In the vast world of Daliang,
At the foot of Yuanhe Mountain,
Whether it's purchasing formations, collecting puppet techniques, or inheriting beast-taming arts, it all requires a large amount of spirit stones!
Feeling constrained by his empty pockets, Fang Xi naturally chose to cross over immediately to cause trouble for the Eight Demon Kings.
Although there are still many troubles in the world of Daliang, for him now, it's just a gentle breeze brushing his face.
After all, a grandmaster is the limit of the human body!
Coupled with the methods of an immortal cultivator, even if surrounded by tens of thousands of troops, Fang Xi can still walk freely.
He doesn't care whether he exposes himself or not.
"Who goes there?"
Before the Blood Gate, the disciple guarding the mountain saw a young man approaching gracefully. The rugged mountain path seemed flat under his feet, prompting a cautious inquiry.
"I am Fang Leng!" Fang Xi revealed a gentle smile. "I've come to pay my respects to the mountain! Please allow me to meet Master Linghu!"
Hmm, since it's his first visit after becoming a grandmaster, it should be done formally.
The next moment, the disciple of Yuanhe Mountain seemed to have weak legs, sat back, and then scrambled back while shouting like a broken gong, "Oh no... the terrifying Ghost King is here to pay his respects to the mountain!"
Fang Xi: "..."
...
"Hahaha!"
An hour later, at Thunder Peak.
Linghu Mountain laughed heartily without any grace, slapping his thigh while laughing.
"What's with the disciples of the top martial force in Dingzhou, all timid like mice... I think the education in Yuanhe Mountain is quite problematic!" Fang Xi's face turned embarrassed. "I've always been kind to people. When did I become a Ghost King?"
"Hehe..." Linghu Mountain suppressed his smile. "You killed two captains of the Dingzhou Army and several top-tier martial artists with steel bones... Every time you, Ghost King, appear, you slaughter the martial arts elite of Sanyuan City. If that's not a Ghost King, what is it? I haven't explained to my disciples, and this time you came so formally, they thought you were going to wipe out my entire Yuanhe Mountain!"
"Sigh... If it weren't for others forcing me this time, I wouldn't want to do it either."
Fang Xi sighed and asked, "How are my two disciples doing?"
"Don't worry, they are being well-fed and taken care of now, fearing that you might slaughter the martial arts elite of Sanyuan City in anger again..."
Linghu Mountain showed a disdainful smile. "Those people... are quite good at changing sides when the wind blows."
He then turned to Fang Xi and marveled, "Congratulations on breaking through to Martial Saint and becoming a grandmaster! I thought even with exceptional talent, it would take you at least ten years. I didn't expect you to achieve it in less than two years, and you're not even thirty yet, right? Hmm... A grandmaster under thirty, even if you look at the entire world, you are among the best."
"In fact, I'm not even twenty..."
Fang Xi thought for a moment but decided not to say it. He asked, "With this talent, do you think I can join the 'Grandmaster Association'?"
He was very interested in that organization.
In the world of Daliang, martial arts only reach the True Gang Martial Saint level, which is still somewhat lacking.
Fang Xi wanted to achieve the Foundation Building level of physical cultivation in the immortal cultivation world, and then enhance his own Qi cultivation!
Since there is no way forward in martial arts, he will find a way out.
He still has confidence in this because he now has spirit stones and strength, which allows him to purchase physical cultivation techniques from the immortal cultivation world, even those related to the fourth level of physical cultivation!
Although there is a huge difference between the two, there are complementary aspects.
The reason he is stubbornly pursuing martial arts in this world is because the cultivation of martial arts focuses on blood and energy, which is quite different from the physical cultivation techniques in the immortal cultivation world, which may be beneficial for breaking through the Foundation Building stage!
"If it really doesn't work out, then I'll switch to the orthodox path of physical cultivation... After all, I just wanted to become stronger through martial arts at the beginning, to gain the power to protect myself."
"Do you want to join that group of lunatics?" Linghu Mountain shook his head and nodded, "With such talent, they will definitely agree, as your talent may be useful for them to explore the path after becoming grandmasters... But be careful, the people in the Grandmaster Association are not easy to deal with!"
"Thank you for the advice."
Fang Xi clasped his hands and finally got to the point, "I promised you before that when I become a grandmaster, we will join forces to kill that evil dragon..."
A hint of excitement flashed across Linghu Mountain's face. He had a deep grudge against the dragon in the old Dragon Pool and had been wanting to seek revenge for a long time.
"However, knowing oneself and the enemy is the key to victory in a hundred battles!" Fang Xi said, "I need the most detailed information about it!"
The kings of the Daliang region are at least late-stage Qi Refinement level demon beasts.
And possessing the bloodline of a dragon might make it even more difficult to deal with, possibly turning the tables!
Fang Xi did not think that by advancing to the True Gang Martial Saint level, he would become invincible.
"Naturally..." Linghu Mountain entered the house and soon brought out a thick stack of documents. "I've been keeping an eye on everything about that beast!"
Fang Xi took the documents and quickly flipped through them.
The intelligence from Yuanhe Mountain was indeed very detailed. Judging from the destructive power of that dragon-blooded serpent demon, it did not seem to exceed the strength of a Qi Refinement stage demon beast, which put his last worry to rest.
"In fact... as long as it's a demon beast, even if it's a demon king, it can be surrounded and killed without regard for consumption. However, the eight demon kings of Dingzhou each have their own specialties..."
Linghu Mountain added, "For example, the Great Peng King can fly... and this Dragon King not only has impenetrable scales but can only be slightly penetrated by divine weapons. If something goes wrong, it will retreat into the old Dragon Pool... Although the old Dragon Pool is named after a pool, it is very deep.
I suspect it is connected to underground water veins and the nearby 'Coiled Dragon Lake,' making it extremely difficult to kill!"
"Difficult to penetrate?" Fang Xi put down the documents and stretched lazily.
In this short time, he had already read through the documents. "How does it compare to the Grandmaster's Gang Qi?"
"It surpasses it!" Linghu Mountain's expression turned serious. "Moreover... the Gang Qi of us grandmasters is always at risk of depletion, but the scales and skin of that beast are eternal."
For a grandmaster to unleash True Gang Qi is also quite a drain on physical strength.
As for the defense of demon beasts' skin and scales, it is naturally eternal.
This is the biggest difference!
"Enough talk, why don't we... have a little spar?" Fang Xi was excited. Since advancing to the True Gang Martial Saint level, he hadn't had a chance to fight anyone yet!
"This... let's skip it. I'm already old, I can't compare to you young people..." Linghu Mountain tried to dodge lazily.
"If I told you that I have a way to break through the dragon's scales and need your cooperation to practice it, would you be willing to accompany me?" Fang Xi immediately dangled the bait.
"In that case, I can only accompany you to the end." Linghu Mountain's eyes lit up and immediately agreed.
...
Thunder Peak.
Back mountain.
An open space surrounded by peculiar black stones of various shapes.
"Let's do it here..." Linghu Mountain walked to the center of the flat ground and spoke calmly.
Swish!
The next moment, his figure suddenly soared, transforming from an unremarkable old man into a giant over two meters tall!
Not only that, muscles bulged on his arms, thighs... even tearing his clothes.
Swoosh!
He moved swiftly and was already in front of Fang Xi, his five fingers like thunder and wind, clawing out like lightning.
"Secret Technique: Five Thunder Transformation!"
This secret technique in the hands of a True Gang Martial Artist is completely different from that in the hands of a True Gang Martial Saint!
In Linghu Mountain's hands, each finger burst with Gang Qi, forming a huge claw enveloped in electric light, with an astonishing momentum.
"You're playing for real right from the start!" Fang Xi chuckled lightly, retreating.
As he leaped back, strands of blood-red Gang Qi emanated from his limbs and pores, enveloping him like a blood-red breastplate.
Ping!
The entwined thunderous Gang Qi claw struck the breastplate, emitting a teeth-souring roar.
Although the breastplate was deformed by the claw, it ultimately did not break.
"A True Gang Martial Saint can contend with a late-stage Qi Refinement, thanks to the Gang Qi!" Fang Xi thought to himself as he took seven steps back, watching the scene with a pensive expression.
The Gang Qi released by a grandmaster to form armor can completely withstand attacks from Qi Refinement stage spells and artifacts!
This is the true reliance of a Martial Saint.
As for the physical body?
Even if the steel bones are strengthened again, it is probably only enough to block mid to high-grade artifacts.
Any body cultivator who tries to resist artifacts with their physical body is a fool!
"Linghu Mountain... be careful, I'm going to use my full strength!" Fang Xi warned, his right hand forming a sword with his index and middle fingers. "Go!"
A golden light shot out instantly, the sword light majestic and grand, even emitting a faint dragon chant!
Top-grade artifact - Golden Dragon Sword!
Clang!
The golden light turned into a sword light, piercing towards Linghu Mountain.
In an instant, Linghu Mountain changed tactics rapidly, retracting his right hand to block in front of his chest. Terrifying red Gang Qi erupted on his arm, forming an armguard with phantom images.
"Secret Technique: Eight-Armed Dragon Slayer!"
Boom!
The golden light fell on the red Gang Qi and was actually bounced back.
Fang Xi remained unfazed, his fingers moving like playing a harp.
The golden light circled a large loop and flew back towards Linghu Mountain's back, resembling a snake spitting out its tongue!
"Ah!"
Linghu Mountain roared in anger, muscles bulging on his back, like a bear, he slammed backward!
The bursting Gang Qi landed on the Golden Dragon Sword, making a crisp sound like countless pearls falling on a jade plate.
The Golden Dragon Sword remained motionless, just losing some momentum, but Linghu Mountain managed to dodge it like a lazy donkey.
"I concede!"
Seeing Linghu Mountain getting up and preparing to fight back, Fang Xi quickly retracted his weapon.
"I've run out of Gang Qi..." Linghu Mountain raised his hands and shouted, "I can't resist a top-grade artifact with my flesh and blood after my Gang Qi is depleted."
The limited Gang Qi of a grandmaster can support a battle without much trouble.
Linghu Mountain's exhaustion of Gang Qi was entirely due to the sharpness of the Golden Dragon Sword, which forced him to exert all his strength to resist.
And after Gang Qi is depleted, he dares not confront a top-grade artifact with his flesh and blood.
Seeing Linghu Mountain admit defeat, Fang Xi also put away his artifact.
"You... could it be that you are the legendary Sword Immortal?" Linghu Mountain, though embarrassed, had thick skin and didn't care about winning or losing. Instead, he was very interested in Fang Xi's flying sword technique. "I heard the disciples of Yuanhe Mountain in the army say that you can fly your sword to behead people. I thought they were talking nonsense, but it turns out to be true!"
"This is our sect's secret flying sword technique, mainly refining Gang Qi into threads to control the sword!" Fang Xi made a serious expression, earnestly talking nonsense.
However, the martial artists in this world are extremely confident and arrogant. Even if you tell them about cultivating immortality, they may not believe it. If you tell them about martial arts secrets, they might actually believe it!
(End of this chapter)