Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

Li Guang came to the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect in person.

By then, Lu Changsheng had already emerged from seclusion, having infused the last forty-seven drops of Heavenly Spirit Water into the Four Symbols Prison divine ability Dao Fruit, though it still had a long way to go before full transformation.

The moment Lu Changsheng sensed Li Guang's arrival, he went out to greet him.

"Brother Li, what did the grand elder decide?" he asked eagerly, not bothering with pleasantries.

Li Guang smiled faintly. "The grand elder has agreed to grant you the recommendation for the Martial Saint Institute, though he does have one condition."

"What is it?"

Lu Changsheng was not at all surprised. He had never expected the Li Clan to hand over such a valuable opportunity without asking for anything in return. No matter how close he and Li Guang had become, he was not a member of the Li Clan, and the family would give out a most valuable recommendation for nothing.

Li Guang took a slow breath and spoke carefully, weighing each word. "The grand elder says that if you enter the Martial Saint Institute's inner division through his recommendation, and later forge a Saint Body to become Martial Saint, you must find a way to obtain a Heavenly Rain Creation Pill and hand it to the Li Clan. If you agree to this, the recommendation is yours. What do you say, Brother Lu?"

"A Heavenly Rain Creation Pill?"

"Yes. It's an extremely rare medicine..." Li Guang trailed off, offering no further explanation. The Grand Elder's injuries, the damage to his Saint Body, and his centuries of confinement within the Li Clan's secret grounds were hardly matters the clan would openly discuss.

Lu Changsheng did not press Li Guang for more; he had more or less already pieced together the truth.

The Li Clan's grand elder has likely injured his Saint Body and needs the pill to heal. The pill is probably quite difficult to obtain, but that's a worry for later. Everything depends on whether I can become a Martial Saint first. Besides, the Li Clan's sincerity speaks for itself...

After a long moment in thought, Lu Changsheng nodded. ""Very well, I accept. Once I've entered the inner division and become a Martial Saint, I'll find a way to get the Li Clan their Heavenly Rain Creation Pill."

"Excellent!" A wide grin appeared on Li Guang's face as he took out a token. "This is the recommendation token of the Li Clan Merchant Association. With it, you may enter the Martial Saint Institute as an inner division martial artist. There will still be a brief review process... but well, it's just a formality. They just need to confirm you're a Divine Ability martial artist."

Lu Changsheng nodded and accepted the token. He understood what Li Guang was alluding to: with that token, entering the inner division was essentially guaranteed. It was hardly fair to outer division martial artists who had to work their way up, but there were plenty of people out there who gained advantages and took shortcuts.

If an outer division martial artist eventually became a Martial Saint and earned the right to make recommendations of their own, their descendants would also be able to enter the inner division and enjoy the same privileges.

Ultimately, there was no such thing as absolute fairness in the Martial Dao. Strength determined everything.

After putting away the recommendation token, Lu Changsheng looked up at Li Guang. "One more thing. I still need another hundred and ten drops of Heavenly Spirit Water."

"Already prepared, Brother Lu," Li Guang smiled and handed over the Heavenly Spirit Water to Lu Changsheng. "Our merchant association didn't have that many drops on hand and had to source the rest from others, but supplying you was never a problem. The price still stands at ninety percent of market value, ninety-nine thousand spirit stones in total."

"Thank you, Brother Li," Lu Changsheng replied. Then, he quickly paid the ninety-nine thousand spirit stones and accepted the hundred and ten drops of Heavenly Spirit Water.

The Li Clan had invested heavily in him, and Li Guang's friendship was no act of pure charity. It was an investment in what he might become, one he could only repay once he had become a Martial Saint himself.

With everything more or less settled, Li Guang rose to his feet. "Very well, Brother Lu. I'll take my leave and let you return to seclusion."

***

Lu Changsheng went into seclusion once again.

With the additional hundred and ten drops of Heavenly Spirit Water, together with the forty-seven drops he had already refined, he was confident that he finally had enough to complete the transformation of the Four Symbols Prison Dao Fruit.

Without delay, he proceeded to refine the Heavenly Spirit Water again.

Fifty drops, eighty drops, one hundred drops, one hundred and twenty drops...

As time passed, more and more Heavenly Spirit Water disappeared into the Dao Fruit. And yet, even after absorbing a hundred and twenty drops in total, the fruit still showed no signs of transforming.

Only after Lu Changsheng had refined one hundred and fifty-one drops of Heavenly Spirit Water did the change finally occur.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Dao Fruit shattered, its power surging into Lu Changsheng's body and merging completely with him. Then, with a single thought...

Boom!

Lu Changsheng manifested the Four Symbols Prison, and just like that, another immeasurable divine ability was born.

Unlike the Mental Black Hole or the Five Elements Decomposition, the Four Symbols Prison specialized in confinement. Once an opponent was confined within it, Lu Changsheng could unleash the Mental Black Hole to attack their consciousness while the Five Elements Decomposition tore apart everything within the prison itself.

The three immeasurable divine abilities complemented one another perfectly. For the first time, Lu Changsheng truly felt that he had reached the pinnacle of the Divine Ability Realm. Among Divine Ability martial artists, there were few who could hope to oppose him now.

Lu Changsheng examined the porcelain bottle in his hand. Six drops of Heavenly Spirit Water left... I'll leave those here at the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect. They can become part of the sect's resources.

Now that he had accomplished everything he had set out to do, the next step was to head to the Martial Saint Institute.

Before leaving, however, Lu Changsheng decided to find Lu Tong, the master of the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect.

"Sect Master," Lu Changsheng began.

Upon seeing Lu Changsheng, Lu Tong quickly bowed. "Greetings, Venerable Lu."

Although Lu Tong was the sect's master, everyone in the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect understood that Lu Changsheng's status far surpassed Lu Tong's. After all, Lu Changsheng was the one who had established the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect; he was the founding ancestor.

However, because the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect had inherited the lineage of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, Lu Changsheng could not truly be considered its founding patriarch. Even so, his prestige within the sect was unmatched. In the eyes of the disciples and elders alike, Lu Changsheng was the very symbol of the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect.

Lu Changsheng took out six drops of Heavenly Spirit Water and handed them to Lu Tong. "Sect Master, place these six drops of Heavenly Spirit Water in the sect's vault."

Lu Tong's expression changed slightly. "Heavenly Spirit Water? You no longer need it, Venerable Lu?"

"That's right. I have three divine abilities now, so I no longer have any use for it."

Lu Tong's heart skipped a beat. Others had been convinced that Lu Changsheng possessed only one immeasurable divine ability, but Lu Tong had known the truth all along: Lu Changsheng had always had three Divine Ability Dao Fruits, each of them being an immeasurable divine ability. Now that all three had fully transformed and could work together in perfect harmony, he could hardly imagine how terrifying Lu Changsheng's strength had become.

Lu Tong was certain that not even the most gifted, most reclusive geniuses tucked away in the sacred lands could hope to match Lu Changsheng. Within the Divine Ability Realm, Lu Changsheng was simply invincible.

"Venerable Lu, people usually divide Divine Ability martial artists into ordinary divine ability martial artists, supreme divine ability martial artists, and Martial Venerables. However, I think we might need another category for you."

He looked at Lu Changsheng with undisguised admiration. "Because, Venerable Lu, you are invincible in the Divine Ability Realm!"

Lu Changsheng, however, merely shook his head. "Doesn't matter how powerful I am in the Divine Ability Realm. The gap between a Divine Ability martial artist and a Martial Saint is simply too great. And as you know, becoming a Martial Saint isn't easy. Not only do I have to forge a Saint Body, it must also be compatible with my divine abilities."

He paused before continuing, "On that note, I came to let you know that I'll be travelling to the Martial Saint Institute and become a Martial Saint there. I've already secured a recommendation. From here on, Sect Master, the affairs of the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect fall to you and the elders."

"The Martial Saint Institute? Excellent, that's wonderful!" Lu Tong exclaimed. "Once you become an inner division martial artist, your chances of forging a Saint Body and becoming a Martial Saint will increase tremendously. And if you succeed, Venerable Lu, our Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect will have a Martial Saint presiding over it!"

A sharp glint flickered across his eyes. Given Venerable Lu's age and talent, if he actually becomes a Martial Saint, he could protect the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect for three thousand years! That's more than enough to elevate the sect into one of the most formidable powers in Heavenly Sacred City!

"I never imagined that the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect would one day have a Martial Saint," Lu Tong added, his voice quavering with emotion.

He had deliberately said "Ancient Region Heavenly Sect" rather than "Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect." After all, he himself had come from the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, and now that the three heavenly sects stood united as one, the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect belonged to the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect as well.

Lu Changsheng merely nodded. "Well then, I'll take my leave."

With a step, his figure dissolved into a streak of light and shot into the sky, disappearing beyond the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect.