Jiang Ye sat on a high stone, staring at the distant Red Pond Town, his eyes giving off a mysterious light. He sighed and stretched his hands. "That Pei Long was extremely troublesome."
Jiang Ye frowned at the thought of that person. Pei Long was probably one of the biggest headaches he had faced so far. While Jiang Ye didn't have much experience in battle, he knew that Pei Long was not to be underestimated. If it weren't for the fact that he had copied and learned Pei Long's Single Lotus Annihilation Art, he probably would have been captured by now.
Jiang Ye took a deep breath and sat cross-legged, feeling the spiritual energy between heaven and earth. He was utterly exhausted, his spiritual energy drained after using two Arts—Blood Condensation Fist Art and Single Lotus Annihilation Art—in that fight. He suddenly realized that he was only at Tier 3 of the Flesh Refinement Stage. It had been just a few days since his last breakthrough, and Jiang Ye felt deeply unsatisfied with his progress in cultivation. If other cultivators at the Flesh Refinement Stage heard his thoughts, they would probably spit blood in anger. He hadn't even been a martial cultivator for a week, and he had already advanced to Tier 3! Most cultivators took months of hard work just to advance a single stage, and for those with poor talent, sometimes even years.
But Jiang Ye naturally didn't care about the opinions of others. He was used to becoming strong and gaining strength at an extraordinary pace. His goal was to break through the Flesh Refinement Stage and advance to the level known as Meridian Opening. He didn't know much about it, but it seemed to involve opening the meridians, ensuring the smooth flow of spiritual energy throughout the body.
He had heard that Domain Lord Liang Shuyue was at a stage far beyond even Meridian Opening. He didn't know what it was called, but whatever it was, it was surely an extremely terrifying level of cultivation.
As Jiang Ye considered this, his thoughts drifted to how little he actually knew about the cultivation world. Being an ordinary citizen of Black Dust Domain, where martial cultivation was forbidden unless one was of higher status or had permission from the Domain Lord or the Warrior's Council, he had little to no knowledge of the world of cultivation.
Sure, he knew about the Flesh Refinement Stage and had a vague idea about the Meridian Opening Stage. But a vague idea was just that—a vague idea. No matter what, he would have to read a lot more books on cultivation. He didn't know where to start, but it certainly wouldn't be in this domain. Knowledge of the cultivation world was heavily restricted here.
As he thought of this, Jiang Ye chuckled bitterly. Even though he knew deep down that he was a once-in-a-million—or even billion-year—genius, it would probably take him a long time to reach truly unfathomable levels of cultivation, especially with that damned Liang Shuyue gatekeeping access to that knowledge. He hadn't forgotten about saving Old Man Zhao either, who was probably imprisoned somewhere in the Domain. But the real question was—where should he even begin?
"Hmm, it looks weaker here," Jiang Ye said to himself as he sensed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in this place. While still relatively thick and good for cultivation, it was much weaker than in the slavery camp, which was near the Extreme Dusk Cave, where there were plenty of Spirit Stones.
Spiritual energy was vital for one's cultivation, and if there was no spiritual energy to absorb, a person's cultivation level would remain stagnant. So, where should he get materials for cultivation? He also felt that while Spirit Stones had indeed helped him rapidly break through to Tier 3 a couple of days ago, they were too slow. There was something else he needed, something that would help him in his cultivation journey. And that was… medicinal pills!
In the slavery camp, he had overheard officers talking about how their comrades had taken medicinal pills to advance and break through to another Tier of the Flesh Refinement Stage. They mentioned that pills were truly helpful in increasing strength, speed, cultivation level, and more, depending on the type of pill used. However, the cost was exorbitant, especially in a place like Black Dusk Domain, where martial arts were restricted for common folks.
It seemed that medicinal pills were concocted by martial cultivators with a unique and prestigious profession called Alchemist. They were people of supreme status and could easily elevate a cultivator's cultivation level.
Since there were no Alchemists working for the common folks in this Domain, they were probably selling their pills in some exclusive place where only people of high status had access. And that's what Jiang Ye planned—to intrude on whatever place that was. He already had a plan, and he just needed to pick the best time to execute it. Also, he needed to learn about such places, so he wouldn't appear like a bumpkin and get found out as a commoner who was a martial cultivator.
When Jiang Ye thought of this, he felt that his plan was perfect. But first things first, he needed a pawn. A pawn that would lead him to the grand plan! A puppet he could manipulate, someone who would act as the face while the real mastermind controlled the strings from the shadows.
Jiang Ye grinned as he thought of this, feeling extremely confident in his plan. But now, he was back to reality. After many minutes of thinking, his body had reached the maximum limit of how much spiritual energy it could store.
"Damn, if only I was at Meridian Opening," Jiang Ye muttered, determination in his eyes. He was ready to face whatever the future held. If anyone dared to block his path, he would beat the shit out of them.
As he thought of this, Jiang Ye plastered a confident smile.