Chapter 2

Before his eyes, a vast expanse of desolation lay.

This was a magical land where no plants could survive, and everywhere were towering stone pillars that reached up to the sky.

"Is this the inside of the small tower... a self-contained space, at the very least, it must be of the Heavenly Rank Mystic Artifact level," Xu Yang exclaimed in amazement.

Mystic Artifacts were weapons and tools crafted by alchemists, capable of maximizing the power of mystics.

Mystic Artifacts were classified into four ranks: Sacred, Heavenly, Earthly, and Human.

Xu Yang thought for a moment. To be hidden within the statue of the founding master, the rank of this small tower must be quite high. A Heavenly Rank Mystic Artifact would be normal.

"Perhaps it's even a Sacred Artifact, that would be a great fortune," the thought flashed through Xu Yang's mind, then vanished. He began to carefully examine the space.

Xu Yang approached one of the stone pillars. The pillar was so tall that its top was out of sight, and it was a hundred feet in diameter.

After circling around it, Xu Yang discovered a corpse pierced through the shoulder blades by black gold chains. Above the corpse, a line of large characters was carved:

"Li Junbi, the ruler of the Heavenly Wrath Upper Kingdom!"

"Heavenly Wrath Upper Kingdom... it was once recorded in history, a great nation that ruled dozens of smaller countries, spanning tens of thousands of miles, with a population of hundreds of billions, incredibly powerful! And Li Junbi, he was the last ruler of this vast nation, a Mystic Emperor-level figure!"

Xu Yang was shocked. Such a peak existence was suppressed in this small tower?

He quickly ran to another stone pillar and found another skeleton pierced by black gold chains, with a line of large characters carved above it:

"Tu Haitao, the ruler of the Black Heaven Upper Kingdom!"

The Black Heaven Upper Kingdom was also recorded in history, a powerful nation on par with the Heavenly Wrath Upper Kingdom. And Tu Haitao was the last ruler of the Black Heaven Upper Kingdom.

With a heart full of shock, Xu Yang continued to explore.

"Suppress the Wave River Upper Kingdom, Gao Cangming!"

"Suppress the Eastern Eternal Upper Kingdom, Ren Jixing!"

"Suppress the Lotus Fragrance Upper Kingdom, Hua Miaoyu!"

...

"Seventy-nine, eighty, eighty-one..." The more Xu Yang counted, the more shocked he became. There were eighty-one massive stone pillars in this small tower, representing eighty-one suppressed rulers of upper kingdoms, eighty-one Mystic Emperors!

Xu Yang was almost stunned.

After a while, Xu Yang came to his senses.

"Seems like I saw the words on the small tower at the beginning... it's called the 'Suppressing Mystic Tower'?" Xu Yang muttered, "Indeed, it suppresses mystics. All those suppressed here are extremely powerful, standing at the peak of mystics! If they were still alive, a stomp would cause the earth to tremble, and a stretch of the hand would summon the wind and clouds, with thunderous power!"

"Damn, how do I get out now?" Xu Yang's thoughts raced. Just as he thought this, he felt a dizzying sensation, and when he came to, he was no longer in the inner view, but still sitting cross-legged, the eighty-one stone pillars of the desolate land now gone.

"Seems like thinking of returning will bring me back outside the tower," Xu Yang realized.

"Xu Yang, what are you doing?" a voice came from behind.

Xu Yang turned around to see Du Ming, one of the scattered disciples, with a cultivation level of mid-stage Mystic Apprentice.

Du Ming was a loyal lackey of Lu Song, relying on Lu Song's power to order the former Xu Yang around, scolding and cursing him at the slightest dissatisfaction.

"Everyone is waiting for you to find water, and you're hiding here to rest?" Du Ming sneered as he walked over, "Haven't you been beaten in a day, are you itching for a beating? Do you want Uncle Du to loosen your bones?"

Xu Yang looked at Du Ming coldly. Although this person's cultivation and physical strength were stronger than his, Xu Yang was not afraid at all!

He came from ten thousand years in the future, an era where mystic energy was extremely scarce. Mystics had developed close combat techniques to a breathtaking level! As long as the strength difference was within a certain range, techniques could make up for it.

Du Ming looked surprised, then his face turned dark. According to his plan, after his threatening words, Xu Yang should have shown fear and begged for mercy. But the reality was completely different. Xu Yang gave him a cold stare, as if looking at a low-intelligence inferior being.

"Very good, Brother Song was right, you've really become much stupider, forgetting the lessons you once received!" Du Ming rolled up his sleeves and approached, "Let me teach you a lesson, kneel down!"

Du Ming charged forward, his palm suddenly extending outward, his arm making a popping sound! This was the sound of his bones cracking, his entire aura bursting out, as if he had grown half a foot taller.

Du Ming's palm whistled as it struck down. He didn't use full force, choosing to hit Xu Yang's left shoulder. In his view, Xu Yang would not only kneel but also break a few bones.

"You're asking for death." Xu Yang's eyes turned cold, his body spinning like a slippery python, slipping past Du Ming's palm, and delivering a punch to Du Ming's side.

This was one of the close combat techniques of mystics from ten thousand years in the future, called "Hidden Snake Stance"! The Hidden Snake Stance had eight postures, each move avoiding the enemy's sharp edge, concentrating power, and launching a deadly attack from an unexpected position, like a venomous snake's swift strike.

Du Ming let out a painful cry, being thrown several feet away, rolling on the ground twice. This punch made him feel as if his lungs were about to burst, and his intestines were almost broken.

After a moment of shock, Du Ming rolled to his feet and stumbled into the valley.

"Cowardly rat."

Xu Yang sneered. This minor character was not worth his attention. Using this untrained body to suddenly perform the "Hidden Snake Stance," a more advanced close combat technique, Xu Yang felt his entire body aching, his waist almost breaking in two. If Du Ming had been braver and continued to attack, Xu Yang might not have fared well.

"That punch, although it drove Du Ming away, also exposed two major problems! First, this body's flexibility is extremely poor, making it difficult to perform intricate combat techniques. Second, this body's strength is too weak, a force of two or three hundred catties is not enough to kill anyone."

"If I had the normal seven hundred catties of strength of a mid-stage Mystic Apprentice, that punch would have been enough to break Du Ming's intestines, or even kill him!" Xu Yang shook his head, "Now, I need to strengthen this body as soon as possible."

There were countless methods to refine the body using mystic energy in the future. With the current body's poor foundation, Xu Yang had to make a firm decision to use the mystic energy from the star sea to strengthen his physical body.

Doing so in the present era was shocking. Which Mystic Apprentice wouldn't want to quickly fill their star sea, then transform the virtual into the real, condensing a mystic energy vortex, and advancing to the Mystic level? Drawing mystic energy from the star sea to strengthen the limbs would be considered heretical and a case of neglecting the root for the branches by any Mystic Apprentice.

Only Xu Yang, coming from the future and possessing countless divine techniques and secret manuals in his mind, truly understood what was fundamental and what was secondary!

Xu Yang climbed a slightly higher hill, looked around, and found a secluded place with dense trees and lush leaves. He then began the first step of strengthening his body.

In the star sea, the faint mist of mystic energy was rapidly absorbed by the mystic meridians, flowing swiftly through his body.

Xu Yang let out a low shout, his bones making a popping sound, and he pushed out a flat punch, which turned mid-way, his arms embracing a ball, followed by a spinning step... He began practicing the eight movements of the "Hidden Snake Stance."

This was the method used by mystics in the future to extract mystic energy from the universe, drawing mystic energy into the body while using it to strengthen the physical body.

In the future, with the scarcity of mystic energy, the ancient "cross-legged sitting" method of drawing energy was no longer effective in communicating with the mystic energy of the universe. After ten thousand years of accumulation, a genius mystic finally created the "Dynamic and Static Unity Drawing Technique," which increased the efficiency of drawing energy several times, directly corresponding to the mystic's own constitution, absorbing various attributes of mystic energy.

The "Dynamic and Static Unity Drawing Technique," which included the "Hidden Snake Stance" and seven other animal postures, was the culmination of the wisdom of countless mystics over ten thousand years. It not only stood out in drawing energy but was also significant in strengthening the physical body and cultivating physical flexibility. Long-term practice would greatly improve nerve reactions and agility.

"Hidden Snake Stance, Running Horse Stance, Fish Dragon Stance..." Xu Yang's fists and feet moved swiftly, completing all sixty-four movements of the eight postures in a moment. He started slowly, but his speed gradually increased.

With Xu Yang at the center, mystic energy from the universe gathered around him at a terrifying speed, forming a faint mystic energy vortex.

"Such a rich and intoxicating mystic energy!" Xu Yang sighed. He drew mystic energy from the universe while vigorously absorbing the mist of mystic energy from the star sea, which became increasingly thin.

The mystic energy flowed through the mystic meridians, slowly seeping into every corner of the physical body. This process was accompanied by intense pain, as if every inch of skin was being pierced by a small knife. Sweat beads appeared on Xu Yang's forehead, his face becoming paler, but his black eyes shone brightly.

This effort was not in vain. Every bone and muscle fiber in his body sang, slowly absorbing the mystic energy emitted from the mystic meridians, making the physical body stronger.

After completing one round of the "Dynamic and Static Unity Drawing Technique," Xu Yang felt his body become lighter, as if the chains binding him had been severed. His pores opened, and a layer of thick, black, gel-like substance was expelled.

"There are so many impurities in the physical body, no wonder this body is so weak."

Xu Yang re-examined his body's condition. His star sea was now half the size it was before, and the mist of mystic energy was so thin it was barely visible.

"My cultivation has dropped from the initial stage of Mystic Apprentice to the entry level, the stage of just opening the star sea," Xu Yang smiled slightly, not feeling sad, "But my physical strength... has greatly increased!"

Xu Yang let out a loud shout, took a step forward, and punched out like a great dragon. The whistling sound of the punch echoed as it struck a large tree. The tree, which was thick enough for a person to hug, swayed, and a few yellow leaves fell.

"This punch has a force of six hundred catties!" Xu Yang was still somewhat unsatisfied, but considering the poor foundation of this body, it was the best he could do.

After all, someone like Du Ming, with a mid-stage Mystic Apprentice cultivation, had a physical strength of only five hundred catties.

If he faced Du Ming again, Xu Yang wouldn't need to use any fancy techniques; he could simply use brute force to easily cripple Du Ming.

In the valley, Du Ming looked panicked, running back and occasionally turning his head, worried that Xu Yang would chase him.

"Huh, why did you come back alone? What about that useless young master?" Lu Song frowned and shouted.

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