Chapter 130: The Immortal

"Eight hundred years ago, immortals came from beyond the Eastern Sea, later revered by future generations as the 'Martial Ancestor,' who originated the Martial Dao. This is the source of the Martial Dao, and the Black Fiend Art is the very first version of martial arts techniques ever created by the immortals..."

"To provide a matching cultivation resource for the Black Fiend Art, the immortals took the most common and fastest-reproducing Bright Yin Grass and cultivated it into Black Jade Grass. To accelerate the growth of the Black Jade Grass, they further refined a wondrous treasure known as the Azure Origin Pot. Historical records note that a total of these wondrous Azure Origin Pots were refined by the immortals: 256 Lower-Grade Azure Origin Pots, 72 Middle-Grade Azure Origin Pots, and 9 Upper-Grade Azure Origin Pots... The wondrous Azure Origin Pot can extract ordinary medicinal herbs to produce Azure Origin Liquid. When this Azure Origin Liquid is used to water Black Jade Grass, one day's growth equals a full year, and for other medicinal herbs, one day equals a month..."

The moment Shen Xuchen began speaking, it was nothing short of earth-shattering.

"Immortals?! The Martial Ancestor?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Jin felt as though his worldview had been completely overturned. Wasn't this supposed to be purely about martial arts? Why on earth were immortals suddenly being brought into the picture? He struggled to digest this torrent of information.

Yet, at that very moment, many details he had previously overlooked suddenly connected in his mind, bringing forth a rush of profound realizations.

*'Back then, during the Medicine King Sect's recruitment of martial disciples, those who failed to master martial arts within a month were demoted to herb-gathering boys. I used to think these boys were merely out in the wild gathering auxiliary ingredients for Black Origin Powder. Now that I think about it, that makes no sense. The wild is filled with countless varieties of herbs; how could it just happen to be those specific auxiliary ingredients? Gathering herbs in such a needle-in-a-haystack manner is probably far less efficient than cultivating them directly... Now I understand! It was to acquire various medicinal herbs as raw materials to extract Azure Origin Liquid!'*

Furthermore, he had previously wondered why the Medicine King Sect hadn't intercepted the caravans of tributes sent by the major aristocratic families from the counties under the prefecture city.

—Such tributes and bestowals certainly meant the Shen family would never engage in a losing venture; theoretically, intercepting them along the way would yield even greater profits!

*'Now it's clear. If the Medicine King Sect had seized the medicinal herbs contributed by the various county families, the Shen family wouldn't have been able to use the Azure Origin Pots to extract enough Azure Origin Liquid. Consequently, they wouldn't have been able to cultivate enough Black Jade Grass to supply the cultivation resource known as Black Origin Powder, and by extension, they could no longer sustain such a massive scale of martial artists. Doing so would have been equivalent to forcing the Shen family into a desperate, all-out decisive battle!'*

Having figured this out, Zhuang Jin forced himself to calm his mind and asked, "Eighth Young Master, what is the difference between the Upper, Middle, and Lower-Grade Azure Origin Pots? And why does the Azure Origin Liquid produced by the pots accelerate Black Jade Grass by a year per day, while for other herbs it is only a month per day?"

"The difference between the Upper, Middle, and Lower-Grade pots? A Lower-Grade Azure Origin Pot can nurture medicinal herbs for a maximum of fifty years; a Middle-Grade Azure Origin Pot can nurture them up to two hundred years; while an Upper-Grade Azure Origin Pot can nurture herbs for up to five hundred years!"

"As for why Azure Origin Liquid grants Black Jade Grass one year of growth per day, but only one month for other herbs—if Guardian Zhuang were to ask anyone else, they would likely only tell you that the Azure Origin Pot was specifically refined by immortals for Black Jade Grass, and they wouldn't be able to explain much beyond that. However, I happened to read about it in an ancient book of oddities, which provides a better explanation."

Shen Xuchen paused deliberately, and only after Zhuang Jin played along with a prompting question did he continue: "According to that book, the reason the Azure Origin Liquid extracted by the Azure Origin Pot can accelerate plant growth is rumored to be because the pot extracts the primordial heaven and earth Qi contained within the ingested medicinal herbs. Therefore, Azure Origin Liquid goes by another name—Heaven and Earth Origin Liquid... Primordial heaven and earth Qi is formed by the combination of what immortals call 'spiritual Qi' and the Qi of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements. Different ratios yield different effects, and the Azure Origin Liquid extracted by the Azure Origin Pot has a ratio specifically tailored for Black Jade Grass..."

*'Heaven and Earth Origin Qi! Heaven and Earth Origin Liquid! Spiritual Qi!'*

Zhuang Jin once again felt a wave of profound shock. While gaining a much clearer understanding of the true nature of this realm, he instantly grasped the answer to his previous question: the ratio of spiritual Qi to Yin-Yang and Five Elements Qi within the Azure Origin Liquid—or rather, Heaven and Earth Origin Liquid—could be viewed as a specialized 'nutrient solution' custom-made for Black Jade Grass.

"Returning to the Black Fiend Art, it is the very first version of martial arts techniques created by the immortals. Its cultivation speed is fast, but it drains and consumes potential, making breakthroughs past bottlenecks extremely difficult. Once a certain realm is reached, one becomes completely stuck..."

At this point, Shen Xuchen shook his head slightly: "The immortals' initial intentions were not malicious. The Black Fiend Art drains potential, but refining Black Origin Powder can also replenish that potential. As long as breakthroughs happen quickly enough, not only does it not harm the body, but it even accumulates potential. However, human capability has its limits, and human aptitude falls far short of that ideal standard..."

Zhuang Jin inexplicably felt as though he had been subtly insulted: *'So... am I being expelled from humanity?'*

Yet, this was actually favorable news for him!

Since the Black Fiend Art was the first-generation martial arts technique created by immortals, it meant its upper limit was extremely high. Furthermore, because of its widespread dissemination, it was relatively easy to acquire. This meant Zhuang Jin didn't need to switch techniques; he could continuously cultivate this technique that suited him best.

*'For others, this technique allows for fast early-stage cultivation, but it drains and consumes potential, causing them to get permanently stuck at a certain realm's bottleneck, unable to make further progress. I am different—I have no bottlenecks. As long as my breakthroughs are fast enough, the draining will never outpace the replenishment... I get to enjoy all the benefits without suffering any of the drawbacks.'*

Reality proved this to be true!

Every three meridian levels formed a stage: levels one through three were one stage, four through six another, and above seven yet another. The accumulation required for each successive level grew increasingly massive, yet Zhuang Jin's breakthrough speed had not decreased; if anything, it had only increased.

Part of the reason for this was his consumption of high-grade spirit beast meat, but the other part was that Zhuang Jin's breakthroughs were rapid enough that his potential continuously piled up and accumulated, steadily elevating his aptitude.

"Following the Black Fiend Art, the immortals created the second version of martial arts techniques: the Five Elements version. It aligns better with the human body, reducing the drain and consumption of potential while correspondingly lowering cultivation speed and the difficulty of breaking through bottlenecks... The primary materials for the cultivation resources of this version, known as Five Elements Origin Powder, are the Five Elements Origin Grass—Metal Origin Grass, Wood Origin Grass, Water Origin Grass, Fire Origin Grass, and Earth Origin Grass—all of which were mutated and derived from Black Jade Grass... For instance, the Medicine King Sect's Greater Vajra Skill belongs to this version of techniques. Its cultivation resource, Metal Origin Powder, uses Metal Origin Grass as its main ingredient, which is a mutation derived from Black Jade Grass!"

"After the second-version techniques, the immortals subsequently created the third version: the Five Elements Mutated techniques. This version can consolidate one's foundation, foster deep accumulation, prolong life, and allow one to walk further down the path of martial arts... The primary origin grasses for its cultivation resources are cultivated through mutations of the Five Elements Origin Grass... For example, my Shen family's Wind-Thunder Startling Skill uses Azure Origin Powder as its cultivation resource, and its main ingredient, Azure Origin Grass, came to be precisely this way."

This was also the reason why Shen Xuchen, despite being a Shen family scion with supreme aptitude, was currently 'only' at the seventh meridian level. Because of the different technique, his cultivation speed was slower, yet it allowed him to travel longer and farther on the later stages of the martial path.

Precisely for this reason, he felt not the slightest bit of jealousy or wariness toward Zhuang Jin—he had seen many geniuses like Zhuang Jin. Relying on innate talent, they rose like a storm, breaking through realms as easily as drinking water; they might reach the seventh, tenth, or even twelfth meridian level in a year or two, or three to five years. But once they showed signs of decline and became trapped by a bottleneck, they could remain stuck without an inch of progress for a decade, or even several decades.

"As I mentioned earlier, the Azure Origin Pot was refined by immortals specifically for Black Jade Grass. The subsequent Five Elements Origin Grass and Five Elements Mutated Origin Grass both originated from Black Jade Grass, sharing the same root and species. Therefore, the Azure Origin Liquid still provides them with the one-year-per-day growth effect. However, because they have mutated and lost some of their original traits, they consume considerably more Azure Origin Liquid."

"To be more precise, Azure Origin Liquid is tailor-made for Black Jade Grass. The greater the deviation from Black Jade Grass, the more Azure Origin Liquid is consumed; the higher the target's age in years, the more Azure Origin Liquid is consumed."

After summarizing, Shen Xuchen stated the reality: "Thus, cultivating Black Jade Grass conserves the most Azure Origin Liquid, cultivating Five Elements Origin Grass consumes relatively more, and cultivating the third-version Five Elements Mutated Origin Grass consumes the most of all."

*'No wonder.'*

Zhuang Jin understood yet another puzzle that had previously confused him: The Black Fiend Art drained potential, which was why failing to become a formal martial artist within a month meant the end of one's martial path. But other techniques that did not drain potential and instead consolidated the foundation shouldn't have faced this issue—even if one failed to succeed after a month, they could still continue practicing. So why had the Ninth Young Master given up on martial arts just because his aptitude was mediocre?

Now, looking at it, the issue wasn't hard to understand at all.

*'The second-version martial arts techniques only reduced the drain on potential. Continuing to practice after failing the one-month mark, just like with the Black Fiend Art, was tantamount to seeking death. As for the third-version martial arts techniques, they didn't have this problem, but the main ingredients for their cultivation resources—the Five Elements Mutated Origin Grass—required far too much Azure Origin Liquid to cultivate. Since they were daily consumables, the cost was simply too exorbitant, so exorbitant that even if the Ninth Young Master's aptitude was merely ordinary, the Shen family was unwilling to forcefully pile resources into him!'*

"By extension, other medicinal herbs, such as those used for breaking through bottlenecks, consume even more Azure Origin Liquid, yet their effect is reduced to just one month per day... This is precisely why pills for breaking through bottlenecks are so precious."

"So that's how it is." Zhuang Jin nodded as he listened. Cultivating other ordinary herbs already required a large expenditure of Azure Origin Liquid, and with the rate reduced to one month per day, the time cycle was prolonged as well. Factoring both together, the cultivation cost became astronomical. No wonder the Shen family had previously been unwilling to refine pills for breaking through bottlenecks.

*'This also dictates that pills for breaking through bottlenecks are high-end resources and luxuries; they could never be used as daily consumable resources like Black Origin Powder... Viewed from this perspective, the higher the level of bottleneck-breaking pills, the more precious they become—so precious that it probably goes far beyond merely the age of the medicinal herbs, to the point where even direct descendants of the Shen family, like scions such as Shen Xuchen, cannot easily acquire them.'*

Otherwise, why would the other party bother cultivating a third-version technique? It would be far more refreshing to simply cultivate the Black Fiend Art or a second-version technique and pop pills whenever a bottleneck was encountered.