I Grind to Martial Saint

Nanlu County City, Datong Money Shop.

A tall, imposing figure with an Orange Cat perched on his shoulder walked inside.

”Sir, are you here to exchange silver notes or to deposit silver?”

An attendant from the Money Shop came forward and asked.

”Hmm... I’m here to retrieve something,” Han Yuan said calmly.

”Then please follow me, sir.” The attendant nodded and led Han Yuan to a tea room behind the Money Shop.

A plump shopkeeper was there to receive Han Yuan.

”Will you be using a claim voucher to retrieve your item, sir, or a secret phrase?”

the Shopkeeper asked.

At the Datong Money Shop, there were only these two methods.

”Snares of heaven and earth, to vanquish all fiends,” Han Yuan directly recited the code phrase.

This was the code phrase Wei Xiongtian had given him before he died.

Upon hearing this, the Shopkeeper gave a slight nod, turned, and left.

It wasn’t long before he returned with a wooden box.

”Sir.”

”This is the corresponding package. Please take a look.”

the Shopkeeper said in a low voice.

”That won’t be necessary.”

Han Yuan was about to take the wooden box and leave.

But then Shopkeeper Pang spoke up, ”Sir, if I may ask, how is the original owner of this wooden box now?”

Han Yuan glanced at him and asked, ”What was your relationship with the box’s original owner?”

Shopkeeper Pang paused for a moment before saying seriously, ”He saved my entire family.”

”He’s dead…”

Having said this, Han Yuan took the wooden box, rose to his feet, and left.

After hearing this, Shopkeeper Pang’s expression went vacant. A long time passed before he finally let out a deep sigh.

After leaving the Datong Money Shop, Han Yuan found a random tavern, sat down in the main hall, ordered a few items, and only then began to examine the wooden box.

The wooden box was a dull, dark color. Its surface was quite plain and simple, without even a single decorative pattern.

’What… what could be inside?’

The thought suddenly emerged in Han Yuan’s mind.

And this thought was expanding, growing more insistent with each passing moment.

He found himself unable to control the urge, his hand stretching out to open the wooden box.

’Something’s not right!’

’Something is influencing my mind!’

Han Yuan suddenly realized something was wrong.

He frantically channeled the Innate Great Demon Skill. An incredibly ferocious thought rose in his mind, and his eyes instantly became bloodshot.

The Orange Cat, who was waiting for its dried fish to be served, sensed something was amiss with Han Yuan. ”Meow~”

The veins on the arm Han Yuan stretched toward the box bulged, but in the end, he regained control and pulled it back.

”This box isn’t right,” Han Yuan said in a grave voice.

He had never experienced such a feeling before. His entire mind had been bewitched by this wooden box!

If he hadn’t reacted in time, he would have just opened this strange wooden box.

”Meow…”

Hearing Han Yuan’s words, the Orange Cat’s eyes curiously sized up the wooden box.

But no matter how it looked, it couldn’t see anything special about the box.

However, it had seen Han Yuan’s peculiar state just moments ago.

’This box must have something special about it!’

”Let’s eat first… I’ll deal with this later,” Han Yuan said gravely.

Now that he was on his guard, he wouldn’t be so easily tricked again.

The Orange Cat nodded.

About the time it takes to burn an incense stick later, they left the tavern hall, full and satisfied.

Han Yuan went to a tailor’s shop, spent some silver, and had the wooden box wrapped securely in black cloth.

After it was covered, the strange feeling vanished completely.

’Looks like this box is not as simple as it seems…’

’I fear it might be an Exotic Treasure…’

Han Yuan mused.

With his current mental fortitude, ordinary Illusion Techniques had no effect on him.

Yet the item in this box could affect him so quietly and without a trace, which was truly strange.

However, it was someone else’s property. Han Yuan suppressed his curiosity, took the wooden box, and departed Nanlu County City, heading straight for Nine Witch Mountain.

...

Nine Witch Mountain.

It was a mysterious and primordial mountain range, home to nine distinct peaks that resembled nine great witches praying to the heavens, which is how it got its name.

After Han Yuan reached Nine Witch Mountain, he found there was still half a month left until the time Wei Xiongtian had agreed to meet the mysterious person. So, he built a wooden cabin near a source of water and settled in.

SPLASH!!

The Orange Cat was perched on a rock in the mountain stream, its gaze locked on the flowing water.

The next moment, it shot out its paw and scooped up a black fish.

Clamping it in its jaws, the Orange Cat jumped from the stream back to the ground.

It trotted forward with the black fish in its mouth, and soon a small wooden cabin appeared before its eyes.

Han Yuan was sitting cross-legged on a tree stump, cultivating.

Seeing this, the Orange Cat didn’t disturb Han Yuan and began to gleefully enjoy its feast.

At present, Han Yuan was cultivating the Nine Mountains Heart Guarding Skill.

After all, he had nothing else to do for the next half a month, giving him a good opportunity to cultivate the Nine Mountains Heart Guarding True Skill.

This amount of time should be enough for him to reach the entry level of the Nine Mountains Heart Guarding True Skill.

The Nine Mountains Heart Guarding True Skill not only required circulating one’s internal True Qi to temper the body, but also demanded visualization.

At this moment, Han Yuan was visualizing a vast, barren land where a single, pitch-black mountain stood tall.

This black mountain gleamed with a metallic luster. No trees grew on it; it had sharp, angular ridges and radiated an icy coldness.

This was the Iron Mountain.

When Han Yuan imagined himself becoming this Iron Mountain, the Innate Great Demon Qi inside him began to circulate on its own along a mysterious path.

The Orange Cat, which was enjoying its black fish, suddenly sensed something and couldn’t help but look up.

Han Yuan was in the same posture as before, sitting cross-legged on the tree stump.

But for some reason, the Orange Cat felt as if the man had become a mountain, giving it a sense of unshakeable permanence.

’This guy… It looks like he’s actually done it.’