Chapter 53 : Chapter 53
Chapter 53: Who Is the Asura Saber? Insult Him Once, and I’ll Tag Him for You
After finishing all that, Lu Zhan took out the Marrow Cleansing Pill again.
It was about the size of a pigeon’s egg, with a glossy, glass-like sheen over its entire surface. Pale golden cloud patterns flowed across it, and a thin layer of spiritual mist floated around its edges.
Through the haze, Lu Zhan even seemed to see a little white dragon swimming through the mist.
Lu Zhan stared at the system panel.
【Spirit Root: Mortal Spirit Root】
“It’s about time I improved my aptitude. I’ve already opened my apertures, and I’m still stuck with a Mortal Spirit Root. Even absorbing Spiritual Power takes effort.”
He tilted his head back and swallowed the Marrow Cleansing Pill in one gulp.
Gulp.
【Ding! It has been detected that the host has consumed a Marrow Cleansing Pill. Aptitude enhancement in progress...】
Not long after, the medicinal power of the Marrow Cleansing Pill dissolved inside his body. The Spiritual Energy in his Dantian began to boil, and a searing pain grew stronger and stronger.
Yet the pain came quickly and vanished just as fast. Lu Zhan almost thought it had been an illusion.
Immediately after that, he felt his abdomen begin to squirm. It seemed... extremely excited, and it absorbed all of that immense medicinal power.
【Refining Stomach Effect 1: Devouring Amplification activated】
When consuming food containing Qi and blood or Spiritual Energy, Spiritual Energy absorption efficiency increases to 150% and is used to strengthen the physical body.
Lu Zhan could clearly feel the Marrow Cleansing Pill making sweeping changes to his body.
His original sensitivity to Spiritual Energy had been extremely dull, but now it was rapidly improving.
At the same time, he could also feel that a great deal of black impurity was being expelled from his body.
His aptitude was improving at a tremendous rate.
A warm current enveloped his entire body, making him feel extremely comfortable.
After about an hour, the Spiritual Power within him became docile once more and began to circulate slowly through his body.
But beneath that calm surface lay astonishing power.
【Ding! Congratulations, host. Aptitude enhancement successful. You have obtained a Spirit-grade Spirit Root.】
【Your talent Refining Stomach has been triggered. Your physical body has been greatly enhanced.】
Lu Zhan opened his eyes. The Spiritual Energy drifting through the air seemed far more intimate now. With only a slight circulation of the Seven Killings Scripture, Spiritual Power came surging toward him.
“Excellent. My aptitude has finally transformed from mortal to spiritual. And this body of mine feels like it’s on the verge of another breakthrough too.”
Lu Zhan felt that if he ate all the Demon Beast flesh he had bought at noon, his physical body might break through to a level comparable to a Spirit Rank, Middle Grade Spirit Weapon.
Lu Zhan clenched his fist, and it crackled audibly.
He could feel the terrifying force contained within his body’s strength now.
Suddenly, a foul stench spread through the room.
Lu Zhan looked over himself, only to discover that his entire body was covered in a layer of black, sticky grime.
“So these are the impurities inside my body?”
“No wonder they could tell I had never taken a Marrow Cleansing Pill just by looking at how long I’d been a Demon-Subduing Guard.”
After that, Lu Zhan ran off to take a bath.
When he came back, he opened the Demon Extermination Bureau app and lay on his bed, scrolling through the forum for a while.
He happened to come across a post from half a year ago.
The thread owner was called 【Shatter Darkness with Thunder】, and the post was about taking a Marrow Cleansing Pill.
“Brothers, I’ve finally gone official. I finally went official. Today I got my hands on a Marrow Cleansing Pill, and I was so damn happy at the time. But after taking it, that feeling... holy shit, it really hurt like hell. I wonder how it went for the rest of you?”
“Same here. I think I went official on the same day as the thread owner. It was my first time taking the stuff, so I had no experience. It felt like my meridians were being ground apart bit by bit and then pasted back together. Woohoo... I nearly passed out from the pain.”
Right below that, someone named 【I Love Eating Chicken Feet】 immediately mocked them on the spot.
“Hahahaha, you can tell at a glance that you’re rookies. You were actually pretty lucky. If you’d passed out right away, the pain would’ve disappeared, sure, but the effect of the Marrow Cleansing Pill would’ve been greatly reduced too.”
“I remember the first time I took a Marrow Cleansing Pill, one of the senior brothers in my jurisdiction specifically reminded me to buy a Spirit-Awakening Pill at the front desk. The effect was incredible.”
The moment a senior showed up, a whole crowd of newcomers became visibly excited and began leaving messages under the post from that senior called 【I Love Eating Chicken Feet】.
“Wow, we actually caught a fresh senior in the wild.”
“Senior Brother, I’m a newbie and I’m about to go official. I wanted to ask, if I take a Spirit-Awakening Pill, will it reduce the pain?”
【I Love Eating Chicken Feet】: “No. A Spirit-Awakening Pill can only improve the absorption effect of the Marrow Cleansing Pill. Bet you didn’t know that, huh? My Marrow Cleansing Pill absorption rate reached a terrifying sixty percent.”
“Holy crap! I’m so jealous. Mine was only fifty percent. I thought my absorption efficiency was already terrifying enough. As expected of a senior brother. Amazing!”
“I bow before the big shot. Let me absorb some of your luck!”
“+1”
“+1”
...
What followed was a huge string of worshipful replies, all kinds of reaction images, all kinds of virtual incense-burning. It was extremely lively.
Lu Zhan raised a brow.
Taking this thing hurts?
It felt great, all right?
And shouldn’t the absorption rate of a Marrow Cleansing Pill be 100%? How could any of it go to waste?
Lu Zhan scrolled farther down and quickly found another comment from 【I Love Eating Chicken Feet】.
“Big shot, I want to ask if there’s any way to lessen that kind of pain. I’m afraid of pain.”
【I Love Eating Chicken Feet】: “There is, actually. I’ve heard the Demon Extermination Bureau has a kind of pill called the Drunken Immortal Pill. After taking it, your body feels tipsy, but you won’t completely lose consciousness.”
“But let me warn you first. If you take that stuff and then consume a Marrow Cleansing Pill, the effect will also be somewhat reduced. And a single Drunken Immortal Pill isn’t cheap either. One costs 10 Contribution Points.”
“Got it. Thanks for the reminder, big shot.”
That was where the comments ended. Lu Zhan could not help wanting to complain after reading them, so he left a comment as well.
@Taotao Ice: “Can young people these days really not endure even this much suffering? Which one of us Martial Artists reached our current strength without going through hardship?”
“If you can’t endure this little bit of suffering, what kind of Martial Artist are you supposed to be? You’d be better off going home and farming.”
After forcing down a big bowl of chicken soup for the soul on them, Lu Zhan felt thoroughly refreshed.
Then he put down his phone and was just about to sleep.
At the same time, Xiao Yunchen in Linhai City was also browsing the forum.
Very quickly, one particular post caught his eye. It had been made by Shang Yin, the goddess he followed.
【Yingying Is a Super Invincible Beautiful Girl】: “Brothers and sisters, let me share an earth-shattering piece of gossip with you: the Asura Saber was ambushed tonight by several late-stage Aperture Opening Realm Martial Artists and counter-killed them all. The details are way too bloody!!!”
“What?! The Asura Saber made such a huge move again without a sound?”
“The way those people died... it really is exactly his usual style!”
“Isn’t the Asura Saber a little too fierce? Does he not need to cultivate at all? Every time I hear news about him, he’s either killing people or on the way to kill people.”
“Hahahahaha, that analysis above was absolutely spot-on. I started following him from the Broken Bridge car chase. I was actually there in person for the battle at Blackwater Hall.”
“Wow, you’re so lucky. I only saw the officially released photos. Brother, what did it feel like to see it live?”
“Strong and ruthless, like the Asura reborn. When he doesn’t draw his blade, he’s courteous, refined, and elegant, with an extraordinary bearing. But once he starts cutting, hehe... his enemies don’t even die with their corpses intact. Otherwise, where do you think the title Asura Saber came from?”
Reading their discussion, Xiao Yunchen could not help feeling puzzled. So he made a post on the forum.
【Shatter Darkness with Thunder】: “Who is this Asura Saber you’re talking about?”
????????
In an instant, question marks flooded the screen.
“No way, brother, are you really that stingy? You’ve already joined the Demon Extermination Bureau, and you still can’t bear to pay that tiny bit for internet access? Why don’t you come to my place? My neighbor’s Wi-Fi is insanely good. I get full signal even through the wall.”
【Showing Chicken Feet】: “The guy upstairs is way too vicious. Brother, don’t mind him. If you provoke the Asura Saber, you’ll get to know him right away. Or just insult him once, and I’ll tag him for you.”