Sword light flashed before his eyes!
Before Li Ke Xiu could even register his shock, the sword had already broken through the whisk's defense and stopped precisely at his throat!
"This is impossible!"
"His internal energy and true qi collided, yet it didn't dissipate!"
All the cultivators and martial artists shot to their feet, their eyes wide with disbelief!
What in the world was going on!
Low-level internal energy, weak martial artists… how was this possible!
Shao Feng retracted his sword, a slightly breathless smile on his face. "Thank you for going easy on me!"
Li Ke Xiu glanced at his whisk. A few white strands were broken, but the shock he felt internally was far more significant.
"This… how did you do it?"
"I will report this to the City Lord immediately."
Shao Feng turned and bowed to Zhang Wei. "What I've done is for no other reason than to show that my martial path can also break through the shackles of the mundane!"
This statement was undoubtedly a resounding slap in the face to the ever-so-lofty Heavenly Gate Sect!
Since arriving in the Sky City, the divine citizens here had treated the martial artists with approachability and no pretense.
However, these cultivators always carried a subtle air of arrogance and a distant indifference. In their view, there was a distinction between immortals and mortals, and what business did these mortals have with their circle of gods and immortals?
Li Ke Xiu's face flushed red, his composure shattering, and he spoke with great agitation, "I was a little careless just now. Let's go again!"
Shao Feng gave a wry smile. "If the immortal hadn't underestimated me, I wouldn't have won."
This statement also implied that Shao Feng had anticipated Li Ke Xiu not going all out, a tactical move for a cultivator to maintain face!
It was crucial to display effortless dominance to showcase the superiority of cultivators!
Shao Feng continued, "Although that sword strike was simple, it contained the entire essence of my North Peak Sword Sect. The pressure on me was immense, and I can't unleash such full-power attacks many times."
Zhan Hua also spoke in a low voice, "Ke Xiu, come back. Are you not embarrassed enough yet?"
"Yes…"
Ignoring the indignant Li Ke Xiu, Zhan Hua explained the matter of refined internal energy.
By tenfold refining impure mortal strength, they had achieved the ultimate intensity akin to true qi!
Tests showed that the strength of refined internal energy was still far inferior to true qi, perhaps only one-third the strength of Qi Condensation level one. Although still weak, it was no longer an insurmountable chasm between ordinary internal energy and true qi.
Now, it was at most a mountain that could be climbed.
Shao Feng added, "In order to develop refined internal energy further, I wish to borrow cultivation methods and visit martial arts experts across the land to learn the methods for cultivating refined internal energy!"
"Nonsense!"
Zhan Hua was so angry he could have blown his beard off, but Zhang Wei found it quite reasonable.
Zhang Wei said, "I recall there are quite a few cultivation texts and books within the trade goods. You can peruse those. The Heavenly Gate Sect's resources are a bit inconvenient."
Zhan Hua was stunned. "But… those were promised to us, and it's our Heavenly Gate Sect's responsibility to study the texts."
"Can a book be read to ruin? You can look at both together."
"But…"
"This matter is settled."
Zhang Wei could clearly see Zhan Hua's current state of mind.
It was the feeling of being surpassed by those he looked down upon.
However, this didn't mean Zhan Hua had malicious intentions; it was human nature. But the development of martial arts was extremely beneficial to Zhang Wei and could not be suppressed.
This matter required a gentle reprimand for the Heavenly Gate Sect.
Healthy development!
It was time for Jia Quan from the hunter side to step forward, and Jia Quan made an even more astonishing proposal!
"All hunters urgently need hunting experience; we need practical combat!"
"I have developed an electromagnetic induction device that allows us to sense spiritual energy without becoming cultivators!"
"With this, we can search for all sorts of rare items in heaven and earth!"
The Black List and their direct merchant teams also sent representatives. "It's been a while since we've felt the thrill of scouring the mountains and seas; our subordinates are about to go crazy from frustration."
Hunters search the wilderness, merchants trade with people, and those who don't cooperate are dealt with by assassins.
Between heaven and earth, no ingredient could escape these three tactics!
Zhan Hua's expression grew even more somber. Would he even be able to keep the authority over the trading module?
If so, the Heavenly Gate Sect's status would plummet even further.
But these were divine citizens. No matter how bold Zhan Hua was, he wouldn't dare to defy them.
Zhang Wei nodded. There was nothing in this world that could oppose his group anymore, so there was no need to hold back.
Zhang Wei instructed, "Zhan Hua, you will lead your disciples in providing assistance."
Including transportation, intelligence provision, and so on.
"Yes…"
"Oh, and there's another matter for you. Besides intelligence and transit, I need new immigrants. Preferably, if they are mortals, they should have some cultivation talent."
Next to appear were Shao An and Tang Zhi Hun, who hadn't been in front of Zhang Wei for a long time.
Chefs were the core of all systems and the highest-status individuals in the Treasure Hall, so Shao An and Tang Zhi Hun had been incredibly busy.
Every day, they had to inventory ingredients, prepare dishes, organize training, and develop new recipes…
Shao An respectfully reported, "Some time ago, you sent us a large quantity of bone-setting grass, thousand-year-old ginseng, purple pearl grass, green snake gall, white tiger bones… we have conducted extensive research on these seasonings."
"Including stir-frying, sautéing, deep-frying, and grinding them into seasonings. We've finally had some results recently."
"The most premium recipes are the Blood-Nourishing Soup, Bone-Strengthening Broth, Cold-Dispelling Warming Wine, and Cooling Tea."
The Blood-Nourishing Soup, with bone-setting grass as the main ingredient, is a herb with relatively good efficacy for internal injuries. After washing and removing the roots, it is fried in cooking oil until fragrant.
The herbs are then removed and set aside. Chicken liver, pork liver, beef kidney, and other ingredients are added to the pot, along with softened solid duck blood cubes. Finally, oyster sauce, chicken essence, and soy sauce are added for flavor and color.
Lastly, bone-setting grass and water are added and simmered for fifteen minutes. If you like it spicy, you can add small red peppers or other seasonings, as long as they have warming properties.
There was also the Bone-Strengthening Broth, made with eggs and thousand-year-old ginseng as the main ingredients, which had a delicious and smooth taste.
The Cold-Dispelling Warming Wine was similar to Zhang Wei's Tiger Blood Wine, but it required crushed white tiger bones.
The Cooling Tea contained snake gall essence, which was cooling in nature, so individuals with weak and cold constitutions should use it with caution.
…
It could be said that by making full use of these spiritual herbs and materials, they were quite effective even without the Gourmet Cells.
"It seems we'll need to do some more storing."