Two months later.

Chen Yi arrived at his destination, Wuan County, Qian Province.

Faster than he had expected.

Because that black horse with a hint of demon blood was truly useful.

As long as it rested once or twice a day and was fed, it could cruise at a steady speed, running fast and steady, crossing mountains and ridges with ease.

"This is like buying a prized steed!"

While on the road, Chen Yi didn’t neglect his training.

In the Body Refining Realm, warriors only needed to cultivate Vitality Energy.

Although the Golden Body Realm corresponds to the Body Refining Realm, because Vitality Energy's intensity had changed so much, when focusing on Vitality Energy you also had to take care of Spiritual Energy and Essence Energy.

The Three Energies must complement each other for any real improvement.

Therefore, external techniques, internal techniques, and Heart Arts all had to be trained simultaneously.

Just saying that makes you feel how complicated training after the Golden Body Realm becomes.

Don’t even mention people with poor Innate Talent; even those with high Innate Talent, the cultivation gains from natural daily training are minimal.

If one also wants to improve real combat ability, martial arts must be refined, which eats up a lot of training time.

So during the third simulation, after Chen Yi broke through to the Golden Body Realm, he couldn’t keep advancing.

He had to fight battles and manage troops; who had time to train?

Chen Yi’s advantage was his "Proficiency" trait.

The time spent on martial arts was greatly reduced.

Cultivation levels for techniques were also raised significantly via the "Proficiency" trait, partially compensating for the slow training speed caused by Low-Grade Bone Structure.

A normal Low-Grade Bone Structure cultivator almost never reached the Golden Body Realm.

Even with huge opportunities and great luck, if they managed a breakthrough, they would most likely remain at the Golden Body Realm for the rest of their lives.

Feng Yucheng was an example; when he died he was over a hundred but only had Golden Body, Third Layer, precisely because he was Low-Grade Bone Structure.

He resorted to many crooked methods, but within the grand design of fate, he only struggled more than others.

Chen Yi had a trait system and a Dao-heart comparable to Old Han Demon’s determination, so he wasn’t hopeless.

Still, to continue improving he had to rely on simulation boosts, practicing while traveling simply because he had nothing better to do.

After arriving at Wuan County, Chen Yi recalled the Ten Thousand Souls Banner’s boast.

At this point in time, the Ten Thousand Souls Banner should have just drained its previous owner and been selecting its next one.

"He said he was near Goose City when he found his next owner."

Chen Yi asked around for the direction to Goose City and spurred his horse onward.

Several days later.

Chen Yi’s nostrils twitched, he felt something.

"Ke-ke-ke... A-fan, I get you!"

...

Zhao Long and Zhao Hu were brothers.

The Zhao family in Goose City had been an obscure, unremarkable small family, with no more than six warriors in the clan.

A year ago, the old Zhao suddenly experienced a great surge in power, becoming a Soul Tempering Realm warrior.

That instantaneously changed the balance among several families in the town.

The Zhao family shot up to become the local gentry’s voice; all kinds of businesses flourished, and in just one year they earned a fortune.

Before the Zhao family could fully enjoy it, the old man suddenly croaked not long ago.

With no Soul Tempering Realm warrior in the clan, the family was like a child parading gold through the streets, attracting the covetous eyes of other families.

Today, Zhao Long and Zhao Hu both came, independently, to a cemetery outside Goose City; their father’s new grave was here.

"Elder Brother, did you come to pay respects to Father?"

"Uh... yes, you too?"

"Elder Brother came to pay respects without even burning any paper money?"

"You didn’t bring any either!"

The brothers kept a bit of distance, staring at each other, then with a thud they both knelt in front of the grave.

They began to pour out their hearts to their father’s grave, lamenting the family’s current crises with tearful, earnest pleas, hitting all the right notes of sorrow and effort.

"Father! Didn’t you appear in my dreams and tell me that as long as I come before your grave, all the clan’s problems would be resolved? I came today, so why? Sigh!"

Hearing his younger brother speak like that, Zhao Long immediately grew suspicious.

"Father appeared in your dreams too?"

"What kind of nonsense is that, Father trusted me most when he was alive, he would surely appear in my dreams, not yours!"

"Of course! If Father hadn’t appeared to me, would I be out here in this desolate place?"

While the two brothers were looking down on each other, their father’s grave exploded!

"Boom!!!"

Black smoke billowed from the blown-open grave.

Zhao Long and Zhao Hu were dumbfounded.

They had all heard of "ancestral grave smoking," but today they actually saw it for real!

Soon they noticed a tattered white banner rising out of the smoke.

"Oh~ such filial sons, yearning to restore the Zhao family’s prestige and trample the competition in Goose City?"

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner’s voice sounded.

That frightened the two brothers so much they fell straight onto the ground.

"Banner, ban- banner- banner is talking?"

Amid rolling black smoke, that voice carried a strange, demonic charm.

"I am an Immortal Artifact forged by an ancient great power, possessing terrifying might to span heaven and earth — I can remake the fortune of a clan, I can silence a child's wails. For a thousand years, those who follow me prosper in luck and find success in martial ways..."

Although fearful, the two brothers inexplicably listened to it all the way through.

"So Father suddenly broke through because he obtained this Immortal Artifact!"

Indeed, if someone in the family had a high enough realm, there would be no clan crisis.

The brothers exchanged a look and saw excitement in each other’s eyes.

A chance!

"Oh~ but why are there two of you here today? How should I choose? If I follow one of you, the other will be heartbroken — such a headache..."

Zhao Long took a step back.

"Second brother, Father trusted you most. This banner can be considered Father’s relic. Brother gives it to you."

Zhao Hu showed joy.

"Is that true, Elder Brother?"

"It is only right for an elder brother to yield to his younger brother!"

"Elder Brother!"

Zhao Hu’s eyes reddened with emotion. As he reached to take the banner, he suddenly felt a cold chill behind him.

From Zhao Long’s sleeve a short sword flashed out, thrusting toward Zhao Hu’s back!

Zhao Hu snorted, spun around and drew a hidden sleeve arrow from beneath his wrist, firing it!

"Using hidden weapons? How despicable!"

"Elder Brother, isn’t it despicable to sneak attack from behind?"

The two brothers, full of a hundred cunning thoughts, began to slaughter one another for the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

The banner bobbed nearby, black mists swirling, gleefully watching the spectacle.

"Interesting, interesting..."

Suddenly, a youth’s figure appeared beside the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

"You really are a pervert, stirring brothers to kill one another."

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner was startled.

It hadn’t noticed when Chen Yi had appeared; it didn’t sense him at all!

That was because Chen Yi had equipped Silent Step and the Three Swordsmen in the Grass, then crept along the grass.

Unless someone was specifically scanned with divine sense or seen directly, it was hard to detect him.

"Young man, if you want me you must queue up, one at a time."

"Heh, Ten Thousand Souls Banner, I don’t have time to watch you cause trouble. Come with me quickly, the only one suited to be your master in this world is me!"

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner released some black mist, attempting to invade Chen Yi’s spirit.

The black mist entered Chen Yi’s body.

The black mist left.

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner was stunned.

Its proud ability to corrupt minds had no effect?

"Oh~ Man, you have successfully caught my attention!"