Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

Days went by, and before long, twenty-five of the thirty days allotted to Void Spirit Mountain had passed. Only five days remained before the mountain closed again.

Rumble!

Void Spirit Mountain trembled violently. A deep rumble rolled through the air as immense clouds of mist gathered overhead, spreading across a radius of a hundred li and blotting out the sky.

The martial artists scattered across the mountain immediately recognized the phenomenon.

"Heavens, is that... Core Dissolution Liquid?"

"The mist covers about a hundred li. Once the liquid condenses, how many drops will there be? Ten? Twenty? Fifty, even?"

"At least several dozen! This is unbelievable! A phenomenon like this happens once in a thousand years on Void Spirit Mountain, maybe less."

"Quick, head for the center beneath the clouds! That's where it'll form. Dozens of drops up for grabs. Even a few would make this whole trip worth it."

"Let's go, let's go! Hurry!"

One by one, the martial artists rushed toward the mist. With dozens of drops forming in one place, even securing a small share would make the entire journey worthwhile.

***

Twenty-two drops of Core Dissolution Liquid in twenty-five days... Lu Changsheng thought to himself as he tallied his gains. Not bad at all.

Under his agreement with the Gourd Immortal Sect, each drop was worth fifty thousand spirit stones, bringing his total payment to one million one hundred thousand spirit stones. That would be enough to purchase more than a hundred drops of Heavenly Spirit Water—the amount it had taken to transform the Mental Black Hole Dao Fruit into a divine ability.

His other two Dao Fruits, however, were another matter. The Five Elements Decomposition and Four Symbols Prison were both far more powerful than the Mental Black Hole, so transforming either of them into an immeasurable divine ability would almost certainly require far more Heavenly Spirit Water. And what he had now might not even be enough for one.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get more Core Dissolution Liquid in the remaining five days, Lu Changsheng sighed.

Just then, a loud rumble rolled across the sky. Lu Changsheng looked into the distance, and when he spotted the mist stretching across a hundred li, his eyes lit up.

A hundred li of mist! How many drops of Core Dissolution Liquid will that yield?

He was just as awestruck as everyone else. Moments prior he had been lamenting that his haul might not stretch far enough to transform both Dao Fruits. Now, an opportunity had dropped right in front of him.

Whoosh!

Without wasting another second, Lu Changsheng flew toward where the mist had gathered. This kind of phenomenon occurred only once every thousand years on Void Spirit Mountain and there was no way he would miss it.

By the time he arrived at the center of the mist, twenty or thirty Divine Ability martial artists had already gathered there, and more kept arriving with every passing moment.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, you've made it as well." A familiar voice reached Lu Changsheng's ears.

"Venerable Huo Yun?" Lu Changsheng turned and found Venerable Huo Yun standing behind him.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, I trust you've gained quite a bit from your travels?" Venerable Huo Yun asked with a smile.

"It wasn't too bad. Fellow Daoist Huo Yun must have done well too, I presume?" Lu Changsheng glanced Venerable Huo Yun up and down.

"Haha! I was quite lucky. I managed to collect ten drops of Core Dissolution Liquid!" Venerable Huo Yun replied without a trace of reservation, laughing heartily.

Ten drops was already an impressive haul, but Venerable Huo Yun clearly wanted more. As he gazed at the immense cloud of mist overhead, his eyes gleamed with ambition.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, this is an opportunity we may never see again. Although the mist covers a vast area, this should be the central region where most of the Core Dissolution Liquid will form. Why don't we join forces and drive the others away? I'll take only thirty percent of whatever condenses here."

A sharp glint flickered in Venerable Huo Yun's eyes. He was ambitious; he wanted to ally with Lu Changsheng, get rid of the other Divine Ability martial artists, and claim the largest share of the Core Dissolution Liquid for himself.

Several nearby martial artists overheard the proposal and immediately turned toward them with hostile expressions. They all knew how powerful Lu Changsheng and Venerable Huo Yun were. If the two joined forces, no one else would have much hope of obtaining the Core Dissolution Liquid.

"You aren't planning to claim all of it for yourselves, are you?"

"With this much at stake, there's no way we'll let you take it all."

"Even if you're Venerable Lu and Venerable Huo Yun, there are dozens of us here. If necessary, we'll fight you together!"

The surrounding Divine Ability martial artists quickly united against them. They might not have trusted one another, but none of them was willing to let Lu Changsheng and Venerable Huo Yun walk away with the Core Dissolution Liquid here.

"Heh, they are nothing but a disorganized mob." Venerable Huo Yun merely sneered at their threats. "Brother Lu, name your terms. Thirty percent, twenty percent, whatever you consider fair."

Venerable Huo Yun had survived far too many battles to be intimidated by numbers alone. More importantly, he understood how powerful Lu Changsheng's Mental Black Hole was. Its enormous range meant that surrounding Lu Changsheng would accomplish nothing, and with him supporting Lu Changsheng, the others would not even be able to touch them.

Lu Changsheng did not immediately accept Venerable Huo Yun's proposal. After surveying the surrounding area, he turned back to Venerable Huo Yun.

"Even if we join forces and drive these people away, I'm afraid you still won't leave with any Core Dissolution Liquid. In fact, you may not leave this place alive."

Venerable Huo Yun's smile faded. "What do you mean, Fellow Daoist Lu?"

Could it be that Lu Changsheng isn't willing to give up even ten percent? Venerable Huo Yun wondered. But even if that were true, he would not have phrased it quite like this.

"Everyone, listen up!" Lu Changsheng's voice echoed through the void. "With a disturbance this massive, don't you think the Void Devils have been drawn here too? Anyone who wants to leave should do it now. In a little while, escaping may no longer be possible."

The warning sent a chill through the crowd. In their eagerness to seize the Core Dissolution Liquid, they had nearly forgotten that they were still on Void Spirit Mountain, where Void Devils lurked everywhere.

Most martial artists present had ways to defend themselves. Some relied on protective treasures or divine abilities, while others possessed exceptionally powerful mental strength. They would never have dared enter Void Spirit Mountain otherwise. One or two Void Devils would pose little threat to them, and even a small group could be withstood with enough effort. Dozens or hundreds, however, were another matter entirely.

The martial artists immediately began examining the surrounding area with whatever detection methods they possessed. And those who sensed the approaching danger turned pale.

"Void Devils! They're everywhere!"

"Heavens, how can there be this many?"

"There are already dozens of them, and more are still coming!"

"Ahhh!" Someone suddenly broke into screaming.

A swarm of Void Devils had invaded the mind of a Divine Ability martial artist. He tried to fend them off, but there was little one could do against an entire swarm. His mind crumbled in mere seconds, and his life force drained out of him where he stood.

Just like that, a supreme Divine Ability martial artist had died—and he was not the only victim. More and more martial artists were being attacked by the Void Devils.

Venerable Huo Yun's face went pale as he exchanged a grave look with Venerable Jing Yun.

"I've never heard of so many Void Devils gathering in one place." Venerable Huo Yun gulped.

"Forget the Core Dissolution Liquid. We may very well die here before it finishes forming," Venerable Jing Yun exclaimed.

"You're right. Let's withdraw for now."

Without a moment's hesitation, the two of them rushed toward the edge of the mist, determined to escape before the Void Devils surrounded them completely. Even Martial Venerables could resist only so many attacks at once. Once dozens or hundreds of Void Devils invaded their minds, no amount of skill or mental strength would save them.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

While some martial artists fled, others who had yet to realize the danger continued charging toward the center of the mist. And the moment they entered the area, swarms of Void Devils descended upon them.

"Void Devils!"

"Help me!"

"Don't let them take over your mind!"

Every martial artist who charged in met the same fate. Terror twisted their faces the instant their minds were breached. Screams rang out through the air and bodies dropped left and right. In the span of a few seconds, more than ten Divine Ability martial artists had fallen.

At this moment, Venerable Jing Yun and Venerable Huo Yun had finally reached the edge of the mist.

"Horrifying, those Void Devils!" Venerable Jing Yun gasped. "With so many of them gathered there, it wouldn't matter how much Core Dissolution Liquid formed. No one will last long enough to collect it."

"Fortunately we made it out. If we'd been surrounded, we would have been dead for sure." Venerable Huo Yun let out a sigh of relief.

Then he looked around. "Wait. Where is Fellow Daoist Lu? Why hasn't he come out?"

He soon spotted Lu Changsheng standing exactly where they had left him. Venerable Huo Yun, Venerable Jing Yun, and others had managed to escape, but for some reason, Lu Changsheng had not followed them.

"Fellow Daoist Lu..." Venerable Huo Yun grew anxious. He and Lu Changsheng had become close over the past month, and he could not help but be worried for his new friend.

However, there was nothing he could do. Void Devils posed a serious danger even to him, and charging back in would only get him trapped as well.

The martial artists watched from a distance as countless Void Devils crowded around Lu Changsheng. But he simply remained still at the center of the swarm, seemingly unconcerned by the danger.

"Lu Changsheng is finished."

"Not even an immeasurable divine ability will save him from that many Void Devils."

"He must have lost his mind over the Core Dissolution Liquid. Who could possibly survive that many Void Devils?"

Many of the Divine Ability Realm martial artists shook their heads. In their eyes, refusing to retreat under such circumstances was no different from suicide.

Lu Changsheng, however, remained perfectly calm. He even reached down and collected the spatial treasures left behind by the dozen or so martial artists who had fallen. Their possessions included the Core Dissolution Liquid they had spent the past twenty days gathering, and now that they were dead, all of it belonged to him.

"Not bad. A few more drops of Core Dissolution Liquid here too," Lu Changsheng muttered as he ruffled through the possessions of the dead.

Only a handful of drops turned up among the ten-odd bodies he went through, which told him these particular martial artists had not enjoyed much luck on this expedition. At the same time, he was not too surprised. None of them had been Martial Venerables, after all. And with their limited strength, they had not dared venture too far across the mountain to collect more.

Still, a few extra drops were nothing to turn his nose up at.

Lu Changsheng waited until nearly all the Void Devils in the vicinity had gathered around him, then gazed at the dense swarm.

That should be most of them. It's time.

He had not fought his way out of the mist because he had never meant to. He had simply been waiting, letting the Void Devils converge, so he could take them out all at once.

Buzz...

Lu Changsheng activated the Mental Black Hole with a single thought. A massive black vortex emerged, and its devouring force spread across the entire area, sweeping up one Void Devil after another in a relentless tide.

Just like that, the Void Devils were consumed one by one while Lu Changsheng remained firmly in place, hardly lifting a finger.

The martial artists observing from afar stared in stunned silence. Void Devils were among the most terrifying and troublesome creatures on Void Spirit Mountain, yet Lu Changsheng was disposing of them as easily as if he were swatting away some insects.