"Your ancestor is Zhang Zhongjing, don't joke!" Ren Lijuan called out, laughing. The Sage of Medicine, Zhang Zhongjing, was a historical celebrity. Ren Lijuan wasn't surprised that Zhang Yang claimed to be from a medical family, but saying he was related to Zhang Zhongjing struck her as Zhang Yang deliberately making a joke.

The Sage of Medicine, Zhang Zhongjing, had lived over eighteen hundred years ago; how could anyone remember things so clearly after so long?

"Lijuan, Mr. Zhang isn't lying. I believe him!" Huang Jing tugged at her arm, the shock in her eyes already masked by her composure. At this moment, she finally understood Zhang Yang’s identity and origins. So, Zhang Yang belonged to the most mysterious lineage of the Sage of Medicine. No wonder he possessed the Longevity Elixir and such formidable strength.

The lineage of the Sage of Medicine, unlike the Xuanyuan Clan or the Li or Huyan families, did not boast large populations or massive family structures. The line of succession for the Sage of Medicine had always been sparse. Yet, Huang Jing understood that this thinly populated lineage was a force no person or family could easily provoke. Their family intelligence network had uncovered some facts about the Sage lineage: they had never lacked experts at the Fourth Layer. Every generation's successor possessed not only supreme medical skills but also overwhelming personal strength—this was the critical reason for their continued existence. Without strength, even the most exquisite medical arts were useless.

Simultaneously, the Sage lineage’s art of compounding medicines was unrivaled globally. Some said they held more prescriptions than any other family, some of which were unique to them, absent in other clans. These prescriptions were priceless treasures; without them, even possessing rare heavenly materials would fail to yield suitable spirit medicines, ultimately wasting the bounty.

"Jie Jie, what is wrong with you today?" Ren Lijuan looked at Huang Jing with confusion. From the moment they arrived, Huang Jing’s behavior had puzzled her. Initially, she suspected Zhang Yang had bullied Huang Jing, but it was clearly not the case now; Huang Jing seemed to possess an instinctive fear of him.

"I am fine, Mr. Zhang. It is getting late, we should take our leave. We apologize for disturbing you today, and we place our entire matter regarding this situation in your hands!" Huang Jing pulled Ren Lijuan, stood up, and bowed again, signaling their departure immediately. Her purpose tonight, beyond delivering items, was to gauge Zhang Yang’s inclination and see if he would wholeheartedly assist her family through this crisis. Now, she didn't need to ask. Zhang Yang's demonstrated power had given her absolute confidence.

The lineage of the Sage of Medicine, the Xuanyuan Clan, and spirit beasts—tonight had brought her too many surprises. She needed to report this information to her family swiftly to bolster their morale.

Only after seeing them off did Zhang Yang return to the living room. The box Huang Jing brought lay on the table. Inside was the item Chu Yuntian sought from the Huang family, though Zhang Yang still didn't know what exactly they desired.

Long Feng had not returned. Zhang Yang sat on the sofa and opened the box himself. The box was exquisite, not large, and light in his hand. Upon opening it, the first thing he saw was a bank draft from the HSBC.

"Fifty million?" Opening the bank draft, Zhang Yang smiled faintly, then shook his head lightly, tossing the draft aside. The Huang family was certainly generous this time. He hadn't done anything yet, and they had already sent fifty million. In this era, fifty million was no small sum; it was a staggering fortune.

However, Zhang Yang was not lacking money currently. The patented medicines he held were soon to enter production, promising substantial annual dividends sufficient for his needs. Truthfully, Zhang Yang was not a man desperately craving wealth. He enjoyed life but would never become a slave to money. Having enough was sufficient, enough to maintain his current lifestyle.

Beneath the bank draft lay a sheet of yellowed paper. This paper clearly dated back some years; it was not a modern item. Faint tear lines marked the paper, suggesting the Huang family had ripped it from a larger document somewhere. Zhang Yang took out the paper and glanced at it casually.

With just that single look, he bolted upright, staring at the contents with intense astonishment. The content was simple: a method for consuming spirit medicines—a procedure detailing how to combine and take three different kinds of spirit medicines, briefly outlining the coordination required.

Generally, one consumed only a single spirit medicine at a time. At most, one might take two of the same kind, though this was somewhat wasteful. If one were to consume different spirit medicines simultaneously, a specific technique was required. The properties of spirit medicines were potent; without the correct method, they could easily clash, leading to a loss of medicinal effect at best, or severe disruption to one's cultivation, even the loss of internal energy and life, at worst. This held doubly true for combining three.

This sheet described the method for taking three spirit medicines together, but only the final paragraph remained. The preceding content was entirely missing. Zhang Yang surmised the beginning portions must be in Chu Yuntian’s possession.

But these details were not the main point. The most critical element was the final sentence on the paper: "After consuming the three elixirs, drink one cup of water from the Heavenly Pond without root, rest quietly for half a day, and one may break free from the fetters of the Dao of Nature, becoming a peak expert of the Fifth Layer!"

A peak expert of the Fifth Layer—the result of this spirit medicine regimen was actually a breakthrough to the Fifth Layer! Zhang Yang suddenly recalled that Huang Jing had mentioned that one of the secrets they were trading involved the Fifth Layer. He had always assumed the so-called Fifth Layer secret referred to the knowledge he already possessed about comprehending the Dao of Nature for ascension. Now, it was clear that his assumption was wrong; this was an entirely different method he had never heard of. To reach the Fifth Layer merely through consumption—that was something he had never conceived possible.

Setting the paper down, Zhang Yang immediately took out his phone, dialed a number, then quickly hung up. Zhang Yang returned to the sofa, closed his eyes, and his mind cycled through the few simple sentences on the paper, judging whether the content was true or false.

This information was profoundly shocking. He had never imagined there existed a method to advance to the Fifth Layer other than comprehending the Dao of Nature, let alone one achieved through ingestion. This inverted his entire established understanding. Spirit medicines had always been supplementary aids; there was fundamentally no way to advance realms solely by consuming them, unless the medicine contained immense energy that one could absorb for breakthrough. However, even such advancement relied critically on the individual’s own breakthrough moment; if one’s realm was insufficient, merely absorbing internal energy could not force progression.

It was like Long Feng back then; without his prior enlightenment, blindly absorbing the internal energy from spirit medicines would likely have resulted in fatal overdose or qi deviation, certainly not the smooth transition into the Third Layer he experienced. Yet, this paper suggested something different. Based on the text, it was evident that consuming these medicines led directly to the Fifth Layer. This implied direct promotion merely by ingestion, reaching the Fifth Layer no less. Zhang Yang was unclear on the specifics of how this promotion occurred—that information was likely in the missing preceding text—but one thing was starkly clear: if this material were leaked, the impact on internal energy practitioners would be immense.

Especially the Fourth Layer experts; upon obtaining this, they would surely focus on following the paper’s instructions, using spirit medicines to break through to the Fifth Layer, abandoning the arduous search for the elusive Dao of Nature. The Dao of Nature involved the comprehension of the Dao, essentially enlightenment. Success in enlightenment did not depend on diligence; it required destiny. When destiny arrived, success could be swift; without it, one might wander forever without finding the gate.

The success rate of achieving enlightenment was evident in the scarcity of peak Fifth Layer experts throughout history. In every era, there were those reaching the late Fourth Layer before the age of sixty, without fail. Many achieved enlightenment on the Dao of Nature and became Guardians, otherwise, the current number of Guardians would not exist; a significant portion achieved their status through personal realization rather than mere inheritance. But those who ultimately succeeded in enlightenment and truly stepped into the peak of the Fifth Layer were exceedingly rare. Throughout the years of Chinese civilization, the number of experts who reached the Fifth Layer could be counted on one hand, a figure illustrating the immense difficulty of enlightenment.

Zhang Yang was certain that if this method truly became public, it wouldn't just tempt Fourth Layer experts; even the Guardians would lose their composure. Guardians already had one foot across the threshold into the Fifth Layer, but they had no idea when the other foot would follow. Many might never manage that final step, like the Zhang family's Guardian, Zhang Pinglu, who became a Guardian through inheritance and could never achieve enlightenment. But if they knew there was a way to reach the Fifth Layer without enlightenment, simply through ingesting medicine, Zhang Yang couldn't fathom the frenzy they would descend into. The power of the Fifth Layer was undoubtedly beyond human imagination—the supreme figures of the age, existing immortals on earth.

After sitting for a while, Zhang Yang finally placed the call.

"Where are you? I need to see you immediately..."

After finishing the call, Zhang Yang sat back, eyes closed, pondering. The items the Huang family offered had completely exceeded his expectations; he never anticipated such a vital secret. If he had known earlier, he would certainly have agreed to the Huang family's terms; not just training one cultivator, but three would have been manageable. The Zhang family specialized in cultivating internal energy practitioners; even those with insufficient aptitude could be made to manifest internal energy.

But now it was too late for such thoughts. Zhang Yang finally understood why Chu Yuntian was so desperate for the final part of this material. If he were in Chu Yuntian's shoes, he would also be intensely eager to obtain it. If the Huang family hadn't been scattered internationally, Chu Yuntian likely wouldn't have waited for them to deliver it; he would have already attacked. Now, Zhang Yang could affirm that once Chu Yuntian acquired what he needed, he would certainly not spare the Huang family. He would ensure this secret remained his alone, and every member of the Huang family would be swiftly eliminated after he secured the prize.

Second update! (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to cast your recommendation votes and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.) RQ