Chapter 22: Meng Dajiang's Hidden Treasures

"I want to choose the Thunder God-demon Physique," Meng Chuan said. "Before becoming a God-demon, I believe my choice is perfectly sound. However, when I eventually become a God-demon... I'm not sure if the Thunder God-demon Physique will still be the right choice. I'd like to ask you, Great-aunt, for your guidance."

One must think long-term.

It's not enough to consider only its immediate benefits; one must also consider the future.

"Oh?" Aunt Meng Xian smiled. "First, tell me why you want to choose the Thunder God-demon Physique." Meng Dajiang listened intently from the side.

Meng Chuan explained, "My greatest strength is speed. Currently, my movement techniques and blade skills excel at speed! The Thunder God-demon Physique is undeniably the fastest among the sixteen basic God-demon Physiques. I believe cultivation should involve strengthening one's existing strengths... making them even more powerful! Therefore, I choose the Thunder God-demon Physique to make my movement techniques and blade skills even faster."

"Combining strengths with strengths?" Aunt Meng Xian's eyes lit up, and she nodded in approval. "Meng Chuan, though you are young, your thinking is very sound. The greatest pitfall in cultivation is mediocrity, for mediocrity means you cannot kill your enemies; you will only be killed by them."

"Is the Thunder God-demon Physique still suitable after becoming a God-demon?" Meng Chuan pressed.

Aunt Meng Xian sighed, "After becoming a God-demon, the Thunder God-demon Physique becomes even more formidable. Its advantages are even more astonishing than during the mortal stage. Transforming into lightning, one's speed becomes unparalleled, and offensive moves are terrifying! Even if you can't kill an enemy, you can easily escape. However, passing the 'life-and-death threshold' from mortal to God-demon is more difficult than with ordinary God-demon Physiques."

"The life-and-death threshold is harder?" Meng Chuan asked, puzzled.

"To break through the life-and-death threshold, lightning will strike, and if you can't withstand it, you'll die," Aunt Meng Xian explained. "Therefore, one must have deeper accumulation and a stronger foundation to endure it. The threshold for becoming a God-demon is also higher. Of course, Archean Mountain will clearly tell you what level of cultivation you need to reach to be absolutely confident in becoming a God-demon."

"I've heard that at Archean Mountain, breakthroughs are only permitted when one has absolute certainty of success. Of course, everyone who enters Archean Mountain possesses extraordinarily brilliant talent," Aunt Meng Xian chuckled. "As for those of us with insufficient talent, we typically take a gamble with a sixty or seventy percent chance of success. After all, if we delay any longer, as we age, our chances might dwindle to forty or fifty percent, or even twenty or thirty percent. Hope would steadily decrease."

Body, true energy, cultivation realm, mental fortitude, state of mind...

Becoming a God-demon involves many aspects.

"Since it's still formidable after becoming a God-demon, I'll choose the Thunder God-demon Physique," Meng Chuan stated.

"Good," Aunt Meng Xian nodded with a smile. "Even if you become a God-demon in the future, you can still choose among several types of Thunder God-demon Physiques. These Physiques also vary in strength... If your accumulation is strong enough, you can choose a powerful one. If it's weaker, you can choose a less demanding Thunder God-demon Physique. This way, your chances of passing the life-and-death threshold will be higher."

"Understood," Meng Chuan nodded, saying little else.

Given his personality, he would naturally aim for the strongest path.

He understood that by striving for the absolute best, he could at least achieve something excellent. Regardless, his goals had to be ambitious. If he lacked ambition, how could he become truly powerful?

Back at Mirror Lake Meng Manor.

Meng Dajiang and Meng Chuan walked side by side.

"Chuan'er, when do you plan to break through?" Meng Dajiang asked.

"Tonight," Meng Chuan replied. "There's no need to delay."

"Then follow me."

Meng Dajiang led the way towards his quarters.

Meng Chuan felt a slight hint of confusion but followed his father into his living quarters.

With a rumble, upon entering the room, Meng Dajiang pulled a mechanism under his bed, and a hidden tunnel immediately appeared.

"A tunnel?" Meng Chuan was surprised; he had never known his father had a secret room hidden here all these years.

Building underground tunnels was quite normal. For instance, fortresses in the countryside often constructed extensive networks of tunnels and secret rooms. Even if a fortress was breached by demons, the clan members would hide deep within hundreds of tunnels, pulling down thick gates and locking them securely from the inside. The demons would then have to locate the hidden tunnels and overcome various mechanisms and obstacles to find the humans within.

However, in cities, the construction of such tunnels was comparatively rare.

Within this tunnel, two more stone doors had to be opened via mechanisms.

Only then did they arrive at a concealed secret chamber.

"Chuan'er, have a seat first," Meng Dajiang said.

Meng Chuan, still puzzled, sat down on a nearby meditation cushion. Meng Dajiang, meanwhile, took a book from a densely packed bookshelf. When he opened the book's cover, a wooden box was hidden inside.

Holding the wooden box, Meng Dajiang sat cross-legged opposite Meng Chuan.

Meng Dajiang placed a long wooden box, a jade box, and a porcelain bottle on the ground.

"These three items are all rare treasures of heaven and earth," Meng Dajiang began. He picked up the jade box first. Upon opening it, a frosty, ice-white fruit was revealed. "This is a 'Heart-Calming Ice Fruit.' You can consume it immediately on the first day of cultivating your God-demon Physique."

After closing the jade box, Meng Dajiang pointed to the porcelain bottle. "That contains a drop of God-demon Marrow Nectar, which the clan acquired by expending vast resources. You can take it on the third day of cultivating your God-demon Physique."

"And this last one..."

Meng Dajiang gazed at the long wooden box and gently opened it.

Inside the wooden box was a small green herb shimmering with colorful light; its leaves and roots were perfectly intact. "This is a legendary 'Star Spirit Grass,' worth several times more than that single drop of God-demon Marrow Nectar. Starting from the first day you cultivate your God-demon Physique, eat a small portion every day. Don't waste any part of its leaves or roots. Consume it all within one month!"

"Starting tonight, you will come to this secret chamber to cultivate every evening," Meng Dajiang instructed.

Meng Chuan was stunned.

"Father, these three treasures?" Meng Chuan couldn't believe it.

His great-aunt was severely injured, so for the family to exhaust years of accumulated wealth just for a single drop of God-demon Marrow Nectar, solely to cultivate Meng Chuan, was already an incredibly bold move.

Yet, his father had just produced two more rare treasures? And that Star Spirit Grass... was worth considerably more?

"In terms of value, the Star Spirit Grass is the most precious, followed by the God-demon Marrow Nectar, and finally the Heart-Calming Ice Fruit," Meng Dajiang stated. "However, every one of these items was difficult to acquire, so you must treasure them."

"Father, where did these come from? This Star Spirit Grass is even more valuable than the treasures the family gave everything for?" Meng Chuan asked incredulously.

"Don't ask," Meng Dajiang frowned.

"You'll know when the time is right," Meng Dajiang sighed. "Sometimes, knowing too much too soon isn't a good thing. All you need to do is become strong."

Meng Chuan felt his father was somewhat mysterious.

The Heart-Calming Ice Fruit, the Star Spirit Grass... Where did they come from?

What secret did this father, who usually managed the restaurant with a cheerful smile, truly harbor? But since his father believed he wasn't strong enough, he decided to cultivate diligently.

"You must cherish them," Meng Dajiang said.

"Yes, Father," Meng Chuan replied.

That night.

Inside the room, Meng Dajiang gazed at the painting of his wife hanging on the wall.

"Chuan'er has grown up,"

Meng Dajiang looked at the woman in the painting, the most beloved woman of his life. "Nianyun, I've given him the Star Spirit Grass you left for him. Rest assured, our child is exceptional and even has the potential to become a God-demon. I've raised him well; he's very outstanding. He's also very filial and obedient..."

In the underground secret chamber.

Meng Chuan sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion and began his breakthrough.

He controlled the true energy within his Dantian, guiding it into each of the 182 internal acupoints along a specific path. The moment the energy entered the final acupoint, the paths connecting all 182 acupoints formed an intricate three-dimensional diagram, with each acupoint acting as a node. This diagram was the core of the Thunder God-demon Physique.

Boom!!!

As this three-dimensional true energy diagram materialized, lightning immediately began to generate. Streaks of lightning flowed within the diagram, merging into every part of his body.

"Ah," Meng Chuan could feel his body undergoing a transformation as these threads of lightning, guided by the three-dimensional true energy diagram, merged into him.