C56 Dragon Saliva Pill(1)
The situation in Bright Sun City had finally come to a close. Woo Zhengyang, accompanied by Uncle Fu, made his way back to the Profound Heaven Sect, taking their time along the journey. In a quaint little town at the foot of the sect's mountain, Zhengyang purchased a quiet house and set up some essentials before returning to the sect.
The first thing Zhengyang did upon re-entering the sect was to research the Dragon Saliva Pill. The classification of pills, much like magical artifacts, ranges from lowest to highest as treasure, spirit, king, emperor, and saint pills. Each level is further divided into four grades: top, upper, middle, and lower.
The Dragon Saliva Pill is a middle-grade spirit pill, not particularly high in the overall hierarchy. However, for Zhengyang, spirit-level pills were completely out of reach at the moment. Pills are even more precious than magical artifacts. Saint and emperor pills are beyond consideration, and even emperor and king pills are the stuff of legends, with many only known by name from ancient times, having long disappeared.
Spirit pills are already incredibly rare. Even within the entire Profound Heaven Sect, only a handful of spirit pills exist, each extremely valuable. And none of them are Dragon Saliva Pills. This means that even if Zhengyang amassed a significant amount of contribution points, he would still struggle to obtain one from the sect. He would have to look elsewhere, possibly even gather the materials himself and find someone to craft it.
With no progress on the Dragon Saliva Pill, Zhengyang returned to Six-union Valley with a heavy heart.
After defeating Liu Tianli in the life-or-death arena, Woo Zhengyang chose not to take Liu Tianli's Outer Sect seventh rank badge. As a result, Woo Zhengyang remained the 9,999th disciple, residing in the last stone chamber on the lowest level of Six-union Valley.
As he walked through Six-union Valley, the disciples he passed looked at him with a mix of admiration and fear. The former trio of tyrants, including Yun Shaoqing, had yet to return. Initially, there was some doubt, but after Woo Zhengyang swiftly defeated Liu Tianli, it became clear that Yun Shaoqing and his companions would not be coming back.
During Woo Zhengyang's absence, several newcomers had joined Six-union Valley, having just passed their assessments to become Outer Sect disciples. Among them were a few who had shared a cave with Woo Zhengyang during their time as servant disciples. Back then, they paid him little attention, but now they regarded him with cautious respect.
Whether they knew him before or not, everyone now looked at Woo Zhengyang with awe. They never imagined that the once unremarkable Woo Zhengyang would undergo such a dramatic transformation, not only joining the Outer Sect but also defeating the seventh-ranked veteran disciple, earning the title of Outer Sect Number One Madman.
No one dared to greet him, and Woo Zhengyang, uninterested in small talk, headed straight back to his cave.
On his way down the mountain, Woo Zhengyang gained a lot, but he also felt the weight of new responsibilities. These experiences made him realize the importance of strength. If he hadn't been so weak, the black-robed man wouldn't have been so arrogant, and Lau Qinghan wouldn't have been injured, nor would Uncle Fu's old ailment have flared up.
During the journey, Woo Zhengyang's strength had surpassed 1,500 pounds, reaching the level of a Seven-star Martial Disciple, though his cultivation in refining veins remained at the first level. For now, he could set aside body training and, after nightfall, began to intensely focus on condensing his sword-shaped genuine Qi.
In his previous battle with Huang Ruoshan, neither the "Dragon Countering Nine Steps" nor the "Azure Cloud Embracing Moon Palm" had reached a minor achievement level. Yet, even combined, they managed to counter Huang Ruoshan's nearly perfected "Iron Cloud Leg Technique." This taught Woo Zhengyang the importance of genuine Qi cultivation. If his Qi were more abundant and combined with body training, his combat strength would rise to another level.
Condensing the sword-shaped genuine Qi was still painful, but Woo Zhengyang seemed unfazed. He pushed himself to the brink of his endurance before taking a break, only to continue again. This training lasted three days and nights, during which Woo Zhengyang neither ate nor drank, finally filling all twelve meridians with his sword-shaped genuine Qi.
Running genuine Qi through all twelve meridians is the limit for someone at the first level of vein refinement. For a One-star Martial Disciple, it's not difficult. With enough dedication and the favorable conditions provided by the Profound Heaven Sect, it can be achieved in just a few days.
For a typical One-star Martial Disciple, the challenge isn't so much the training itself but breaking through to the next level. The key to becoming a Two-star Martial Disciple lies in pushing genuine qi past its limits and opening up the eight extraordinary meridians. However, when Woo Zhengyang attempted this, he found his experience was quite the opposite of others.
Due to the unique nature of his Sword-shaped Genuine Qi, he needed to fill the twelve main meridians with several times more qi than others, making the training process extremely painful. Yet, the sharpness of his Sword-shaped Genuine Qi allowed him to break through to a Two-star Martial Disciple without any hindrance. The powerful flow of his qi easily shattered the constraints of the eight extraordinary meridians, making his advancement seem effortless.
Of course, even after advancing, Woo Zhengyang faced challenges others couldn't imagine, as he continued to expend more qi to consolidate his Sword-shaped Genuine Qi. He also discovered a unique trait of his qi: its ability to be restrained and controlled internally.
