C62 Hundred Beast Pill

Finally, as the banquet concluded, Woo Zhengyang headed to the Contribution Exchange Hall. Since he had decided to venture into the Mystic Trace Realm, he needed to prepare. He used all his points to exchange for a mid-grade treasure pill, the Hundred Beast Pill.

The Hundred Beast Pill, crafted through a special method, is refined from the essence of a hundred different demonic beasts. After consumption, it can increase one's strength by about 220 pounds. Although it's a mid-grade treasure pill, in today's world where body refining has fallen out of favor and vein refining is the trend, the Hundred Beast Pill has become a dispensable enhancement for vein refiners. Otherwise, given the rarity of treasure-grade pills, Zhengyang would have found it difficult to exchange for one with his current contribution points.

Zhengyang had noticed this pill in the Exchange Hall before but hadn't acted on it. For him, an increase of 220 pounds in strength equates to advancing an entire level in body refining. As one progresses, gaining strength becomes increasingly challenging. The Hundred Beast Pill is only effective the first time it's taken, so Zhengyang originally planned to save it until his strength reached 1,760 or even 1,980 pounds before using it.

Now, Zhengyang couldn't afford to wait any longer. He had underestimated Yue Liqing's thirst for revenge. He thought Liu Tianli's death would make Yue Liqing back down, but instead, he became more aggressive. Today's probing by Yuen Tianshan and the suppression by the outer sect elders clearly indicated someone was pulling the strings. Venturing into the Mystic Trace Realm, Zhengyang feared he might be walking into a trap.

Thinking about it, anyone would feel uneasy with an enemy growing stronger right beside them. If they had the power, they'd probably want to nip it in the bud. However, no matter what, Woo Zhengyang wasn't going to back down. The road ahead was dangerous, and all he could do was improve himself as much as possible.

After leaving the exchange hall, Woo Zhengyang didn't return to his stone chamber. Instead, he headed back to his favorite training spot by the small lake atop the Red Wood Orchard hill. As he passed through the orchard, he ran into the disciple managing it this year. The disciple greeted Woo Zhengyang with eyes full of envy and longing, reminding him of himself a year ago, which made him sigh.

The problem with the Four-Character Sword Technique still lingered in Woo Zhengyang's mind. Whenever he closed his eyes, he was faced with the dilemma of balancing physical strength and inner energy. By nightfall, not only had he not solved the issue, but he also stumbled upon another problem.

His envisioned Four-Character Sword Technique clashed with the "Dragon Countering Nine Steps" because both relied on physical strength to wield the sword. While other martial arts might allow for separating hand and foot strength temporarily, the full power of the "Dragon Countering Nine Steps" required continuous use. Woo Zhengyang couldn't afford to divert his strength to wield the sword. If both techniques used the same kind of strength, their power would be significantly reduced.

Realizing he might have strayed off course, Woo Zhengyang decided to set aside the four-word sword mantra for now. Knowing that everyone else should be busy training in the stone chamber and wouldn't disturb him, he stepped into the small lake.

The icy water engulfed him, and Woo Zhengyang sat cross-legged, taking out a Beast Pill and swallowing it. The pill dissolved instantly, its strong herbal taste mixed with a faint metallic tang, burning his throat like today's potent spirit.

However, the power of the Beast Pill was far beyond that of any spirit. Soon, Woo Zhengyang felt a surge of heat spreading from his abdomen, as if he were on fire. This heat quickly expanded, and under the pill's influence, his organs felt like they might explode. His blood flowed at an accelerated rate, with veins visibly standing out on his skin. If Woo Zhengyang could open his eyes and look closely, he might even see the blood rushing through his veins.

When Woo Zhengyang exchanged for the Beast Pill, he had specifically checked its effects, and it shouldn't have been this intense. It quickly dawned on him that this was likely due to his unique constitution.

Despite the pain, Woo Zhengyang was incredibly excited. The stronger the pill's effect, the more energy he absorbed, and the greater the increase in his strength.

The pain intensified as Woo Zhengyang's skin turned a deep red, his flesh seeming to boil, creating rises and falls across his body. The once icy lake water now felt warm. An hour later, Zhengyang opened his eyes and unclenched his fists. The treasure pill, which usually increased strength by about 100 pounds, had nearly doubled its effect on him, pushing his strength close to 900 pounds. With a bit more stabilization, reaching the level of a Nine-star Martial Disciple wouldn't be far off.

Relaxing his body, Zhengyang floated in the small lake, lying on the water's surface, contentedly gazing at the bright moon above, allowing his body to recover. Suddenly, his expression shifted as he heard a woman's voice coming from the nearby orchard. Though he couldn't make out her words, he recognized the voice as Lyi Huamei's, whom he had met earlier that day. She had informed him about the Mystic Trace Realm trial.

After Lyi Huamei spoke, a man's deep voice followed. The man's tone made it even harder for Zhengyang to discern their conversation, but he vaguely caught two familiar terms: Mystic Trace Realm and his own name, Woo Zhengyang.

The conversation between Woo Zhengyang and Lyi Huamei ended quickly, but the sounds that followed made Woo Zhengyang blush with embarrassment. He never expected that the most admired woman among the outer disciples would rendezvous with a man in the middle of the night at the orchard, using the ground as their bed and the sky as their blanket.

Woo Zhengyang wasn't particularly concerned with Lyi Huamei's actions, but even he could deduce from their earlier conversation that it likely involved him. It seemed that Lyi Huamei's mention of the Mystic Trace Realm during the day was no coincidence.

As he focused his energy, Woo Zhengyang slowly submerged into the lake, finally finding some peace and quiet to contemplate.

Three days later, the Profound Heaven Sect's team set out for the Mystic Trace Realm. The group consisted of only thirteen people. Besides Woo Zhengyang, an anomaly among them, there were two eight-star martial disciples, while the rest were nine-star martial disciples, including Lyi Huamei, the only person whose name Woo Zhengyang knew.

Lyi Huamei maintained her calm and serene demeanor, offering everyone a polite smile without revealing too much. If Woo Zhengyang hadn't been so confident in his enhanced hearing and perception from his training, he would never have connected this composed woman with the one he overheard that night.

The elder leading the group was named Zhou, one of the four outer elders who had merely nodded and smiled at Woo Zhengyang before. Woo Zhengyang wasn't sure if Elder Zhou was aligned with the Yue family, but he didn't care much either way.

As long as the Yue family doesn't want to completely sever ties with the Profound Heaven Sect, they won't openly target Woo Zhengyang. If word gets out and the Profound Heaven Sect doesn't respond, the reputation of the four major sects would be tarnished.

After all, Woo Zhengyang's title as the Outer Sect Number One Madman isn't just about being reckless; it signifies his extraordinary potential that sets him apart from the average person.