Chapter 34: Bai Haisang Ambushed

Contrary to the desolate endless wilderness where human presence was scarce, here, one could intermittently spot some merchant caravans and outposts of various sect families. Evidently, there also weren’t many spiritual beasts within the human territory.

“The number of spiritual beasts has sharply decreased. I can hardly see any wild ones. It seems that the methods of obtaining cultivation resources in human territories greatly differ from the endless wilderness.”

Zhang Shen wasn’t surprised. He planned to head to a nearby human settlement first to gather information.

Along the way, Zhang Shen heard the sounds of skirmishing. He wasn’t inclined to intervene. Such incidents were all too common. However, a faint fragrance wafted toward him.

‘What’s this?’ 

A thought crossed Zhang Shen’s mind as he followed the sound of the battle.

A group was surrounding and attacking a merchant caravan. Boxes carrying the caravan’s goods were knocked over and a handful of dark-green rotting soil spilled onto the ground, from which a light floral scent emanated.

Mid-grade Spiritual Floral Rotting Soil.

Zhang Shen recognized this heavenly resource and was deeply intrigued.

At that moment, two martial artists from the attackers, one at the Innate fourth layer and the other at the fifth layer, were ruthlessly beating two martial artists from the caravan, who were at the Innate second and third layers.

It was evident the attackers didn’t want to go all out, perhaps fearing injury, so they held back a little. Yet even so, the disparity in their cultivation levels meant the attackers had an overwhelming advantage. The continuation of this skirmish spelled doom for the caravan.

On the battlefield, apart from the four with Innate cultivation, other martial artists of the Acquired stage and peak human limit men were also fiercely clashing.

It was apparent that the caravan members were rallying around a graceful young master. Though this young master was brave, leading from the front with a commendable Acquired eighth-layer cultivation, his importance was evident from the four martial artists at the Acquired ninth layer guarding him.

Bai Haisang was anxious and furious about the current situation. If this continued, everyone would die.

With his strength, he felt helpless to change the outcome. Yet at that moment, a voice whispered in his ear. 

“Young man, do you need assistance?” 

A deep, powerful voice tinged with a hint of world-weariness revitalized Bai Haisang’s spirit.

With a swift sword move, he parried the incoming blades of his enemies. Cautiously, he scanned his surroundings but found no one who might have uttered those words.

“I can help you deal with these foes. In exchange, I want three boxes of the Floral Rotting Soil.”

The voice kept resonating beside Bai Haisang’s ear, yet nobody else seemed to notice anything amiss. This invigorated him even more. It meant that the person speaking to him wasn’t ordinary.

“If you agree, just nod your head.”

Bai Haisang still couldn’t pinpoint the speaker, but he subtly nodded. The tide of battle shifted from that moment.

Amidst the fierce combat involving four Innate realm warriors, a figure abruptly appeared.

Like a ghost, he appeared behind the Innate fifth-layer assailant. Instantly, a chilling sensation ran down the spine of this fifth-level expert.

Sky-Reverting Strike!

However, his weapon was too slow. A hand pierced through his back, tearing out his spine and vital organs.

“You!” 

The man couldn’t believe he had been ambushed just like that. With a sickening thud, Zhang Shen’s fist brutally crushed his head.

In a direct confrontation, considering Zhang Shen’s capabilities, defeating him wouldn’t have been so simple.  It might have taken at least ten strikes to possibly subdue him. But a sneak attack was a different matter.

The situation dramatically changed, with both sides utterly shocked.

Yet Zhang Shen didn’t hesitate, stepping forward to confront the remaining Innate fourth layers opponent.

Unparalleled strength left craters in the ground with each step.

The remaining opponent resisted with all his might. However, Zhang Shen’s physique was unparalleled. With one slap, he shattered the man’s hand.

Another palm strike targeted the crown of the opponent’s head. The upper half of the man’s body was smashed into his lower half, rendering him an indistinguishable mass of blood and flesh.

This horrifying scene petrified the two Innate realm members of the caravan, fearing they might be next.

Bai Haisang was the first to recover.

“He’s on our side. Now, obliterate these bastards!”

With that command, the morale of the caravan skyrocketed, while terror seized the hearts of the ambushers as if it might leap out of their chests.

Without the presence of the Innate martial artists, the panic-stricken ambushing forces were decimated by the caravan’s warriors.

Under Bai Haisang’s leadership, they were successively executed.

The desperate counterattacks from the Acquired ninth-layer martial artists near their end did not create any disturbances, especially when the Innate warriors of the caravan personally took action.

“Senior, thank you for your timely assistance.” 

After dealing with the enemies, Bai Haisang immediately approached Zhang Shen to express his gratitude.

“No need. Just give me what I asked for.” 

Zhang Shen’s demeanor was ice-cold, entirely uninterested in conversing. Coupled with his mature and world-weary visage, he exuded the aura of a seasoned, ruthless martial artist who had weathered countless battles.

True to his word, Bai Haisang commanded his subordinates to fetch three boxes of the Floral Rotting Soil from the caravan’s cargo.

The two Innate members of the caravan were curious, but they dared not interrupt. Zhang Shen’s brutal display earlier had genuinely intimidated them, leaving a lingering chill running down their spines.

After inspecting the quality of the Floral Rotting Soil, Zhang Shen seemed quite pleased. It wasn’t inferior stuff. He stored it all in his spatial bag. With a flick of his fingers, the weapons and storage bags of the two Innate fighters he had killed flew into his grasp, which he then put away. He certainly wouldn’t refuse his spoils of war.

“Senior, would you like to accompany me–” 

Bai Haisang hadn’t finished speaking when Zhang Shen took to the skies, departing.

It was merely a transaction. Zhang Shen had no interest in forming further connections.

“Hmph, getting ambushed during a simple cargo delivery,” he mused as he soared. “Better not associate too closely with such trouble magnets. It might invite endless complications.”

Zhang Shen swiftly retreated from the scene, soaring high above. Regardless of whether it was just bad luck or some scheme against Bai Haisang, it had nothing to do with him. He had intervened solely for the Floral Rotting Soil.

Although the Spiritual Floral Rotting Soil was only considered a mid-tier treasure of the Acquired grade, it was of great use to him.

More specifically, it greatly benefited his cultivation of the Mountain of a Thousand Layers technique.

Generally, improving one’s cultivation entailed three steps.

Firstly, understanding the technique. If one didn’t even grasp the basics of absorbing spiritual energy for cultivation, then there was no point in discussing advancement. The deeper one’s comprehension of the technique, the easier the cultivation became.

The second step involved practical application. After comprehending a technique, one would begin to cultivate it actively. During this process, the body gradually would acclimatize to the technique. For example, when practicing a fire attribute technique, a cultivator might initially find the sensation unbearably hot and difficult to endure. However, as the body adapted, it shifted in a way that was in harmony with the technique.

This process was commonly referred to as Initiation, Minor Mastery, Major Mastery, and Perfection.

Of course, the extent to which the body harmonized with the technique was closely tied to the practitioner’s understanding of it. 

If your comprehension of the technique only reached the level of Major Mastery, you shouldn’t expect your body to achieve perfect synchronization with it.

The progress indication on Zhang Shen’s system reflected this journey of the body becoming entirely attuned to the technique.

The third step involved absorbing spiritual energy through the technique and refining it into forms like Acquired internal energy or Innate True Qi.

The efficiency of this step was determined by the extent to which the body and the technique resonate from the second step. The higher the resonance, the faster the cultivation.

The Floral Rotting Soil accelerated Zhang Shen’s cultivation of the Mountain of a Thousand Layers, essentially speeding up the second step.  It allowed him to quickly reach the state of Perfection for each layer of the technique, where the physical body was perfectly aligned with that layer of the technique.

This could save Zhang Shen a significant amount of cultivation time.

Moreover, the immense Earth spiritual power contained within the Floral Rotting Soil provided significant aid even for the third step.

It could be said that this treasure is incredibly beneficial when practicing the Acquired portions of the Mountain of a Thousand Layers.

All the treasures beneficial for cultivating the Mountain of a Thousand Layers were documented within its teachings.

It was for this reason that Zhang Shen made a transaction with Bai Haisang. Otherwise, he would have been indifferent to Bai Haisang’s fate and his group.

As for waiting for both the caravan and the ambushers to exhaust each other and then reap the benefits of their conflict? Zhang Shen had principles. As long as one wasn’t opposing him, he maintained a certain standard of conduct.

Soon, Zhang Shen arrived at a bustling small market.

It was lively, with martial artists coming and going. Even the rare ordinary people spotted here were at the peak of the human limit.

Moreover, these ordinary individuals at their peak were mostly accompanying these martial artists. They were essentially subordinates or servants.

Numerous shops lined the streets, accompanied by a long stretch of stalls.

As Zhang Shen passed by, he was nearly blinded by the variety. Talismans, spiritual tools, elixirs, rare treasures, cultivation methods, and martial arts techniques were all on display. Though the quality wasn’t top tier, the variety was vast.

The bustling atmosphere truly captivated Zhang Shen, turning him into a zealous window-shopper, thoroughly enjoying the sights without spending a dime.

Indeed, he hadn’t bought a single item, not even spending a single spirit stone. He was the epitome of a freeloading window-shopper.

“What a splendid atmosphere, it’s quite refreshing to the mood,” he thought.

As Zhang Shen truly indulged in the bustling ambiance, he soon found a merchant renting out cave mansions. 

He spent a hundred low-grade spirit stones to rent a cave mansion for half a year.

Though it was called a cave mansion, it was more of a courtyard enveloped by a formation. Not overly spacious, but exuding an ancient charm, complete with a bonsai garden. The ambiance was quite delightful.

More importantly, there was a hint of spiritual energy seeping from beneath the mansion.

Though not dense, it was sufficient only for the cultivation of someone at the early to mid-stage Acquired stage and precisely what Zhang Shen was looking for.

“Once I take action, if someone wants to find me, would they think to look for me in the cave abode used by Heavenly Martial Artists? It seems unlikely.”

Retrieving the Floral Rotting Soil from his storage bag, its fragrance permeated the air. Yet, the courtyard’s formation restricted it, preventing any scent from escaping.

Having acquired the Floral Rotting Soil, Zhang Shen was eager to refine and cultivate it.  However, doing so just anywhere wasn’t prudent. 

With the influx of individuals at the edge of the human territories, what if he was discovered and interrupted?

It was safer to cultivate in a cave mansion.

After brewing a pot of pure lotus leaf tea to calm his mind, Zhang Shen held a handful of Floral Rotting Soil and began cultivating the Mountain of a Thousand Layers.

Streams of spiritual energy were extracted and absorbed into his body.

Meanwhile, Bai Haisang, who had narrowly escaped death, also arrived at this market. His Bai family’s trading company had a shop here and he was in charge of this shop. The goods he transported were meant for their upcoming sale.

Although now missing three boxes of Floral Rotting Soil, he considered his survival a great profit in itself.