Chapter 756 - 402: So Smart

"Protector Yang is so clever."

Yang An was delighted; he had finally met someone who understood.

At that, Yang Jiang shot up from his seat.

"By what right—"

But before he could finish, a fist was already hurtling toward his face.

A muffled THUD echoed through the cave-dwelling. The entire mountain trembled slightly, shaking loose a few flecks of stone.

Yang An pulled the ring from Yang Jiang’s finger. He looked down at the unconscious man and shook his head.

To his surprise, the information that emerged upon contact revealed the ring wasn’t a Storage Magical Artifact, but a key.

He had assumed the Cultivation Technique was inside the ring, but it turned out there was more to it.

After channeling some Spiritual Qi into the ring, a stone door rumbled open within Yang Jiang’s cave-dwelling. A pleased expression appeared on Yang An’s face.

About fifteen minutes later, Yang An left, returning to his own cave-dwelling with the Cultivation Technique successfully in hand.

"You little punk, you beat him up and stole the Cultivation Technique. You’ve just given them ammunition against you. They’re already making things so difficult for you, I’m afraid..."

Bow Lady sounded worried. From her perspective, Yang An’s actions were a bit impulsive. If he attracted the attention of the higher-ups, this incident would surely be used as a pretext to move against him.

But Yang An was unfazed. He even began to correct Bow Lady’s "mistake."

"Bow Lady, you can’t just say things like that. What do you mean I ’stole’ the Cultivation Technique?

I’m just a Junior Cultivator who recently reached the Golden Core. How would I have the guts to steal anything?

This is clearly the Cultivation Technique that Protector Yang gave me in accordance with the internal rules!"

"As for Protector Yang, he must have seen how quickly I was progressing. It must have stirred his fighting spirit, making him eager to spar, so he gladly accepted my challenge.

I just didn’t expect him to be so weak."

Bow Lady was left speechless.

Yang An chuckled. He had nothing to fear. He had simply followed the internal rules to the letter, without overstepping any boundaries. Since he was in the right, what was there to be afraid of?

Back in his cave-dwelling, Yang An immediately began cultivating again, using the suitable Cultivation Technique he had found.

He called it cultivating, but in reality, it was just a matter of following the circulation pathways of the Cultivation Technique to rapidly absorb and refine Spiritual Qi. His Cultivation Level rose at a frankly absurd pace.

By the time someone came looking for him again, half a day had passed. His Cultivation Level had just reached the Late Stage Golden Core. He was only one Small Realm away from the Nascent Soul, a gap he could likely cross in a single night.

He had seen the visitor once before. It was the same Elder Disciple who had sought him out before his breakthrough to Golden Core—a Steward by the name of Liao.

Steward Liao hadn’t come alone. He was accompanied by several Guardians who completely blocked the entrance to Yang An’s cave-dwelling.

The moment Steward Liao appeared, any trace of his previous politeness was gone, replaced by a domineering arrogance.

"Yang An! You dare injure Protector Yang, ignore our internal rules, and brazenly steal a Cultivation Technique! The Elder has ordered me to apprehend you and escort you to Celestial Pool Peak to stand trial for your crimes. Come along quietly."

Trouble had come knocking before Yang An could break through to the Nascent Soul realm. He was prepared for it, though. In fact, it suited him perfectly. This confrontation was only a matter of time.

’My Cultivation Level can wait. The Red Wheel Infinite Body is more than enough for now. I’ll go meet this so-called Elder and, while I’m at it, get my hands on the next part of the Cultivation Technique.’

"Let’s go, then. Please, lead the way."

Yang An’s reply caught everyone by surprise. They had brought so many people precisely because they expected him to resist; they never thought he would be this compliant.