The battle ended, and Wang Sheng departed with his spoils, leaving behind only a vast expanse of ruin.
Several hundred miles away, the observers from Spirit Sword Valley and the forces of Mo Yang didn’t dare to approach too closely.
They were able to witness the unusual signs of Wang Sheng’s ascension, but they couldn’t see Blood Locust King’s true body afterward—the phenomena occurred high in the sky, and, with the martial artists’ vision, it could be seen clearly even from a greater distance. However, the Blood Locust King was different—as its height was only about one hundred meters, and it was many miles away amidst the mountains—it was beyond their capabilities to see that clearly.
Though they couldn’t get a clear view of the Blood Locust King, the subsequent explosions caused by Wang Sheng’s Destructive Fist were quite distinct.
Only the towering mushroom cloud stood as proof that a grand battle had taken place there, exhibiting such power that they feared to come too close.
Such a battle, even the aftermath waves were likely to be lethal.
Now that all sounds had dissipated, the battle was most likely over, yet no one dared to approach.
As for the possibility of both powerhouse fighters being gravely wounded and someone reaping the benefits, no one considered such a scenario—the mighty, even severely injured, could possess the capacity to kill.
Such powerhouses would not leave their fate to the unknown.
Moreover, after witnessing this battle, those who were initially contending fiercely over a piece of precious Spiritual Medicine lost their eagerness.
“Let’s divide the Spiritual Medicine,” someone suggested, “this type isn’t inseparable.”
With no Grandmasters present from Spirit Sword Valley, a compromise ensued.
The Spiritual Medicine was promptly divided among them.
Today’s battle had to be reported to higher authorities.
The individual involved in that fight was undoubtedly at the Grandmaster level.
Throughout the entire realm, Grandmasters were a rarity, yet it turned out there was another Grandmaster in Shuzhou, besides King Yong Nian.
People from Spirit Sword Valley were afraid it was someone from King Yong Nian’s side. Meanwhile, Mo Yang’s faction was concerned because it wasn’t too far from their Anshui County. A Grandmaster appearing nearby meant they had to prepare ahead of time.
Grandmasters would stir up trouble wherever they went.
Every faction needed to remain vigilant.
The formidable person they were cautious of, Wang Sheng, after settling everything, returned directly to Qingshan Village.
This ascension did not take much time, and only Da Bai and Yun Xiao knew that Wang Sheng had taken a trip, so no one else was aware that a Grandmaster level fighter had quietly appeared in the village.
Wang Sheng didn’t alert anyone, and upon his return, he first reflected on the gains from his recent ascension.
In cultivation, as long as it flowed naturally, there was no need for a long period of consolidation after a breakthrough.
He could never understand why some people needed to consolidate their cultivation after a breakthrough, as it could lead to regression without it.
If one’s cultivation was natural and one’s foundation was deep, the state post-breakthrough should be flawless; only those who achieved breakthroughs hurriedly and with shallow foundations needed time to consolidate.
Upon his own ascension, Wang Sheng mastered his new strength immediately after the breakthrough and could even face an assault from Blood Locust King with all his might right away.
Of course, he still approved of reflecting on one’s cultivation after every leap in progress.
The higher one went in cultivation, the more crucial it was to inform one’s practice with experience, to ensure farther progress.
Previously, Wang Sheng hadn’t paid too much attention to it, but after growing stronger, he devoted even more time to such matters.
Especially since his path combined Inner Core Skill with Qi-Blood, even with a progress bar to fall back on, he still relied on his own reflections and research.
The progress bar ensured he wouldn’t go astray, but each time he had an insight, the progress bar leaped forward.
Insights and the progress bar were not at odds.
Thus, after returning to Qingshan Village, Wang Sheng spent nearly a day summarizing his cultivation experience and reaped significant benefits.
Following that, besides his daily systematic cultivation, Wang Sheng also began examining the piece of Black Wood.
His power now was incredibly frightening, and the Black Wood felt exceptionally heavy to him. Although he could lift it, the sensation was still astonishing; it was not something ordinary materials could compare with.
He also returned with some of the Blood Locust King’s branches and compared the two materials with his Divine Thought.
Weight was the first issue.
Needless to say, the Black Wood was immeasurably heavier than the branches of the Blood Locust King, not even on the same level.
“Generally speaking,” he mused, “the greater the density with the same volume, the heavier the object will be. This Black Wood… its density is indeed high, but it shouldn’t weigh this much. Could it be the materials of this mystical world indeed?”
Physically, the Black Wood wasn’t mysterious at all. Under the scrutiny of Wang Sheng’s Divine Thought, anything on that level that he knew could be penetrated. With its density and volume, the weight of the Black Wood was impossible.
Therefore, the Black Wood’s mystique must lie in some fantastical property.
But that was the most crucial point—Wang Sheng couldn’t discern where exactly the Black Wood was special. Perhaps his knowledge was insufficient to grasp its essence.
“So now, can I only test the visible properties?” he wondered.
Divine Thought wasn’t almighty, and Wang Sheng didn’t dwell on this for long.
Thus, he quickly switched to testing the characteristics of the Black Wood.
Hardness, tenacity, and such could all be tested to see how best to utilize them.
He had some preconceived notions about the hardness and toughness from his fight with Blood Locust King, but the specifics were unclear.
Now was the opportunity to perform detailed tests.
“Let’s start with Qi-Blood Power and see if the Black Wood can resist it directly.”
During the previous battle with Black Blood Locust King, Wang Sheng wasn’t quite sure if his Qi-Blood Power had impacted the Black Wood, so it needed to be tested.
He manifested a little of his Qi-Blood Power and then let it corrode the Black Wood.
Ten percent strength, no change… twenty percent…
“Next is ninety percent strength of Qi-Blood Power.”
Black Wood gave Wang Sheng a huge surprise. At eighty percent Qi Blood Power, there was no change in Black Wood; it wasn’t eroded by the qi and blood power at all.
Just this fact alone already made it the most valuable object in Wang Sheng’s possession.
However, it seemed this item had its limits. At ninety percent strength of Qi Blood Power, Black Wood finally sustained some damage, and some wood chips were scraped off its surface.
Wang Sheng’s expectations lowered somewhat.
Because it was the combination of Qi Blood Power and “force” that constituted his strongest attack method. If the wood could be damaged by Qi Blood Power alone, its value to him wasn’t as great.
After gathering his emotions, I continued to test the functions of Black Wood.
Following the hardness test was the test of toughness.
The resiliency of Black Wood was also satisfactory, barely meeting his expectations.
From these aspects, Black Wood was just a decent item, still not remarkable.
However, Wang Sheng felt it wasn’t that simple.
Although Black Wood was obtained from inside the Blood Locust King, judging from its quality, properties, appearance, and a series of other conditions, it seemed to have nothing to do with the Blood Locust King’s main body at all.
Rather than believing that Black Wood was condensed by the Blood Locust King, he was more inclined to believe that the Blood Locust King had obtained Black Wood accidentally, and with the Blood Locust King’s final words, it might even be the core of a clone of the Blood Locust King.
This conjecture might not be one hundred percent accurate, but it was highly possible.
Therefore, Wang Sheng didn’t just cast aside Black Wood and instead continued his research.
In the following period, he tried many different things and discovered a very special feature of Black Wood.
“Whether it’s Qi Blood Power or Divine Thought, both can be conveyed perfectly and harmoniously!”
He was somewhat surprised himself.
This was an incidental find during the tests.
When Wang Sheng covered it with his Qi Blood Power, he found that the power could integrate perfectly into the wood.
Black Wood was about a meter long and as thick as a wrist.
A cylindrical body.
A thought struck him, and he immediately executed the Six Harmonies Spear, also drawing upon his Qi Blood Power.
Then he discovered that wielding the Six Harmonies Spear with Black Wood made the flow of Qi Blood Power much smoother.
The Black Dragon Spear was quite good, one might say it was spirit wood, but compared to Black Wood, it was somewhat lacking.
Wang Sheng was very strong now, so he could clearly feel the difference.
“What a pity, if only it were a bit longer, it could make for a spear handle…”
Speaking of a spear handle, Wang Sheng thought of the flying sword.
Wang Sheng’s current flying sword was made from Blood-forged Steel.
Blood-forged Steel was decent, but in “Mechanical Technique: Azure Dragon Chapter,” it wasn’t considered top-notch and was far inferior to Black Wood.
It could only be said to be barely usable compared to ordinary iron.
Wang Sheng didn’t have a solution for this.
Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice; materials like this couldn’t just appear out of thin air.
The Black Wood at hand, however, was very good, both in length and quality.
It could be used to make a flying sword and be effective.
It was precisely because of this idea that Wang Sheng discovered that Black Wood was even more harmonious when it came to integrating Divine Thought.
“…”
After some thought, Wang Sheng found Yue and had Yue use Qi Blood Power on the Black Wood.
Wang Sheng’s Qi Blood Power was fused with Divine Thought, a bit special, and more like a special force compared to the Qi Blood Power of this world, somewhat different in nature.
That’s why he asked Yue to give it a try.
This was a third type of force.
The final result didn’t disappoint Wang Sheng.
Black Wood was completely harmonious with Yue’s Qi Blood Power as well, without even a slight delay.
He also deduced the true special feature of Black Wood.
Perhaps Black Wood was like this with any force, able to accept all kinds of power completely.
That was where the greatest value of Black Wood lay.
Of course, the greater the value, the more Wang Sheng wanted to turn Black Wood into a flying sword.
The flying sword made from Blood-forged Steel had no shortage of materials, but Black Wood was much nicer to use than Blood-forged Steel.
Wang Sheng was a pragmatist.
Even if he hadn’t figured out exactly what the item was, it didn’t mean he couldn’t use it.
So when he returned to his room, he immediately started the furnace and kindled the fire, then took out the last bit of Mechanical Melting Iron.
This was a fine item, which, when added, would make the material stronger.
He hadn’t been willing to use it when he was making the flying sword with Blood-forged Steel.
But now it seemed quite suitable.
The only problem was whether it could be integrated into Black Wood, considering Black Wood was woody in nature…