The Medicine's Effect

Chapter 35: The Medicine's Effect

This Cheng Tianfeng was the personal disciple of Great Zhen's Imperial Preceptor.

And the Imperial Preceptor of Great Zhen was the master of Wentian Cliff.

Wentian Cliff held an exalted position in Great Zhen. Though its disciples were few, its martial arts and mental cultivation methods were profound and mysterious; every disciple was a great master.

Chu Zhiyuan listened with a solemn heart.

He didn't need to ask to know that the master of Wentian Cliff was definitely a Grandmaster, likely one who surpassed even Chu Qingfeng.

He truly had to be careful.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Third Brother, the Supervisory Department must have detailed intelligence on Cheng Tianfeng, right? I'd like to see it all."

"No problem. I'll report it to Imperial Grandfather." Chu Zhiyao nodded gravely. "Actually, why don't we go see Imperial Grandfather together? ...Right, Fourth Son, you've never met Imperial Grandfather, have you?"

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

Chu Zhiyao said, "With talent as formidable as yours, Imperial Grandfather is sure to like you. This time, you'll have a chance to meet him."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "Without Imperial Grandfather's decree, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to go see him."

There was no way news of him hadn't reached the Emperor's ears. He had mastered the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique, which the Emperor himself had created, yet the Emperor remained completely indifferent—that alone made his stance clear.

But he had one fundamental difference from the people of this world: he was a reincarnated soul.

The concepts of his past life came first, taking root as the dominant influence. The notions formed over these twenty years couldn't completely shake some of the basic ideas from his previous existence.

Moreover, the existence of Super Sensation gave him ample confidence.

He felt neither disappointment nor resentment over Chu Qingquan's coldness, nor did he have any urgent desire to win Chu Qingquan's favor.

But in the eyes of outsiders, of course, it would seem the opposite.

Which Prince or Imperial Grandson wouldn't want to please Chu Qingquan, wouldn't want to earn Chu Qingquan's approval?

Halfway through the meal, Chu Zhiyao took his leave. It was time for his cultivation session, and he had to begin training—he couldn't break his cultivation routine.

Chu Mingxuan and the others didn't try to stop him. With expressions of admiration, they readily let him go.

No matter what, cultivation came first.

That was absolutely correct, and no one could say otherwise.

After seeing Chu Zhiyao off, the four returned to the room and sat back down. Chu Mingxuan raised his wine cup and looked apologetically at Chu Zhiyuan. "Fourth Son, my apologies. I really shouldn't have dragged you into this."

He had finally come to his senses.

It seemed he had set Chu Zhiyuan up.

Taking on the challenge against Great Zhen's Heir Apparent was certainly a great merit, but the risk was equally immense. Especially after hearing that Cheng Tianfeng was the disciple of Great Zhen's Imperial Preceptor and the master of Wentian Cliff, his heart grew more uncertain.

If he had known in advance that Cheng Tianfeng had such a master, he would have advised Chu Zhiyuan not to take this assignment.

People always had their circles of closeness and distance.

White-haired friends may be like new acquaintances, while a chance meeting can feel like old friendship—the depth of a bond between people isn't measured by time.

His relationship with Chu Zhiyao was decent, but because of Chu Zhiyao's temperament, it was far less close than his bond with Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed. "Eighteenth Uncle, Third Brother and I were going to have to compete eventually anyway, to decide who would face the challenge from Great Zhen. There was no avoiding it."

Among the generation of Heirs Apparent, there were only three Xiantian experts. In theory, Chu Zhiyao, who had entered Xiantian earlier, held the advantage.

But he had mastered the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique, displayed even greater talent, and had battle performances that were utterly overwhelming.

To be safe, they would definitely have arranged a match between him and Chu Zhiyao to see who was stronger and select the one to face the challenger.

This was just a step ahead of schedule.

So he had ultimately agreed.

Stick your neck out and get cut; tuck it in and get cut just the same. It was better to take the initiative, and in doing so, gain more support and approval.

"Fourth Brother, you've got this!" Chu Zhiting said. "That Cheng Tianfeng is definitely no match for you!"

Chu Zhichuan nodded.

Having mastered the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique, the Great Avalanche Sword Art, and the inheritance of the Taiqing Yuan Sect—he couldn't imagine who could defeat such a monster.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head with a smile. "Ninth Brother, Tenth Brother, don't praise me to death. No one knows what trump cards Cheng Tianfeng has. Since he dares to come and challenge, he naturally has confidence."

"...That's true."

Both of their expressions turned serious.

A bright moon hung in the night sky.

The pitch-black sky was dotted with countless stars.

A few sparse, dark clouds were edged with silver by the moonlight.

In the residence not far from the Earthly Soil Hall, Chu Zhiyuan sat quietly on the bed. The window was wide open, and the cold night wind blew into the room, but he felt nothing at all.

The Greater Violet Sun Technique's True Qi coursed through his body—supremely firm, supremely yang, supremely pure—dissipating the chill and cold.

Gazing at the slanting moon outside the window, his mind grew even more tranquil and serene.

In his left palm rested a golden pill—the Marrow Cleansing Pill he had traded for.

The Minor Marrow Cleansing Pill was crimson, but this Marrow Cleansing Pill was gold, perfectly bright as if cast from gold, giving a sense of weight.

Even held in his palm, it felt heavy.

The refining method of this Marrow Cleansing Pill was wondrous; it could completely seal the medicinal fragrance within without any leakage, not relying on wax seals to contain it—a testament to its potency.

He took a deep breath, and threads of medicinal fragrance seeped into his organs. Without Super Sensation, he would not have detected even a trace of it.

Within his Twelve Meridians, eight Dragon Binding Ropes now floated.

When he had first stepped into the Fifth Layer Jade Tower, he could only condense seven Dragon Binding Ropes before his meridians became overwhelmed. Now, he could manage eight.

This was the fruit of his recent cultivation of the Dragon Transformation Technique.

The eight Dragon Binding Ropes rested quietly within eight meridians, like eight flood dragons poised to surge into the Ren and Du Meridians at any moment.

Eight Dragon Binding Ropes were already the limit. He prepared to strike the Jade Tower once more.

If it failed, his meridians would likely be injured. Then he would seize the chance to execute the Great Avalanche Sword Art and the Within Reach, Yet Worlds Apart Step, compounding injury upon injury until he reached his limit, and then resume the Dragon Transformation Technique.

If that still failed, there was always the Imperial Heaven Earthly Soil Scripture.

"Boom..."

The sound of a flood bursting through a dam rang in his ears—the eight Dragon Binding Ropes had charged into the Governor Vessel and surged past the Jade Pillow Pass.

His body shook violently, as if he were sitting in a small boat on turbulent waves.

The color drained from his face at a visible pace, until his complexion was as pale as paper.

Yet his eyes blazed with intensity.

He took a deep breath, drew his sword from its sheath, and leaped out the window. In midair, he flickered and vanished, reappearing at the base of a wall three zhang away.

The longsword at his waist had become a blur of shadows, as if a dozen blades struck simultaneously.

Moments later, he stopped abruptly.

He returned the sword to its sheath, hastily retrieved the golden pill from his sleeve, and popped it into his mouth. Then he assumed the Dragon Subduing Stance and began to circulate the Dragon Transformation Technique at full speed.

Every inch of his muscles seemed to tremble, as if he were in the throes of an epileptic fit, yet his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Even as darkness crept at the edges of his vision, threatening to drag him into unconsciousness, Super Sensation continued to function.

He observed all parts of his body internally. His meridians ached as if they were about to shatter, on the verge of crumbling at any moment, and he could faintly see cracks forming.

Meridians were condensed from Qi, yet under Super Sensation, they appeared as transparent conduits—real and unerring.

These conduits were one with the body's vitality; once vitality faded, the conduits vanished, and the Qi disappeared with them.

Under Super Sensation, the golden pill dissolved into a mass of Qi upon mixing with saliva, burrowing into his stomach and spreading rapidly. It diffused through his organs and meridians, enveloping his entire body.

As the Dragon Transformation Technique activated, the Qi that had spread throughout his body swiftly contracted, following the technique's meridian path. It rapidly nourished his meridians, repairing them while also expanding and strengthening them.

Such was the marvel of the Dragon Transformation Technique.

It repaired and expanded simultaneously, preventing further injury from compounding the damage.

At this moment, his severely damaged meridians lacked the strength to resist, yielding to the Dragon Transformation Technique's expansion and reinforcement. This made the cultivation effect ten times greater than usual.

The Qi from the Marrow Cleansing Pill was consumed by the Dragon Transformation Technique within a quarter-hour. He then popped two Minor Marrow Cleansing Pills into his mouth.

When the medicinal power of those two pills was also exhausted, he had no choice but to stop the Dragon Transformation Technique.

His meridians were still in a wounded state.

He formed hand seals, his lips moving silently, while simultaneously visualizing the Earth Venerable Diagram.

The Earth Venerable Statue in the Earthly Soil Hall flickered once. Clusters of yellow light drifted from afar onto his hands and feet, then were driven by the Dragon Transformation Technique to circulate through his meridians.

Wherever they passed, his meridians recovered swiftly.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, his meridians were fully healed.

Now, his meridians were renewed—two parts tougher and two parts wider, able to accommodate more True Qi flow.

He estimated he could now comfortably hold nine Dragon Binding Ropes.

He decided to see it through. First, he executed the Heavenly Yuan Art to replenish his expended mental energy, then began condensing the Dragon Binding Ropes.

Condensing a Dragon Binding Rope was time-consuming.

He first refined his True Qi with the Qi Washing Art, then condensed it into a Dragon Binding Rope. One after another, he completed them until he had nine.

By then, a full night had passed, and the first light of dawn was faintly visible.

He attempted to strike the Jade Tower.

But he failed.

Each layer of the Jade Tower was more solid than the last.

For the Fourth Layer Jade Tower, he had only needed eight Dragon Binding Ropes to break through. But this Fifth Layer Jade Tower could not be breached even with nine.

Ten Dragon Binding Ropes should be enough to break through in one go, or nine ropes striking repeatedly, wave after wave, would eventually shatter it.

Of the four jade towers ahead, only the first layer shattered with a single blow; the remaining three all required repeated impacts.

He shook his head with regret.

Just one breath short—if he had one more Minor Marrow Cleansing Pill today, he could have condensed ten Dragon Binding Ropes outright.

He suppressed his disappointment, looked up at the sky, and saw it was already too late to head to Bright Martial Hall.

He returned to the prince's residence for breakfast, then went to the Ministry of Rites to check in, and afterward to Tongtian Pavilion to look up information on Wentian Cliff.

Tongtian Pavilion held many records about Wentian Cliff.

At noon, just as he was about to head back to the residence for lunch, he stepped out of the ministry office and saw Chu Zhiyao waiting not far away.