Chapter 91: Communication Jade Talisman; Immortal Bone, Spiritual Root

This world, compared to the Blue Star, was very peaceful.

Although the spiritual energy content was richer than the Blue Star's, it was full of inertia and not easy to utilize.

Fang Shi tested it; even for himself, unless he used his divine sense, it was basically impossible to mobilize spiritual energy.

This meant that the spiritual energy here was difficult for living beings to absorb.

Therefore, powerful creatures could not evolve in the wild.

This dashed one of Fang Shi's ideas.

He figured, since his own strength was weak, he might as well look around this place to see if there were any monsters or the like.

Fight monsters and level up first; any crisis was due to one's own insufficient strength.

As long as one's strength was raised, any crisis would be solved easily.

Unfortunately, heaven did not grant one's wish; Fang Shi's beautiful wish had not even begun before it was already over.

As time went on, Fang Shi, who was traveling, also began to feel bored.

Although the ink-wash-painting scenery had a unique beauty, it was truly bizarre.

Looking at it for too long made one feel psychologically uncomfortable.

Fang Shi felt that if he stayed any longer, his mind would develop problems.

"Huh? Someone?"

He suddenly saw, two li away, a group of people blocking the official road.

This greatly piqued the interest of the already bored Fang Shi.

He instantly quickened his pace and hurried over.

As for risk, what risk was there?

With his current strength, unless a Tier-3 creature appeared, he wasn't worried at all.

Moreover, based on the fuzzy detection of his divine sense, the total spiritual energy of that group across from him was not high.

……

Zhang Cheng had not noticed Fang Shi's arrival.

But when the Zhang family retainers stopped their hands under Li Xiang's order, he also curiously turned around to look.

At this look he was shocked; Zhang Cheng at his peak also had the strength of Marrow Transformation Perfection.

He naturally knew that this speed was definitely not the strength a martial artist should have.

He also feared it was someone invited by the Zhang family, so he took the opportunity to withdraw his hands.

Although the newcomer was handsome and dashing, his strange outfit and long bow on his back were truly quite ancient.

But there was no resisting his powerful strength.

From the speed of his arrival, one could tell he was no simple matter; especially after arriving he stopped at the side, looking like he was watching a show.

The curiosity in his eyes seemed to say, why haven't you continued yet.

Brother Zhang first said: "This True Person, where do you come from? I am Li Xiang, the steward of the Changdu Zhang family. We are currently pursuing a runaway slave of the Zhang family."

Zhang Cheng, hearing the words 'runaway slave,' could not help but snort coldly.

"A person who confuses black and white, sharp-tongued and slick."

Fang Shi smiled and said: "I am just a passerby. You all continue, don't mind me."

How could the crowd dare to continue, yet it was also not convenient to make a move for the moment; they all looked at each other.

Zhang Cheng suddenly said: "True Person, the Changdu Zhang family has lost all conscience, cutting off the tide floods, creating a great drought."

"Around Changdu, the people are destitute, selling their fields and themselves, gnawing bark and eating mud. Please, True Person, take charge!"

After speaking, he squeezed a few drops of tears from the corners of his eyes, on the verge of weeping.

Li Xiang directly said angrily: "True Person, don't listen to this servant's nonsense. Go to Changdu and inquire around; where is there such a thing?"

"Recently, the seasons have been favorable, with eight consecutive years of bumper harvests, and the people live in plenty and peace."

Fang Shi was a little curious; Changdu he did understand, it was the capital of Yizhou.

It was also the superior of Tongchang and Shandan.

But the Zhang family was too impressive, weren't they? They could actually defy great authority—did no other noble families stop them?

Especially the noble families downstream, who were also parties to the damaged interests.

Could it be that they were in collusion, hoarding grain and making money together?

He only heard Zhang Cheng say again: "Of course this is not something happening now, but eight years ago."

"These eight years, the good deeds your Zhang family has done, I have never dared to forget."

Li Xiang was about to retort, but who knew Fang Shi suddenly spoke up: "Who are you?"

Zhang Cheng was delighted; here only Li Xiang had introduced himself,

so this question was certainly not directed at him, but naturally at himself.

"My name is Zhang…"

Before the words were finished, Fang Shi spoke again, but this time he turned his body, facing the direction of the carriage.

"Do you want me to help?"

Everyone present was stunned; what madness had this Daoist Priest gone mad about, who was he talking to?

Only Zhang Cheng and Li Xiang's expressions changed, not knowing what they had thought of.

Fang Shi continued: "Alright, alright, then what benefit do I get?"

Li Xiang could not help but say: "True Person, whatever you want, the Zhang family can give it to you…"

Before Li Xiang finished speaking, Zhang Cheng slashed over with a blade; he also could not be bothered to talk, raising his staff to parry.

The Zhang family retainers, seeing this scene, also hurriedly came over to help.

The fight, which had barely been calmed, was about to resume.

Fang Shi frowned, flashed his figure, and appeared between Zhang Cheng and Li Xiang, grabbing each person's shoulder with one hand.

Like tossing sandbags, he flung both of them five or six meters away.

The other retainers were stunned by Fang Shi's move; aside from the speed they couldn't even see,

flinging a person away with one hand was something an ordinary person could not do.

If the retainers, previously insensitive to speed, did not yet know Fang Shi's prowess,

this display of strength made everyone tremble with fear.

Some retainers could not bear it and knelt directly, crying out, "Great Immortal, spare us!"

This kneeling triggered a group; three or two at a time, they knelt down.

To be honest, Fang Shi, in his training clothes, handsome and dashing, having just shown a move,

truly looked like an immortal to ordinary people.

"Stop making noise!"

Now, the retainers who had cried out "Great Immortal" dared not speak, only lowering their heads and cautiously watching Fang Shi from the corner of their eyes.

"Enough, stop nagging. I used skillful force; I did not injure them."

Fang Shi said impatiently; this woman in his mind was truly nagging.

Was it really necessary to talk so much nonsense just because he flung her lover?

"Enough, let it be. I will help you drive away the Zhang family people; you give that thing to me."

Having finished speaking, Fang Shi turned and said coldly to Li Xiang, "Will you leave on your own, or shall I ask you to leave?"

Li Xiang still wanted to speak, but was silenced by Fang Shi's fierce gaze.

Immediately, he fell silent as if frozen by winter, unable to utter another word.

He scrambled up in a panic and signaled the Zhang family retainers to leave.

The entire scene was deathly silent, yet their movements were fast and perfectly synchronized.

After the crowd had left for two li, the lively Xiao Hu could no longer contain himself: "Brother Zhang, is that True Person truly a god?"

This remark made the retainers present lean in to listen; they were very curious about this matter.

They hoped Li Xiang, who was well-traveled and knowledgeable, could give them an answer.

Li Xiang shook his head: "He is not a god."

Xiao Hu was shocked: "Not a god? If not a god, how could he fling a person away with one hand?"

"I struggle to carry even one person, let alone fling someone with one hand."

Li Xiang sighed: "That person, though not a god, is a god to us."

Xiao Hu fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "How does one become that kind of person?"

This time, Li Xiang smiled: "How would I know? If I knew, I would still be a manager in the Zhang family."

"Enough, Xiao Hu, do not speak rashly of nobles."

Having finished speaking, everyone stopped discussing the matter and, led by Li Xiang, walked toward a Zhang family outpost.

After waiting for the Zhang family retainers to leave, Fang Shi said to the carriage, "You may come down."

At this moment, Zhang Cheng also stood up, walked to the carriage, and whispered a few words.

A moment later, a young woman in a white dress walked down from the carriage gracefully.

The young woman was about fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a pale yellow long dress, with bright eyes and white teeth, no makeup, her skin tender and fresh, very cute.

Like a beauty from a painting, literally a painting.

"Does this True Person bear the surname Zhang?"

The young woman's voice was very clear, melodious like a lark.

Fang Shi said coldly, "My surname is Fang; I have no relation to your Zhang family."

The young woman shook her head: "No, you carry the Zhang family bloodline."

"My name is Zhang Zihui, daughter of Zhang Xuanming, head of the Zhang family."

Fang Shi narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Zhang Zihui: "Why are you so certain? Is it the function of that thing?"

In Fang Shi's divine sense, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth circulated around Zhang Zihui in some mysterious way, gathering at the center of her chest.

Zhang Zihui removed a jade talisman from her neck, upon which were carved mysterious runes: "Actually, this is not anything precious."

"It is merely a communication talisman that connects via the Zhang family bloodline."

"Besides that, it can sense the Zhang family bloodline within a certain range."

"It was through this jade talisman that I detected your bloodline and subsequently sought your help."

Fang Shi fell into thought; to say he acted out of greed for Zhang Zihui's communication talisman would not be entirely true.

Mainly, Fang Shi had heard Zhang Cheng's words and felt a slight dissatisfaction with the Zhang family.

The young woman suddenly using the communication talisman to request his help was merely adding one more chip to the table.

Because he had not verified the truth, he only drove away the Zhang family retainers and did not take their lives.

But Fang Shi was still very interested in the communication talisman; he would not underestimate it because of a mere small communication talisman.

Perhaps in some people's eyes, only items with tremendous power and high lethality are called treasures.

But in Fang Shi's eyes, it was not so.

The logic was simple: in a previous life, a small mobile phone, though having no lethality, possessed higher technological content than a gun.

Perhaps this world is different, but a small communication talisman could at least allow Fang Shi to initially understand the supernatural world.

Especially the supernatural power in this bizarre environment.

As for the bloodline, Fang Shi found it very strange.

Fang Shi was clearly an outsider; having a bloodline would be a ghost story.

Perhaps this young girl simply did not understand the operating mechanism of the magical artifact.

The magical artifact might even have a bug.

"Why do you trust me so much?" Fang Shi changed the subject.

Zhang Zihui smiled: "When Zhang Cheng fell into severe injury, I did not request external aid, and the result was no change at all."

"I have never seen a cultivator like you in the family."

"Seeking your help was also placing hope on a sliver of a chance for life."

"Cultivator?" Fang Shi muttered.

This sound was noticed by Zhang Zihui: "Our Zhang family was established five hundred years ago; our ancestor studied under True Person Nanhua."

"For five hundred years, we have branched out countless times; it is not surprising that scattered cultivators who awaken their Immortal Bones on their own occasionally appear outside."

"As for whether one bears the surname Zhang, anyone with an Immortal Bone can bear the surname Zhang."

Speaking to this point, Zhang Zihui felt a pride from the depths of her heart, as if the surname Zhang was a great glory.

However, Fang Shi only wanted to laugh inside; bringing up bloodline again, did you know I am an outsider? What surname I bear has nothing to do with me.

"So, all in all, you just decided to take a gamble and called me for help," Fang Shi was somewhat speechless, "I have a question for you: on what principle does this jade talisman judge the Zhang family bloodline?"

Zhang Zihui hesitated for a moment: "It should be the descendants of the Ancestor."

Fang Shi asked in confusion: "Then after five hundred years, wouldn't that number reach several million or even a hundred million?"

"With such a large number of people, how do you maintain communication?"

Zhang Zihui thought for a moment and added: "It is not quite like that; generally speaking, only the main family line and descendants who have awakened their Immortal Bones can make contact."

Oh, so it is artificially corrected; otherwise, if every generation branched off without change, the number of people would truly be too great.

However, the Immortal Bone is an exception; it does not matter which generation it is.

But the problem arises: I am definitely not a person of the Zhang family.

Immortal Bone?

This is somewhat doubtful; Fang Shi still does not know what an Immortal Bone is.

"What is an Immortal Bone?" Fang Shi asked.

Zhang Zihui smiled: "Receiving the breath of heaven and earth, inheriting the spirit of heaven and earth, this is called an Immortal Bone."

"Generally speaking, the human body has two hundred and six bones, and the Immortal Bone is the extra one."

Fang Shi asked again: "Suppose someone is born with two hundred and eight bones, what would this extra bone count as?"

Zhang Zihui shook her head: "It is not that simple; only receiving the breath of heaven and earth and inheriting the spirit of heaven and earth can count as an Immortal Bone."

"Otherwise, even if one is born with over a hundred extra bones, they are all useless bones."

Hearing this, Fang Shi immediately gazed inward at his own body: two hundred and six bones, not one more, not one less.

"Is there a possibility that someone is born with two hundred and five bones, and the extra one counts as an Immortal Bone?"

Zhang Zihui was somewhat surprised; this cultivator who wandered outside had quite a few questions.

But she was not impatient: "Perhaps; as long as it possesses the nature of this Immortal Bone, it can be counted as an Immortal Bone."

But the problem is that Fang Shi's entire body is full of them, ever since he advanced to the Qi Refining realm.

His physique had changed, gaining the specialization of drawing in spiritual energy.

Not only could the bones absorb spiritual energy, but even the skin, internal organs, and viscera could absorb spiritual energy.

"Then what kind of changes occur when one awakens an Immortal Bone?"

"And the cultivator you speak of, does one count as a cultivator only after awakening an Immortal Bone?"

Zhang Zihui nodded: "That is correct; only by awakening an Immortal Bone can one count as a cultivator. As for the changes, it is just like you."

"No, I mean generally, what changes occur? My awakening process was muddled, and I suspect some potential has not yet been excavated."

Hearing this, Zhang Zihui was startled in her heart; there is potential yet to be excavated? Could it be an Immortal Bone of medium quality or above?

Only such an Immortal Bone requires phased awakening.

Thus, the look in her eyes toward Fang Shi became somewhat eager: "I do not understand these matters very well, but Zhang Cheng's master should understand; he is a cultivator."

Fang Shi turned his head and said to Zhang Cheng: "Do you have an Immortal Bone? Why do I feel you are so weak? You cannot even defeat a Retainer of the Zhang family."

Hearing this, Zhang Cheng gave a bitter smile and said: "This True Person, I am Zhang Cheng; I am not yet a cultivator."

"Oh, so you mean you will be a cultivator in the future? Then tell me, how does one become a cultivator?"

"This..." Zhang Cheng was somewhat hesitant.

Fang Shi saw Zhang Cheng's hesitation and spoke proactively: "I will not ask you about specific cultivation methods; I ask about the general steps, such as the divisions of realms."

"That is indeed simple," Zhang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that Fang Shi would use his superior strength to force questions out of him.

"Actually, I do not possess an Immortal Bone; the Immortal Bone is heaven-made and can be described as rare as a phoenix feather or a unicorn horn."

Fang Shi became even more interested: "Then how do you become a cultivator?"

"Forging a Spirit Root."

"What is a Spirit Root?"

Zhang Cheng spoke slowly: "Spirit refers to the spirit of heaven and earth; Root refers to the root of the Dao. In ancient times, there were sages who were born without Immortal Bones but longed for immortality."

"They pursued methods to obtain an Immortal Bone after birth; although they ultimately did not find one, they found the method to forge a Spirit Root."

Fang Shi asked: "Then how does one forge a Spirit Root?"

Zhang Cheng took a deep breath: "Breaking the limit?"

"What is breaking the limit?"

Zhang Cheng was somewhat envious; being born with an Immortal Bone is comfortable; even without understanding martial arts, one can become a cultivator.

"The path of martial arts is divided into four stages: Through the Sinews, Internal Refinement, Marrow Transformation, and Limit Breaking."

"Ordinary people, with sufficient nutrition and methods, after three to five years of training, can enter Through the Sinews once every inch of their muscles has been fully exercised."

"After Through the Sinews, force becomes subtle; large and small muscles move at will. Further, through breathing, posture, and movement, the five viscera and six bowels are driven, and the entire body's muscles and bones are trained together to gradually strengthen oneself; this is Internal Refinement."

"This is a long process; most people stop at this stage for their entire lives."

"Marrow Transformation can actually be undertaken at any time once Internal Refinement is entered, but the human body is fragile."

"If the five viscera and six bowels are not strong enough, it is merely seeking one's own destruction, so Marrow Transformation comes after Internal Refinement."

"And after Internal Refinement and Marrow Transformation are perfected, the human body reaches its limit; to advance further, one can only break the limit."

"But the path of Limit Breaking is not so easy to walk; it is a process of inflicting massive damage on the body, then repairing it again, to break through the human limit."

"It is severe damage to the entire body, both inside and out. Only figures who have mastered Internal Refinement and Marrow Transformation can achieve this by self-controlling the vibration of their entire body's muscles, and it will also damage one's lifespan."

"Most figures who have mastered Internal Refinement and Marrow Transformation are already over thirty years old."

"At such an age, recovery ability declines; using such a training method would only damage one's life for nothing, and success is not guaranteed."

"Therefore, only martial artists under thirty who have perfected Marrow Transformation can attempt Limit Breaking."

"And above Limit Breaking lies the forging of the Spiritual Root."

"After a martial artist breaks the limit, they can sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth; if aided by corresponding methods, they can condense a Spiritual Root within their body, thus crossing the threshold into the realm of cultivators."

"And it is said that the more times one breaks the limit, the more powerful the condensed Spiritual Root becomes, capable of rivaling the legendary Superior Immortal Bone."

"I was favored by my master, admitted to the sect, and taught the methods of cultivation."

"I only need to break the limit and forge a Spiritual Root to become a cultivator."

"It is also thanks to the sages who invented the method of forging Spiritual Roots and inscribed it upon the Heavenly Dao, bringing a sliver of hope to all beings."

Fang Shi was startled: "What did you say? Inscribed upon the Heavenly Dao?"