Chapter 67: Chapter 66: Entry Level in a Day

The dark green medicinal soup swirled in the porcelain bowl, as thick as paste. It took some force to even see ripples, and it emitted a strange, sour smell.

Dongming Soup!

This was the medicinal soup from the Otherworld that helped Entry Level cultivators sense their Ancestral Acupoint.

The recipe for the soup varied slightly from sect to sect, but they all required three rather special ingredients.

Demon Claw Vine, Phoenix Robe Grass, and the blood of a Seven-Star Poison Spider.

Zhu Ju had searched for them in the Main World but found no similar ingredients; they were most likely products unique to the Otherworld.

’Do I really have to drink this?’

Looking at the sticky, gooey liquid in the bowl, Zhu Ju’s face twisted into a bitter expression.

He could somewhat understand how Ma Xun must have felt back then when he swallowed the Demon Beast Flesh. Finally, with a helpless sigh, he pinched his nose and drank it all in one gulp.

GULP!

The medicinal soup went down.

The freshly brewed Dongming Soup didn’t warm his stomach. Instead, wisps of a chilling air began to surge out from it.

The chilling air was like a thousand spider threads, rushing upward against the flow of his Meridians, heading straight for the Baihui Acupoint at the crown of his head.

’It’s working!’

His mind focused, Zhu Ju hurriedly sat cross-legged as described in the Cultivation Technique, silently circulating the Method to empty his consciousness.

The Magic taught by Huo Yan and the others all included a method for Sensing the Ancestral Acupoint. In the end, he chose the Method recorded in Feng Hongda’s book. After all, it was a legacy of the Celestial Capital Sect.

"When the heart finds no-mind, the spirit settles. A single spark of awareness illuminates all."

"Settle!"

As the Heart Method circulated, it was as if an Invisible Power descended from nowhere. The myriad distracting thoughts churning in his Sea of Consciousness all dissipated, leaving only a single glimmer of Spiritual Light.

In the haze, something seemed to be hidden between his brows, contained within his Baihui Acupoint.

’The Ancestral Acupoint?’

The Acupoint throbbed, elusive and hard to grasp.

But as the chill from the Dongming Soup washed over him, its location gradually became clear.

He didn’t know how much time had passed.

Zhu Ju slowly opened his eyes, a look of shocked disbelief on his face. He raised his hands and wiggled his fingers.

’That’s all it took?’

After taking the soup just once, he had already sensed the location of his Ancestral Acupoint. The next step was to try Illuminating the Profound Light.

The entire process was as easy as eating and drinking, completely devoid of the various problems described in the books.

’This is highly unusual!’

If Cultivation were this easy, why would Magicians be so rare in the Otherworld?

Normally, even someone with exceptional Talent would need to take the medicine and perform the method three to five times to reach the Entry Level.

The Dongming Soup was poisonous.

Each dose had to be taken at least a month apart; otherwise, the accumulated toxins could easily turn a person into an idiot.

In other words, even for someone with excellent Talent, it would take several months to reach the Entry Level. Including other preparations, taking a year or even several years was considered normal.

And now,

Zhu Ju had crossed the threshold of Cultivation in a single day!

’Could it be because I’ve practiced Qi Blood Martial Arts and have an Inner Qi Cultivation, giving me a foundational base for Cultivation?’

’Or has the Blood-Stealing Curse raised my Talent for this Cultivation Technique to an unbelievable level?’

’Or...’

’...both?’

To say he had no foundation in Cultivation would definitely be wrong.

Whether it was "Meditation" or "Guarding the Void, Attaining the Utmost Silence"—Realms that took Magicians years of arduous training to achieve—Zhu Ju had already accomplished them on his path of Martial Arts. When he practiced his techniques, he could naturally achieve "Wiping Away the Exterior and Guarding the Center."

As for his Talent...

That was impossible to prove.

’In any case, I’ve reached the Entry Level of Cultivation. Once I stabilize this Realm, I can try Illuminating the Profound Light.’

’Once I illuminate the Profound Light, I’ll be an official Magician, able to cultivate and cast Magic.’

Getting to his feet, Zhu Ju stretched his body slightly and immediately noticed the changes that had occurred.

Clarity!

Lucidity!

It was like he had opened a third eye. His five senses and his sixth sense had become extremely sharp. Movements he once considered flawless now seemed full of openings.

’After Sensing the Ancestral Acupoint, even without Illuminating the Profound Light, it’s equivalent to opening the sixth sense, heightening one’s perception.’

’The Martial Artists in that world don’t have high-level physiques or Cultivation, but their control over their moves is exceptional. This must be the reason.’

THUMP!

He waved his palm lightly, and a burst of Powerful Qi surged out, yet it didn’t affect anything more than a foot away.

This level of precise control over his Inner Qi was something he would have found very difficult to achieve before, but now it was incredibly easy.

’The Dongming Soup is toxic. While it helps with Sensing the Ancestral Acupoint and Illuminating the Profound Light, taking it too many times will seal the Ancestral Acupoint shut, making it impossible to illuminate the Profound Light. That’s why most Martial Artists in that world remain at the Realm of Sensing the Ancestral Acupoint. Since they can’t cast Magic, they can only temper their Physical Bodies and hone their Martial Skills.’

’After Illuminating the Profound Light and gaining access to Mysterious Techniques, no one continues to hone their Martial Skills. Or rather, very few do...’

’That’s what led to Magic flourishing while Martial Arts declined.’

’It all makes sense now.’

Only when his stomach was rumbling with hunger did Zhu Ju stop practicing his Martial Arts and call for Hex Yufu to bring him a meal.

"Young Master."

While he was eating, Hex Yufu mentioned a piece of news:

"Black Tiger Wu Chun, who disappeared more than three years ago, has reappeared in the county town. He’s killed quite a few people recently."

"Some people say he’s back for revenge."

"Oh!" Zhu Ju paused his eating, then shook his head.

"It doesn’t matter."

"Even if he is out for revenge, he’ll be looking for the Zhou and Sunx Families. We don’t need to concern ourselves with it."

"..." Hex Yufu opened her mouth, then hesitated before nodding.

"Yes."

’That might be true,’ she thought, ’but none of the recent victims have been from the Zhou or Sunx Families. On the contrary, more people from smaller families have met with misfortune.’

*

*

*

"Have you heard?"

"The shopkeeper of the Qii Family’s tavern was murdered last night. That’s the fifth murder case recently, and that’s just the ones we know about. There are probably even more we haven’t heard of."

"Murders are happening so frequently in the county, but the people from the Government Office don’t even know where the killer is hiding. A bunch of good-for-nothings!"

"Shh..."

The hushed whispers drifted up from downstairs.

Leng Xing withdrew his gaze and looked at the few people gathered today:

"We all knew Shopkeeper Qii. He was a kind man with a wide circle of friends. I can’t believe something happened to him too."

"Indeed!" Hex Leshan sighed.

"Black Tiger Wu Chun is a master of Inner Qi Release, after all. If he hides and launches a sneak attack, how many people could possibly escape?"

"Is it just the few of us today?" Wan Jing said, changing the subject as he noticed the somber atmosphere.

"The ones from the Sunx and Zhou Families didn’t come?"

"The Sunx siblings had something to take care of," Hua Wanhua said with a smile.

"As for the one from the Zhou Family, her presence depends on whether Brother Zhu is here. Since Brother Zhu isn’t here, of course she wouldn’t come."

"After all, none of us are storytellers."

The men all laughed.

For a moment, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

"Everyone."

Leng Xing closed the window, turned around, and clasped his hands with a serious expression:

"Whether it was annihilating the Black Tiger Gang or ambushing my second uncle, the few of us have been through life and death together."

"The bond of coming from the same place, the fate that brought us together, the camaraderie of life and death..."

"There’s no time like the present. Why don’t we become sworn brothers today? We may not have been born on the same day, of the same month, in the same year, but let us vow to die on the same day, of the same month, in the same year!"

"Haha..." Hua Wanhua laughed heartily.

"In that case, I’ll be taking advantage of you all."

Among the four of them, he was the oldest at twenty-four. Leng Xing was next, having just turned twenty.

Hex Leshan and Wan Jing were younger still.

They had already secretly formed a Righteous Society and called each other brothers, so naturally, they had no objections to Leng Xing’s proposal.

The four of them immediately paid their respects to heaven and earth and became sworn brothers.

"Eldest Brother."

Leng Xing changed his form of address and handed a booklet to Hua Wanhua:

"This is a Method I’ve compiled for Nurturing Inner Qi. You’ve long since reached Perfection in Entering Strength, so you can draw some inspiration from it."

"Furthermore..."

He took out a wooden box. Inside, when opened, was an Elixir:

"This is called a Qi Gathering Pill. I had someone purchase it for me. It can increase the chance of nurturing Inner Qi by thirty percent."

"Second Brother!" Hua Wanhua’s expression changed.

"I’ll accept the booklet, but I absolutely cannot take the Elixir!"

"Eldest Brother," Leng Xing shook his head.

"When we killed my second uncle, you contributed the most. I have no other way to repay you. You must accept this Elixir."

"Besides, the situation has changed. Any increase in strength is a good thing, for both you and me."

"That’s right!" Wan Jing clapped his hands.

"Eldest Brother, just accept it. Once you break through to the Inner Qi Realm, we brothers will be able to do as we please in Leping County."

"Accept it!" Hex Leshan also said.

"Back then, both Wan Jing and I received benefits from Second Brother, but you didn’t. It seems he was saving something big for you."

"Heh..." Hua Wanhua gave a wry smile.

"Since you all insist, I’ll accept it. But my two brothers, rest assured, if I can reach the Inner Qi Realm, I will definitely help you advance as well."

"Exactly," Leng Xing nodded.

"We four brothers will help each other and work together. With a united heart, we need not fear any difficulty."

"Also..."

"You all know I benefited from the battle to annihilate the Black Tiger Gang, which is why I advanced to Inner Qi so quickly. The truth is, I found a secret stash belonging to the Black Tiger Gang’s Vice Gang Leader. It didn’t just contain gold, silver, and Elixirs; there were also some account ledgers."

He lowered his voice and said slowly:

"In those ledgers, there’s evidence of collusion between the Black Tiger Gang and the Zhou Family. I suspect Wu Chun is a hidden pawn deployed by the Zhou Family. I even think there might be something suspicious about the death of the Sunx Family Patriarch, Sunx Liancheng."

Hm?

The expressions on the men’s faces changed drastically.