The Wind and Moon Mirror showed that 3,573 points of Humanity Aura remained.
While upgrading the True Yang Spear, his Humanity Aura had increased a little more.
As Deer Antler Powder and Heavenly Gui Pills continued to hit the market, the response had been enthusiastic, and sales had steadily climbed during this period.
Humanity Aura was accumulating faster and faster, too.
Gao Xian had been quite pleased with this. The two kinds of pills not only helped him accumulate Humanity Aura but also Spirit Stones.
If he stayed in Flying Horse Market for a few years, he might be able to reach Foundation Establishment before he turned thirty.
Once he became a Foundation Establishment cultivator, life would be even more comfortable. He could lie back and earn more Spirit Stones, while building up even more Humanity Aura.
If things continued like that, even attaining Nascent Soul wasn't impossible.
But Shopkeeper Zhu just had to make trouble, and that was a real nuisance.
Gao Xian had actually seen this coming. Flying Horse Market was so small, and as Deer Antler Powder and Heavenly Gui Pills sold more and more, they were bound to affect the apothecary's business and draw Shopkeeper Zhu's attention.
By the same token, in a place as small as Flying Horse Market, once Shopkeeper Zhu grew suspicious, it wouldn't be hard for him to track Gao Xian down.
He just hadn't figured out how to deal with it yet.
It wasn't as though he owed Shopkeeper Zhu anything. He hadn't agreed to make these pills in their contract.
The problem was, Shopkeeper Zhu was overbearing. He probably wouldn't be willing to reason with Gao Xian.
Gao Xian had planned to stall for a while, until his cultivation and abilities improved enough for him to have the confidence to negotiate with Shopkeeper Zhu.
But now it looked like he was out of time.
His gaze fell on the Lightning Dragon Hand. Since he'd already spent some of his Humanity Aura, he might as well upgrade the Lightning Dragon Hand, too.
The stronger he was, the better his chances of resolving the problem in front of him.
He poured in more than 1,900 points of Humanity Aura, and the words for the Lightning Dragon Hand in the Wind and Moon Mirror suddenly blazed with golden light.
Sister Lan appeared again. She raised a hand and pointed, sending a streak of lightning into Gao Xian's hands.
Lightning rose from his fingertips, coursed up his arms to his spine, then spread from his spine down through his legs and feet.
The lightning pierced his bones, entered his muscles and organs, and seeped through every part of his body, coursing through him again and again.
Gao Xian felt as though his body had gone numb from an electric shock. Then an itch rose from deep within his bones, so unbearable that he wanted to pull them out and scour them with an iron file.
The sensation was truly awful. Gao Xian wanted to cry out, but his muscles were numb all over, and even his tongue wouldn't obey him.
After quite some time, the lightning coursing through his body gradually faded. The strange tingling, pain, and itching all disappeared as well.
Gao Xian looked at his hands. They didn't seem to have changed much, except that his skin looked firmer. Even in the dim room, it had a smooth, fair glow like jade.
Yet he could clearly feel that his body had changed enormously, from the inside out.
This was completely different from the changes brought by the True Yang Spear.
The True Yang Spear had enhanced his spiritual sense, which in turn made his six senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and awareness—more acute.
The Lightning Dragon Hand, on the other hand, had deeply strengthened his muscles, blood, bones, and organs. The changes were more subtle, and harder to describe precisely.
Gao Xian took out the Wind and Moon Mirror. Sure enough, the description of the Lightning Dragon Hand had changed, too.
Lightning Dragon Hand: Your entire body contains the power of lightning. Your speed is incredibly fast, and you can bring unimaginable pleasure to anyone you touch. (1/6000 Grandmaster)
After reaching the Grandmaster level, his entire body contained the power of lightning.
And whereas before, only his arms had been incredibly fast, now the description no longer mentioned his arms at all. It simply said he was incredibly fast.
Clearly, this time his whole body had been enhanced.
Looking at the front of the Wind and Moon Mirror, he saw that his lifespan had changed, too. It had increased from seventy-two to seventy-seven.
The Grandmaster-level Lightning Dragon Hand had strengthened his entire body, and the results were obvious.
To test the changes, Gao Xian picked up the Pine-Patterned Longsword beside him.
The sword weighed a full seven pounds, and it usually felt rather heavy in his hand.
Now, though, it felt light as a feather, completely unlike before.
He was a little surprised, then realized: the Pine-Patterned Longsword hadn't grown lighter. He had grown stronger.
Gao Xian got out of bed and headed outside. The moment he lifted his foot, he felt the difference.
People learned to walk when they were one year old. By adulthood, walking had become one of their most basic abilities.
So people never had to think about how to lift their legs, move their feet, or take a step forward.
Walking seemed simple, but it involved countless little details. It had simply become instinct, so no one paid attention to them.
Gao Xian had been the same. He had never noticed how he walked.
Today, he noticed every detail of it.
When he landed, his sole touched the ground first. Once his foot met the earth, his heel came down. The movement traveled from sole to heel and ankle, then through the muscles of his calves and shins, his knees and thighs, all the way to the force generated by his spine...
This intricate series of movements flowed naturally, lightly, and nimbly. He had never felt so quick and agile, or so deeply in control of every bone and muscle in his body.
Stepping out of the room, Gao Xian drew his sword, sprang forward, and thrust. The blade flashed as it cut through the air, releasing a sharp whistle before sinking deep into the earthen wall.
The three-foot blade had plunged a full two and a half feet into the wall.
Gao Xian stared at the sword embedded in it, his face full of shock.
The distance from his door to the earthen wall was about five zhang. He had covered it in four steps, in the blink of an eye.
That speed was completely beyond what he had expected.
Then he pierced the earthen wall with another thrust.
The rammed-earth wall was more than a foot thick. It looked unremarkable, but inside were packed earth and hemp grass, with wooden boards for support. It was nearly as hard as a brick wall.
Piercing it so easily with one thrust meant his strength had improved far more than before.
After exerting himself, his arm naturally drew back to absorb the force. He neutralized all the recoil from the hilt and wasn't hurt at all.
Gao Xian let out a long breath. He was only at the second layer of Qi Refining, but the Grandmaster-level Lightning Dragon Hand had greatly increased his speed and strength, and given him a degree of control over his body he had never reached before.
His speed, in particular, was truly incredible now. Using Old Wang as a benchmark, he was at least four times faster.
What did that mean? If he and Old Wang drew their swords at the same time, Gao Xian could cut off Old Wang's head before Old Wang even drew his blade.
Of course, Old Wang was a pretty weak cultivator. Being able to beat him wasn't much of an accomplishment.
Gao Xian reminded himself that he was only at the second layer of Qi Refining. He shouldn't get carried away; he was still far from being a true expert.
Still, he couldn't help feeling excited, or a little giddy with pride.
His extraordinary speed and strength came together perfectly as he swung his sword, filling him with the exhilaration of a swift slash.
Spells like Ice Arrow Art and Flame Bomb were more interesting, but they lacked this powerful sense of control, this satisfying feeling of directly smashing through something.
Gao Xian was eager to keep testing his sword, but he was embarrassed to find it wedged fast in the wall. He had to use a great deal of strength to pull it free.
The blade of the refined-steel longsword had visibly warped. That strike had clearly subjected it to tremendous force.
He knew it was time to get a new sword. Fortunately, he'd earned quite a few Spirit Stones over the past few months, so buying one would be no trouble at all.
It was just too late to go looking for Huang Ying.
Gao Xian still couldn't sleep, so he took the warped sword and started practicing in the courtyard.
The sharp whistle of the blade cutting through the air echoed through the little courtyard without end...
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