"BOOM!"
The barrier that had been preventing his spiritual Qi from entering his Dantian finally collapsed under the relentless thunderous crash of the huge stream being directed against it. As it did so torrents of warm energy filled his Dantian quickly fusing with it as if it had always belonged there.
Just as Tie Zhu was relishing in the comforting sensation, a jolt of intense pain shot through him, causing him to cry out in agony. The warm feeling that had filled him moments before now turned into a scorching inferno, spreading rapidly through every fiber of his being. His muscles tensed, convulsing in spasms as they tore apart, only to repair themselves stronger than before.
With a bloodcurdling scream, Tie Zhu thrashed about, his skin writhing and pulsing as it split apart in some places, spilling blood and a mysterious black fluid. He was powerless to stop the excruciating pain that wracked his body for what felt like an eternity. This whole process lasted around five minutes before finally coming to a stop.
When the pain finally died down, Tie Zhu was laying face down on the floor in exhaustion that had been caused by his consistent screaming and thrashing about. Taking deep breaths he eventually restored his calm before noticing that his entire body was covered in a mix of blood and a thick black substance. The resulting stench was so putrid that he had no choice but to leave the confines of the cave.
As soon as he left the cave he inhaled a huge breath of fresh air, before scanning his surroundings. The world around him looked clearer, every detail more vivid and pronounced, as if he were seeing it for the first time. With a sense of wonder, Tie Zhu marveled at his newfound clarity, noticing the delicate veins on a leaf on a tree ten meters away with ease.
"Why didn't you tell me that the first step would be so painful!" Tie Zhu suddenly exclaimed, remembering the pain he felt just moments ago. "And also, you said that the bottle should last until I reach the fourth stage of Qi refinement. It barely allowed me to just break through to the first stage!"
In fact, while the whole process was unfolding, Wang Yazhu was observing him the whole time. He had never expected that he would be able to control and direct so much spiritual essence in one go, especially in that last final push where he directly consumed 20% of the remaining liquid. The fact that the entire process only took him less than 5 hours genuinely surprised him.
"I honestly did not expect you to break through that fast, well done. As for why it was painful, I guess it's the price that you have to pay especially using the technique I gave you. Although the method is quick it does not fully prepare your body like other techniques, so that when you finally broke the barrier the transformation all happened at once. The Qi Gathering Stage is mainly focused on strengthening your body, improving all your physical attributes and strengthening it with the Qi you accumulate. As for why you only broke through to the first stage... It should probably have to do with your Pure Yang body. It seems that you need at least ten times the amount of resources when compared with ordinary people."
"TEN TIMES!!" Tie Zhu cried, as he thought miserably about his future, however his mood suddenly brightened up the next moment. 'That's right, I should now be able to access the black rock!'
"Hey, now that I have finally reached the Qi Gathering Stage I should be able to access that spatial rock. How do I divert my spiritual energy into it?" Tie Zhu questioned.
"That should be easy, just try controlling your essence just like you did when you were breaking through, however this use your Dantian as the source of energy. Before you do that though remember to set up the blood connection with the stone otherwise nothing will happen." Wang Yazhu reminded.
Upon hearing the instructions Tie Zhu immediately retrieved the small black stone from his school bag. As soon as he reached for the stone, it immediately reacted to his touch as there was still blood mixed with black tar on his hands. With the connection established Tie Zhu did exactly as Wang Yazhu instructed creating a small stream of essence and linking it directly to the stone, however he found that controlling this strand was a lot more simple than the struggles he had to go through earlier as if it were completely tamed.
As soon as Tie Zhu's mind searched the contents of the stone, his mind went completely blank. He was struck speechless by the sheer amount of riches that lay before him. The entire immeasurably vast area further then he could see was filled to the brim with strange and exotic artifacts, each radiating an aura of power that seemed to sing to Tie Zhu's soul.
In the distance intricate monumental statues stood like sentinels, towering over the surrounding landscape. They were dozens of kilometers tall with metallic faces were carefully carved with a level of detail that was almost impossible to comprehend. The intricate patterns that covered their bodies depicted scenes from what appeared to be ancient legends, each telling a different story of gods and heroes.
Everywhere he looked, he saw glittering piles of precious gems and rare metals, heaps of sparkling jewels and intricate majestic ornaments. Strange and mysterious trinkets, weapons, armour and talismans filled the room, their shapes and designs unlike anything Tie Zhu had ever seen before.
There was even a lake of crystal-clear water glimmered in the light, reflecting the glittering treasures that surrounded it. The water had a strange, otherworldly glow that was both comforting and eerie at the same time. Tie Zhu couldn't help but be drawn to the lake, where he noticed a variety of strange creatures that swam peacefully below the surface.
In another area, Tie Zhu's gaze was drawn to four titanic mountains of brightly glowing stones. He estimated that any of these colossal mountains would dwarf even Mount Everest. Each seperate mountain was made up of progressively larger and brighter stones, and the light they gave off was almost blinding. The stones seemed to pulse with an inner energy, and Tie Zhu could feel their power calling to him.
"What are those! Tie Zhu exclaimed. The stones themselves were unlike anything he had ever seen before. They were translucent, with veins of light pulsing within. As he drew closer, Tie Zhu could see that the stones were not just glowing, but seemed to be alive with energy. Each pulse of light was like a heartbeat, and the rhythm was slow and steady, like the beating of a giant drum.
The surface of each stone was covered in intricate patterns, and Tie Zhu could see that no two stones were exactly alike. Some were smooth and polished, while others were rough and jagged. They seemed to have been shaped by the forces of nature, and yet their beauty was unmarred.
"These are spirit stones, and are generally the currency of cultivators. I have divided the stones into four piles as there are four different grades of spirit stones, low-tier, medium-tier, high-tier and top-tier. Each tier higher is worth about 10 times the amount of it lower counterpart, so a medium-tier stone would be worth 10 low-tier stones and a top-tier would be worth 1000 low-tier stones! In my collection I have around 77 Trillion Low-Tier stones, 58 Trillion Medium-Tier stones, 38.8 Trillion High-Tier stones and 28.6 Trillion Top-Tier stones! To put that in perspective, the amount of Spiritual essence in that bottle was only equivalent to two 2 Medium-Tier stones." Wang Yazhu proudly boasted.
These treasures was what he was most proud of and had spent his life collecting. It was enough to rival any god, which truly made him proud. This however was with the exception of one race! The primordial dragons. Those greedy monsters, not only thwarted him once by beating him at his own game but twice, as his collection could be considered poor when compared to them (1st time beating him at his own game was when he was raped in case you forgot). It was simply unfair! he thought to himself.
"SO MUCH @#$@%@" Tie Zhu swore unable to believe his luck. This was as if he hit the biggest jackpot in the world! It was simply incomprehensible. It was then that he finally understood why Wang Yazhu called the spirit bottle insignificant, because that was equivalent to comparing an ant to a whale! 'I'M RICH, it seems that I wont have to worry about my future finances any more. I can finally take the taxi.. No, I can buy my own car!!' He thought to himself completely forgetting that he needed significantly more amount of resources as others.
"Oh that's right, where is the dragon essence that you mentioned earlier" Tie Zhu said as he recalled his main purpose for now, as he scanned the sea of treasures unsure of what to look for.
"I've set it in its own special location, focus your mental energy around 100 kilometers southwest from here, it should be in its own special location so it should be relatively easy to find." Wang Yazhu replied.
Doing as instructed, Tie Zhu quickly diverted his mental energy to that location. Quickly he found what he was looking for.
The Primordial Dragon's Blood Essence!