A Martial Saint Among Men: From Joining a Martial Arts School

Chapter 185 Eight Treasures Return to Origin

"Uncle Liu, what do you mean by the true sect leader?" Chu Xuan asked.

"this----"

Liu Donglin suddenly became hesitant and said, "Actually, I don't know either."

Chu Xuan was speechless.

You don't know? What are you talking about?

Seeing Chu Xuan's expression, Liu Donglin said somewhat awkwardly, "What I'm saying is just a rumor. I heard that Ancestor Xuanyang once established a rule that only those who can master the Heaven-Opening Blade can be considered his successors, that is, the true sect leader of Xuanyang Sect."

Strictly speaking, from the second-generation patriarch to the current sect leader, they can only be considered acting sect leaders! Once someone in the sect masters the Heaven-Opening Blade, that person will become the next sect leader, and may even directly force the current sect leader to abdicate!

Unfortunately, since the founder, no one has been able to master it, and later, even the inheritance of the Heaven-Opening Blade was lost.

Liu Donglin looked regretful, seemingly lamenting that he had never seen the Heaven-Opening Blade.

The two chatted for a while longer, and Liu Donglin told him about the general situation within the sect, basically everything he knew, before taking his leave.

Chu Xuan personally saw the two off.

When they returned and opened the gifts Liu Donglin had given them, they were surprised by his generosity.

"It's actually Snow Jade Ginseng?"

Chu Xuan said with some surprise.

This Snow Jade Ginseng doesn't look good; it looks like an old tree root with a hard, cracked outer skin covered with dense, fine roots.

But Chu Xuan knew that the more this was the case, the more precious it was.

Judging from its appearance, it must be seven or eight hundred years old. Although its value is not as high as that of the Qingyuan Fruit and it does not have the effect of improving physical strength, it is still a rare and precious medicine!

"If I consume this Snow Jade Ginseng, my true essence value will definitely increase by another level."

Chu Xuan said with some excitement.

This gave him a new idea.

In the future, if you want to quickly increase your True Essence, you don't necessarily have to hunt exotic beasts. You can also find rare and precious materials or spend a lot of money to acquire them. The latter is much safer than the former.

"No rush, let's keep it for now!"

Chu Xuan quickly closed the cold jade box and put it away.

The most urgent task is to find a cultivation method for the True Essence Realm.

He took out all his contribution points and carefully tallied them up. He was shocked by what he found.

With this harvest, plus his previous accumulation, his contribution points reached a staggering 700,000.

Let alone inner disciples, there are probably very few, if any, elder disciples who are richer than him.

"Holy crap, this is really a windfall!"

Chu Xuan couldn't help but have his eyes light up.

With so many contribution points, there's no need to worry about resources in the short term.

However, Chu Xuan had no intention of keeping them. Contribution points were just contribution points in his hands; only when they were transformed into strength could their true value be realized.

"Senior Brother Chu."

At this moment, Zhang Cheng knocked on the door and came in, saying, "Senior Brother Tong sent word that he wants you to come over."

"Okay, I understand!"

Chu Xuan nodded.

He also happened to have something he wanted to ask Tong Hao for help with.

A moment later, he picked up the Karma-Slaying Blade and headed straight for the main hall where Tong Hao was.

"Senior Brother Tong, you were looking for me?"

Chu Xuan came in, greeted him, and asked.

Tong Hao was sitting in the main seat when Chu Xuan entered. He tossed a porcelain vase to Chu Xuan and said, "Here you go!"

Chu Xuan raised his hand to take it, opened it, and took a sniff. Immediately, a rich medicinal fragrance wafted out.

The moment the medicinal fragrance entered his body, Chu Xuan clearly felt that his muscles and internal organs were awakened from a deep sleep, greedily absorbing this energy.

Even the true essence within his body began to stir restlessly, like a shark that had smelled blood.

"This is----"

Chu Xuan looked surprised.

He had never seen any elixir that could cause such a strong reaction in his body.

"Eight Treasures Returning to Origin Pill!"

Tong Hao explained simply, "This is an exclusive elixir of our Xuan Yang Sect. Even true disciples can only obtain three per month. I only get one per month."

However, I did do a good job this time, and the sect rewarded me with five stars. I'll give you one.

The Eight Treasures Returning to Origin Pill is extremely potent, its medicinal power so overwhelming that martial artists below the True Essence level simply cannot withstand it. However, your physical body is likely stronger than many True Essence experts, so you should be fine.

"Thank you very much, Senior Brother." Chu Xuan said with great joy.

Tong Hao waved his hand and then got down to business: "I called you here to give you a heads-up. The sect will probably be assigning you tasks soon, so be prepared."

"A mission?" Chu Xuan asked in surprise. "Senior Brother Tong, aren't I on a mission here in the Hundred Beast Garden?"

Tong Hao retorted irritably, "This is a ridiculous task! You've been a disciple for so long, have you ever seen Luo Yun, who's ranked number one, or any of the other top five?"

Chu Xuan thought about it and realized that there really wasn't one.

He had been in the Xuan Yang Sect for over a year. Although he didn't know the other geniuses on the Wind and Cloud Ranking, he had met them to some extent. However, he had never met any of the top five on the Wind and Cloud Ranking.

Tong Hao nodded and said, "That's right! A towering tree can't grow under a big tree. If you want to grow, you have to go out and experience. Especially the top five on the Wind and Cloud Ranking, while enjoying the benefits of the sect, will also bear more responsibilities. I'm telling you in advance so you won't be caught off guard."

Chu Xuan said, "But I just finished a mission for Sun Family Fortress, shouldn't I get some rest?"

"Don't tell me!"

Tong Hao rolled his eyes and said, "I was just passing on a message to remind you. Strictly speaking, the Sun Family Fortress mission isn't really a mission. The sect wants you to go out and gain experience, not to spend your days scheming and fighting amongst yourselves. You won't grow that way. Luo Yun is like that, Su Changqing is like that, and so are you—"

Chu Xuan nodded, somewhat understanding what Tong Hao meant.

Tong Hao said, "But you don't need to worry. The sect won't deny you time to rest. I estimate you'll get a month or so to rest."

One month left?

That's enough!

This month is enough for him to make all the preparations and digest his current gains.

"What, is there something else?" Tong Hao asked in surprise when he saw that Chu Xuan hadn't left.

Chu Xuan told him that Lu Changge had already sent the contribution points and expressed his gratitude before saying, "Also, I would like to ask my senior brother for a favor."

As he spoke, he took out the Karma-Slaying Blade and handed it to Tong Hao: "Senior Brother, do you have any way to help me upgrade this blade into a spirit weapon?"

"A half-spirit weapon?"

Tong Hao glanced at the Karma-Slaying Blade in Chu Xuan's hand, his eyes narrowing slightly as he said, "This is the Qian family's semi-spiritual weapon, isn't it?"

In fact, he had noticed Chu Xuan's semi-spiritual weapon back in Sunjiabao.

However, Chu Xuan kept it a secret, so he didn't ask any further questions, since everyone has secrets.

Now that Chu Xuan has offered it up, he naturally has nothing to hide.

"It really is that one! Back then—"

Chu Xuan nodded and recounted his grievances with the Qian family.

Tong Hao waved his hand and said, "There's no need to tell me all this. Whether they kill you and you kill them in return, or you intercept and kill them, the sect won't care. Just don't give anyone any leverage over you."

As he spoke, he picked up the Karma-Slaying Blade, examined it carefully, and frowned, saying, "It's a good blade, and the main material should be meteorite red copper. It's a pity that the craftsmanship is too rough. It shouldn't be the work of Li Huo Peak, otherwise it could have been completely forged into a spiritual weapon. Right now, it can only be considered a semi-finished product."

"Is there a way to upgrade it into a spirit weapon?" Chu Xuan pressed.

The Karma-Slaying Blade was fairly easy for him to handle, but now that he had advanced to the True Essence Realm, he could only unleash its full power by upgrading it to a spiritual weapon.

Tong Hao scratched his head and said, "It should be possible, right? However, upgrading a semi-spiritual weapon to a spiritual weapon isn't much cheaper than directly forging a spiritual weapon, and might even be more expensive. Your sword's material is fine, and it wasn't destroyed, so it's only a semi-finished product. It won't cost that much, but the contribution points required won't be small either. Have you thought it through?"

"How much do you need?" Chu Xuan asked.

"Three or four hundred thousand, I guess," Tong Hao said casually.

"Three to four hundred thousand?"

Chu Xuan was immediately dumbfounded.

He had just thought he was a rich man, but he never expected that simply upgrading this semi-spiritual weapon would cost him half of his fortune.

That's enough to buy two or three half spirit weapons.

Seeing his surprised expression, Tong Hao said irritably, "Do you think spirit weapons are as common as cabbages? It's true that only True Yuan Realm martial artists can unleash the full power of spirit weapons, but that doesn't mean that every True Yuan Realm martial artist possesses a spirit weapon!"

In fact, 99% of True Essence experts can't afford spiritual weapons. Even I—don't have one.

"Senior brother, you don't have any?" Chu Xuan was somewhat surprised.

Surely not?

Tong Hao is considered a prominent figure in the inner sect, and even has the potential to become a true disciple of the peak master. How could someone like him not be able to afford a spirit weapon?

Tong Hao said irritably, "I told you, spirit weapons aren't as common as cabbages! Their value is incomparable to that of semi-spirit weapons. A semi-spirit weapon is only worth a few hundred thousand contribution points, but a spirit weapon can easily cost millions. How many inner disciples can afford that?"

Your semi-spiritual weapon was only saved from destruction by luck. Otherwise, upgrading it to a spirit weapon would have been just as expensive as forging a new one. Since it only costs three or four hundred thousand contribution points, you should be grateful!

Of course, as one of the best among the inner disciples, Tong Hao could afford to buy a spirit weapon if he really wanted to.

But they would have to sell everything they owned, and there was even a possibility of famine.

Tong Hao didn't have a spirit weapon, mainly because he wasn't skilled with weapons.

Chu Xuan gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! Thirty or forty it is. Please help me figure something out, Senior Brother."

"You have so many contribution points?" Tong Hao looked at Chu Xuan in surprise.

Chu Xuan said, "Thanks to your help, Senior Brother, I made quite a bit of money this time. If I go to other places and scrape together some more, I can still manage to make it up."

"Alright, you can keep the knife then!"

Tong Hao nodded and said, "I need to think about who to ask for help. That good-for-nothing Zhao Jinyang still hasn't been able to forge a spirit weapon. I might have to ask the elders of Li Huo Peak for help."

"Thank you, Senior Brother," Chu Xuan said quickly.

After returning to his room in the No. 9 Beast Garden, Chu Xuan immediately sat cross-legged and took out the Eight Treasures Returning to Origin Pill.

For some reason, this Eight Treasures Returning to Origin Pill held an extraordinary attraction for him.

When he was with Tong Hao before, he felt an urge to swallow it immediately, but he managed to suppress it.

This pill is the size of a longan, with eight different colored patterns interwoven on it. It is unusually heavy, and when held in the hand, it doesn't feel like a pill, but rather like an iron bead.

Chu Xuan swallowed it whole. The pill went down his throat and into his stomach with a loud "thump".

Immediately afterwards, Chu Xuan felt a powerful medicinal force gradually spreading out. His muscles began to tremble slightly, as if he had just received rain after a long drought. He began to absorb the medicinal force frantically, and his true essence began to circulate rapidly.

Almost simultaneously, a sharp, intense pain spread throughout his body.

Chu Xuan felt as if his body was a balloon filled with air, about to burst.

"No wonder even Senior Brother Tong only gets one a month."

Chu Xuan sighed.

That is to say, he broke through the True Essence and at the same time cultivated the Glazed Vajra Body and the Vajra Indestructible Body.

If it were any other martial artist who had just broken through to the True Essence stage, even with the Eight Treasures Returning to Origin Pill, their body probably wouldn't be able to withstand the impact of this fierce medicinal power and would explode.

Chu Xuan didn't delay and immediately activated the Eight Desolate Prison Suppressing Force to quickly absorb the energy.

About an hour later, the throbbing pain gradually subsided.

However, the Eight Treasures Returning to Origin Pill was not completely absorbed by him. Instead, it shrank in size in his stomach and will continue to release its medicinal power until it is completely absorbed, but it will not be as explosive as it was at the beginning.

[True Essence Value: 503]

【Lapis Lazuli Vajra Body (312/1000)】

【Indestructible Vajra - Skin Refinement (383/1000)】

"It's definitely good stuff!"

Chu Xuan's eyes lit up.

This Eight Treasures Returning to Origin Pill not only greatly increased his true essence value, but also greatly benefited his body refinement, and even enhanced his Vajra Indestructible Body and Glazed Vajra Body.

The only downside is that the increase in true essence is not significant.

It wasn't that the Eight Treasures Returning to Origin Pill was ineffective, but rather that he lacked the cultivation techniques required for the True Origin Realm. Using the Eight Desolate Suppressing Prison Force to guide it was somewhat less effective.

"The cultivation technique must be one that reaches the True Essence Realm!"

Chu Xuan clenched his fist, a sense of urgency rising within him.

Now, what limits his improvement is no longer resources, but rather his cultivation techniques.

The next morning, Chu Xuan took his identity token and went directly to the inner sect.

Besides gaining access to the Inner Sect's Hidden Dharma Pavilion, being among the top three on the Popularity Ranking also grants the right to freely enter and exit the Inner Sect.

Chu Xuan soon arrived in front of a magnificent hall.

This is the Xuan Yang Sect's Dharma Repository, and it is the real Dharma Repository!

One of the most central locations of the Xuan Yang Sect!

Surrounding this main hall are countless other halls of all sizes, which are equally magnificent, but they are somewhat inferior to the Dharma Hall.

Chu Xuan also saw several elderly men, barefoot like farmers, tending to their medicinal herb fields.

He didn't take these people for real old farmers; he only glanced at them before looking away.

At the entrance of the Zangfa Pavilion, an elderly man with white hair and beard was dozing off out of boredom, seemingly unaware of Chu Xuan's arrival.

"Outer disciple Chu Xuan greets senior!"

Chu Xuan immediately bowed respectfully.

"Chu Xuan?"

Upon hearing the name, the old man opened his eyes and sized up Chu Xuan, saying, "You're that kid who's ranked third on the Wind and Cloud Ranking? You've got a good appearance, and your physique is quite well-developed. Tsk tsk, you've even cultivated a body-strengthening technique! Hmm? The aura of the Eight Treasures Returning to Origin Pill? Tong Hao must have given it to you. He's quite generous—"

Chu Xuan felt a chill run down his spine, as if he had been stripped naked.

Fortunately, the other party did not realize that he had already broken through to the True Essence realm.

"Are you here to find a True Essence cultivation method to prepare for breaking through to True Essence?" the old man asked.

"Yes, senior."

Chu Xuan quickly replied.

The old man nodded and said, "Go! The treatment for third place on the Wind and Cloud Ranking is the same as that of an ordinary inner disciple; you can only stay on the first floor. Remember not to wander around."

"Yes, thank you, senior."

Chu Xuan left respectfully.

As Chu Xuan entered the Dharma Pavilion, the old man opened his eyes again, revealing a playful expression.

The little brat is actually putting on an act with me?

With your pathetic concealment technique, you think you can fool me?

"True essence!"

The old man sighed inwardly.

It has been many years since the Xuan Yang Sect has seen an outer disciple break through to the True Essence realm.

The last one, it seems, was — Jiang Teng!

Upon hearing the name, the old man suddenly lost interest.

Such a promising young talent, what a pity—they couldn't hold onto him!