Spiritual Herbs as the Foundation, Pills as Support, Sword Sect as the Spear

As that leaf drifted to the ground, Evan Lin walked away from the sanatorium, hands in his pockets.

Beside him, Hugh Hu wore an expression of pure awe, practically itching to shine Evan’s shoes himself.

One punch sent Tyson Tu straight into the wall—Hugh Hu had never seen anything like it.

"That punch just now was insane! And that Tyson Tu guy—he was way too cocky! Watching him made me want to punch him myself!"

Hugh Hu clenched his fists, face flushed with excitement.

"You can go find him now and give him a beating," Evan said with a yawn, his tone casual.

"Uh... better not," Hugh said awkwardly, scratching his head. "If he even lifts a finger, I’m probably dead."

He’d thought Evan was just powerful, but after what he’d just seen, ‘powerful’ didn’t even begin to cover it.

What made Hugh Hu feel even more ashamed was Evan’s attitude toward people and things.

Last time at White Dragon Manor, Hugh had been the one to start trouble, but he’d never seen Evan use his strength to bully anyone.

"He won’t die—he’s even weaker than a normal person right now. If you kicked him, you might actually kill him." Evan shook his head.

Hearing Evan’s teasing, Hugh Hu took a deep breath, looking at Evan with envy. "If only I could be this strong too. You must’ve gone through a lot to get here, right?"

I have a friend—Zack Guang, the one you beat up at White Dragon Manor. He’s trained in martial arts since he was a kid, and his family is an affiliate of the Southriver Sword Sect. There are some real experts in his clan. If you have time, I’ll have him come apologize to you. Last time was really my fault.

Hugh Hu looked genuinely nervous and sincere.

Zack Guang was bedridden for a long time after fighting Evan, but that injury ended up making him even stronger.

Last time, Zack went to the Moore family’s tournament to try for their Ancient Sword, but he was injured by Southriver Sword Sect experts. He’s still recovering; otherwise, Hugh would’ve called him over right away.

Now that Hugh Hu has seen Evan’s strength firsthand, he doesn’t dare oppose him and also worries Evan might still hold a grudge—dangerous for Zack.

Mm.

Evan didn’t refuse—he just gave a quiet "Mm," which counted as agreement.

Hugh Hu finally relaxed inside, feeling even luckier—if he’d lost his head and dragged Evan to the Guan family’s door, he might have missed his chance to get closer to Evan.

Hugh Hu and Evan Lin walked out together. After just a few steps, Hugh’s phone rang. When he saw the caller ID, his face fell. He answered, said only a few words, then sighed gloomily.

It was Hugh’s dad calling. His absence from class that afternoon had been found out, and he’d definitely get a lecture when he got home. No wonder he was so down.

The two parted ways at a crossroads.

It was already four-thirty in the afternoon. There was no point going back to school, so Evan just wandered along the road toward home.

How big is the gap between a first-grade Vajra and a second-grade Vajra from the Guan family?

Evan pondered. From what Old Master Wu and Martin Wu had said, he could tell they both admired and feared Butcher Tu.

Years ago, Morgan Yang dominated both Seacrest and Jinnan as a first-grade Vajra before retiring to train in seclusion. No one knows where he is now, but if he returns, there might be a chance for a real fight.

Who knows if he’ll break into the Pointing-to-Mystery Realm. Compared to Foundation Establishment, I wonder how much of a chance he’d have.

Evan shook his head. What he lacked most now was information about Earth’s power rankings. Vajra experts mostly still rely on their bodies’ potential for cultivation.

Whether it’s Outer Strength, Inner Strength, or Vajra—once you reach Vajra, you can project your inner force to form blades, spears, or staves. These seemingly mystical techniques are really just like the body-refining methods of the Immortal Martial Continent.

A fifth-grade Vajra is still stronger than most body-refining martial artists.

I’ll make time to visit the Oceanport Guan family soon.

In Oceanport, besides the Guan family, there’s also Fang Qiuji’s side—his parents.

Last time, Xuan Ling sent Linda Guan to Jinnan to try to force Evan Lin back to Seacrest, but in the end, Linda returned to Oceanport in disgrace.

Since then, the grudge between Evan and the Guan family isn’t just one-sided anymore. After all, Linda Guan crossed the line by dragging Lucy Lu into things.

Having lived a second life, Evan hoped old relationships could stay stable. If Lucy Lu knows less, then Joy Zheng will have fewer chances to learn the whole truth.

Otherwise, even if Evan told Joy Zheng everything, with her personality, she’d probably live in constant fear and anxiety—which is exactly what Evan wants to avoid.

Xuan Ling, Fang Qiuji—I hope your so-called “prestige-family chips” will be enough to satisfy me a year from now.

A sharp glint flashed in Evan’s eyes, but his expression stayed calm.

Back home, Stella Huang and Irene Xu weren’t there yet. Evan went to his room, picked up his phone, and called Warren Wu to ask about the progress of the Medicine King Valley and Miracle Hand Sect merger.

Miracle Hand Sect specializes in pill-refining, Medicine King Valley in herbs and personnel. Together, they’re like a net spreading across the region.

On the other side, the Southriver Sword Sect is also under Evan’s control. The sect has stood firm in Jinnan for years—Evan might not think much of them, but outsiders see them as a giant.

The Southriver Sword Sect might become a valuable ally in the future.

Evan thought for a moment. As long as Miracle Hand Sect’s people can refine pills, the recipes aren’t a problem. Miracle Hand can provide cultivation pills for Southriver Sword Sect, and their overall strength will rise.

But the starting point for all of this is spiritual herbs and medicines. Without them, nothing can be done.

Evan sighed, remembering the girl Jing Tu he met in River City—her body still nurtures a spirit spring.

But the spirit spring isn’t mature yet, so it can’t be harvested. Still, it means she can drink as much cola as she wants without any health problems. For her, maybe life is happy—just saying three words at a time, drinking cola, and hanging out with Gao Yang.

While Evan was lost in thought, in a school cafeteria, a doll-like girl hugged a bottle of cola bigger than her head. She carefully twisted off the cap, opened her mouth wide, and gulped down a huge swig before burping in satisfaction.

So good!