THE MARTIAL KING - Season 8 Episode 8

Zen breathed in deeply, but remained calm as he felt the flame and the lightning racing through him.

The powerful flame and lightning gathered in the central area of Zen’s head. He was refined through lightning and fire which made the 20th point on his Governing Vessel glow with a golden light.

After an hour, the shimmering light vanished, and Zen was done refining his first acupoint.

Body refiners were rare in the Central Region, but it didn’t mean that there were none. Some of the smaller sects in the area had disciples dedicated to body refining.

When they finished the marrow refining level, they refined the first acupoint which was the 20th point on the Governing Vessel.

But, the process usually took years, even decades to complete.

Zen finished in an hour.

His impressive accomplishment would shame and amaze those body refiners who were stuck.

There was a myriad of reasons that enabled Zen to finish so fast. First, Zen’s body was a spiritual weapon making him stronger than other cultivators. Also, he had already refined himself in other aspects when he got the primordial energy.

Primordial energy was accessible for Zen because all he needed to do was be beaten by others. According to the red dragon though, it could be challenging to get primordial energy for some more sophisticated, stronger masters.

Since his body was refined by primordial energy completely Zen was able to refine his acupoints more effectively.

The flame and lightning were Law Power, which was the purest power.

Body refiners from the Central Region underwent numerous hardships before they gained flame and lightning power that was suitable for their acupoint refining. Even when they did get some, it wasn’t as pure as what Zen got. Usually, the flame and lightning from the earth realm were more explosive and more difficult to control. As a result, it required them to be more careful than Zen. They would be risking life and limb if they did what Zen did, and combined the flame with the lightning directly into their acupoints.

Once he finished with the first point, Zen began refining the next acupoint.

An hour later, his temples were refined. Then he refined the next acupoint, which was located in the forehead.

Then the acupoints beside the ears, and the acupoints beside the eyebrows.

Time passed as Zen refined each acupoint. Oracle city skyline was alight with the hues of orange as the sun sank lower and then gradually darkened the sky.

The most important event happening in Oracle city was the Martial Arts contest, and there were so many refiners that the city was bursting at the seams. There were always arguments that transgressed into battles when there were cultivators, so, the World Commercial Alliance assigned more officers to patrol the streets.

Off in the distance, mist hung heavy, shrouding Letitia as she leaned against the rooftop. She looked stunning in her long, light blue dress. The wind caught it, and as it billowed around her, it gave Letitia an ethereal air.

‘Unbelievable! He’s refining his acupoints! And so fast, too!’

Even in the fog, the surprise on Letitia’s face was evident.

Just then, a girl wearing a jade green skirt and carrying a basket walked into the yard and approached Zen.

The girl was Alice, and she was bringing a meal made by the finest chefs in the city that her father, who had made his fortune by accepting Zen’s low-grade life vitality crystals, hired to impress Zen.

“Dinner’s ready!” announced Alice beaming at Zen.

It wasn’t tough for Zen to finish refining the one hundred and eight points quickly since he had more primordial energy.

After spending the entire afternoon refining his acupoints, Zen was famished.

Alice opened the basket, took out the dishes and handed them to Zen one at a time.

While this was happening, Letitia stared at Zen unwaveringly.

Alice might not be from an influential family, but with her pretty face, she stood out. Letitia was much more beautiful. Even so, seeing the two of them sharing a meal, made her envious.

As a cultivator, Letitia was dedicated to reaching the martial art community’s pinnacle. Being responsible for Cloud Hall wore her out, and at one point she considered settling down. But, she was driven to keep refining her skills and reaching for the next level.

But, she was also a woman, with feelings, wants and needs, and once in a while, Letitia wanted to take a break from the rigorous routine, and just enjoy peaceful moment with someone else.

As Zen bit into the fish, he sensed something. Perhaps it was Letitia’s emotions that drew his gaze to the house where she stood.

‘Is it my imagination?’ wondered Zen. He froze, and the hairs on his neck raised. He had the distinct impression someone was watching him.

“Is something wrong? Are you choking on a fishbone? The bones in a Channa argus are really sharp…” Alice asked hurriedly, her eyes widening with concern.

As soon as Zen heard Alice’s question, he burst into laughter at the idea of a man like him choking on a fishbone.

After he finished the dinner, Zen started refining his acupoints again.

Using the power of the flames and lightning, Zen refined his acupoints one after another. Each time he was a little more efficient and quicker.

Four days later, Zen was done refining all of his acupoints. After that, he went into Oracle City to buy mysterious weapons to refine into heavenly essence.

After using the primordial energy, Zen’s physique was dramatically altered, and he was able to take in more dragon scales energy. So to activate more dragon scales, he needed the heavenly essence.

Three more days flew by.

Morning came, and the roll of drums echoed throughout Oracle City.

Everyone knew the Martial Arts contest being hosted by the World Commercial Alliance had started.

Oracle City was so large that people weren’t exaggerating when they called it a small country, and a normal person needed three days to cross it.

And yet, the drums could be heard clearly throughout the city!

“It’s the Drum of Vitality between Heaven and Earth! Finally!”

“It’s said that the stick used to beat the drum weighs fifty thousand pounds. An ordinary person can’t even lift the stick to beat the drum!”

“This drum absorbs vitality between heaven and earth every day, and each time it’s beaten, the vitality is released into the air. If we can absorb some, we’ll extend our life. Let’s breathe deeply!”

Zen could feel the vitality in the air around him when the drumming began.

It was immense, and cultivators absorbed the vitality, which was a bonus from the World Commercial Alliance to Oracle City.

Today was the day! Zen left the yard where he had confined himself to refine acupoints and headed to the World Commercial Alliance headquarters.

The stage was already set for the contests by the World Commercial Alliance who had also set up a stand that could hold a hundred thousand people at twenty thousand feet long, divided into twelve rows in anticipation of the spectators.

Zen was amazed at how many refiners he saw as he walked to the headquarters.

It was still early, but, the area was filled quickly with refiners and becoming overcrowded and noisy.

Many of them were from the Central Region. There were numerous sects, powers, and families all hailing from the Central Region, including the Cloud Hall and the Ethereal Spirit Sect.

Millions of cultivators came to watch the contest, and this was only a tiny amount.

“The price of a ticket to the Martial Arts contest is one supreme life vitality crystal, only!” someone was yelling as he walked through the crowd.

‘A supreme life vitality crystal for a ticket?’ thought Zen, speechless at the steep cost.

However, even at that price there were tens of thousands of cultivators willing to pay. It seemed that the World Commercial Alliance did know how to run a business. Or were those cultivators just very wealthy?

Zen quickened his step as he walked right to the stage.

“Stop! If you want to watch the contest, go that way, please!” said a World Commercial Alliance steward who stopped Zen.

He didn’t think Zen was there to participate when he noticed Zen was at grade four of the Illuminating Soul Realm.

Zen smiled and politely stated, “You misunderstand, sir. I’m a contestant.”

“You are a contestant?” asked the steward amused at what Zen told him. He sarcastically added, “Do you know where to go? This isn’t a place where you can make jokes! Go away!”