Chapter 17: The Pure Yang Sacred Body
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“Damn, this wine is brewed from spiritual medicine? Why is it so expensive?”
Li Wudao clicked his tongue.
Converted, it was equivalent to five hundred taels of gold per pound of wine.
Even he had never drunk wine worth this much.
“Young master is quite right. This Drunken Jade Brew is made from several kinds of spiritual medicine and possesses numerous benefits, such as strengthening the sinews, replenishing the marrow, nourishing the internal organs, and repairing hidden injuries.”
The waiter patiently explained.
Only then did Li Wudao understand. For such spiritual wine, the price was indeed justified.
“Fine, then. Please fill this wine gourd.”
Li Wudao handed over the wine gourd.
The old man’s wine gourd was not particularly large. At most, it could hold five pounds of wine.
That would amount to only two thousand five hundred taels of gold, which was still acceptable.
“Certainly, sir. Please wait a moment.”
The waiter took the gourd and hurried toward the rear hall.
With nothing better to do, Li Wudao sat there and looked around.
A quarter of an hour passed, yet the waiter still had not returned.
Puzzled, Li Wudao headed toward the rear hall.
“Waiter, is the wine still not ready?”
He muttered inwardly that the service at Drunken Jade Tower was rather poor. Even pouring some wine took them forever.
He lifted the curtain.
The moment Li Wudao entered, he saw the waiter scooping wine from a large vat.
“Sir, what’s going on with this gourd of yours? Why won’t it fill up?”
The waiter looked at him in confusion.
“What?”
Li Wudao’s face filled with question marks. How could such a tiny wine gourd still not be full after a quarter of an hour?
“Give me the gourd first.”
Li Wudao took it back and examined it curiously.
The next instant, the corner of his mouth twitched.
This was no ordinary wine gourd. It was clearly a spiritual artifact!
On the surface, it appeared unremarkable, but inside it contained a small independent space. Storing fifty pounds of wine would be no problem at all.
“It’s probably exceeded five thousand taels of gold by now. Sir, do you still want us to continue filling it?”
The waiter hesitated, somewhat worried that the young man might not be able to afford it.
“Fill it to the brim.”
Li Wudao sighed.
Filling it completely would probably cost twenty-five thousand taels of gold.
It had to be because Xia Gucheng had seen the five hundred spirit stones awarded to him by the sect master. That old man had definitely done this on purpose.
What a swindler. He had only just received his salary, and half of it was already about to be taken away.
Because the amount involved was so large, the waiter did not dare make the decision himself and summoned the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man dressed in a brown brocade robe. He had shrewd eyes and a prosperous figure.
He perfectly matched Li Wudao’s image of a businessman.
When the shopkeeper saw the wine gourd, his expression changed slightly. He then began chatting with Li Wudao.
Upon learning that Li Wudao was Xia Gucheng’s newly accepted disciple, he immediately became several degrees more respectful. He led Li Wudao into a private room and treated him with exceptional courtesy.
Li Wudao remained utterly bewildered throughout, making small talk passively. The shopkeeper was far too enthusiastic, and it left him deeply uncomfortable.
Another incense stick’s worth of time passed before the waiter finally filled the wine gourd.
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“Greetings, sir. The total comes to twenty-six thousand taels of gold. Since your master is a regular customer of our establishment, we’ll waive the remainder. Twenty thousand taels of gold will be enough.”
The shopkeeper spoke in a mild tone.
“Is that really appropriate?”
Li Wudao was stunned. Was this what they called waiving the remainder?
“Of course it is! More than appropriate!”
The shopkeeper clapped his hands and nodded, his expression so strange that anyone unaware of the situation might have thought he was the one getting the better deal.
“Then... all right.”
Unable to refuse the other party’s graciousness, Li Wudao could only nod.
He was quite surprised. He had not expected his cheap master’s reputation to be so useful. It had saved him six thousand taels of gold outright.
After paying, Li Wudao picked up the wine gourd and left Drunken Jade Tower.
Once the young man’s figure disappeared, the shopkeeper’s expression instantly turned solemn. He walked to the window and stood there with his hands behind his back. His entire bearing changed, becoming cold and imposing.
“Rahula.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a man dressed entirely in black robes and wearing a ghost-faced mask dropped to one knee.
“Our lord has taken a disciple. Notify all departments at once and tell them to be careful. Under no circumstances are they to provoke the young master. Otherwise... death!”
The shopkeeper’s eyes narrowed slightly. By the time he uttered the final word, they were filled with murderous intent.
His demeanor had changed so drastically that it was difficult to believe he was the same person.
“Yes.”
The black-clad man acknowledged the order, transformed into a dark shadow, and vanished in an instant.
“With our lord’s vision, even a king-level talent would barely be worthy of his attention. Yet he has chosen to accept that boy as his disciple at this particular moment...”
The shopkeeper gazed out the window, lightly tapping his fingers against the frame as he sank into thought.
He could not see through Li Wudao’s cultivation, but Xia Gucheng must have had a special reason for taking him as a disciple.
The reason he had sent the boy here was probably to inform him personally.
...
Li Wudao galloped at full speed, not daring to stop for even a moment.
At last, before nightfall, he returned to Misty Peak.
The path twisted and turned so many times that he nearly became dizzy.
What could he do? He did not know how to fly and could only climb the mountain on foot.
This made Li Wudao secretly resolve that he had to cultivate to the Martial Ancestor realm as soon as possible. Once he reached that level, he would no longer have to go through such trouble.
Within Misty Valley.
The moment Li Wudao entered, he caught the aroma of roasted meat.
His stomach immediately began to rumble.
He had been busy all day without eating a single thing. How could he not be hungry?
Looking up, he saw Xia Gucheng seated beside a small lake, roasting two fish.
“Old man, why didn’t you tell me earlier that this Drunken Jade Brew was so expensive? How could you cheat your disciple like that?”
Li Wudao stomped over angrily and tossed the wine gourd onto the ground.
“You just received five hundred low-grade spirit stones. Paying for the wine should have been more than enough.”
Xia Gucheng acted as though he had not noticed the boy’s puffed-up expression and calmly turned one of the fish over.
“My monthly salary is barely enough as it is. How do you have the nerve?”
Li Wudao gritted his teeth.
“Look at you, making such a fuss over nothing. I’ll give you a fish as compensation.”
Xia Gucheng grinned and handed Li Wudao a skewer of fish.
“Hmph. How much could one fish possibly be worth?”
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Li Wudao scoffed.
But although his words were dismissive, his body was perfectly honest when confronted with the aroma.
“Fine, I’ll forgive you this time. But don’t let it happen again.”
The young man swallowed hard. The fish was golden all over, and he had no idea what species it was, but its fragrance was intoxicating.
Li Wudao took the fish and bit into it gently. The outside was crisp, while the meat within was tender.
“Hm?”
He was astonished to discover that the fish meat he swallowed contained pure spiritual energy.
Just one bite made him feel his cultivation advance slightly.
If he finished the entire fish, it might even be enough to raise him by a minor realm.
“Master, what kind of fish is this? Its spiritual energy is so rich. Is it expensive? I’d like to buy a few myself to satisfy my cravings.”
Li Wudao was curious.
The fish was delicious and could also accelerate cultivation. He found it extremely tempting.
“This is called an Earth Spirit Fish. It lives year-round in karst caves a thousand meters underground, feeding on spiritual stalactite milk condensed from the essence of heaven and earth. Its flesh is rich in pure spiritual energy and contains almost no impurities, so you needn’t worry about side effects.”
As he roasted the other fish, Xia Gucheng said indifferently, “As for the price, it costs one hundred low-grade spirit stones per pound.”
“...”
Li Wudao was dumbfounded. It was that expensive?
The fish in his hand weighed at least three pounds, making it worth more than three hundred low-grade spirit stones.
His entire monthly salary could buy only one fish. He could not afford it—he really could not afford it!
“Looks like I misunderstood the old man...”
Li Wudao was ashamed. His cheap master still had some sense of responsibility as a teacher after all.
After quickly devouring the fish, he licked his lips, still craving more.
Just then, he suddenly sensed something and found a place to sit down cross-legged.
After eating the Earth Spirit Fish, Li Wudao felt the opportunity to break through.
He began circulating the Great First Yang True Scripture, refining the spiritual energy within his body.
Driven by the Imperial Scripture, the dense spiritual energy rapidly transformed and sank into his dantian.
“This is... the aura of an Imperial Scripture... This boy really is interesting.”
Xia Gucheng placed the roasted spiritual fish on the table, his eyes narrowing slightly.
A moment later, he withdrew his gaze.
He walked over to a rocking chair and lay down, his eyes half-closed as he leisurely sipped his wine.
An incense stick’s worth of time later.
Li Wudao completely absorbed the spiritual energy of the Earth Spirit Fish and smoothly broke through to the mid-stage of the Blood-Moving realm.
Not only was his aura stable, but he had also faintly touched upon the late stage of the Blood-Moving realm.
This fish had benefited him immensely!
“Refreshing!”
The young man put his hands on his hips, preparing to stretch and loosen his muscles.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Your investment has succeeded. Investment project: fifty pounds of Drunken Jade Brew.]
[Random reward being calculated...]
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a special constitution: Pure Yang Saint Physique.]
[Pure Yang Saint Physique: Your blood and vital energy are of the purest yang essence. Your body is like a furnace, endlessly vital and self-renewing. You possess innate divine strength, beginning with a physical force of a thousand jun at the initial stage. This power will increase along with your cultivation realm. You are the natural nemesis of evil spirits.]
“I nearly forgot about the rebate... Wait, a Saint Physique?!”
Li Wudao lightly slapped his forehead. Looking at the system’s description, he was slightly astonished.
This time, the system had actually rewarded him with a special constitution—and it was even a Saint Physique!
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