Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

"Three years?" Zhang Shu stared at Lu Changsheng.

Could he guarantee reaching the Martial Saint Realm in three years? She had her doubts. But Lu Changsheng was clearly unwilling to become her Dao companion, so what other choice did she have?

Zhang Shu gritted her teeth and agreed. "Very well, then we will agree on three years. I hope you can forge your Saint Body and become a Martial Saint within that time!"

She had no alternative, after all. At the very least, a three-year pact with Lu Changsheng still carried some hope.

"Now then, Fellow Daoist Zhang, about that lead on the Void Divine Crystal..." Lu Changsheng asked.

The Void Divine Crystal was his true goal, after all. Zhang Shu certainly did not have one herself, only a lead on one, and it had to be something she was incapable of obtaining.

Zhang Shu gnashed her teeth and muttered, "The Void Divine Crystal is probably in a hidden valley somewhere in the Cloud Chart Mountain Range. I once ventured into those mountains and discovered a Void Divine Stone vein gestating there.

"When a Void Divine Stone vein is still gestating, there's bound to be a Void Divine Crystal at its source."

Lu Changsheng felt a surge of joy. A Void Divine Stone vein was born from a Void Divine Crystal; once the vein finished gestating, the crystal's energy would be completely consumed, which meant that it would vanish.

If, as Zhang Shu said, the Cloud Chart Mountain Range held a vein that had just begun gestating, then a Void Divine Crystal had to be there.

How large it was, though, was anyone's guess. That would come down to luck. Either way, the mere existence of a Void Divine Crystal was a pleasant surprise.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, why haven't you gone to claim the Void Divine Crystal yourself? Even setting the crystal aside, the Void Divine Stone alone would be worth a fortune once mined. Why tell me?" Lu Changsheng asked, puzzled.

If it was merely to ward off her family's crisis, she hardly needed him. With a real Void Divine Crystal in hand, she could have sought out a Martial Saint herself.

Zhang Shu clenched her jaw and solemnly said, "That part of the Cloud Chart Mountain Range is extremely dangerous. It's crawling with spirit beasts that rival supreme Divine Ability Realm martial artists, some even rivaling Martial Venerables. Worse still, there's a sacred beast there. A flood dragon! It's only a spirit python that transformed into a flood dragon, but its strength is terrifying.

"An ordinary Martial Saint is probably no match for it. Since a flood dragon like that has coiled around the Void Divine Stone vein, why would I dare to go and take the Void Divine Crystal?"

Lu Changsheng then realized that it wasn't like Zhang Shu did not want to claim it; she simply did not dare to do so and could not afford to do so. Even if she worked up the courage to try, she would likely die. So, this really was nothing more than a lead. Still, it satisfied the terms of the quest he had posted.

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Zhang, our promise stands. This lead is of great use to me," Lu Changsheng said.

"Good. As long as it's useful."

Zhang Shu rose, took her leave, and departed the cave residence.

"A flood dragon sacred beast..." Lu Changsheng's eyes narrowed slightly.

He was weighing his options. A flood dragon was clearly not to be trifled with. Since it could rival a Martial Saint, it was dangerous indeed. As for the other spirit beasts rivaling supreme Divine Ability Realm experts and Martial Venerables, he did not care about those in the slightest.'

With my three divine abilities working in concert, I wonder if I can contend with a Martial Saint? That bold thought in his mind grew even stronger. Three immeasurable divine abilities! It's worth a try. I'll need Teleportation Talismans. With my three immeasurable divine abilities, especially the Mental Black Hole, I should be able to hurt the flood dragon badly.

Sacred beast or not, its mind can't be that strong. If the flood dragon can't kill me instantly, I can hold out for a while, and then I can escape with a Teleportation Talisman.

Lu Changsheng deliberated for a long while before finally making up his mind. Besides, there was a chance that he wouldn't stumble upon the flood dragon at all. With a bit of luck, he could avoid it entirely and perhaps claim the Void Divine Crystal unopposed.

But the odds of that were slim. The Void Divine Crystal lay buried deep underground within the divine stone vein. To really claim it, Lu Changsheng would have to dig the entire Void Divine Stone vein out by force.

How much commotion would that cause? If the flood dragon was anywhere nearby, it was certain to be alerted.

"I'd better buy extra Teleportation Talismans," Lu Changsheng muttered.

Lu Changsheng went to the Exchange Hall and bought a large stock of Teleportation Talismans. He purchased a map as well.

Zhang Shu marked the location for him, and he also committed the position of the Cloud Chart Mountain Range's Void Divine Stone vein firmly to memory. With everything in order, Lu Changsheng no longer hesitated and set off, flying toward the Cloud Chart Mountain Range.

***

In the Cloud Chart Mountain Range, three Divine Ability martial artists—two men and one woman—were moving with great caution, seemingly searching for something.

"Master's injury can only be fully healed with a Nine-Leaf Lotus, and there have been traces of one in the Cloud Chart Mountain Range."

"These mountains are dangerous, but if we stay careful, we may still find the Nine-Leaf Lotus."

"The Nine-Leaf Lotus grows near water. Look for it near some water."

The three had come in search of the Nine-Leaf Lotus, a supreme healing treasure.

The injury in question was an injury of the mind. As for the body, a Divine Ability Realm martial artist's physique was so formidable that inflicting a serious wound on them was difficult in the first place, and even grave wounds healed quickly. But an injury to the mind could never fully heal without certain rare natural treasures.

"Look, there's a pool over there!"

"By the water's edge, isn't that the Nine-Leaf Lotus?"

The three spotted a pool of water, and at its edge bloomed a miraculous Nine-Leaf Lotus, the very treasure they had been dreaming of obtaining.

"We must get that Nine-Leaf Lotus."

"But spirit beasts often guard rare natural treasures. We should be careful."

The three crept closer. Ten zhang, five zhang, three zhang, one zhang... Just as they came within a single zhang of the Nine-Leaf Lotus, so close that it seemed within arm's reach...

Splash!

The pool churned violently. Water sprayed everywhere as an enormous head broke the water’s surface.

"A spirit beast! A ten-thousand-year black crocodile!"

The three were scared out of their wits. A ten-thousand-year-old black crocodile could rival a supreme Martial Venerable. For ordinary Divine Ability martial artists, encountering one meant certain death.

"Let's go!"

"Run for your lives!"

"I must have that Nine-Leaf Lotus. I'm risking it..." The woman gritted her teeth and decided to gamble. The Nine-Leaf Lotus was within arm's reach, after all. She made a fierce grab for it, and an invisible force closed in on the lotus.

"Roar..." The ten-thousand-year black crocodile was enraged. Its cavernous maw yawned open and snapped forward.

With a boom, a column of water surged toward the three like a heaven-toppling flood. This was no ordinary water column; any martial artist it struck, even one at the Divine Ability Realm, would be ground to dust.

That short distance, seemingly within arm's reach, might as well have been an impassable chasm between the three and the Nine-Leaf Lotus.

With resounding booms, the three unleashed their divine abilities at once, trying to hold back the ten-thousand-year black crocodile.

They were not weak; all three were likely supreme Divine Ability martial artists. But against a ten-thousand-year black crocodile that rivaled a supreme Martial Venerable, they were hopeless.

A single column of water spat from its maw, and it carried power so immense that it crushed all three of their divine abilities outright.

"No, we're dead..."

The three went pale, knowing that they would most likely die here today. Amidst their daze, they suddenly noticed a figure at the edge of the pool of water. It was a man in black, and his gaze swept toward them.

With a boom, a layer of invisible divine ability enveloped the ten-thousand-year black crocodile in an instant. No matter how it spewed columns of water or rammed with its powerful body, it could not break through the invisible cage.

The three gasped for breath; how could they not realize they had run into a formidable master?