Chapter 153: Chapter 153 Elephant Strength Fruit
Dragon Tendon Grass has the effect of enhancing tendons and strengthening muscles.
However, its medical properties are intense and must be used in conjunction with other herbs. Otherwise, the pain endured by the human body can easily lead to incorrect practice, resulting in delirium.
Yet, Shi Xiaole refuses to do so.
Because if other medicinal ingredients are not well matched, they definitely will weaken the effect of the Dragon Tendon Grass, making it incapable of fully enhancing tendon and bone strength.
Compared to physical suffering, he detests mental cowardice even more.
With his teeth clenched, Shi Xiaole’s entire body was involuntarily twitching, and his face turned red and white from pain.
If anyone were to touch his skin at this moment, they would find it as hot as boiling water.
Sizzle.
Sweat mixed with stains flowed out from the pores, these were impurities in the tendons and bones.
Finding that the medicinal power had somewhat abated, Shi Xiaole swallowed the second Dragon Tendon Grass, continuing to endure endless torment.
The third stalk.
The fourth stalk.
Half a 2-hour period later, Shi Xiaole had swallowed six Dragon Tendon Grass stalks in total. Each time he swallowed one, his skin would turn a shade redder, and his body continuously emitted white smoke, as if being roasted.
Ordinary people swallowing six Dragon Tendon Grass stalks wouldn’t make as much of a fuss as Shi Xiaole, even many disciples of the Iron Bone Sect who practice horizontal martial arts couldn’t do it.
Just ask, how many people dare to refine their tendons and bones with Dragon Tendon Grass without the aid of other medicinal ingredients?
But the result was that Shi Xiaole’s tendons and bones fully absorbed the medicinal power of the Dragon Tendon Grass, reaping the maximum enhancement!
Another half 2-hour period later, the medicinal power finally dissipated.
Shi Xiaole distinctly felt that the sense of saturation in his body caused by fast charging vanished completely.
With the circulation of Purple Light Internal Power throughout his body, there was no longer any pain in his meridians. Even his cultivation level had improved somewhat.
This is not hard to understand.
Even when his body was strained to its limit, Shi Xiaole never gave up on cultivating his internal power. The excess internal power dispersed throughout his body, and naturally flowed into his Dantian once body enhanced and flowed through enhanced meridians.
"I’ll go for another stroll; if there is nothing good, I’ll withdraw."
Standing up, Shi Xiaole said with a smile.
A few miles away, a teenager with a torso like copper and iron was occasionally roaring to the sky, and a buzzing sound resonated from his body, clearly audible within 500 meters.
"What a pure force."
Not far away, Elder Ma couldn’t help but exclaim repeatedly.
Whilst Horizontal Practice Martial Artists train to improve their strength, once they achieve greatness, they can even make their strength leave their own bodies.
Even though Yi Nanxiong hadn’t reached the stage of greatness, the purity of the force in his body surpassed even that of Elder Ma, who had reached the greatness stage of Horizontal Practice Martial Arts. This showed Yi Nanxiong’s extraordinary talent.
Naturally, besides talent, the Horizontal Martial Arts Training technique that Yi Nanxiong practices is also excellent, and he has enjoyed all kinds of resources since he was young, that’s why he has reached his current level.
"Among the multiple top-notch youths, Yi Nanxiong is the youngest and weakest. But compared to other people his age in the Floating River Area, he is far superior. After tonight, he is bound to skyrocket, becoming peerless among his contemporaries!"
Watching Yi Nanxiong’s increasing momentum, Elder Ma’s remaining arrogance also disappeared.
"Hahaha, I’ve finally succeeded."
In the golden-brown light, Yi Nanxiong was like a man-shaped copper and iron, hammered into shape, laughing while punching the ground.
The bang of a fall.
Centered around his fist, explosive power spread all around. The yellow soil within a range of three meters began fluctuating like waves. The power continued to spread, shaking the ground within a range of ten meters non-stop.
"Congratulations to Young Master Yi for making great progress in your divine power."
Elder Ma suppressed the shock in his heart and quickly congratulated with a smile.
From the power Yi Nanxiong just displayed, even a Qi Absorption Realm Horizontal Practice Martial Artist near greatness would not be his match for a punch. How far will this youngster grow in the future?
"This time, I have to thank your sect for your strong support. Don’t worry, I never forget favours. I will remember this kindness."
Yi Nanxiong was rarely light-hearted, saying it in a relaxed tone.
He practices the Vast Thirteen Copper Transformation Skill passed down by a Martial World eccentric. As the name suggests, this skill requires thirteen transformations to become perfect, and each one is more risky than the last.
His master had practiced for several decades, undergoing nine transformations, yet he was already a rare Horizontal Practice Martial Artist well known in the Floating River Area, and not inferior to the Sect Master of top-ranked sects.
And he, Yi Nanxiong, was only sixteen years old but he had already completed the fifth transformation. There is certainly a chance for him to reach the strongest thirteen transformations in the future.
As one of the top-notch youths, Yi Nanxiong has always had big ambitions. He not only wants to dominate the Floating River Area but also wants to break out, challenge higher levels, and become a well-known person in the entire Qingxue State.
As elder Ma was about to praise a few more words, his nose twitched and a thoughtful look appeared in his old eyes.
Yi Nanxiong was even more sensitive. With his Vast Thirteen Copper Transformation Skill practice, his senses were much stronger than ordinary people. He immediately detected a sudden smell among the fragrance of the herbs and recalled something from a book he had read.
Swish, swish.
Almost subconsciously, the two pounced towards the source of the smell. Due to the urgency of the situation, Elder Ma even forgot to ask Yi Nanxiong to leave first.
"This is..."
Shi Xiaole, in the dense jungle, moved away green leaves one by one and saw an inconspicuous round fruit.
The round fruit was greyish-blue, about the size of an adult’s fist, and the crisscrossed texture divided it into more than a dozen segments, looking very much like a peeled tangerine.
The combination of various features and his knowledge suddenly made Shi Xiaole think of an extremely valuable medicinal fruit.
Elephant Strength Fruit!
The reason why it’s called Elephant Strength Fruit is because when Horizontal Practice Martial Artists use it, they experience a surge in internal power, as if they possess the strength of an elephant.
For practitioners of Internal Power Martial Arts, though they don’t gain much physical strength, it does enhance their internal power. The key is that it also performs a comprehensive transformation of the physique, unlike Dragon Tendon Grass which only enhances the bones.
In short, it’s a fruit that has marvelous effects for any martial artist.
However, before it ripens, its shape and smell are indistinguishable from ordinary fruit. At the moment of ripening, if it is not picked within half of a 2-hour period, it would wither again, which is why few people in the martial world could truly consume it.
Shi Xiaole had intentionally crammed for knowledge on medicinal herbs before searching for the Dragon Tendon Grass, which was how he found out about all this.
"Heaven gives bounty, but he who does not take it suffers its wrath."
Without any hesitation, Shi Xiaole plucked the Elephant Strength Fruit and started running towards the Living Water River, applying his lightness skill.
The value of the Elephant Strength Fruit was too high, especially for martial artists like Shi Xiaole who focused on internal power. It was worth more than any other medicinal herb in the forbidden area, worth the risk.
"The smell has weakened, not good, someone’s here!"
Several hundred meters away, Elder Ma’s face changed drastically in the jungle outside.
There were patrols in the forbidden zone, but who would dare to touch the medicinal herbs? There can only be one explanation: someone had secretly sneaked in and taken something.
And anyone who could get past the three masters at the entrance and enter this place was definitely not to be trifled with.
Thinking of this, Elder Ma slowed down a bit and instead raised his head and bellowed into the sky, "Thief in the forbidden zone!"
His voice echoed around the mountains, and the air vibrated with a thunderous rumble.
Iron Bone Sect’s masters who were patrolling heard this and their hearts trembled, rushing towards the place where the sound originated.
At the entrance, three men who were sitting cross-legged and gathering their strength suddenly opened their eyes, their gazes sharp.
"Apart from Ma San and Yi Nanxiong, did any of you notice someone entering?"
"No."
"Not even a mosquito."
The three men exchanged glances, and a serious expression could be seen in each other’s eyes.
There were few people in the entire Floating River Area who could sneak past their senses and enter the forbidden zone. Could it be that a highly skilled master had come?
Or, had the intruder used some other method?
"Let’s go and take a look."
The leader of the three made the decision.
If it was the former, they would admit their bad luck and even willingly hand over things. But if it were the latter, hmm!
Elder Ma’s shout stirred up chaos among those in the forbidden zone, but he himself was taken aback and did not dare to proceed.
"Elder Ma, allow me, Yi, to take a look."
A flash of disdain crossed Yi Nanxiong’s face as he leapt into the jungle like a tiger.
Judging from the movement of the scent, the intruder’s lightness skill was just average, not any formidable master. If he stopped moving forward because of his suspicion, it would be cautious, but it might also become mediocre.
The Purple Light Divine Skill was operating, and Shi Xiaole’s five senses were enhanced to the extreme, clearly sensing people approaching from all directions.
Among them, the threats from the left and the back were the most powerful. Especially the three breaths from the left, each was incredibly terrifying and could easily crush him.
Although the one from the back was far inferior to the three on the left, it was also profound and strong, not to be underestimated.
At this point, the Golden Goose Skill seemed insufficient.
In the past, most of Shi Xiaole’s opponents were low-level or mid-level martial artists in the Qi Absorption Realm, and their lightness skills might not have been very strong.
But now what he was facing were masters from well-known martial sects, most of whom had practiced superior lightness skills, and with their advantage in cultivation, it was only a matter of time before they caught up with him.
Knowing that it would be difficult to re-enter this place in the future, Shi Xiaole ran while desperately picking medicinal herbs along the way, grabbing and storing as many as possible.
Boom!
Soon, a punch arrived from behind. Due to the distance, the master who had chased after Shi Xiaole from behind was the first to reach him.
Without looking back, Shi Xiaole swung his sword behind him.
With a click, the sword broke into pieces, but the residual force of the punch still made a hole in the ground where Shi Xiaole had stood.
"Boy, leave the Elephant Strength Fruit!"
Upon seeing Shi Xiaole, Yi Nanxiong’s heart settled, his worries completely dispelled.
"There’s still more than two hundred meters to the Living Water River."
Calculating the distance silently, Shi Xiaole mobilized his internal power and, without any trial, directly swung a killer move towards the back — the Landslide and Water Split.
The power of the mountains and rivers gathered, transforming into a dangerous and terrible edge, slashing at Yi Nanxiong in a flash.
"This sword has some meaning, but the internal power is too weak."
A strange light flashed in his eyes. Yi Nanxiong’s fist was wrapped in a light golden aura, with one punch he shattered the sword light, but his momentum also slowed down sharply, even retreating.
"I have underestimated you. But you won’t be able to leave tonight!"
The golden brown light on Yi Nanxiong’s fist turned from light to thick, and he swung out another fist. This punch was formidable and overwhelming, causing a suffocating sensation in Shi Xiaole’s chest without even getting close.
In addition, there were invisible waves of Qi from all around converging crazily, making it difficult for Shi Xiaole to move or evade.
Boom...
The Purple Light Divine Skill exploded, breaking the Qi waves, and Shi Xiaole swung out another Landslide and Water Split, his body then went along with it and plunged into the mist before diving into the water.
"Damn it!"
Yi Nanxiong stopped outside the mist, with a dark look on his face.
Had he known earlier that this lad was so cunning, he should have used his full strength. However, the other party seemed to have entered this place through the Living Water River. If he manipulated it a bit, he might be able to block him.
The appearance of the Elephant Strength Fruit made Yi Nanxiong have other thoughts. Not to mention anything else, as long as he could digest a few slices, his skills would absolutely be able to advance further.
As for whether the Elephant Strength Fruit would be used up or not, Yi Nanxiong was not worried at all.
The Elephant Strength Fruit had a strange aura of its own and was not easy to digest. Moreover, there were dozens of slices in total, and the other party couldn’t possibly use them up so quickly.
