Chapter 32: Three Grades of Chalcedony

Emperor Jianwu could no longer hold on; he was about to pass the throne to his legitimate son.

After this night passed.

The throne would change hands.

And it would possess a brand-new physical body.

However, none of this had anything to do with Su Chen.

A Grandmaster Demon.

This Liang Taizu was not someone he could afford to provoke.

Currently, in the Great Liang, whether in the imperial court or the martial world, the foundation of First-Rank experts was severely depleted. The reason the powerful neighboring Great Zhou had not launched a sudden military strike to seize the Imperial City was due to their dread of the Liang Taizu, who had appeared like a flash of lightning and survived for three hundred years since the founding of the dynasty.

Below the level of Grandmaster, all are ants; the same applied to the First Rank.

The Great Zhou had no Grandmasters.

Therefore, even if the Great Liang were to fall apart, as long as the Liang Taizu remained alive, the Great Zhou would not dare to step a single foot into the Liang Imperial City.

Su Chen arrived at the depths of the pharmacy. Seeing that the elderly Chen Ge had long since fallen into a heavy sleep, he approached an old tree within the pharmacy and began to dig.

Soon, a wooden box was unearthed by him.

Inside the wooden box.

Aside from two bottles of Heart-Devouring Powder, there was a copper ring that resembled a storage ring containing a small, dragon-like pearl, and the withered Thousand-Year Ginseng King was also prominently among them.

The storage ring and the dragon pearl were items Su Chen had played with frequently over the years, yet he could never figure out the secrets within them.

However, these two items—one hidden within the First Prince's ribs and the other a sacred sect treasure stolen by the Black Abyss from the imperial treasury—were bound to be extraordinary; he simply hadn't grasped their mechanics.

"I've been in this pharmacy for three years."

"It's been so long that I've almost forgotten I am Su Chen, not Xu Ge."

Su Chen sighed with emotion.

Then.

Streams of Longevity True Qi surged into the withered Thousand-Year Treasure Medicine, the Ginseng King. Soon, a strange fragrance emerged from the medicinal garden, making the surrounding herbs appear even more vibrant with life.

The Thousand-Year Ginseng King had become a Thousand-Year Ginseng King once again!

The two pieces of blood-qi Thousand-Year Treasure Medicine used to enter the path of the "Six-Foot Golden Body Art" had exhausted their medicinal properties after pushing Su Chen to the two great extreme realms of Fifth-Rank Flesh and Fourth-Rank Bone.

Now.

It was precisely when the Liang Taizu was replacing his body.

Su Chen could finally consume this Thousand-Year Treasure Medicine King to charge toward a higher level of the Third-Rank Marrow Cleansing Realm.

"Three years have passed."

"Although I have devoured some hundred-year and thousand-year treasure medicines, the effects have been mediocre..."

"Fifth-Rank nourishes blood-qi, Fourth-Rank resonates bones, Third-Rank makes marrow like jade..."

Three years had passed.

Su Chen had already practiced the Marrow Cleansing Realm to a profound depth, reaching the peak of the Third Rank.

The peak of the Third Rank was divided into different levels.

An ordinary Third-Rank expert who had exhausted their potential reached a peak called "White Marrow," unable to progress further to refine their internal organs and enter the Second Rank.

A martial prodigy could attempt to charge into the "Silver Marrow Realm."

The prodigy among prodigies held a slim hope of achieving the "Gold Marrow Realm."

At this moment.

Within Su Chen's body, his marrow and bones were as silver, faintly tinged with gold. If he were willing to forgo further tempering his foundation to charge for the Third-Rank extreme realm, he could rely on this Thousand-Year Ginseng King tonight to break through into the Second-Rank Organ Refinement Realm.

"I am not lacking time."

"At worst, I can just keep tempering."

Su Chen swallowed the entire Ginseng King.

In an instant.

The blood-qi within him flared like flames, and his bones roared like thunder, exploding in unison.

It was fortunate that this place was remote.

Otherwise, it would surely have alerted the Imperial Guards.

A Thousand-Year Ginseng King could assist a contemporary First-Rank expert in attempting to charge toward the Grandmaster Realm! Now, it was being used by Su Chen to charge toward the extreme realm of the Marrow Cleansing Realm; if others knew, they would surely deem it a colossal waste of a divine treasure.

Even if this truly resulted in a Third-Rank extreme realm, it would only allow one to fight against the Second Rank. But if given to a peak First-Rank expert, it could entirely create a generation of Grandmasters capable of changing the fate of a dynasty!

Soon.

The silver luster of Su Chen's marrow and bones completely dissipated.

In its place.

A brilliant golden hue covered his entire body.

He had succeeded!

Marrow like flowing gold!

The Gold Marrow Realm, which only one in ten thousand martial prodigies who enter the Third Rank might achieve, had been attained by Su Chen just like that.

Perhaps there were a few Silver Marrow Third-Ranks.

But looking across the entire Great Liang, one might not even find a second Gold Marrow Third-Rank in the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

"Next."

"I will use the remaining medicinal power to charge ahead in one breath, refine my organs, and step into the Second Rank..."

The increase in physical strength from the Gold Marrow Realm was not as great as Su Chen had imagined.

The medicinal power of the Thousand-Year Ginseng King actually still had about seventy percent remaining.

It was just right for stepping into the Second-Rank Organ Refinement Realm.

At that moment.

A suction force naturally emanated from within Su Chen's golden marrow.

In a flash.

The previously perfected golden marrow underwent a change, faintly taking on a translucent, jade-like quality.

"What is this?"

"Gold Marrow Third-Rank is not the limit of the Third Rank? Is this the Jade Marrow Realm?"

"No."

"According to the ancient records, shouldn't the Third-Rank extreme realm be Gold Marrow? When the Liang Taizu was young, he used that Gold Marrow Third-Rank to slay a Second-Rank Organ Refinement expert and lead the Dragon Guards to sweep across the world..."

The Jade Marrow Third-Rank was barely achieved after consuming seventy percent of the remaining Thousand-Year Ginseng King's medicinal power.

One must realize.

Even seventy percent of such medicinal power was enough to provide a peak First-Rank expert with the foundation to attempt the Grandmaster Realm.

It was exhausted!

The medicinal power was gone!

Su Chen felt a sense of lament. He had originally thought that he could safely step into the Second-Rank Organ Refinement Realm tonight while the Liang Taizu was changing his body.

In the end, he was still in the Third Rank.

"However, this Third-Rank Jade Marrow feels like I could kill a Second-Rank with a single punch..."

At this moment.

Under the bright moon and amidst the wind and snow in the medicinal field, Su Chen's marrow was like jade and his bones roared like thunder. His body was wrapped in a thin layer of blood-qi flames. Though he was Third-Rank, he looked more like a Minor Grandmaster than a First-Rank, possessing an otherworldly, non-human aura.

Just then.

In the distance.

From the direction of the Imperial Palace, a burst of wailing erupted.

Imperial Guards were galloping at full speed, holding imperial edicts, rushing toward the prosperous streets outside the palace where the court's nobility resided.

"His Majesty the Emperor has ascended to the heavens!"

"On this night."

"The throne is officially passed to the sole bloodline, the legitimate Crown Prince. The new Emperor has ascended; all officials of the court, come quickly to pay your respects..."

Seeing this.

Su Chen wanted to watch the spectacle. He left the pharmacy, leaped onto the palace walls, and looked toward the Imperial Study from afar. He could faintly see a young, tender-looking prince emerging from the study, supporting a coffin.

Behind him, five figures in red robes, along with the three guard commanders, crowded behind the new Emperor.

"It seems Emperor Jianwu's 'succession' was successful..."

"Hmm?"

"No."

Su Chen's expression changed.

In his vision.

The light of longevity contained within this young prince was still his own. Instead, inside the coffin, the light of longevity representing Emperor Jianwu was struggling frantically...

Emperor Jianwu had not succeeded in passing the throne...

At this moment.

He was quite literally trapped inside the coffin, struggling desperately...

At this moment.

The young new Emperor was pressing down on the coffin lid, wailing in grief.

"Father, how could you leave me like this..."

(End of Chapter)