Teng Qingshan knew very little about Spirit Fruits or demonic beasts.
Zhuge Yuanhong chuckled, "Originally, Master thought you consumed a Spirit Fruit to increase internal strength. It turns out it was one that alters the meridians. Now, we must find a Spirit Fruit that genuinely increases internal strength!" Despite the slight inconvenience, Zhuge Yuanhong felt a surge of delight within his heart.
Because...
Once the Spirit Fruit arrived, Teng Qingshan would be able to step into the Innate realm.
"Master, what Spirit Fruits increase internal strength?" Teng Qingshan inquired.
Zhuge Yuanhong was surprised, "You haven't read the miscellaneous volumes in the Martial Pavilion?"
Seeing Teng Qingshan's expression, he understood and smiled, explaining in detail, "Spirit Fruits that increase internal strength and expand the Dantian to its limit. There are six known varieties. Such as the Purple Ice Heart, Bamboo Joint Spirit Fruit, Vermilion Fruit, and others—these six all increase internal strength, and among Heaven and Earth Spirit Fruits, they are considered common. The one you consumed, the one that alters meridians, is truly precious."
Teng Qingshan was secretly astonished.
Heavens, there were six kinds of Spirit Fruits that increased internal strength. This Nine Provinces Continent was far more magical than his previous life.
"Of course, these six Spirit Fruits have slightly different effects! For instance, the Purple Ice Heart, after you consume it, your Dantian will reach its limit, but simultaneously, your internal strength will be affected, imbued with icy cold energy." Zhuge Yuanhong explained meticulously. "Whereas, after consuming the Vermilion Fruit, your internal strength will contain fiery heat!"
Mentioning this, Zhuge Yuanhong smiled, "Of course, you are currently only a Houtian expert. Your internal strength doesn't yet possess the distinct qualities of heat or cold. Consuming any of them would be fine. However, once you reach the Innate realm, the method for cultivating Innate True Yuan must match the characteristic of that Spirit Fruit."
Teng Qingshan frowned.
For almost all martial artists, their internal strength was the same, lacking color, heat, or cold.
However, upon reaching the Innate realm, Innate True Yuan would have a color! Like that 'Ghost Fox' Sima Qing, whose Innate True Yuan was gray. Different cultivation methods would cause the Innate True Yuan to possess different characteristics. For example, the methods in the Nether Moon Spear Canon, when brought to the extreme, should imbue the True Yuan with a chilling, icy characteristic.
"Qingshan, since you are cultivating the Nether Moon Spear Canon, your future Innate True Yuan will contain an icy characteristic. It would be best for you to find the 'Purple Ice Heart.' Consuming the Purple Ice Heart will also make your future Innate True Yuan even colder and more potent! But finding this Purple Ice Heart will be very difficult. I doubt any sect has it in stock."
"To find the Purple Ice Heart, you must travel across the Nine Provinces Continent, heading north to the Northern Grasslands, and then traverse the grasslands to reach the North Sea... Only in the North Sea is there hope of finding the Purple Ice Heart! Once the Purple Ice Heart is picked, it will liquefy if not consumed within a month. This is also why almost no sect keeps it in stock."
Some fruits and similar items rot if left out for long periods.
Furthermore, these Spirit Fruits are very difficult to pick, so sects generally only expend great effort to gather them when they are truly needed.
"From my Yangzhou, traveling to the North Sea... the journey is immense..." Zhuge Yuanhong hadn't finished speaking when Teng Qingshan shook his head. "Master, I don't need the 'Purple Ice Heart,' I wish to consume the Vermilion Fruit!"
"The Vermilion Fruit?" Zhuge Yuanhong looked at Teng Qingshan in astonishment. "Qingshan, the Vermilion Fruit contains fiery heat. Aren't you cultivating the Nether Moon Spear Canon? The Innate True Yuan produced by the Nether Moon Spear Canon is of a cold attribute. If you consume the Vermilion Fruit, the cold and heat will clash—it will do you no good."
"Master!" Teng Qingshan quickly said, "The Nether Moon Spear Canon, I am only borrowing from it. I am borrowing the method for transforming the 'Virtual Core' in the Dantian into a 'Solid Core,' and then to a 'Golden Core.' As for the method for circulating energy through the meridians, I will not be learning that."
The Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the Twelve Primary Meridians of the human body.
Even Innate experts might not clear all of them. Moreover, rather than spending vast amounts of time opening every meridian, it would be better to specialize in cultivating only a few. Specializing in certain meridians can widen and smooth them out. For instance, specializing in meridians of the 'Yin Cold' attribute.
That way, the future Innate True Yuan would also contain Yin Cold attributes.
But Teng Qingshan was different!
All his meridians were already open, and he had studied the circulation method of the Nether Moon Spear Canon. For him, learning that circulation method meant wasting the potential of other meridians. It was better to learn the methods of the Raging Ox Strength Art. The ninth layer of the Raging Ox Strength Art relies on the full absorption capacity of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians—eight meridians absorbing simultaneously, the speed is in no way slower than the Nether Moon Spear Canon's speed in drawing in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
...
The so-called mental cultivation method (Xin Fa).
In essence, the first step is absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and converting it into internal strength, then combining internal strength with 'Spirit' to transform it into Innate True Yuan. Within the Dantian, one slowly cultivates from a Virtual Core to a 'Solid Core,' and finally reaches the 'Golden Core'!
For Teng Qingshan, the Nether Moon Spear Canon was only valuable for the last part: the transformation process from Virtual Core, Solid Core, to Golden Core.
Of course, the insights and experiences of the predecessors were even more crucial!
"You won't learn it?" Zhuge Yuanhong, being a supreme expert himself, understood Teng Qingshan’s meaning. "If you won't learn it, then don't! It's not a major issue. It's just... why do you insist on consuming the Vermilion Fruit? Is the fiery characteristic better than the Nether Cold icy characteristic?"
"Master, I have been studying the Blazing Fire Spear Technique and created the Five Styles of Blazing Fire. Now, I am researching how to fuse these Five Styles into one, transforming them into a single spear technique! Disciple believes that this single move, executed with a Fiery characteristic Innate True Yuan, will possess even greater power," Teng Qingshan explained.
Zhuge Yuanhong was astonished. "Fusing the Five Styles of Blazing Fire into a single move?"
"Good, good!" Zhuge Yuanhong exclaimed, "Although I have never seen your Five Styles of Blazing Fire, I heard Ji Hong mention that you defeated the head of the Heavy Sword Gate, Sima Feng, using only two moves." With Zhuge Yuanhong's strength, he could easily imagine the might of the Five Styles.
To take such a formidable move and attempt to deconstruct and fuse it into one!
Even Zhuge Yuanhong admitted he would need several years to achieve such a feat.
"Excellent!" Zhuge Yuanhong declared. "Then, Qingshan, go find that Vermilion Fruit!"
"May I ask, Master, where can I find the Vermilion Fruit?" Teng Qingshan inquired.
Zhuge Yuanhong followed up immediately: "The Vermilion Fruit's preservation time is even shorter than the Purple Ice Heart's. Even kept in a jade box after picking, it begins to rot in fifteen days! I estimate no sect has any in stock, so you must go and pick it. As far as I know, there are Vermilion Fruits in the Southern Barren Lands!"
"Southern Barren Lands?" Teng Qingshan felt a flicker of interest.
South Barbarians, Southern Barren Lands, Barren Lands... these words all referred to the same place—a region that struck fear into the hearts of many martial artists.
"Yes, where the Vermilion Fruits grow, it is about eight hundred li deep into the Barren Lands! There are quite a few Vermilion Fruits there. Of course, picking them is extremely difficult," Zhuge Yuanhong stated. "You should go to the Martial Pavilion now, find Elder Wu, and ask for a map of the Barren Lands. Oh, and take two books about Spirit Fruits and Demonic Beasts." Zhuge Yuanhong instructed.
"Yes, Master."
Teng Qingshan immediately left the study.
...
The rain outside continued to pour, a chill sweeping towards him. Holding an umbrella, Teng Qingshan walked under the heavens, making his way towards the Martial Pavilion.
In the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Teng Qingshan left his umbrella outside the study door and stepped back inside.
"Give me the map of the Barren Lands," Zhuge Yuanhong commanded.
"Yes, Master."
Teng Qingshan retrieved a folded sheet of thick hide paper. Zhuge Yuanhong took it, completely unfolding it across the study floor. When fully spread, the map was nearly four chi (about one meter) long and almost two chi (half a meter) wide, detailing many locations. However, this map only covered a portion of the Barren Lands.
"Qingshan, this map of the Barren Lands details the general terrain extending over two thousand li deep into the region." Zhuge Yuanhong took out a brush and drew a circle on one spot. "This place is called 'Iron Arm Monkey Mountain.' It is one location in the Barren Lands where 'Vermilion Fruits' can be found."
After marking the spot, Zhuge Yuanhong folded the map and handed it back to Teng Qingshan.
"Qingshan! The famous creatures in Iron Arm Monkey Mountain are the demonic beasts known as the 'Iron Arm Monkeys.' A single Iron Arm Monkey is not overwhelmingly powerful; far weaker than a 'Scarlet Scaled Beast.' But even so, they are demonic beasts, possessing strength comparable to experts on the Earth Ranking. Most importantly, the Monkey Mountain is home to a large troop of them!" Zhuge Yuanhong explained.
Teng Qingshan was secretly alarmed.
A troop of monkeys?
"Even Innate experts would not dare to charge head-on to retrieve the Vermilion Fruit! Qingshan, the book on demonic beasts also contains some introductions to the 'Iron Arm Monkey.' Read it carefully, and then head to the Barren Lands! Remember... retrieve the Vermilion Fruit using your mind! Not brute force," Zhuge Yuanhong said with a slight smile. "For this matter, bringing more or fewer people is useless. Therefore, it rests entirely on you."
"Yes, Master."
Teng Qingshan showed no fear.
Clearly, in Zhuge Yuanhong's view, even an Earth Ranking expert could obtain the Vermilion Fruit with some planning and caution.
"When do you plan to set off?" Zhuge Yuanhong asked.
"Tomorrow," Teng Qingshan replied.
...
Teng Qingshan was a man who acted immediately, without procrastination. That very day, Teng Qingshan informed his younger sister, Qingyu, and his cousin, 'Qinghu.' Furthermore, that afternoon, he purchased a Green Mane Horse! When traveling outside, Teng Qingshan did not want to parade the 'Black Nightmare Horse,' one of the Three Great Dragon Horses, in public.
If the Black Nightmare Horse were seen, his identity would naturally be exposed.
The rain only stopped late that night.
"Incredible! Truly incredible," Teng Qingshan set down the book introducing demonic beasts. "There are so many demonic beasts on the Nine Provinces Continent. Some strong, some weak. It turns out... the Flood Dragon in the Azure Cold Pond was terrifying!" After reading the book, Teng Qingshan felt a wave of lingering fear.
The Flood Dragon of the Azure Cold Pond was far more fearsome than the Scarlet Scaled Beast.
The book contained this passage: Purple Light Pythons mostly dwell around 'Purple Light Cold Iron.' When young, they are thirty zhang long, with ordinary strength. When fully mature, they reach eighty zhang long. They can spit white mist capable of shattering stones, forcing even Innate experts to take evasive action. When a Purple Light Python survives for many long years, it will slowly grow. Upon reaching ten zhang in length, a silver horn will sprout from its head, transforming the python into a Flood Dragon—a Purple Light Flood Dragon, a top-tier demonic beast! At that stage, it can spit black mist, and even Innate experts who touch the black mist will instantly disintegrate into powder! Even Innate Golden Core experts might lose their lives if they are not careful facing this ultimate demonic beast!
"What luck," Teng Qingshan felt a lingering fright. "That Flood Dragon in the Azure Cold Pond was perhaps twelve zhang long! If I had been touched by the black mist, I truly would have been finished."
That time, Teng Qingshan was underwater.
The Purple Light Flood Dragon spat black mist, freezing the water of the Azure Cold Pond, causing Teng Qingshan to be encased within the ice. The low temperature Teng Qingshan endured was the freezing point of the ice, not the lowest temperature of the black mist. It was fortunate for him...
"Going by what this book says, a Purple Light Python can match a Scarlet Scaled Beast. And the python transforming into a Flood Dragon is a level stronger," Teng Qingshan sighed inwardly. "If that Flood Dragon ever leaves the Azure Cold Pond someday to ravage the world, who knows how many people would die."
He then put away the books.
"Hmm, time for a rest. I depart tomorrow morning!" Teng Qingshan sat down in a meditative posture again, his heartbeat slowing to an almost imperceptible level, his life signs reduced to the absolute minimum.