Having gone through numerous life-and-death battles, Su Yu’s intuition had long since become as sharp as a wild beast’s.

The moment Cao Yuanshan was forced to retract his fist and form the Profound Serpent Coiling Formation to desperately defend his face, a savage glint flashed in Su Yu’s eyes.

He immediately changed his move to shatter the defense!

"Fierce Ape Splits the Mountain!"

All the major tendons in his body suddenly tensed. His left arm became like a giant battering ram, carrying a piercing sonic boom as it brutally slammed into the center of the gate formed by Cao Yuanshan’s crossed arms!

"BOOM!"

As the ferocious Ming Jin exploded, Cao Yuanshan felt as if his arms had been struck head-on by a rampaging ancient behemoth. Amidst the sickening crunch of cracking bone, the defensive stance he was so proud of was violently shattered, leaving his center wide open.

Just as horror and despair filled him, Su Yu’s right fist followed like a shadow!

"Mountain-Toppling Annihilation!"

The Qi and Blood in Su Yu’s body seemed to ignite completely at that moment. As he threw the punch, the air around his fist was compressed to an extreme, faintly distorting into the ferocious silhouette of a rampaging giant ape.

The heavy fist smashed, unimpeded and solid, into Cao Yuanshan’s wide-open chest!

A terrifying Penetration Power erupted like a volcano, instantly shattering all of Cao Yuanshan’s ribs. The violent, spiraling energy even burst out from his back, turning into a tangible shockwave that flattened the wild grass behind him and sent dirt flying!

Cao Yuanshan’s body stiffened, and he slowly lowered his head.

Looking at the horrifying, bloody hole in his chest—a gaping wound that went straight through him, a mess of flesh and gore—his eyes filled with disbelief. ’Me? A renowned mid-stage Flesh Refining Realm master, crushed and killed head-on in the most savage, brutal way possible by a junior who just broke through to the initial stage?’

"You... you... are you a man... or a monster..."

Filled with endless shock and unwillingness, Cao Yuanshan’s tall body crashed backward, kicking up a cloud of dust as all signs of life vanished.

Expressionless, Su Yu casually flicked his right hand, shaking off the bits of flesh and blood from his knuckles. He felt a new wisp of red baleful aura enter his body, then turned his head to look at Luo Yuan, who wasn’t far off.

He had to admit, the vitality of a Flesh Refining Realm Martial Artist was comparable to a cockroach’s. With his windpipe mostly crushed, Luo Yuan was somehow not quite dead yet, still gasping for his last breaths in a pool of blood. If left alone, with the absurd healing ability of the Flesh Refining Realm, he might have actually managed to cling to his worthless life.

Su Yu walked slowly to his side.

Luo Yuan’s face was ashen. Seeing Su Yu approach, he used all his strength to extend his left hand, his throat making the sound of a leaking bellows as he begged indistinctly, "Don’t... don’t kill me... I have... important... intelligence..."

"Speak!"

Luo Yuan desperately swallowed a mouthful of blood, forcing out the words intermittently, "Spirit... Spirit Tier treasured medicine... Deep in that whirlpool... there’s a great Spirit Tier medicine... requires... a special sacrificial method... to obtain..."

’Spirit Tier treasured medicine?’

Su Yu’s pupils contracted slightly.

Mortal Tier, Profound Tier, and above that is Spirit Tier!

Just what kind of great fortune was hidden beneath the death whirlpool in the depths of the Black Water River?

After all, Mortal Tier treasured medicines were already hard to find, and Profound Tier treasures were enough to make Forging Tendon, Profound Bone Realm, and even Divine Storage Realm masters fight over them. But as for the two words "Spirit Tier," Su Yu had never even heard of them!

’I don’t think Luo Yuan is lying to me right now,’ Su Yu thought. ’But a peerless treasure of this caliber is not something I’m qualified to covet. Forcing my way in would only lead to me being crushed to pieces.’

"Who is behind the Water Snake Gang? What other purpose do they have?"

Su Yu’s gaze was fixed on him. Right now, he was more interested in what was really going on with the Water Snake Gang.

Whether it was that map or the Water Snake Gang’s various abnormal actions, the waters here were clearly very deep.

Luo Yuan convulsed in pain, despair flashing in his eyes. "Spare... spare me... The master behind us... only Gang Leader Hong Lei knows... We were just... following orders..."

Hearing this, Su Yu’s hand chopped down like a sharp blade, cleanly severing Luo Yuan’s cervical spine.

’Since I can’t get anything useful out of him, keeping him alive is just a liability.’

As for the conspiracy behind the Water Snake Gang?

Su Yu didn’t feel he absolutely had to know!

In this dog-eat-dog world, the only truth was to constantly grow stronger. Once he reached a high enough realm, he could shatter any conspiracy or scheme with a single punch!

As Luo Yuan died, another surge of red baleful aura flowed into Su Yu’s body.

With two streams of baleful aura from Flesh Refining Realm experts entering his body, Su Yu immediately felt a change in the aura within him. What was once a small, fist-sized mass had now grown to the size of a human head.

’With this much accumulated baleful aura, I might be able to use it in actual combat!’

However, Su Yu didn’t experiment further. The most pressing matter was to loot the bodies!

The coldness in his eyes dissipated, replaced by a slight smile. Crime pays, as they say, and looting bodies had never disappointed him. Especially not when the bodies belonged to two fresh Flesh Refining Realm masters!

In just a moment, both corpses were picked clean.

’A full six thousand taels in silver notes! As expected of veteran Flesh Refining Realm masters, they carry thousands of taels on them so casually. And this high-grade Mortal Tier Dragon Blood Grass, a hot commodity for replenishing Qi and Blood. Plus these three or four bottles of high-quality healing and cultivation pills... all this together must be worth at least a thousand Snowflake Silver taels.’

’But this should be the most valuable thing!’

Su Yu took stock of his spoils with satisfaction, his gaze finally landing on a translucent, jade-like porcelain vial.

He uncorked it. Under the sunlight, the single drop of viscous liquid inside, resembling a red agate, radiated an extremely violent and dense energy fluctuation.

’This is the essence blood of a Flesh Refining Realm Exotic Beast! It’s the same kind of thing as the Crocodile Dragon’s Heart Blood I got before!’

’Looks like this was something Cao Yuanshan was saving to use for his breakthrough!’

Overjoyed, Su Yu immediately called up his Skill Level panel.

[Breakthrough Point]: 0 Points (25%)

’Let’s see if this essence blood can help me max out the Breakthrough Point bar!’

Having experience from consuming the Crocodile Dragon’s Heart Blood before, Su Yu didn’t hesitate and directly downed the essence blood from the porcelain vial.

The moment the essence blood went down his throat, it felt like he had swallowed a ball of molten lava!

A terrifying heat exploded in his stomach, transforming into a surging torrent that rushed wildly through his limbs and bones like an untamed stallion.

An ordinary Martial Artist would have easily had their meridians torn apart by this violent power. But Su Yu was different. With his Flesh Refining Realm physique and a physical talent far exceeding others in his realm, every cell in his body was cheering greedily, frantically refining this foreign, tyrannical Qi and Blood like a whale gulping down water!

[Breakthrough Point Progress +5%]

[Breakthrough Point Progress +5%]

...

Seeing the 5% increases in his breakthrough progress appearing one after another, Su Yu was delighted. ’This essence blood really didn’t disappoint. It truly is the concentrated essence of a Flesh Refining Realm Exotic Beast.’

At the same time, feeling his meridians swelling with power, Su Yu quickly began practicing the Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape Fist on the riverbank.

"Demon Ape Beats the Drum!"

Su Yu once again transformed into a raging ape. Countless arms seemed to appear around him, launching a barrage of violent fist-shadows that continuously shattered the air.

"BANG! BANG! BANG..."

Sonic booms echoed incessantly across the riverbank, even drowning out the sound of the surging waves crashing against the shore.

Soon, the effects of the Exotic Beast’s essence blood were fully absorbed.

Su Yu checked his panel again.

[Martial Arts]: Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape Fist (entry-level 2200/5000)

[Breakthrough Point]: 0 Points (75%)

’The Breakthrough Point increased by 50%. A pity. This essence blood isn’t as potent as the Crocodile Dragon’s Heart Blood.’

Su Yu shook his head slightly, but he wasn’t too disappointed. ’After all, a descendant of an ancient bloodline like the Iron-Ridged Crocodile, which possessed Dragon Blood, is a once-in-a-lifetime find. Getting a 50% boost from this essence blood is already a huge win. If I get the chance in the future, I must hunt more of these Exotic Beasts.’

’The Demon Ape Fist gained nearly 50 Skill Level points from that fight, which is worth practicing it two or three times normally. That’s a pleasant surprise. It seems life-and-death combat really is a shortcut to advancing in Martial Arts!’

’I should eat this Dragon Blood Grass too. It’s a hassle to carry around. Without something like a storage ring, things are really inconvenient.’

He chewed up and swallowed the Dragon Blood Grass in a few bites.

[Breakthrough Point Progress +2%]

[Breakthrough Point Progress +3%]

...

A quarter of an hour later, his Breakthrough Point progress finally reached 90%. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

’Almost there, just 10% left. I’ve gained so much this trip. When I get back to Black Stone City, I’ll exchange all this silver for treasured fish and medicine. With my family’s resources on top of that, it might be enough to fill up two Breakthrough Points!’

Su Yu stretched his muscles and joints forcefully. With a series of pops like cracking beans, his condition returned to its peak.

’I wonder how Qian Qinghong and the others are doing. Maybe I can go back and see what’s happening with the Water Snake Gang.’

Su Yu mulled it over.

Earlier on the Water Snake Gang’s treasure ship, besides the gang leader Hong Lei, there were two other Late-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm experts. They must have been the gang’s Hall Masters. They were chasing after Pan Guanyue and Qian Xin.

Other than them, no one in the Water Snake Gang posed a threat to him.

Even those two Hall Masters wouldn’t be able to catch him in the water. And if he activated his White Ape Transformation, he could even turn the tables and kill them.

Therefore, as long as he didn’t run into Hong Lei, he was in no danger.

’I’ll go back and take a look. If Hong Lei isn’t there, maybe I can catch them by surprise and strike first!’

The Water Snake Gang had already made their move, creating a blood feud between them. Even if he fled back to Black Stone City now, once Hong Lei discovered Cao Yuanshan and the other man had vanished, he would definitely blame him.

Therefore, he had no intention of letting the Water Snake Gang off the hook either!

...

「At the edge of the death whirlpool’s waters.」

A small, cyan figure circled lightly in mid-air for a moment. After confirming that the coast was clear, it made an extremely agile turn and dove down silently.

A moment later, the Sea-Exploring Swallow landed steadily on a black human head that had slowly surfaced from the river.

Su Yu listened to the Sea-Exploring Swallow’s chirping report and quickly understood the situation it had scouted.

’No particularly dangerous auras, which means Hong Lei isn’t here!’

A sharp glint flashed in Su Yu’s eyes. He dove underwater and swam swiftly forward.

In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Su Yu had already swum into the blind spot beneath the massive black ship’s shadow.

Through the water’s surface, his powerful hearing soon picked up the chatter of the Water Snake Gang members.

"The Gang Leader has been chasing that little chick for a while now. Why isn’t he back yet?"

"Who knows? We just have to wait here patiently. Hall Master Qin and the other Hall Masters will be back soon to take charge."

"True, why should we worry? Let’s just wait for them to get back. Once this mission is done, we can go back to the city. I’m definitely going to the Drunken Dream Tower to have some fun then!"

After confirming there were no Flesh Refining Realm masters on board, Su Yu’s expression turned cold, and his figure slipped onto the ship as silently as a ghost!