“Incredible! I can actually feel a burning sensation—like fire spreading through my leg!”
Ghost-Kick’s eyes widened in shock. For years, his injured leg had been completely numb, unresponsive to any treatment. Yet now, with just a few needles, Jiang Tian had restored sensation.
A warm current surged through his meridians, dissolving blockages and nourishing his withered muscles and bones. Under Jiang Tian’s true energy, broken bones regenerated, blood flowed anew, and vitality returned.
“Try walking.” Jiang Tian withdrew the needles after just fifteen minutes.
“Alright, I’ll try!” Ghost-Kick tossed aside his cane, steadied himself, and—thud—took his first step.
“It’s healed!” Both Ghost-Kick and Li Zhenwei gasped.
At first, his movements were stiff and unsteady. But soon, he was striding confidently, even breaking into a sprint.
“Old Ghost, test your strength on that stone lock.” Jiang Tian nodded toward a heavy training weight.
Ghost-Kick exhaled sharply—then kicked.
BOOM!
The stone lock, weighing dozens of kilograms, soared out of the courtyard and vanished into the valley below.
“Heavens… It’s really healed!” Ghost-Kick trembled, tears streaming down his face.
Once, his Ghostly Leg had been famed across the martial world. But ten years ago, White Ape Valley had shattered his right leg—and his spirit. He’d retreated into obscurity, burying his past.
Now, Jiang Tian had given him back everything.
“Congratulations, Brother Ghost! With your leg restored, your name will shake the world once more!” Li Zhenwei clasped his fists in respect.
Thud!
Ghost-Kick dropped to his knees before Jiang Tian, kowtowing violently. “Master Jiang, you’ve given me a second life!”
“A trivial effort. No need for formalities.” Jiang Tian helped him up, unfazed. The energy expended was negligible compared to what he’d used to heal Zhao Xueqing.
That night, Jiang Tian meditated in Ghost-Kick’s best guest room. The dense forests of the Hundred Thousand Mountains brimmed with spiritual energy, and Jiang Tian absorbed it all, refining his true energy with the Chaos Creation Art.
By dawn, a purple haze tinged the horizon—the Breath of the Rising Sun, a potent energy for cultivation.
Jiang Tian exhaled a stream of turbid air, his eyes flashing like lightning.
“Master Jiang!” Li Zhenwei called from outside.
Breakfast was simple—millet porridge, flatbread, cured pork with wild greens. Soon, they stepped outside to find two off-road vehicles waiting.
Guo Lili stood surrounded by a squad of armed mercenaries and Elder Lan. The men wore tactical gear, helmets, night-vision goggles, and bristled with weapons—assault rifles, grenade launchers, sniper rifles.
“Elder Lan, your assistance is invaluable.” Guo Lili bowed as if to a deity.
“A paid job, nothing more.” Elder Lan waved her off.
Spotting Jiang Tian, Guo Lili smirked. “You’re really going to White Ape Valley? Planning to die?”
Despite her striking beauty—porcelain skin, fiery lips, a figure accentuated by her hiking gear—Jiang Tian didn’t spare her a glance. To him, not even her finest feature could compare to a single strand of Zhao Xueqing’s hair.
He climbed into the vehicle without a word.
“Who the hell does this punk think he is? Want me to teach him a lesson?” A hulking mercenary, Wen Fei, cracked his knuckles.
A former elite special forces operative, Wen Fei had been hired by the Guo family for this mission. His team’s firepower was meant to secure the Life Spirit Stone—for a hefty fee.
“Let them be. They’re just cannon fodder anyway.” Guo Lili sneered.
“Cannon fodder?” Jiang Tian rolled down the window, laughing coldly. “With those toys, you won’t even scratch that beast. You’ll just be its appetizers.”
“You blind, kid?” Wen Fei racked the bolt on his machine gun. “We’ve got enough firepower to drop Godzilla. That ‘monster’ won’t know what hit it!”
“Fools.” Jiang Tian signaled Li Zhenwei to drive off, leaving the mercenaries fuming in their dust.
…
The Perilous Climb
The mountain path was treacherous—narrow, potholed, with sheer cliffs on one side and falling rocks on the other. At times, the road was so tight they had to inch along the rock face.
Guo Lili, pale-knuckled, clenched her seat. I have to find the Frost Crystal. Grandfather’s life depends on it. And if I succeed… my status in the family will soar.
Suddenly, Jiang Tian’s vehicle halted. A boulder, hundreds of kilograms heavy, blocked the path—a remnant of a recent landslide.
“Master, there’s a rock—” Li Zhenwei began.
“Out of my way, weaklings!” Wen Fei shoved forward, took a stance, and—BOOM!—kicked the boulder clean off the cliff.
“Amazing, Fei!” Guo Lili clapped, shooting a triumphant look at Jiang Tian’s group.
But they didn’t react. Jiang Tian didn’t even open his eyes.
“Pathetic act.” Guo Lili scowled. “Let’s see how long he keeps it up.”
“Funny. Master Jiang could lift ten times that weight.” Li Zhenwei snorted.
“Ten times? Bullshit!” Wen Fei laughed. “I’m at the peak of Iron Body Realm, and even I can’t handle more than a few hundred kilos. Is he a martial arts master or something?”
“Enough. Let’s go.” Jiang Tian waved off the argument.
By nightfall, they made camp on a plateau. As Li Zhenwei laid out bedding, Wen Fei swaggered over—and deliberately urinated on their supplies.
“You bastard!” Ghost-Kick roared.
“Oops. My bad.” Wen Fei smirked, continuing unabated.
Li Zhenwei lunged, but Jiang Tian stopped him. “Leave it. They’re not worth it.”
To Jiang Tian, Wen Fei and even Elder Lan were ants—easily crushed. But his goal was the Frost Crystal. Distractions were meaningless.
“No reaction? Ha! This guy’s a fraud.” Wen Fei reported back to Guo Lili. “If he were strong, he’d never tolerate that.”
“A coward, then.” Guo Lili smirked. “No need to waste effort on them. Once we have the stone, they won’t dare lift a finger.”
