Xia Ningshang entered the Contribution Hall and secretly glanced back, finding that Yang Kai had already left. This couldn't help but make her secretly sigh in relief. Perhaps it was because of the morning's events, which always left her with a guilty conscience.
Just as she was in a state of confusion, she heard Shopkeeper Meng sighing deeply from behind the counter.
"What's wrong, Master?" Xia Ningshang asked.
"I'm just regretting that young man from earlier," Shopkeeper Meng sighed. "He was a good kid, willing to endure hardship and work hard, with a good character and a decent temper..."
When Xia Ningshang heard her master praise Yang Kai so much, she immediately became angry, thinking, "You don't even know what he did to your apprentice this morning. He stripped naked, defiled your apprentice's eyes, and scared her half to death."
Shopkeeper Meng kept talking, and the more Xia Ningshang listened, the angrier she became. She suddenly slapped the counter.
With a "slap," something was heard breaking.
Shopkeeper Meng looked over and his face immediately twisted, and he wailed, "My 20-point contribution Lower Rank Earth Blood Spirit芝..."
"This is Blood Spirit芝?" Xia Ningshang looked at the powder on the table, thinking, "Is Master's eyesight failing? How can this be Blood Spirit芝?"
"No, no, I made a mistake," Shopkeeper Meng lightly blew, and the powder on the counter immediately flew out, as if pinched by an invisible hand, scattering outside without a trace.
"Right, what did you come to see me for today?" Shopkeeper Meng straightened his face, unusually serious.
"I've broken through."
Shopkeeper Meng's face twitched, and he carefully examined Xia Ningshang's realm, nodding repeatedly. "Good, good. I didn't make a mistake. Only someone with your constitution is truly suitable for this cultivation technique. Here, take this pill; it will stabilize your realm."
"Okay." Xia Ningshang took it, hesitated for a moment, and then softly said, "How is your injury, Master?"
Shopkeeper Meng smiled slightly. "Don't worry about me. I've been through so much over the years; it's nothing serious."
Yang Kai returned to the small wooden house with a mix of excitement and anticipation.
Now that the Three-Leaf Soul Flower and the Desolate Land Withered Grass were both prepared in sufficient quantities, they should last for a while.
With everything ready, Yang Kai was eager to find out if the incense burner could really assist his cultivation. The wooden house was in the most remote and desolate part of the Lingxiao Pavilion, rarely visited by anyone, so Yang Kai didn't have to worry about exposing his secret. He entered the room, summoned the wordless black book, flipped to the third page, and placed the incense burner beside the bed.
He then took out the Three-Leaf Soul Flower and the Desolate Land Withered Grass, stuffed them into the incense burner, and closed the lid.
Instantly, a faint, peculiar fragrance filled the wooden house. Yang Kai took a deep breath, carefully sensing it, and found that while the fragrance was somewhat special, there wasn't anything particularly noteworthy about it. After inhaling it, he felt no significant changes in his body.
However, the fragrance continuously flowed out of the holes in the incense burner's lid, penetrating Yang Kai's nostrils like thin, long snakes, entering his body in a bizarre manner.
It felt as if something had suddenly appeared in his body, spreading a tingling sensation through his flesh, meridians, and even his bone marrow.
Yang Kai didn't dare to delay and quickly ran out to prepare for cultivation.
As soon as he took a step, Yang Kai was surprised. His foot felt as if it were filled with lead, extremely heavy, and with each step, his strength rapidly drained.
Taking another step, Yang Kai felt a sense of complete exhaustion, cold sweat breaking out all over his body, his muscles tensing, the qi he had just cultivated pulsing in his meridians, and his bones creaking.
On the third step, Yang Kai's legs gave out, and he fell to his knees, the incense burner rolling away.
Supporting himself on the ground, Yang Kai remained as still as a mountain, but his heavy breathing was like a broken windbox, his chest heaving violently, his flesh twitching, his tendons, organs, and bones expanding and contracting, the tingling sensation growing stronger. Yang Kai wanted to shout but held back.
His current state was clearly one of extreme fatigue, a condition he had experienced a few times before, so he was somewhat familiar with it.
But, he had only taken three steps, so how could he have exhausted all his strength? Not only was his physical strength drained, but his mental state was also extremely fatigued, as if he hadn't slept for days, his vision blurring.
He was at his lowest point, unable to move even a finger.
At this moment, the effects of the Three-Leaf Soul Flower and the Desolate Land Withered Grass came to mind.
Both herbs were slightly toxic, but the toxicity was not strong, and a normal person could eat a few without any issues. However, the former affected the spirit, and the latter affected the body. Considering his current condition, Yang Kai understood.
It was likely because he had inhaled the peculiar fragrance from the incense burner that this had happened. But neither the Three-Leaf Soul Flower nor the Desolate Land Withered Grass could have such a strong effect on their own. The key must lie in the incense burner, which could infinitely amplify the effects of these herbs.
With his Proud Bone Golden Body, his recovery ability was extremely strong, and he had never felt tired even after long periods of cultivation, so he had never reached his limits. Without reaching the limit, he couldn't force out his potential.
But now, he had reached his limit after just three steps. This simplicity in reaching the limit would ensure he could always push himself to the limit in the future, wouldn't it?
Yang Kai firmly believed that human potential was boundless, and the key was in how to tap into it. Talent could influence a martial artist's growth, but personal effort was also an indispensable factor. Over the years, even though he knew his talent was lacking, he had never given up on cultivation, always striving diligently.
Thinking of this, Yang Kai's spirit was greatly invigorated!
His hands gradually exerted more force, lifting his exhausted body. His thighs trembled violently, his veins bulging, his eyes bloodshot, and he slowly, inch by inch, lifted himself up.
Almost all his physical strength had been drained, and his consciousness was about to fade, but a fierce determination surged in his heart, a desire to win that he had never felt so strongly before.
Stand up! Where you fall, stand up there! Standing up is breaking the limit, it is victory!
Time had never passed so slowly. After a moment, Yang Kai managed to straighten his body halfway, his feet touching the ground, his legs slightly bent, trembling like he had the chills, but the determination to stand up was unwavering, slow but unchanging.
Finally, with a roar, Yang Kai's body stood tall, swaying slightly, but his feet firmly planted on the ground.