Chapter 414: Martial Arts Sacred Physique, Taiyi Golden Liquid

Chapter 414: Martial Saint Body, Taiyi Golden Liquid

Inside the artifact refining laboratory.

As the final wisp of mana was channeled into the Li-Fire Furnace, intricate traces of mana circuits began to shimmer across the surface of the Azure Cloud-Gathering Pouch.

Over these past days, through Zhang Yu’s iterative refining, the quality of the materials had steadily climbed, and the internal mana circuits had grown increasingly complex and refined.

The quality of this magical treasure had now reached the 7th grade.

Not only had the effective range of the Azure Sand it could unleash increased from a dozen meters to several tens of meters, but the speed, volume, and precision of the discharge had also seen a massive improvement.

Where it once could only support ten Formless Warriors, it could now stably sustain over twenty.

Furthermore, Zhang Yu’s production technique for the Azure Cloud-Gathering Pouch had reached the 10th level just a few days prior.

Though it was a relatively basic treasure with simple methods, Zhang Yu still wore a faint smile as he looked at the pouch in his hands.

This was the first treasure in his life that he had refined repeatedly, elevating its grade bit by bit.

"7th grade is sufficient for now; I have no time to refine this piece further."

Zhang Yu’s next target was the foundation-establishment-grade treasure: the Taiyi Golden Liquid Pill.

But for this foundation-grade treasure, he intended to change his workflow.

"I will first push the production technique of the Taiyi Golden Liquid Pill to level 20 in the Spirit Realm’s simulation lab, then return to reality to refine it, hoping to forge a 20th-level pill in one go."

...

Inside the Spirit Realm’s simulation lab.

"First, refine the purity of the Taiyi Essence Gold..."

"Then, use the formation to stabilize the materials..."

"Next is the extraction..."

"Feed it into the reaction vessel..."

"Then, the rune etching..."

In the Spirit Realm, Zhang Yu’s hands danced in incantations, manipulating a tool known as the Gold-Devouring Insect to etch runes onto the target material.

He knew that these so-called runes were standardized patterns of spiritual energy circuits, capable of facilitating mana flow and achieving various functions through the most concise and effective means.

After a long while, a dull-colored, grayish iron bead appeared before Zhang Yu.

It possessed no supernatural aura, and any mana injected into it dissipated instantly.

Watching this, Zhang Yu sighed, "The first attempt... it failed, as expected?"

Although Zhang Yu had mastered the prerequisite techniques for the Taiyi Golden Liquid Pill, his overall experience in artifact refining remained far too shallow.

Yet, glancing at the Taiyi Golden Liquid Pill technique, now at level 1 on his Feather Book, Zhang Yu smiled slightly and began his next attempt.

In the days that followed, Zhang Yu shuttled between the construction site and the Spirit Realm simulation lab, earning money with one hand and burning it with the other.

Despite the income from the site and the spirit coins sent by Zhang Pianpian and Wen Wuyai, Zhang Yu watched the balance in his account steadily dwindle.

However, his artifact refining skills climbed steadily in tandem.

...

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

It was now mid-February.

Inside the pharmaceutical factory office building.

Production manager Qu Le-cheng looked toward the construction site, his gaze sweeping over the thick, swirling mists, a flicker of envy in his eyes.

"Zhang Yu has it so good. Doing all that work alone, he must be making five or six spirit coins a month, right?"

"He doesn't have to manage this or that, doesn't have to worry about college graduates maliciously dying of overwork or taking malicious leave, nor does he have to worry about the export channels to the upper levels being affected..."

Qu Le-cheng knew that many of the factory's drugs were sold to the upper levels.

But selling to the upper levels didn't mean high profits; on the contrary, the profit margin on every item was razor-thin, relying entirely on volume to make ends meet.

"Sigh, if the export volume to the upper levels falls short, the factory won't just fail to make money—it will struggle to survive."

As for raising prices on those above? Qu Le-cheng didn't even dare to imagine it.

"But if the scale of the University War continues to expand, selling more medicine to the teachers and students on the second level should bring in some extra profit..."

Just then, the restless clouds over the construction site suddenly stilled. Qu Le-cheng wondered, "It’s not even time to clock out yet, is it?"

Within the mist, Zhang Yu had finally pushed the 10th cultivation method of the Martial Saint Body to level 20, unlocking the final effect of this chain-link diagram.

Ultimate - Martial Saint Body (10/10): Mastery of one leads to mastery of all; the more martial arts of the same type one cultivates, the greater the bonuses to breaking, parrying, borrowing force, dodging, destruction, range, strike speed, attack frequency, and kinetic penetration, up to the limit of the foundation-establishment stage.

"Finally..."

Looking at the effect of this final layer, Zhang Yu wore a faint smile, feeling moved. "Good! Powerful!"

Just by reading the description of this final layer, Zhang Yu could see the might of the Martial Saint Body.

And as he subsequently cycled through the Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Seal, the Great Wilderness Mountain-Moving Force, the Heaven-Turning Seal, the War Demon Life-Sapping Art, and the Star-Vault Meridian-Cleansing Method, he felt the formidable nature of the Martial Saint Body even more keenly.

"Martial arts of the same type seem to be categorized by unarmed, aura-based, and weapon-based."

"The martial arts I use most often have all undergone a qualitative leap."

"Coupled with the first layer’s combat prowess and the second layer’s micro-control..."

Zhang Yu believed that with the three layers of the Martial Saint Body, he could defeat a version of himself that lacked it within a few dozen moves.

Provided, of course, that the version without the Martial Saint Body also lacked the Earth-Wood Saint Body.

But combat was secondary; with the enhancement of this final layer, Zhang Yu believed his income from the construction site would rise once more. Yet, he also understood that his future expenses would be even greater.

"Cultivation can stay as it is for now."

"For the time being, I'll just hang out at the construction site and use the Martial Saint Body to earn money."

"And the money I earn... will go entirely into artifact refining!"

...

Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, it was mid-March.

In the dormitory.

Zhang Yu withdrew his palm from Xuan Ge’s back, feeling the Dao Seed he had copied from him.

Although his daily schedule of study, work, and cultivation was incredibly busy, Zhang Yu still carved out time now and then to improve the mana quality of this classmate of Le Mulan’s.

Finally, on this day, he raised the other’s mana quality to 150% and successfully copied the Dao Seed.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "The Blazing Sun Dharma Lineage?"

Before him, Xuan Ge felt the surging fire energy within his body and exclaimed with joy, "My mana... it feels like it has undergone a qualitative change?"

Zhang Yu nodded casually, glancing at the Dao Seed on the other, thinking, "Does a level 2 Blazing Sun Dharma Lineage require 200% mana quality?"

He knew that the higher the mana quality, the harder it was to improve; reaching 200% was impossible in the short term.

So, after perfunctorily dismissing Xuan Ge, Zhang Yu began to carefully examine the effects of the Blazing Sun Dharma Lineage.

"Enhancing the efficiency of internal energy circulation, refining the mechanics of physical movement, and possessing a destructive, searing heat..."

Zhang Yu spread his palm, watching the invisible, roiling aura surge from his hand, and mused to himself, "I wonder if this might aid my craft of artifact forging."

He glanced at his Feather Tome; his proficiency in the Taiyi Liquid Gold Pill technique had already reached level 12.

Meanwhile, his savings had dwindled to 45 spirit coins.

...

Within the planting tower in the wilderness.

Having concluded the pharmaceutical factory project, Zhang Yu had been dispatched here for construction work.

The so-called planting tower was one of the rare facilities where the company cultivated Celestial Essence Rice and Terrestrial Vapor Wheat.

Because the vast majority of land was reserved for medicinal fields to satisfy the demands of the upper echelons, the cultivation of these grains was shrunken into the tower, occupying the smallest possible footprint.

Though the area was compact, Zhang Yu noticed as he walked that the tower was heavily guarded, both inside and out; it felt less like a farm and more like a vault.

Che Yufei explained from the side, "The staff permitted to enter this tower are either students from the upper-tier academies or the top ten universities."

"Forget vocational students; even those from lower-tier schools are a rare sight here."

Zhang Yu asked curiously, "Why not let vocational students handle the farming?"

Che Yufei looked at him with a strange expression and replied, "Vocational students, fit to farm? Do you know how many of them could be hired for the price of a handful of Celestial Essence Rice? They are so destitute, could they even grasp the intricacies of the work?"

"Such high-value labor requires at least an upper-tier student to operate, and the critical techniques must be controlled by students from the top ten."

Zhang Yu curled his lip in resignation: "Fine, where am I to make repairs?"

Although this project offered higher compensation than the pharmaceutical plant, the cost of data roaming in the wilderness was steep, forcing Zhang Yu to pause his artifact-forging simulations in the Spirit Realm.

"I'll save up here, then return to my training."

The Taiyi Liquid Gold Pill technique in his Feather Tome had now reached level 17.

And Zhang Yu’s savings had dropped to 35 spirit coins.

...

Time arrived in April.

Inside the artifact-forging laboratory.

Having finished the project at the planting tower.

Not long after finally returning to the university town, he had at last pushed his Taiyi Liquid Gold Pill technique to level 20.

At this moment, his aura flowed with effortless grace as he skillfully operated the various instruments and equipment in the lab, commencing his first real-world attempt at forging the Taiyi Liquid Gold Pill.

As the primary material, Taiyi Refined Gold, was tempered, purified, and shaped...

Zhang Yu then introduced an array of precious materials into the reaction vessel.

For this attempt, the base materials alone had cost him 18 spirit coins.

Having rehearsed the forging process time and again, Zhang Yu now brought it to life in reality.

Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Relying on the Blazing Sun meridian in the physical world truly makes the purification of the Taiyi Refined Gold and the control of the furnace's fire much easier."

Finally, as a perfectly round golden sphere emerged from the furnace's calcination, Zhang Yu tapped his fingertip, releasing a surge of mana.

Within the golden sphere, layers of mana circuits flashed with light before settling into a dormant state.

"A level 20 Taiyi Liquid Gold Pill..."

After testing the efficacy of the golden sphere, Zhang Yu felt a surge of excitement: "It is done!"

As Zhang Yu channeled his mana into it, the pill seemed to spring to life, expanding abruptly. At his mental command, it transformed into a mass of formless, shifting golden liquid.

Then, Zhang Yu swept it up with his aura; the golden liquid enveloped the energy, shifting in tandem with his will—now a long sword, then a giant palm, then flowing like a river.

Finally, under Zhang Yu’s manipulation, the Taiyi Liquid Gold Pill encased his Faceless Warrior, as if transmuting it into a golden-armored deity.

Requesting monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)