Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

With a thought, Lu Changsheng called up his Status Panel.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 347,100 (Praised for a Hundred Generations)

Primordial Hole Saint Body: Not forged (46%)

Five-Colored Divine Light Saint Body: Not forged (57%)

Ten Directions Saint Body: Not forged (1%)

He saw that his Perception had been climbing steadily. Still, reaching one million Perception points and undergoing transformation remained a distant goal.

As for the three Saint Bodies, each had been making gradual progress, with the Five-Colored Divine Light Saint Body the furthest along.

That was only natural, as Lu Changsheng had already obtained three of its five key materials. Of course, the fact that three materials had given only fifty-seven percent of progress was all because he was deliberately controlling the pace.

Beyond the key materials, a large quantity of auxiliary materials was also required, and Lu Changsheng had refrained from refining them.

The reason was simple—he still needed to "fuse" the Saint Bodies. All three had to be fused into one before any of them finished forging, which meant none of them could be allowed to reach completion. The progress had to be controlled.

Fortunately, with the Status Panel, keeping the forging progress in check posed no problem at all, which was going to be immensely helpful for the final fusion.

By my estimate, fusing the Saint Bodies should be easiest and most effective once each one's progress exceeds fifty perccent. All three of mine are Immeasurable Saint Bodies. It's best to keep their progress aligned so the fusion doesn't go badly wrong. Lu Changsheng had already made up his mind.

Pushing a Saint Body past fifty percent required its key material; auxiliary materials alone would never get it there.

The Five-Colored Divine Light Saint Body had already passed fifty percent, and the Primordial Hole Saint Body needed only a bit more auxiliary material to cross the threshold. That left just the Ten Directions Saint Body, sitting at a mere one percent for lack of its key material, the Void Divine Crystal.

For Lu Changsheng, obtaining a Void Divine Crystal could no longer wait. He intended to explore every option. Li Guang, for instance.

He sent a message straight to Li Guang, "Brother Li, I need a Void Divine Crystal, whatever the cost!"

Li Guang replied, "I'll send word the moment I hear anything, Brother Lu."

But relying on Li Guang alone would not be enough. Lu Changsheng sent another message, this one to Venerable Huo Yun, "Venerable Huo Yun, is there any news of Void Divine Crystals? I will pay any price!"

Venerable Huo Yun answered at once as well, "If any news of a Void Divine Crystal surfaces, you will be the first to know, Fellow Daoist Lu."

That made two channels, though Lu Changsheng did not hold out much hope for either. So, he rose and headed for the Exchange Hall of the outer division to see whether any news of Void Divine Crystals could be found there.

The Exchange Hall was as lively as ever. Inner division martial artists, outer division martial artists, and many martial artists from outside the Martial Saint Institute all gathered under one roof. The Exchange Hall had, in effect, become a meeting ground for martial artists.

Lu Changsheng combed through the quests one by one. But after several hours of searching and going through every quest in the Exchange Hall, he found nothing at all related to Void Divine Crystals.

Obtaining a Void Divine Crystal through a quest is next to impossible. Then again, I could post a quest of my own. Find a Void Divine Crystal, or any lead on one. The only condition is that it must be unclaimed! Lu Changsheng thought.

Lu Changsheng acted on the thought at once, hanging up a placard of his own, then sitting cross-legged on the ground to wait in silence.

The placard drew attention the moment it went up. The reward listed on it was simply too... unusual! Extremely unusual! It stirred the curiosity of many.

"Hmm? This quest asks for a Void Divine Crystal, or a lead on one, and the reward is... a promise?"

"He wants a Void Divine Crystal for nothing but a promise? Even a Martial Saint's promise wouldn't be worth a Void Divine Crystal, would it?"

"Is this man confident or just arrogant?"

"No one will take this quest even if it hangs there for a thousand years."

"It truly is... baffling. What is a Divine Ability Realm martial artist's promise worth, anyway?"

People crowded around Lu Changsheng, shaking their heads without end.

Lu Changsheng wanting a Void Divine Crystal was nothing remarkable in itself; among the thousands of quests in the Exchange Hall, there was every oddity imaginable.

But the reward was not Saint Body forging materials, not even spirit stones. Just a promise? The promise of a Divine Ability Realm martial artist, or even a Martial Venerable for that matter, buying a Void Divine Crystal? A fool's dream!

Many eyes in the Exchange Hall were drawn to Lu Changsheng, most of them filled with mockery.

Lu Changsheng remained unmoved. He did not care in the least. Others might not understand, but he himself knew perfectly well just how precious his promise was.

Lu Changsheng simply closed his eyes and waited. Time trickled by. Two hours, six hours, ten hours, twenty hours... In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

At the start of those three days, a few people still paid Lu Changsheng some attention. But as the days wore on, virtually no one spared him a glance anymore. Even when someone recognized him, it remained the same. So what if he was the inner division's number one in divine abilities? A promise could not buy a Void Divine Crystal!

Lu Changsheng remained unshaken and went on waiting quietly. Until, at last, a woman walked over and stopped before him.

"This promise of yours, would merely providing a lead qualify?" the woman asked, her voice clear and crisp.

Lu Changsheng opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Yes, a lead will do. But only if the Void Divine Crystal is unclaimed," he said evenly.

It had to be unclaimed. What good would it do him to be told that the Immortal Dao sacred lands held Void Divine Crystals? Was he supposed to go rob them?

The woman had, in fact, already looked into Lu Changsheng. The inner division's number one martial artist. Condenser of an immeasurable divine ability. Current master of the inner division's Cave Residence No. 1. Destined for the Martial Saint realm, and no ordinary Martial Saint at that.

A promise from a martial artist with such a boundless future was not so easily obtained. And she happened to know news of a Void Divine Crystal. Trading a single piece of information for a promise from Lu Changsheng struck her as well worth it. After all, there was no way she could ever retrieve the Void Divine Crystal from that place herself.

After drawing a deep breath, she muttered, "I know a place that has a Void Divine Crystal..."

"Oh?" Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up. "Come, let's discuss this in my cave residence."

He took down his quest placard at once and led the woman straight to Cave Residence No.1. The woman looked all around, taking in Cave Residence No.1.

Zhang Shu gritted her teeth and said, speaking each word with deliberate weight. "This is my first time in Cave Residence No.1. By the way, my name is Zhang Shu, an outer division disciple of the Martial Saint Institute. I know you are Venerable Lu, the inner division's strongest Divine Ability martial artist, one with an immeasurable divine ability. Your promise is of great use to me, but only if you fulfill it first!"

"Fulfill the promise first?"

Lu Changsheng squinted his eyes slightly as he studied Zhang Shu. She was a Divine Ability martial artist, and likely not a Martial Venerable. If she needed the promise fulfilled up front, she had clearly run into trouble, and no small trouble at that.

"First tell me, what do you want this promise fulfilled for?"

"Dao companions! I want to become Fellow Daoist Lu's Dao companion! The moment you agree, I'll tell you everything I know about the Void Divine Crystal."

Lu Changsheng froze for a moment. Dao companions? Never could he have imagined that the woman before him wanted to become his Dao companion.

"Hold on. You and I are complete strangers, and you're asking me to become your Dao companion? Speak plainly. What are you really after?" Lu Changsheng pressed.

He did not believe for a second that someone who had reached the Divine Ability Realm wanted to be his Dao companion out of admiration. Impossible!

Zhang Shu hesitated, then said in a low voice, "I come from a family devoted to the Martial Dao. I'm the most accomplished member of my family. I reached the Divine Ability Realm and even joined the Martial Saint Institute as an outer division martial artist.

"But a Martial Saint's faction is pressuring us, scheming to swallow my family through a marriage alliance. I cannot refuse, and neither can my family.

"But if I became your Dao companion, then with your renown as the number one of the Martial Saint Institute's inner division, that Martial Saint's family surely wouldn't dare push too far. It would only be a stopgap..."

Lu Changsheng understood now. She wanted to use him as a shield.

"A Martial Saint's faction..." He frowned slightly. It was troublesome, but not overly so.

"How long can your family hold out? Or rather, doing everything in your power, how long can you stall?"

Zhang Shu hesitated before answering. "My family has already agreed that once my ten-year term at the Martial Saint Institute ends, the marriage alliance can proceed. Only three years remain of my ten-year term."

Lu Changsheng nodded slightly. "Three years? More than enough! Actually, there's no need for you to sacrifice yourself and become my Dao companion. I can give you a promise. Once I become a Martial Saint, I will do everything in my power to resolve your problem with that Martial Saint's faction."

"Three years is enough time for me to reach the Martial Saint Realm. The only question is whether you trust me." With that, Lu Changsheng fixed his gaze intently on her.