saber to the same Organ-Refining Realm as his Art of the Sun-Shooting Archer.

Zhou Chen's physical body, akin to a piece of steel refined a hundred times, was tempered anew from top to bottom. The dregs were cast out, leaving him far stronger and more resilient.

In the Organ-Refining Realm, vital blood condenses into true inner energy. As the General-Slaying Saber reached the organ-refining stage, the inner energy it generated fused with the inner energy from the Art of the Sun-Shooting Archer. Not only did his inner energy grow fifty percent more potent, but its quality also increased by half.

"I have grown so much stronger!"

Exhilarated, Zhou Chen drew the third-grade treasured saber—General-Slaying—which he had obtained from Bai Guinong. An incomparable sense of familiarity surged into his heart, feeling as though it were connected to his very bloodline and as obedient as his own arm.

Hum!

With a casual sweep of Zhou Chen's hand, saber qi crisscrossed the air, its chilling gleam piercing to the bone.

"I still have over sixty thousand Wind-Moon Points..."

Zhou Chen glanced at his personal status panel.

Just now, in cultivating the General-Slaying Saber, he had consumed a total of 500 + 1000 + 2000 + 4000 + 8000 + 16000, amounting to 31,500 points.

"The secret martial arts of the various peaks are kept on the topmost floor of the Library Pavilion, which I cannot access right now. However, I have already recorded quite a few ordinary superior-grade martial arts!"

As Zhou Chen read through the books in the library, any martial art he perused was automatically recorded onto his personal status panel, effectively granting him a photographic memory.

"I have already cultivated the Art of the Sun-Shooting Archer and the General-Slaying Saber. I should cultivate a movement technique and a fist technique as well..."

Zhou Chen reviewed the superior-grade martial arts he had recorded and quickly made his choice.

[Lightning-Flash Divine Movement Step: First Layer (0/500)]

[Overlord Fist: First Layer (0/500)]

"Invest points!"

Zhou Chen frantically poured points into them, consuming 31,500 Wind-Moon Points to elevate the Lightning-Flash Divine Movement Step to the Seventh Layer, reaching the Organ-Refining stage of the Seventh Layer of Body Refining.

This time, Zhou Chen distinctly felt his entire body grow light as a feather, especially his legs, which not only felt weightless but were brimming with explosive power.

With a subtle shift of his body, a trail of afterimages remained in his original spot.

"Hiss!"

Zhou Chen widened his eyes in astonishment. "My speed has increased at least threefold!"

He had not expected that mastering a superior-grade movement technique would yield such a dramatic transformation.

As the saying goes, among all martial arts under heaven, only speed cannot be broken.

Although that adage did not entirely apply in this mystical world, the benefits of vastly increased speed were self-evident, making even escape significantly faster.

"Overlord Fist, invest points!"

Zhou Chen consumed another 31,500 Wind-Moon Points, advancing the Overlord Fist to the Organ-Refining stage of the Seventh Layer of Body Refining.

His fists grew immensely powerful, giving him the distinct sensation that a single punch could kill Bai Guinong.

Of course.

That was undoubtedly an illusion.

Although he now practiced four superior-grade martial arts, the gap between their realms meant he could not kill a Ninth-Layer Body Refining martial artist with a single punch.

Though, if he used the Art of the Sun-Shooting Archer, it might just be possible.

"I still have over two thousand Wind-Moon Points left; I'll keep them in reserve for recovery and healing!"

Zhou Chen tuned in to his physical state.

Compared to before, his inner energy had surged by more than threefold, its density enhanced four or five times over, and his overall combat prowess had exploded by at least a factor of ten!

He looked toward his personal status panel:

[Wind-Moon Precious Mirror]

[Master: Zhou Chen]

[Cultivation Techniques: Art of the Sun-Shooting Archer Seventh Layer (28/64000), General-Slaying Saber / Lightning-Flash Divine Movement Step / Overlord Fist Seventh Layer (0/32000), Everlasting Spring Skill Fourth Layer (60/8000), Triple-Unity Saber Third Layer (90/400), Phantom Sword Third Layer (80/400)...]

[Realm: Body Refining Seventh Layer (Organ-Refining) / Qi Refining Fourth Layer]

[Divine Ability: Lightning-Light As-You-Will Hand]

[Spells: Breath-Concealing Technique Ninth Layer (Great Perfection), Ghost-Commanding Technique First Layer (10/1000)]

[Skills: Sun-Shooting Archer Pierces the Firmament, Moon-Chasing, Sun-Shooting (Arrow Soul 0/100000), Triple-Unity Saber (Mastered 69/160), Phantom Sword (Mastered 9/160)...]

[Medical Formula: Yang-Apex Heaven]

[Wind-Moon Points: 2125]

"Splendid!"

Zhou Chen raised his head. The azure sky was washed clean, and the sunlight was bright and warm—truly a fine day.

"I've been reading books in the Library Pavilion for half a month; it's about time I went out to get some fresh air!"

After letting Qin Hongyu know, Zhou Chen mounted his beloved flood-dragon horse, rode off in a cloud of dust, and embarked on his second journey to Azure Cloud City.

Half an hour later.

"Celestials' Tower..."

Standing before a tall, luxurious building, Zhou Chen caught the rich fragrance of face powder and cosmetics drifting out even before he stepped inside.

Crimson sleeves beckoned from every window of the bustling pavilion.

"I wonder if Fairy Tianxiang truly possesses a natural fragrance emanating from her body?"

Curiosity stirred within Zhou Chen's heart.

"Oh, young master, do come right in!"