Chapter 888: Selling Spiritual Liquid

As his companion, I was keenly aware of how formidable Brother Lu's swordsmanship was. While still some way from reaching the level of a Centurion, he was not far off.

This formidable master launched over 130 sword thrusts, and it would have been understandable if he merely hadn't touched his opponent's clothes. The crucial point was that he didn't even graze a single blade of grass in the opponent's hand! Moreover, after retreating over seventy steps, he threw down his sword and conceded defeat.

What level of power must the opponent possess to achieve such a feat? It was laughable that we had considered ourselves exceptionally strong and insisted on engaging him in combat—it was nothing short of self-humiliation.

"Brother Lu..."

I rushed over to Brother Lu, finding his face ashen, as if he had suffered a tremendous blow from which he had yet to recover.

"Give him 300 high-grade spirit stones!" Brother Lu waved his hand. The first bet had cost him 100, which he then doubled, bringing the total to 300 high-grade spirit stones!

"Yes!" Wu Xu hesitated, then gritted his teeth and produced a stack of spirit stones, wrapping them in true qi before handing them over. There were exactly 300.

"I'll gladly accept!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up when he saw the other party actually produce so many high-grade spirit stones, and he promptly stored them in his storage ring.

Originally, Zhang Xuan had only made that bet casually, not expecting them to actually produce such a sum. After all, even Elder Mi, despite his power, didn't possess that many spirit stones. Yet, the other party produced them with ease. Could these two not only be powerful, but also incredibly wealthy?

If that were the case, he could certainly think of a way to earn more... Zhang Xuan stroked his chin in thought.

"I am Lu Cheng. My skills are inferior. I apologize for the trouble today, but I hope you will share your name so we might meet again in the future!" Recovering from the shock of defeat, Brother Lu cupped his fist and spoke. A loss was a loss, and there was no denying it, especially with a Purple Sun Beast and a menacing cauldron still eyeing them.

"I am Zhang Xuan!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "It was no disturbance, just a friendly spar! If I'm not mistaken, you desire the Crimson Glow Fruit so keenly to help Master Wu achieve a breakthrough, correct?"

"Precisely!" Lu Cheng nodded. The primary effect of the Crimson Glow Fruit was to increase one's chances of breaking through to Half-Saint. Lu Cheng himself had already reached that stage, so he was naturally going to such lengths for his friend.

"Actually," Zhang Xuan continued, "when I was sparring with Master Wu just now, I observed him closely. His accumulation is profound, and his strength is formidable. The reason he hasn't been able to break through isn't due to insufficient cultivation, but rather..."

Zhang Xuan paused.

"What is it?" Wu Xu couldn't help but ask, looking eagerly at Zhang Xuan. He had been stuck in the Chrysalis Realm for a long time. Many of those he had trained with had already broken through their limitations, but he found it difficult to progress, which had made him quite anxious. Only after finally learning about the Crimson Glow Fruit had he lost his composure and become determined to acquire it. If the person before him could help him break through, then not obtaining the Crimson Glow Fruit would be insignificant.

"If I'm not mistaken," Zhang Xuan stated, "your problem stems from insufficient true qi and a lack of vital energy!"

"Insufficient true qi? A lack of vital energy?" Lu Cheng and Wu Xu both frowned in confusion. The cultivation techniques and martial arts they practiced were broad and focused on offense. Furthermore, having undergone special tempering, both their true essence and physical stamina were many times stronger than those of other masters at the same level. And yet, this person claimed their true qi was insufficient? Had Zhang Xuan's strength not been so undeniably terrifying, they would surely have dismissed his words as utter nonsense.

"Precisely," Zhang Xuan affirmed. "While your accumulation is indeed far more profound than that of ordinary individuals, the barrier you face is also much more formidable. Others might only need to gather a bucket's worth of true qi to break through, but you, conversely, require a pond's worth!"

"This..." Wu Xu's face cycled through shades of pale and green. What Zhang Xuan said was true. Although Wu Xu's strength was exceptionally formidable for his level, the barrier he needed to overcome was indeed far more difficult than for others. This was precisely why he had consistently failed to break through.

"This is a common ailment among those who practice our method!" Lu Cheng sighed, shook his head, and looked at Zhang Xuan. "Master Zhang, do you have a solution?"

To possess greater strength at the same cultivation level, one must accumulate more power. However, the more one accumulates, the more difficult it becomes to achieve a breakthrough. It's akin to building a house: the thicker the walls, the sturdier the structure. Yet, such robust walls inevitably demand more bricks, stone, and time. They were in this exact situation. To be unrivaled at their level, they had undergone various trainings, compressing their true qi to an ever-purer state and accumulating vast amounts. Naturally, this made their breakthrough barrier thicker and harder to overcome.

"There is a solution... it's just a bit troublesome!" Zhang Xuan paused before speaking.

"There is?" He had only asked casually, not truly expecting an answer. Hearing this, Lu Cheng's eyes lit up, and he quickly glanced at his friend nearby.

Wu Xu also understood, his face flushing with excitement. He quickly stepped forward, cupping his fists, and declared, "As long as Master Zhang can help me break through, I, Wu, am willing to pay any price!" This young man possessed such strength at his age; he must undoubtedly hail from an incredibly powerful sect or lineage, and his insight would naturally be extraordinary. Perhaps he truly had a method that could help Wu Xu succeed in one attempt.

"To be frank, it's not complicated," Zhang Xuan explained. "Your true qi is insufficient, but you can fully compensate for that by rapidly absorbing spiritual energy. If you can increase the speed of spiritual energy supply, then breaking through won't be difficult!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Increase the speed of spiritual energy supply?" Wu Xu repeated, puzzled. "I've already used many high-grade spirit stones for breakthroughs, but unfortunately, the Half-Saint barrier remains unbreakable..." He had thought there was some special method, but hearing this, Wu Xu shook his head with a bitter smile. The fact that he could produce 300 high-grade spirit stones at once showed that he was not lacking in resources. If even sufficient spirit stones weren't enough for a breakthrough, then increasing the speed of spiritual energy supply was irrelevant.

"High-grade spirit stones can indeed accelerate cultivation," Zhang Xuan explained, "but the rate at which they supply spiritual energy is still too slow. The most crucial point is that the spiritual energy within them is excessively abundant, making it more difficult to convert!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"High-grade spirit stones are indeed not easy to convert!" Wu Xu conceded, nodding. If high-grade spirit stones were compared to beef, while they might fill you up, they aren't as easy to digest.

"Spirit stones contain abundant spiritual energy, but being solid, their energy takes time to emanate," Zhang Xuan elaborated. "Liquid spirit essence, however, is different. Its absorption speed is at least two or three times faster. Using it to assault your bottleneck will certainly yield twice the results with half the effort!" Spirit stones are like beef, while liquid spirit essence is like porridge—much easier to absorb.

"Liquid spirit essence? Liquid containing spiritual energy... are you referring to Earthen Pulse Spirit Essence?" Lu Cheng mused, his eyebrows subtly rising. While many liquids contained spiritual energy, at the Half-Saint level, Earthen Pulse Spirit Essence was the most effective. Other forms were even harder to digest than high-grade spirit stones.

"Precisely," Zhang Xuan confirmed. "This spirit essence is formed from the spiritual energy gathered within earthen veins. Not only is it incredibly pure, but more importantly, it's relatively simple to absorb and easily converted into true qi. If you use this for your breakthrough, it will be significantly easier! You'll be able to accumulate an immense amount of true qi in a short time and successfully shatter the barrier!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Earthen Pulse Spirit Essence..." Wu Xu murmured. "This substance only forms where spiritual energy converges, and such places are usually controlled by major powers. It's even rarer than the Crimson Glow Fruit—where would one find it?" Wu Xu gave a bitter smile. Everyone knew Earthen Pulse Spirit Essence was valuable, but finding it was far from easy! Even if he knew it would greatly benefit his breakthrough, he still couldn't find any!

"Well... I did happen to obtain some by chance once," Zhang Xuan said, shaking his head. "However, I intended to save it for when I attempt my own breakthrough to Half-Saint..."

"Master Zhang has some?" Wu Xu's eyes lit up. "Could you sell some to me? I'm willing to buy it with high-grade spirit stones..."

"This..." Zhang Xuan wore a troubled expression. "You both know how difficult this substance is to find, and I don't have much myself. It's truly inconvenient for me to sell it!"

"As long as Brother Zhang is willing to share some with me, I'm willing to pay double the price!" After a moment's hesitation, Wu Xu gritted his teeth. A Half-Saint had to achieve a breakthrough; otherwise, they were highly likely to be eliminated. Given this, any price, no matter how great, was worth it. The fact that Zhang Xuan possessed it was a crucial opportunity not to be missed.

"Double?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Very well, since you desire it so greatly, and as fellow master teachers, it's truly difficult for me to refuse!" With a flick of his wrist, a massive gourd, capable of holding six or seven liters, appeared in his palm. "This is all the Earthen Pulse Spirit Essence I've accumulated; I'll give it all to you!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

Wu Xu quickly took the gourd, pulled out the stopper, and immediately saw it was full of Earthen Pulse Spirit Essence. Spiritual energy surged out, causing his pores to open wide.

"This... Thank you, Master Zhang!" Seeing that Zhang Xuan had actually given him all the Earthen Pulse Spirit Essence he had collected, Wu Xu, his face flushed with excitement, solemnly cupped his fists. He then huddled with Lu Cheng for a moment before handing over a storage ring.

"My brother and I left in a hurry, so our spirit stones are limited," Lu Cheng explained. "We know this amount certainly doesn't match the true value of this essence, so we've included some of our savings from over the years. We hope Master Zhang won't despise it..." They knew Zhang Xuan possessed Saint realm beast pets and sacred artifacts and was not short on money, but they couldn't simply take the item for free, especially after having offered double the price earlier.

Taking the ring, Zhang Xuan glanced inside and found exactly two hundred high-grade spirit stones, along with numerous sixth-grade pills and valuable medicinal herbs, all of considerable worth. This gourd of Earthen Pulse Spirit Essence would fetch a maximum of fifty spirit stones in Hongyuan City. The fact that the other party gave him so much meant he had already made a significant profit. It wasn't that the other party was foolishly wealthy; rather, it was a case of rarity driving value. Ordinary cultivators, lacking Wu Xu's profound accumulation, could break through to Half-Saint using high-grade spirit stones alone and simply had no need for this type of spirit essence. Without demand, it naturally wouldn't be worth much.

"Earthen Pulse Spirit Essence contains abundant spiritual energy," Zhang Xuan said. "Once you return, heal your injuries completely and adjust your state to its peak. Then, with a single push, your breakthrough will be just around the corner!" Storing the ring, Zhang Xuan stated calmly.

"Understood!" Wu Xu nodded. He had taken a punch from Zhang Xuan earlier and hadn't fully recovered. To achieve a breakthrough, he naturally needed to be in his optimal state, and this place was clearly unsuitable.

"Thank you, Master Zhang, my brother and I shall take our leave!" Having obtained what they desired, the two no longer lingered. Lu Cheng cupped his fist, and then, with a few flashes, both men leaped forward and vanished from sight.

"Thank you, Master Zhang, for saving our lives!" Seeing the two leave, Hu Yaoyao and the others finally exhaled, looking at Zhang Xuan with profound admiration. Before, they had only known this fellow possessed formidable auxiliary professions. Now, however, they realized that compared to his cultivation base, those auxiliary skills truly amounted to nothing!