At the first layer of Qi Refining, one was at the very bottom of the cultivation world. That was why Zhu Fang usually acted meek and servile, playing the fool in front of everyone.
But today, in front of this naive young boy, he had finally found the feeling of being someone important.
After gauging Zhu Fang's realm, Chen Changming secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Kid, you have one month to cultivate. If you don't reach the peak of the Xiantian Realm, I'll kill you and feed you to the fish!"
Zhu Fang's laughter abruptly stopped, and his expression turned vicious again.
Seeing Zhu Fang looking like a fiend, Chen Changming felt some fear. After all, it had taken him a whole day just to memorize the Spirit Armor Art's circulation route, yet Zhu Fang expected him to reach the peak of the Xiantian Realm in a month. To be honest, he had no confidence.
"Immortal Master, couldn't you give me a few more days?"
Chen Changming asked timidly.
"No!" Zhu Fang slapped the wooden tub in a fit of rage, making loud smacking sounds. "You fucking know nothing! The Purple Spirit Grass will wither if it's not picked in time! Understand?!"
He was a rogue cultivator with such poor aptitude that he had been stuck at the first layer of Qi Refining for years. Without the Purple Spirit Grass, he could forget about breaking through to the second layer of Qi Refining in this lifetime.
But the Purple Spirit Grass grew in an extremely dangerous place. If he went there himself, he feared he wouldn't make it back alive.
He had sought out a boy with a spirit root because he wanted him to cultivate the Spirit Armor Art, giving him an extra layer of protection. That way, the boy could venture deep into the miasma-shrouded valley and retrieve the Purple Spirit Grass for him.
The miasma was corrosively poisonous. Even with the Spirit Armor Art protecting him, he would still be injured, so Zhu Fang didn't dare risk going himself.
Besides, this boy had a pure Yang constitution and vigorous blood and qi. If he practiced the Spirit Armor Art, he could retrieve the Purple Spirit Grass.
The miasma's corrosive poison was extremely potent. Even if the boy managed to retrieve the grass, the poison would eat him up until he was covered in wounds. He wouldn't survive three days after leaving the valley.
Zhu Fang wasn't concerned about the boy's life. He had only picked him up, after all.
The boy had no sect or master and had never cultivated before. Once he was no longer useful, Zhu Fang could discard him whenever he pleased.
Purple Spirit Grass?
Chen Changming paused, seeming to understand something. He deliberately played dumb. "Rest assured, Immortal Master. I'll cultivate to the peak of the Xiantian Realm as quickly as I can."
"Good. Once you reach the peak of the Xiantian Realm, you'll help this old man collect the Purple Spirit Grass. Once you finish the task, I can take you as my disciple."
Zhu Fang spoke with a solemn expression.
His words were insincere. A useless cultivator with the same Five Elements Mixed Spirit Root as him could be killed once he had served his purpose, sparing the boy the agony of suffering from the corrosive poison.
"Thank you, Immortal Master."
Chen Changming blinked rapidly, deliberately feigning gratitude.
How could he fail to see the old man's sinister intentions? Now that he was in the man's clutches, all he could do was play along and take things one step at a time.
Zhu Fang suddenly seemed troubled. He stepped back, sat down nearby, and fell into a daze.
He was stuck at a bottleneck. Whether he cultivated or not made no difference to him.
Chen Changming now understood his mission, so he closed his eyes and began properly cultivating the Spirit Armor Art.
He had to break through to the peak of the Xiantian Realm within a month.
Otherwise, the old bastard would decide he was useless and kill him. As for his chance to escape, he could only pin his hopes on retrieving the Purple Spirit Grass. Only then would he be free, with a chance to escape the old man's clutches.
Two days later.
Chen Changming was surprised to discover that when he circulated the Spirit Armor Art, a strange energy seeped into his body from the mud and kept strengthening the weak spiritual power within him.
"So this mud has such a marvelous effect. The old bastard really went all out for the Purple Spirit Grass..."
Chen Changming thought to himself.
With that in mind, he grew even more cautious. He kept an eye on Zhu Fang's reactions, doing his best to look like he was cultivating diligently so the man wouldn't find fault with him.
Zhu Fang was away from the cave most of the time, often going out.
As time passed, Chen Changming's cultivation slowly improved.
On the tenth day, after he completed a full cycle of the Spirit Armor Art as usual, two warm currents surged up from the soles of his feet and instantly flowed through his whole body. At the same time, a clap of thunder rang out in his mind.
"Spirit Armor Art, one hundred repetitions!"
The sudden voice caught the boy off guard. It took him a long while to come back to himself. He opened his eyes, which gleamed in the dim light.
The warm currents and the voice had appeared again!
Last time it had been drawing his blade. This time it was the Spirit Armor Art!
After two similar experiences, Chen Changming immediately understood the key.
It seemed that when he repeated a certain action a set number of times, he received a reward. This time, the reward was that he had mastered the Spirit Armor Art before even reaching the peak of the Xiantian Realm!
Chen Changming had only just reached the early stage of the Xiantian Realm, yet he had already mastered the Spirit Armor Art, which could only be practiced at the peak of the Xiantian Realm!
It was an unexpected surprise!
A faint glow appeared on the surface of his skin, like armor, giving him an extremely sturdy feeling.
"Hahaha..."
Zhu Fang's laughter came from outside the cave.
Chen Changming stopped practicing the Spirit Armor Art, quickly closed his eyes, and focused on cultivating.
Zhu Fang seemed to be in a good mood today. After entering the cave, he glanced at the boy, who was diligently cultivating, and seemed quite satisfied. He sat for a while before leaving.
After completing another cycle,
Chen Changming opened his eyes and stared at the pitch-black rock wall, thinking carefully.
Although he had mastered the Spirit Armor Art ahead of schedule, he was still in danger. Against Zhu Fang, who was at the first layer of Qi Refining, he still had no chance of survival.
"If I keep increasing the number of times I practice the technique, could I break through a second time?"
A bold idea suddenly occurred to him.
Chen Changming was startled, then secretly thrilled. The breakthrough had come after ten thousand blade strikes, while it had taken one hundred repetitions of the Spirit Armor Art. The numbers were completely different. If he practiced the Spirit Armor Art a thousand or ten thousand times, could he break through again?
With that thought, Chen Changming cultivated like a man possessed.
He circulated the Spirit Armor Art faster and faster, and the unknown energy in the tub of mud made from Black Gold Stone rapidly dwindled.
Three days later.
Zhu Fang stood beside the tub with a stern expression.
"Hmm, why is the spiritual energy in this Black Gold Stone mud almost gone? Is this kid absorbing it that quickly?"
After speaking, he silently sensed Chen Changming's aura. The boy was only at the middle stage of the Xiantian Realm, so Zhu Fang felt reassured again.
"Without Black Gold Stone, it's impossible for anyone below the Qi Refining Realm to successfully cultivate the Spirit Armor Art..." Zhu Fang sighed, then rolled his eyes in exasperation.
He would have to spend more money again.
Otherwise, if the Black Gold Stone ran out, all his plans would come to nothing.
Zhu Fang didn't make things difficult for Chen Changming. He hurried off and returned two hours later.
He emptied out the old mud, mixed fresh Black Gold Stone powder with water, and refilled the tub.
Looking at the boy's innocent expression, Zhu Fang gritted his teeth. "Kid, if you don't succeed, I'll tear you limb from limb!"
Chen Changming deliberately looked frightened and stammered, "Immortal Master, I'll cultivate hard. I won't slack off."
"Good. Keep cultivating."
Seeing the boy's obedient attitude, Zhu Fang nodded in satisfaction, then turned and left again.
After that, Chen Changming cultivated desperately, day and night, and the Black Gold Stone mud was used up even faster.
Seeing it run out so quickly left Zhu Fang close to tears, but he had no choice but to keep going out to buy more.
In just one month, he had spent his entire life's savings.
By then, Chen Changming had practiced the technique nine hundred and ninety-nine times. He was just one repetition away from a thousand.
He knew the exact number because he had been keeping track.
He wanted to figure out the pattern behind the changes in his body.
Buzz!
After completing the Spirit Armor Art for the nine hundred and ninety-ninth time, Chen Changming's body trembled, and his aura surged. His cultivation realm had fully entered the peak of the Xiantian Realm.
"Kid, you've reached the peak of the Xiantian Realm!"
Zhu Fang was overjoyed. He grabbed the boy out of the tub and hurried out of the cave.