On the way back to Hundred Pine Peak, Ye Zhen clutched the two bottles of pills he had exchanged for as if they were precious treasures, fearing they might fly out of his grasp due to his speedy run.
Seven hundred silvers, enough for an ordinary family of three to live prosperously for seven or eight years, had been exchanged for a mere seventy Contribution Points.
In the end, what he had in hand were three Blood Essence Pills that greatly replenished Blood Qi and two Meridian Passage Pills for healing injuries.
It must be said, practicing martial arts is indeed a very luxurious affair; the phrase, "The rich cultivate the arts, the poor cultivate martial ways," is as good as gold.
Ye Zhen now somewhat understood why the Qiyun Sect set such strict rules for becoming an Outer Disciple.
Cultivation resources are limited. In order not to waste these resources, and to maximize their effectiveness, it's necessary to select the most potential candidates through multiple layers of screening to enjoy high-quality cultivation resources.
In fact, Ye Zhen had wanted to use Contribution Points to exchange for a higher-grade Cultivation Technique or Martial Skill, but the Sect Steward's reply to Ye Zhen was three words—no qualifications!
In Qiyun Sect, servant disciples could only exchange Contribution Points for low-level pills and miscellaneous items, they didn't even have an Identity Token, so the Contribution Points obtained from exchanging silver had to be used up in one go.
Returning to Hundred Pine Peak, it was still early, most disciples were still on the mountain, with only a few servant disciples like Ma Yuanwu, who were ranked high in Cultivation, just coming back.
Seeing Ye Zhen, the expressions of those few were somewhat astonished.
However, Ye Zhen didn't waste words with them; he went straight back to his room and started his intensive cultivation. He wanted to see just how powerful these Blood Essence Pills, specifically provided for Outer Disciples, were.
As soon as Ye Zhen ingested a Blood Essence Pill that emitted a faint fishy scent, he immediately spurred his Blood Qi Technique and closed his eyes to cultivate and comprehend.
Over an hour later, Ye Zhen slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with a hint of amazement.
The Cultivation resources for Outer Disciples, merely a Blood Essence Pill every five days, made Ye Zhen immensely envious.
At least ten times!
The effect of the Blood Essence Pill was more than ten times that of the Blood Essence Soup.
Moreover, the power contained within was purer, making it easier to absorb and refine.
Not only that, Ye Zhen also discovered that the Blood Essence Pill had an effect almost similar to the Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid he had consumed; the efficacy of a drop of Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid was equivalent to that of a Blood Essence Pill, but there was a distinction.
The Blood Essence Pill was very pure, containing a strong medicinal strength of Blood Qi that directly enhanced Ye Zhen's own Blood Qi and improved his Cultivation.
But the effects of the Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid were comprehensive, akin to the Ten-Complete Great Replenishing Pill, not only strengthening Ye Zhen's Blood Qi but also nourishing his entire body, eyes, ears, mouth, nose, Five Internal Organs, and Six Hollow Organs.
Ye Zhen had taken Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid continuously for more than twenty days, and the effects were very apparent; not only had his eyesight and hearing significantly improved, but his mind was clearer, and things he couldn't understand before now suddenly became crystal clear.
The most obvious effect was in his practice of the Bear King Mountain Carrying Fist, which had improved rapidly, and when he threw a punch, there was a faint sound of a bear's roar, signifying extraordinary power.
Without hesitation, Ye Zhen swallowed a second Blood Essence Pill and continued to bolster his Blood Qi.
"Ye Zhen, Ye Zhen, good news, good news!"
Sha Fei's voice, tinged with excitement, interrupted Ye Zhen's Cultivation. When Ye Zhen opened his eyes, he saw Sha Fei whirl into the room like a tornado, his face brimming with joy.
"Ye Zhen, do you know, that bastard Wuy Jian got beaten up! He was beaten so miserably, you must go see for yourself. Countless bones in his body are broken, especially his right leg, you can even see the white bone fragments!"
While cheering, Sha Fei swung his fists in the air as though venting, "You didn't see it, did you? Four men carried him down the mountain, and along the way, his wailing was like killing a pig, it was so satisfying, just so satisfying.
"What a pity, I still don't know who did it. If I did, I would definitely invite that person for a drink..."
"Be careful!"
Sha Fei, who was still speaking with animated gestures, was taken aback as Ye Zhen's expression suddenly changed, and he swiftly pulled Sha Fei backwards.
Bang!
In an instant, the door to the room where Ye Zhen and Sha Fei were located shattered into countless pieces, as a stone lock weighing a thousand pounds spiraled towards them, crashing into the room.
As he pulled Sha Fei back, Ye Zhen leaped up and with a flying kick, he sent the thousand-pound stone lock hurtling through the air.
"Ye Zhen, you son of a bitch, get the hell out here," Ma Yuanwu's cursing echoed throughout Hundred Pine Peak at the same time.
"Ma Yuanwu?" A startled Sha Fei paused for a moment, looking at Ye Zhen in confusion.
Ye Zhen's expression darkened as he strode towards the door.
Outside, just as Ye Zhen expected, Wuy Jian, with a broken arm and a leg, and countless fractured bones, was crying to Ma Yuanwu. Seeing Ye Zhen emerge, Wuy Jian's cries became even more pitiful.
"It was him, senior brother, it was this bastard Ye Zhen..." Wuy Jian just started to curse at Ye Zhen when Ye Zhen glowered fiercely, scaring Wuy Jian into swallowing back his words.
"It was Ye Zhen who ambushed me, leaving me seriously injured like this, and he even stole the silver note containing five hundred silver from my bosom. Senior brother, you must take up justice for me!" Wuy Jian cried out.
Hearing Wuy Jian's crying, Sha Fei, who had just followed outside, looked stunned. His eyes bulged as he alternated glances between the unafraid Ye Zhen and the severely injured Wuy Jian, as if he were in a dream.
The surrounding servant disciples were equally astonished and puzzled.
Wuy Jian was considered one of the top five in strength on Hundred Pine Peak, and now he had been severely beaten by Ye Zhen, who was once known as a good-for-nothing.
Hearing the words "five hundred silver," Ma Yuanwu's eyes instantly lit up.
"Ye Zhen, as fellow sect brothers, how could you be so vicious and ruthless to Wuy Jian..."
"Fellow sect brothers? Pah!" Before Ma Yuanwu could finish, Ye Zhen spat in contempt, "Ma Yuanwu, you have the gall to speak the words 'fellow sect brothers'? Do you even deserve them?"
Being cut off by Ye Zhen and insulted in front of so many people hit a sore spot for Ma Yuanwu, making his face swell with embarrassment and heat!
"Hmph, no matter what, I, as the senior brother of Hundred Pine Peak, have decided to handle this matter! Ye Zhen, if I don't show you a lesson today, you really won't know who the senior brother of Hundred Pine Peak is?
Take this!"
With a fierce shout, Ma Yuanwu launched his Bear King emerging from cavern strike, aiming right for Ye Zhen's face.
As the punch was thrown, Ma Yuanwu's blood qi made a hissing sound, instantly condensing into a huge Blood Pearl. It writhed beneath his skin like a serpent, rushing furiously, causing his fist to suddenly swell, intensifying the power of his punch.
Blood Qi Condensing Bead, a distinctive sign of the Third Stage of Blood Training. A Blood Pearl the size of half a fist indicated that Ma Yuanwu had concentrated all his Peak of Third Stage Blood Training Cultivation into one spot.
"Be careful!" Sha Fei exclaimed in alarm.
Ye Zhen's expression also suddenly turned grave, he shifted his stance slightly, and as a series of cracking sounds echoed, he countered with the Lazy Bear Stretching move.
Roar!