C72 Chaotic Wind Fourth Star

He crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, feeling as though every bone in his body was on the verge of breaking. A thick, metallic scent of blood filled his mouth and nose.

Before a cry of pain could escape his lips, he felt a vice-like grip tighten around his neck.

A palpable aura of death bore down on him, and in that moment, he was acutely aware that his life hung in the balance, completely at the mercy of his assailant.

His body shook uncontrollably, and tears streamed down his face, unstoppable.

"Speak! Who sent you to follow me?" came a low, demanding growl.

As he processed the command, the grip on his neck intensified.

Air became scarce in his lungs, his consciousness wavered, and his tongue lolled out helplessly.

Just as he teetered on the brink of death, the crushing hand relented slightly.

Gulping down fresh air, he gasped desperately, like a drowning man hauled back to safety.

But before he could fully catch his breath, his neck was seized once more.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" he blurted out, frantic to avoid the abyss of despair once again. "I was wrong! We just thought you had Spirit Money on you, so we figured we'd try our luck at a quick score!"

Behind him, Chu Yan's brows knitted together, and his grip tightened once more. "You dare lie to me?"

The man's tongue protruded again, his face etched with the terror of impending doom.

"I'm not lying, I swear! When you killed Chang Shun, someone saw you with Spirit Money. Please, I beg you, spare me! I won't dare do it again, I was wrong..." His plea devolved into coughs, his voice fading.

Chu Yan pondered for a moment, then with a swift increase of pressure, he knocked the man unconscious. He then roused another captive and subjected him to the same relentless questioning.

After extracting confessions from all four, Chu Yan was finally convinced. These men had acted on impulse, lured by the sight of Spirit Money in his possession. They had taken a reckless gamble, not at the behest of some hidden mastermind, but in the hope of seizing a windfall.

"Given the circumstances, I'll let you live," Chu Yan mused to himself. "But while the death penalty can be avoided, the sentence for living cannot. Those who dare to target me must pay a price."

After breaking all four of their hands, Chu Yan left them writhing in the alley, using the moonlight to guide his departure from the old town ruins.

Instead of heading back to the Lin Clan, he sought refuge in an inn.

He had much to reflect on today, and it was time to delve into the Return to the Ruins Tower to thoroughly review and understand his experiences. Traveling back to the Lin Clan would be a needless waste of time.

Starting today, he would soon have a steady and significant income, so without hesitation, he splurged on a top-tier room at the inn, costing a hefty three hundred Spirit Money per night—a sum beyond the reach of an average martial artist.

Once settled in his room, Chu Yan wasted no time and immediately entered the time-space cage to begin his cultivation.

Upon awakening today, he sensed a marked transformation in his body. Earlier in the alley, he had executed the Seven Stars Wind Walk with newfound mastery. His movements were swift and fluid, eluding detection by the three conscious warriors.

Now, within the confines of the time-space cage, Chu Yan resumed practicing the Seven Stars Wind Walk.

One star—

Two stars—

Three stars—

After completing the third star's technique, Chu Yan felt a surge of confidence and initiated the fourth star's footwork. In a flash, his speed seemed to have doubled. What once required two steps, he now covered in one.

Chu Yan was overjoyed.

"Just as I anticipated! Once the body's tempering reaches the necessary level, the fourth star can be unleashed! Before, the increased distance between steps meant I couldn't finish in the allotted time. But now, it's a breeze."

Chu Yan executed the Fourth Star footwork in rapid succession, and within moments, he became nearly a blur, shifting his position unpredictably within the temporal-spatial prison.

"The Fourth Star footwork is more intricate than the techniques of the first three stars, yet its power is significantly greater," Chu Yan reflected during a brief respite after several demonstrations. "Back in that alley, when I was in pursuit of that fellow, I inadvertently employed this Fourth Star technique. It felt as though distances were mere inches; what seemed far was suddenly within reach the moment I stepped forward."

With a sly grin, Chu Yan mused, "That guy with the thick lips and pretty face surely hasn't guessed I've mastered a new martial skill. Come tomorrow, I'll show him—he won't be using me as a punching bag again."

His attention then shifted to the neatly arranged small bottles nearby. Initially, he had planned to spend six thousand Spirit Money for ten bottles of blood essence. But after some persuasive bargaining, he managed to get the price per bottle down to five hundred and fifty Spirit Money, allowing him to purchase eleven bottles with his six thousand Spirit Money. Even with the discount, it should have cost six thousand and fifty Spirit Money, but Chu Yan, ever the smooth talker, convinced the Langya Pavilion to waive the extra fifty.

Now, with the eleven bottles before him, Chu Yan could sense the potent aroma of blood energy wafting from them. "I've already consumed six bottles earlier. Drinking these eleven means I'll have ingested seventeen bottles in one day," he pondered. "Even if Langya Pavilion's blood essence is less potent than Wan Hai Chamber of Commerce's, seventeen bottles ought to suffice for a thorough refinement and enhancement of my body."

Resolved, Chu Yan wasted no more time. He downed each bottle in quick succession, the seventeen bottles of vibrant blood essence disappearing in mere moments. Having finished, he immediately sat down cross-legged and began the grand Art of Whale-Swallowing Spirit, voraciously absorbing the blood energy from the blood marrow.

Moments later, a deep, rumbling noise emanated from Chu Yan's viscera, reminiscent of someone dragging a massive steel plate. Concurrently, Chu Yan could distinctly sense his stomach, heart, liver, and lungs undergoing intense undulations.

With each undulation, a surge of warmth radiated towards his limbs and head, accelerating the circulation of blood throughout his body. Shortly thereafter, his bones began to emit a series of crackling sounds.

"What's happening?" Chu Yan was startled. "Could there be something wrong with the blood essence?"

As the thought crossed his mind, his heart began to pound fiercely. Every muscle and sinew in his body felt as though it brimmed with boundless strength.

This power swelled within him like an overinflated balloon, desperately seeking an escape. Without finding a way to vent, it threatened to burst forth from his very being!