Free Web NovelChapter 45: Chapter 45: Acquired
In less than an hour, Liang Cheng’s internal injuries were no longer a major concern. Just then, there was a knock on the door of the Quiet Chamber. It was Li Mu.
His face was filled with such admiration that he was speechless. Immediately after, another knock came. Li Mu hurriedly opened the door and saw the person standing outside. "Senior Brother Yun?"
Yun Jinghong was still dressed in his white robes, his left arm in a sling across his chest. His face was a bit pale, but his gaze was sharp, showing no signs of dejection.
He nodded slightly, his gaze passing over Li Mu to land on Liang Cheng.
"Junior Brother Liang, is it convenient to talk?"
Liang Cheng smiled. "Senior Brother Yun, please come in."
Li Mu flusteredly made way. Yun Jinghong stepped into the Quiet Chamber, his eyes sweeping over the bloodstains in the corner that hadn’t been fully wiped away. He raised an eyebrow slightly.
"It seems you were injured quite badly."
"Just some minor internal injuries. They’re no longer a problem." Liang Cheng poured some tea. "How are your injuries, Senior Brother Yun?"
"My Meridians are damaged. I’ll need another half a month of rest." Yun Jinghong sat down and accepted the tea from Liang Cheng. Liang Cheng then handed a cup to Li Mu, who took it with a look of pleasant surprise.
"With that Broken Wave Slash yesterday, Liu Meng was actually holding back by about thirty percent. Otherwise, this arm of mine would have been completely crippled."
He paused, looking directly at Liang Cheng. "But with those three punches against you, he held nothing back."
Liang Cheng said calmly, "In a life-or-death duel on the stage, showing mercy is courting death."
"Well said." A rare smile touched Yun Jinghong’s lips. "I originally thought that among those who entered the Martial Arts Academy from this spring hunt, I alone reigned supreme. It seems now that I underestimated you."
"But I won’t admit defeat just like this. After all, I was the top rank in the spring hunt. I won’t fall too far behind you."
"I look forward to it."
The two exchanged a smile, and Yun Jinghong turned to leave.
Li Mu watched this exchange, only half-understanding, but his eyes were filled with adoration.
...
For the next two days, Liang Cheng remained behind closed doors.
[Gale Saber Technique at Minor Success (85/800)]
While recuperating, he made further progress in his Gale Saber Technique. With three Cultivation Techniques now at Perfection, his Transformation Force Cultivation boosted his Gale Saber Technique, allowing him to achieve twice the results with half the effort.
Early on the morning of the third day, Liang Cheng finished his Cultivation and rose. After washing up and changing into a clean set of grey-white robes, he headed out.
’It’s time to go get the Breaking Barrier Pill.’
’I wonder if Elder Huang succeeded with the Alchemy?’
At the entrance to the Alchemy Room.
Wang Li and Sun Yan were already waiting. Seeing Liang Cheng approach, a smile spread across Wang Li’s face. "Junior Brother Liang, congratulations on defeating Liu Meng on the stage."
Sun Yan stood to the side with his head lowered, not daring to meet his gaze. Liang Cheng gave a faint nod. "It was just a fluke. Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Wang."
Just then, Elder Huang pushed the door open. He was holding a Jade Disc, upon which sat three crimson Elixir Pills emanating a rich medicinal fragrance.
"Three Breaking Barrier Pills," Elder Huang said in a flat tone. "According to the rules, the Ganoderma Liang Cheng provided for the Herbs was of the highest quality. He chooses first."
Wang Li’s expression changed slightly. "Elder Huang, this..."
"Not happy with it?" Elder Huang narrowed his eyes. "How about you two fight for it? Winner takes all."
Wang Li gritted his teeth and looked at Liang Cheng.
Liang Cheng stepped forward and took one of the Breaking Barrier Pills. It was warm to the touch, its Medicinal Power contained within. It was indeed of the Upper Grade.
Wang Li stared at the remaining two pills. He shot a resentful glance at Liang Cheng before he and Sun Yan each took one, not daring to offend Elder Huang.
Having distributed the Elixirs, Elder Huang turned, went back into the room, and shut the door.
Wang Li gave Liang Cheng a humorless smile. "Junior Brother Liang, you should watch your back in the Martial Arts Academy from now on."
Liang Cheng remained noncommittal and turned to leave.
He hadn’t gone far when he heard Sun Yan’s hushed voice from behind him. "Senior Brother Wang, that Liang Cheng is already so strong without even practicing an Inner Cultivation Method. Once he redeems a Cultivation Technique, we..."
"Shut up!" Wang Li snapped. "I have my own plans."
Liang Cheng didn’t break his stride, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
’I have to get stronger, and fast!’
...
Back in the Human Dormitory area, Liang Cheng took out the Breaking Barrier Pill and examined it closely.
The Elixir Pill was as red as blood, with faint cloud-like patterns on its surface. Its medicinal fragrance was concentrated and did not disperse. It was truly the best of the Upper Grade.
Just then, there was a sudden knock on the door. Liang Cheng opened it to find a man and a woman standing outside his Quiet Chamber. Both were wearing the dark grey martial robes of the Earth Dormitory, but the hems of their robes were embroidered with silver thread. ’Is that the mark of the top ten in the Earth Dormitory?’
The man was handsome with a composed aura, while the woman had cold, clear features and wore a sword at her waist.
"Junior Brother Liang Cheng?" the man began with a smile. "I am Chen Yuan, ranked seventh in the Earth Dormitory. This is Liu Qing, ranked tenth."
Liang Cheng immediately cupped his fist. "Senior Brother Chen, Senior Sister Liu."
Chen Yuan sized him up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "Junior Brother Liang defeated Liu Meng in three punches. Seeing you today, you are truly a young hero."
Liu Qing, however, didn’t want to waste time on pleasantries. She got straight to the point. "Junior Brother Liang, to be frank, we’ve come to make a trade with you."
"Please, speak."
Chen Yuan took out a Jade Token. "The two of us heard you have a Breaking Barrier Pill. Its market price is about eight hundred Contribution Points. We’d like to buy it for one thousand. Would you be willing to part with it, Junior Brother?"
Liang Cheng’s gaze hardened slightly. He had only possessed the Elixir for a Quarter Hour, yet the news had already reached the ears of the Earth Dormitory’s top ten. ’It seems Wang Li works faster than I thought.’
On the surface, however, he remained impassive. "How did you know I have a Breaking Barrier Pill? Besides, while the pill helps with breakthroughs in the early and Middle Stages of Transformation Force, I’m afraid it’s useless for the two of you."
"It’s not for us," Chen Yuan stated frankly. "My younger sister has been stuck at the early stage of Transformation Force for a year and needs this Pill to break through. If you’re willing to trade, I can transfer the one thousand points to you immediately."
’One thousand points...’
Liang Cheng’s mind raced.
’My Jade Token currently has nine hundred points. Add this one thousand, and I’ll have nineteen hundred—enough to redeem the Complete Stone Armor Technique, with four hundred points to spare.’
’And with my Mayfly Life Chart, I never face bottlenecks in my Cultivation breakthroughs; success is guaranteed. For me, this Breaking Barrier Pill is merely the icing on the cake.’
"Alright." Liang Cheng was also straightforward, taking out the Pill Bottle directly.
A flash of delight crossed Chen Yuan’s eyes. After taking the Pill Bottle and inspecting it, he crisply transferred one thousand points. The number on the Jade Token jumped: 1900.
"Junior Brother Liang is indeed forthright," Chen Yuan said, putting away the Pill Bottle. "If you run into trouble at the Martial Arts Academy in the future, you can mention my name, Chen Yuan."
Liu Qing added, "But if you’re the one who actively courted disaster, we will not interfere."
"Understood. I thank you both for your kind intentions."
Chen Yuan and Liu Qing didn’t waste any more time and turned to leave.
Just then, Li Mu peeked his head out from the next room, clicking his tongue in amazement. "One thousand points! Senior Brother Liang, you’re rich!"
Liang Cheng paid Li Mu no mind, clutching his Jade Token tightly.
’The Complete Stone Armor Technique... it’s enough.’
...
At the front desk of the Martial Arts Storage Tower, the dozing old man lifted his eyes to look at Liang Cheng and yawned. "What is it?"
"This Disciple wishes to redeem the *Complete Stone Armor Technique*."
The old man raised an eyebrow. "This Cultivation Technique gets harder the further you go. The cost is enormous, and you could say the effort far outweighs the reward. Otherwise, why would a Hard Skill comparable to an Inner Cultivation Method only cost fifteen hundred points? Are you sure about this?"
"This Disciple is certain."
Hearing this, the old man said no more. After verifying the Jade Token, he rose and walked to a hidden room in the back. A moment later, he returned with an ancient text bound in a dark brown cover, as thick as a brick.
Liang Cheng accepted it with both hands; it felt heavy. He opened it to the title page, where a line of text met his eyes:
"The Stone Armor Skill is divided into six realms: Stone Hide, Stone Muscle, Stone Bone, Iron Armor, Copper Armor, and Golden Armor." Flipping further revealed densely packed Cultivation Atlases, Medicinal Formulas, and written Insights.
Compared to the Fragment, the complete version was several times more detailed. This was especially true for the latter three realms, each of which required tempering with a large amount of precious Herbs, demanding both time and effort.
But Liang Cheng’s eyes burned with fervor.
’As long as there is a path forward, that is enough.’
After copying the Cultivation Technique, he hurried to the Foreign Affairs Hall. Zhao Ming wasn’t there this time, so no one gave him any trouble. He spent three hundred points to redeem a batch of supplementary Herbs before finally leaving.
Jade Token balance: 100 points.
’Time to cultivate!’
