Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

At that moment, outside Void Spirit Mountain, countless eyes remained fixed on the entrance of the formation. One by one, Divine Ability martial artists emerged and departed. Venerable Huo Yun, Venerable Jing Yun, and several others had already emerged a few days earlier, bringing news of what had happened inside the various immortal sects.

Among all the immortal sects, the one most excited and anxious were the people of the Gourd Immortal Sect. True One Xuan Hu could barely contain himself as he waited impatiently by the entrance. The news brought back by Venerable Huo Yun and the others still felt unreal to him. Every time he recalled them, he found them difficult to believe.

What kind of crazy power does Lu Changsheng have that he could single-handedly annihilate more than a hundred Void Devils...?

True One Xuan Hu had always known that Lu Changsheng's immeasurable divine ability could counter the Void Devils, but he had never imagined that it would allow Lu Changsheng to annihilate so many of them by himself. Void Devils were creatures feared by even the greatest Martial Venerables, yet Lu Changsheng had swept through them as though they were nothing.

Adding to his astonishment was the fact that this expedition had coincided with Void Spirit Mountain's once-in-a-millennium eruption of Core Dissolution Liquid.

Just how many drops of Core Dissolution Liquid had Lu Changsheng managed to obtain? The more he thought about it, the more anticipation gnawed at him.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, Lu Changsheng shot out from the entrance of the formation, and every gaze locked onto him at once.

"He's out! Venerable Lu is out!"

"Killing over a hundred Void Devils single-handedly? I know many witnessed it, but it still feels hard to believe."

"No matter how vividly it's described, you probably can't imagine it without seeing it firsthand. Perhaps the power of an immeasurable divine ability is simply beyond our comprehension."

"I wonder how many drops of Core Dissolution Liquid Venerable Lu managed to obtain this time..."

"The Gourd Immortal Sect has really struck it big this time. We should look at building a better relationship with them since our sect's Core Dissolution Liquid supply is running low. But even if they're willing to spare some, we'll probably have to pay a high price..."

Conversations erupted across the crowd. There was excitement, envy, and even some regret.

Before the expedition had begun, the Li Clan Merchant Association had approached various immortal sects on Lu Changsheng's behalf, asking who would offer the highest price to recruit him for the journey into Void Spirit Mountain. In the end, the Gourd Immortal Sect had outbid everyone else, agreeing to pay fifty thousand spirit stones for every drop of Core Dissolution Liquid that Lu Changsheng obtained.

At the time, everyone had assumed the Gourd Immortal Sect had lost its mind. But now, everyone was convinced that the sect had made the deal of the century.

True One Xuan Hu rushed to welcome Lu Changsheng.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, you've finally returned! Tell me, how many drops of Core Dissolution Liquid did you obtain this time?" True One Xuan Hu asked, unable to conceal the excitement in his voice.

All eyes were fixed on them, yet True One Xuan Hu did not care. The Gourd Immortal Sect had no reservations in displaying their wealth. Among the immortal sects of the Sacred Earth, resources circulated constantly unless two sects were bitter enemies, and the Core Dissolution Liquid was no exception. If one sect lacked it while another had a surplus, they would simply negotiate an exchange.

The Gourd Immortal Sect itself had suffered from shortages in previous years and had paid dearly to acquire Core Dissolution Liquid from other sects. This time, if they had enough, they would not mind trading some of it away to recoup their losses with interest. Ultimately, True One Xuan Hu did not care about information leaking, which was why he had asked Lu Changsheng about his haul directly, right in front of everyone.

Initially, Lu Changsheng said nothing. He simply took out the porcelain bottle and handed it over to True One Xuan Hu.

"Sixty-eight drops in total," he finally revealed.

Lu Changsheng was not afraid that True One Xuan Hu would run away with the Core Dissolution Liquid. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, and with Martial Saints standing behind him, he was certain the Gourd Immortal Sect would not do anything of the sort.

Hearing Lu Changsheng's report, the crowd erupted once again.

"What? Did I hear that right? Sixty-eight drops of Core Dissolution Liquid?"

"Yeah, Venerable Lu said sixty-eight! I bet the other Martial Venerables didn't even get that much combined!"

"The Gourd Immortal Sect has really struck gold this time! In previous expeditions, recruiting martial artists into Void Spirit Mountain only brought them ten or twenty drops. But this time, they got sixty-eight from just one guy!"

"Yeah. Venerable Huo Yun and their other martial artists also got some. Added together, the Gourd Immortal Sect probably got over eighty or even ninety drops."

"Our sect barely gained anything. It looks like we'll have to negotiate a proper trade with the Gourd Immortal Sect later..."

Many of the sect representatives could not help but feel a twinge of regret. If only they had agreed to the Li Clan Merchant Association's proposal and met Lu Changsheng's terms back then, these sixty-eight drops of Core Dissolution Liquid would have been theirs. All they had to do was pay some spirit stones, which none of them cared about as much.

For an immortal sect, spirit stones could always be accumulated with enough time. Of course, millions of spirit stones were no small amount, but they were not as valuable as the Core Dissolution Liquid, which one couldn't just buy.

If they had known then what they knew at this point in time, they would have gladly paid Lu Changsheng all the spirit stones he wanted. Unfortunately, they had missed their chance.

At this moment, no one was happier than True One Xuan Hu. The Gourd Immortal Sect had finally secured a substantial reserve of Core Dissolution Liquid. And in a few years, when he himself would attempt to condense a Nascent Soul, the sect's newfound wealth would undoubtedly benefit him as well.

Doing his best to suppress his excitement, True One Xuan Hu looked at Lu Changsheng and said, "According to our agreement, each drop is worth fifty thousand spirit stones. Sixty-eight drops comes to three million four hundred thousand spirit stones. Is that correct?"

Lu Changsheng nodded. "That is correct."

True One Xuan Hu smiled, then tossed over a spatial ring. "Fortunately, the sect sent me with enough spirit stones this time. Otherwise, I would have had to return to the sect before I could pay you."

Lu Changsheng looked inside the spatial ring. Thirty-four thousand spirit crystals... that's the equivalent of three million four hundred thousand spirit stones.

Satisfied, he put the ring away. "No issues here."

Transactions between immortal sects and the martial artists they recruited were almost always settled on the spot. Venerable Huo Yun had already received the resources promised to him, and now Lu Changsheng had also received his.

Watching True One Xuan Hu receive so much Core Dissolution Liquid, the representatives of the other sects could no longer sit still. One after another, they stepped forward.

"Fellow Daoist Xuan Hu, might we have a word?"

True Ones from every direction surrounded True One Xuan Hu, eager to discuss future trades. Their sects also needed Core Dissolution Liquid, even if it meant obtaining it from the Gourd Immortal Sect at a steep price.

As the crowd gradually dispersed and the martial artists began leaving Void Spirit Mountain, one thing became increasingly clear. Lu Changsheng's name would spread throughout the Sacred Earth. After all, single-handedly slaying over a hundred Void Devils at Void Spirit Mountain and obtaining sixty-eight drops of Core Dissolution Liquid was an unprecedented feat in the mountain's history.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Lu." Venerable Huo Yun stepped forward to greet him.

Seeing Venerable Huo Yun, Lu Changsheng suddenly remembered a question he had been meaning to ask.

"Fellow Daoist Huo Yun, I know the Flame Palace is one of the great Martial Dao sects. May I ask whether your methods for forging a Saint Body can be taught to outsiders?"

Now that Lu Changsheng possessed three million four hundred thousand spirit stones, he would be able to get more than enough Heavenly Spirit Water to transform his remaining two Immeasurable Divine Ability Dao Fruits into divine abilities. With three immeasurable divine abilities, then came the question of forging a Saint Body.

At first, he thought of asking the Li Clan Merchant Association about how to forge a Saint Body, but he could not rely on them forever. Otherwise, the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect would end up being a subordinate force of the association.