Suspicions Arise (Thanks to reader Most Dazzling Dream of Life for the Alliance Leader reward)

Han Zheng chatted with Li Feng for a while about the current situation in Black Stone County before asking, "By the way, Li Yaoshi, have you ever heard of a spiritual medicine called the Heavenly Demon Vermillion Fruit?"

"Heavenly Demon Vermillion Fruit? Why are you asking about that, Brother Han?"

Han Zheng took a sip of tea and said casually, "I heard it from a storyteller. It sounded like some incredible top-grade spiritual medicine, capable of bringing the dead back to life and regrowing flesh on bare bones."

Li Feng sneered. "Those storytellers do nothing but make things up. They hear some martial world legend from who knows where, twist it this way and that, then bring it out to fool people.

Brother Han, just listen to it for amusement. There's no need to take it seriously.

Bringing the dead back to life and regrowing flesh on bare bones? Why didn't he say it could let people ascend in broad daylight?

Still, the Heavenly Demon Vermillion Fruit is indeed a rather obscure high-grade spiritual medicine, and it is quite rare.

It can only grow on a Heavenly Demon Treasure Tree that sprouts after a Demon King comparable to a Yang God Realm Grandmaster dies, its demon core falling to the ground and merging into the Earth Veins.

This kind of high-grade spiritual medicine is something I have only heard of and never seen. Even Xiantian martial artists generally would not use spiritual medicine of this level for medicinal baths.

Spiritual medicines at the level of the Heavenly Demon Vermillion Fruit are used directly for pill refinement, not medicinal baths."

"Then it must be very expensive, right?"

Li Feng thought for a moment. "The price is actually not bad—around three thousand taels per fruit. In Origin Crystals, that would be roughly ten.

By the way, Brother Han, have you heard of Origin Crystals?"

Han Zheng shook his head.

Li Feng explained, "Origin Crystals are high-grade materials containing spiritual energy. It is said that they lie buried a thousand zhang underground, formed from the crystallization of the Earth Veins.

They can be used for cultivation, pill refinement, artifact forging, formations, and much more.

Thus, transactions between high-level martial artists generally do not use gold or silver. They either use Origin Crystals or barter goods for goods.

But in a small place like Black Stone County, Origin Crystals are rarely seen. Even martial families like the Song Family and Shen Family still conduct most of their transactions in gold and silver."

Han Zheng rubbed his chin and asked doubtfully, "Only three thousand taels per fruit? Then this Heavenly Demon Vermillion Fruit is not all that expensive."

To most ordinary people, three thousand taels was an astronomical sum.

But to martial artists, whose medicinal baths started at over a hundred taels apiece, three thousand taels truly was not much.

"It isn't too expensive, because this thing has rather severe side effects. It contains not only spiritual energy, but also violent Demonic Power.

Martial artists cannot absorb that Demonic Power. An alchemist has to spend a great deal of time refining it away, or use other precious spiritual medicines to neutralize it.

So using this thing for pill refinement is actually quite uneconomical—troublesome and expensive. Its price has never been particularly high.

There is another top-grade spiritual medicine called the Vermilion Fruit. Its medicinal potency is the same as the Heavenly Demon Vermillion Fruit's, but it has no side effects whatsoever. One costs over ten thousand taels, and even then it is more sought after than available.

Moreover, Vermilion Fruit Trees only mature once every thousand years, which is why they are also called Thousand-Year Vermilion Fruits. They are relatively rare.

Great battles often occur at Demon Suppressing Pass, and the deaths of Demon Kings are nothing unusual. Thus, many Heavenly Demon Treasure Trees have grown over the years, and the production of Heavenly Demon Vermillion Fruits is actually greater than that of Thousand-Year Vermilion Fruits."

After hearing Li Feng out, a trace of doubt appeared in Han Zheng's eyes.

Something about this seemed wrong.

Gao Kaiyuan had said that the Song Family made him deliver two pairs of men and women full of vital blood to Tearwind Great King each month as blood food, all in exchange for a single Heavenly Demon Vermillion Fruit.

But the Heavenly Demon Vermillion Fruit was not some incomparably precious treasure. A single fruit cost only three thousand taels.

Three thousand taels was certainly a lot, but the East City Song Family had dozens of shops in Black Stone County. The monthly profits of every single shop exceeded three thousand taels.

And if anyone discovered that the Song Family had actually colluded with Demons, offering blood food to Demons in exchange for profit, the Song Family's reputation in Black Stone County would be utterly ruined.

Not only would they become targets of universal condemnation, they might even draw the Demon Extermination Division.

The Song Family was taking such an enormous risk just to exchange for a Heavenly Demon Vermillion Fruit worth three thousand taels?

Only if everyone in the Song Family had had their brains squeezed in a door eight hundred times would they do something so idiotic.

So either that bastard Gao Kaiyuan had dared to lie to him even with death looming over his head.

Or there was another hidden truth behind this matter.

After chatting with Li Feng for a few more sentences, Han Zheng took his leave and prepared to head to the Martial Arts Academy.

He had taken leave from Li Jingzhong for many days already. It was time to show himself and tell Li Jingzhong that he had entered the Xiantian Realm.

Han Zheng also wanted to ask Li Jingzhong about some details concerning the Four Xiantian Realms. There was no way to hide his cultivation anyway, nor was there any need to. He could simply attribute it to Li Feng's medicinal baths.

Within Zhenwei Martial Arts School, Li Jingzhong was teaching the other disciples all sorts of details about practical combat.

Chen Zhao, being the strongest among the many disciples present, was also helping Li Jingzhong correct the flaws in those disciples' movements.

When Han Zheng arrived, the disciples all looked at him curiously.

After the final assessment, Lin Qing, Song Tianqing, and Guo Mingyuan had stopped coming. Han Zheng had taken leave as well, leaving only Chen Zhao to diligently continue cultivating at the Martial Arts Academy.

"Teacher, I have made some breakthroughs in my cultivation this time. I would like to ask for your guidance on my subsequent cultivation."

Li Jingzhong nodded lightly. "Not bad. In just a few days, you have completed Xiantian Foundation Establishment. When you truly enter the Xiantian Realm in the future, it will go more smoothly as well... Wait!"

As he spoke, Li Jingzhong suddenly sensed that something was off about Han Zheng's aura.

He took one step forward and shot in front of Han Zheng, reaching for his arm.

Feeling that Bronze Skin Iron Bones, Li Jingzhong said in disbelief, "You actually broke through to the Xiantian Realm!?"

He had always thought Han Zheng had taken leave to lay the groundwork for breaking through to the Xiantian Realm. Who would have thought that in only a few days, the other man had already finished building the whole house!

The many disciples present, Chen Zhao included, all looked at Han Zheng with envy.

Over the years, quite a few disciples who had left Zhenwei Martial Arts School had entered the Innate Realm.

But those people had all entered the Innate Realm long after leaving the Martial Arts Academy. Who had ever done so as quickly as Han Zheng?

Once one entered the Innate Realm, one was already considered an expert in Black Stone County, an existence on a completely different level from Postnatal Martial Artists like them.

"Let's go inside and talk. Chen Zhao, lead your junior brothers in continuing their cultivation."

Once they entered the inner hall of the Martial Arts Academy, Han Zheng said, "This time, I also have Li Yaoshi's medicinal baths to thank. Because he and I are on good terms, he deliberately added a little extra to the medicinal bath.

And it is also because you taught so well, Teacher. You explained the barrier between the Postnatal and Xiantian Realms in such minute detail that anyone who is not a fool should be able to understand it.

If you ask me, your skill in teaching disciples is even better than those Transmission Elders from the great sects."

Han Zheng was not merely flattering Li Jingzhong.

At the very least, below the Innate Realm, Li Jingzhong's teaching ability could be called peerless.

Most martial artists only knew how to cultivate and had not studied the realms in much depth.

Those top great sects were even simpler. They found disciples with excellent Talent and Aptitude, then piled on spiritual medicines and resources. They began with Xiantian cultivation techniques, so naturally their cultivation speed was not slow.

But Li Jingzhong had thoroughly studied the Postnatal and Xiantian Realms.

He could even teach commoner disciples with ordinary talent and no external resources until they became Xiantian martial artists. That was true skill.

Although Li Jingzhong was surprised that Han Zheng had broken through so quickly, he did not suspect anything.

After all, there were martial artists even faster than Han Zheng. They simply had better talent.

Han Zheng's Talent and Aptitude might be ordinary, but perhaps he had suddenly experienced a flash of inspiration and gained enlightenment. A sudden surge in cultivation was also possible.

Now that he heard Han Zheng praise him, Li Jingzhong shook his head with a faintly smug air. "When it comes to cultivation, I naturally cannot compare with martial artists from those great sects. But when it comes to teaching disciples, after all these years, practice has made perfect.

However, I cannot shamelessly claim credit for your breaking through to the Xiantian Mortal Transformation Realm so quickly.

Over the years, I have taught so many disciples in Black Stone County, and my teaching methods have all been the same. You have not received much special treatment.

Yet you are the only one who entered the Xiantian Mortal Transformation Realm before completing your apprenticeship. That is enough to prove your comprehension.

Talent and Aptitude are not the sole measure of a martial artist's future achievements.

Temperament, perseverance, opportunities, luck—none can be absent.

Take Zhang Tianyang, for example. Back when he studied martial arts at the academy, his Talent and Aptitude were even more ordinary. I could even declare that he had no hope of reaching the Xiantian Realm in this lifetime.

Yet now he has reached the peak of the Xiantian Realm, and his cultivation surpasses even mine. Yesterday, he even forced back the leaders of three gangs by himself.

So the road ahead is still long. Your achievements will certainly surpass mine."

"Thank you, Teacher. I would also like to ask you how I should break through the barriers and secrets of the remaining three Xiantian realms."

Li Jingzhong sighed. "In the Xiantian Mortal Transformation Realm, only by cultivating the Water-Fire Immortal Robe can one be considered truly complete, truly successful in shedding mortality.

Now that you have cultivated Bronze Skin Iron Bones, things are still relatively simple. But the next three realms become harder with every step. Even each minor breakthrough is more than ten times as difficult as the last.

Golden Muscles Jade Meridians primarily tempers the channels and meridians. Meridians are not as sturdy as bones and flesh, so they must be tempered with the utmost care. Progress is therefore exceedingly slow. This cannot be forced; it is work that wears down a millstone with water.

Once cultivated, one's control and mobilization of strength will be more than ten times greater than before.

Mercury Blood Silver Marrow is a qualitative transformation of vital blood. Once Mercury Blood Silver Marrow is cultivated, one's vital blood will also become more than ten times stronger than before.

This step consumes an extreme amount of effort. One must either accumulate power bit by bit or rely on medicinal baths and external resources to pile it up.

If one used only the slow grinding work of time to break through this realm, even ten years might not be enough to transform one's vital blood into lead and mercury. It is best supplemented with medicinal baths.

Back then, I relied on the money earned from running this Martial Arts Academy to become Chen Baiqing's major customer. Only after using more than a hundred medicinal baths did I cultivate Mercury Blood Silver Marrow.

As for the final realm, Water-Fire Immortal Robe, it is the complete success of shedding mortality, the achievement of an innate body.

I have no useful advice to offer you about this realm, because I have not reached it either.

I have been stuck in this realm for nearly ten years.

To cultivate the Water-Fire Immortal Robe, one must make one's bones, meridians, and vital blood completely merge into a perfect whole, undergo Marrow Washing and Hair Replacement, and transform in a single stroke.

I can make all these powers within my body merge into a perfect whole. The money I have saved over the years could even buy pills.

But I have never managed to take that final step of transformation.

Alas, I still lack some opportunity, some enlightenment."

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