Chapter 49: Breaking Free

An unusual surge of exhilaration welled up in Tong Jin’s heart, causing him to burst into a loud, unrestrained laugh. It was an eruption, an emotional outpouring long suppressed deep within his soul finally finding release. That laughter came with great difficulty, forged through countless bitter grievances. From the depths of his fourteen-year-old heart arose a complex feeling beyond words, which at this moment could only be vented through laughter.

Shan Hu gazed gravely at the boy before him. Though Tong Jin posed no significant threat to him now, if Tian Feng Fairy were to join, he would stand no chance of gaining the upper hand. After much thought, Shan Hu decided to assign someone to keep watch over Tong Jin while he sought counsel from Yin Sha for a strategy. Gritting his teeth, he turned and swiftly vanished into the dense forest.

Tian Feng Fairy watched Shan Hu’s retreat with a flicker of doubt in her eyes, her brows knitting slightly as she mused that he must be seeking reinforcements. Then she flew swiftly to Tong Jin’s side and beckoned him to leave. The two then sped off in the opposite direction from where Shan Hu had disappeared.

Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, Sun Tianchang’s face was cold and stern as he looked at the steadily gathering members of his gang. “Report to the leader, there’s no sign of him there either!” Those who had been scouring the palace gradually returned, all searching the last few places without finding their target. Even Pan Tianlong and Jin Bu, both anxious, clenched their fists so tightly their palms were damp with sweat.

“Leader! He’s nowhere to be found!” The last of the searchers reported back, and Sun Tianchang’s expression darkened further. “Shennongzi, where on earth have you hidden him?”

Shennongzi slowly opened his eyes, and a fierce aura immediately spread out. “You’ve searched everywhere. What, are you trying to accuse this old man of harboring him?” With these words, his intense energy erupted fully, revealing cultivation almost reaching the Divine Transformation realm. Sun, Pan, and Jin each mobilized their inner power to resist the overwhelming pressure, but dozens behind them, lacking sufficient strength, suddenly buckled and collapsed.

Sun Tianchang snorted coldly, unleashing his true qi to disperse Shennongzi’s aura. Instantly, the gang members felt lighter, but their eyes held nothing but fear as they looked at Shennongzi.

Calm once more, Shennongzi said, “You should withdraw. Don’t disturb this old man’s moment of appreciation.” With that, he turned and slowly walked away.

“Brother Sun, I don’t see that little Tian Feng here either. Do you think…” Pan Tianlong whispered.

Sun Tianchang’s eyes flashed with sudden realization. How could he have overlooked this? That little Tian Feng must have already taken him away. Clenching his fists, he swung them fiercely through the air and shouted angrily, “Let’s go! Follow me and give chase!”

Tian Feng Fairy and Tong Jin sprinted relentlessly, covering more than ten miles before finally stopping at the edge of a cliff.

“You actually reached the peak of the Qi Transformation realm at such a time?” Tian Feng panted as she asked.

Tong Jin scratched his head and smiled. “The sword was practically at my throat, and somehow I just broke through to the Qi Transformation perfect stage.” Deep down, Tong Jin knew his breakthrough was entirely thanks to the Angry Sun Palm technique. What he did not realize was that even with years of cultivation, others might not succeed so quickly. The true reason for his rapid progress lay in his unique constitution.

Tian Feng naturally understood Tong Jin’s vague answer. The boy before her harbored many secrets she dared not probe. So she said simply, “Little brother, I’ll see you off here. The path ahead is yours alone to walk.”

Tong Jin, not one for long farewells, steadied his emotions and bowed deeply. “Sister Tian Feng, Tong Jin takes his leave here.”

Watching the boy fade into the distance, Tian Feng felt an inexplicable stirring in her heart. Shaking her head as if to dispel the strange feeling, she turned and flew toward the holy capital.

Having gained great power, Tong Jin’s pace quickened beyond all comparison. Within half a day, he had traveled over a hundred miles. Exhausted, he finally stopped by a clear pool of water.

“Ha!” Relishing the coolness of the water, Tong Jin stripped and plunged in.

Night fell, and distant howls echoed through the valley. The enticing aroma of freshly grilled fish crackling over a campfire made Tong Jin’s mouth water. He devoured his meal greedily, rubbed his full stomach contentedly, then extinguished the fire and lay down, though sleep eluded him.

Scenes from recent days flooded his mind. Sitting up, he retrieved two ancient books from his bosom and caressed them in his hands. “Tomorrow, I’ll find a place to settle and study the Angry Sun Palm and alchemy techniques properly,” he resolved.

The next day at noon, nearly a hundred miles west, Tong Jin discovered a vast rift in the earth. Its terrain bore a striking resemblance to the Medicine Valley, and he immediately knew this was the place.

He chose a concealed spot halfway up the mountain. With his palms, he carved the stone wall as if cutting tofu, quickly leveling a platform. Then, with one surge of effort, he hollowed out a stone cave three or four meters deep and tall enough for one and a half people. Satisfied, he clapped his hands and stepped onto the platform in front of the cave, pulling out the two books.

The Angry Sun Palm technique, once discarded like waste paper, was now something Tong Jin would fiercely protect if anyone dared to steal it.

Flipping open the pages again, the character for “Anger” caught his eye, stirring that strange sensation once more—a contradictory feeling. At first glance, the character conveyed fury, but then it gave rise to a thought of laughing in the face of rage. It was a familiar feeling, one he had experienced the moment he broke through and comprehended the Angry Sun Palm.

Curious, he turned to the next page, where the character “Sun” appeared, bringing the same paradoxical sensation. Tong Jin pondered, “If it conveys contradiction, then the ‘Sun’ must contain ‘Yin’ within it. But how does this relate to the Angry Sun Palm…” After much thought, he still had no answer, so he closed the book and rested it on his knee.

He then opened the alchemy manual given by Shennongzi. It was clearly authored by Shennongzi himself, the handwriting neat and imbued with a transcendental, Taoist aura.

The book described three types of pills: the Qi Gathering Pill, used by those below the Divine Transformation realm to enhance their inner strength; the Instant Birth Pill, which could instantly awaken a cultivator’s potential, granting a temporary boost in power; and the third, the Earth Spirit Immortal Pill, which Tong Jin already possessed—a remedy for all poisons and capable of nourishing various exotic insects.

Tong Jin was most interested in the first two, while the Earth Spirit Pill seemed somewhat superfluous to him. He began reading the manual carefully from the beginning.

Alchemy required a furnace, and the alchemist had to control the flame, melting the spiritual herbs in sequence according to the recipe. Only when the fusion was successful could a batch of spiritual pills be produced. Pills were graded into three tiers: lower, middle, and upper. The same pill would appear black at the lower tier, dark yellow at the middle, and golden yellow at the highest.

Reading this, Tong Jin curiously took out the Earth Spirit Immortal Pills Shennongzi had gifted him. He poured two onto his palm and was greeted by a pleasant, refreshing aroma. Their dark yellow color confirmed Shennongzi’s skill; even his casual gifts were of middle-tier quality.

Encouraged, Tong Jin read on. The flame for alchemy was divided into acquired fire and innate fire. Acquired fire was the ordinary flame used for daily burning, while innate fire was a rare vapor born of heaven and earth’s creation, including types such as the Earth’s Core Fire and Thunderbolt Fire.

What excited Tong Jin most was that among the innate fires was one generated by the innate mysterious Yang body—a mysterious Yang flame produced through inner power!