Devoted Cultivation III

Wushan Prefecture.

Zhang Rongfang slowly and methodically weighed the medicinal herbs behind the counter using a small scale, then wrapped them in paper, collected the money, and handed them to the patient.

"This is a seven-day supply. Take it carefully, and don't spill it."

"Thank you, Pharmacist Zhang." The patient was a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion and a persistent cough. Judging from his clothes, he came from a wealthy family.

I just don't know why I suddenly came here to get medicine.

Zhang Rongfang tossed the large sum of money he had just received into the drawer, guessing that his sister might be secretly supporting the business.

But these little things don't matter anymore.

Anyway, he was just opening a shop to find solace and a cover for his identity.

After settling down in Wushan Prefecture, he has been feeling more and more relaxed lately.

No one caused trouble, there was no unrest, and there was no fighting.

Every day is just a mundane routine: opening the shop, eating, and sleeping.

Lu Mei Sha, on the other hand, would often inexplicably come over and cause trouble.

For example, right now.

Bang! The shop door was pushed open forcefully, and Lu Mei Sha jumped over the threshold.

"Look at my newly practiced lightness skill, how is it!?"

She stood with her hands on her hips, looking rather smug, and jumped off the threshold again, then jumped back in, then back out, then back in, then back out. Zhang Rongfang glanced blankly at the threshold, which was only a dozen centimeters high, and for a moment he didn't know if she was joking or really asking a question.

"Good."

He thought for a moment and answered concisely.

"Hehe, you answered so simply, are you afraid I'll surpass you? Don't worry, I'm just a beginner. The master I apprenticed under said that although I have great talent, it will take me at least three or four years to reach High Grade," Lu Mei Sha said with a hint of pride.

"Three or four years?" Zhang Rongfang was a little speechless. Normally, a genius would be grateful if they could reach the Third Grade in three or four years.

This person has such a beautiful dream.

"Did you think it was fake?" Lu Mei Sha became even more smug. "I'll tell you, I initially thought it was fake too, but then I asked him about his arrangements in detail. That martial arts master told me that because of my extraordinary talent and good family background, as long as I have enough medicinal herbs and supplies, I will definitely be able to surpass most people very quickly."

After all, many medicinal herbs are far too expensive for ordinary families to afford, even if they went bankrupt. So it's normal that I'm faster than those average geniuses.

That makes a lot of sense.

Zhang Rongfang was speechless.

"And don't look down on my low jumps in light footwork. I'm just starting to learn, and I'll get better and better later!" Lu Mei Sha said earnestly.

"Then you should try your best." Zhang Rongfang closed his eyes and began meditating again.

Recently, he has been vaguely sensing that there are experts around his sister from time to time. Most of these experts are at the level of the Ninth Grade rank or below, but occasionally one or two of Super Grade will appear.

In a place like Wushan Prefecture, the appearance of Super Grade is already a strange thing.

Super Grade warriors are not as common as cabbages; no force will easily send them out, since many of Super Grade are potential seeds for higher-level martial arts in the future.

After noticing that the power around his sister was growing stronger, Zhang Rongfang gradually shifted his attention from the outside world to the mansion.

He needed to find out exactly what was going on with his sister and what her connection was with the Confucian Sect.

Among the Confucian Sect, the most convenient place to obtain intelligence is naturally Dongfang Stronghold.

Zhang Rongfang went to Dongfang Stronghold, but Dongfang Mu's reply left him speechless.

This guy didn't seem to know much either, only saying that Wu Mountain was one of the places where Confucian Sect forces gathered. And he deliberately concealed this, unwilling to elaborate.

Fortunately, Zhang Rongfang send his subordinates to investigate within the city.

"Hey, a new Western Shop is opening in town in a couple of days. It's run by Western merchants who fled to Wu Mountain. Do you want to go check it out?" Lu Mei Sha asked, sitting outside the counter.

"I don't want to go," Zhang Rongfang replied. "By the way, can I ask you a question?"

"What? Tell me." Lu Mei Sha raised an eyebrow. She had recently gotten used to Zhang Rongfang's taciturn way of responding. This time, he took the initiative to ask, which felt rather novel.

"What are your plans for the future?" Zhang Rongfang asked.

"What?"

"Exactly, you're not young anymore. What are you planning to do in the future? You can't keep coming here to see me all the time, can you?" Zhang Rongfang said.

"..." Lu Mei Sha was stunned.

A short while later, she stood up and silently walked towards the door.

"Sorry to bother you."

Watching her departing figure, Zhang Rongfang shook his head slightly. He wondered what she was thinking.

However, he didn't have time to pay much attention to it; to fulfill his Child Wish, he still needed to keep looking for goals.

Immediately, he closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.

Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, another month had gone by.

Zhang Rongyu, the older sister, takes care of the child at home every day, and her nephew's arms and legs gradually become thicker and stronger, and he is finally chubby and not bad-looking anymore.

The family held a full-month celebration by drawing lots, allowing the nephew to crawl around on a large red cloth and grab whatever he wanted.

As a result, the little guy grabbed a toy knife and a children's book for learning to read.

As a result, the household suddenly had two more teachers.

One is specifically for teaching the little one to read, and the other is specifically for conditioning the little one's body to lay a foundation for future martial arts training.

Before they even started practicing martial arts, they were already taking various medicinal baths and drinking different kinds of herbal soups every day. Money was flowing out like water, but their sister Zhang Rongyu and brother- Suda Heqi didn't care at all.

While his nephew was thriving, Zhang Rongfang also gained new Attribute Points, which he then devoted entirely to his life attribute.

He would challenge the Stone God once every other week.

Enemy Anticipation were enough to ensure he wouldn't be injured. In fact, the frequent encounters were simply to figure out as much of the Remnant God's abilities as possible.

In just over a month, Zhang Rongfang had come to understand that, apart from divine pressure and immortality, the biggest challenge for Remnant God like the Stone God was Absolute Defense.

He couldn't harm Stone God. Even the blood he had relied on earlier could only cause minimal damage to Stone God. It couldn't even break the skin.

In addition, the other party has a similar self-healing ability, with a similar speed to his.

The minor injury healed almost immediately.

Aside from the need for painstaking effort, there's simply no way to fight like this.

So Zhang Rongfang began sending people to inquire about the whereabouts of the Demon Weapon while searching for other ways to break through the defenses of the Gods and Buddhas.

Unfortunately, there were no clues from either the Reverse Time Society, Dongfang Mu, or anywhere else.

It seems that there is only one way to deal with Gods and Buddhas, and that is for the Gods and Buddhas themselves to do so.

Time passed once more.

While sending people to inquire and search, Zhang Rongfang lived a peaceful life in the city, visiting his sister every day to play with his nephew. Occasionally, he would hear news from outside: the Great Sect Alliance, led by the Great Dao Sect, was sweeping away small sects everywhere and was invincible.

In these ordinary, uneventful days.

My nephew can finally stand up.

Zhang Rongfang finally got his wish, his health points exceeded 100.

*** Human Immortal Platform.

Zhang Rongfang was dressed in a Daoist robe, and his demeanor was more composed than before. His height also gradually decreased, returning to 1.9 meters.

As his Life Attribute increased, he could now clearly feel his body expanding, growing larger and larger.

As the attributes increase, the Qi and Blood become more and more like a bomb, compressed within this small body, waiting to be released.

The feeling was subtle, as if his current body was gradually becoming a tool that bound him.

Zhang Rongfang let out a long breath.

The breath was long and drawn out, extending more than a meter away. A faint breeze formed, stirring and dispersing the thin mist ahead.

A little Xiao Hong Bird chirped as it descended from the sky, gently landing on Zhang Rongfang's shoulder and preening its feathers with its beak askew.

This is the one he kept at the Heavenly Treasure Palace, which was taken back recently.

Below the Human Immortal Platform, by the stream, Qing Su and Ding Yu were herding cattle. They had started working together to raise cattle and sheep in Wish Woman Canyon.

Because of Wish Woman mist that surrounds the area, the cattle and sheep don't have to worry about getting lost. When they encounter the outer layer of mist, they will walk back on their own, making it a completely natural pasture.

As for feed, there are large lawns along the stream that are available.

If that's not enough, just send more people outside to cut more ground.

"This is the life I wanted before. Stable, peaceful, and undisturbed," Zhang Rongfang sighed.

"Master." Chang Yuqing, dressed in a gray-white training uniform, walked heavily onto the stage from behind.

"My disciple is about to have another attack."

Her face was pale, and she looked unwell.

"Have you finished everything I asked you to do before?" Zhang Rongfang turned around and looked at this disciple, whose talent and comprehension were among the best he had ever seen.

"Everything is ready. I've also explained things to my family, so I can now focus on my training and cultivation here without worry." Chang Yuqing's eyes darkened.

She simply left a note for her parents, explaining that she had decided to travel alone to fulfill her wish.

After that, she cut off all contact and stayed in the Wish Woman Canyon, where she helped compile the scriptures of the Human Immortal Temple and went to Wushan Prefecture to do some strange and unusual things for some children.

Although she didn't understand what those things meant, she would do them as long as her master asked.

"How well have you grasped the martial arts?" Zhang Rongfang asked again.

"I understand now. In the previous martial arts trial, which was purely a contest of moves, Senior Brother Ding and the others were no match for me," Chang Yuqing replied in a deep voice.

"Make a move against me," Zhang Rongfang said.

"Yes!"

Chang Yuqing nodded, stepped forward, and gently pulled out a soft sword from his waist.

With a flash of sword light, a basic sword technique, created by combining the Talisman Art of the Great Dao Sect with many other martial arts, was executed with ease and naturalness.

The silver sword light slashed towards Zhang Rongfang's upper body, but he dodged it by turning to the side.

The two men, one attacking and the other defending, moved slowly but surely. With the same speed and agility, Chang Yuqing, as if playing chess, found the right angle in advance where Zhang Rongfang was hiding and positioned himself first.

This disrupted Zhang Rongfang's responses to her sword moves on several occasions.

He became increasingly surprised as he fought.

With the same movement speed, Chang Yuqing's understanding of martial arts techniques has now reached a basic level of Enemy Anticipation.

Such comprehension... It's simply... Many martial artists practice martial arts their whole lives and might not be as skilled as she is in just a few months.

"Alright, that's enough." Zhang Rongfang pinched his fingers, precisely fixing the tip of the soft sword in place.

"You've learned martial arts very well. Now, one last question. Martial arts contain artistic conception, and embody the Essence, Qi, and Spirit, will, and insights of the founder."

But for us martial artists, the most suitable style is a unique martial art created entirely from our own Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

"You mean...?" Chang Yuqing was taken aback. "Create your own martial arts?"

"Not only that, but a deeper level." Zhang Rongfang laughed. "The realm of martial arts is nothing more than physical combat, Qi Combat, and spiritual combat! These are called the three aspects of essence, Essence, Qi, and Spirit, and spirit. Now that you understand what physical combat is, the next step should be Qi Combat."