Chapter 15 - Opening the Heavens

Everyone's heart was pounding wildly. Was Long Chen really planning a rebellion? However, to everyone's astonishment, Long Chen's hand stopped in front of the Seventh Prince and did not strike down. The Seventh Prince, who had already closed his eyes in fear, slowly opened them when nothing happened after a long wait. In Long Chen's hand was a jade token, and a faint smile graced his face, completely different from the murderous aura he exuded earlier. "Seventh Prince, take a good look. This is an identity plaque of an alchemist. Do you think I need to kneel before you?" The Seventh Prince, having narrowly escaped death, was now terrified out of his wits by Long Chen and had no time to verify the authenticity of the plaque. "No need... absolutely no need," the Seventh Prince stammered, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at Long Chen. The killing intent that Long Chen had released earlier made him feel the fear of death. For someone who had always lived a pampered life, it was already considered brave not to wet his pants in fear. "Thank you, Seventh Prince, for your understanding," Long Chen said with a slight smile. For a spoiled heir like the Seventh Prince, all Long Chen needed to do was scare him a bit. Even with the alchemist's plaque, he didn't dare really do anything to a prince, especially since this was still the Fengming Empire. "Get up," Long Chen extended a hand to the Seventh Prince, who was sitting paralyzed on the ground. The Seventh Prince was flattered and looked at Long Chen, momentarily unsure of how to react, and hesitantly reached out his hand. After all, he was still a prince, and he was merely used by Zhou Yaoyang. If Long Chen really bore a grudge against him, it would mean falling into Zhou Yaoyang's trap. Although Long Chen didn't care, being manipulated was a very unpleasant feeling. By doing so, Long Chen was giving the Seventh Prince a way out. The Seventh Prince was only fifteen, tall but with very little experience. Long Chen's mix of hard and soft tactics left him at a loss, and after standing up, he didn't know what to say for a moment. "Seventh Prince, why don't you sit a little longer?" Long Chen suggested. "Oh, no, I... um, I have some matters to attend to. I'll take my leave first," the Seventh Prince hurriedly said and quickly turned to leave the Literature Hall. As he walked out, he felt his legs going weak. However, deep down, he was terrified of Long Chen. Earlier, he even saw the smile of death, feeling that his life and death were entirely at Long Chen's mercy. Once the Seventh Prince left, Long Chen turned around and looked at the group of heirs who had earlier joined in attacking him. After Long Chen severely injured Zhou Yaoyang with ruthless moves, they were all too scared to move. Now, seeing Long Chen look at them, their expressions changed, and they all retreated. Long Chen couldn't be bothered with them. Even though they once made him gnash his teeth in hatred, now that he was on a different level, the hatred wasn't as intense. Slowly walking to where Zhou Yaoyang lay, barely breathing, his eyes were unfocused, looking as if he might die at any moment. "Long Chen, you can't kill him. We should send him to the Alchemist Guild; he might still be saved," Shi Feng advised. After all, this wasn't the arena; it was a private fight. If someone died, Long Chen wouldn't be able to escape responsibility. "Don't worry. They say good people don't live long, but troublemakers last a thousand years. Look at his eyebrows, as messy as grass, and his sunken forehead; he's got the face of a villain. Such people don't die easily. Don't you see his complexion is very rosy?" Long Chen laughed. The others were speechless. Zhou Yaoyang was considered a handsome man, but the messy eyebrows and sunken forehead were not facial traits; they were results of being slammed by Long Chen, distorting his body. As for the rosy complexion, it was because his blood couldn't circulate, getting stuck in his face, making it red, but it was more purplish than rosy. Reaching into his bosom, Long Chen took out a pill and stuffed it into Zhou Yaoyang's mouth. "Slap, slap," two loud slaps landed on Zhou Yaoyang's face, allowing the originally un-swallowable pill to smoothly enter his stomach. Although Long Chen hated Zhou Yaoyang, he still showed restraint. Despite Zhou Yaoyang's horrific injuries, he wouldn't die. Having taken the healing pill Long Chen concocted, his internal organs would remain unharmed. As for the external injuries, well, that was the Zhou family's problem to solve. Long Chen only needed to ensure he didn't die. "If you don't want Zhou Yaoyang to die, you'd better hurry up and carry him away," Long Chen told the still-dazed heirs coldly. They finally snapped out of it and carefully carried Zhou Yaoyang to a table and lifted him away. They also took Wang Mang, who had fainted in a corner, with them. "You, you, and you, come clean up the bloodstains on the ground," Long Chen pointed at several heirs. These guys used to mock and ridicule Long Chen. Although Long Chen wasn't planning to make an example out of them, giving them some chores was a way of venting. The named individuals shivered and dared not utter a word, hurrying to clean up diligently. It wasn't long before they finished, even finding all of Wang Mang's dozen or so teeth. To Long Chen's surprise, even after the cleaning was done for over half an hour, the lecturer elder arrived. However, the elder only gave Long Chen a curious glance before resuming his old routine, making Long Chen curse in his heart: "You old coot, you must have taken bribes from Zhou Yaoyang, or you wouldn't have shown up over half an hour late." Damn it, Long Chen couldn't help but scorn secretly. He had thought scholars were inherently noble, but today's events overturned that belief, making him feel deceived. The good impression the old man had left on him before was entirely gone. It was the same sleepy rhythm, and after enduring it, they had lunch and headed to the Martial Techniques Pavilion together. Yu Pangzi and the others didn't go; they went straight home to take medicine. Seeing Long Chen's moves today shocked them, as if they saw their own future, and they couldn't wait any longer. After entering the Martial Techniques Pavilion, Long Chen browsed several martial techniques but found none satisfactory. The techniques were too weak to catch Long Chen's attention. He read very quickly, flipping through hundreds of techniques in less than an hour, and couldn't help but shake his head. No wonder it was free; they were all garbage techniques with cumbersome routes and weak power. However, the second floor of the Martial Techniques Pavilion was only accessible to Blood Condensation Realm experts. Moreover, other techniques weren't of much use to Long Chen. For body movement, he had the Pursuing Wind Step, and for martial techniques, he had the Bull Strength. The top techniques here weren't much different from them, even if learned, they wouldn't be very useful. Long Chen sighed inwardly, preparing to leave without wasting more time when he suddenly had a slight sensation and glanced at the bottom corner of a bookshelf. Unlike other shelves, which each had a neatly placed technique book, that spot was piled with a messy heap of things. The items there were also techniques, but some were so worn they were on the verge of disintegration, and most were incomplete secret techniques, essentially trash. They were too precious to throw away, so they were piled in a corner. When Long Chen's eyes swept over that corner, a roll of tattered animal skin caught his attention. The animal skin was extremely worn, but Long Chen, with his powerful soul, sensed an extremely ancient aura emanating from it. Reaching out, he picked up the roll of animal skin from the trash heap, and his heart trembled. Perhaps others couldn't discern the peculiarity of this piece of animal skin, but with his strong soul, he could clearly feel the terrifying pressure emanating from it. The animal skin was dotted with patterns, many parts already severely damaged from the erosion of endless years. Long Chen guessed that the owner of this animal skin must have been an extremely terrifying existence; otherwise, it wouldn't have left such a terrifying will after so many years. It was laughable that something so terrifying was treated like trash and thrown here. Long Chen quickly examined the animal skin. A pattern was drawn on it, with two words written in ancient script: "Kaitian" (Heaven Opening). What a grand ambition! Long Chen couldn't help but be shocked. What kind of martial technique dared to bear such a name? It was too arrogant! Looking at the pattern, Long Chen frowned. There were nine red dots marked on it, with nothing else. The nine dots seemed to be connected by faint lines, but it was unclear whether they were originally there or were cracks that appeared over time. "Time's up. All heirs, put down the manuals," a cold voice suddenly echoed throughout the Martial Techniques Pavilion. Everyone sighed; time passed too quickly. Some couldn't help but feel depressed, as they could only come once a month, which was quite frustrating. Long Chen looked at the tattered scroll in his hand with some reluctance. His time was too precious, and waiting another month was unbearable. Seeing everyone leaving one by one, Long Chen slowly walked out, still holding the worn animal skin. The Blood Condensation Realm guard at the door frowned slightly, about to speak when Long Chen spoke first. "Sir, I'd like to take this tattered animal skin back for study. Also, please accept this," Long Chen said, tossing over a pill before the guard could respond. The Blood Condensation Realm guard was about to scold Long Chen when he saw the pill and his expression changed. Catching the pill, he found it was a Blood Condensation Pill, exactly what he needed as a Blood Condensation Realm cultivator. More importantly, it was a mid-grade Blood Condensation Pill, dozens of times more valuable than ordinary ones. Blood Condensation Realm cultivators needed to temper their blood using the world's spiritual energy to make their qi and blood more domineering and powerful, enhancing their bodies. The Blood Condensation Pill could enhance this process several times, and with this pill, he could save at least half a year's effort. The guard's expression changed several times before he finally succumbed to the temptation of the pill and glanced at the worn animal skin in Long Chen's hand. "Remember, I didn't see anything," the guard said, clearly indicating that if discovered, he wouldn't admit to anything, and Long Chen would be branded a thief. Long Chen didn't mind, putting away the worn animal skin and leaving. The Blood Condensation Realm guard carefully examined the Blood Condensation Pill in his hand. "I can't believe he has such treasures. I need to find out more about him," the guard said before disappearing from the Martial Techniques Pavilion. Long Chen left and headed straight home. Since he dared to offer the Blood Condensation Pill, he wasn't afraid of being investigated. He now needed people to know that he was an alchemist, one highly regarded by Master Yun Qi, and that was enough. This was what was called "borrowing the tiger's skin to make a great banner." By doing this, he was telling others that he was no longer the same wasteful boy they could manipulate at will. Anyone wanting to touch him needed to consider the consequences. As Long Chen walked, he pondered how to gradually unmask the mastermind behind everything, when he unknowingly walked into a small alley. Suddenly, a giant net descended from the sky. Before Long Chen could react, he was ensnared and lifted into the air.