Chapter 22

Zhao Guan Shi was not immediately transferred from the medicinal garden; the earliest it could happen would be a month later.

During this period, Ding Qi continued to go up the mountain to gather herbs and practice the Xiantian Gong as usual. At the same time, he also took the opportunity to go to Liangcheng and sell the thirty Fengwei Grass plants he had in hand.

The money earned from selling this batch of Fengwei Grass was not much to the wealthy families, but for Ding Qi, it was undoubtedly a substantial income.

After receiving this income, Ding Qi thought long and hard and decided to visit the various pharmacies in Liangcheng.

The speed at which Ding Qi practiced Xiantian Gong was much faster than techniques like Iron Sand Palm, but it was still only at an average level. To increase his practice speed, using medicinal assistance was the only method he could find at the moment.

Before obtaining Xiantian Gong, Ding Qi had already planned to use medicines to aid his practice. However, at that time, he simply had no money. It was precisely to get enough money to refine the medicines needed for practice that he went up the mountain to pick Fengwei Grass to sell.

Now, with the income from selling the herbs, Ding Qi naturally had to visit the pharmacies.

He spent almost a whole day in Liangcheng, visiting all the pharmacies and inquiring about the prices of various herbs.

This behavior of asking without buying earned him many cold looks from the pharmacies. However, Ding Qi pretended not to notice, secretly noting down the prices of the herbs in each pharmacy and comparing them in his mind.

Although Ding Qi had anticipated that the herbs needed to increase his practice speed would be precious, the results of his inquiries still left him astonished.

The prices of these herbs used to refine medicines were even higher than he had originally expected.

Originally, Ding Qi thought that the money he earned from selling Fengwei Grass was not a small amount. However, compared to the prices of these precious herbs, it was not enough.

Thinking about this, Ding Qi looked at the ginseng in his hand and smiled bitterly: "In the end, I gritted my teeth and bought this ginseng."

This ginseng, which was about twenty to thirty years old, was just barely sufficient as one of the ingredients in the pill formula recorded on the brocade.

The brocade containing the Xiantian Gong had several different pill formulas, each with varying effects on increasing the practice speed of the technique. Some of the pill formulas recorded medicines that could only be taken after reaching a very high level in Xiantian Gong; otherwise, they would not only fail to enhance one's power but could also damage the meridians, causing one to go mad and die.

This ginseng was one of the ingredients in a weaker pill formula.

"At the current rate of picking Fengwei Grass, it will still take three to four months to gather all the ingredients for the weakest pill formula!" Ding Qi felt a headache as he calculated the prices of various herbs he had seen in Liangcheng.

Clearly, refining the medicine to increase his cultivation was not just a matter of buying one ginseng. It also required various other types of herbs, each of which was extremely precious.

Even for the weakest formula, it required more than ten different herbs. Some of these herbs were even more precious than the ginseng in his hand.

The money he earned from selling Fengwei Grass was just enough to buy the ginseng in his hand. To gather the other herbs, he would need a few more months.

Although Ding Qi regretted that it would take a few more months to gather all the necessary herbs, he could only sigh and suppress his frustration.

He was already incredibly lucky to have obtained the Xiantian Gong cultivation technique by chance. Moreover, he could quickly find Fengwei Grass to earn money and buy the necessary herbs for practice, which gave him a significant advantage over ordinary martial artists.

However, every time he thought about the enormous cost of refining the pills, Ding Qi could only smile bitterly and shake his head.

In the following days, while Ding Qi practiced the technique and gathered herbs on the mountain, Zhao Guan Shi did not show any unusual behavior because of his impending transfer from the medicinal garden. He continued to drink and enjoy himself every day.

Ding Qi could guess some of Zhao Guan Shi's thoughts.

Zhao Guan Shi was already old and no longer had the drive of a young man. At his age, he did not have the same opportunities for advancement in the sect as Ding Qi's second uncle. Whether he worked hard or not, the result would be the same.

Since that was the case, he might as well live a more comfortable life, drinking and enjoying music.

After all, no matter where he was transferred, it would not affect him, so he naturally did not care, which was why he remained so calm.

As Ding Qi practiced Xiantian Gong for longer periods, the Xiantian Gong true qi in his body was no longer as weak as before. The foreign true qi from practicing techniques like Iron Sand Palm was gradually being assimilated by the increasingly profound Xiantian Gong.

Ding Qi estimated that at this rate of assimilation, it would not take a month for the foreign true qi in his body to be completely assimilated.

Compared to the foreign true qi that would eventually be assimilated, Ding Qi was more concerned about something else in recent days.

In the past few days, he had noticed that Xiantian Gong was showing signs of breaking through to the second level. This discovery delighted him, and he naturally became even more diligent in his practice.

One day, as usual, Ding Qi sat cross-legged on the bed, practicing the Xiantian Gong technique. His body was motionless, like a wooden statue, a sign that his mind was completely focused on his practice.

Suddenly, Ding Qi's statue-like body trembled slightly. At the same time, a faint smile appeared on his previously expressionless face, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"Finally, I've entered the second level." Ding Qi took a deep breath and sighed in relief.

Just now, Ding Qi had finally broken through the first level of Xiantian Gong and entered the second level.

Although entering the second level of Xiantian Gong, which has thirteen levels, was not a great achievement, it was still a new realm, and Ding Qi was extremely happy.

More importantly, Ding Qi felt that after entering the second level of Xiantian Gong, his speed in digging for Fengwei Grass should improve.

"Ah."

Just as Ding Qi was thinking about whether he should go to the mountain now to see if his speed in searching for Fengwei Grass had indeed improved, he seemed to notice something and frowned in confusion.

He raised his hand to examine it, his face showing a thoughtful expression. Then, with a strange look, Ding Qi got off the bed, opened the door, and walked to the side of the medicinal garden, constantly observing his surroundings.

"I've only heard that a very few high-level techniques can bring about wondrous changes to the practitioner's body. I never thought such a thing would happen to me."

After a long time, Ding Qi's face showed excitement as he thought.

After achieving the first level of Xiantian Gong, Ding Qi was incredibly surprised to find that his perception of the world around him had changed significantly.

Compared to before, he now saw everything around him as if a layer of dust and mist had been removed from all things.

The entire world had an indescribable clarity and sharpness.

This change was not because there was anything wrong with Ding Qi's eyes before. Like ordinary mountain children, his eyesight had always been excellent. The reason for this change was that after achieving the first level of Xiantian Gong, his body underwent some unknown transformation, significantly enhancing his eyesight.

"Just by achieving the first level of Xiantian Gong, there is such a wondrous effect. I wonder what will happen if I achieve a few more levels. This martial art is even more amazing than I originally thought." As he looked at the newly refreshed world, Ding Qi was amazed.

What Ding Qi did not know was that the technique he was practicing was not just any martial art.

The high-level technique called Xiantian Gong, which he had obtained by chance, was not a secular martial art but a cultivation technique that should not exist in the secular world.

It was precisely because this was a cultivation technique far beyond the secular world that it brought about such wondrous changes to his body after he achieved the first level.

Ding Qi was completely unaware of this. He was only delighted by the wondrous changes in his body and looked forward to his future practice of Xiantian Gong even more.