The Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 655 - Consuming the Ungodly Fate Pill, Skyrocket

His whole body was dominated by sheer imposing force as he sat cross-legged beside the Golden Flint Iron Cauldron. Qing Shui wrinkled his forehead and frowned. He knew that improving his abilities was definitely favorable, but it would take an extreme level of endurance to withstand the excruciating pain through this method. It might even cost him his life if he wasn't careful enough.

Having cultivated the art of [Rebirth], Qing Shui did not fear pain, but he feared that he might accidentally end his life right now. He still had a lot of things to accomplish and a lot of people he couldn't leave behind.

He had also prepared a Five Dragon Pellet on his side, which he could use to cure any poisonous effects. Not only that, the Five Dragon Pellet had another blasphemous ability of delaying the user's death by one full day.

The Five Dragon Pellet was indeed wondrous, due to its nature as an antidote and also its ability to extend the user's life by one day as long as the user did not suffer any injuries around the head, abdomen, inner organs and bones. However, Qing Shui's most valuable lifeline was none other than the Golden Buddha Aura Lotus floating in the middle of the lake.

Nonetheless, he still wasn't sure if the Golden Buddha Aura Lotus really possessed the miraculous ability of the Bones of the Living Dead. It was a legend that was passed down by generations, and was believed by almost everyone to be true. There were only a few people in the world who had seen a divine medicine that was as extraordinary as the Bones of the Living Dead.

Because of that, Qing Shui wanted to depend on his own effort to push through the pain during this very critical moment instead of relying on the Golden Buddha Aura Lotus. If the Golden Buddha Aura Lotus did not work as it intended to, the outcome would be dreadful.

At this moment, Qing Shui felt completely lost. He had no intention of dying - He couldn't accept being killed due to him not consuming the Fate Pill. If he had to choose between watching something bad happen to Di Chen and self-explosion, he would rather explode into oblivion and die a horrible death.

Although, he could not afford to lose his life as there were things he has yet to accomplish, he decided to gamble his life on the Fate Pill while believing in his own luck. There was no way he was that unfortunate to have refined a Fate Pill and then explode into oblivion after consuming it. Even ghosts would be pissed off by that unlucky turn of events.

Qing Shui promptly took out all his Golden Needles as a precaution to secure his own life. He was confident in his own medical skills and the tenacity of his physical body. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be deciding if he should consume the Fate Pill at this moment.

Even though the Fate Pill might be too much for his current ability, he would at least still be able to survive. If he happened to explode and die, the entire Di Residence would be affected as well as the effects of the explosion would still wipe away everything within its radius.

Why did this have to happen now? Was it a coincidence?

Qing Shui felt depressed. If he and Di Chen were still in Greencloud Continent, the Fight of the Ultimate Life and Death would not have happened. Was it triggered by Old Demon Ba's death? Or was it triggered by the passing of the powerful old man from the Di Clan?

He would only feel worse if he kept thinking about it, hence he stopped his train of thought and refocused on the Fate Pill. He had ten days left before the Fight of the Ultimate Life and Death. If he was able to absorb the effects of the Fate Pill by then, he would be able to boost his strength by a considerable amount. Of course this would depend on his level of absorption - how much strength he could absorb between the range of 100 to 500 countries.

If he was able to absorb 400 countries worth of strength into his body, his chances of winning would be increased by 30 percent. It would be perfect if he was able to complement his supplementary skills with whatever strength he received from the Fate Pill.

And that was the root of the problem - he had no idea how much strength he was able to absorb into his body. Even though he was confident in his strength and the tenacity of his body - that he would be able to absorb a good portion of strength, he felt that if he could absorb at least 350 countries worth of strength, he would be invincible.

Qing Shui picked up three Golden Needles and inserted them at the Shanzhong, Juque, and Qimen Acupoints, which could shield the heart pulses from harm when stimulated. This was so that even if something bad were to happen to him, he would still be able to mitigate the situation and stay alive.

After sitting down for a while, Qing Shui decided to open the lid of the Golden Flint Iron Cauldron and check the Fate Pill. The moment he opened the lid, a pleasant fragrance emerged from the inside. The pill smelled exquisitely delightful, perhaps even more delightful than food doused in the condiments from the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. Or perhaps he simply felt nauseated from the smell of the condiments, and the pleasant fragrance of the pill was more refreshing.

The Fate Pill was the size of a walnut and gave out a soft lustre shine on the surface. It was snow white in color and as smooth as a jade. Qing Shui could feel a strong energy within the pill as it emanated a spiritual Qi that was powerful enough to choke someone.

Without much hesitation, Qing Shui quickly chucked the Fate Pill inside his mouth, which melted instantly at the touch of his tongue. A swift, cool feeling flowed through his throat, leaving an aromatic flavor in his mouth. It was quite a wonderful experience.

This must be the taste of a superb wine that only Gods were allowed to savor. Qing Shui had never tasted such wine before, so he could only imagine how the wine would taste like after he consumed the Fate Pill. The sensation he felt from consuming the Fate Pill was as if he had a passionate kiss with the woman he loved the most, while sucking the sweet juices from her dainty mouth. It was indescribable yet phenomenal.

Ancient Strengthening Technique!

Qing Shui could not afford to relax. He quickly circulated all his techniques through his body. Unfortunately, the Violet Gold Divine Shield and the Heavenly Talisman could not be used in this situation.

He could feel his Dantian and meridians swelling up immediately, but it wasn't painful at all. The swelling felt positively comfortable, which came as a surprise. However, this comfortable sensation would soon fade away as he could sense the energy in his body continuously surging to the maximum - he knew the next thing he would feel was the excruciating pain.

Qing Shui slowly cleared his head of distracting thoughts. He only had one thing in his mind, and that was to succeed no matter what. Now would be the greatest life-changing moment of his entire life. He only needed to get through this and welcome the wide clear path at the side with the greener grass. If he was able to get through this, he would skyrocket himself to the heavens.

Qing Shui unconsciously entered a realm that resembled a State of No Conscious. Was this an epiphany?

Whether or not it was an epiphany, Qing Shui had no clue. All he could feel was that he was sinking into a wondrous realm, and that his strength kept increasing at a crazy rate.

He had also lost track of time, so he didn't know how long he has been in this realm, although it feel like a day had already passed by. Suddenly, Qing Shui opened his eyes after feeling a stinging pain. He woke up and realized that his body was covered in a thin layer of blackened blood. The blood had a very strong stench. However, Qing Shui was quite happy when he saw the blood, as it meant that the impurities cleansing had taken place.

Qing Shui then took a Golden Needle and inserted it into his Zhangmen Acupoint, and then another one into his Shenting Acupoint!

After every hour, Qing Shui would insert a Golden Needle to release a bit of Qi from his body. Although he would be releasing a bit of the medicine effect together with the Qi from his Ancient Strengthening Technique, he had no other choice. It was better than to endure the full extent of pain without a sense of relief.

Qing Shui still had no idea how long he had been in the State of No Conscious. Nonetheless, he was able to feel that half of the medicinal effects had already been absorbed into his body.

Feeling the intense pain creeping in, he had no choice but to circulate his Ancient Strengthening Technique to the maximum level, hoping that the Qi from the Ancient Strengthening Technique could absorb the continuously increasing energy. If he still couldn't endure the pain, he would then insert another Golden Needle to release a bit of the medicine effect in his body.

After the 36th Golden Needle, Qing Shui felt that he could finally control the violent energy in his body. The previous Golden Needles he had used weren't simply for the purpose of releasing some of the medicine effect and Qi, they were also used to strengthen his meridians as well as to consolidate and nurture his constitution temporarily.

Three days had passed before Qing Shui began to slowly open his eyes. He smiled widely, knowing that he had succeeded despite the bloodstains all over his body.

Qing Shui couldn't gauge the energy absorbed within his body, so he tried to get a sense of it. When he knew how much energy he had gained, he laughed even more heartily. He had gained the strength of 400 countries and his defense had increased by 500 countries.

This was more than he had expected. Ignoring the bloody odor on his clothes, he slowly yet excitedly circulated the Nature Energy, State of Immovable as Mountains, Frenzied Bull's Strength…..

The improvement of the Fate Pill this time had led to the increase of Qing Shui's attack power to around 800 countries of strength, while his defense power had reached about 1100 countries. Under the passive effects of Diamond Qi and Diamond Protection, his attack was further boosted to about 1600 countries, and his defense further boosted to about 2200 countries. His speed and endurance had received quite a substantial boost as well.

Nature Energy!

Diamond Qi!

……..

Qing Shui had achieved an attack of roughly 2800 countries and a defense of 3300 countries without having equipped his weapons and armors. As the powerful energy surged through his body, he quickly took out the Violet Gold Divine Shield and Big Dipper Sword, equipped them straightaway.

Godly Force Talisman!

Divine Shield Talisman!

Not only were his powers sufficiently boosted, the formidable force of the Heavenly Talismans were boosted as well! If Qing Shui were to release all of his strength at once, his attack would reach 4300 countries worth of strength. Under the effects of the Divine Shield Talisman, his defense would reach 3800 countries worth of strength. Moreover, his defense could be briefly doubled if he equipped his Seven Star Armored Vest, which would only last for about an hour….

Now that his speed was at supersonic level and his defense at a ridiculous level, his trump cards, Critical Damage, Blackjade Poisonous Spiderweb, the formidable Hidden Weapon Technique, the State of One with Elephant that could be used simultaneously with the Combination Sword Technique while riding the Diamond Gigantic Elephant, had all become invincible.

At that moment, Qing shui was stunned. It wasn't even two months in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal and Qing Shui's strength had already went from Early Grade Six Martial Saint to his current Peak Grade Nine Martial Saint, albeit barely…..

This was indeed skyrocketing. In the blink of an eye, he had actually reached an unbelievable level of strength. It took Qing Shui quite a while to absorb the reality before he returned to his senses.

Fate Pill, as its name implied, would entirely change the fate of the person after consuming it. Their speed would become faster, and their defense would be stronger, just as Qing Shui's did. Now, he would be able to fight head on with Grade Ten Martial Saints in a battle. Moreover, with his Critical Damage at its maximum lethality, he would be able to land a deadly blow to his enemies.

At this moment, Qing Shui felt an indescribable satisfaction and relief as he felt the stream of vivacious energy radiating through his body. At the same time, he was actually looking forward to the upcoming Fight of the Ultimate Life and Death in two days time, unlike the worrisome sensation he had before.

Only at this moment, did he look down at his clothes smeared with blood and finally realize that he was giving off a stench of bloody odor. Qing Shui quickly gathered some water from the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal and cleaned his body. He then changed into his Lunar Silk Garment, which had the ability to cleanse itself whenever it was stained or dirtied. His garment was quite tough as well, which had Qing Shui suspecting whether it was at the level of Fake Divine Artifact. However, that wasn't a big concern as Critical Damage was one of the supplementary skills attached to the Lunar Silk Garment.

As his time in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal was almost up, Qing Shui spent the remaining time eating some food and walking around the field. When he saw his Diamond Gigantic Elephant roaming nearby, he was lightened up with happiness and joy.

In a short amount of time, his strength as well as the Diamond Gigantic Elephant's strength had experienced a tremendous change. Before, both of them did not possess the strength lethal enough to kill his upcoming opponents. Now, they could undoubtedly make them pay and weep in grief.

Qing Shui walked towards the poisonous pond and looked at the poisonous beings growing inside. They were already filling up the pond, and this was due to the abilty of the Five-Colored Daylily Grass he had planted, which doubled the toxin production of the poisonous beings.

That being said, Qing Shui had been busy collecting a lot of poisonous beings to fill out the pond. Once the pond was fully packed with these poisonous beings, he would try tempering the Blackjade Poisonous Spiderweb after the Fight of the Ultimate Life and Death was concluded. This time, he planned to use the crystals extracted from the Crystal Lion to boost the toxicity of the web.

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