I am a high-level martial arts master.

The commotion at Jingpo Lake Manor had not yet subsided, and the deafening cheers still reverberated around the arena.

Ye Li stood in the center, his inner lining stained with the dust of battle and a few bloodstains, but under the watchful eyes of everyone, his profound and dignified demeanor became even more prominent.

He calmed the surging blood in his body and walked to the awards ceremony.

To his slight surprise, the person who personally carried the prize onto the stage was not Si Zheng, who was hosting the competition, but Zhong Lang.

He then realized what was happening.

As the city lord of Yan City, it is perfectly normal for Zhong Lang to present the award locally.

The city lord, usually so dignified, now wore an undisguised look of amazement and a complex smile as he walked steadily toward him. "Nephew Ye!" Zhong Lang's voice boomed, clearly piercing through the noise in the room.

He stopped in front of Ye Li, his eyes filled with emotion: "Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Today's battle has truly broadened my horizons and left me in awe!" "You possess such strength at such a young age; your future as a Xiantian (a highly promising individual) is truly bright!"

Zhong Lang never expected that the young man whom Li Laogui had entrusted to him would win the championship in this Ten Cities Grand Competition.

"But... won't people think it's a cover-up?" Zhong Lang thought to himself, but quickly realized he was overthinking it.

Who could pull off such a shady scheme to create a monster who, after only six months of cultivation and perfected body tempering, could dominate his peers?

Zhong Lang composed himself and solemnly waved his hand.

Three servants dressed in close-fitting clothes, each carrying a jade box of different sizes and styles, walked steadily to stand behind him.

The moment the jade box appeared, the entire arena fell silent. Envy, jealousy, greed, awe... all sorts of burning gazes were fixed upon it as if they were real. Everyone knew that any one of the three boxes was a treasure that would make countless martial artists fight tooth and nail for it.

Zhong Lang, with a solemn expression, personally opened the first jade box.

Inside the box, on a velvet cushion, lay a perfectly round golden pill, the size of a longan.

The surface of the elixir shimmered with a radiant glow, as if a misty, rosy light was contained within it, emitting a gentle yet pure and unique medicinal fragrance.

"This is the Heaven-Mending Pill!" Zhong Lang's voice was solemn:

"This pill is the pinnacle of alchemy in our Great Xia Dynasty. It is a divine pill that was refined by gathering the essence of heaven and earth, drawing upon the spiritual energy of the earth's veins, and expending countless efforts." "When a martial artist takes it, the medicinal power will integrate into their heart and meridians, circulating throughout their body day and night with their blood and qi, cleansing their marrow and fundamentally improving their aptitude."

"Seven days later, the medicinal effects will be fully realized. Its benefits will not only extend to body tempering and advancing to the Acquired Realm, but will also provide tremendous assistance in breaking through to the Innate Realm!"

"If you only supplement what's innate, then the effect is probably not very good..."

Ye Li was somewhat disappointed, but he also understood that a pill made by a mere alchemist from the Xia Dynasty, which could be used to reward body-tempering martial artists, could hardly be used in the later stages of the game.

In this world where terms are paramount, terms are always the most fundamental and powerful element!

Even the most basic white attribute, even if it only increases strength by 10%, is a lifelong, constant gain calculated according to the base ratio! This applies to everyone, whether you are a Body Tempering cultivator, Acquired, Innate, Grandmaster, or Martial Saint.

As long as you possess this entry, it's like a perpetual motion machine, consistently granting you a 10% power boost.

The only differences between the entries are in their function and multiplier.

The white attribute in the Martial Saint's hand definitely increases power more than the purple attribute on the Body Tempering body, but the attribute should still be given as much as it is supposed to.

These pills, supposedly refined by alchemists, might be more effective than some green-attribute pills in the early stages, but their effects could become negligible in the later stages. Therefore… naturally, some people have found another way: transforming human essence into treasure, directly refining the attributes.

The inscriptions on a martial artist's body are extracted and refined into treasures; this type of weapon is called a "sacrificial artifact"!

However, this method is against the natural order and extremely difficult.

Let alone blue entries, even with Xia Kingdom's methods, they can only barely refine some green entries with rather poor effects.

Zhong Lang closed the first jade box and gestured for the attendant to step forward and open the second, narrow jade box.

The moment the box lid was opened, a sharp, cold light suddenly burst forth, almost piercing the air.

Inside the box lay a long sword with an ancient design. The blade had a strange dark silver color, like solidified moonlight. The edge was as thin as a cicada's wing, and its sharpness was menacing.

Even more peculiar is that there are faint, ripple-like patterns slowly flowing across the blade.

"This is the 'Sword in the Cup'!"

Zhong Lang's voice carried a hint of arrogance: "This is no ordinary weapon; it is a 'sacrificial artifact'!"

He deliberately emphasized the words "sacrificial vessel," causing another stir among the audience.

Zhong Lang leaned slightly forward and used his profound inner strength to secretly transmit his voice to Ye Li, saying, "This was extracted from the body of a serious criminal who carried the attribute [Green - Snake in the Cup], supplemented with precious materials such as black iron, spirit steel, and mithril, and was painstakingly refined by a top-notch weapon craftsman."

"As long as this sword is placed in different mediums, during battle, it can cause the enemies who are injured to have corresponding illusions about the medium, thus confusing the existence of the medium." Ye Li reached out and gently brushed his fingertips across the cool spine of the sword.

A strange and faint energy fluctuation emanated from his fingertips, carrying a chilling and eerie feeling.

The effect of "a snake reflected in a cup" sounds quite mysterious, but it has considerable limitations in actual combat. It requires the preparation of a medium in advance, and the illusion effect varies from person to person. However, the sword itself is made of extraordinary materials, sharp and sturdy, far surpassing ordinary weapons. It can also be infused with internal energy, which alone makes it a rare and formidable weapon.

Ye Li thought to himself, "At least it's a good sword that I can handle."

Finally, Zhong Lang's gaze fell on the third, unadorned jade box.

He opened the box, inside lay a thread-bound ancient book, its cover bearing three ancient and powerful characters: "Yi Sui Jing" (易髓经). The city lord said, "This is the scripture for improving aptitude. This scripture is profound and difficult, requiring extremely high comprehension, and the cultivation process is lengthy and slow to show results." "More importantly, this scripture is bound by a spiritual contract, meaning it can only be comprehended by the recipient. Once it has been read, it will self-destruct, making it impossible to pass on orally or in person." Speaking of this technique, Zhong Lang's tone became much calmer.

Compared to the immediate effects of the Heaven-Mending Pill and the Cup Shadow Sword, the effects of the Yi Sui Jing are generally mediocre.

Whether the power to change one's aptitude is strong or not is another matter, and whether one can actually master it is yet another.

Even if successfully refined, the final effect would likely be only roughly equivalent to the "Heaven-Mending Pill".

But for Ye Li, the most important thing on this trip was this secret manual, which he grabbed and refined in an instant.

A minute later, as Ye Li finished reading the last page of the book, the words instantly blurred and turned to ashes. A message appeared in his mind: "You have completed reading the *Yi Sui Jing*, gaining +1 comprehension."

"Yi Sui Jing (1/500)"

In an instant, Ye Li felt his meridians open up, and his body seemed to undergo some different changes.

"It seems I can prepare to break through to the Acquired Realm..." Ye Li thought to himself.

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