"Sha Fei, why are you packing? What are you doing?" Ye Zhen returned to the room and saw Sha Fei silently packing his belongings. Ye Zhen couldn't help but grow anxious.
Before he even had a chance to answer Ye Zhen, a look of despair flitted across Sha Fei's face.
"Originally, the chances of me breaking through from the Second Stage of Blood Training to the Third Stage within a day or two were already slim. Now that I've suffered internal injuries, that hope has become even more bleak. Rather than waiting for the grand examination to end and being disgracefully expelled from the sect and sent home, it's better for me to leave quietly in advance—at least that would be somewhat less humiliating," Sha Fei said.
After speaking, Sha Fei pointed to a jar of Blood Essence Soup beside his bed and said, "I'm leaving, and this stuff is no use to me anymore. You take my share too, and drink it all. Maybe it can still be of some help to you."
"Sha Fei, you..." Ye Zhen could see the regret in Sha Fei's eyes. Everyone knew that once Sha Fei left, he would be completely severed from the path of martial arts and could only live out his life as an ordinary person in confusion and despair.
"Ye Zhen, don't say it. This isn't your fault. Even if I hadn't gotten hurt, my chances of breaking through to the Third Stage of Blood Training within one or two days would have been almost nonexistent. If anyone is to blame, it's only me."
Having said that, Sha Fei suddenly threw a punch in Ye Zhen's direction and a smile that he couldn't suppress burst forth on his face, "But, before leaving, being able to see scoundrels like Ma Yuanwu and Wu Jian getting dealt with so harshly, I have no regrets, even though it wasn't by my own hand!"
"Actually, you might have the chance to personally beat up Ma Yuanwu and Wu Jian again," Ye Zhen suddenly said, following Sha Fei's train of thought.
"What?" Sha Fei was taken aback by the words and then started to shake his head with a bitter smile.
As Sha Fei shook his head with a bitter smile, Ye Zhen handed over his own jar of Blood Essence Soup to Sha Fei, "I've heard that servant disciples who have long been stuck and cannot break through their cultivation might be able to do so by consecutively consuming two jars of Blood Essence Soup. The intensified medicinal strength could possibly allow a servant disciple to make a breakthrough."
"Is that so? I've been in the sect longer than you, how come I've never heard of it?" Sha Fei frowned, clearly skeptical.
"Why worry so much about it? Now that we have two jars of Blood Essence Soup, why not give it a try? Here, let me help you open them." Saying this, Ye Zhen proactively helped Sha Fei open the two jars of Blood Essence Soup.
But in an unnoticed moment, when Sha Fei's gaze was averted, the two drops of Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid that Ye Zhen had deliberately saved tonight were mixed into the two jars of Blood Essence Soup.
"Come on, try it out. Refining these two jars of Blood Essence Soup might just allow you to break through," Ye Zhen urged.
"Is that really possible? I've saved up Blood Essence Soup before, and it didn't seem that miraculous," unable to resist Ye Zhen's pressing, Sha Fei eventually downed the two jars of Blood Essence Soup handed to him.
When Sha Fei sat cross-legged on the bed, Ye Zhen noticed the veins on Sha Fei's forehead bulging. Ye Zhen knew that the formidable medicinal power of the Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid had begun to take effect.
"Now, Sha Fei should be able to break through, right?" Murmuring softly, Ye Zhen couldn't help but recall his visit to the secret cave by the cliff tonight.
Ever since he accidentally broke the stone bamboo in that secret cave last night, Ye Zhen's heart had been in a state of suspense, fearing that the broken stone bamboo would no longer drip Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid and he would be too late to cry about it.
But what delighted Ye Zhen tonight was that at midnight, the broken section of the stone bamboo continued to drip two drops of Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid as usual. This occurrence brought both joy and shock to Ye Zhen, but it also confirmed something for him.
That is, the Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid dripping from this place was definitely not produced by the stone bamboo itself. The true source of the Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid must lie elsewhere.
Perhaps, by tracing the broken stone bamboo, he might find the treasure that produces the Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid. In that instant, Ye Zhen was even tempted to dig around and investigate.
But after struggling with the thought for a while, Ye Zhen still managed to restrain this impulsive idea.
Maybe the Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid really was a product of the natural spiritual energy, and digging might reveal nothing at all. Moreover, even if he really discovered some treasure, Ye Zhen felt that with his current level of cultivation, unearthing any treasure might not actually be good news.
For now, enjoying two drops of Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid every day was the most practical option.
Perhaps, if Ye Zhen's cultivation rises in the future, he'll properly investigate it then.
Late at night, Sha Fei's ecstatic voice contained a hint of astonishment, and even a touch of a cry.
"I've broken through, I've really broken through, Ye Zhen, I've actually done it!"
Seeing Sha Fei, covered in black mud, pounce towards him, Ye Zhen didn't think twice before kicking Sha Fei away. With two drops of Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid inside him, it would have been strange if he hadn't broken through.
"I'm not interested in men, not to mention a 'smelly man'..." Ye Zhen joked with a smile.
"Eh, how did I get so dirty?" However, the thrill of breaking through quickly swept away Sha Fei's moment of doubt as he ran towards the pond up the mountain.
Watching Sha Fei's retreating figure, Ye Zhen laughed.
Sha Fei was a brother he'd made friendship with, and those two drops of Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid were well worth it!
As Ye Zhen's cultivation soared from the First Stage of Blood Training to the Third Stage in just a month, the annual Sect examination that had filled Ye Zhen with dread a month before had passed smoothly amidst the surprise of many fellow disciples.
Now, Ye Zhen's goal was set on the soon-to-be-opened Fish-Dragon Path of the Qiyun Sect.
The difference between the treatment of Outer Disciples and Inner Sect Disciples was like heaven and earth. Ye Zhen might not know the full extent, but just the difference between the effects of the Blood Essence Pill and the Blood Essence Soup was like day and night.
Moreover, once you become an Outer Disciple, you can choose your own Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills from the Sect's precious collection. These self-chosen Martial Arts and Techniques, compared to the unified Blood Qi Technique and Bear King Mountain Carrying Fist taught to servant disciples, are chalk and cheese in both effect and progression.
It is said that a single day of cultivating the Martial Arts Techniques chosen by an Outer Disciple can match three to four days of hard cultivation of the Blood Qi Technique by servant disciples.
Therefore, becoming an Outer Disciple even one day earlier means gaining a day's advantage in cultivation, which could have unfathomable benefits for Ye Zhen's future as a martial artist, especially for a disciple like him with a low-grade bloodline, where time was always of the essence.
On the first day of August, Manager Zhao of Hundred Pine Servant Peak personally took Ye Zhen to Donglai Peak where the Fish-Dragon Path of Qiyun Sect was located.
Donglai Peak, with its extensive grounds, is the place where nearly all of Qiyun Sect's three thousand Outer Disciples, out of the claimed one hundred thousand in servant roles, practice their cultivation.
Along the way, disciples from various Servant Peaks heading towards Donglai Peak were a constant stream. According to Manager Zhao, these individuals were all seed candidates from over three hundred Servant Peaks of the Qiyun Sect.
"Ye Zhen, I've told you all you need to be aware of inside the Fish-Dragon Path! Remember, don't try to outdo others. As long as you pass through the Fish-Dragon Path earnestly, you can become an Outer Disciple."
Pausing, Manager Zhao added, "As for Hundred Pine Servant Peak which I manage, whether it can rise a half grade or even a full grade this year depends entirely on you. If you successfully pass through the Fish-Dragon Path, when the time comes, I'll have an additional gift for you here."
"A gift?"
Ye Zhen smiled slightly and nodded, "I'll remember that, thank you Manager Zhao!"
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PS: Just need two more ranks, and I'll climb up the leaderboard. Seeking recommendation votes, clicks, and collections, all kinds of requests!