"N-no... no... DON’T!"
When the water clock announced 3:00 AM, its sound piercing through Yufu Hall, Princess Ling Yi’s shrill scream startled the roosting birds in the courtyard. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought she was being assaulted.
However, compared to having her vast collection of treasures plundered, Princess Ling Yi might have preferred being assaulted.
These were all things she had "borrowed," bit by bit, over many years—no, that’s not right, they were things she had *accumulated*. Now, they had been stolen clean. How could she not be furious?
She stood barefoot in the center of Yufu Hall, her rouge-colored, cloud-patterned nightgown soaked with morning dew, clinging to her exquisitely curved figure.
Her Gilded Armor dug deep into her palms, and blood dripped from between her fingers onto the gold-threaded carpet, mixing with the wine spilled from the day before.
"Who did this? Who did this!"
Her voice no longer sounded human, but like the mournful cry of a wounded firebird.
The beaded tassels of the Golden Phoenix Hairpin in her hair had long since scattered, rolling amidst the wreckage of precious treasures on the floor.
Of her most prized possession, the Fire Phoenix Glazed Vase, only the base now stood forlornly on the antique shelf. The crimson radiance that once coiled around its body was gone forever.
Her personal Nanny timidly held out an inventory list. "Your Highness, the thousand-year-old ginseng, the Dragon Elephant Blood Coagulation Pills, the Thousand-year-old Reishi... they’re all gone. And also..." The old servant’s voice grew quieter and quieter as Princess Ling Yi’s face turned paler and paler.
"Pfft—"
The rest of the words went unsaid, because Princess Ling Yi could no longer bear the blow. She spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and collapsed, having literally been angered to the point of vomiting blood.
"The Princess is coughing up blood! Summon the Imperial Physician, quickly!"
"Your Highness, are you all right? Please, don’t scare us!"
"What are you standing there for? Get the Princess onto the chaise lounge!"
Yufu Hall descended into chaos. Palace Maids, nannies, eunuchs... all rushed over.
The news spread through the Imperial Palace with astonishing speed. However, upon hearing it, many of the Princes and Princesses showed no concern and instead gloated over her misfortune.
"Haha! I never thought Xia Lingyue would see a day like this. She’s borrowed so many things from me over the years and hasn’t returned a single one."
"Serves her right. She’s always borrowing things and never returning them. Getting cleaned out like this is just karma."
"It must have been one of her victims, someone she borrowed from and never paid back. They must have gotten fed up and stole her treasures. Who else would do something like this?"
"Hasn’t Xia Lingyue always been so guarded? To think something like this could still happen... it’s killing me, I’m laughing so hard."
Amidst the gloating discussions in the other palaces, a large group of Famous Constables entered Yufu Hall. Unfortunately, they found no clues.
Under the effect of his Mental Force Field, Xia Wuyang had been able to clearly detect any trace he left and erase it completely, avoiding detection.
Besides, no one suspected the decrepit old Crown Prince. After all, he was ancient and wasn’t even an Entry Level Martial Artist. How could he possibly steal Princess Ling Yi’s treasures?
Even though the two had just had a conflict, no one suspected him.
At this very moment, Xia Wuyang was still lounging comfortably on his chaise lounge, watching a peerless beauty from the Fox Race dance gracefully below. He savored the grapes and peaches offered by a Qiuci Dancer, feeling so blissful he almost lost track of where he was.
The Qi and Blood Power within his body was still circulating, polishing his Cultivation Foundation to a state of absolute perfection. In a few more days, he would be able to consume the next dose of Celestial Water Essence and attempt to break through to the Fourth Grade Realm.
Even with a large number of Famous Constables on the case, Princess Ling Yi did not recover her treasures. They couldn’t find even a single trace of the thief.
Meanwhile, the culprit, Xia Wuyang, felt his Spiritual Power steadily increasing. The seven related aspects were also continuously improving, especially his Comprehension, which was of immense help to his cultivation and breakthroughs.
His superior Spiritual Power also allowed him to better control the Qi and Blood Power in his body, to the point where it moved as an extension of his will. He could direct every last wisp of Qi Blood according to his thoughts, which would produce astonishing results whether he was fighting an enemy or breaking through a bottleneck.
Several days later, Xia Wuyang had polished his Cultivation Realm to perfection and was about to attempt a breakthrough to the next level.
After lulling all the beautiful ladies to sleep, he activated his Mental Force Field and slipped silently into the Practice Room.
He sat cross-legged, the Qi Blood in his body surging like a tide, accompanied by the sounds of a Dragon’s Roar and Tiger’s Howl.
Before him sat a crystalline Jade Bottle. Inside it swirled the azure Celestial Water Essence, which, under the candlelight, looked as if a Star River was drifting within.
’The Fourth Grade Organ Refining Realm...’
A smile touched Xia Wuyang’s lips. He never would have thought that just over a month after awakening his Seven-Aperture Exquisite Talent, he would not only have recovered his Cultivation but also be on the verge of breaking through to the Fourth Grade Realm.
A fiery glint flashed in his eyes. The Organ Refining Realm was an extremely important step in the Martial Dao. Once the five major organs were refined, one’s Qi Blood would become as deep and long-lasting as a dragon or a tiger, granting unimaginable stamina.
Without further hesitation, he tilted his head back and consumed the entire bottle of Celestial Water Essence.
"BOOM—"
A vast medicinal power instantly entered his body like a raging tide, storming and roaring through Xia Wuyang’s system.
His Dragon and Tiger Qi Blood began to surge rapidly, and the bones throughout his body underwent their final tempering.
A moment later, he reached the Realm of Perfection and could begin to assault the bottleneck.
He circulated his Dragon Tiger Fist to its absolute limit, continuously absorbing the medicinal power of the Celestial Water Essence and accumulating strength, preparing to break the bottleneck.
Before long, Xia Wuyang had gathered enough power.
"RUMBLE—"
His Qi Blood was like a sharp blade and the medicinal power like a pointed awl, slicing away at the bottleneck inside his body bit by bit.
Soon, his muscles and bones began to hum in unison, emitting a series of crisp, popping sounds.
Amidst a series of rumbles, the barrier to the Fourth Grade Realm was broken.
He hadn’t encountered much resistance, mainly because his Foundation was solid enough and his Spiritual Power was immensely formidable.
However, the true test had only just begun!
Breaking through the bottleneck was only the first step. Next, he needed to temper and strengthen his five major organs.
His Dragon and Tiger Qi Blood and the remaining Celestial Water Essence surged into his five major organs, beginning to wash over them.
The importance of the five major organs was well-known, and tempering them required extreme caution, as the slightest mistake could cause permanent damage.
But if the tempering was successful, it would bring astonishing benefits to the organs—or rather, to the Martial Artist themselves.
Not only would it greatly increase a Martial Artist’s stamina, but it would also have an amazing effect on increasing their lifespan.
While tempering and strengthening his five major organs, Xia Wuyang was exceptionally careful. He exerted his Spiritual Power—dozens of times stronger than an ordinary person’s—to its absolute limit, controlling every wisp of Qi Blood and every drop of Celestial Water Essence. He slowly tempered and enhanced his organs, not daring to be the least bit careless.
If he encountered even the slightest abnormality, he would immediately stop, investigate it thoroughly, and only then continue the tempering and strengthening process to avoid damaging his organs.
If that happened, forget about continuing his cultivation—just repairing the damage would take an enormous amount of time and would have a huge impact on his progress.

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