Alpha-Five had completed his lifespan breakthrough.
He cut an impressive figure.
His feathers shone reddish-brown, and his vivid red comb was unrivaled in the manor.
Tall and sturdy, he stood out like a crane among chickens.
His handsome pose, neck stretched into the wind, drew the longing gazes of quite a few hens.
Even Alpha-Three and Alpha-Four—the two female Spirit Poultry who usually treated the males with cold disdain—found themselves drifting toward Alpha-Five, their movements seemingly accidental but entirely deliberate.
Yes, Alpha-Five was a rooster.
However, this fellow was… complicated.
Whether he was simply too young to understand the joys of hens, or whether he had inherited the chronic laziness of the other roosters, he completely ignored the females preening around him.
Instead, he spent his days strutting through the manor with a high-stepping, militaristic gait, like a general inspecting his conquered territory.
He especially liked standing before the water vat, admiring his reflection as he groomed his wings.
Utterly oblivious to the ladies!
“What a show-off,” Wang Ba laughed, cursing affectionately.
Still, he had to admit, Alpha-Five possessed a certain charisma. As the saying went: Lu Bu among men, Red Hare among horses.
Well, this was Alpha-Five among fowl.
It was no wonder the aloof hens couldn’t control themselves.
But if Alpha-Five wouldn’t make a move, Wang Ba was stuck.
“Should I go to the market and buy some aphrodisiacs?”
Wang Ba stroked his chin, considering the option.
It wasn’t a low blow. In his previous life, during large-scale breeding operations, using stimulants was standard procedure.
The idea was tempting.
He didn’t know exactly what grade Alpha-Five was, but judging by lifespan alone, this rooster was leagues above the other Spirit Poultry. He was the perfect stud.
The only hesitation Wang Ba had was maturity. He wasn’t sure if Alpha-Five was biologically ready.
Even if an immature rooster mated, the hens would lay only unfertilized eggs, and he could easily be harmed in the process.
“I won’t accelerate his maturation for now.”
“I’ll head to the market first. I need to check if there are any Meridian-Unblocking Grass seeds.”
The seeds were the key ingredient in his recipe to ‘whitewash’ his Spirit Poultry. Without them, he couldn’t use the official method to explain his success.
He tidied up the coop, then reached under the feed vat and retrieved a Spirit Stone. He hesitated for a split second before grabbing a second one.
As a laborer, carrying two Spirit Stones was bordering on flaunting wealth, but it was just barely within the realm of normalcy.
With two Spirit Stones and a pouch of silver earned from selling chicken manure, Wang Ba cautiously set off for the West Garden Market.
He circled the market a few times before finally locating the tag for ‘Meridian-Unblocking Grass Seeds’ at Lu’s Grain Depot.
“Shopkeeper, why is there only a tag here? The bin is empty.”
Wang Ba pointed at a label in the cabinet, puzzled.
“Meridian-Unblocking Grass seeds?”
Shopkeeper Lu glanced at him, quickly comparing his face with those in his memory. Finding no match, he shook his head.
“You’re buying them to practice the Physique Strengthening Scripture, right?”
“If I had even a single seed left, it would have been snatched up days ago. You think stock like that sits around? If you want some, you have to line up at dawn on the first of the month.”
“Practice the… Physique Strengthening Scripture?”
Wang Ba was startled, then deeply struck by the realization.
“Of course,” Shopkeeper Lu said, sounding bored. “Meridian-Unblocking Grass seeds clear the channels and accelerate the cultivation of the Physique Strengthening Scripture. Without them, trying to master that manual is just a daydream.”
Wang Ba’s mind raced.
So that’s it!
No wonder Old Man Sun had reached the ninth layer at his age. Wang Ba had thought him exceptionally gifted; he had never realized there were treasures that could aid this practice!
Could I use them too? Combined with my panel, wouldn’t they let me make rapid progress?
But the surge of excitement was quickly doused by his inherent caution.
Wait. No.
If Old Man Sun had these seeds and still got stuck at the Ninth Layer, then there must be a limit. A bottleneck.
Was the problem with the technique, or with the seeds themselves?
Suddenly, Deacon Li’s parting words echoed in his mind.
‘If you reach the Ninth Layer, you’ll understand…’
An unbelievable thought flashed through Wang Ba’s mind. He leaned over the counter, lowering his voice.
“Dare I ask, Shopkeeper… do you know if anyone has ever actually succeeded in cultivating the Physique Strengthening Scripture?”
Shopkeeper Lu looked up, surprised by the intensity of the question. He fell silent for a moment before nodding.
“Naturally, there are!”
“There’s no need to look far back. Elder He, who heads the Clean Mountain Department you menial workers often deal with, rose from your ranks by practicing the Physique Strengthening Scripture. His success became a much-told tale!”
“Even among the current top ten disciples of the Outer Sect, there are those who used the scripture to forge a Postnatal Spiritual Root.”
Lu paused, his expression turning grave.
“Of course, such people are the minority. Do not hold too much hope.”
Shopkeeper Lu spoke sincerely. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
But he knew, from long experience, that these words fell on deaf ears.
Everyone thought themselves different, a favored genius, merely a dragon trapped in shallow water for now, destined one day to soar high into the heavens.
At least three or four out of every ten laborers held this delusion.
Sure enough, Lu saw the tension leave the shoulders of the thirty-something laborer in front of him.
The man looked relieved. He had heard ‘success stories’ and immediately thought, ‘I can do it too.’ He completely ignored the statistical reality that out of tens of thousands, only one or two ever made it.
But Lu had done his duty. He offered the warning; he wouldn’t waste his breath repeating it.
“Shopkeeper,” Wang Ba asked again, “how exactly do you use these seeds to aid cultivation? I haven’t been in the sect long, so I’m ignorant of the methods. Please, enlighten me.”
As he spoke, Wang Ba slid a few silver ingots across the counter.
Shopkeeper Lu pocketed the silver smoothly. His annoyance faded slightly.
“Hold the seeds under your tongue and let your saliva dissolve them while you practice the Physique Strengthening Scripture. You can use one liang a day, and one liang is worth five days of hard practice!”
Wang Ba did the mental math instantly.
“So… that means it would take roughly two hundred and five years to reach the Tenth Layer?”
Shopkeeper Lu blinked, surprised by the laborer’s quick arithmetic.
To nurture a Spiritual Root, one had to complete the Tenth Layer.
Two hundred years was still an eternity, but compared to the original estimate of over a thousand years? It was a massive leap in hope.
Lu practiced the technique himself, so he knew the numbers well. However, the first nine layers were one thing. Breaking from the Ninth to the Tenth… that was the real nightmare.
But that involved Sect secrets. Speaking too deeply with strangers is a taboo.
Lu simply nodded. “Roughly, yes.”
His next question left Shopkeeper Lu speechless.
“Shopkeeper, do you know how much First Rank Upper-Grade Meridian-Unblocking Grass seeds cost?”
Lu stared at him.
He had only just learned how to use the seeds, and now he wanted Upper-Grade ones?
He couldn’t help but frown.
“I only have Low-Grade Meridian-Unblocking Grass seeds here. One liang costs two Spirit Stones. Guess what Upper-Grade seeds would cost?”
Wang Ba fell silent instantly.
He was stunned. The price was astronomical.
Seeing him fall silent, Shopkeeper Lu had an idea, and his smile returned.
“Customer, if you find the seeds too expensive… I actually have a substitute.”
“First, I should say that it is only one-third as effective as Meridian-Unblocking Grass seeds of the same quality. But it costs less than a tenth as much. Are you interested?”