Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

The alternative option is fusion! Three Saint Bodies can be fused into one, a single Saint Body that carries the might of all three.

A sharp light flickered in Lu Changsheng's eyes. He remembered that Venerable Huo Yun, whom he had met at the Gourd Immortal Sect, had been attempting exactly this, fusing several Saint Bodies into one to reach the Martial Saint Realm.

Evidently, fusing Saint Bodies had to be extraordinarily difficult. One had to begin forging all three Saint Bodies simultaneously, then attempt to merge them completely into one. The process demanded trial after trial, for incompatibilities and clashes between Saint Bodies were inevitable.

In other words, if I want to fuse these three Saint Bodies, I must prepare the materials for all three in advance and forge them at the same time. Whether the forging succeeds depends entirely on repeated attempts, adjusting bit by bit according to my own condition until I find the point of balance and fuse the three completely into one.

And if the materials for any of the Saint Bodies are insufficient, or any one material is missing, then the fusion process cannot be completed.

Lu Changsheng was already envisioning the Saint Body forging process. Indeed, it seemed quite difficult. For a single Saint Body requiring several or a dozen materials, hard work could see it done. But three Saint Bodies meant a lot more materials, not one of them being dispensable. The slightest shortfall would spell failure. Fusion multiplied the difficulty of what was already a daunting task several times over.

That was why, although everyone knew a fused Saint Body was superior, those with the courage to actually attempt it were vanishingly rare. Only a martial artist with absolute confidence in himself would choose that path.

As it happened, Lu Changsheng had exactly that confidence. He firmly believed that through his own Perception and continuous trials, he would find the balance point among the three Saint Bodies and fuse them into one.

That's it. I shall fuse the three Saint Bodies into one and become a Martial Saint!

Just like that, Lu Changsheng had made up his mind. Giving up any of those three Saint Bodies was out of the question. Besides, he had never been one to unwillingly choose. If he could, he would take them all!

Lu Changsheng then settled into the cultivation chamber and pored over the three Saint Body techniques. Only after several hours of study had he committed all three firmly to memory.

Returning to Cave Residence No.1, he said out loud, "Artifact spirit, I require the cultivation materials for the Primordial Hole Saint Body, the Five-Colored Divine Light Saint Body, and the Ten Directions Saint Body."

The artifact spirit responded at once, "Based on the cultivation resources allotted to Cave Residence No.1, the following materials may be obtained..."

It slowly listed out a long inventory of materials, covering essentially all three Saint Bodies. The quantities, however, were small, no more than a fraction of what was needed. And most critically, the three key materials for forging the Saint Bodies were not provided by the Martial Saint Institute at all.

I guess the Martial Saint Institute isn't running a charity. It could never provide every material for forging a Saint Body. There's no incentive to give everything to people who can simply walk away after they become Martial Saints. Lu Changsheng shook his head.

He had looked into the Martial Saint Institute; it was simply an academy, with no obligations imposed on its members. Those who became Martial Saints left; the institute never demanded service, much less forced anyone to join any power. Such an institute stayed neutral, its standing transcendent.

Providing ordinary cultivation resources at all was already generous; precious ones were out of the question. And only as master of Cave Residence No.1 could Lu Changsheng receive as much as he did. Others likely received less.

My purpose in coming to the Martial Saint Institute was to find Saint Bodies matching my divine abilities. With all three techniques now in hand, that purpose is fulfilled. The resources I can draw here are a nice bonus. The key materials, I will have to secure myself.

Lu Changsheng was clear-eyed about this undertaking. He could not go to Li Guang again. Even if Li Guang was willing to help him out, could the Li Clan Merchant Association really procure materials as precious as these? It was rather unlikely. One had only to look at Venerable Huo Yun.

The Flame Palace was a far greater power than the Li Clan Merchant Association, and Venerable Huo Yun was a direct disciple the Flame Palace had nurtured with everything it had. And yet, for certain Saint Body materials, Venerable Huo Yun had still been forced to strike a deal with the Gourd Immortal Sect and risk his life in Void Spirit Mountain in exchange for resources.

Three key materials are Void Devil Pearls, natural elemental essences, and Void Divine Crystals. Beyond those, I will need large amounts of other resources, but those can be bought with spirit stones. It may take a lot, so I should prepare plenty. The three key materials, though, cannot be bought at any price. I must find my own way.

Lu Changsheng weighed his options. For him, the easiest of the three was actually the Void Devil Pearl, since it was just a matter of dealing with Void Devils. Even against a Void Devil King, his Mental Black Hole divine ability held the absolute advantage.

The only problem was actually finding Void Devils. He knew the Void Spirit Mountain teemed with them, but the mountain was sealed by the combined efforts of the great immortal sects and opened only once a decade. And since it had just opened recently, the next opening was ten years away.

Where else can I find Void Devils, specifically Void Devil Kings?

Lu Changsheng knew little of the Sacred Earth's geography, but someone else did. He took out his communication stone at once and sent word to Li Guang.

The reply came surprisingly fast.

The Devil Abyss? Reading Li Guang's message, Lu Changsheng sank into thought.

The Devil Abyss did indeed have Void Devils, many of them, and Void Devil Kings beyond any doubt. If he could dominate the Devil Abyss, he would never lack for Void Devil Pearls.

However, the Devil Abyss was no ordinary place. It was incredibly dangerous, and not just for Divine Ability martial artists; even Martial Saints would face the risk of death there.

In fact, a whole host of Martial Saints had fallen there once, among them even a Heavenly Saint. Lu Changsheng was confident in his strength, but not so confident as to think he could run rampant through the Devil Abyss by himself. Going there would be gambling with his life.

Sometimes, confidence turned to folly, leading to a foolish death.

The great factions of the Sacred Earth must have accumulated some Void Devil Pearls. And not just pearls; some powers surely hold natural five-elemental essences, even Void Divine Crystals.

Then, Lu Changsheng thought about the most distinctive feature of the Martial Saint Institute.

Beyond the free arts and partial resources, the Martial Saint Institute's greatest advantage actually lies in the outer division. The outer division houses an Exchange Hall where the great factions trade among themselves, recruit supreme Divine Ability Realm experts, and deal with one another, and the payment is almost always Saint Body forging materials of every kind. Perhaps I should go take a look.

Originally, the Institute had no Exchange Hall. But as it flourished, and especially after the outer division was established, the great factions saw an opportunity.

The supreme Divine Ability martial artists did as well. Even without joining the Institute, many found themselves gathered here, trading resources they no longer needed for the ones they lacked.

And just like that, the Exchange Hall came into being.

Without wasting any more time, Lu Changsheng left Cave Residence No.1 and headed straight for the outer division's Exchange Hall. Upon arriving there, he was met with endless streams of people. Clearly, there were far more people in the outer division than in the inner.

Of course, most of these people were not even martial artists of the Institute; they were merely visitors drawn by its fame. The outer division had effectively become something like the trading center of the Sacred Earth.

The Divine Ability Realm was a special realm, deeply dependent on external factors, for forging a Saint Body demanded all manner of precious materials. A Divine Ability martial artist relying on himself alone would inevitably hit a ceiling.

The Exchange Hall was different. It brimmed with Divine Ability martial artists of every kind, cultivating every sort of Saint Body, and cultivation resources of every description filled its stalls as everyone traded freely.

Lu Changsheng entered the outer division's Exchange Hall, which was even livelier. Martial artists beyond counting came and went, nearly all of them at the Divine Ability Realm.

Before many of them stood placards listing the goods they offered, or the terms they sought.

What Lu Changsheng saw most often was "Recruiting." Yes, recruiting—seeking supreme Divine Ability Realm martial artists, with requirements such as having condensed a major divine ability.

Certain Saint Body resources could be provided, but after becoming a Martial Saint, one had to serve for a certain number of years, and so on. These requirements came in endless variations.

Though most supreme divine ability martial artists had factions standing behind them, there were still some unaffiliated cultivators, and for them, obtaining Saint Body forging resources was brutally difficult.

Negotiating with the powers at the Exchange Hall was one way through. Of course, terms like serving after becoming a Martial Saint counted as charitable. The factions did not fund cultivation resources for nothing. Most demanded years of service first, with a set allotment of resources supplied per year.

Those were the standard terms, and the more outstanding the martial artist, the more resources they could command.

With my qualifications, how many cultivation resources could I obtain if I agreed to be recruited? Lu Changsheng pondered.

He was an inner division martial artist of the Martial Saint Institute who occupied Cave Residence No.1. Moreover, he had condensed an immeasurable divine ability. With such qualifications, his prospects were boundless, and countless factions would surely flock to him.

But once recruited, one was often no longer one's own master.Besides, could those powers really provide the resources he needed? Not necessarily. Most could offer only a little, or a portion at best, which meant little to Lu Changsheng.

Nevertheless, the hall was full of offers of every kind, and Lu Changsheng examined them one by one.

Hmm? This one is recruiting a supreme Divine Ability martial artist, preferably with the strength of a Martial Venerable. The task is to fight openly in the arena. Victory is rewarded with Geng Metal Essence![1]

Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up. Geng Metal Essence was the metal-attribute elemental essence. It was not the natural kind, but the nurtured elemental essence, refined bit by bit from vast quantities of Geng Metal, and precious all the same. Many flying swords and other enchanted treasures required Geng Metal Essence.

If they have nurtured elemental essence, maybe they have some natural essence as well. Worth making contact.

1. Geng Metal, also known as Yang Metal, is also the official name of metal in the five elements. ☜