Chapter 39: The Treasure Map! Peak of the Tenth Level of the True Condensation Realm! The Withered Grass That Could Not Be Restored! Gu Yang had not limited his training in the Martial Pavilion to just sword and fist techniques. He had also practiced movement techniques and other martial skills. And all of these had been modified and enhanced by Gu Yang! Now, the depth of his abilities was unfathomable! Aside from sword and fist techniques… Even the newly learned Earth-rank lower-grade movement skill, Shadow Chasing Steps, had been directly refined to Earth-rank upper-grade! “Hah… What an incredible harvest.” Gu Yang couldn’t help but sigh in amazement. Indeed, spending an entire month in the Martial Pavilion learning and practicing techniques had been well worth it! Although his cultivation was only at the second level of the True Condensation Realm, in terms of actual combat strength… He might even be able to fight someone in the Core Formation Realm! Of course, Gu Yang wasn’t entirely sure how strong a Core Formation expert was, so the outcome would only be known after a real battle. Shaking his head, Gu Yang suddenly remembered the tattered scroll he had obtained from the bandits. Modifying it by a hundred years had produced no change. But now, he could modify it again, this time by a thousand years. Surely, there would be some transformation this time? At this thought, Gu Yang’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. With a thought, he retrieved the tattered scroll from his storage ring. Then, without hesitation, he modified it, setting the time to a thousand years ago! The moment the modification was complete, a pure white light enveloped the scroll. In the next instant, the light dissipated, revealing a yellowed parchment floating before him! Gu Yang’s eyes lit up. He quickly grabbed the parchment and examined it. It included the Chu Kingdom and all eight other kingdoms. But what shocked Gu Yang was how small the nine kingdoms appeared on the map. Beyond them were numerous other nations. This was a map of the entire Azure Domain? Gu Yang had never even seen a map of the Haonan Province, let alone one of the entire Azure Domain. He held a map that covered the whole domain? Just how powerful must the creator of this map have been? But soon, Gu Yang noticed something else. A red mark circled a specific region on the map, a location outside the nine kingdoms. “Could this be… a treasure map?” Staring at the marked area, Gu Yang’s curiosity surged. Though he wanted to investigate immediately… A glance at the distance made him grimace. Good grief, even with a flying ship, it would probably take months to get there! Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought. He didn’t even own a flying ship yet. Attempting such a journey now would likely take years. “But there will be opportunities in the future.” With a sigh, Gu Yang stored the map back in his storage ring. Then, he retrieved a withered grass. This was a medicinal herb he had taken from Yun Shan’s body. He had modified it before, but like the scroll, it had shown no reaction. Now, he felt a flicker of hope. If I modify this grass by a thousand years… will there be any change? With that thought, his eyes gleamed with anticipation. Without hesitation, he modified it, setting the time to a thousand years ago. The familiar white light enveloped the grass. But when the light faded… The herb remained exactly the same, still withered! “It was already a thousand years ago?” Gu Yang took a deep breath. He wasn’t disappointed. In fact, he was thrilled. The herb must have originated from an extremely ancient era. To have survived in this withered state for so long… Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦•𝘯𝘦𝘵 It had to be some kind of extraordinary treasure! Perhaps even tied to ancient secrets! Exactly what it was remained a mystery for now. “I’ll have to wait until I reach the Core Formation Realm to find out more.” His eyes gleaming, Gu Yang stored the withered grass back in his storage ring. “With my current talent… can I break through directly to the Core Formation Realm?” Gu Yang took a deep breath. Now came the real test! Back when he was in the Qi Gathering Realm, modifying his cultivation had allowed him to leap from the third level straight to the peak of the ninth level. Now, with the ability to modify by a thousand years… Could he jump from the second level of the True Condensation Realm directly to the Core Formation Realm? With this thought, he didn’t hesitate. “Modify my cultivation… setting the time to a thousand years later!” The instant he confirmed the modification… A white mist enveloped his entire body. In the next moment, his aura surged wildly! His cultivation skyrocketed like a blazing arrow! Third level of the True Condensation Realm… A thousand years of accumulated cultivation was unimaginable. Gu Yang could clearly feel his strength exploding upward, breaking through barriers at an insane pace. The sensation was intoxicating. He could feel his power multiplying, growing at a terrifying rate! He might actually reach the Core Formation Realm! But just as his cultivation reached the ninth level of the True Condensation Realm… The speed of his advancement slowed drastically. His cultivation settled at the tenth level of the True Condensation Realm, the absolute peak! Just one step away from the Core Formation Realm! Gu Yang exhaled, slightly disappointed. The true energy in his dantian had now reached its absolute limit, the pinnacle of the True Condensation Realm. The next step was the Core Formation Realm’s ability to condense true energy into a vortex, achieving endless regeneration. Clearly, he wasn’t quite there yet. “If my bone aptitude were stronger, I might have broken through.” Shaking his head, Gu Yang lamented his still-lacking talent. Even with a thousand years of cultivation… He hadn’t reached the Core Formation Realm. With slightly better aptitude, a thousand years would have been more than enough! Still, he was grateful. His bone aptitude had improved somewhat from before. Otherwise, without any enhancement… A thousand years of modification might have only pushed him up three or four minor levels. After all, it was common for cultivators to hit bottlenecks, spending decades stuck at a single level. Though he hadn’t broken through to the Core Formation Realm, his true energy was now incomparably dense and refined, far surpassing that of ordinary warriors at the same level. “I should conceal my cultivation for now.” With a thought, Gu Yang activated his Qi Concealment Art, suppressing his aura. Instantly, his apparent cultivation dropped. It stabilized at the third level of the True Condensation Realm. After all, only a month had passed since his return from the secret realm. If word got out that he had already reached the tenth level… It would raise far too many suspicions. In the secret realm, he could attribute it to fortuitous encounters. But such rapid progress in the outside world? That would be hard to explain. “As for Sword Intent and Fist Intent… I’ll wait a bit longer.”