Chapter Eight: The Flesh

After handing the combat skill scroll to the auction house’s responsible official, Su Yi returned to the appraisal chamber.

Truth be told, he hadn’t wanted to go back. The moment he saw the official’s astonished expression, he understood how lively the upcoming auction would be. Even someone who preferred peace like him couldn’t help feeling a surge of excitement—after all, that level of combat skill was bound to spark a frenzy of bidding! But he couldn’t just leave someone waiting. Anyone capable of offering such a scroll must be extraordinary, Su Yi mused, feeling helpless.

Upon entering, Su Yi found the black-robed elder sitting quietly. The elder’s voice was hoarse as he asked, “Are the preparations complete?”

“Yes, it will all be over soon,” Su Yi replied, a touch of respect in his tone.

No sooner had he spoken than Su Yi sensed a mental fluctuation, as if someone were probing him with power. Surprised, he looked up at the elder; with only the two of them in the room, it could only be this man. But why?

Noticing Su Yi’s gaze, the black-robed elder seemed to move his head slightly and laughed, low and deep. “Young man, there’s no trace of battle energy in you. Have you not become a combatant yet?”

Su Yi showed confusion at the question, unsure why the elder asked. After a moment’s hesitation, he replied with resignation, “I was gravely injured a year ago. My energy whirlpool was destroyed.”

He decided to speak honestly. Though he disliked discussing the matter, everyone in Changling City knew his story. If he lied, the elder could easily expose it by asking anyone.

With no idea who this mysterious elder really was, Su Yi thought it best not to provoke him. He’d heard of many eccentric, unpredictable strongmen, and this one, shrouded so thoroughly, likely wasn’t easy to deal with.

“Oh?” After a moment, a few ambiguous chuckles came from under the robe. “So you can’t cultivate battle energy any longer?”

Su Yi shook his head. “I don’t know.”

The elder’s voice dropped even lower. “Have you considered training not in battle energy, but in physical cultivation?”

Su Yi was stunned. “Physical cultivation?”

Indeed, the dominant path on the continent was the cultivation of battle energy. Every practitioner hoped to ascend step by step, and when one reached the rank of Battle Sovereign, not only was their internal battle energy immense, but they could also resonate with the world’s energy.

Such resonance enabled them to manipulate the energy of heaven and earth, unleashing terrifying power.

But that was the current state of things. In earlier times, before cultivation methods were unified, some chose to forgo resonance with heaven and earth energy, focusing instead on strengthening their physical bodies.

Once the body reached the sublime state, a punch could shatter earth and space.

Its destructive power was not inferior to the manipulation of elemental energy—perhaps even greater.

Yet simply strengthening the body was even more arduous than achieving resonance, and the agony of such training was nearly impossible to endure, even for those with the strongest will.

Because of its unimaginable difficulty and cruelty, successful practitioners were exceedingly rare. Over time, the method was abandoned, and for nearly a thousand years, no one had reached the peak through pure physical cultivation.

The black-robed elder chuckled softly. “If physical cultivation reaches perfection, it’s no weaker than battle energy, I’d wager.”

Su Yi’s heart pounded wildly.

He was right. Whether Su Yi could ever become a combatant again was uncertain, but physical cultivation gave him another hope of growing stronger.

Last night’s anomaly had, in essence, enhanced his body, granting him strength comparable to a second-tier combatant even before he had become one.

Wait—Su Yi suddenly thought of something and eyed the elder suspiciously. “Even those who choose to strengthen the body must reach at least the rank of Battle King, right? That’s what I’ve heard.”

“Heh! That’s only because it takes the physique of a Battle King to withstand the pain of physical cultivation,” the hoarse voice replied from beneath the robe. “But if you abandon resonance and rely only on the body, you don’t need to train battle energy anymore—just have a strong enough physique.”

Su Yi had been in this world for just over three years; his experience was decent, but nowhere near those born and bred for decades. Especially when it came to strange histories and secrets like this, he had no way of knowing if the elder spoke truth.

As people had given up on physical cultivation, its methods had faded with time. Still, last night’s method of strengthening his body felt even more extreme...

The elder seemed to perceive Su Yi’s thoughts and laughed quietly. Then, addressing Su Yi, who stood silent, he said, “Enough talk. I don’t need anyone to look after me. Why not go check on the auction proceedings?”

Su Yi nodded and took his leave.

“Heh, nearly two years here and I’m getting chatty. That’s not like me,” the black-robed elder muttered after Su Yi left, a strange smile on his lips. “So long without finding that item... Could the clues from those people in the Land of Chaos be false? Or did someone beat me to it? Blood-red features... Everyone else has gone back, and I’m left to search...”

“Ha! After all this boredom, a little human experimentation might be amusing. Kid, since you can’t cultivate battle energy, you might as well be mine! Ha...”

...

Su Yi entered the ongoing auction, paying no mind to the contemptuous looks from the guards at the entrance. To him, strengthening himself was paramount, and ordinary second-tier combatant strength wasn’t enough. Once he grew strong, he’d open the eyes of these people.

Upon entering, the calm of his ears was immediately shattered by the clamor flooding in. Su Yi frowned slightly, chose not to press further, but leaned against a secluded wall, arms crossed, eyes sweeping across the crowd as if surveying the whole event.

Though many prominent figures were present, the most dazzling among them was undoubtedly the beauty in a red dress at the center—Meiya.

Indeed, Meiya was the dream girl of every man in Changling City. Her enchanting figure, alluring smile, and occasional noble bearing made men itch with desire. Rumors even claimed that a certain notable man cried out her name while making love to his wife at home!

Whether true or not, no one knew, but that man didn’t dare leave his house for days after hearing it.

Some things are best kept in the heart; once spoken aloud, they become troublesome.

At this moment, Meiya stood seductively at the center, beside a small table with five silver trays. Two were empty, evidently auctioned off; one held a fiery-red, fungus-shaped medicine; and two were covered with black cloth, their contents unknown.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Meiya’s alluring gaze swept the hall, her voice melodious as a heavenly song, “the next item for auction is the Firecloud Fungus!”

Firecloud Fungus? That was a precious medicinal herb, and the crowd buzzed.

In the era before alchemists disappeared, Firecloud Fungus was a key ingredient for many elixirs. For example, the Cyclone Powder, which allowed those with ninth-level energy to successfully condense their energy whirlpool—a coveted pill for countless practitioners below the combatant level!

Or the Purplecloud Pill, which could spark fierce competition among Battle Lords. The Battle Lord realm had six grades, each harder to break through than the last; many spent years unable to advance, but the Purplecloud Pill could raise their rank by one or two grades—a most enticing prospect!

Though the use of pills to boost strength carried some side effects, the immense power gained made those negligible, and the Purplecloud Pill’s effects were stable, not the sort to backfire and cause regression.

Now, without alchemists, the Firecloud Fungus could no longer be used to craft elixirs, but its innate medicinal properties remained potent. Even with simple processing—eaten raw or boiled—the benefits to the body were significant, especially for enhancing the physique.

“Firecloud Fungus, starting price: thirty thousand gold coins!” Meiya announced with a smile.

Thirty thousand—was it worth it? Everyone calculated silently.

Su Yi glanced around and saw the city lord Chet, Obunshan of the Obun clan, and Lie Chen of the Lie clan all seated in a row, not yet bidding.

Seeing Lie Chen, Su Yi was puzzled. Didn’t his clan just suffer a robbery? Word had it the losses were heavy. Why risk more at an auction? Wasn’t he afraid of bleeding dry?

While Su Yi observed the city’s three great powers, Lie Feifei, who had accompanied her father, also noticed Su Yi. Uninterested in the Firecloud Fungus, she was glancing about when she saw her former ideal prince standing at the back, away from the crowd, arms folded, leaning against the wall.

Was he looking at her? Should she go over and speak to him?

Lie Feifei hesitated, then gently shook her head. She once liked him, but that was the past. Now he was just a useless nobody. She had already cultivated to the ninth level, and soon might break through to become a combatant. Once she did, her future would be bright!

She and Su Yi were worlds apart now. To reconnect would be unwise. With her promising future, she would find a better man.

Lie Feifei discreetly shifted her gaze away from Su Yi, then instinctively looked toward the city lord’s daughter, Geli, seated in another row.

At that moment, Geli’s slightly evasive gaze was also turned toward Lie Feifei!

Clearly, Geli had also seen Su Yi but, like Lie Feifei, pretended not to notice.

Su Yi, sharp-eyed, saw their actions and a hint of mockery appeared on his face.

Lie Feifei was famed in Changling City as a beauty. Young yet unusually mature in figure, her voluptuous, round hips were a frequent target of men’s lingering glances, sparking fantasies of pressing them in wild embrace.

But it was only fantasy; her notorious temper meant any man caught staring too long would receive a beating, and her status meant the men endured it, angry but silent.

By contrast, Geli’s figure wasn’t as lush, but had a slender, graceful allure. Her long, shapely legs and delicate features exuded a subtle, seductive charm. As the city lord’s cherished daughter, she was currently pursued by many wealthy young men.

Looking at these two women, once fond of him but now strangers, Su Yi felt a trace of discontent. When they’d first met, he hadn’t realized how calculating they were. Both competed openly and secretly, but today, they seemed almost in silent accord against him.

As Su Yi was lost in self-mockery, a sudden bid snapped him back.

“Forty thousand gold coins!”

(P.S.: Don't forget to bookmark after reading ^_^)

Martial Peak Volume 8, Chapter Eight ** complete!