Inside the room, on the bed, the blanket was half-covered, and countless vibrant life forces formed a ring around Zhang Guodong's entire body, like a dream. This was a newly generated energy, incredibly magical.

Surrounded by it, Zhang Guodong's damaged body visibly repaired itself, inside and out. By the time the five members of the Wood Emperor's group entered, the life energy had completely dissipated. The repair was extremely rapid. They only managed to catch one last glimpse.

At this moment, Zhang Guodong's exposed flesh was no longer damaged or marred; instead, it was smooth as jade, with crystalline, immortal bones. The life energy had also repaired the flaws in his body.

His chest began to rise and fall, clearly indicating that he would soon wake up.

"What a tenacious will to live!" Youlanfu exclaimed.

"That's not something that can be achieved by sheer willpower alone; it's a miraculous life energy. Only with the repair of this life energy can the physical body be fully restored," the Wood Emperor said.

His eyesight, perception, and judgment were the best among the five. His attainments in alchemy were also unmatched by the other four. Naturally, his insights into this area were also beyond their reach.

He casually placed his hand on Zhang Guodong's wrist. A wisp of magical power probed Zhang Guodong's physical condition. Wherever it touched, it encountered fierce resistance from other magical beings!

However, Emperor Mu was a level 75 master. Although his magical power had not been fully converted and refined, it was still extremely profound and vast. The wisp of magical power generated in Zhang Guodong's body was far too weak and was quickly suppressed. Emperor Mu successfully explored the area, but the result greatly surprised him.

"Brother, how is it?" Feng Huang asked with some concern. He had been very interested in Zhang Guodong before, but of course, it was only because he wanted to take Zhang Guodong as his disciple, nothing more.

"Strange!" Emperor Mu frowned and said... "Brother, is this a good thing or a bad thing? If my cultivation level has regressed, that's alright. I can definitely cultivate it back up with some time!"

“This little guy no longer has any life force, but he still has a small amount of magic power! Apart from his brain which has not been examined, there is no life force in his body at all,” the Wood Emperor said as he stood up.

"What? How could this be?" Not only the Wind Emperor, but everyone else was also greatly puzzled and surprised.

The existence of magical power is easy to explain. Zhang Guodong also cultivates the ancient body-cultivation path. Therefore, the existence of magical power is not surprising. His previous use of the "Hundred Blade Seal" already proved that he possesses magical power.

However, the path of body cultivation is too difficult for cultivators today.

Without any physical cultivation techniques passed down, they relied entirely on inefficient trial-and-error cultivation, making them incomparable to plant cultivation. But Zhang Guodong gave everyone some exciting news.

Judging from his duel with Han Feng, Zhang Guodong's physical cultivation level is at least level 30, actually level 35! What does this level mean? It's like the Wind Emperor's own cultivation level is level 69, but his physical strength is only around level 30 or 31.

This is the strength of the ** itself.

Of course, a cultivator's defense isn't just their physical body; they also possess defensive magical artifacts, especially high-level ones. These artifacts offer far greater defensive power than the physical body itself. But they are, after all, external objects!

Body cultivation is incredibly difficult! Even though Zhang Guodong has surpassed their expected body cultivation level, advancing even one more level is extremely challenging for them.

Plant cultivation is different; even if physical cultivation fails, plant cultivation can still assist. In the future, refining life demon power into magic power will also achieve the goal! But now, Zhang Guodong's life demon power cannot be detected at all, which is unimaginable.

In the worst-case scenario, Zhang Guodong would be unable to cultivate life force anymore, thus becoming a cultivation waste! He would only be able to pursue the path of body cultivation.

"Let's wait until he wakes up before we talk about it! Maybe the situation isn't so bad!" said Emperor Mu.

About ten minutes later, Zhang Guodong slowly opened his eyes.

Where is this?

"Kid, now that you're awake, get up. Are you planning to stay in bed?" A gruff voice rang in Zhang Guodong's ear.

Zhang Guodong was taken aback, but then realized that there was nothing wrong with his body. He pushed himself up with his hands and sat up easily.

Upon glancing at the people in front of him again, he was shocked to realize that it was them!

But seeing the five people looking at him with curiosity, Zhang Guodong immediately composed himself.

"Huh, does this kid know us? Why is he giving us that look?" Feng Huang said curiously.

Clearly, Zhang Guodong's momentary lapse in composure did not escape the notice of the group... "Where is this? Who are you?" Zhang Guodong pretended to look at them warily.

In fact, Zhang Guodong had never met the five people, but by chance, he scanned a place with his divine sense and found them there.

Fearing discovery, Zhang Guodong scanned and then withdrew his gaze immediately, so that even if they noticed, they couldn't track him back. Zhang Guodong's divine sense now seemed to have a profound and unique connection to the Nine-Story Pagoda.

Otherwise, with his cultivation level, how could he detect these powerful experts without being noticed? If he abandoned the nine-story pagoda, would his divine sense still exist in such a unique way? If the generation of this divine sense is related to magical power, then these powerful experts are all cultivators who possess magical power. Naturally, they would also have divine sense, or something similar.

Upon sensing the nine-story pagoda, Zhang Guodong was overjoyed. He had reconnected with the Peach Blossom Spring within the nine-story pagoda. He could enter the pagoda at any time he needed to.

"The storage bag is still on my waist!" Feng Huang snorted. "Hmph, if it weren't for my elder brother saving you with the Seven-Turn Azure Dew Pill, you would have died long ago. Boy, get down right now, this bed belongs to my elder brother! This is naturally the Southwest Market! The five of us are the owners of the Southwest Market!"

Zhang Guodong quickly got out of bed, his heart pounding wildly. Damn it! This was actually the room of the boss of one of the five major textile giants in Southwest China? How long had he been here?

Seven-Turn Azure Dew Pill?

Zhang Guodong immediately realized that these people had indeed saved him. He didn't know the quality of the pill, but since it came from the hands of a great master, it must be at least a high-grade pill.

"I, Zhang, am deeply grateful to the five gentlemen for saving my life! I will repay you with the Seven-Turn Azure Dew Pill." Zhang Guodong hurriedly clasped his hands in thanks.

He was pondering to himself that these five were indeed powerful figures. But why did they save him? And why did he have to meet all five of them at once? But this question weighed on his mind, and he couldn't bring himself to ask it now.

It can be said that Zhang Guodong harbored deep suspicion and dissatisfaction with this.

In the Southwest Textile Market, Zhan Chuanchuan, the owner of Wanxian Restaurant, was a man of considerable status. However, his property was vandalized, and in a fit of rage, he injured several people, even though he was in the right. The other party, however, dispatched three near-master-level martial artists to cause trouble in the Southwest Textile Market, while the market remained indifferent, allowing him to suffer severe injuries and nearly die.

If it weren't for his nine layers of Anta that allowed him free movement, and this strategy to dodge the third attack, he might have been nothing but a pile of flesh and blood.

"Boy, do you think the Seven-Turn Azure Dew Pill is something anyone can just get? Your meridians were shattered back then. You basically had no chance of surviving. If it weren't for your elder brother's Seven-Turn Azure Dew Pill that prolonged your life, would you have survived these past three months?" Feng Huang sneered, mercilessly attacking him. "This one pill is worth more than ten high-grade magic artifacts. How can you repay it?" "Second brother, don't scare him. Our city also bears responsibility for this. We didn't protect him properly, so saving a life is our duty!" Duanmu Qingyun said calmly.

Although the Seven-Turn Azure Dew Pill is extremely precious and can be considered one of the three closest things to immortal pills in the world, each of the five of them has a few.

The eldest brother, Mu Di, had the most.

Everyone knew that Feng Huang was very interested in taking Zhang Guodong as his disciple. But now they didn't know Zhang Guodong's condition, so Feng Huang's mood wouldn't be very good.

Zhang Guodong stood awkwardly to the side, having no recollection of the pill, and simply kept quiet.

Knowing that the five people in front of him were highly skilled, he felt a lot of pressure and just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

From what he said, he had been in a coma for over three months? He wondered how the Wanxian Restaurant was doing.

"Little one, how are you feeling?" Mu Di asked at this moment.

Zhang Guodong was stunned. Upon examining his body, his expression changed drastically.

Where is the Purple Mansion Demon Vine? Where is its life-giving demonic power?

The Purple Mansion has changed drastically. The demonic vines are gone, leaving only a small purple vortex spinning on its own, with a few rare purple particles constantly being added to it.

Even the life force was gone! Zhang Guodong could no longer sense the existence of life force in his body, including in his dantian.

What exactly happened?

What about the dantian?

The dantian has disappeared!

The body was replaced by a network of interconnected meridians, and I didn't feel any discomfort.

Zhang Guodong panicked!

"Why is the dantian gone? What about the life force? The demonic vine is gone too!" Zhang Guodong asked anxiously.

The five men's expressions changed, and they looked at Zhang Guodong as if he were a monster.

After a long while, Emperor Mu chuckled and said, "It seems you've turned misfortune into blessing, little one!"

"Once a cultivator breaks through level fifty, their dantian will gradually be replaced by the purple mansion! From then on, the function of the dantian will gradually disappear, while the function of the purple mansion will increase!"

“Brother is right. Originally, the dantian was very useful for beginner body cultivators, but once they reach a certain level or realm, the dantian becomes a disadvantage that restricts the improvement of their cultivation. In the Purple Mansion realm, at an even higher level, it is said that a primordial spirit will be born. This primordial spirit is the best bridge for casting magic power! With a primordial spirit, the power of various supernatural abilities will increase greatly and become even stronger!” Duanmu Qingyun said.

“Big brother, third brother, but this doesn’t make sense either. The dantian disappeared when the cultivation level was fifty, but Zhang Guodong’s cultivation level is obviously not high at this time, far below level fifty!” You Lanfu pointed out the contradiction incisively.

Their words had a profound impact on Zhang Guodong.

Zhang Guodong was terrified that they would reveal that he was finished.

"This is where misfortune turns into blessing!"

With a wave of his hand, the Wood Emperor enveloped everyone in an invisible light barrier.

“My magic blade is quite large; I’m afraid it might accidentally injure someone in this small space!” Zhang Guodong said.

"Just release it when I tell you to, stop with all the nonsense. Your 'Heavenly Canopy' is also a divine power, no less powerful than yours! With your meager magical power, you can hardly even shake it!" the Wind Emperor urged.

Zhang Guodong was immediately angered.

You said it yourself! With such a small space, let alone two hundred magic blades, it probably wouldn't even be able to hold a few. Anyway, don't regret it later!

Zhang Guodong clenched his fists and immediately felt that his skill level was much higher than before, making him more composed and faster.

"Hundred Blades Seal!"

The power of the Purple Mansion surged wildly, decreasing by one-tenth. A pale red light flashed, and two hundred magic blades appeared instantly! But to Zhang Guodong's astonishment, these magic blades had turned pale red, and each one was only the thickness and length of a little finger, becoming so slender and beautiful!

"How could this be?"

If he hadn't sensed that the pale red magic blade was several times stronger than before, he would have thought that his strength had regressed so much!

"Haha, is that all the stuff you've got?" Feng Huang burst into laughter.

Previously, they talked about how magnificent this blade-shaped divine power was, but now it's just this little thing—two hundred of them combined wouldn't amount to much. So insignificant! I couldn't help but laugh. But there was a hint of admiration in my eyes.

Clearly, despite his laughter, he could tell that this attack technique was quite powerful. It was just that Zhang Guodong's strength was too low and his magical power too weak!

"Hmm, not bad. This can be considered a divine ability. With this divine ability, even a level 45 plant cultivator might not be your match!" the Wood Emperor said.

The level was instantly increased by five levels. Zhang Guodong was overjoyed. He quickly dispersed his magic power.

Could it be that this misfortune has actually turned into a blessing in disguise, and their strength has increased instead of decreased?

"But remember, from now on you will be able to cultivate magical power, but you will have no chance to cultivate plants. Your future path will be more difficult than anyone else's!" the Wood Emperor sighed again. It was so rare to find such a talented young man. And yet, things turned out this way. His future cultivation path will be far more difficult than that of ordinary people.

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Zhang Guodong. His heart sank.

Is the fourth chapter lucky or unlucky?

"My lord, why can I only cultivate magic power, and why is it much more difficult for me than for anyone else?" Zhang Guodong asked hurriedly.

If that's the case, things will really get bad.

At least he needs to figure out what those words mean.

With the demonic vine gone, the dantian gone, and the life demonic power no longer able to be cultivated, the cultivation techniques and secret manuals from the previous sects were naturally no longer usable.

But now he has to cultivate magical power. Is this good or bad? Zhang Guodong knew very little.

"At the highest level, the goal is to transform all the purest life force into magical power. Only with magical power can one unleash powerful supernatural arts and become even stronger!" You Lanfu patiently explained. The little girl at home had a good impression of Zhang Guodong. She had inquired about Zhang Guodong's situation several times, and was happy to see her granddaughter found. Therefore, her impression of Zhang Guodong had improved.

Especially after this showdown with Korean style, I've gained more appreciation. This article was uploaded by [website name - likely a bookstore name] on the 4th.

"This is the path that cultivators take to reach a higher level. You were able to turn misfortune into blessing this time and cultivate your magical power ahead of time. This is a good thing, but it is also a bad thing!"

"The good thing is that you can save more time than many cultivators in cultivating your magical power by taking a shortcut, while other cultivators have to cultivate their life demonic power step by step and purify it again and again before they can convert it into magical power. So in this respect, you are lucky!"

Zhang Guodong's heart leaped into his throat. What if things went wrong?

You Lanfu slowly said, "If we were in ancient times, cultivating magical power would be a very powerful lineage. It was matched with some physical cultivation techniques, and the cultivation speed was not slow. But now, those physical cultivation techniques have all been lost and have not been left behind. Without physical cultivation techniques, cultivating magical power is several times slower than converting magical power through cultivation!"

It all depends on Zhang Guodong's own fate!

Zhang Guodong understood now. It was both lucky and unlucky. It was like finally getting a goddess into bed, all her clothes off, but when you're about to go all the way, you realize she's in her fertile period and you can't do it without a condom, but you've run out of condoms! "Thank you for clearing up my doubts, sir, but I'm already incredibly lucky to have survived this time. As long as there's hope, I won't give up!" Zhang Guodong said.

Zhang Guodong's face was resolute.

This impressed the group. There was nothing anyone could do about it.

"Don't be too disappointed. Your current strength should be level 40, but if you use your supernatural abilities, you can rival a level 45 plant cultivator! This is already considered genius level. If you have the opportunity and work hard, your cultivation speed may not be slower than that of a plant cultivator!" You Lanfu said admiringly.

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. I've been delayed at the restaurant for too long!" Zhang Guodong took the opportunity to leave, and surprisingly, the five giants didn't stop him.

After Zhang Guodong left.

"Second Brother, have you changed your mind?" Duanmu Qingyun looked at the frowning Feng Huang with amusement, as if the latter was torn between his own thoughts and his own. When Zhang Guodong was here earlier, Feng Huang hadn't mentioned taking on any disciples.

This might be related to Zhang Guodong's choice of the orthodox path of cultivation, the cultivation of magical power. After all, cultivating magical power is the ultimate path for cultivators. But it's not feasible at this moment. Without a matching physical cultivation method, one can imagine how difficult it would be.

This basically sealed Zhang Guodong's future! Feng Huang and the others basically thought so.

Great masters only accept geniuses, future masters, as apprentices; they will never accept useless people. Although some may have had glorious pasts, useless people are useless people with no bright future.

Zhang Guodong was categorized into this type of group!

The Wind Emperor spoke again, clearly unwilling in his heart.

"You can handle this yourselves. It's a pity to lose such a promising talent!" Emperor Mu sighed.

"Brother, what about that blade-shaped divine power?" Chi Xiao suddenly asked. The others turned their attention to Mu Di.

He was vying with Lei Taizhi, the Golden Wheel Master, and the Supreme Dao Sect Master. Wasn't he fighting for the supernatural powers that Zhang Guodong possessed? Now, however, Zhang Guodong has left this place.

"If we can exchange it, then let's exchange it. If we can't, then let's not discuss it further!" said Emperor Mu.

“What? Brother. He’s just a minor cultivator. Wouldn’t it be a waste for him to have such supernatural powers? If we put him under our protection, we can ensure his safety! Besides, we can also take him as our disciple. I believe he would be happy to do so!” Chi Xiao said.

"You guys figure it out!"

It was nighttime.

When Zhang Guodong left that place, he didn't bother to hide it and quietly returned to Wanxian Restaurant.

Wanxian Restaurant is still open for business, but there are far fewer customers now. Only the first floor is still occupied. The second to fourth floors have been cleaned up, and it's time for the restaurant to close.

Xiao Hu and Wei Yan were on the first floor, looking rather listless. Most of the other servants had gone to rest. Only two or three remained, chatting quietly.

When Zhang Guodong entered, he saw that the restaurant was very clean and tidy, and there were also customers. He nodded in satisfaction.

It seems that Xiao Hu and his team's business wasn't significantly affected during his three-month absence.

"Quiet down, come up to the fifth floor with me!" Zhang Guodong walked up to the two of them, and they were stunned when they saw him. He immediately shushed them, pointed to the stairs, and went upstairs first!

It's better to keep a low profile, otherwise if the guests find out that the manager of Wanxian Restaurant is back, it'll probably be lively again tomorrow!

"You all entertain the guests first, Sister Yanzi and I have something to do upstairs!" Xiao Hu solemnly instructed the three chattering servants, and without waiting for their response, he and Wei Yan hurried upstairs.

Hui's family is back alive!

Fifth floor.

Zhang Guodong did not dispel the illusion array, but only opened a corner. There was a table and a few chairs there.

He was sitting there when Xiao Hu and Wei Yan came up, and he gestured for them to sit down as well.

"Brother Zhang, boss!" Xiao Hu and Wei Yan were both excited, their eyes even turning red.

For the past three months, their worry had escalated to the point of near despair, and they had almost given up hope. Almost every day, they went to the court to inquire about Zhang Guodong's situation.

But the message from the Enforcement Hall was always: Go back and wait.

In reality, the Enforcement Hall was unaware of Zhang Guodong's situation. The Five Giants generally did not allow anyone to enter unless permitted.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Guodong returned in the dead of night, seemingly unharmed!

"Sit down, well done! The restaurant has made a considerable profit while I was away for three months, I'm very satisfied!" Zhang Guodong said with a smile. He was deeply moved; he hadn't misjudged them. Xiao Hu and Wei Yan were both excellent!

When I came up, there were about 100,000 low-grade crystals piled up inside the illusion array. They were obviously the profits from the past three months. Although they were less than the previous month, the decrease was not significant.

On the first floor of the nine-story Pagoda in Peach Blossom Spring, another pile of crystals has been added!

The extent to which restaurants amass wealth is terrifyingly unimaginable!

"How's the betting going?" Zhang Guodong suddenly changed the subject, bringing up the betting odds!

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