parentshiftbook Chapter 35: Black Blood Qi, a Cultivation Accelerator!
Chapter 35: Black Blood Qi, a Cultivation Accelerator!
"Um...Brother Hua, are you sure this thing is a praying mantis?"
Zhang Ping's throat went dry, and he couldn't help but swallow. He glanced at Hua Zhu beside him out of the corner of his eye.
"What else could it be but a praying mantis?" the girl retorted irritably.
Zhang Ping was speechless for a moment.
What kind of mess is this?
Fortunately, the demon in front of them, named Daoxiao, did indeed look exactly like a large praying mantis.
Hmm, I need to drink some water to calm my nerves.
"Would you sell this praying mantis?" he asked tentatively.
This time, Hua Zhu didn't refuse and readily nodded: "Sell! Brother Zhang, we hit it off immediately, I'll give you five hundred taels of silver!"
"Pfft—" I almost spat out a mouthful of water.
"How much? Five hundred taels!" Zhang Ping's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he stared intently at the girl.
"Brother Zhang, I really didn't mean to trick you," Hua Zhu said, spreading her hands innocently.
"That's the price those young masters and noblemen are offering." She remembered when she first caught the sword demon, she disliked that it couldn't accompany her to practice swordsmanship, so she took it to the market to try and exchange it for money.
As a result, several wealthy young men competed to bid, and the price reached three or four hundred taels!
Seeing that it was a rare find, she brought it back, wondering if they could breed. But this guy was oblivious; even when she waved the beautifully decorated female praying mantis in front of it until her leg broke, it didn't react at all.
After confirming several times that Hua Zhu wasn't lying to him, Zhang Ping had no choice but to reluctantly hand over all his belongings.
Five hundred taels of silver ingots! In exchange, I received a large, crystal-black praying mantis.
The silver coin felt heavy in her hand. Hua Zhu smiled brightly and waved into the distance, her eyebrows curving upwards.
"Hey bro! Go get ten pounds of fresh beef and buy two pounds of braised beef too, we'll have an extra meal tonight!"
Hua Cheng, who had been eavesdropping in the corner, could no longer contain himself. He pounced like a hungry tiger, snatched the silver, stuffed it into his pocket, and patted his chest proudly.
"Yes, sir!"
Zhang Ping's heart ached as he looked at it; that was his money!
"Ahem," Hua Zhu cleared her throat, putting on a serious expression.
"Well, Brother Zhang, you see we don't have much food at home, so we won't keep you for dinner."
Zhang Ping: "..."
Oh no, I didn't realize my friend who sells mantises was a bit stingy...
The sun was setting in the west.
Zhang Ping returned to the martial arts school's headquarters, hungry and dejected.
He didn't even have a single copper coin in his pocket. In this prefectural city, he dared not dine and dash, so he could only endure the hunger and return home.
As I approached a small courtyard, my nostrils twitched a few times.
"Hmm? The smell of roast chicken?" A rich aroma wafted into my nose.
"This courtyard... looks like the one where Brother Qin lives?"
He looked around and, seeing no one, quietly climbed over the courtyard wall.
Sure enough, Qin Hu was sitting at a stone table with two large, glistening roasted chickens and a pot of wine on it. A large food box was placed at his feet, and the enticing aroma of roasted chicken wafted from the cracks in the box.
"Which blind brat dares to..." Qin Hu, his mouth greasy from eating, noticed the commotion and was about to reprimand him.
Turning his head, he saw Zhang Ping jumping down from the wall, his eyes fixed on the roast chicken in his hand, gleaming green.
Zhang Ping involuntarily made a slurping sound.
"Brother Qin, can I borrow your roast chicken to try some?"
......
The wind swept away the remaining clouds, leaving only a pile of chicken bones on the table.
Zhang Ping was pushed and shoved out of the courtyard, still clutching a heavy bag in his hand.
He turned back and shouted unwillingly:
"Brother Qin! I haven't filled my stomach yet!"
"Get out of here! I've never seen anyone try to eat and borrow like this! Go, go, go!"
bang-
The courtyard gate slammed shut behind him.
Zhang Ping waved his hand, brushing away the dust that had been shaken off, and muttered to himself, rubbing his nose, "It's just a thousand taels of silver, it's not like I'm not going to pay it back..."
"Never mind, business is more important. Let's go buy the materials for the Ghost Blade Beast Pattern first."
He weighed the bag in his hand; it was full of heavy silver ingots, and he finally felt a little more at ease.
Seven days later.
On the path where the martial arts school is located.
"Roast chicken~ roast chicken, my delicious roast chicken~" Qin Hu swung his little money bag, humming a little tune as he swayed from side to side, his mind filled with thoughts of buying the roast chicken he loved most.
Looking up, I saw someone walking towards me. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was Zhang Ping, whom I hadn't seen for several days.
"Hey? Isn't this Brother Zhang? It's been a few days, what happened to you?" He looked him up and down curiously.
Zhang Ping's clothes were tattered, with several tears in the front and a conspicuous patch on his crotch. He looked disheveled and travel-worn.
Zhang Ping glanced at Qin Hu, his voice tinged with undisguised exhaustion: "I went outside the city and just got back. Brother Qin, I'll definitely pay you back when I get back to Lingchuan."
"Hey, no rush, no rush, it's just a small amount, you can pay me back anytime." Qin Hu waved his hand dismissively, his gaze sweeping over the bulging package behind him, and he nodded knowingly.
"Alright, thank you very much, Brother Qin." Zhang Ping's voice was hoarse.
The two passed each other.
Qin Hu stopped again, glanced back at the heavy package on Zhang Ping's back, and seemed to be deep in thought.
"This kid... he didn't run out of the city to hunt for demon materials, did he? Trying to exchange them for secret medicine? Judging from his appearance, he's at the mid-stage of Skin Tempering, he should be preparing to break through to the late stage..."
Upon returning to his residence, the first thing Zhang Ping did was rush into the bathroom and take a thorough shower.
"Phew—I'm finally alive!"
He collapsed onto the bed, feeling completely relaxed. He let out a long sigh of relief as his tense nerves relaxed, and his face showed the relief he had finally achieved after days of running around.
God knows, the material used to brand those ghost blade beast patterns was ridiculously expensive!
[Ghost Blade: Blade Demon Larva, Ghost Spirit Grass, Obsidian, Meteorite Iron, Stone from the Bottom of a Thousand-Year-Old Cold Pool]
A single Ghost Spirit Grass, corrupted by demonic energy, costs six hundred taels! And it's impossible to buy one! The black market price has skyrocketed to over a thousand taels!
I can't afford it, I simply can't afford it.
Fortunately, not far outside Lanjiang City, there was a material production area that the government had reserved for it. It cost 300 taels of silver to enter each time.
He couldn't find the stone at the bottom of the ancient cold pool either, so he gritted his teeth and went out to try his luck.
Who could have predicted that this trip would last a full seven days, involving trekking through mountains and rivers, enduring wind and rain, before finally gathering all the materials.
"Phew, finally... it's done."
Letting out a long sigh, Zhang Ping struggled to get up and carefully arranged the crystal-black juvenile sword ape and several other materials.
The movements were extremely slow, and the Daoxiao seemed unaware of the danger, remaining quietly crouched.
"This is the first time I've used live organisms as materials. I don't know how it will turn out." Zhang Ping wasn't sure either, but the panel specified that it needed juveniles, so live organisms should also work.
With a thought in mind, he silently recited: "Brand the Ghost Blade Beast Pattern, all over my body."
The surrounding ghost grass, obsidian, meteorite iron, and stones from the bottom of the thousand-year-old cold pool instantly transformed into a viscous liquid at Zhang Ping's command, completely enveloping the struggling juvenile sword demon.
Sensing danger, the juvenile sword ape suddenly awoke, wildly wielding its two sharp scythes, unleashing eerie black rays of light!
Unfortunately, it was all in vain.
The viscous liquid, as if alive, solidified in an instant, eventually transforming into a miniature, grotesque black knife mark that swiftly disappeared into Zhang Ping's brow!
【Ghost Blade: The innate swordsmanship of the demonic swordsman, shattering all illusions】
In an instant!
A set of profound and mysterious sword techniques was deeply imprinted in Zhang Ping's soul, as if he were born with it, and every subtle change was crystal clear.
With his mind clear, the many puzzles that had plagued him when he was practicing the Dragon Soaring Blade Technique suddenly became clear and he understood them all at once!
He picked up the ordinary longsword he had bought on his way back and stood at attention.
An invisible aura quietly gathered around him.
A surge of fiery energy emanated from the pores of his skin, slowly circulating and eventually converging into the longsword in his hand.
Then, the blood and qi flowed back into the body of the blade, repeating the cycle endlessly.
When they seeped out of the pores again, they had turned completely black!
"Black blood and qi?!" Zhang Ping stared in astonishment at the strange phenomenon appearing on his body.
This Ghost Blade technique is far more than just one set of sword skills!
It was more like a strange talent. As his blood and qi circulated, he clearly felt that this pitch-black blood and qi, in terms of its condensation and the power it contained, far surpassed the original crimson blood and qi, being more than twice as strong!
What alarmed him even more was that a strange pollution was lurking within this black blood!
Once it becomes tainted by the blood and qi of others, it will invade the blood and qi like a maggot clinging to a bone, leading to depletion and decline of blood and qi.
If not removed in time, one's cultivation level may drop, or even one may lose their life.
As for how to separate them and what the cost would be... he had no idea for the time being.
It is unaffected itself and cannot be used as a reference.
"Besides..." Zhang Ping's mind stirred again, and he tried to reintroduce a wisp of black blood and energy into his meridians.
After a short while, the black color faded away, and the blood returned to its crimson hue.
The original total amount of Qi and blood has actually increased slightly, roughly equivalent to half a day of arduous cultivation!
"this……"
"Cultivation accelerator???"
He opened his mouth wide, his eyes looking strange.