Chapter 44: Flame Spirit True Understanding

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Flame Spirit True Understanding

The Qi Blood Power transformed from the Qi Blood Pill was slowly absorbed. It then surged into the newly opened Inner Acupoint Space. Guided by his consciousness, it acted like a grinding stone, slowly converting the energy within the Acupoint Space.

As the endless stream of Qi Blood Power poured in, a purer stream of energy continuously welled up from the Acupoint Space, subtly altering the flesh, blood, and cells of Fang Xu’s entire body.

The energy in the Acupoint Space seemed to be of a higher tier than Qi Blood Power. His flesh and bones, which had already been refined to their limits before his breakthrough to the Martial Disciple realm, were undergoing yet another transformation under the infusion of this new energy. This transformation felt more like an evolutionary leap in his very level of existence. No wonder the lifespan of an ordinary person rarely exceeded a century, whereas a Martial Artist at the Martial Master realm could easily live past a hundred and fifty years, provided they didn’t meet an untimely end.

Absorbing the Qi Blood Power from the Qi Blood Pill while simultaneously drawing energy from the heavens and earth, Fang Xu immersed himself completely in his cultivation, feeling perfectly content.

"Hmm?" Just as he finished absorbing the last of the Qi Blood Power from the pill, he discovered a bizarre, completely unabsorbable energy appearing within his body. This energy had dissipated from the Qi Blood Power. Initially, it was so minuscule that Fang Xu hadn’t noticed it. It was only after it gathered together and grew in volume that his consciousness picked it up. He wondered what this energy could be.

As his consciousness approached the bizarre energy and he prepared to inspect it closely, he found that it vanished in the blink of an eye. He wondered what was going on. Slightly startled, Fang Xu immediately snapped out of his meditative state.

Outside the window, the sky was already bright. He once again relied on the *Divination God Treasure* to enter the Realm of Inner Observation, carefully searching his body to find where that trace of bizarre energy had gone. Strangely enough, under the Realm of Inner Observation, every detail of his body was clearly laid out before him, yet he simply could not find any trace of that bizarre energy.

Withdrawing from the Realm of Inner Observation, Fang Xu slowly stood up. He picked up another Qi Blood Pill from beside him, examined it for a moment, and tucked it into his robes. He decided to go seek Lu Zhiyuan’s advice.

At Zhiyuan Hall.

Upon hearing Fang Xu’s doubts, Lu Zhiyuan smiled faintly. "Not bad. The fact that you can sense the presence of elixir toxicity proves that your control over your cultivation base has reached the Realm of Subtlety."

"Elixir toxicity?" Fang Xu paused, slightly stunned. "This Qi Blood Pill is poisonous?"

Seeing his expression change, Lu Zhiyuan burst into laughter. "You’ve heard the saying that all medicines carry a hint of toxicity, right?

"Elixirs are forged from medicinal herbs, so naturally, they carry some toxicity as well.

"However, this type of poison doesn’t harm a Cultivator’s body. It merely solidifies the barriers of your acupoints.

"This is exactly why some Martial Artists rely on piling up massive amounts of Elixirs in their early stages to quickly break through to the Martial Disciple, Martial Master, or even higher realms, only to find themselves unable to advance an inch in the later stages.

"The more Elixirs you consume, the more elixir toxicity accumulates in your body. This toxicity is nearly impossible to purge. Later on, it will become a massive obstacle blocking your Martial Dao."

Fang Xu had a sudden realization. He figured it would be best to consume fewer Elixirs from now on.

"Master, Blood Food wouldn’t have this kind of effect, would it?" Fang Xu quickly asked.

Lu Zhiyuan shook his head. "Naturally not.

"Blood Food is independently digested and absorbed by your body, and any minor impurities are simply excreted as waste.

"Still, you don’t need to worry too much. Taking a small amount of Elixirs does more good than harm for your cultivation."

Hearing this, Fang Xu’s anxious heart finally settled down a bit.

"How goes your comprehension of the stone slab? Any clues?" Lu Zhiyuan asked.

Fang Xu shook his head. The stone slab was far too obscure and difficult to understand. Even now, he still had no idea whether the markings on it were words or drawings.

Lu Zhiyuan chuckled. "There is no need to rush. If something left behind by a mighty expert of the Martial Dao could be comprehended so easily, then peerless experts wouldn’t be so rare in this world.

"You may go back now. Be extra careful these coming days. I’ve received news that the Yun Family is planning a major move, and people from the Central State imperial family are also arriving. I’m afraid Fenglin Town won’t be peaceful for a while.

"Improve your strength as quickly as possible."

Fang Xu nodded with a solemn expression.

There had been too many incidents in Fenglin Town recently, and he suspected many more were yet to come. After all, according to Lu Zhiyuan, the ruins in the mountains had surfaced. Once the imperial family arrived, it would mean the entire Great Yu Dynasty would know about the existence of those ruins. Fenglin Town was the closest settlement to the ruins, which meant that numerous important figures would likely be stopping here to rest.

On his way back from Zhiyuan Hall, Fang Xu unexpectedly overheard another piece of news. During the attack that night, the Wu Family Ancestor hadn’t died; he was only severely injured. Now, the eldest son of the Wu Family—Wu Ningxue’s older brother—had rushed back from Qinghe County. He was currently taking a token to seek help from the Wu Family Ancestor’s former master.

Hearing this, Fang Xu smiled bitterly to himself. He wondered how a rundown little town in a remote mountainous region like Fenglin Town had suddenly become so attractive. The mysterious shamans, the Huangzhou Yun Family, the Central State imperial family, and now the Wu Family Ancestor’s enigmatic sect—one titanic existence after another would soon be converging on Fenglin Town. When that time came, it would likely be the common people of Fenglin Town who suffered.

Shaking his head, Fang Xu returned home. Just as he was about to prepare breakfast for Chu Muyun, he suddenly noticed smoke rising from his kitchen chimney. He hurried into the kitchen and saw Chu Muyun skillfully slicing a piece of Blood Food, with chopped vegetables already laid out beside her.

"Mu Yun, let me do it," Fang Xu said, stepping forward to take over the chores.

Chu Muyun gave a faint smile. "Fang Xu, I can do these things.

"Back home, whenever Grandpa was too busy to take care of me, I did everything by myself."

She looked at the tall stack of millet and added with a hint of sadness, "It’s just... it’s just that the millet is placed too high, and I can’t reach it."

Hearing this, Fang Xu quickly lifted the sack of millet down and placed it where Chu Muyun could reach it.

"This is perfect. You should go cultivate, Fang Xu. Just leave these things to me from now on."

Fang Xu was still a little worried. Only after repeatedly confirming that Chu Muyun could handle it did he feel at ease to return to his room and begin studying the peculiar stone slab. Staring at the complex patterns on the stone slab, Fang Xu only felt dizzy and blurred in his vision. This damn thing was just too difficult; he couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

GRUMBLE!

GRUMBLE!

Just as he was lost in his research, Chu Muyun slowly wheeled her chair into the room. "Fang Xu, the food is ready."

Her gentle voice interrupted his thoughts. He immediately put down the stone slab, ready to accompany her for the meal.

"Fang Xu, what is that stone slab?" Chu Muyun asked curiously, her eyes fixed on the object.

Fang Xu glanced at the stone slab and chuckled lightly. "Land Master gave it to me. He said there’s some Cultivation Technique on it, but I’ve been studying it for two days and still haven’t figured it out."

Hearing this, Chu Muyun hesitated for a moment before asking, "Can I take a look?"

Fang Xu was taken aback for a second. He brought the stone slab over to her and asked with a sliver of hope, "Can you tell if the patterns on this stone slab are words or drawings?"

Chu Muyun stared at the stone slab in front of her, inspecting it for a long time before she replied, "I think they are both words and drawings, but these drawings are really strange."

Running her fingers over the patterns, she thought for a long time before suddenly looking up. "Fang Xu, get me a pen and some paper."

Fang Xu hurriedly fetched the pen and paper, then pulled up a low stool and placed it in front of her. While keeping her eyes glued to the stone slab, Chu Muyun slowly wrote down four words on the paper.

Flame Spirit True Understanding!

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