Chapter 65: Physical Examination

“Die!”

The Qi-Condensation late-stage cultivator’s expression turned icy; he formed a sword finger, and his flying sword became a streak of light, rushing toward Fang Xing.

His flying sword was a top-grade first-rank artifact; under the power of a Qi-Condensation late-stage cultivator, its might could cleave metal and sever jade!

But he was fast—Fang Xing was faster!

Roar!

With a thought, the “Dragon’s Ambience” descended, catching the Qi-Condensation late-stage cultivator off guard; the flying sword trembled mid-air, as if losing control.

In that fleeting instant, Fang Xing stepped forward and stood before the Qi-Condensation late-stage cultivator!

The body cultivator’s advantage lies in explosive speed and high endurance!

Blue Star warriors are similar to body cultivators!

To gain the upper hand, close-range rapid combat is essential!

Fang Xing had no intention of dragging out the fight; though he was confident the flying sword couldn’t pierce him through with a few stabs, being slashed bloody would look terrible.

Body cultivators never rely solely on brute force—they choose the most efficient ways to subdue opponents.

He swung his fist, striking a crimson light shield.

The Qi-Condensation late-stage cultivator, experienced in battle, had activated the defense shield on his robe the moment he launched his flying sword.

He wore a top-grade robe—the Red Cloud Dao Robe—whose activated defense was called the “Fire Cloud Shield,” a top-grade first-rank spell, offering excellent defense and generating searing flames to burn enemies.

But now, Fang Xing’s fist was automatically covered by a silver-white glove, layered with a Golden Bell Shield, which slammed into the shield with full force.

After achieving Puyu, he could now channel primordial true qi to activate the “Golden Bell Shield Rune!”

Almost with the first punch, the crimson shield rippled violently.

“No good!”

Only now did the Qi-Condensation late-stage cultivator snap back to his senses; his gaze at Fang Xing was filled with terror: “Impossible…”

Too late—everything was already too late!

On Fang Xing’s fist, strands of primordial true qi coalesced, suddenly forming another massive fist imprint!

Boom!

With the two fists overlapping, the Fire Cloud Shield shattered instantly; countless sparks hot enough to melt metal and iron sprayed outward, scorching deep holes into the ground.

Fang Xing, bathed in flames, remained unharmed, like a god of fire; he raised his hand slightly and, at the last possible moment, struck the flying sword’s blade, avoiding the edge, then flicked his finger lightly against the sword’s body.

Shhh!

The flying sword instantly became a streak of light and plunged into the opposite wall.

“How can such a warrior exist in this world?”

The Qi-Condensation late-stage cultivator glared in fury—then Fang Xing punched his abdomen; the man collapsed to the ground, curled like a giant shrimp.

“Let me see your rental spirit contract. If you have one, I’ll go to the next place… If you don’t…”

Fang Xing’s expression was cold; he reached out with his right hand, yanking the flying sword from the wall, gripping its hilt.

The flying sword hummed, like a venomous snake caught by the neck, utterly immobilized.

He extended his left hand, grabbing the cultivator’s throat and lifting him off the ground, giving him a light shake.

The cultivator’s artifacts, talismans… rained down from his body like a shower.

“Mercy, my lord!”

The Qi-Condensation late-stage cultivator’s face flushed red; he forced out the words through clenched teeth: “I have no spirit contract—this house was taken later…”

“I knew it…”

Fang Xing applied slight pressure; a dragon’s roar echoed in the void, and the Qi-Condensation late-stage cultivator immediately fainted.

The battle erupted and ended in an instant; faint sounds stirred around, then quickly faded.

“Interesting!”

Sensing those energy signatures, Fang Xing’s lips curled into a faint smile.

The spirit vein areas in this marketplace seemed to be mutually divided by cultivators and beasts, each claiming their own “territory!”

Hunting and being hunted occurred constantly, all governed by the natural law of survival of the fittest.

Just now, his neighbors had sensed their territory’s “lord” being challenged; after the fight ended, they fell silent again, tacitly accepting Fang Xing’s occupation of this place.

“Humans are also part of nature… But I was just attending class on Chickens Star—now I’m playing a battle royale? How thrilling!”

…

The top-grade cave dwelling’s courtyard was large, with many rooms, a garden, herb patches, alchemy chambers, animal pens, a basement, and more…

Moreover, the spiritual energy here was far denser than in any other cave dwelling.

Just standing in a basic stance, Fang Xing felt his blood and qi surge vigorously; his internal qi conversion speed nearly doubled compared to his temporary camp!

“What a place—just this concentration of spiritual energy is like eating half a bowl of spirit rice extra every day…”

He sighed silently and headed to the basement.

The basement had been converted into a cage, temporarily holding a comatose Qi-Condensation late-stage cultivator.

Fang Xing silently picked up a flying sword.

This was the most valuable loot of the battle—a top-grade first-rank flying sword, since the robe had already been destroyed in combat… The blade was about one foot long—roughly thirty-three centimeters—with a bronze hue, ancient cloud patterns, sharp dual edges, and an inscription on the hilt: “Qing Que.”

“Qing Que Sword… Too bad—I have no spiritual power, can’t fly it… Can only use it as a dagger…”

He grumbled, then grabbed the cultivator’s right hand, piercing his fingertip to draw a drop of blood, placing it into a white handbag beside him.

This was a “portable home medical kit” purchased on the black market.

The medical kit absorbed the blood and began operating rapidly.

Less than ten minutes later, a detailed physical examination report appeared before Fang Xing.

“No wonder cultivators look old—they still have decent bodily functions… Can live over a hundred years? Could this be tied to Qi-Condensation late-stage cultivation?”

“But…”

Fang Xing’s face darkened with disappointment at the end: “No abnormal bodily structures… So the so-called ‘spirit roots’ aren’t physical tissues—can’t be transplanted…”

He still harbored some fantasies about cultivation.

But this live examination of a cultivator brutally shattered that illusion.

“Still, this portable medical kit can only treat minor illnesses—the inspection may not be precise enough…”

Fang Xing fell into thought: “Ideally, I’d send this precious live specimen to the top medical labs of the Blue Star Federation… But obviously, I won’t.”

He raised a finger; a blade of primordial true qi pierced the cultivator’s forehead.

The cultivator groaned and woke up.

The moment he saw Fang Xing, he instinctively formed a hand seal and chanted a spell.

“Don’t harbor false hopes—I just fed you ‘Shi Xian Grass.’ Though it can be refined into a spirit pill to boost spiritual power, it’s poisonous; it prevents cultivators from gathering spiritual energy. To expel its toxin, a Qi-Condensation cultivator like you needs at least twelve hours!”

Fang Xing said coldly.

“I apologize, my lord—I didn’t know what you wanted. I’ll cooperate fully!”

The Qi-Condensation cultivator immediately looked at Fang Xing, his face filled with humility and flattery, kneeling swiftly.

Black-market cultivators are always this pragmatic.

“Good. One who can bend and stretch is a true man… What’s your name?”

“I am Zhou Tong.”

“Do you know about the black market and ghost market?”

…

Fang Xing casually asked about some intelligence, cross-checking it with what Yu Xia had said.

Unfortunately, this Qi-Condensation late-stage cultivator knew nothing about the secret realm’s details—but he knew the black market well.

“One last thing: do you remember how many people you’ve killed?”

Fang Xing asked, his face expressionless.

Zhou Tong’s expression hardened, then twisted into a snarl—he clearly sensed Fang Xing’s killing intent: “I curse you…”

Shhh!

A blade of primordial true qi descended, and Zhou Tong instantly lost all breath.

“You’re no good person—and I don’t keep hazards around…”

Fang Xing shook his head; from Zhou Tong’s collection, he knew this man was no ordinary cultivator—likely a bandit cultivator by origin.

Since he was a bandit cultivator, after contributing to medical science, he could die.

Since learning the Golden Core true cultivator had left, Fang Xing had indeed become much bolder.

With his current martial arts and equipment… he could practically crush the entire marketplace.

Even if he encountered a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he’d at least have a chance to escape.

Besides… both Yu Xia and Zhou Tong revealed that the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the marketplace were either dead or had fled with the Golden Core true cultivator, leaving the marketplace in chaos.

…

Several days later.

Southeast of the marketplace, an underground cavern.

Fang Xing, clad in black, face covered, entered carrying a large bundle.

Beneath the mask, his face was still the same fearsome visage.

Since refining his skin, muscles, and bones, he could now change his appearance at will—tall, short, fat, thin, handsome, ugly—he could be anything.

“I’ve been to the ghost market—the items traded are far too low-grade; mostly daily necessities…”

Thinking of this, he felt deeply frustrated.

After the Jade Purity realm, cultivation progresses even slower than during the Bone and Sinew stage; to gather suitable pills and dispose of stolen goods, he still had to come once.

This underground cavern was naturally formed, but later appeared to have been modified by cultivators, with many entrances.

In the largest cavern, strange pearls were embedded in the walls, emitting a soft and chilly light.

On the ground above, scattered cultivators had set up stalls for trading in small groups.

Fang Xing wandered for a while before stopping at the stall of an old man with white whiskers.

The white-bearded old man was extremely robust, looking vigorous despite his age; passing cultivators hurried past, for he was unmistakably a high-level expert at the Peak of Qi Refinement.

In the present Qinglin Market, where no Foundation Establishment cultivators remained, he was at the top.

What interested Fang Xing was that on the old man’s stall stood a small banner bearing the mark of Huolian Workshop.

“It seems the incident happened suddenly—not all major merchants have left…”

He silently thought to himself, stepped forward, and bowed: “Old sir… do you buy beast materials, secondhand magical weapons, and spirit herbs?”

The old man looked up at Fang Xing, nodded, and spoke sparingly: “Buy.”

“Good.”

Fang Xing nodded, opened his bundle, and laid out each item one by one before the old man.

Seeing the gauntlets and the Qing Que Sword, the old man’s expression grew significantly more serious; he glanced at Fang Xing in surprise, then casually picked up a wolf pelt:

“First-rank mid-grade, hide of a Qingfeng Head Wolf—appraised at twenty low-grade spirit stones…”

Fang Xing frowned: “This price is a bit low…”

“Before the market incident, it would have been higher; now, this is the only price.”

The old man shook his head, answering with unusual firmness.