Hundred-Year Ganoderma

By the little lake, Zhuge Xiang crouched slightly, like a cheetah poised to strike. His limbs were bent, his muscles bulged, and an explosive force seemed to rush straight at anyone facing him.

His blood essence flowed faster, and the Qi Energy within him swelled incessantly. Zhuge Xiang could clearly hear his heartbeat growing more frantic—thump, thump, thump—as though it were about to leap from his chest. His heart accelerated its blood production, replenishing his body's need for oxygen and blood essence...

Blood Thunder Slash gathered all the power within the body and unleashed it at a single point in an instant. Maintaining the circulation of Qi Energy required for Blood Thunder Slash, Zhuge Xiang focused on sensing its mysteries.

As Zhuge Xiang built up his momentum, the Qi Energy within him condensed into an increasingly dense mass. When it reached its critical point, when his body seemed unable to bear the burden any longer, he raised his palm like a blade and kicked off with both legs. Like a pouncing cheetah, he became a swift shadow as his palm-blade chopped viciously outward...

Faintly, the sound of wind and thunder could be heard. A flash of blood-red light flickered along the edge of his palm and vanished. This palm-blade directly split through the resistance of the air, its force imposing. Even a tree trunk as thick as a bowl's mouth could likely be cleaved apart with a single strike.

After that palm-blade strike, Zhuge Xiang's momentum plummeted, and the stirred blood essence gradually settled. There was no question about Blood Thunder Slash's offensive power. Combined with a high-speed ambush, once it struck its target, it was like a fiercely shot arrow, with incredibly powerful piercing force.

A week passed. In another five days, it would be the Assessment Assembly. Zhuge Xiang did not know whether his Blood Thunder Slash counted as successfully cultivated. If he built up momentum beforehand, he could barely display a trace of Blood Thunder Slash's true form. That should have counted as learning it, but he needed ten breaths of time to gather enough momentum before he could unleash it. In a real battle, who would give him that much time to prepare?

Moreover, although Blood Thunder Slash possessed the strongest attack power among the Martial Arts in the Martial Arts Pavilion, it also consumed a great deal of Qi Energy. With Zhuge Xiang's cultivation, having only just comprehended Qi Energy, one Blood Thunder Slash would consume half of it.

Zhuge Xiang took a deep breath and exhaled a breath of turbid air. Turning his head, he saw Lu Yuling's graceful figure dancing beside the little lake. The Clear Wave Palm in her hands had become increasingly proficient. As she shifted and leaped, her movements grew smoother and freer, as though a celestial horse galloped through the skies—natural yet elegant.

However, Zhuge Xiang understood the danger concealed within that graceful figure. When the Clear Wave Palm was unleashed, it was like invisible strands of spider silk. Should one become deeply entangled in it, they would be bound by the palm's Qi Energy, like a moth caught in a spiderweb, unable to break free...

"Your Blood Thunder Slash can barely be considered successfully cultivated. It is only because the amount of Qi Energy you possess is limited that you need so much time to gather it," Lu Yuling said after finishing a set of Clear Wave Palm techniques. Her calm tone showed that she had been paying attention to Zhuge Xiang's cultivation of Blood Thunder Slash.

Although Lu Yuling and Zhuge Xiang had spoken before, their exchanges had been few. Neither side paid it much mind, yet disciples who had comprehended Qi Energy and those who had not were as different as clouds and mud—one could even say they belonged to two different worlds. Unconsciously, both understood the gap between them.

However, after Zhuge Xiang comprehended Qi Energy, their interactions clearly became much more frequent. At the very least, they chatted more often. Though Zhuge Xiang's cultivation was somewhat inferior to Lu Yuling's, they were both disciples who had comprehended Qi Energy and were qualified to regard one another as equals.

"Mm, that should be the reason," Zhuge Xiang nodded. After five days of deliberation, he believed he had already grasped the circulation of Qi Energy for Blood Thunder Slash and the rest of its principles. Yet gathering enough Qi Energy to unleash Blood Thunder Slash required such a long time. It seemed Lu Yuling was right—the limitation lay in the amount of Qi Energy he possessed. As his cultivation continued to Breakthrough and his Qi Energy became more abundant, Blood Thunder Slash should become faster and more powerful.

After saying that, Lu Yuling did not continue speaking. Yet she seemed to think of something. She pondered briefly, then, as if making up her mind, said to Zhuge Xiang, "In a few days, it will be the Assessment Assembly. Then we should be heading to the Sect Headquarters deep within the Endless Mountain Range. A few days ago, I accidentally discovered a Hundred-Year Ganoderma that was about to mature in a forest. But a Fox Demon close to One-Star Mid-Grade is guarding it. With the power of your Blood Thunder Slash and the restraint of my Clear Wave Palm, we should have a chance of killing it."

The Asura Sect's base lay within the Endless Mountain Range, which stretched for eighteen hundred li. Its headquarters was established in the deepest part of the mountain range. As for where Zhuge Xiang and the others currently were, it was merely an Asura Sect branch on the edge of the Endless Mountain Range, specifically used to train the sect's disciples. Once the Assessment Assembly was over, all disciples who had comprehended Qi Energy would be sent to the Sect Headquarters deep in the heart of the Endless Mountain Range.

"Hundred-Year Ganoderma..." Zhuge Xiang was slightly startled upon hearing Lu Yuling's words. He knew what ganoderma was.

Ginseng, ganoderma, fo-ti, vermilion fruit, and such spiritual medicines and fruits greatly nourished the body's blood essence and vitality. The Refining Essence to Qi stage drew upon the body's vital essence and transformed it into Qi Energy. Thus, once such spiritual medicines and fruits reached a sufficient age, they could be of tremendous help even to cultivators who had comprehended Qi Energy. A Century-Old Ganoderma was already an exceedingly rare spiritual medicine.

But a Fox Demon close to One-Star Mid-Grade made Zhuge Xiang ponder in secret. Cultivators followed the path of Refining Essence to Qi, and Demonic Creatures were the same. A cultivator's first major stage was Refining Essence to Qi, and the first stage of Demonic Creatures' cultivation was likewise. However, because Demonic Creatures at this stage still retained their complete beast forms, they were collectively called Monster Beasts.

Refining Essence to Qi was divided into six minor realms: the Qi Cultivation Realm, Body Tempering Realm, Meridian Opening Realm, Void Splitting Realm, Innate Realm, and Return to Simplicity Realm. Monster Beasts, meanwhile, were divided into six star ranks, with each rank further divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. A Monster Beast close to One-Star Mid-Grade possessed strength roughly equivalent to the Qi Cultivation Realm Third Layer or Fourth Layer. No wonder Zhuge Xiang had to consider it carefully. The Hundred-Year Ganoderma was valuable, but not easy to obtain.

Although Qi Cultivation Realm cultivators had comprehended Qi Energy, their bodies' resistance to blows had not improved much. With a moment's carelessness, they might even be knocked unconscious by an old woman's club—a classic case of high attack and low defense. Only by breaking through to the Body Tempering Realm and using Qi Energy to temper the body would that change.

Monster Beasts were the same. A One-Star Monster Beast's physical defenses were not especially strong. With the attack power of his Blood Thunder Slash, Zhuge Xiang might very well kill it if he performed well. But a Fox Demon with strength equivalent to the Qi Cultivation Realm Third or Fourth Layer would surely possess terrifying speed and attack power. If they failed, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Zhuge Xiang also understood Lu Yuling's reasoning. In a few days, they would leave after the Assessment Assembly. Watching such a Hundred-Year Ganoderma slip through their fingers would indeed be unbearable. Moreover, if they succeeded, the ganoderma's aid would surely earn them better rankings in the Grand Tournament. Receiving the sect's focused cultivation would then create a virtuous cycle.

Zhuge Xiang was not timid before a Monster Beast close to One-Star Mid-Grade, but neither was he blinded by the benefits of the Hundred-Year Ganoderma. He merely looked seriously at Lu Yuling and said, "I want to know how strong you are, Senior Sister Lu. Also, if we successfully harvest the Hundred-Year Ganoderma, how will we divide it?"

She smiled faintly, radiant and dazzling. Lu Yuling showed no displeasure at Zhuge Xiang's questions. Asking about such matters before making a decision only showed his decisiveness and openness. "A few days ago, my cultivation broke through to the Qi Cultivation Realm Third Layer. My Clear Wave Palm has reached the Proficient Level. As for the ganoderma, you take thirty percent and I take seventy."

"Qi Cultivation Realm Third Layer!?" Lu Yuling's words made Zhuge Xiang's eyes widen slightly.

Among the Hundred Thousand Disciples, most were still struggling to comprehend Qi Energy, yet she had already reached the Qi Cultivation Realm Third Layer. A genius capable of comprehending Qi Energy in half a year truly lived up to her reputation. As for the three-to-seven division, Zhuge Xiang was quite satisfied—he was even getting the better end of the deal. With his Qi Cultivation Realm First Layer cultivation, he would only be assisting Lu Yuling. Receiving thirty percent of the gains was already more than enough.

"Then let's give it a try." Even if Lu Yuling's strength was somewhat inferior to that Fox Demon's, the gap should not be large. If he could perform Blood Thunder Slash well, there should be no problem. Zhuge Xiang nodded and agreed.

"Time waits for no one. Let's leave now." Her tone remained calm, but Lu Yuling was a decisive person. Once she made up her mind, she set out without the slightest hesitation. Only five days remained, and they still needed to rely on the ganoderma to raise their cultivation. Zhuge Xiang also knew time was pressing. He nodded, and the two left the little lake.