"Tut, tut. What a perfect Biological Weapon."
Yes, a Biological Weapon.
The first thing Zhang Ming thought of was a Biological Weapon.
Because the raw materials Zombies required were absurdly simple.
Dead people.
Weren't they everywhere for the taking, practically worthless?
And once successfully transformed, a Zombie was a Postnatal Martial Artist the moment it appeared.
And not just any Postnatal Martial Artist, but a special kind with countless traits, extremely difficult to deal with.
Simple materials, remarkable results. If that wasn't the best Biological Weapon, what was?
"Hmph. Thinking about Biological Weapons in a Martial Arts World—isn't that a little out of place? The whole vibe is wrong, isn't it?"
Shrugging, Zhang Ming curled his lip.
"I once dreamed of becoming a wandering hero, a sword sweeping across the Nineteen Prefectures, dressed in flowing white.
How had I ended up thinking about 'playing with' Zombies and creating Biological Weapons every day?"
"Tut, tut."
"The world has wronged me. The world has wronged me. It's all the world's fault."
Zhang Ming absolutely refused to admit it was his own problem.
With a few dry laughs, he gathered his thoughts and temporarily put everything concerning the Zombies out of his mind.
He turned his attention back to the New Mighty Bull Great Medicine in his hand.
The New Mighty Bull Great Medicine was a new medicine repeatedly deduced through mastery-level medicine and [Ignite Comprehension].
Compared to before, its theoretical effects were ten times stronger.
Moreover, the quantity of medicinal ingredients required to brew it had been reduced to a certain extent. Only a few unneeded main ingredients had been added compared to before.
Demonic Beast blood, flesh, and bones—three ingredients.
All three could be found in Mine Cave No. 13, and they had already been retrieved safely, without any real danger.
The process of brewing the Mighty Bull Great Medicine was not difficult.
Within the enhanced insights granted by [Ignite Comprehension], Zhang Ming had brewed it so many times that he had lost count. His technique was exceptionally Proficient.
Even though this was his first time brewing it in the real world, Zhang Ming was thoroughly at ease, precisely controlling every stage of the process.
Thus—
Just over an hour later, the New Mighty Bull Great Medicine was successfully brewed.
"It worked. I wonder if it really has ten times the medicinal effect?"
He sniffed the distinctive scent of the new medicine and confirmed that it closely resembled the scent in his memories.
Its color and thickness were the same as well.
A smile spread across his face.
He took a small sip, savoring the unique taste of the New Mighty Bull Great Medicine.
"Mhm. Its color, aroma, and flavor are all exactly as I remember."
Without hesitation, Zhang Ming tidied up the medicine-brewing area, then drained the entire bowl in one gulp.
Boom—
As the great medicine entered his stomach, surging medicinal power exploded within him. Endless medicinal force was like a bomb, threatening to blast his body to pieces.
"What powerful medicinal effects. So powerful."
He gritted his teeth and cried out softly, feeling the unimaginable, boundless medicinal force of the New Mighty Bull Great Medicine.
"Cultivate, cultivate! Hurry and cultivate to burn it off, or I'll be stuffed to death."
Making his decision at once, as though a vicious dog were chasing him from behind, Zhang Ming swiftly assumed the opening stance of the [Mighty Bull Cultivation Method].
Then—
Gales howled, the air burst with explosions, and Zhang Ming's body became ghostlike, afterimages filling the entire room.
The medicinal power, ten times stronger than before, forced Zhang Ming to circulate the [Mighty Bull Cultivation Method] at full capacity.
Under such desperate exertion, his usual cultivation routine, which previously took thirty minutes per set—
Was now forcibly accelerated, faster and faster.
Several hours later.
The medicinal effects gradually faded. Zhang Ming's entire body was flushed red, while white steam shrouded him.
Stream after stream of white vapor rose continuously from his body, enveloping the surroundings.
Huff, huff—
The room was filled with his harsh panting.
Only after some time did the redness of his body and the white vapor slowly subside.
"The medicinal effects are too strong."
He opened his mouth and expelled another cloud of white vapor. It was easy to imagine how high Zhang Ming's body temperature had risen.
"As expected of the New Mighty Bull Great Medicine—the effects are incredible!
Not only were the ingredients innovated upon—
It was also easier to absorb, indirectly reducing the damage the medicinal power inflicted on the body."
With the old Mighty Bull Great Medicine, after using it once, it was best not to use it again for the next several days.
Otherwise, it could inflict irreversible injuries upon the body.
But the New Mighty Bull Great Medicine was different.
Not only were its medicinal effects ten times stronger, and its ingredients improved, but it was easier to absorb and reduced the harm done to the body.
The interval between doses had been shortened to once every two days.
"With effects this terrifying..." Zhang Ming looked at the burning flush on his arm. "I'll definitely break through to the Innate Realm within a year."
"Do I need a year?"
A year was not a long time.
If any other Warrior in this world could break through from the Postnatal Realm to the Innate Realm within a year, calling them an unparalleled prodigy would not be an exaggeration.
But for Zhang Ming, it was not enough. Not enough—far from enough.
"Optimistically speaking, the Hundred Beasts Sect will need around a year to discover the problem and come to Yang City to cause me trouble."
Zhang Ming narrowed his eyes. "But pinning my hopes on others has never been something I like to do."
"So, I still need to speed up."
Taking a deep breath, Zhang Ming did feel some urgency in his heart, but as for how great it was—
That was hard to say.
After all, it had only been a few months since he obtained [Ignite Comprehension].
In just a few months, he had gone from an utterly ordinary mortal to an invincible existence among Postnatal Martial Artists.
Given another year, if his strength increased severalfold, how difficult would it be to withstand an Innate Martial Artist?
"Wait, that doesn't seem right."
"Right now, it seems I've nearly eaten up all the 'resources' around Yang City that I can consume."
The simplest way to accelerate cultivation was to raise the grade of his cultivation method and increase its training speed.
But now, Zhang Ming and the Zhang Family had swept through every Martial Arts Hall, gang, and Minor Family in Yang City.
Every cultivation method had entered his pocket.
Compared to the [Mighty Bull Cultivation Method], those cultivation methods were utterly fragmented and shabby.
Even if he spent time integrating them into the [Mighty Bull Cultivation Method], it would be a miracle if they could provide even a single-digit percentage increase.
As for other Martial Dao resources?
Other than a small amount of medicinal herbs, there truly was nothing else.
Thinking it over, Zhang Ming was left speechless.
"It really seems I've eaten them all."
"If I still want to speed up from here, do I have to change maps? Go to a prefecture city or provincial city where Martial Dao is more prosperous?"
Shaking his head, Zhang Ming instinctively rejected the idea.
"I haven't even maxed out the beginner village. How can I change maps?"
Suddenly, Zhang Ming thought of something.
"No, I seem to still have two resources I haven't consumed."
Of those two "resources," one was naturally the Mysterious Buyer.
The Mysterious Buyer's identity was enigmatic, and he was suspected to be some Prince.
Naturally, he had an abundance of "resources" there.
"And the other is the Zombies?"
There was no denying it: in Zhang Ming's eyes, Zombies were a treasure trove—an enormous treasure trove!
It was like zombies from films and television appearing in the rigorous technological age of the twenty-first century in his previous life.
Every part of them was valuable.
Just the question of why zombies could go years without eating, without running out of energy, and still continue operating like Perpetual Motion Machines—
Held limitless value.
Capture over ten thousand zombies alive and put them into Circular Treadmills like hamsters.
Wouldn't a [Genuine Zombie-Brand Perpetual Motion Machine] then be born?
From then on, entering the stars and exploring the universe would absolutely no longer be a dream.
Likewise—
Zombies were the same in Zhang Ming's eyes.
Treasures, treasures, great treasures!
"Huff—"
"Next, I need to devote more resources to Zombie research."
"I really look forward to seeing what kind of results it can bring me."
Zhang Ming was filled with anticipation.
"Oh, right. The Old Version Mighty Bull Great Medicine can provide a 200-fold, ten-minute [Ignite Comprehension] effect. The new version is ten times stronger than the old one, so theoretically, would that make it 2,000 times?"
"No, I can't calculate it that way. Who knows whether the increase is linear?"
"But it will definitely improve. I just don't know by how much."
Meanwhile—
Although the Zombies had been imprisoned in the Zhang Family Dungeon and were being researched and toyed with by Zhang Ming—
The matter of the Zombies attacking the Zhang Family was far from over.
That day, the Zombies' sudden attack had smashed through the Zhang Family's walls and slaughtered more than a dozen servants.
It had not been witnessed only by the Zhang Family themselves.
Thus, on the very second day after the Zombie attack—
Certain rumors began circulating through Yang City.
Those rumors came in all shapes and sizes, but they could be summed up in one sentence: there was something wrong with the Zhang Family. The Zhangs were Demons, devils, monsters—beings who needed to be eliminated, whom everyone had the right to kill.
They even presented their argument: why had the Zombies not attacked any other family? Why had they attacked only the Zhang Family?
The argument was simple and crude, yet it found an especially receptive audience.
Before you continue