Power surge!
There was no doubt—Zhao Xuan's strength had undergone an explosive transformation compared to just seven days ago.
In the short span of a week—
his Constitution had skyrocketed by nearly 70 points.
All four of his core Rokushiki abilities—Shave, Iron Body, Moon Step, and Tempest Kick—had advanced into the Master tier.
But the most crucial breakthrough of all—
Zhao Xuan's Armament Haki had successfully reached the next level!
Even his Azure Dragon Fruit ability was now only about a hundred points away from breaking through to the next mastery rank.
Originally, Zhao Xuan had planned to stay in seclusion until he fully advanced his Azure Dragon Fruit mastery to the Expert tier before coming out.
Unfortunately—
aside from the Spirit Cacti he had stored, every other cultivation resource was gone.
Yes, completely gone.
The nearly twenty million yuan worth of resources he had purchased seven days ago—
all consumed.
Only one final pouch of energy fluid remained.
Everything else?
Straight into his stomach.
Zhao Xuan's explosive growth wasn't without reason.
In fact, there were two.
First, his unwavering discipline and relentless training.
Second, his utter willingness to spend.
As Fu Jieyan once said—
A Spirit Cactus capable of promoting Armament Haki awakening and growth normally sold for around eight million yuan per half jin.
Which meant—
a full jin would cost roughly sixteen million.
And in the past seven days, Zhao Xuan had eaten at least fifty full cacti.
One cactus—sixteen million.
Fifty cacti—eight hundred million yuan.
Eight hundred million—devoured in a single week.
Even a pig would become stronger after eating that much—
so for someone as gifted and driven as Zhao Xuan, the results were nothing short of monstrous.
After resting for several minutes, Zhao Xuan finally began to recover his stamina, aided by the last of his energy fluid.
With practiced precision, he cracked open the Golem's skull and extracted its Land King Crystal.
Then, dragging his tired body, he began the long walk back to his base.
All the while, he casually munched on another piece of Spirit Cactus—
A treasure worth millions, eaten like it was a cheap vegetable from the market.
Back at his base, Zhao Xuan tossed the new crystal onto the massive pile of other Land King Crystals littering the floor.
Then he climbed into bed and collapsed.
Energy could be replenished quickly through energy fluid—
but mental fatigue was another story.
Even large quantities of Spirit-Nurturing Fruits couldn't restore it fast enough.
For that, only sleep would do.
When he awoke again, it was already morning.
"Almost time to head out," Zhao Xuan murmured, stretching lazily.
"Tomorrow, the college entrance exam results are released."
He grabbed a large sack, swiftly filled it with his entire pile of four-tier Land King Crystals, and opened the relic portal.
Stepping through, he left behind the desert that had been his battleground for seven straight days.
"Finally back!"
The moment he inhaled the moist city air, nostalgia swept over him.
"First things first—let's get these beauties sold."
Without delay, Zhao Xuan made his way toward the Ability Users Guild.
When he arrived, the receptionist, Xiao Liu, greeted him as usual—
only for Zhao Xuan to nonchalantly drop a massive sack onto the counter.
Curious, Xiao Liu untied it—
and froze.
For several long seconds, he just stared.
Then, his face turned pale.
"Z–Z–Z–Zhao… Mr. Zhao… P–please wait a moment, I… I'll get the Guildmaster… I–I…"
He stammered uncontrollably, eyes darting between Zhao Xuan and the sack as if he were looking at a pile of gold bricks.
Zhao Xuan smiled. "Go ahead."
"Y–Yes, sir!" Xiao Liu squeaked before sprinting away.
Moments later—
Tap-tap-tap-tap!
Heavy footsteps echoed from the hallway.
The Guildmaster of Tongcheng, Lian Jie, arrived in a hurry with Xiao Liu trailing behind.
When his eyes landed on Zhao Xuan, he froze.
His expression stiffened instantly.
Because in that brief moment—
he actually felt a faint sense of danger radiating from Zhao Xuan.
A third-tier ability user… giving him a sense of threat?
Impossible.
Unthinkable.
"Zhao Xuan, my young friend!" Lian Jie greeted, trying to maintain composure. "I heard you're selling a batch of Land King Crystals to the Guild?"
"That's right, Guildmaster Lian. Here."
Zhao Xuan nodded and handed him the enormous sack.
The guildmaster hesitated for a moment, a wild suspicion forming in his mind.
Surely not… this entire bag can't be full of Land King Crystals, can it?
Swallowing hard, he reached out and opened the sack.
The moment he peeked inside—
Hiss—
He sucked in a deep breath, eyes widening.
"Zhao Xuan, my boy… what on earth have you been doing these past seven days?!"
Lian Jie's voice trembled slightly as he looked up, disbelief written across his face.
"Don't tell me… you've been fighting four-tier Land King beasts every single day!?"
Zhao Xuan scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly.
"Heh… more or less."
"Good heavens…"
Lian Jie inhaled sharply again, completely dumbfounded.
In just seven days, Zhao Xuan had done something even elite hunters wouldn't dare attempt—
slaughtering four-tier creatures nonstop.
And the mountain of crystals before him was living proof.
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