Chapter 32

The vortex transformed from the Neiguan Aperture continuously emitted a mysterious power, but Fang Xu once again found himself entangled at this moment.

The Divine Extension Canon records that to break the stone gate and successfully open the Aperture World, one must nurture a "Life Artifact" within the aperture.

What can I currently nurture?

He, puzzled in his mind, unintentionally glanced at the rotten-wood-like stick beside him, and his eyes lit up instantly.

This stick was a gift from Lu Zhiyuan, quite strange; I don't know if it can be used as a "Life Artifact" to nurture.

Thinking this, he immediately picked up the stick before him, attempting with his consciousness to reach the vortex of the Neiguan Aperture; the next moment, a faint suction suddenly came from the Neiguan Aperture, and then strands of black energy seeped out from the vortex, wrapping the stick and pulling it into the vortex!

Did it just succeed!?

Seeing this miraculous scene before him, Fang Xu was somewhat astonished.

He could clearly feel that the stick in the Neiguan Aperture had a faint connection with his consciousness; it seemed that a slight stir of his mind would allow him to retrieve the stick.

Feeling this wonder, he immediately gave it a try.

Whoosh——

A slight stir of his mind, and indeed a mass of black energy wrapped the stick, appearing in his hand!

Then it disappeared again.

Appearing, disappearing, appearing, disappearing……

Finding it marvelous, Fang Xu played with it repeatedly, over and over, delighted.

After a long while——

He again withdrew the wooden staff into the inner gate acupoint, then slowly rose to his feet; outside the window the sky already showed fish‑belly white. This breakthrough felt like it hadn't taken much time, yet unexpectedly a whole night had passed.

The Blood Qi Power inside his body, during the breakthrough, was all mobilized and slammed toward that stone gate; now his Blood Qi is severely depleted, making Fang Xu feel a bit weak in the legs.

After becoming a Martial Disciple, one can absorb the energy wandering in the air and cultivate Blood Qi on one's own, but this speed is still relatively slow.

He rose, pushed open the door, and Fang Xu went to the kitchen, picked out a piece of blood food weighing fifty jin, washed it clean, lit the stove, and stewed a full large pot.

Taking advantage of this interval, he went to the courtyard to examine how much his strength had increased after breaking through to Martial Disciple.

He took off his clothes, seeing his noticeably more robust physique, Fang Xu threw a punch!

Bang!

A sonic boom burst forth!

The air compressed by the force formed a current that blasted onto an old tree not far ahead, shaking off many leaves that fluttered down!

Seeing this, Fang Xu couldn't help but rejoice!

He felt that with this punch he could blast a plow ox to death!

Is this what a Martial Disciple is?

His heart stirred slightly, and a simple wooden staff suddenly appeared in his hand; Fang Xu lifted the staff and smashed it hard at the blue‑stone stool before him!

Boom!

The stool instantly shattered into several pieces, with rubble flying everywhere!

Not bad!

Satisfied with the destructive power he had just displayed, Fang Xu put the staff away, planning to go to the Hall of Distant Aspiration to test himself after finishing the blood food.

The Hall of Distant Aspiration possesses Ren Stones, which are the best items for testing a martial artist's strength.

He drew a bucket of well water, took a shower, and the aroma of the stewing blood food rose from the pot; Fang Xu gulped down the blood food until his belly was distended, yet he still felt somewhat unsatisfied.

He knew that the blood food he had stored was probably too low‑grade; the Blood Qi Power contained in the meat didn't meet the requirement, which is why he felt that way.

It seems he will need to figure out how to obtain higher‑quality blood food in the future.

After changing into clean clothes, Fang Xu left his home and hurried toward the Hall of Distant Aspiration.

While passing the town's Earth God Temple on the way, he only then noticed how swift the Wu family's actions were.

The Earth God Temple that had stood on the street for who knows how many years of wind and rain had been completely leveled, and a crowd of laborers were rushing to build new houses on its former site.

The headless stone statue that had once hidden Wang Ergou's private money was also tossed aside, ignored by everyone.

He shook his head, Fang Xu did not approach, but went straight to the Hall of Distant Aspiration.

At the training ground, Lu Qingluo was still practicing her spear.

Seeing Fang Xu approach, she frowned slightly, lowered her spear, and said, "Didn't Father say yesterday that you should focus on your cultivation and not come before breaking through to Martial Disciple?"

"With your lack of discretion, how can you live up to the Divine Attendant?"

Although she had just scolded him, Fang Xu wasn't angry; he smiled, clasped his hands, and called out "Senior Sister," then said, "Senior Sister, you've misunderstood—I have already broken through to Martial Disciple. I came today precisely to borrow my master's Ren Stone to test my strength."

"You broke through?!" Lu Qingluo exclaimed, her mouth forming a small O as she stared at Fang Xu in disbelief.

Upon closer look, it was clear that Fang Xu's aura had indeed grown considerably stronger; after breaking through to Martial Disciple and opening the hidden apertures, he was still unaccustomed to his power and could not fully control it.

But this isn't right!

Ordinary martial artists, when breaking through to Martial Disciple, always need three to five days to bombard the aperture walls, and afterward they remain weak for several days.

The Fang Xu before our eyes had not yet fully achieved Viscera Refinement Perfection yesterday, yet today he appeared and instantly became a Martial Disciple, full of vigor!

This…

Could it be the marvelous effect of the Divine Attendant Pill?

The Divine Attendant Pill is one of their clan's most mysterious inheritances; it is said to be even older than the White Ze Soul she received. Lu Qingluo has only heard of its various marvelous effects, but she does not know the exact efficacy.

Seeing Fang Xu break through to the Martial Disciple realm so swiftly, Lu Qingluo felt it must be the effect of the Divine Attendant Pill.

"Since you've broken through, come up and give it a try."

There are Ren Stones on the training ground, and Lu Qingluo also wanted to see how strong he is now.

Fang Xu glanced at the inner court, saw that Lu Zhiyuan was nowhere to be found and absent, so he immediately clasped his hands and stepped into the training ground.

"In the Martial Disciple realm, leaving a mark on the Ren Stone qualifies you; if you can dent it half a cun, that's excellent; breaking it one cun makes you outstanding. Go ahead and give it a try."

Hearing this, Fang Xu blinked slightly: "Senior Sister, may I use a weapon?"

Lu Qingluo gave him a sideways glance, as if looking at an idiot, and said: "Your master..."

She was about to complain about Fang Xu's master, but suddenly realized his master was none other than her own father, so she hastily corrected herself: "Ren Stone is special; bare hands are just as good as weapons. If you want to use a weapon, you may."

Upon hearing this, Fang Xu pondered for a moment and chose not to use a weapon.

After all, he wasn't yet proficient with those swords, spears, halberds, and axes, so using his fists felt more natural.

He slowly approached a scarred Ren Stone, gently stroked it, and found this Ren Stone truly peculiar: it resembled the obsidian he had seen in his past life, but its texture was extremely hard, with a metallic feel.

Peng!

Invoking Blood Qi Power to shield his fist, he struck the Ren Stone with thirty percent of his strength, and Fang Xu was astonished to find that the stone before him didn't even chip.

Beside her, Lu Qingluo couldn't help but curl her lip: "No need to test further; leaving a mark on the Ren Stone with your full strike would already be impressive."

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Fang Xu scratched his head, stepped back, then directly invoked fifty percent of his strength and threw a punch at the Ren Stone before him!

Bang!

A huge roar burst forth!

On the Ren Stone before him, a sunken fistprint instantly appeared, its depth a full half‑inch!

"Huh?"

Seeing the fistprint Fang Xu left on the Ren Stone, Lu Qingluo couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: "A half‑inch deep—just after breaking through, you already have this much strength; you're not bad."

Having said that, Lu Qingluo hastily added: "But don't get arrogant; this level of strength still isn't worthy of a Divine Attendant."

Fang Xu curled his lip, looked at the somewhat prideful Lu Qingluo, and gave a slight bow: "Senior sister's teachings, I will keep in mind."

"By the way, senior sister, where did Master go?" Lu Zhiyuan isn't a sociable person; he usually stays in the Hall of Achieving Far.

"What, you want to show off to your dad?" Lu Qingluo curled her lip with a look that said she saw through him: "I don't know either; he vanished early this morning, probably went out."

"Don't rush to show off; come spar with me to gauge your true strength first."

Lu Qingluo said, lifting her long spear, she picked a plain saber from the weapon rack and handed it to Fang Xu.

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(End of chapter)