Worth Investing in Buying and Selling

Gazing at the distressed face of his junior, Yang Kai smiled and said, "Don't be so nervous. I'm just here to earn a few contribution points. Rest assured, I'll go easy on you and ensure it doesn't hurt."

Ten breaths later, the junior lay on the ground, and Yang Kai walked away.

Xia Ningchang, standing atop a tree, observed everything with a crescent-shaped smile. Witnessing a junior who had lost one hundred and forty-seven matches rise to strength gave her an inexplicable sense of accomplishment. Although Yang Kai's growth had no direct bearing on her, over the past two years, Xia Ningchang had grown accustomed to silently observing him. This silent protection made her oddly pleased at his progress.

By the side of the Confined Dragon Gorge, Yang Kai continued his training. Five days had passed since planting the Three-Yang Fruit seed, and the saplings had already grown to a height of one zhang, with noticeable changes occurring almost daily. At present, the Three-Yang Fruit trees swayed in the wind, bearing three bright red blossoms that would likely bear fruit within a few days.

By then, Yang Kai would be able to enjoy the fruits to his heart's content.

In recent days, Yang Kai's training had also shown significant results. A drop of Yang liquid had formed within his dantian, and his True Yang Art had become increasingly refined.

With the daily cleaning duties taken over by someone else, Yang Kai found himself with much more time for training.

These past few days, Yang Kai had been investigating the movements of the Wind and Rain Tower. After all, having killed Cheng Shaofeng and Nu Tao, he might have brought trouble upon himself. However, Yang Kai was reassured to find no unusual activity from the Wind and Rain Tower, suggesting that Hu Meier had not betrayed him.

This woman was indeed trustworthy!

The eighth day of the month arrived, signaling the time to settle contribution points.

On the eighth of last month, he had just acquired the Proud Bone Golden Body. In just one month, he had advanced from the third layer of the Body Refining Realm to the eighth layer. This rate of progress was unparalleled across the world, even surpassing the so-called prodigies who, even with the aid of pills and elixirs, could not match such speed.

Entering the Contribution Hall, the shopkeeper, Meng, who had been sitting behind the counter, suddenly narrowed his eyes in astonishment as he observed Yang Kai. He noticed that Yang Kai's strength had grown significantly after not seeing him for many days.

The surprise was fleeting, and Meng quickly returned to his usual demeanor. As someone with a sharp eye, far surpassing anyone in the Lingxiao Pavilion, Meng was not easily shocked by Yang Kai's progress. He had seen many who shone brightly in youth but achieved nothing in the end.

"Shopkeeper Meng," Yang Kai greeted.

"Here to exchange items?" Meng assessed him from head to toe.

"Yes, I should have fifty-nine contribution points this month."

Sweeping could earn ten points, and defeating one person each day could earn two points. Yang Kai had been absent from the sect for three days this month, participating in seventeen matches, but five points were deducted due to being caught by the Shadow Hall disciples while drinking with Su Mu. Thus, he had fifty-nine contribution points left.

"Very well. What would you like to exchange for?"

"Twenty-nine Absolute Desolation Withering Grass and thirty Three-Leaf Soul-Breaking Flowers." The incense burner had not been used for some time due to a lack of materials. While it did not aid in the cultivation of energy, it was immensely beneficial for tempering the body.

Meng gave him a deep, meaningful glance, then entered the back room to pack up the items Yang Kai needed.

As Yang Kai reached out to take them, Meng retracted his hand and asked with a smile, "Young Yang Kai, could you tell me what exactly you consumed last time at Black Wind Mountain?"

He was still curious about Yang Kai's strange encounter.

Yang Kai fibbed, "I don't know. It was just a bright red fruit that I ate when I was hungry."

"A bright red fruit… a bright red fruit…" Meng pondered deeply but could not identify the corresponding spiritual fruit.

After a while, Meng shook his head. "Never mind. But aren't you going to save your contribution points to exchange for my Washing Marrow Pill?"

In the past, Yang Kai was very frugal with his contribution points, but now he was spending them lavishly, using up all the points as soon as they arrived. This was rather uncharacteristic of him.

Yang Kai smiled and said, "I won't exchange them. Only through my own efforts can I grow stronger. Relying on a single pill is a sign of my past shortsightedness."

Upon hearing this, Meng scrutinized Yang Kai closely and nodded with a smile. "Not bad, not bad. Your insight surprises me. Young Yang Kai, let me give you some advice."

"Please speak, Shopkeeper Meng!"

"Work hard and do not waste your extraordinary opportunities!"

"I am grateful for the advice!"

After leaving the Contribution Hall, Yang Kai hurried back to the Confined Dragon Gorge.

Summoning the incense burner and placing the herbs inside, Yang Kai began his exercises by the gorge. The familiar pressure returned, one that was beyond his current strength to bear. Within moments, he was panting and exhausted, but he did not give up. He persevered, performing each move with great difficulty. His stamina drained like a breached dam, and his spirit felt weary and heavy.

After a while, Yang Kai could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.

Struggling to sit up, he activated the True Yang Art to recover his energy and spirit.

Initially, Yang Kai had thought that the incense burner would have no effect on energy cultivation, but now he realized he was mistaken. Under the influence of the strange fragrance, the flow of Yang energy in his meridians seemed to be impeded, moving with extreme slowness, inch by inch, which was quite frustrating.

The strange fragrance had hindered the efficiency of his energy cultivation, significantly reducing the speed at which he absorbed Yang energy.

Yang Kai did not immediately retrieve the incense burner but decided to observe further. He felt that the incense burner might serve more purposes than merely tempering the body; its effects were intricate and not easily discernible at his current level.

With the assistance of the incense burner, Yang Kai's body grew stronger each day, but the cultivation of True Yang Art lagged significantly, and the absorption of Yang energy was greatly reduced. After two or three days of cultivation, there was barely any increase in his True Yang energy.

Could the incense burner truly be a hindrance to energy cultivation? After experimenting for a few days, Yang Kai felt somewhat disheartened.

If this were the case, the value of the incense burner would be greatly diminished.

Reluctantly, Yang Kai decided to store the incense burner away during recovery to prevent it from affecting the flow of energy in his body, which would unnecessarily prolong his recovery time.

After another exhausting session, Yang Kai put the incense burner into the Wordless Black Book.

As he resumed his True Yang Art, Yang Kai's expression suddenly shifted as he carefully sensed his condition.

After a moment, a faint smile appeared on Yang Kai's lips. He discovered that the speed of his True Yang energy flow had increased compared to the previous days.

A faster energy flow meant quicker absorption of Yang energy, and in battle, it would translate to greater destructive power.

So that was it! The presence of the incense burner, far from obstructing his energy cultivation, actually provided significant benefits to a certain extent.

His energy adapted to the pressure brought by the strange fragrance, so when the fragrance was suddenly removed, the energy flowed even faster than before. It was like walking with a three-thousand-pound weight on one's back and then switching to a three-hundred-pound weight—one would naturally move with much greater ease.

The principle was the same.

Realizing this, Yang Kai smiled.

In the short term, the incense burner might hinder his True Yang Art cultivation, but in the long run, this minor hindrance could bring substantial benefits. It was indeed a worthy investment!