The God of Heavens

Chapter 234 Innate Realm
The skirmish came quickly and ended even faster. Under Lin Yu's leadership, the battle resulted in the killing of over a hundred bandits, including the bandit leader, and the capture of ten repeating crossbows, while the Chinese side suffered only thirty-seven casualties.

Lin Yu shook Blood Blade's limp body and asked coldly, "Speak, who sent you? How did you know about our operation?"

The Blood Blade Chieftain was surprisingly straightforward: "We took their money and did their bidding. We were ordered by the chief of the eighteen strongholds of Yunshan to lay an ambush after receiving money and weapons. Now that we're in your hands, you can do whatever you want with us."

This decisiveness surprised Lin Yu somewhat. He frowned slightly: "The chief of the eighteen strongholds of Yunshan?"

Nowadays, all gangs in the world have been banned by the imperial court, and only in border areas like Yunzhou do the outlaw forces still dare to openly display their banners.

Blood Blade continued to explain that the Yunshan Green Forest was originally a disorganized group, but recently a group of mysterious people arrived, not only bringing a large amount of gold and silver weapons, but also providing accurate intelligence support, which enabled each stronghold to succeed one after another, and thus they gradually united into a cohesive force.

"Where is your stronghold? How many people are left?" Lin Yu pressed.

"On the mountain ridge fifty miles from here," Blood Blade said, panting heavily, "this time, they sent out all their forces, leaving only a few henchmen to guard the stronghold."

Lin Yu nodded, then turned and ordered, "Properly dispose of the bodies of our fallen brothers, and transport them back to their hometowns for burial after the war. As for these bandits," he glanced at the corpses scattered on the ground, "bury them on the spot."

The soldiers moved swiftly. Once the burial was complete, Lin Yu mounted his horse: "All troops, listen to my command! Target: Blood Blade Stronghold!"

Blood Blade Stronghold was entrenched in an abandoned ancient temple, surrounded by a fence made of thick logs, forming a stronghold that was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Zhao Hu took the lead, smashing open the heavy wooden door with a single palm strike. Before the few henchmen left behind could react, they were knocked to the ground.

"Search their warehouses," Lin Yu ordered.

Five elite soldiers stormed into the temple like wolves and tigers, quickly discovering a large box with an iron plate and a copper lock in the cellar. When the box was carried to the temple square, Zhao Hu cleaved the lock open with a single stroke of his sword—

"Wow!"

The dazzling golden light burst forth under the blazing sun, blinding everyone.

"Ding-dong, ding-dong."

The box contained over two hundred small, pure gold coins, each gleaming with a deep red luster. These were official gold coins minted by the Great Qian Dynasty! Commonly known as "gold cakes," each weighing one tael.

"Hiss—" Zhao Hu gasped. "At market price, one tael of pure gold is worth fifteen taels of silver, so this is more than three thousand taels of silver!"

Besides these small gold-plated cakes, there was a stack of silver notes underneath. Lin Yu picked them up and examined them, discovering that they were all hundred-tael silver notes issued by the "Kunshan Bank" in various northern provinces, complete with anti-counterfeiting watermarks and secret marks, totaling as many as fifty notes!
"How did you get these things?" Lin Yu turned to look at Blood Blade, who was bound to the ground, his eyes flashing with cold light. "This box of valuables is worth eight thousand taels of silver, enough for you to retire from crime. Why are you still robbing and plundering?"

Blood Blade smiled bitterly: "That box of red gold was the money distributed by the chief to buy your lives, and the three thousand taels of silver notes were the deposit for intercepting and killing you."

Lin Yu nodded slightly. Indeed, a master of innate martial arts could at least serve as a captain or even a commander in the army, and the cost of hiring such a master was naturally considerable.

"My lord, we are now in your hands. What do you intend to do with us? We are merely following orders. We beg you to show mercy and spare our lives. If you have mercy on us, we are willing to serve as your slaves to repay your great kindness."

Seeing that Lin Yu was young but had extraordinary strength, Xue Dao had the idea of ​​joining his ranks.

"To be honest, I was originally an elder of the Yuanyue Sect in Yunzhou. Later, the imperial court banned martial arts sects. My sect leader had no way to get through to them and was unwilling to submit, so we were brutally wiped out by the imperial court."

Now that Your Excellency is tasked with eradicating the bandits of Yunshan, we are willing to serve you. With our experience in this area, we are confident we can lend Your Excellency a helping hand and save you a lot of trouble.

These past years as a bandit, living in constant fear and on the edge of a knife, is really not a long-term solution. It's better to follow the master, fight on the battlefield one day, and maybe even earn a good future.”

"Take him back for treatment first," Lin Yu said calmly, "and we'll see how you perform in the future."

Blood Blade was overjoyed and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Your subordinate will swear to be loyal to you to the death!"

Zhao Hu leaned closer and whispered, "My lord, this man is fickle."

"It's alright." Lin Yu's lips curled up slightly. A Xiantian Martial Master is still quite valuable at this stage, and if used properly, they can play a significant role in the upcoming battles.

Regardless of this person's true nature in the future, once Lin Yu learns the Divine Soul Secret Technique, he will naturally be reformed.

Upon returning to the camp, Lin Yu immediately arranged for Ye Han to lead several elite soldiers to secretly investigate the movements of the Eighteen Fortresses of Yunshan.

A strange fragrance wafted through the sealed room, sweet as aged honey, invigorating the senses. Xiao Dezi carefully carried in a jade bowl filled with amber-like, viscous liquid that gleamed with a white jade-like luster in the candlelight.

"Your Highness, this is the 'Snow Ginseng Nourishing Viscera Paste' that has just been delivered."

Lin Yu's eyes flickered slightly. This item was made from a secret recipe obtained by the royal family from the Medicine Buddha Hall when they destroyed the Great Zen Temple. It uses a snow ginseng from the Great Snow Mountain as the main ingredient, which can cleanse the internal organs and strengthen the internal organs, and has a miraculous effect on cultivating internal organs.

He sat cross-legged and drank the ointment in one gulp. Instantly, a cool sensation spread from his abdomen, seeping into his internal organs like a gentle stream.

"Whoosh—" Lin Yu rose and practiced the martial arts from the "Book of Creation," his movements as fluid as flowing water. The temperature in the secret room rose sharply, as if a furnace had been placed there. Each of his breaths was as long and drawn out as a dragon's roar, and his blood and qi surged like a river beneath his skin.

Under the influence of the medicine, he could clearly feel the subtle changes in his internal organs—his stomach was moving more powerfully, his heart was beating more steadily, and his lungs were expanding more fully.
Ten days of arduous practice, day and night without rest.

That day, Lin Yu suddenly took a deep breath, and nine muffled, thunderous sounds came from his abdomen. Three breaths later, he exhaled sharply—

"laugh!"

A white streak shot out like a sword, leaving a mark about an inch deep on the stone wall!
"The innate realm!"

Lin Yu opened his eyes, his gaze gleaming with a sharp light. At this moment, his breathing was flowing smoothly through his internal organs, expelling the stale and taking in the fresh, his stamina was abundant, and his explosive power was several times stronger than before!
Although the essence of life has not changed, his perception of the changes in the world and himself is completely different. It is as if he has reached a new height, and the scene in front of him is like two completely different worlds compared with the past.

"Congratulations, Fourth Master, on entering the Innate Realm!" Upon hearing Lin Yu's long, deep breaths, Xiao Dezi quickly stepped forward and bowed to congratulate him. "Your breathing is smooth and efficient, allowing you to expel the old and take in the new, inhaling pure air and expelling waste gas. Your internal organs remain clean year-round, and your physical strength is boundless and profound!"

The Innate Realm is a watershed and turning point in martial arts cultivation, from the outside to the inside!

Upon reaching this level, martial artists can cleanse their internal organs of impurities through breathing exercises, resulting in a complete rejuvenation of their body, both inside and out. The circulation of Qi and blood further enhances the power of the digestive system, and the exhalation and vocalization amplify the power of their punches!

While wiping Lin Yu's body with a dry towel, Xiao Dezi excitedly said, "According to royal rules, those who reach the Innate Realm within a year of turning fifteen can be granted the title of Prince; if they reach the Grandmaster Realm, they can be promoted to Prince! Fourth Master has already broken through before he turned fifteen and has also made great contributions in suppressing bandits, so the imperial decree must be coming soon."

Lin Yu smiled calmly. He didn't care much about being granted the title of Prince. In any case, given Emperor Qian's character, even if he were granted the title of Prince, it would only mean that he would be competing with the Crown Prince and others.

The throne? That's a pipe dream.

Instead of doing that, he should focus on improving his strength. If he is strong enough, he can have anything he wants.

At the same time, he was also pondering the way forward. Although he was a giant elephant particle reincarnated into this world, it did not mean that he had lost contact with his original self in the world of Shrouding the Heavens.

The mark of the heavens connects existence and non-existence. He and the original body are completely one in mind. Moreover, time in the world of Shrouding the Heavens is also passing. It's just that the energy level of this world is lower, so time passes faster.

The cultivation of the Human Immortal Martial Arts focuses on Qi and Blood, seeking purity, and ultimately using the intent of the fist to control Qi and Blood, condense acupoints, and transform the rotten into the miraculous.

The Secret Realm Law is to open up the Sea of ​​Bitterness and tap into the divine power of the human body. This means that at the beginning of cultivation, one must skip the cultivation before becoming a Martial Saint and open an acupoint in the human body.

The subsequent opening of other secret realms and the cultivation of acupoints for immortals are similar, except that the secret realm method takes the five major secret realms as the main body, and the gate of the whole body's potential only exists as the foundational energy. The cultivation of acupoints for immortals, on the other hand, is to deeply develop the function of each acupoint. Each acupoint has its own spirit, and the two have a great complementary effect.

He had previously created a martial art that opened up the sea of ​​suffering. Now, having received the inheritance of the "Book of Creation," his own deductions have made it even more perfect. If he has enough comprehension and opportunity, it is not impossible that another person who has cultivated from a useless body to a great emperor will appear in the future.

After that, Lin Yu devoted himself to cultivation while also suppressing bandits. Ye Han was a local tyrant who had been entrenched in the area for many years, while Xue Dao was well-versed in the inner workings of the bandit world. The two worked together seamlessly and were unstoppable.

In a short time, most of the eighteen strongholds of Yunshan were wiped out, leaving only the last stronghold to put up a stubborn resistance. Lin Yu's military tactics were brilliant, winning battle after battle. In the Lianshan army camp, Shi Xiao slammed his fist on the table and exclaimed in admiration: "The Fourth Prince is not only exceptionally talented, but also a master of military command. He is truly a prodigy of the imperial family!"

An aide stepped forward and whispered, "General, the remaining bandits have retreated to Black Cloud Ridge. The terrain there is treacherous. Should we send reinforcements?"

A glint flashed in Shi Xiao's eyes, and he suddenly shouted, "Rock Guards, heed my command!"

"exist!"

A gigantic man clad in jet-black iron armor stepped through the door, resembling a moving small mountain. His aura was deep and imposing; he too was a master of the Innate Martial Master realm!

"Take the eighteen men of the Rocky Camp to the Fourth Prince's camp, and from now on, obey his orders," Shi Xiao said in a deep voice. "His orders are my orders!"

Jade City.

This is the center of the world, and it has always been well-informed. The news of the Fourth Prince immediately attracted attention from all sides. However, Emperor Qian has not yet made a statement, and everyone is unsure of his intentions, so they all remain inactive and wait and see.

To the east of the imperial city lies a vast expanse of magnificent palaces, their beauty breathtaking. The ground is paved with tribute bricks made from red clay, their black iron base shimmering with golden light, exuding an aura of nobility and mystery.

The hall was silent. The palace maids and eunuchs stood with their heads bowed, even their breathing was careful.

The crown prince sat upright on a crimson-gold chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrests. He wore a robe with four-clawed dragons embroidered with gold, and a crimson-gold crown. His eyelids shimmered with a deep purple when he lowered his eyes, exuding an imposing aura without anger.

Upon hearing the report about "a martial arts master under the age of fifteen who is at the innate level," the Crown Prince slowly uttered eight words: "Pay close attention and report back constantly."

The eunuch dared not say another word and silently withdrew. The candlelight flickered in the hall, casting an unpredictable expression on the crown prince's face.

(End of this chapter)