I became a Sword Emperor in the Martial Arts World

Chapter 203 Forever Eighteen, Beautiful as a Flower

Chidori Naval Base.

Admiral Davidson, Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Ocean of the Western Pacific Navy, sat upright in his office, listening attentively to the sacred instruction.

On the screen in front of him, a blond, square-faced man was mimicking playing the harmonica, yelling at him, "What are you doing? The Holy Kingdom spends so much money on you every year, are you just here to hold positions without doing any work?"

"Commander-in-Chief..."

"Shut up! Nobody knows how to catch a murderer better than me. Now listen to me!"

"yes!"

Davidson could only suppress his anger, because the person in front of him was the president who had won a great victory in the election in the Western Kingdom and returned as a king.

"Now that a descendant of the Holy One has died, you can't even catch the murderer, and you've even lost a warship. By the Blood God, that ship was worth 18 billion dollars. Do you know how much 18 billion dollars is? Damn it, how can the Holy Kingdom become great again with a bunch of trash like you?"

"Commander-in-Chief..."

"Shut up! I don't want to hear your excuses. All I want is to find the murderer! You know what? It was my nephew who died! Do you know how many years Tianci and I have been best friends? We're closer than blood brothers!"

"..."

After the call ended, Davidson rubbed his temples, thoroughly annoyed.

"commander."

The person who walked in was Scott, the head of the intelligence department.

Davidson leaned back in his chair: "Have you found any useful information about the killer's identity?"

"Currently, all we know is that Juejian is a member of the Xinsha Martial Arts Organization in the Eastern Pole Kingdom. His first appearance was in Xingcheng, Hunan Province, where he single-handedly destroyed a local martial arts family with just his sword. Because of this, Juejian is currently wanted by the Eastern Pole Kingdom."

"Bad news."

Davidson's mood worsened. Avner was the second son of the God-given King and a quasi-royal member of the Edifa Theocracy, a man of great importance.

The person died in his own jurisdiction, and he was unfairly blamed for this disaster. He had no choice but to take the fall.

"Have you negotiated with the Martial Arts Association of Dongji Kingdom?"

"We've already talked to them. They're willing to cooperate in capturing Juejian, but they refused our offer to send people into Dongji Kingdom to assist."

"WTF?"

Davidson couldn't help but curse, using a phrase typical of Western countries: "Are the people from Eastern countries playing us? What kind of cooperation is this?"

"Commander, should we send someone infiltrate secretly?"

"Infiltrate where? Go to your death?"

Davidson impatiently waved his hand to interrupt Scott's suggestion. The congressmen in the Western Pacific were clamoring for war against the Eastern Pacific every day. Only an officer like him, who was personally in charge of the front line in the Eastern Ocean, truly understood how powerful the enemy was.

If the Western Extremist Kingdom dares to start a war today, it will no longer be a superpower on Earth tomorrow. Forget about becoming great again; whether it can even survive in the future is a big question.

Davidson warned Scott: "Don't try to be clever. This is trouble caused by the Source Blood Society. Let them clean up their own mess."

…………

Linjiang, the black market.

Ye Qingzhou changed into the armor of the Absolute Sword, controlled the combat puppet, and entered Liuyunzhai once again.

"Lord Juejian."

Upon seeing Ye Qingzhou arrive, Yun Yuan immediately greeted him warmly, his eyes even showing a hint of awe: "Your sword, now it can be said, is truly a weapon that, once unsheathed, astounds all."

In the past few days, Ye Qingzhou has caused a great disturbance in Chenli Kingdom, breaking through enemy lines and killing tens of thousands of enemies. The four major families of Mengding City, who had been rampant for more than ten years, have now been wiped out in one fell swoop.

Not only that, Ye Qingzhou even killed the Holy Descendant first, and then angrily destroyed the warship, giving the Western Pacific Navy a good slap in the face, and making the once dominant super overlord who looked down on the blue planet dare not utter a sound.

This audacity and boldness naturally shocked the world, making many who had long suffered under the hegemony of the Western Extremist Kingdom seem to see the dawn of a new era.

Now, the power of thought from all over the planet Earth is constantly converging on the combat puppet. If it can be properly refined using the method of forging by both heaven and man, Ye Qingzhou might just acquire another peerless divine weapon.

Of course, Ye Qingzhou just smiled and didn't say anything more about Yun Yuan's subtle probing.

The Western Kingdom has increased the bounty on him to two billion, and he is now wanted globally.

Even just providing intelligence can earn you a reward of at least 70 to 80 million.

Therefore, Ye Qingzhou would never easily reveal his true identity to outsiders. In any case, his main body's cultivation level was only at the professional level, and his combat puppet did not use any divine weapons, so no one would suspect him under any circumstances.

"I wonder if Your Excellency, the Swordsman, has come to Liuyunzhai to buy or sell intelligence, or to acquire rare treasures?"

"I want to buy rare and precious items. This is the catalog; I want everything on it, as much as possible."

Ye Qingzhou took out a form filled with all sorts of exotic flowers and fruits, clearly intended for alchemy.

"I never imagined that, besides his superb swordsmanship, Lord Juejian is also a pharmacist?"

Yun Yuan first offered a compliment, then looked troubled and replied to Ye Qingzhou, "The medicinal materials you need—rootless fruit, blue sky fruit, kiwi fruit, multi-treasure fruit, fire-patterned fruit, and holy spirit fruit—are not difficult to obtain. However, I do not have any stock of the Conglong Jade Marrow and Golden Pool Immortal Apricot. It will take some time."

Conglong Jade Marrow originates from Kunlun Grotto Heaven. It is the resin of the Panlong Immortal Tree, a primordial spiritual root, and is a top-grade rare treasure, strictly controlled by the Martial Arts Association.

Such strategic resources are extremely difficult for the Heart Fiend Flow to obtain.

As for the Golden Pond Immortal Apricot, the word "immortal" in its name tells you that it is no ordinary thing, but a rare treasure of the earth, one of the "Five Fruits"!

Such treasures can only be formed from the spiritual roots of heaven and earth; their production is extremely rare, and they cannot be bought with money.

To obtain it, you need status and strength, and you also need to exchange it for benefits other than money.

"I know the rules."

Ye Qingzhou understood that Yun Yuan needed to consult with the headquarters of the Heart Fiend Stream in order to allocate the necessary resources.

Treasures of the highest rank are rare and precious. With the Xin Sha Liu family being so powerful and influential, ancient figures like Yu Shi would certainly have kept a stockpile of them.

But such a precious treasure is certainly beyond the control of those below.

Ye Qingzhou was quite confident about this, after all, Yu Shi knew his identity better than anyone, so the possibility of him refusing was unlikely; he would simply have to wait.

As expected, Yun Yuan immediately logged onto the dark web and sent a message to Yu Shi for instructions: "Master, Jue Jian just came by."

"What does he want this time?"

"He bought a lot of medicinal herbs, including two that I dared not decide on my own."

"What is it?"

"Chrysanthemum 'Conglong' and Golden Pool Immortal Apricot".

"Tsk tsk, looks like this kid's going to refine the Human Essence Pill. Give it to him."

Yun Yuan dared not ask further, but he was inwardly shocked: 'What exactly is the relationship between Jue Jian and Master? Could it be that he, like me, is also Master's disciple? But I've met all my fellow disciples, and he wasn't among them...'

Yun Yuan harbored various doubts about the true identity of the Absolute Sword, and the words "Human Essence Pill" gave him a great shock.

The Human Essence Elixir is used to refine medicines that are both cold and hot.

The Earthly Elixir absorbs the energies of Yin and Yang.

The Heavenly Origin Elixir draws upon the light of the sun and moon.

The Three Elixir System—Human, Earth, and Heaven—corresponds to the essence, qi, and spirit of the human body, respectively. When taken in the correct order, it can transform one's body and allow one to ascend to immortality.

Renyuan Dan is a medicinal pill that can strengthen the body when taken.

The Earth Origin Elixir is a Qi Elixir; taking it can harmonize Yin and Yang.

If one were to finally consume the mysterious and profound Heavenly Origin Divine Pill, shedding the mortal body and forming a Dao Embryo, one could then master all laws and unleash the Three Flowers on the crown of one's head.

"The Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown—this is an ancient alchemical secret technique for ascending to immortality! But wasn't this technique lost long ago after Emperor Xuan severed the connection between Heaven and Earth? Why does Juejian possess the formula for the Human Essence Pill?"

Yun Yuan was filled with envy. He was only in his twenties and had already become a martial arts master less than three years after graduating from university. In the eyes of ordinary people, he was definitely a martial arts expert admired by thousands.

But Yun Yuan now had a sense that there were always people more powerful than him, and that there was always something beyond his reach: "The Human Essence Pill! Legend has it that if an ordinary person takes this pill, they can achieve immortality. And if a martial artist takes it, they can cleanse their meridians and marrow, return to their innate state, and achieve an innate Dao body. Their future achievements are limitless!"

Once the human body reaches adulthood, it gradually loses its vitality and plasticity, and gradually enters the stage of aging.

Even martial artists find it difficult to escape this physiological constraint, and therefore their potential decreases with age.

For many martial artists, if they cannot become professional-level practitioners by their thirties, then they basically have no hope for the rest of their lives.

The threshold for becoming a master is forty years old.

If you don't become a master by forty, you'll never have any hope in your life.

No matter how hard you try, it's useless; your physical limits are there.

There is only one exception—the innate Dao body!

The so-called innate Dao body is actually the ability to maintain one's physiological functions at the peak of an eighteen-year-old's age forever. Both physical and intellectual abilities are highly malleable, and the state never regresses.

To put it bluntly, it's about achieving immortality.

Throughout history, the four words "immortality" have stumped countless heroes and great men.

Even ancient emperors, who sought immortality and medicine, ultimately turned to dust.

Yun Yuan's heart instantly burned with excitement: "It seems I need to cultivate a good relationship with Jue Jian. Once I've gathered all the materials, I'll ask him to refine the Human Essence Pill for me."

Although rare treasures of the Earthly Treasure level are difficult to obtain, Yun Yuan is still very confident in his future. Therefore, he has made up his mind to cling to Ye Qingzhou's powerful backer.

This is a pharmacist who can refine the Human Essence Pill!

…………

A few days later, Ye Qingzhou personally went to the black market and obtained the rare treasures he needed from Liuyunzhai.

Upon returning home, Ye Qingzhou instructed Uncle Liang, "I will be cultivating in my quiet room. Do not disturb me unless it is absolutely necessary. Yingyue will make the decisions regarding any problems at home."

"Yes, Mr. Ye."

Uncle Liang immediately gave instructions on the matter.

Ye Qingzhou then summoned Yingyue: "How stable is your cultivation level?"

Yingyue raised her chin slightly with a smug look, covered her mouth and chuckled, saying, "The mental image has been fully formed. I owe my return to the Martial Saint realm to you, my lord."

"That's good. You protect me while I start refining the elixir."

Ye Qingzhou then took out the prepared materials one by one.

In the legacy of Emperor Yan, besides the "Tianzhu Jing" (Heavenly Casting Scripture), there is also the "Shennong Bencao Jing" (Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica). The formula for the Renyuan Dan (Human Essence Pill) in Ye Qingzhou's possession was obtained from it.

Unfortunately, there are only records of the Earth Origin Pill and the Heaven Origin Pill, but no detailed formulas. So, if you want to obtain them, you have to keep searching.

Fortunately, the formula for the Human Essence Pill is quite effective, and taking it alone is also very beneficial to one's martial arts cultivation.

As a kind of elixir, it can keep the human body in the peak state of 18 years old forever, full of vitality and energy, with unlimited growth and plasticity, which is simply what all martial artists dream of.

After all, flowers may bloom again, but youth never returns.

Renyuan Dan is a miraculous medicine that can keep people young forever.

As long as you eat it, you will be forever eighteen and as beautiful as a flower.

Since it is a divine medicine, the refining process is naturally very difficult. Even with the formula in hand, the chance of failure is frighteningly high.

The materials are extremely rare, especially the main ingredient, the osmanthus fragrans, which is only available once.

Langgan is a mythical immortal tree, ranking among the top ten spiritual roots of heaven and earth. Therefore, its fruits are rare and precious, considered to be of earth-treasure grade or higher.

Such a rare and precious item, if not for Kang Jinlong's gift, Ye Qingzhou would not know where to find another one.

Therefore, Ye Qingzhou would not immediately start refining the Human Essence Pill, but would first practice with other pills. Among them, the Strange Fruit and the Fire Pattern Kingdom were the main materials for refining the Ascendant Essence Pill.

Alchemy is a delicate craft, but it is not difficult for Ye Qingzhou, since his swordsmanship is best suited for precise control of power.

"My alchemy skills are still at the beginner level, and to refine the Human Essence Pill, one must at least reach the proficiency level in alchemy. However, my fire control technique has now been mastered, which is a plus."

In alchemy, controlling the heat is of paramount importance.

Therefore, fire control is extremely important. However, Ye Qingzhou has mastered the fire control technique by cultivating the "Flaming Sun Treasure Seal," so he has saved a lot of effort.

Afterwards, Ye Qingzhou went to the quiet room and went through the processes of selecting, washing, moistening, cutting, drying, and crushing the medicinal materials in his hands to clean them.

He did it very seriously, even meticulously, because it was related to the improvement of his cultivation.

The processed medicinal materials are put into the Shennong Cauldron in batches, and then the Six Ding Divine Fire is activated to refine them.

The Six Ding Divine Fire is one of the nine great divine fires in the world. Although it is not good at attacking or defending, nor can it heal itself, its ability to change the properties of matter is incredibly mysterious and possesses enormous potential.

When used properly, it can often bring about many incredible effects.

Soon, the medicinal properties and potency of the exotic fruit and the Fire Pattern Kingdom within the Shennong Cauldron were extracted by the Six Ding Divine Fire and transformed into a puree.

Ye Qingzhou focused intently, first using a gentle fire to slowly roast the raw paste, extracting the impurities floating and sinking in one by one, and then using a strong fire to stimulate the medicinal properties and enhance the efficacy.

Finally, the original paste cooled and solidified, turning into pills the size of pearls.

"The Ascension Pill, a good-grade pill, is barely at the beginner level. It seems that my medicinal herb processing skills still have a lot of room for improvement."

Ye Qingzhou picked up a pill from the dozen or so pills and held it in his hand. These pills were round and plump, and had a bright white color. In terms of quality alone, they were already quite good.

Many medical students in the medical school who have practiced for two and a half years are only about as good as him.

However, Ye Qingzhou was a perfectionist, so even when it came to alchemy, he had to strive for excellence. He quickly reached a level of subtlety and began to truly adjust every step and every link.

After spending several days, Ye Qingzhou finally raised his alchemy skills to the proficient level.

The Shengyuan Pill he refined was of the finest quality, capable of raising the user's cultivation level by one major realm and extending the duration of its effects by 20%.

Sometimes, this 20% improvement can mean the difference between life and death for a martial artist.

Because he had taken leave from school, Ye Qingzhou had been engrossed in alchemy at home for the past few days, until Uncle Liang called: "Mr. Ye."

"What's going on? Didn't I tell you not to bother me unless it's important?"

"But your mother has arrived."

"???"

Ye Qingzhou walked out of the quiet room and came to the front hall, where he indeed saw a "familiar" figure, which was Cheng Yurong.

Although she is already thirty-six years old, time seems to have left few marks on her. Having lived a life of luxury for many years, she not only has an exquisite appearance and is stunningly beautiful, but also exudes charm and endless allure in her words and actions.

Yes, for the original owner, the person in front of him was his most beloved and cherished mother.

However, to Ye Qingzhou, Cheng Yurong was just an "outsider".

"A light boat..."

Cheng Yurong called out softly, but after speaking, she had a hesitant expression.

Seeing this, Uncle Liang quickly said, "I'll go make some tea."

Once they were all alone, Cheng Yurong asked with concern, "How...have you been these past few years?"

Ye Qingzhou sat down casually, his expression unchanged by Cheng Yurong's arrival, and his tone was distant and cold: "If you came here specifically to care about me, you don't need to, because I'm very busy."

"Qingzhou... I'd like to ask you for help with the Gu family..."

Cheng Yurong spoke with difficulty.

"You want me to help the Gu family?"

Ye Qingzhou almost thought he had misheard. He truly hadn't imagined that someone could be so shameless. So, with a curious expression, he looked at Cheng Yurong: "Are you sure you're not joking?"

"Qingzhou, I did owe you so much back then, but I had my reasons..."

"Hehe, your concern is probably that you're worried about losing your position as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Gu family, right?"

Ye Qingzhou gave a cold laugh: "Back then, the Gu family plotted against my father, and now you actually want me to save the Gu family?"

"Qingzhou, you've misunderstood. Things didn't turn out the way you think. Changqing wasn't actually involved. In fact, if it weren't for his covert protection all these years, the Gu family would have already taken action against you."

(End of this chapter)