The desert stretches on endlessly, wild stallions gallop across the sands. Nothing beats real combat as a teacher. After sparring repeatedly with disciples from the Vajra Sect—who also specialize in external body arts—the members of No One Under Heaven, still newbies to the Dragon Elephant Technique and physically weaker, were forced to push past their limits. One by one, they broke through and leveled up.
Hannah Frost, Little Lotus, and ten others—twelve in total—broke through to the One Realm, stepping into the Full Realm. The rest aren’t far behind either. Give them a few more days of practice and some time to stabilize, and they’ll all break through soon enough.
Full Realm means your body unleashes every ounce of power it’s got. From this stage on, every punch and kick is pure, unrestrained force. Your blood and energy flow through you, and you start feeling a new kind of power—different from internal strength. The flow of physical energy is way more intense than internal arts. When life surges through your muscles and veins, you feel like a dragon on the prowl, a tiger ready to pounce.
The cavalry charges, blood surges—unlike those ethereal internal arts that make you floaty and detached, this power fills you with boldness and ambition.
A strong body actually boosts your internal cultivation, giving your inner power a kick. Hannah Frost, who’d been stuck at a bottleneck for years, finally got the push she needed—her internal strength jumped another notch. One more meridian opened, and she hit forty-five years of cultivation. Thanks to her Cold Frost Cave special technique, another streak of white appeared in Hannah’s hair—half black, half white, making her look like one of those rebellious girls in TV dramas, or maybe a split-personality villain.
"I swear, there are more and more people with white hair around me," Jill Young said, pinching her chin like she was deep in thought. "One after another, everyone’s turning their hair white like it’s the latest trend, as if white hair is so cool. Even that blockhead suddenly went from normal black hair to snowy white after a transformation. At this rate, what’s left of my unique style? No way! I’ve got to turn this around! Right, Maggie?"
Riding alongside Jill on a white horse, Wu Zhengfeng looked helpless: "Honestly, I barely understand half of what you’re saying, but I can tell you’re spouting nonsense again. Still, you’re right about one thing—Hannah Frost and Red Swallow’s progress is now limited by their own techniques. That won’t do. We’ve got to fix this situation."
In this world, cultivation manuals are all about paving the way. The difference between basic and top-tier techniques? How far they’ll take you. If Manual AA tops out at five years, it’s trash. Manual BB goes to ten, so it’s better than AA. Speed, perks, and fancy effects? Only legendary manuals care about that stuff. For your average martial artist, just having a manual that lets you hit thirty years of cultivation is already a blessing.
The Carefree Manual is fine as a starter technique—quality’s not bad. But the Carefree Sect is missing the next-level manual for after you graduate. Back in the day, nobody cared if the disciples had weak cultivation. Now, though, it’s a problem that needs fixing ASAP.
Especially now that Jill Young put a Killing Stone on Misty Peak. After Wu Zhengfeng tried it out personally, she’s convinced: the era of all-round cultivation upgrades is about to begin. Before that happens, we can’t afford any slip-ups with our techniques.
"Relax, relax, I’ve already got a plan," Jill Young said, brimming with confidence. "Once I get back, I’ll sort out all the Iron Badge techniques and whip up an evolved version of the Carefree Manual, easy peasy."
"Oh? That fast?" Wu Zhengfeng said, pleasantly surprised.
"Honestly, that’s still slow if you ask me. Not just the Carefree Manual—when I’m done, I’ll upgrade all the signature moves from each 'think tank,' too." Jill’s notebook was already filled with ideas. The more she wrote, the deeper her understanding of refining energy techniques became.
Legendary manuals are still out of reach, but tweaking regular internal arts? Piece of cake. "Let’s have a meeting later—if there are no issues, we’ll roll it out. Oh, look, we’ve reached the rest stop."
Under the evening sun, the desert glowed orange. In that orange haze, they were close to the mountain stronghold they’d stormed earlier that morning. With a lightning raid, they wiped out the Vajra Sect in record time—one morning and afternoon, done and dusted.
"We’re back!" Jill Young charged ahead, leading the crew on horseback up the slope and into the stronghold.
First, a quick look around—yep, all the bandits they’d beaten down were still there, tied up tight. But… why did these guys look so wilted?
"Welcome home, Master!" came a soft, tingling voice. The curtain at the big house in the center of the stronghold lifted, and out stepped Lady Sanmiao. To everyone’s surprise, in just half a day, she looked like a whole new person.
Same outfit, same person, but now she radiated charm with every move and smile. Even dressed as a maid, you could tell she was someone important. It was like a wilted flower suddenly blooming after a drink of water. Compared to those dried-up, pickle-faced bandits, she was a world apart.
Lady Sanmiao bowed gracefully to Jill Young and Wu Zhengfeng, her smile full of allure: "Your humble servant greets the masters. Mission accomplished—none of the captives escaped."
"Oh?" Jill Young looked her up and down, then burst out laughing. "Looks like you had a blast! Even your cultivation jumped—Lady Sanmiao’s aura was surging, back up to seventy years of power, officially Innate First Stage."
"I’m kinda curious—what exactly did you do to have so much fun you healed your internal injuries? Just one afternoon and you’re already better? Seriously, what went down here? Sure, we said you could do whatever, but looking at these droopy bandits, I’m dying to know the details!"
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Honestly, it was just a matter of emotional release. In front of Jill Young, Lady Sanmiao had to play the submissive role, all gloomy and repressed. But with these bandits, she switched back to being the bossy type. It’s like a pyramid scheme—one level dominates the next. As the second tier, she got her payback and cheered up quite a bit. Once your mood’s right, your cultivation naturally recovers.
Lady Sanmiao was about to reply when her expression shifted; she turned to look at the stronghold’s main gate.
But even before Lady Sanmiao, Jill Young and Wu Zhengfeng had already turned to look in that direction.
A moment later, everyone heard it: the lazy clatter of horse hooves approaching—about a hundred horses, give or take. Mixed in were men’s yawns, grumbling, and plenty of crude jokes about "teaching those women a lesson" and "having a good time." The captured bandits’ faces twisted, especially the ones with bounties on their heads—their expressions were priceless.
Because everyone knew the newcomers. They were fellow bandits, business partners, and old drinking buddies. But as the saying goes, fair-weather friends aren’t reliable. Caught between the bitterness of "if I’m screwed, you’re not getting off easy" and the self-preservation of "don’t mess with these women," not a single one of the hundreds of captured bandits shouted a warning—even though they were close enough to do so.
So, more than a hundred bandits passed through the first gate. The lead bandit, Old Gao, was riding and shouting, his tongue still thick from drinking: "Brothers, I’m here! That old fat king tricked another batch of good stuff—about a hundred women, all premium! They’ll be here soon, so get ready to grab them and sell them to the army for a fat profit! Hey, where is everyone? Why’s the second gate closed? Open up! It’s me, Old Gao! Get the good meat ready—hahaha... huh?!"
The lead bandit froze, mouth hanging open. Jill Young was standing atop the second gate’s wall, looking down with a mischievous grin.
"I knew it—this setup really works," Jill Young said, watching the hundred bandits trapped between the first and second gates. The trap didn’t catch her crew, but it sure caught their buddies. With a wave, Jill’s little brothers and sisters popped up on the second wall, bows drawn and ready. A hundred bows bent like full moons, cold arrows all aimed at the bandits below.
The bandits below couldn’t even cry.
Just moments ago, they were dreaming of a comeback. Now? Life’s twists and turns are just too much—enough to make your heart explode.
The lead bandit gritted his teeth, about to draw his curved blade, when suddenly his own lieutenant kicked him off his horse. The guy jumped down, beating and cursing him: "You idiot, if you want to die, don’t drag us all with you!" After the beating, he dropped to his knees, hands high, then pressed his forehead to the ground—a perfect surrender pose. "Mercy! We surrender!"
Let’s fast-forward through the rest.
After a good night’s sleep in the stronghold, No One Under Heaven set out with their captives and loot. They left at dawn and arrived at dusk, catching sight of Usun City from afar.
Speed is key in battle. To stay ahead, Jill Young led a dozen riders in a mad dash straight into the city, aiming for the king’s palace. Their blood-sweat horses were so fast, the temp-worker guards didn’t even try to stop them. The only casualty was the old steward with the ram’s horn beard—he got knocked flying, not because he was loyal, but because his old legs couldn’t get out of the way.
The fat king tried to flee, but he lost the initiative and got cornered right at his bedroom door.
"Warriors! Lady warriors!" he stammered, pale and sweating, trying to bluff his way out: "Whatever you’ve heard, whatever you’ve seen, don’t believe the bandits! It’s all a misunderstanding—mmph!"
Before he could finish, a white blur whipped around his neck. Jill Young tugged, yanking the fat king right up to her black horse. She looked at the thing in her hand, surprised: "Hey, this actually works pretty well."
What Jill Young was holding was her own reclaimed bundle of hair. Azhi didn’t need it for now, so Jill used it as a whip. It wasn’t quite long enough, but surprisingly handy. With a flick and a twist, she infused it with internal energy, and thousands of strands twisted into a single cord—way better than any snakeskin whip.
"You... you... you outrageous woman..." The fat king finally snapped, gasping for breath as he tugged at the hair-whip around his neck, face twisted in a snarl. "I—I’m the king of Usun, appointed by the Great Mongol Khanate! If you lay a hand on me, the army will wipe you out! Let me go, or else..."
He still didn’t get to finish. This time, it wasn’t Jill who interrupted. The black stallion reared up, whinnied, and kicked out with both front hooves, landing a solid blow to the king’s chest. The fat king’s eyes bulged, blood spurted, and his hefty body flew backward, crashing into his bedroom—never to get up again.
Jill Young patted the black horse’s head. "Good job, nice and clean. I love that attitude!"
The black horse snorted, shook its mane, and held its head high like a kid who’d just been praised.
Afterward, Jill Young and Wu Zhengfeng had a secret meeting with the Huji Princess in Usun City.
Her name was Natalia. Princess by title, but really just a horse herder. The Dawan Kingdom was once glorious, but like every great dynasty, its splendor and pride were swallowed by the endless desert winds. Now, their only remaining pride was the blood-sweat horses.
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This tribe moves with the water and grass. With few people and valuable horses, they’re always hiding and on the move. Like they say, having treasure brings trouble—without enough martial strength, even a prized horse means you have to keep your head down.
Jill Young had a proposal for Princess Natalia: "We’ll buy your horses. From now on, whenever you breed blood-sweat horses, No One Under Heaven gets first dibs. We’ll also provide protection—no more wandering, no more roughing it. We’ll give you a pasture with water and grass, a place to call home. How about Usun City?"
That’s right—Jill Young planned to hand Usun City over to the Dawan survivors to run. No One Under Heaven would co-manage it, just like Yongye Holdings and its subsidiaries back in the day. The difference? Last time they took over companies, now it’s a whole country—but honestly, Jill didn’t see much difference. It’s all fists, gold, and risk management.
This marks the Carefree Sect’s first step into the Western Regions—a great source of income and supplies. With Usun City as a base, there’s tons of potential. It’s a tiny, remote city, barely a blip on the Silk Road, but it’s perfect for a pilot project to test the waters.
"Uh..." Princess Natalia was stunned by such a bold offer, frozen for a few seconds before raising her hand, fingers spread: "Deal!"
"Settled!"
Smack! They high-fived. The winds of the Western Regions began to shift from that moment on.
No One Under Heaven stayed in Usun City for four more days. First to sort out the loot, second to stabilize the situation, third because several people advanced to Full Realm and needed time to absorb their insights. And the biggest reason? To thoroughly raid the fat king’s treasury.
"Even a wrecked ship has a few nails left—royal treasuries are something else. That fat king really was a merchant at heart—loaded!" Jill Young toured the treasury, packed with supplies. The king had a knack for organizing, everything neatly sorted. A real talent, Jill thought, already scheming how to squeeze out his last bit of value.
But Hannah Frost, acting as tour guide, quickly distracted her: "Boss, chief, up ahead is Usun City’s secret vault."
"Secret vault?" Jill Young perked up. "Any treasures?"
"Mostly gold and silver, some rare goods, nothing too special. But there’s one thing—I can’t figure out what it is." Hannah Frost presented a treasure box. Inside was a black, foot-long object: "This is it."
"This?" Jill Young reached out to grab it. "What is it?"
The moment her fingertips touched it, the thing suddenly glowed with a gentle light.