69 Fu Kang
Fu Kang let out a breath of relief as he arrived in his Spirit World. He couldn't help but rub his sore throat after that experience. Just what was the deal with that fierce beauty? Why did she have it out for him so badly? Wasn't it enough that she stole his martial arts book and Hidden Vision earrings? It seems that increasing his mastery of his martial arts isn't enough. He'll have to start cultivating more seriously now.
His shadow walked over to him. Fu shooed him away, he wasn't here to practice martial arts. The shadow came to greet him every time he came to his Spirit World. If he wanted, he would show it one of his martial arts and then the shadow would copy it in the perfected version. As long as he reflected the same steps as the shadow was, he would perfect the martial arts in time. Whenever he doesn't use it to train his martial arts then he lets it take care of the garden filled with herbs of all kind.
This Spirit World is filled with qi that can grow nearly any type of crops in its soil. There was no plant that Fu couldn't grow in his garden. Even regular plants mutated into spirit plants with beneficial effects when eaten. It could also accelerate the growth of plants that need hundreds or thousands of years to grow! It wouldn't be too farfetched to say that he would be able to create immortal elixir out of his ass when he becomes talented enough in pill refining!
But for now, he'll have to make something that will quickly boost his cultivation. It might take him a while to get used to his new strength but that Senior from before seems like the stubborn type. She could still be waiting for him outside his Spirit World and if he went out there with the same strength he had earlier, being taken advantage of by the fearsome beautiful Senior was the only fate waiting for him. He needed a large number of pills if he wanted to break through to the 6th stage. Where did he put that pill cauldron?
"Shadow! Bring me my pill cauldron, 20 Heart Leaves, 50 Bright-Eyed stalks, 10 Spirit Weeds, and 100 Green Fungus." The shadow immediately went to prepare all the necessary items.
It was time to refine some perfect grade pills. The shadow wasn't only good for improving his martial arts. It could also help him practice his pill refining abilities as well. He found this out when he needed to prove himself to Elder Ru. She refused to allow him to become an apprentice under her even if he could remedy the illness Liu Lan suffered because of her family's martial arts. If he could show that he had talent in the Art of Alchemy and produce a pill that was better than one of her other pupils would he be allowed to become her apprentice.
A smile slowly popped up on his face as he thought about how Liu Lan tried to help him pass Elder Ru's impossible test. A young man with no experience or knowledge about pill refining facing off against an apprentice who has been practicing for months with the greatest teacher. If he didn't have the shadow to help teach him how to concoct pills, he wouldn't have ever been able to pass Elder Ru's test. He doubted he would've won even if she gave him an entire month before facing off against Chun.
Finding out that the shadow could teach him things other than martial arts was by complete luck! It was a week before the test and he was panicking to figure out a way to become a master alchemist on his own. There was nothing at the library and when he went to the Exchange Hall, he was too poor to buy any manuals on the subject himself. He also didn't have any friends to ask because people didn't like him for some reason! Gong Jun! That damn bastard has nothing better to do but send his stupid underlings to bother him day after day after day! He warned all disciples to stay away from him unless they wanted to get on his bad side.
Fu didn't care if their families wanted the two to marry. As far as he saw it, Liu Lan was single and she was going to be his! If he needed to, he would smash up both Jun's family and Lan's family if he needed to. But at his current strength that was nothing more than wishful thinking. Even Liu Lan herself could deal with him right now. That's why he needed to use these ingredients to make the perfect pills for raising his strength.
Fu Kang lit a small fire underneath the cauldron and expertly controlled the flames to the exact temperature he wanted. The shadow sat right next to him and mimicked him. A cauldron of blackness that was similar to his cauldron appeared in front of the shadow. This was where Fu needed to pay attention. He focused his eyes on the shadow's hands and its flame. His fire was still too low compared to the heat of the shadow's. He raised the temperature higher and watched as the shadow's went further than before. Well, he could do the same!
Now it was a game of focus, patience, and making sure he doesn't run out of qi by the end of this. Seeing the moves of the shadow was like trying to copy a Grandmaster Alchemist. It was impossible for someone of Fu's level but he had all the time he wanted in this world. He wouldn't give up until the perfect grade pills were made. Fu wouldn't accept anything less than perfect with the help of the shadow. How could he boast about being the Greatest Under the Heavens if he couldn't do something as simple as this?
The Cube was Fu's greatest secret. It has saved his life on numerous occasions. It was something that Fu would never reveal to anyone. Not even his closest companions could know. It was the reason for his strength now. Everything that he has accomplished was thanks to this cube. Fu didn't realize the secrets about the cube until he nearly lost his life in Yellow Jade City.
It was a memento from his parents, parents that he never knew. Fu was raised by his grandfather in normal village. His grandfather never told him anything about his parents. When he asked about them, he was never given a direct answer. This led to Fu realizing that his parents might be anything but average. Especially after unlocking the secret about the cube. He had to be a descendent of two super powerful cultivators!
Fu Kang promised to kick his mom and dad's ass when he saw them for abandoning him and never seeing him. He didn't care if they had a good excuse or not. His anger wouldn't forgive them for failing in their parental duties. As a proper son, he had to punish his parents for their behavior. If not him, then who would?
"Damn another excellent grade pill... Worthless." Fu tossed the pill into the garden along with the dozens of other failed attempts to create a single perfect grade pill.
If anyone else saw the number of wasted pills of that grade their eyes would bulge out of their head from shock! Not even alchemist prodigies would aim for the insane heights that Fu Kang was currently aiming for. It must be known that perfect grade pills are not something that any alchemist could just hope to get. Even if everything went perfectly during the pill concocting, it still wasn't certain that one would get excellent or perfect grade pills! The Art of Alchemy is more complicated than the average cultivator would think.
The grade of pills are separated into 5 grades: Inferior, Mediocre, Average, Excellent, and Perfect. Inferior grade pills lose 50% of their medicinal essence. Mediocre is 40%, Average is 30%, Excellent is 10%, and Perfect loses none. Reaching average is the industry standard for all alchemist no matter what type of pill they are aiming to make.
Fu Kang was starting to reach his limit. His hands were shaking, his mind was tired, and his stomach was grumbling. Sitting in the same spot making pills for several hours was taxing! He needed a break! Thankfully, he had this gorgeous garden filled with all sorts of savory fruit! He'll spend a few minutes eating some of this to recharge his qi and weathered spirit. But there was a strange feeling in the air that made Fu uneasy.
The beautiful sky in his Spirit World was turning dark. That was something he's never seen before. What was going on? Fu looked over to the shadow and nearly dropped his fruit! The shadow was shaking! The same shadow that has mastered every single one of his martial arts was scared of something?! What was happening in his Spirit World?!
A giant gash appeared in the sky. Strange purple qi started to flow from gash. Fu didn't know what to do. Was there something he could do!? Was someone coming into his Spirit World?! Or was this another part of the cube that he has yet to unlock like the Wonder Spring?
"Kang! You can't hide from me! Your secrets will be mine!" A familiar figure came out of the giant gash in the sky and crash landed onto his world. She stared into his eyes and fear filled his soul...
"Im-Impossible... This is... This is my Spirit World... How did you...?" He could barely talk with the chattering of his teeth.
"Did you think you could get away?" She crushed her hand into a fist.
