Chapter Eight: The Three-Part Pearl

The crowd gathered in front of the Jiang family pharmacy quickly dispersed after the Fang clan members departed, leaving only a few people behind with Jiang Feng.

“Feng’er, when did you break through?” Jiang Xian still seemed unable to believe it; the problem that had plagued Jiang Feng for over ten years had suddenly been resolved.

He stepped forward and grasped Jiang Feng’s wrist.

“Genuine Stage One of Dark Martial!” The thought that just five days ago Jiang Feng was an ordinary person without any cultivation shocked even Jiang Xian.

“Five days to reach Stage One—such speed can only be described as uncanny. Perhaps, after tormenting Feng’er for fifteen years, Heaven now intends to compensate him.” Jiang Xian sighed.

“Stage One of Dark Martial!” Jiang Lei and his son, who had expected Jiang Feng to make a fool of himself, watched this absurd turn of events in stunned silence.

Was this truly the same useless boy, timid and withdrawn, afraid to appear before others? Just five days ago, he had no cultivation; in only five days, he had advanced to Stage One. It sounded like a fairy tale.

“What exactly happened? How did your cultivation progress so rapidly?” Jiang Xian’s tightly knit brows finally relaxed, though it looked somewhat awkward.

“I’m not quite sure myself. I slept, and when I woke up, I’d broken through.” Jiang Feng shrugged.

What? You’re saying you broke through after a nap? Countless people spend a year without advancing even one stage. Jiang Xian was speechless.

“Hehe, actually, I came to tell father this news. Who knew I’d run into them causing trouble? In a fit of anger, I charged out.” Jiang Feng scratched his head.

Jiang Xian forced a smile, glancing at Jiang Lei, whose mouth twitched, and his expression changed as he asked seriously, “Is Shan’er all right?”

“He’s badly hurt; it’ll take at least a month to recover. That brat showed no mercy. What’s strange is that Shan’er couldn’t even fight back against him,” Jiang Lei, unwilling at first to reply, eventually sighed angrily.

“It’s because he’s already mastered Stage Five of Dark Martial. And before he fought Jiang Shan, he seemed to have taken a pill—the energy in his body was extremely odd,” Jiang Xian recalled. “I knew then they came prepared, but couldn’t stop you in time. If not for Feng’er’s appearance, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”

“Hmph, it’s just a year’s income! At worst, I’ll mortgage my house.” Jiang Lei was still struggling to accept being saved by someone he once considered useless. With a pout, he carried Jiang Shan into the Jiang family pharmacy.

“Father, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back. Though I was lucky this time, I realize my cultivation is still lacking. If I reach Stage Four, with the marvels of Shadow Dance Soul-Crushing Steps, I could defeat him in a single move.”

“Go ahead. The family’s final assessment is in two months, and the annual exam is in half a year. I believe you’ll create a miracle.” Jiang Xian patted his head in relief.

Nothing brings parents greater joy than seeing their child stand tall.

“Don’t worry, Father. I’ll reclaim everything that should belong to me!”

……

In the northwest corner of the Jiang family estate, the small room that had always been shrouded in darkness was lit tonight.

On the bed, Jiang Feng sat cross-legged, holding the Three-Stage Pearl he had won from Fang Lin.

The Dark Pearl: formed when a Dark Martial master dies, condensing the seed of dark energy within their body. It contains all the dark power the deceased possessed, and the pearls from the strongest are said to retain a trace of consciousness—a truly astonishing phenomenon.

The Three-Stage Pearl was precisely condensed from the seed of dark energy of a Stage Three master.

Having a Dark Pearl at hand multiplies one’s cultivation speed several times over; it’s an invaluable treasure during the Dark Martial stage.

Even in the Jiang family, there are only a few such pearls, all held by the most powerful members.

Someone like Jiang Feng, who had been unable to cultivate, would never qualify to receive one.

“With this, a day of cultivation equals five days of normal practice.” Jiang Feng knew there were no shortcuts in cultivation; over a decade of hardship had forged his character beyond compare. Since acquiring the Shadow Dance Soul-Crushing Steps manual, he had prepared himself to endure every hardship. But the Three-Stage Pearl gave him newfound hope.

He formed a hand seal, placed the pearl between his palms, recalled the first three forms of Shadow Dance Soul-Crushing Steps several times, and closed his eyes.

Before cultivating, there was still a problem to solve: the Blood Prison Killing Realm.

With only the first two forms mastered, Shadow Dance Soul-Crushing Steps allowed him to dodge fatal attacks but not break free from the environment.

“Ugh…”

As soon as his eyes closed, a cold, piercing murderous intent surged toward him from all directions, and Jiang Feng was swept into a world of blood.

But now he knew this was not a dream, but an illusion—and he had a way to deal with it.

Moments later, the blood-red silhouette appeared, and as expected, when it was ten yards away, the blade flashed.

At the same time, Jiang Feng’s mind summoned two steps, and his body shifted three feet to the right in an uncanny manner.

Crack—

His left arm was severed, but his life was spared.

Compared to the agony of a torn body, this was nothing.

Gritting his teeth, Jiang Feng sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.

But before he could meditate, the world suddenly changed; countless crystalline lights appeared from nowhere, converging on his severed arm.

Stunned, Jiang Feng watched as his lost left arm regrew before his eyes.

“In the illusion, even a severed limb can regenerate. What are these lights?” Jiang Feng wondered.

In moments, his left arm was restored as good as new.

“What a surge of power—this arm is several times stronger than before.” Jiang Feng flexed his recovered arm in delight.

“Huh—”

The crystalline lights restoring his arm did not dissipate; instead, they began to flow toward a spot three inches below his navel—the heart of a dark cultivator, the site of the dark core.

“How can this be? I haven’t reached Stage Nine, so how can I condense dark energy?”

Dark energy enters the core only at Stage Nine of Dark Martial, then forms a seed, marking the breakthrough to Dark Warrior.

But he was clearly only at Stage One.

Countless crystalline lights converged at Jiang Feng’s core, then began to condense mysteriously. Eventually, they all entered and formed a small, crystalline pearl, quietly floating within his core.

“This is the Three-Stage Pearl!” Jiang Feng’s heart skipped a beat; the tiny pearl was unmistakably the Three-Stage Pearl, only several times smaller and more refined.

Could it be that the Three-Stage Pearl mutated upon encountering the Blood Prison Killing Realm?

Feeling no abnormality in his body, Jiang Feng shook his head and decided to ignore it for now.

He closed his eyes, formed a hand seal, and began to meditate.

Outside, a layer of light gathered around Jiang Feng’s body; the Five-Stage Pearl at his leg had already vanished.

Meditation is the shared practice of all dark cultivators.

In the Dark Martial stage, one can only refine their body through meditating on dark energy. When reaching a certain threshold, a seed forms in the core, and one becomes a Dark Warrior.

Only as a Dark Warrior can one learn dark techniques, far superior to martial skills.

There is a vast gulf between Dark Martial and Dark Warrior.

Jiang Feng recalled his ten years of wandering across the Eastern Nether. Unable to cultivate, unable to sleep, he spent all his time collecting every kind of book.

With several times more study than anyone else, Jiang Feng now possessed more knowledge than any elderly historian of the Nether Realm.

“Dark Martial, Dark Warrior, Illusory Nether, True Nether, Profound Nether, Nether King, Nether Saint, Nether Sovereign—if I want to ensure my safety, I must become a Nether King within ten years!”

On the vast continent of the Nether Realm, to stand out, one must become strong!

The light around Jiang Feng shone ever brighter.