Peerless Immortal - Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Ding Juncai Awakens
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The next day, there were already many cars in front of the Ding family house right at the crack of dawn.
As the number of teenagers awakened under Ding Hao increased, his reputation within Wuzhou city greatly increased. Many people had heard of a tutor that could help induce middle-state meditation. Families that had children who had yet to awaken sent their children over. As for those richer folks from the city, they booked entire mats and came every day!
Ding Hao induced the group of teenagers in front of him into meditation and noticed Boss Shang standing outside.
“Boss Shang, I don’t need any medicinal pills at the moment.”
Boss Shang smiled and said, “Let’s head to your room.”
Boss Shang was one of the very few people who could go into Ding Hao’s room. Once they passed Heaven’s Will Array, he took out a red wooden box from within his sleeves. Smiling, he placed it on the table.
“What is this?” Ding Hao curiously examined the box. When he opened it, the box was stuffed full of woven fabrics. On the fabrics was a yellow talisman. When he opened the talisman, he found a jade green pill about the size of a nail on one’s pinky. It was emitting a thick medicinal scent.
“Forbidden medicine. Green Concentration Pill!” Boss Shang mysteriously took the small box back, and stuck the yellow talisman back on, saying, “This is a restricted medicine, so we cannot expose it to the heavens for too long, or it will be noticed and reported!”
“What’s the use of this medicine?”
Boss Shang said, “The Green Concentration Pill can greatly increase your mental strength for about two hours after consumption! If you eat it before awakening, it can help you open up better celestial genes. This thing is priceless and very hard to find. I had wanted to give it to my son, but he accidentally awakened his celestial genes. So, it’s useless to me, and I want to give it to master Ding, hopefully, it will help you achieve success!”
“Increasing mental strength…” Ding Hao thought to himself that his mental strength was already at its peak and can’t be increased anymore. He shook his head and pushed the small box back to Boss Shang, and said, “Since it’s a forbidden medicine, there are definitely some drawbacks to it. I’m already in good condition right now, so I don’t really need it.
Boss Shang said, “You’re mistaken. Forbidden medicines don’t necessarily mean that they have negative drawbacks. They are forbidden because the materials used to make them are all treasures from the Celestial Cultivation Realm, which is why it’s forbidden by Heaven’s Will. They will confiscate it if they find this! If the amount is small it would be fine, but if there is a large amount or if they catch a dealer, the punishment will be heavy!”
Ding Hao curiously asked, “Why is it forbidden to use materials from the Celestial Cultivation Realm?”
Boss Shang said, “It’s to maintain balance between the two worlds. Jiuzhou focuses on the growth of righteous cultivators, so they emphasize making steady progress following the right steps. If materials from the Celestial Cultivation Realm were to be used in large amounts, it would just turn into a second Celestial Cultivation Realm. For the purpose of rapid progress, everyone would use any means necessary. At that point we would get closer and closer to the ways of demonic cultivation, causing chaos everywhere! The nine saints teach us that as cultivators, honestly following the rules and advancing step by step is better.”
“That’s true.” Ding Hao nodded and asked, “Then where did this forbidden medicine come from?”
“There are still people who don’t follow the rules in this world! They would do anything for their own benefit!” Boss Shang said, “Master Ding, you might not know but there are places in Jiuzhou where even the heavens cannot reach. Outside of the country, there is a place called Indigenous City. I have branches within the city, which is how I obtained the pill! If anyone else were to buy it, the price would be three times as much!”
“It’s that highly sought after?” Ding Hao scrunched his eyebrows and asked, “What type of place is this Indigenous City?”
Boss Shang said, “It’s also called Tu City. It is a place where the heavens cannot influence! Over there, there are many powerful forbidden medicines! Heaven’s Will cannot influence that place! However, because there is a lack of influence by the heavens, there are no rules there. Even basic safeguards are missing. There are even demonic practitioners there, killing and stealing as they wish. To normal people like us, it is an extremely dangerous place!”
Ding Hao incredulously said, “So, it’s a place outside of the law—a black market!”
“Correct!” Boss Shang exclaimed. “There are also a few risk-takers who make a living off trafficking forbidden medicines from Tu City here to sell. They put their lives on the line and even run the risk of being caught by the government. But the profit margin is high!”
Ding Hao pointed at the box and asked, “That pill right there. How much would it be?”
Boss Shang said, “Fifteen thousand taels of silver! If it were anyone else, it would be at least forty or fifty thousand!”
“That expensive?!” Ding Hao was gobsmacked, tens of thousands for just one single pill?
“The price doesn’t matter as long as it’s effective!” Boss Shang continued, “Tu City is outside the country and not protected by Heaven’s Will, so silver notes are used. They all pay with yuan stones. Ten thousand taels of silver is equivalent to one yuan stone, and the exchange rate always changes.”
Ding Hao thought for a while, and finally said, “Boss Shang, thanks for your good intentions, but I think I won’t rely on these methods. I want to see what type of celestial gene I can awaken with my own skills.”
Boss Shang opened his mouth to speak, but Ding Hao interrupted him, “I don’t need any advice. My decision has been made.”
Smiling bitterly, Boss Shang did not know what else to do other than keep the Green Concentration Pill. “Master Ding, you really are an upright person.”
Ding Hao was not an upright person. He just had the knowledge that his mental prowess was already at its peak, and therefore, he did not want to risk messing it up. By taking the pill, he did not know what could accidentally happen.
Boss Shang kept the pills but did not leave. Sitting down, he drank some water.
Ding Hao saw Boss Ding’s solemn expression, and asked curiously, “Boss Shang, we’ve known each other for a long time. It’s fine to speak without reservations.”
The Green Concentration Pill had been in Boss Shang’s possession for a long time. He definitely had something he needed today if he only brought it over now.
Boss Shang heard that and said, “Master Ding, it’s like this. The Shang family is a large one with plenty of branches within the world of Jiuzhou. Unfortunately, my cultivation stopped at the third level of Xiantian. I was unable to break through it, so I’m only able to operate a small bookstore. Lately, I’ve heard that the clan has an opening at a large grocery store in Wuzhou, but I’m far too weak…”
Ding Hao could more or less guess what he needed, and he raised his eyebrow and asked, “What do you need me to do?”
Boss Shang smiled and said, “Master Ding, since you’ve managed to help so many people enter middle-stage meditative states, could you try a bit harder and send me into a higher-stage meditative state? Then my mental prowess would increase, and I could very possibly break through the bottleneck I found myself in and enter the middle-stage of Xiantian!”
The first to third levels were called the initial stages, the fourth to sixth was known as the middle-stage, and the seventh to ninth was called the later stage, and the tenth level was completion.
Every stage had its own bottlenecks which were not easy to break past. Only higher-stage meditation would be effective for Xiantian cultivators, which was why Boss Shang came asking Ding Hao for help.
“Entering the higher-stage meditative state…” Ding Hao groaned softly.
He had actually already guessed what Boss Shang was going to ask for, but he could not agree immediately. If he did, Boss Shang would be suspicious of his skills, and he might even ask if he could help people enter the perfect-stage meditative stage.
Entering the perfect-stage meditative stage, now that would be something else!
“I can only agree to give it a go. I won’t be able to guarantee success.” Ding Hao nodded and agreed after some deliberation.
Ding Hao had already been preparing to start higher-stage meditations in his business.
He was about to awaken his celestial genes. After awakening, he could begin practicing martial skills and would have a way to protect himself. This would allow him to be a bit more daring. Furthermore, he would require more resources after he awakened, which would cost much more money. Higher-stage meditative states were a matter of time for his business, so he did not mind agreeing to help Boss Shang earlier as a show of kindness.
Boss Shang was ecstatic when he agreed, saying, “Higher-stage meditation goes for one thousand each time. I can pay. My son Xiao Hai as well. He’s already in the Xiantian stage. Could you help him as well? Help him increase his cultivation a bit, and he could potentially pass the selection test for Jiuzhou Academy.”
Boss Shang was only talking about himself, but now he just tacked on his son which made Ding Hao a bit uncomfortable. He felt that the man was being too greedy. However, upon reflection, he felt that the father-son pair were pretty decent people, so it could be good for him if Xiao Hai manages to get into Jiuzhou Academy. He nodded and said, “Sure! However, you must make sure no one else ever finds out about this!”
Boss Shang smiled, “You can rest assured. My lips are sealed!”
Both of them walked out of Heaven’s Will Array after that.
The moment they walked out, he heard someone shouting, “Gonna awaken soon! Awakening soon!”
Someone would awaken every few days at Ding Hao’s place, so it was not anything out of the ordinary. However, today was different. The one awakening was not one of Ding Hao’s clients, but instead, the cry came from Ding Laosi’s room at the back.
“Not good! Juncai is going to awaken!”
Ding Juncai awakening was not a good thing for Ding Hao. Ding Juncai had been looked at by a senior when he was young. The senior had claimed he had good aptitudes. If he were to awaken to a genius gene of third level or above, he could potentially steal Ding Hao’s status by force!
“Let’s go take a look.”
Ding Hao and Boss Shang went to the back courtyard and saw that a lot of people had already gathered there. Ding Hao opened his mind’s eye, and looked toward the sky, only to see the faint glow of spiritual energy breaking through the roof, going as far as five meters high!
The teenager with the copper furnace had only achieved about three meters of spiritual energy. He had not even managed to break through the roof. Boss Shang’s son, Xiao Hai had also been the same. He had only gone four meters high, and he obtained a fourth level celestial gene.
Juncai’s spiritual energy was five meters tall and was so clear and concentrated. It was really shocking!
Ding Hao furrowed his eyebrows and left.
Boss Shang also felt that this was problematic, so he said, “Master Ding, that brat might be awakening a level three or above celestial gene. He would be classified as a genius. He could very well use his right of priority to steal away your status.”
The answer came half an hour later.
“It’s Sunken Ice, a third level celestial gene!”
‘It’s a genius! Elemental celestial genes are usually mid-ranked, but the ice celestial gene has very strong offensive powers! The Sunken Ice celestial gene can even be trained to use their powers to freeze things. It is said to be a celestial gene close to level two!’
Since Ding Hao started helping people meditate, he had seen quite a few awakenings, but Ding Juncai was the highest one he had seen so far.
Boss Shang said urgently, “Master Ding, this isn’t good. That butler’s second son really does have good aptitude, awakening a level three Sunken Ice! He’s a genius! According to regulations, a superior level one celestial gene can ask one question to the heavens. A level one will be paraded in the city on horseback, a level two will be paraded with marching, and a level three can hang up flowers in front of their house. Other than that, geniuses also have the right of priority, immunity to punishment, and various other rights. It will definitely not be good for you!”
Ding Laosi and his family were already on the move while Boss Shang was worrying about it.
They had already sent out various requests, asking for treasures, recommendations, and rewards! It was as if he was a fresh sprout that needed everyone’s love and care!
