Chapter 18: If you cook any further, it will be overcooked
Soaking in the herbal liquid was grinding and to protect his body, Lian Chengyu circulated his Yuan Qi through his body. Yet it was extremely painful, but thinking that he could one day enter the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom to learn the ‘Tai Ah Sacred Technique’ and become someone who lorded over the people, Lian Chengyu endured it further!
Lian Chengyu’s willpower to become stronger was matchless.
A person with weaker willpower would have taken advantage of his status as a young master of the tribe to eat well and partake in debauchery. At best, he would be a distinguished young master, but he would have never reached a similar stature Lian Chengyu possessed.
“Young master Lian has great will!”
“Young master Lian is like an iron man!”
“It’s not possible for a normal person to soak in this boiling herbal liquid! Young master Lian is a dragon among the people!”
Seeing Lian Chengyu being boiled red like a lobster in the herbal liquid, the surrounding lackeys including Zhao Tiezhu started sucking up.
The way they spoke was unlike them for they usually used foul language. However, to suck up, they purposely chose to use big adjectives.
“Make the fire bigger!” Lian Chengyu shouted while gritting his teeth. It was extremely painful immersed in ninety degree Celsius liquid. Veins protruded on Lian Chengyu’s forehead. His body was covered with red skin, stretching and curling.
Under such a condition, if one were to label Lian Chengyu as a “dragon among the people”, he was at best be related to a lobster (lobster in Chinese is literally dragon shrimp).
He was indeed at his limits, but the effects of the herbal liquid were weaker than he expected! How could that be?
“Make the fire bigger?” The lackeys looked each other in the eye, full of admiration of Lian Chengyu.
“F**k! Young master Lian said to make the fire bigger, what are you idling for? Why? Do you think Young master Lian cannot bear it? Young master Lian’s willpower and ability is not something you can fathom!”
Zhao Tiezhu was more senior, so he gave his subordinates a lesson.
After reprimanding them, he moved the large pile of timber into the stove himself. The fire cracked as the flames grew bigger..
Seeing Lian Chengyu reaching a key moment in his cultivation progress, Zhao Tiezhu purposely took a large fan to fan at the flames.
The fire was so large that the flames were about to burn Lian Chengyu’s hair.
“Young master Lian, do you feel good?” smiled Zhao Tiezhu excitedly.
Lian Chengyu could no longer say a word. He had gritted his teeth so tight to the point of his teeth chipping. Besides his tightly clenched fists, his skin was boiled to the point of cracking. Yet, he did not obtain the desired effect.
“What happened?” Lian Chengyu thought angrily. Under Zhao Tiezhu’s special treatment, his body was about to melt.
Human skin would shrink under high heat to the point of cracking. This phenomenon was appearing on Lian Chengyu’s body!
But Lian Chengyu couldn’t care less. He was considering the scary possibility in the deep recesses of his mind. It was a fear that choked him.
Having reached such a high level of training and being one step away from the Purple Blood realm, Lian Chengyu was very sensitive to every development in his body.
He knew that he was immersed in a pot of high-grade herbs but his heartbeat rate had not increased. His body had been polished, but the results were not evident.。
He could not absorb much from a tank filled with good herbs!
Lian Chengyu had realized that he might have reached the point of a “bottleneck”!
Lian Chengyu had heard from his master, Yao Yuan that when martial artists practiced martial arts, they were prone to hit bottlenecks, especially when they were about to breakthrough to a new level. Some people could be stuck with their bottlenecks for life!
The martial way was without end. In the long path of practicing the arts, one had to continuously breakthrough to new realms. A bottleneck would eventually happen, but Lian Chengyu could never believe that he faced his first bottleneck when breaking through to the Purple Blood realm.
He could not accept it!
He was a favoured child of the Heavens, a golden dragon trapped in shallow waters. He just needed a tiny amount of stimulus to soar into the sky!
How could a mere Purple Blood realm be his bottleneck! !
He couldn’t believe it!
“More fire!” Lian Chengyu was struggling with all his might as he shouted angrily.
“More…even more fire?” Zhao Tiezhu began to feel something was amiss. He saw the skin on Lian Chengyu’s arms and legs split apart. He shouldn’t need to be cooked to such a state.
“Young…Young master, if you cook any further…it will be overcooked…” the bunch of lackeys hesitantly said.
“I want more fire!” Lian Chengyu roared as loud as an angered lion.
Zhao Tiezhu could only obey by fanning the flames with his subordinates.
The flames grew stronger. The herbs in the liquid bubbled. The pot of herbs had boiled!
Even Lian Chengyu had trouble staying within the boiling water. Besides, his body had not been able to absorb much of the herbal essence. He finally roared with his Yuan Qi exploding out of his body.
“Boom!” The herb tank exploded, scattering the burning hot liquid!
“Ouch!”
The surround lackeys immediately screamed in pain from the scalding.
Thankfully they were all clothed. Although it was scalding hot despite landing on their clothes, the temperature had already decreased tremendously. Besides, they had thick skin to endure the burns.
It was too f**king hot.
However, these lackeys were masters at sucking up. They knew that Lian Chengyu would become a warrior of the kingdom, and could the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom knight one day. If they sucked up to Lian Chengyu, they would have a thriving future.
Hence, including Zhao Tiezhu, several lackeys ignored their burns and prostrated on the ground shouting, “Congratulations to Young master Lian for his mastery!”
The scene of Lian Chengyu exploding the herb tank was impressive. Zhao Tiezhu and the others misunderstood it as Lian Chengyu having broken through. They didn’t waste time sucking up!
But…the jolly laughter of Lian Chengyu and him awarding them did not happen. On the contrary, Lian Chengyu’s body was all red. His flesh had already cracked, making him look extremely ferocious.
“Scram!” An extremely angry Lian Chengyu kicked Zhao Tiezhu and the other lackeys, sending them tumbling.
Zhao Tiezhu was dumbfounded from the kick. He did not dare make a sound even though his butt hurt tremendously. He had no clue what had happened.
“All of you scram!” Lian Chengyu shouted loudly. The lackeys were scared stiff and hurriedly ran off.
Suddenly Lian Chengyu raised his hand, “Come back!”
Lian Chengyu’s gaze was cold, “Show me the herbal dregs!”
“Yes, yes!”
The lackeys did not mutter a word. They scrambled away and brought back the herbal dregs without a word.
Lian Chengyu rummaged through the herb dregs, and questioned the brewing process. His face turned increasingly ugly.
There was no problem with the herbal dregs. There were plenty of good herbs used in it. In fact, even a physician from a large tribe would not be able to tell. Who could have thought that someone had the ability to absorb all of the herbal essence without the secret process of brewing?
After seeing the herbal dregs, Lian Chengyu confirmed that he had met his bottleneck!
“Damn it!” Lian Chengyu smashed his fist into the wall!
He had shown talent in martial arts since young. Yao Yuan had previously said that he would be among the best even in a large tribe.
The problem wasn’t because of his body; it was because of this Lian tribal clan!
“The herbs the tribe gave me were too weak! The talented young in the large tribal clans soak in herbs from young. They eat desolate bones for meals. How could I compare with them!”
Lian Chengyu gripped his fists. He hated, he hated that he was not born in a rich family, but in this desolate place.
“This poor Lian tribal clan has obstructed and delayed me seventeen years of my time! If I were born in the royal family of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, I would have longed reached the Purple Blood realm, or an even higher realm…and might even vie for the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom’s royal throne!”
Having thought this, he could no longer stand by the Lian tribal clan. He hated the Lian tribal clan; all of the resources of the Lian tribal clan were not enough for his grooming!
Why couldn’t I be born in the imperial family?
Why couldn’t I enjoy all of that!
Their starting point was somewhere my Lian clan could not even see! Yet, I was climbing up like a dog! I hate it!
“Come!” Lian Chengyu shouted. Zhao Tiezhu didn’t dare to be any slower and ran towards Lian Chengyu without a sound.
“Pass my order. Set up the cauldron, and gather the fit men in the village to begin refining the desolate bones!”
Zhao Tiezhu’s heart jumped. It was finally beginning. It was supposed to be a couple days later. “About the herbs…”
“Keep picking!” Lian Chengyu’s voice was indifferent. The Lian Clan Herb Mountain was the most valuable possession of the Lian tribal clan, and the picking of herbs was always regulated to prevent over-harvesting.
But now, Lian Chengyu was prepared to leave the Lian tribal clan in a few months. The Lian Clan Herb Mountain was no longer of value to him, so he was willing to squeeze everything from it.
Being stifled by the bottleneck, the herbs did little for him, but it was better than nothing.
As for the desolate bones…now was the time for the desolate bones to aid him in breaking through the bottleneck…