Chapter 238 - 168: Denglai City (2)
Back then, he had been far from having either of those things.
Later, after cultivating the Qi Nourishing and Health Cultivation Skill, he had awakened the cultivation Talent of a Qi Refiner. From that point on, his progress with the Earth Element True Skill improved considerably.
And today, with the help of this one Spirit Fish, his Cultivation Technique had broken through, bringing his cultivation level along with it to the Qi Sensing realm.
A breakthrough in his Cultivation Technique meant he could now form a new Talent.
A new Talent would undoubtedly make him even stronger.
At this thought, Fang Yue’s gaze sharpened.
The familiar screen of light appeared before him.
[Cultivation Technique: White Tiger Fist (Marrow Transformation) (Great Success); Earth Element True Skill (Qi Sensing) (Mastered); Qi Nourishing and Health Cultivation Skill: (Mastered)]
[Talent: 3899 (One in a Thousand)]
[Talent: Advanced Boxing Mastery, Basic Qi Blood Derivation, Advanced Copper Skin and Iron Bones, Beginner’s Qi Sensitivity]
[Consume 1,500 Talent Points to form the Talent: Junior Earth True Body]
’Earth True Body.’
Seeing this name, Fang Yue’s heart stirred.
Instantly, information about this Talent flowed into his mind.
The body of a Qi Refiner would gradually and subtly change over years of cultivation. This was due to differences in their Cultivation Techniques and the attributes of the Primordial Qi they absorbed.
This would grant the Cultivator all sorts of abilities, such as enhancing defense, increasing cultivation speed, or boosting the power of their techniques, among many others.
The so-called True Bodies and Dharma Bodies were products of this process.
And this Earth True Body, even in its junior state, had two effects: it enhanced defense and increased his affinity for Earth Element Qi. Furthermore, as long as he stood on the ground, he would receive a certain power boost.
"Three whole attributes? Is this Cultivation Technique extraordinary, or are Qi Refiners just this powerful?"
Reading this, Fang Yue felt a little shaken.
’With bonuses like these, no wonder Secret Medicine Martial Artists can’t compare to true Qi Refiners in combat.’ he couldn’t help but think. ’It’s only because Qi Refiners are so rare that the cheaper and less demanding Secret Medicine Martial Artists have become so widespread.’
In reality, this was due to Fang Yue’s lack of knowledge; he was taking things for granted.
After all, things like True Bodies and Dharma Bodies were high-tier even among Qi Refiners.
Only true, supreme geniuses had the chance to possess such a Talent right after reaching the Qi Sensing realm.
Most other Qi Refiners might never be able to form such a Talent in their entire lifetime.
Now, seeing such a powerful Talent, Fang Yue was naturally overjoyed.
’Form it. Of course I’ll form it.’
Fang Yue made up his mind, then sat cross-legged on his bed and began to form the Talent.
[Consumed 1,500 Talent Points. Acquired Talent: Junior Earth True Body.]
As the line of text scrolled past his eyes, a familiar warm current suddenly surged through Fang Yue’s body.
However, this warm current was different from the ones he felt when forming Talents in the past.
Previously, he had barely felt anything before the process of forming the Talent was over.
This time, however, it lasted several times longer. Fang Yue could also sense a faint, earthy-yellow light flickering within the warm current—a color similar to that of Earth Element Qi.
But in terms of feeling, it was hundreds, even thousands of times purer.
’Perhaps the process of transforming my body to grant me the Earth True Body Talent involves using this pure Earth Element Qi?’
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea passed.
Fang Yue opened his eyes, and a sharp glint shot out from them.
Fang Yue clenched his fists tightly, and a series of CRACKING sounds echoed from all over his body.
He felt a terrifying power emanating from his body. His strength had nearly doubled compared to before his advancement.
He wasn’t sure if he could take on a late-stage Qi Sensing Martial Master, but he was confident he could fight—and even defeat—a mid-stage one.
After all, in terms of pure strength, a mid-stage Qi Sensing Martial Master possessed only about thirty thousand jin of force.
His current strength was at least around forty thousand jin, and with all his Talents and his current defensive capabilities, a mid-stage Qi Sensing Martial Master would naturally be no match for him.
"I never expected this Spirit Fish Flesh to bring about such a massive change!"
Fang Yue’s mind reeled.
It was precisely that bowl of Spirit Fish Flesh that allowed his Cultivation Technique to break through and his realm to advance ahead of schedule.
Over the next few days, Fang Yue took time to familiarize himself with his newly advanced strength.
He spent the rest of his free time fishing.
However, perhaps his luck had run out, because by the time the ship docked at the Denglai City pier, he hadn’t caught another Silver Thread Spirit Fish.
~~~~~~~~~
「At the crack of dawn on this day.」
The colossal ship docked at the pier of Denglai City, the second-largest city in Guangfeng Prefecture.
Denglai City was originally called Denglai County Town. But because it was located on the border between Guangfeng Prefecture and Shanyang Prefecture, it bustled with traveling merchants, and its name was gradually changed to Denglai City.
As they stepped onto the pier, a wave of clamor immediately washed over them.
There were many people on the pier at this moment, but most of them were recent refugees from Shanyang Prefecture.
Fang Yue and his family were on an official ship, so they naturally used a separate, cleared passageway and didn’t have to push through the crowds.
After a routine inspection, Fang Yue’s family finally entered Denglai City.
The streets of Denglai City were bustling with people, and a dazzling array of goods was on display.
It was a prosperous city, not only populous but also lined with all kinds of shops, and its taverns and restaurants were too numerous to count. It was much more prosperous than Shanyang Prefecture.
After all, Shanyang Prefecture was effectively a border region of the Great Wei Dynasty.
It naturally couldn’t compare to Guangfeng Prefecture, which was much closer to the central seat of power.
Guangfeng Prefecture was so named because the prefecture’s land was fertile, its crops were high-yielding, and its resources were extremely abundant. It was renowned throughout the entire Great Wei Dynasty.
Fang Yue wandered the streets for a while before finding an inn to stay at.
After several days on a ship, the natural thing to do was to rest and recuperate in the city.
He was a Martial Artist who had now reached Qi Sensing, and his strength was formidable. His body’s defenses were astonishing, making him difficult to harm with ordinary blades.
He naturally didn’t need to worry about the change in environment or the fatigue from travel.
His family, however, was different. Father Fang and Ms. Chen were getting on in years, and this long journey as refugees had been very taxing for them.
They couldn’t continue to travel so hastily.
Proper rest and recuperation were essential.
Otherwise, it would do their bodies more harm than good.
So, they checked into the most luxurious inn in Denglai City.
They rented a small, separate courtyard behind the inn. The environment was beautiful, quiet, and elegant.
’In Fang Yue’s opinion, it was the perfect place for rest and self-cultivation.’
Only after arranging all the details did Fang Yue finally relax.
「The next morning, bright and early.」
Fang Yue went out.
Denglai City was far more prosperous than Shanyang Prefecture, so of course he had to take a good look around. He also wanted to see if he could find any treasures like the blood ginseng that could increase his Talent Points, or items like the Silver Thread Spirit Fish that could enhance his Qi Cultivation.
He wasn’t alone, however. There were three of them.
Bai Li was blind, but she wasn’t one to sit still. Having arrived in a new place, she was especially eager to go out and ’see’ it.
As for his little nephew, he was at that restless age and had cried and begged to go out with Fang Yue.
And so, the three of them went out together, looking rather like a family of three.
At first, though, it was Little Tie Dan who was dragging the two of them around, either running to a dough figurine stall or planting himself in front of a candy hawthorn vendor, refusing to leave.
Before long, Little Tie Dan had a skewer of candy hawthorn in his left hand and a sugar figurine in his right.
His cheeks were bulging.
Fang Yue placed him on his shoulders, took Bai Li’s hand, and continued walking. Soon, they arrived at a quaint-looking medicine shop.
The name of the shop was the Cyan Cloud Medicine Hall.
Walking into the medicine shop, a thick scent of Chinese medicinal herbs wafted over them.
Fang Yue took a deep breath, taking in the rich aroma of the herbs.
’Worthy of being the best Chinese medicine shop in Guangfeng Prefecture. It really is extraordinary,’ Fang Yue praised inwardly.
The shop owner was an elderly man, over sixty years old.
Fang Yue glanced at the old man and asked, "Do you have any blood ginseng here?"