Looking at his junior brotherās bitter expression, Yang Kai smiled and said, "Donāt be nervous. Iām just earning a few contribution points. Donāt worry, Iāll go easy on you. I promise I wonāt hurt you."
After ten breaths, the junior brother fell to the ground, and Yang Kai left with a swagger.
Xia Ningshang stood on the treetop, taking in everything with her eyes. Her eyes narrowed into a crescent moon shape, and a faint smile appeared at the corners of her mouth. She had personally witnessed a junior brother who had lost 147 consecutive matches slowly rise and become strong, which gave her a sense of accomplishment. Although Yang Kaiās strength had nothing to do with her, over the past two years, Xia Ningshang had gotten used to secretly observing this junior brother. It was like a silent protection. When Yang Kai became stronger, Xia Ningshang also felt inexplicably happy.
Beside the Dragon Trapped Ravine, Yang Kai continued to cultivate. It had been five days since he planted the seed of the Three Yang Fruit. The sapling had grown to a height of ten feet, and it changed significantly almost every day. At this moment, the Three Yang Fruit tree swayed in the wind, with three bright red flowers in full bloom. It probably wouldnāt be long before the fruit was ripe.
By then, Yang Kai could feast on it.
In the past few days, Yang Kaiās cultivation had also yielded good results. A drop of Yang Essence had condensed in his dantian, and the True Yang Art had advanced further.
The task of sweeping the floor had been taken over by someone else, giving Yang Kai more time to cultivate.
In the past few days, Yang Kai had also been investigating the movements of the Wind and Rain Pavilion. After all, he had killed Cheng Shaofeng and Nuta, and it was hard to avoid trouble. However, to Yang Kaiās relief, there was no unusual activity from the Wind and Rain Pavilion. It seemed that Hu Meier had not betrayed him.
This woman is still trustworthy!
It was the eighth day of the month again, and it was finally time to settle the contribution points.
On the eighth day of last month, he had just obtained the Proud Bone Golden Body. At that time, he was only at the third level of the Body Tempering Realm. In just one month, he had already reached the eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm. This cultivation speed was unmatched in the world. Even those so-called prodigies, with the help of spiritual elixirs and miraculous medicines, could not match this speed.
Walking into the Contribution Hall, the innkeeper Meng suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked at Yang Kai in surprise. He found that Yang Kaiās strength had increased significantly in the past few days.
The surprise was fleeting, and the innkeeper Meng quickly returned to his normal state. He was not someone who lacked experience. On the contrary, his insight far exceeded that of anyone in the Lingxiao Pavilion. Therefore, although Yang Kaiās strength had increased a lot, it did not shock him. He had seen many people who shone brightly in their youth but ultimately achieved nothing.
"Mr. Meng," Yang Kai greeted.
"Come to exchange something?" The old man Meng sized him up.
"Yes, I have fifty-nine contribution points this month, right?"
Sweeping the floor earned him ten points, and defeating one person each day earned him two points. This month, there were three days when Yang Kai was not in the sect, so he had fought twenty-seven matches in total. However, he had been caught drinking with Su Mu by the Dark Hall disciples, and five points were deducted. So, he had fifty-nine contribution points in total.
"Very good, what do you want to exchange for?"
"Twenty-nine stalks of Desolate Land Withered Wood Grass and thirty Three-Leaf Residual Soul Flowers." The incense burner hadnāt been used for a long time because it lacked materials. Using it didnāt help with the cultivation of primordial energy, but it was extremely beneficial for the tempering of the physical body.
The old man Meng looked at him with deep meaning, then walked into the back room and brought out the items Yang Kai needed, packed and ready.
Just as Yang Kai was about to reach out to take them, the innkeeper Meng pulled them back and asked with a smile, "Little Yang Kai, can you tell me what you ate in Blackwind Mountain last time?"
He was still interested in Yang Kaiās encounter.
Yang Kai lied, "I donāt know, it was just a bright red fruit. I ate it when I was hungry."
"Bright red fruit... bright red fruit..." The old man Meng fell into deep thought but couldnāt think of any corresponding spirit fruit.
After a while, the innkeeper Meng shook his head. "Forget it. But arenāt you planning to save up contribution points to exchange for my Bone Washing Pill?"
The old Yang Kai would meticulously calculate every contribution point he spent, being extremely frugal. But now, he was spending his contribution points as soon as they arrived, which was not like him at all.
Yang Kai smiled and said, "No, only through oneās own efforts can one become strong. Relying on a pill is too short-sighted of me."
Hearing this, the innkeeper Meng looked at him deeply and nodded with a smile. "Very good, very good. You seeing this is beyond my expectations. Little Yang Kai, I have a piece of advice for you."
"Please, Mr. Meng, go ahead!"
"Work hard and donāt waste your good fortune!"
"Disciple understands!"
Leaving the Contribution Hall, Yang Kai rushed to the Dragon Trapped Ravine.
Summoning the incense burner and throwing the herbs into it, Yang Kai began practicing his martial arts beside the Dragon Trapped Ravine. The familiar pressure came, a pressure that Yang Kaiās current strength could not withstand. In no time, he was panting and exhausted, but he did not give up. He persisted, slowly and laboriously performing each movement. His physical strength drained like a flood, and his mind became hazy and weary.
After a while, Yang Kai could no longer hold on and fell to the ground.
Struggling to sit up, he circulated the True Yang Art to recover his physical strength and mental state.
Originally, Yang Kai thought the incense burner had no effect on the cultivation of primordial energy, but now he realized he was wrong. Under the influence of the strange fragrance, the circulation of Yang Qi in his meridians seemed to be restrained, moving extremely slowly, making him feel helpless.
The strange fragrance slowed down the circulation of True Yang Primordial Energy, greatly reducing his cultivation efficiency.
Yang Kai did not rush to put away the incense burner but decided to experience it more. He felt that the incense burner was not just for tempering the physical body. This thing was incredibly mysterious, beyond his current understanding.
With the help of the incense burner, Yang Kaiās body grew stronger day by day, but the cultivation of the True Yang Art lagged behind. The absorption of Yang Qi was significantly reduced, and after two or three days of cultivation, the True Yang Primordial Energy in his body had not increased much.
Was the incense burner really just hindering the cultivation of primordial energy? After experimenting for two or three days, Yang Kai felt somewhat discouraged.
If that were the case, the value of the incense burner would be greatly diminished.
With no choice, Yang Kai decided to put away the incense burner during recovery to avoid it affecting the circulation of his primordial energy and unnecessarily increasing the recovery time.
After another exhausting session, Yang Kai put the incense burner into the Wordless Black Book.
Circulating the True Yang Art, Yang Kaiās expression suddenly changed as he carefully felt the changes.
After a moment, a smile appeared at the corners of Yang Kaiās mouth. He discovered that the circulation speed of the True Yang Primordial Energy in his body was slightly faster than it had been in the past two days.
The faster the primordial energy circulated, the faster it absorbed Yang Qi. In battle, this would mean greater explosive power.
So, thatās how it is! The existence of the incense burner did not hinder his cultivation of primordial energy but instead provided him with significant benefits in a certain way.
The primordial energy in his body had adapted to the pressure brought by the strange fragrance. When the strange fragrance was suddenly gone, it naturally circulated faster than before. It was like a person who had adapted to carrying a three-thousand-pound stone suddenly switching to a three-hundred-pound stone; he would definitely walk much faster.
The principle was the same.
Realizing this, Yang Kai smiled.
In the short term, the incense burner might only hinder his cultivation of the True Yang Art, but in the long run, this hindrance would bring great benefits. This was a worthwhile investment!