"How dare you try to go against me here in this Outer Grotto?" Wang Yun yelled and raised his hand in an attempt to slap Chen Tu. But his attack missed the target.
Instead, Chen Tu had been ready for quite some time.
As a servant before this, he had gotten used to the petty tricks those young misses and masters tried to do. They would always raise their voice to attract people's attention before slapping at the servant to bring out the best effect.
Perhaps in their mind, they'll gain some popularity from doing so.
Unfortunately, the Chen Tu today was no longer a slave servant as before. And as someone who often experienced this kind of treatment, how could he be unaware of what Wang Yun was trying to do?
Chen Tu dodged the slap beautifully and returned the favor by slapping him back.
**PA!**
That sound from that slap was memorable. At the same time, smiles can be seen on a few disciples nearby. Needless to say, these people were those who got shamed by Wang Yun before.
What could be more satisfying than looking at Wang Yun's ugly face right now? They would be able to savor this sight for a lifetime. Unfortunately, none of them possess a Scenery-Capturing Stone.
Wang Yun clenched his teeth tight with burning anger. As there was no longer a need to pretend to be nice, he changed his hand from a palm to a claw and attempted to attack Chen Tu.
"Heart-Piercing Mysterious Claw!" Wang Yun attacked. Using the Claw-Based Martial Art taught by his grandfather, Wang Yun fiercely attacked Chen Tu.
"It's actually the Heart-Piercing Mysterious Claw! From what I heard, it was a Martial Art belonging to the Lower-Level Human Grade!" one disciple around twelve to thirteen said.
"The first elder is indeed generous. We'll need around three to four hundred Contribution Tokens to master this Martial Art." another disciple joined their conversation.
"Heh! That's for you! If it's me, two hundred Contribution Tokens are more than enough!" another disciple interrupted their conversation.
"Bullsh*t!" everyone shouted at the last person that joined the discussion. Would he stand here if he had the potential?
The attack wasn't enough to catch Chen Tu by surprise, but without a single Martial Art technique in his head, how could Chen Tu retaliate? Unless he's prepared to fight to the death with Wang Yun, it would be pointless to face him recklessly.
**Sha!**
Chen Tu's sleeve was torn by Wang Yun ruthlessly. And from his expression, he had no intention of stopping there. Added to his cultivation strength of the fourth level in the Body Tempering Layer, how can Wang Yun be weaker than Chen Tu?
In his eyes, Chen Tu's defeat is definite.
Finally, thanks to his experience and Martial Arts, Wang Yun's claw reaches Chen Tu's chest. The Spiritual Energy from a fourth-level cultivator is indeed powerful to destroy the clothing around his claw.
"I won't kill you today, but the shame of slapping me shall be returned! You should be grateful for me to merely send you to the infirmary for a week or two!" Wang Yun said.
"Chest Bursting Stance!" more Spiritual Energy gathered around Wang Yun's fingers as it exploded outward. The outburst threw Chen Tu at least three tables away until he smashed onto the fourth table.
"Heaven! Is he still alive?" a disciple asked. Nobody dared to get close to Chen Tu because Wang Yun was still around. Who knew if their approach would get into Wang Yun's bad impression?
"I think he's dead. Merely a third-level Body Tempering Cultivator, he dares to fight against someone a small stage above him? If that wasn't stupid, I don't know what it was." another disciple added.
"UH..." ignoring all their wild guesses, Chen Tu stood up from where he had laid. His top was in a mess, but there are no significant wounds could be seen on him.
"What? He - He's not even wounded?" a disciple said. He was the one standing foremost amongst the crowd and a fellow fourth-level Body Tempering Cultivator. As someone with a higher level, it was natural for him to see everything happening clearly.
"Is this guy a monster? That's a Human-Grade Martial Art! Do you know what Human-Grade Martial Art means?" Wang Yun was the one who was shocked the most.
If a fourth-level Body Tempering attack couldn't wound Chen Tu, what level does Wang Yun need?
"I think I'll be dead for sure... Look's like the attack was a little too weak. You must be too lazy in practising." Chen Tu smiled and patted his body. After making sure he wasn't injured in the slightest, Chen Tu had more confidence against Wang Yun.
"Senior disciple Wang, please accept my apology." Chen Tu suddenly cupped his fist towards Wang Yun.
His abrupt action puzzled Wang Yun and his four followers. But before they could respond adequately, Chen Tu made his move.
In a flash, Chen Tu appeared in front of Wang Yun and punched him in the face. And before the rest could react, they're either slapped or beaten by Chen Tu. The situation turned into street fighting, and five people fought against Chen Tu.
"F*ck! Didn't people tell you to not hit the face when fighting?" Wang Yun was angered by Chen Tu's fist that broke his nose.
"Enough! Stop right there!" finally, the enforcers are here to control the situation. With the strength of the sixth level, the leader forcefully separated Chen Tu from Wang Yun's group and ordered everyone to be apprehended.
The crowd quickly dispersed after there was nothing else interesting to watch. As for Chen Tu and Wang Yun, both of them were warned before being released. Since Chen Tu had broken Wang Yun's nose in a five versus one fight, no compensation to one another is needed.
But this fight unavoidably brought Chen Tu to a higher status amongst the disciples in Outer Grotto. When the story about him taking a Human-Grade attack without an injury in the slightest made everyone curious about his fighting prowess.
The news even spread to Qin Lei, who was helping out in the Spiritual Garden.
Later in the afternoon, Qin Lei finally saw this junior brother of his.
"Hey! I heard you break the nose of someone called Wang Yun!" Qin Lei came with a laugh and slapped Chen Tu's back.
"Had the gossip already spread until here?" Chen Tu smiled in embarrassment, with his finger scratching his nose gently."It was just some exaggerated gossip by the others, senior brother. You don't have to take their words seriously," he added, but neither denies that he had broken Wang Yun's nose.After all, there's no point denying that fact because the truth will be exposed sooner or later. It would be more inappropriate for Chen Tu to say anything once the actual story regarding the fight surfaced.Furthermore, the incident reminded Chen Tu about something he had experienced while accompanying Chen Zigang.The incident happened when both of them were about eight years old. Back then, Chen Zigang and Chen Tu were involved in a major fight between the youths outside the Liu Family Manor.In his attempt to gain victory, Chen Zigang didn't hesitate to resort to deadly tactics. He broke one of his opponent's legs as collateral to stop the rest from coming at him and Chen Tu.As a resu
(Why wasn't I the one to be given the Bronze-Titled Plaque! I heard that those with the plaque could enjoy top-level treatment in all business establishments and a further 20% discount on all purchases in businesses related to the Heavenly Alchemist Association!)Their eyes were burning with jealousy. With that plaque, wouldn't they be allowed to buy a Spiritual Replenishing Pill for eight Spiritual Coins instead of ten? Similarly, the plaque holder can exchange ten pills for eight Contribution Tokens.Such a discount means it is possible to get more cultivation resources while spending less. And in this world, who would complain about having more resources?At the same time, it allowed them to look at Chen Tu more seriously. Suppose he is already so well-treated right now. Won't that assure Chen Tu a position of the elder's second official disciple when the timing was correct?If that happened, they would have to address Chen Tu as their second senior disciple. And if this was someth
"Master! Master!" the four senior disciples quickly moved to Elder Wei Xuan's side. Knowing how important alchemy was for the elder, it was natural for them to know that Chen Tu's answer hurt his heart.It was fine for Chen Tu to learn the Alchemic Refinement Flame by accident. It was also fine for him to stumble across the technique by luck.But to say that his motivation comes from trying to cook a sweet potato...Had the department of alchemy degraded to the point their proud refinement technique was only worthy of roasting a sweet potato?"You two! Apologize to the teacher!" the oldest of the four scolded Chen Tu and Qin Lei and had the two kneel before Elder Wei Xuan. Although they had no ill intention to have fun by roasting a sweet potato, the thought of doing that is what pained the elder's heart.On top of that, they failed? How could you be unsuccessful in roasting that humble, low-birth sweet potato? Doesn't that mean the tuber is more fire retardant than the precious Spiri
(Wait! Why do I feel there's something unusual during the refining process? It feels like something went wrong once the teacher changed his approach...)Chen Tu was a little agitated by the feeling he had. And due to the sudden uneasiness, he stood up from his seat.His concern comes from the Sun and Moon Condensation Art Chen Tu cultivated. Because of the Spiritual Gathering Art, it heightened Chen Tu's sensitivity to how Spiritual Energy flows. And unlike the others, Chen Tu's perception was finer than the rest of the disciples here.The rest could only notice the medicinal fragrance escaping from the gap between the cauldron and the lid but not the faint Spiritual Energy that followed along.This was a taboo for all alchemists, as escaping Spiritual Energy equals losing its medicinal efficacy. Needless to say, even if the pill was successfully formed, the quality would only be inferior.Chen Tu felt that he should inform the teacher about this but hesitated. As the youngest one of
"Teacher, I..." Ting Wei was unsure what he should say except to show that he was apologetic."It was fine to know where your mistake was. Although having a worm or two in the Spirit Disvolving Grass wouldn't affect the outcome of the pill too much, it was still better to be careful." the elder said."After all, I doubt we will have the appetite after eating something with a foul smell like this. But again, who the hell will search for food when he's cultivating? Smells or not, this is a cultivation pills, not sweets." the elder chuckled at the end of his sentence."Disciple will remember the mistake today and prevent it from happening again." the eldest amongst them, called Ting Wei, quickly promised to pay more attention."On a side note, this means we're not going to refine all these subpar pills. Since the herb was under your care, bring them back to the supply office and turn that place upside down." the elder changed his tone suddenly."Ask them to explain why I am provided with
Without a hint of delay, Chen Tu and Qin Lei hastened their footsteps to the Supply Office. Although there was still plenty of time before their closing, it was better to deliver the Spirit Desertification Pill earlier than later."What can I do for you two?" a worker in the office asked. The workers here are usually the senior disciples who lack talent in cultivation. Still, their contribution to the Blood Refining Grotto cannot be taken lightly, as they're considered the backbone of the faction's daily operation.Without them, the Blood Refining Grotto would have faced difficulty in their operation in the long run. Furthermore, would the grotto let the workforce they nurtured work outside and enrichen others?"We're the disciples of the fourth elder, Wei Xuan. On our teacher's instruction, we're here to deliver the Spirit Desertification Pills the teacher concocted." said Qin Lei. Being here for six years longer than Chen Tu, he had more experience handling such a matter.After all,
"How is your progress with the Language Jade?" the elder asked. It has been a week since he gave Chen Tu the treasure to study. Based on his understanding, Chen Tu should still be lingering around the part where he's learning about the meaning and writing of the words."This junior's understanding is very shallow. I have just started comprehending the [Word Intent] right now." Chen Tu replied. Perhaps even he realized that his learning speed is at a snail's pace."Word Intent. Not bad, not bad." the elder nodded. But his expression quickly changed a second later. "What did you say? Word Intent? Are you sure it's Word Intent and not Intermediate?" Elder Mang Shu asked.He appeared to be slightly flustered and emotional."Yes, elder. Word Intent. They're quite hard to learn... Unlike the first three parts, where you can write them based on the number of strokes, the Word Intent disallows stopping in between..." Chen Tu continued. He doesn't seem to be lying because the difference is acc
Chen Tu lightly slapped his cheeks to alleviate his tiredness. He was more clearheaded than before after repeating it a few times.With a much clearer mind, Chen Tu started to browse the wares again. Although most of the products were daily necessities or hobby-related items, there are still a few loose herbs here and there occasionally.The only unfortunate part was that the collection of herbs was too incomplete, making it more challenging to collect enough primary and secondary ingredients for certain pills. Of course, the difficulty only applied to complicated pill recipes.It was a different story if the ingredients one searched for belonged to the four main entry-level pills. They're respectively known as Grain Pellet, Detox Pellet, Spiritual Capturing Pellet, and Restless Pellet.These four recipes are considered the most basic ones for those who recently started alchemy for practice. After all, not everyone here had the opportunity to study under an alchemist of Elder Wei Xuan