Heart Source Pill

"The commotion is growing. A battle between the Ebony Treasure Ship and the Demonic Horde is a rare sight. Unfortunately, all we can do is watch from afar."

The treasure ship had already retreated to the Hundred Li River Domain. Even so, raging waves came surging over, while all kinds of terrifying beast roars rang through the night sky.

The celestial phenomena over the battlefield reversed. Torrential rain poured down, starlight filled the heavens, and killing intent surged in every direction. It was obvious that a fierce battle had erupted.

Chen Fusheng's heart sank. The distance was too great, and the Spirit Snake Diagram could no longer sense anything!

Unwilling to give up, he continued paddling through the river water, when he suddenly discovered dozens of waves of demonic aura approaching the Hundred Li River Domain.

"Look! The battle storm is coming toward us. Retreat, quickly."

Wang Lie had spotted it and said, "The storm is so huge that it'll probably draw in other competitors as well. It seems that by tomorrow, this matter will spread throughout the Star Gazing Manor and shake Tian Yuan City!"

The turmoil in the Hundred Li River Domain was bound to bring about a great disaster. The Ebony Treasure Ship pursued the Silver Moon Fish Shoal, while dozens of demonic beasts drove the waves forward in a slaughtering assault. Many fishermen were destined to be buried in the Black River.

No matter how violent the waves became, the Spirit Snake Diagram continued providing Chen Fusheng with precise sensory perception.

At that moment, he discovered that within the central region of the Silver Moon Fish Shoal, where the battle storm was closing in on him, a tremor that made him shudder had appeared.

More precisely, that wisp of fluctuation was slowly reviving!

According to Mu Zhen, it was extraordinarily difficult for a top-grade spirit fish to evolve into a king fish. It required a long period of dormancy and accumulation before it could finally leap over the Dragon Gate.

Its restrained vitality was now being released. It was certainly the leader of the fish shoal, which meant it was a top-grade spirit fish!

The Silver Moon Fish Shoal was about to be scattered by its pursuers, however. The demonic beasts began attacking as if they had gone mad, biting wildly with terrifying savagery.

"Demonic beasts possess intelligence. They surely know they can't defeat the Ebony Treasure Ship, so they attacked ahead of time to swallow the spirit fish. The Ebony Treasure Ship hasn't gone berserk, which means it's clearly waiting for the moment of its evolution."

Chen Fusheng looked up at the sky. There were still half an hour before the Sun Star appeared. It seemed the spirit fish's evolution was doomed to fail.

"Roar..."

From the battlefield came a muffled roar. Dozens of demonic beasts scattered the shoal, threw open their bloody maws, and surged toward the reviving giant fish to devour it!

They even began fighting among themselves, refusing to yield to one another.

Chen Fusheng sensed another terrifying fluctuation. The Ebony Treasure Ship had launched its attack. The energy it expelled and swallowed shook the hundred-li stretch of the Black River, while more than a dozen Other Shore Realm Star Masters unleashed a fierce assault.

Boom!

The black mist filling the heavens exploded. With its terrifying swallowing power, the Ebony Treasure Ship suppressed the river domain. A huge net woven from golden threads covered an area a hundred zhang wide and descended in unison.

"The leader of the fish shoal has gone berserk! Its vitality is terrifying!"

Chen Fusheng clenched his fists. The life force of a top-grade spirit fish surpassed that of any demonic beast. With a single lash of its tail, it could smash an Other Shore Realm Star Master to death!

The spirit fish couldn't fight for long, however. Its aura soon reached its peak before declining, and its long accumulation was reduced to nothing.

"Hm?"

Chen Fusheng had thought the spirit fish was about to be dragged away by the huge net, but who could have expected its speed to explode without limit? With a splash, it rapidly fled into the distance, abandoning the shoal!

Its speed was so formidable that even the Spirit Snake Diagram failed to lock onto it.

"Even if it escapes, it'll still fall into the hands of the Ebony Treasure Ship. I originally planned to trade the Silver Moon Fish for a piece of treasure flesh, but it seems there's no hope now."

What astonished Chen Fusheng even more was that the Ebony Treasure Ship did not pursue the top-grade spirit fish.

"Looks like the treasure ship failed to lock onto the spirit fish's trail. No, it escaped to the outer region, dozens of li away!" Chen Fusheng's heart began to race.

"Calm down, calm down. In my current state, even if the spirit fish were seriously wounded, I absolutely couldn't carry it away."

Chen Fusheng still felt frantic. A heaven-sent fortune had appeared before him, only to slip through his fingers.

Then he discovered more than a dozen treasure ships rapidly approaching the battlefield. Clearly, what had happened here had alarmed the people along the Black River's banks.

Wang Lie and the others could only stare helplessly. In the current situation, they could take advantage of the chaos and claim a share, but without a fishing net, what good was it?

"Even if we made a move, we couldn't compete with them. Instead..."

Wang Lie had originally wanted to say that they might only invite trouble, but Mu Zhen was on the ship, and they could always rely on her influence.

"The journey through the three-hundred-li Black River has finally ended!"

As the treasure ship docked, Wang Lie sat down and patted Chen Fusheng on the shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief.

With his accumulated resources and the share of Silver Moon Fish he had received, entering the Inner Courtyard in the future... was no longer a dream!

"Fusheng, with your cultivation at its current stage, you should sell the spirit fish and trade it for cultivation resources," Wang Lie said.

"Do you need my help?"

Liu Bai asked warmly. Chen Fusheng had taken the two largest of the nine Silver Moon Fish, worth roughly five thousand star stones in total—enough to equal ten generations of a fisherman's earnings.

"I want to trade for three Fire Essence Pills!" Chen Fusheng said.

"You..." Wang Lie was just about to speak, but fell silent. Fire Essence Pills could cure Cold Poison...

He knew that Huang Tiancheng's illness absolutely could not be cured by a few Fire Essence Pills.

"Spirit pills, huh? I'll have to ask around for you later..."

"Little Chen, I can help."

Mu Zhen suddenly turned around and looked at Chen Fusheng. "My family happens to have a shop that sells pills. I can give you a discounted price."

Wang Lie smiled meaningfully. It seemed Mu Zhen had already acknowledged Chen Fusheng. With this connection, he could walk unhindered even in the Outer Sect.

Once Mu Zhen became an Inner Courtyard disciple, she could call on them for help when carrying out Grade-A missions. They could also earn a handsome fortune from it.

In this way, their circle of connections would grow larger and larger.

He couldn't help sighing inwardly. Had Chen Fusheng suddenly transformed into his benefactor?

Wang Lie understood that Mu Zhen had taken a liking to Chen Fusheng's physique!

His and Liu Bai's talents could only be considered average, while Chen Fusheng's physique still had room to improve. Once his cultivation caught up, its extraordinariness would become apparent.

"Thank you for looking after me, Senior Sister. If possible, I'd also like to trade for one Heart Source Pill. Exchange the rest for star stones. Oh, right—I also have an Outer Sect mission."

Chen Fusheng asked expectantly. His household contained many books collected by Huang Tiancheng, and he knew that the Heart Source Pill belonged to the Five Organs Source Medicine.

"The Heart Source Pill is a high-grade spirit pill, so it's extremely valuable. It mainly strengthens the body's life essence blood and improves the heart. This pill is indeed very suitable for you."

Mu Zhen said, "I'll charge you one thousand one hundred star stones for the three Fire Essence Pills, and one thousand eight hundred for the Heart Source Pill. I'll take care of your Outer Sect mission."

Wang Lie was stunned. Eighteen hundred star stones! Even in the Inner Sect, there probably weren't many disciples who could afford to consume them!

Liu Bai also clicked his tongue in amazement. Chen Fusheng had just emerged into the world, yet one trip to the Black River had equaled ten years of hard work.

At that moment, the purple storage pouch hanging from Mu Zhen's waist shimmered with radiant light. A large cloth bag flew out, filled with a thousand star stones.

"Little Chen, I'll give you the rest I owe you later. I'll have someone deliver the spirit pills to your home."

After saying this, she took Chen Fusheng's spoils and leaped ashore, disappearing into the distance.

Chen Fusheng gazed at Mu Zhen's graceful departing figure and rubbed his chin.

Wang Lie seized Chen Fusheng by the arm and leaped ashore. He glanced sideways at him and said, "What is it? Don't worry. Mu Zhen won't take advantage of you over this little bit of money."

"Lie-ge, I was just wondering when I'll be able to be as carefree and dashing as Senior Sister Mu Zhen." Chen Fusheng let out a laugh.

"You brat, you've had a stroke of luck and now you dare dream of anything. But speaking of which..."

Liu Bai and the others chatted along the riverside marketplace as they made their way back to the Star Gazing Manor.

After parting from them, Chen Fusheng sprinted home the entire way, his feet kicking mud into the air as he eased the indescribable emotions in his heart.

In just a few short days, he had earned the wealth he had once dreamed of, witnessed demonic beasts slaughtering one another, and wanted to share it all with the people closest to him.

Then there was the failed evolution of the top-grade spirit fish, which left him scratching his head in frustration.

"Since that spirit fish was seriously wounded, it'll definitely lie dormant in the outer river domain for a while!"

After returning to the courtyard, he pushed open the door and walked toward the inner room.

The old man's face on the bed had grown even paler. He had remained asleep these past few days.

Lei San had not left his side for even a moment. He worriedly told Chen Fusheng that Grandpa Huang probably wouldn't survive this winter, and that they should make preparations.

The joy in Chen Fusheng's heart vanished without a trace. He murmured, "Third Brother, you know I'm an orphan. Grandpa raised me for ten years. No matter what, I have to preserve his life and let him enjoy a few years of happiness. Otherwise, I truly won't be able to accept it."

Lei San sighed. After putting an arm around Chen Fusheng and leading him outside, he said, "Your brother knows how much pain you're in, but you still have to make certain preparations. Oh, right—Teng Supervisor came yesterday!"

Chen Fusheng's heart jolted. "What did he come for?"

"He only asked where you'd gone. He didn't say anything else, but his mood seemed rather poor." Lei San didn't think much of it. How could Chen Fusheng possibly have offended Teng Supervisor? That was an Other Shore Realm Star Master.

Chen Fusheng's expression darkened slightly. Had Teng Supervisor grown suspicious of him?

Teng Lin had been missing for so many days. Teng Supervisor probably believed that his son was gone!

"Third Brother doesn't know that Teng Lin came looking for me that day. Why did Teng Supervisor come looking for me? What reason does he have to suspect me? Or was he simply making inquiries?"

After Chen Fusheng left through the door, he remained silent for a while. He went home, bathed, changed into clean robes, and then headed to the Outer Gate Hall!

Chen Fusheng walked toward the area where Teng Supervisor was stationed.

However, the attendant told him that Teng Supervisor had not come in since yesterday.

"Oh, so that's how it is. I'm Chen Fusheng. Teng Supervisor was looking for me yesterday. Please tell him that I've recently been doing missions in the Black River to earn resources for my grandfather's medical treatment. If he has anything to say, he can simply pass it on to Lei San."

Chen Fusheng calmly turned around, silently calculating that Teng Supervisor probably wanted to ask about Teng Lin's whereabouts. The possibility that he was suspicious of him was not high.

Next, he went to the office of the Silver-Robed Star Official. Mu Zhen had already completed the mission for him with remarkable speed.

He successfully received his identity token, along with a new mission.

"One pound of Fire Pattern Fish, with one Fire Essence Pill as the resource reward!" Chen Fusheng chose this mission.

Outer Sect Disciples had to carry out one Grade-B mission every month. They only needed to avoid failing three times in a row.

When he returned home again, the spirit pills and star stones had already been delivered.

Chen Fusheng took out a Fire Essence Pill and sent it into the old man's abdomen with energy.

Through the Contemplation Method, he sensed the Fire Attribute Energy released by the pill. It effectively suppressed some of the cold qi, and according to his calculations, it could last for roughly three days.

"This is a Fire Essence Pill, worth three hundred star stones each. It seems Grandpa's Cold Poison is even more severe than I expected. I wonder how he was poisoned back then."

Seeing that the old man remained asleep, Chen Fusheng felt puzzled and pushed open the door as he left.

In the dimly lit room, the old man slowly opened his eyes and murmured, "In just a few days, Fusheng's bodily vitality has actually become this powerful!"

"Based on his condition, it should have reached the scale of a Superior Treasure Body, right? The Furnace Contemplation Method, the Ancient Prodigy... This is truly a great man, the First Preacher!"

Old Huang was astonished. For an ordinary mortal to possess such a formidable physique sounded like something from a myth, yet he was the only witness from later generations.

Even he found it difficult to say what kind of physique the Furnace Contemplation Method could forge for Chen Fusheng. Could it rival an Innate Treasure Body?

"No! Is the Contemplation Method ultimately this formidable, or has Fusheng encountered some other opportunity?"

Huang Tiancheng hoped even more that it was the latter. No matter how terrifying the Contemplation Method was, since the Ancient Prodigy had ultimately fallen, it meant he had not reached the end!

But the most wondrous thing in this world was still opportunity.

"The heavens and earth are vast, and countless tribulations stretch into the distance. Fusheng's path has only just begun. Perhaps before I die, I'll still be able to witness the moment when he uses his physical body to seize the power of the stars from the heavens."