Chapter 30: Fame Spreads in All Directions

Wanggu City had never been so quiet.

In the distance, everyone who had witnessed this scene — whether Qi Refining Stage cultivators or the several Core Formation Stage powerhouses hovering in the air — all seemed as though their throats had been seized, unable to make a single sound.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator striking down a Core Formation Stage expert!

Those monstrous geniuses spoken of in legends, those who possessed peerless talent and heaven-defying combat power — did they truly exist? And right here before their eyes, in this very Wanggu City, such a legendary scene had actually unfolded?

Many people instinctively rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were lost in some bizarre dream.

Though Si Chen's earlier performances had already shattered their understanding of the world time and again, leaving more than a few with a faint, absurd premonition in their hearts.

Yet when this moment truly played out before them in all its stark, bloody reality, it still made everyone's scalps go numb, as though they were living inside a dream.

That blue-grey-robed young man named Si Chen — he had actually done it.

Gulp.

Someone, unknown to all, swallowed hard with great difficulty. In the surrounding silence, the sound rang out with startling clarity.

The several Core Formation Stage powerhouses watching from above felt emotions even more complex at this moment.

The Clan Head of the Li Clan let out a long breath, his gaze complicated: "The young are truly to be feared… truly to be feared…"

The female cultivator beside him who had enjoyed watching the spectacle now set aside her playful expression and nodded seriously: "If this one does not fall before his time, the Eastern Region will surely have a place for him in the future."

From a window in a distant tower, Manager Qian of Wanbao Pavilion took in everything with a single sweeping gaze. He let out a soft breath, a sharp gleam flickering in his eyes.

Though he had anticipated that this young man was extraordinary, he had not expected him to be extraordinary to this degree.

He felt a twinge of regret in his heart — if only he had invested more heavily before the auction, the goodwill he had cultivated might have been far more solid.

They all understood: what had happened today would spread like wildfire before long.

This young man was destined to shake the entire region.

* * *

Si Chen paid no mind to the gazes that seemed ready to bore straight through him.

Although the Yimu Everspring Art had already closed his wounds, his internal organs ached dully, and he needed to find a quiet place to regulate his breathing and recover.

As he was thinking this, his gaze fell upon Lü Yan's charred corpse — or more precisely, upon a Storage Ring of clearly exceptional material on the man's finger.

He recalled the words Third Uncle Si Shuo had murmured while hooking an arm around his neck before he left home: "Kid, remember this — if you win a fight out there, whatever good stuff the other guy has on him is your spoils of war! Take it without hesitation; that's the rule!"

Si Chen thought it over. Since it was the rule, he might as well take it.

He crouched down and, with practiced ease, slid the Storage Ring off Lü Yan's charred finger, pocketing it without so much as a glance.

With that done, he raised his eyes once more and swept his gaze across Wanggu City — this place that had brought him no small amount of "trouble," yet had also treated him to no small amount of fine food.

There were no leads on Yang Thunder here, the grudge with the Liuyun Sword Sect had been settled, and he had eaten his way through all the notable restaurants. It was time to leave.

The moment that thought arose, several figures came streaking through the air from the distance, landing lightly on an open patch of ground nearby. They were the Core Formation Stage powerhouses who had been watching the battle.

All of them wore warm, genial smiles, deliberately reining in their auras as a gesture of goodwill.

"Fellow Friend Si Chen."

The Clan Head of the Li Clan spoke first, cupping his hands in a respectful salute: "Today's battle has truly opened my eyes. If you are in no hurry to leave, why not let me play host and linger in Wanggu City for a few days? It would allow us to fulfill our duties as hosts."

The female cultivator also smiled and chimed in, her gaze carrying undisguised admiration: "Indeed, little brother. I'm terribly curious about you — how about we become friends?"

Their words were sincere, and they carried themselves with great humility. Faced with a Foundation Establishment cultivator who could slay a Core Formation expert, putting on any air of seniority would simply be foolish.

Making friends now was a guaranteed profitable investment.

Si Chen looked at them. His body ached, but his mind was clear. He was not particularly fond of this kind of social maneuvering.

The smiles on these people's faces were not quite the same as those he had seen from people in Yunjin City when he was young, but the calculations hidden beneath them felt much the same.

Following proper etiquette, he cupped his hands toward the group: "Many thanks for your kind intentions, seniors. I am grateful. However, as I am still nursing injuries, it would be inconvenient to impose. Farewell."

With that, he gave them no chance to detain him and rose into the air on the wind.

He cast one final glance at this city that had left such a deep impression on him. His blue-grey figure rose slowly into the sky, and after orienting himself in a direction, he transformed into a streak of flowing light and departed without the slightest trace of reluctance.

The several Core Formation cultivators remained where they stood, exchanging glances, and in the end could only smile helplessly.

This young man was not only formidably powerful — his temperament was equally cautious and composed, nothing at all like a boy of twelve or thirteen.

"With such a temperament and such strength… Wanggu City's pond is, in the end, far too small for him." The Clan Head of the Li Clan sighed.

And as he said.

The name "Si Chen," along with his terrifying record of a Foundation Establishment cultivator striking down a Core Formation expert and single-handedly dismantling the Liuyun Sword Sect's Wanggu City stronghold, spread outward from Wanggu City like wings had been attached to it — at an unprecedented speed, racing in every direction.

For a time, countless cultivators in the surrounding region were thrown into an uproar. In idle conversation over meals, the name of this mysterious and powerful blue-grey-robed young man was never far from anyone's lips.

No one knew where he had come from, nor where he was going.

* * *

After leaving Wanggu City, Si Chen flew a great distance until the city's outline had completely vanished from sight. Only then did he descend into an unassuming cave he found within a remote mountain range.

The cave was somewhat damp, but very quiet. He sat down cross-legged and began to examine his injuries.

Looking inward, the situation was more serious than he had felt.

The Yimu Everspring Art had not yet accumulated enough depth — it could only repair surface wounds of flesh and skin; for internal organs, it was still powerless for now.

His Meridians had also sustained some damage from overdriving the power of thunder, with fine cracks appearing in several places.

He let out a sigh. The human body was truly far too fragile.

He sent his Divine Sense into the Storage Ring on his finger. Inside, aside from mountains of Spirit Stones, the most numerous items were various jade vials filled with healing Pills.

Each jade vial had a careful label attached, noting the Pill's name and instructions for use.

"Chen, this is the 'Nine-Turn Jade Restoration Pill' — it can treat injuries."

"Chen, this vial is 'Ten-Thousand-Year Stone Marrow' — it's not for drinking! Apply it to wounds; it heals quickly and leaves no scars."

"This one is the 'Purple Palace Spirit-Nourishing Pill' — it relieves fatigue. If you feel tired or weary, take one."

The handwriting was gentle and graceful — his mother Ye Fu's brushwork.

Si Chen could almost picture his mother muttering to herself as she stuffed these Pills into his Storage Ring one by one, as though they were candy, wishing she could fit them all in.

A warm current swept through his heart. Holding the cool jade vials, he suddenly felt a pang of homesickness.

He missed his mother's gentle nagging, his father's steady gaze, and even — a little — Second Uncle's and Third Uncle's boisterous, loud voices.

He picked up the "Nine-Turn Jade Restoration Pill," pulled out the stopper, and a refreshing, heart-clearing fragrance instantly filled the entire cave. Even a single breath of it made one feel mentally invigorated.

Then he picked up a "Purple Palace Spirit-Nourishing Pill" and swallowed both together.

The Pills dissolved the moment they touched his tongue. A gentle yet vast warm current surged through his entire body, swiftly replenishing his nearly exhausted spiritual power while sweeping away every trace of mental fatigue.

"Mm, much better."

Si Chen nodded in satisfaction.

He had no idea what grade these Pills were in the outside world, nor how many Spirit Stones they were worth. In his memory, they were simply things one could grab off the medicine cabinet at home at any time.

Under the effect of these "household remedies," his injuries recovered to seven or eight parts wholeness in the blink of an eye.

At that point, he finally remembered the spoils of war he had taken from Lü Yan. He retrieved that Storage Ring and sent his Divine Sense inside.

At first glance, he couldn't help but be taken aback.

The space inside was far smaller than his own, and the contents were pitifully sparse.

A few spirit artifacts of ordinary quality, some Spirit Stones — a number that didn't even amount to a fraction of what was in his own ring — and a miscellaneous assortment of materials and jade scrolls.

"This guy… was absolutely broke."

Si Chen was somewhat disappointed. So this was what Third Uncle called spoils of war? It was utterly meager.

Just as he was about to withdraw his Divine Sense, one item caught his attention.

It was a palm-sized scale — dark in color, with somewhat irregular edges. It was ice-cold and hard to the touch, and it was unclear from which Demon Beast it had shed.

He took the scale out and examined it carefully in his palm.

What had caught his attention was this: within the scale, there was a trace of an extremely faint yet unusually pure thunder aura — one that felt subtly different from the thunder-attribute energy he had encountered within the natural Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth.

"Interesting." Si Chen's curiosity was piqued.

Perhaps, when he reached the next city, he could make inquiries about the origin of this scale?

He carefully put the scale away, deciding to treat it as a new lead.

Now that his injuries had healed and he had obtained a possible lead, Si Chen settled his mind and began cultivating using the seemingly inexhaustible supply of Spirit Stones in his ring.

After roughly one hour, amid the crisp birdsong outside the cave, the aura around Si Chen surged abruptly — then slowly settled back, becoming even more condensed and substantial.

He opened his eyes. A flash of lightning seemed to flicker through his pupils and vanish.

Late Foundation Establishment Stage — when the water reaches, the channel forms.