It took Yang Ze a few hours to finish those books.
"Phew." Closing the last page of the last book, Yang Ze rubbed the corner of his eyes before recalling everything that he had read.
Yuyang city, where he currently lives, was located at the very start of the northern mountain range. No one knew exactly how far that mountain range stretched, and to date, no one has been able to cross it... It just never ends.
Yuyang city had four additional towns in its vicinity, and all of them were dependent on each other for trade and numerous other things.
Amongst these five cities and towns, Yuyang city was the biggest with a population of over a million people.
Other than these five places, there were numerous small towns and cities, and all of them fell under the Yan Kingdom, which was protected by the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Bordering the Yan kingdom was the Qin Kingdom that had a similar regional structure, and just like the Yang Kingdom, it too was protected by a mighty sect known as the Duality Sect.
Together, these four powers keep each other in check.
Although there were constant struggles between these four powers, there was never a situation where they all went to a full-blown war.
And all of these cities, towns, sects and kingdoms were located in the Azure Dragon Continent.
Thinking till here, Yang Ze took a deep breath. Although there were numerous other kingdoms, cities and sects mentioned in the books, he didn't think too hard about them.
As for the so-called ruins... those are the remnants of the once mighty powers that ceased to exist. There were all kinds of opportunities inside, but also dangers.
Any of those ruins was enough to cause a bloodbath. And now that one had appeared in the Qin Kingdom, it was hard to say what the future of Qin and the Yan Kingdom was going to be.
"Doesn't matter to me." Shaking his head, Yang Ze threw out all those distracting thoughts. No matter how powerful or heaven-defying those opportunities might be, could they be as powerful as his system?
He then focused on the power structure of this world and finally had a complete understanding. Though the realms weren't described in detail and only consisted of names and general information, for the current Yang Ze, it was more than enough.
As usual, the first realm was Body refining. Once in this realm, people could apply for the position of guards in big families or small towns. These were also the foot soldiers of the kingdom.
The second realm was pulse opening. Cultivators of this realm were treated much better than body refiners and were often in charge of a town's security. Even in the army, these people were appointed as captains, controlling the life and death of thousands of soldiers.
The third realm was foundation forging, and those in this realm were considered masters and were often tasked with heavy responsibilities. Usually, only the elders of big families and the core members of a kingdom were in this realm.
Then there was the fourth realm, Vein expansion... Those in this realm could already establish their families and, in some cases, could proclaim a piece of land and claim themselves royalty.
As for the fifth realm, which was considered Core condensation... These powerhouses have long since shed their mortal coils. Not only could they live up to the age of three hundred years, but they also have the power to massacre entire cities. It is said that cultivators in this realm could already control the elements.
Then there was the sixth realm, which was known as Soul tempering. Usually, only elders of the mighty sects were in this realm. Rumours are that soul tempering powerhouses could destroy entire kingdoms with ease.
The seventh realm was called Heaven step, and those in this realm were already outside the scope of one's understanding. No one knows what these beings were capable of.
The eighth and final realm was known as Saint. No one knew if this realm truly existed or not. A majority of cultivators even debated that there was no eighth realm. But from the written records recovered from old ruins, there is indeed an eighth realm. But till now, no one had seen it.
Yang Ze just sat in silence for a long time. The more he understood about this world, the more powerless he found himself to be.
Other than humans, there were also all kinds of monsters, ghosts and evils that constantly roam the world.
"What a pain." If not for the fact that he was in an unfamiliar place, he would have immediately started to cultivate. The little bit of security that he felt earlier was now gone after reading those books.
As for the martial arts books... He didn't understand any of them. There were dense pictures and a set of breathing as well as movement diagrams, but he couldn't understand anything. It was just way too complicated.
"Wait... Why not try enlightenment on these martial arts?" Since he couldn't cultivate for now, he could try his enlightenment state in the martial arts.
Without wasting any moment, he immediately picked up the book that he wanted to learn the most.
These were a set of fist techniques which were divided into three grades. The first grade was when your fists would turn black every time you strike, doubling one's punching strength.
The second grade was when a shadow of the black tiger would manifest while performing these techniques, tremendously increasing one's strength.
The third and final grade was when one could manifest a complete black tiger. At that moment, one wouldn't be fighting against a human, but against a ferocious tiger.
Although this technique is only divided into three grades, only a handful of the most powerful people in the Yan kingdom have managed to reach the second grade.
As for the third grade... Even the mighty sects don't have anyone who has practised it to the third stage.
When Yang Ze bought this technique, the shopkeeper repeatedly warned him about that. He also showed many different techniques that could be practised easily. But how could Yang Ze allow it? Just because others can't do it, doesn't mean he can't do it.
With the enlightenment state, he just took a cursory glance and remembered every single word and drawing in the book. In a trance, he even began to practice it according to the book.
Seconds turned into minutes as he quietly practised those techniques. There wasn't any earth-shattering sound or wind blowing from his fists. Instead, it looked like those health-preserving exercises.
And just when his enlightenment was about to end, his body trembled as his hands turned black at a rapid pace. But it wasn't just skin tone that changed; instead, it was as if he had dipped both his hands into black paint.
He could feel his strength increasing at a rapid pace. He even had a feeling that if he were to throw this punch, this entire room would crumble into dust.
Of course, he wasn't stupid enough to do it.
After the enlightenment ended, Yang Ze was ecstatic to find that he had already stepped into the first stage. He was sure that in the future, he would definitely be able to step into the third realm that no one has been able to reach.
Humming a tune with a smile on his face, he finally closed his eyes and fell asleep. With the three bottles of Pulse Opening pills, coupled with his enlightenment state... the future was brighter than ever.
-------------
In the morning, everyone from the caravan gathered before heading back to Yuyang city.
Surprisingly, Lin Wan seemed to be in a cheerful mood. Perhaps it was because of successfully completing the task, or perhaps for any other reason. Her mood only brightened once she saw an unfamiliar face in the crowd. How could she not recognise who it was?
With him in her grasp, it won't be long before she gets her revenge.
After bidding farewell to the respective Lin family members, the caravan finally left Feiyang City.
Even though Yang Ze only lived here for a day, he was already beginning to miss it.
The caravan followed the exact same route. Unlike before, there weren't any bandits jumping out to block their way.
Their peaceful journey lasted for quite a while. And just when they were about to reach Yuyang City, an accident occurred.
"WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?" Looking at the women clad in black standing in the middle of the road, blocking their path, one of the guards asked in a cold voice.
"Don't you know this is the caravan of the Lin family?"
As they were already in the vicinity of Yuyang City, the guards weren't afraid of any conflicts. A few of them even hoped to get into a fight.
But before the guard could even finish her sentence, one of the black clothed females disappeared from her position before appearing behind the guard.
"What the..." Before the guard could even react, a light flashed, and her head flew up in the air.
"..."
"..."
"...."
"AAAAAHHHHH!" It took a moment for others to realise what had just happened.
With loud screams, they already began to scatter like chickens. In their eyes, the guards were the most powerful existence they had ever seen. They could kill bandits as easily as drinking water. And now these very same guards were killed in the flash of an eye... How could they stay calm?
Yang Ze, who was watching it all from the carriage, felt a chill in his heart. He couldn't help but curse Lin Wan's eighteen generations in his mind. Not only did this woman take advantage of him, but she also put him in such a life-and-death situation.
The women in black didn't pay any attention to the people running around. Their entire focus was on the luxurious carriage, as if they already had a target in mind.
"Who are you?" With a cold voice, the carriage opened, and from it, Lin Wan walked out, carrying a thin, long sword. Unlike before, her expression this time was terrifyingly calm, and her eyes were filled with murderous intention.
How could she not understand that she was being targeted?
"Do you know who you're up against?" She spoke again, hoping to threaten them, but none of the women spoke.
"Good." Lin Wan didn't waste another word with them. Taking a step forward, she rushed forward as her sword began to glow. And just when she was a meter away from them, she slashed out, sending a thin white light that cut through everything in its path.
Unfortunately for her, before her slash could even touch one of the women, they disappeared.
Lin Wan's eyes widened in shock as she looked around frantically. With a cold sweat dripping from her forehead, her heart was already beating furiously. She couldn't believe that right after she stepped into the Vein Expansion realm, she would face the ambush of such powerhouses.
"Damn it." Lin Wan wanted to turn around and run. Yuyang City was just a few miles away from here. Once she managed to get there, these people wouldn't be able to do anything against her.
She didn't even have time to pay attention to Yang Ze. At the moment, the biggest priority was to save her own life.
But before she could run, she felt the presence of a few people behind her.
"Damn it." Lin Wan was about to make another slash behind her. But before she could do it, one of the women hit her wrist, disarming her completely.
Losing her sword, Lin Wan immediately reached for the ribbon around her waist, but halfway through, another woman had already grabbed her wrist, stopping her actions.
Before she had time to register what was going on, one of the women stood in front of her and threw red powder on her face.
With nowhere to run and being controlled by those women, Lin Wan could only watch helplessly as that red powder hit her face, and in that instant, she lost consciousness. Even while losing consciousness, she couldn't understand why such a thing would happen to her.
Grabbing the unconscious Lin Wan mid-air, the women in black didn't waste another second and disappeared from there.
The only person left behind at the scene, still watching, was Yang Ze, who just stood there with his eyes and mouth wide open.
"This... this..." He couldn't believe his good luck. That devil was gone just like that.
"Ha... HAHA... HAHAHAHHAHAAA..." Yang Ze couldn't help but burst out in laughter.
He had endured such humiliation from that wretched woman. He dreamt about escaping, but couldn't because of her overwhelming strength.
But who would have thought that happiness would come so suddenly?
For a moment, he even wanted to hug and thank those women in black personally for taking away that wretch.
He hurriedly looked around, hoping to find a way to escape.
And just when he was wondering if he should head to Yuyang city under this guise or should he head back to Feiyang city, he saw a figure in white rapidly making their way towards the caravan.
"What the..." Before he could even see who it was, the figure was already standing in front of the caravan.
"...." Looking at those perky breasts, those long legs and that slim waist as well as the white dress, Yang Ze rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
"Damn it. What is she doing here?" Just as he was complaining in his mind, he saw Lin Yue look in his direction with narrow eyes.
"....." Before he could react, he saw Lin Yue disappearing from her initial position and standing right in front of him.
Unlike her usual self, there was no smile on her face. Instead, it was filled with a chilling coldness.
"What happened?" Lin Yue's voice contained extreme killing intent. "Where is Wan'er?"
"...." Yang Ze didn't know whether to reply or not. While Lin Wan had strictly told him to act like a mute, it was before. Now that he was wearing a mask, he could perhaps act like a different person.
He was about to tell her what just happened when he listened to her next words.
"I know you are not mute, and neither is your jaw torn off. But if you don't give me an answer, I will personally make sure to do it."
Listening to her cold, murderous words, Yang Ze's heart chilled. He couldn't help but curse at his rotten luck. Just when he thought he was free from the clutches of that devil, another one came to replace her.
Gritting his teeth in desperation, he ultimately decided to tell her the truth.
"....." After listening to him, Lin Yue was silent for a long time. Even though she didn't show any expression, from the constant trembling and her clenching the sword, Yang Ze knew she was extremely angry.
"Good." These were the only words Lin Yue spoke before turning around and walking out.
"Finally..." And just when Yang Ze was about to jump in excitement due to his newly gained freedom, he saw Lin Yue stopping midway, turning around and speaking to him.
"Since Wan'er isn't here, I will make sure to take care of you." Even though she didn't know what it was about this man that Lin Wan liked, she still decided to take care of him. Regardless of his previous identity, he was likely a lover of Wan'er. And till she was found, she was going to take care of this man.
"This.... this...." Listening to her words, Yang Ze almost spurted a mouthful of blood.
He couldn't believe his rotten luck. Every time he was about to escape, something would go wrong.
Even though Lin Wan was gone, an even more problematic person has shown up. God knows what she was thinking about.
Yang Ze could only pray in his heart before following behind Lin Yue as the two of them made their way towards Yuyang City.