His finger flicked, and two pills shot out, flying towards Zhou Yan. With a "pat," they landed at Zhou Yan's feet.
"What pills are these?" Zhou Yan bent down to pick them up.
"Spirit Gathering Pills, a high-grade second-tier pill," Zhou Heng said, his eyes cast down, his tone flat.
"A high-grade second-tier pill?" Zhou Yan's heart leaped violently. He looked up at Zhou Heng. "Are these pills for me?"
Spirit Gathering Pills, as the name suggested, could help martial apprentices enhance their cultivation, and the effect doubled with each pill consumed!
Even in the myriad realms, Spirit Gathering Pills were quite rare and extremely expensive.
After all, martial artists' cultivation consumed vast resources, especially after reaching the ninth level of Xiantian. Every increment in a cultivation realm required an immeasurable amount of heaven and earth spiritual energy, power, and pills. Ordinary martial artists simply could not afford it.
Spirit Gathering Pills precisely compensated for the deficit in medicinal resources!
Such precious pills were considered top-tier treasures in all the myriad realms.
Yet, in the Zhou Dynasty, they were just common goods.
"This is a token of my apology. I hope you will accept it," Zhou Heng explained with a smile. "These two pills should be of help to you."
His voice was slightly hoarse.
"Thank you, Brother Zhou." Zhou Yan did not refuse. He bowed and put away the pills.
This was an apology from the Grand Elder of the Zhou Dynasty.
If he directly declined such precious pills, wouldn't that cause Zhou Heng to lose face?
"Go on." Zhou Heng waved his hand, signaling Zhou Yan to withdraw.
"Yes." Zhou Yan respectfully acknowledged, then retreated from the courtyard.
After he left, Zhou Heng's expression instantly fell.
"Sigh..."
He shook his head, sighed, and muttered to himself, "This kid, his temper is quite stubborn, but he does have some courage."
"However, such arrogance will surely lead to trouble sooner or later."
"I, for one, am looking forward to it."
A strange curve appeared on Zhou Heng's lips.
...
"These Spirit Gathering Pills are quite good."
As soon as he returned to the inn, Zhou Yan impatiently swallowed the pills and began to circulate the 'Devouring Yuan Art,' absorbing the medicinal power to enhance his physical strength and bloodline.
Overnight, Zhou Yan's cultivation successfully advanced to Level Seven Martial Apprentice.
At the same time, he also comprehended the profound meaning of wind.
"Boom!"
"Crack!"
Concurrently, a series of thunderous noises echoed in his mind.
Zhou Yan's eyes lit up. "I've broken through!"
His cultivation had increased from Level Six Martial Apprentice to Level Seven Martial Apprentice.
"Hahaha, that feels great." Zhou Yan was filled with joy.
He could clearly feel a surge of power filling his body, as if he could shatter the heavens and tear apart the earth with a single punch.
"Whoosh!"
Zhou Yan stood up, clenched his fists, and unleashed a full-powered punch.
"Bang!"
With a "bang" explosion, a hole was actually blasted through the wall in front of him.
This scene stunned the inn worker who was eating nearby.
"Holy cow!"
"This is... too exaggerated."
The inn worker rubbed his eyes, his face filled with bewilderment. "What... did I just see?"
He almost suspected he was hallucinating!
That stone slab, weighing two to three hundred pounds?
And it was so easily broken by this youth's punch?
They had used bluestone slabs for the foundation of their inn, which were extremely sturdy! Even a hammer strike would hardly leave a dent.
Yet now, this bluestone slab, weighing four to five hundred pounds, was casually punched through by this youth?
What kind of monstrous talent was this young man?
"Cough cough..."
At this moment, the youth coughed lightly, waved to the inn worker, and said with a smile, "Come here, waiter, clear away the bowls and chopsticks."
"Oh."
The inn worker snapped back to reality, hurriedly wiped the sweat from his forehead, and carried the tray of dishes into the room, placing them on the counter.
"Waiter, this is for you." Zhou Yan threw out a silver ingot. "The rest of the money is for tea."
The inn worker's face immediately lit up with joy.
"Thank you, young hero." The inn worker caught the silver ingot, his heart full of happiness. "Please wait a moment, it will be ready soon."
"Mm-hmm." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile and then closed his eyes to rest, quietly cultivating.
"Hoo!"
He inhaled spiritual energy, tempering his physique.
A moment later, Zhou Yan opened his eyes, a brilliant smile appearing. "As expected of Spirit Gathering Pills, their effect is much greater than ordinary Qi Gathering Pills! In just one night, my physique has progressed from the peak of Level Two Martial Apprentice to the level of Level Four Martial Apprentice!"
The reason why advancing to Martial Master was difficult was that the body was too strong. The difficulty of advancing each realm increased exponentially, not just a matter of talent.
Zhou Yan estimated that it would take him at least half a year to break through to Level Eight Martial Apprentice!
"However, this level of progress is still not enough!" Zhou Yan's eyes gleamed. "To earn points, I'm afraid I'll still have to kill people."
"During this period, I've already hunted nearly a hundred people, earning a total of 200 points. I'm still about 20 points short of 1000 points, which is not easy to obtain..."
Zhou Yan pondered in his mind.
"Never mind, since I'm here, I'll give it a try."
After thinking about it, Zhou Yan gritted his teeth and decided to hunt savage beasts.
In any case, these savage beasts would not pose a threat to him. Whether it was their ferocity or their strength, they were far superior to the beasts he had slain before.
"Roar!"
"Roar roar..."
As soon as Zhou Yan stepped out of the inn, deafening roars immediately came from the street.
"What is this..." Zhou Yan frowned and looked towards the source of the sound.
At the end of his line of sight was an ancient city.
The city covered a vast area, and its city walls were adorned with intricate runes, emitting obscure fluctuations that sent shivers down one's spine.
"This is where the City Lord's Mansion is located," Zhou Yan murmured to himself. "This ancient city is no less impressive than the capital of the Zhou Kingdom. It's even more prosperous and bustling."
Zhou Yan had originally thought that the capital of the Zhou Kingdom was the most prosperous large city. However, after witnessing the scale of this ancient city, Zhou Yan truly understood—
"The entire Northern Underworld Dynasty, and even within a radius of several thousand miles, there is only one true powerful dynasty: the Royal City!"
The Royal City represented a formidable power.
"The ancestor in my memory is said to have been a prince of the Northern Underworld Dynasty."
"And the Northern Underworld Dynasty is the overlord of the Eastern Lin Commandery, ruling over dozens of commanderies within the Eastern Lin Commandery..."
A look of longing appeared in Zhou Yan's eyes.
However, he knew that his current cultivation was too weak. Let alone the Northern Underworld Dynasty, even the Nanyang Commandery was far beyond his capabilities.
His goal was to have the opportunity in the future to lead the entire Zhou family out of their predicament and reach the pinnacle!
...
A queue had formed at the entrance of the ancient city.
Zhou Yan looked up and saw that at the front of the queue, it was clearly written: "Zhou Kingdom Academy Registration Office."