Chapter 475: 476
Upon hearing this, a group of elders all cheered inwardly.
“These young whippersnappers actually dare to scoff at us,” they thought. Although they were in the Holy City, it wasn’t appropriate to make a scene under the Vice Leader’s watchful eye, but venting their frustration verbally was still feasible.
Unexpectedly, the young cultivators before them now looked back with an expression as if they were staring at fools.
“With the Vice Leader sweeping the borderlands, there’s no need for us to meddle. Besides, if you’re so smooth-talking, why don’t you go yourself?”
“At such an advanced age, how can you be so blind to the truth?”
The cultivators in the bathhouse spoke indifferently, mentally labeling these old men as outdated and out-of-touch.
In this day and age, they were astonished to still encounter such stubborn old-timers.
“I…”
The Qi Sect elder was at a loss for words, his face turning an ashen blue with his chest heaving violently, unsure of what to say.
“Ahem, each of you is a promising talent of our borderlands. With the help of this bathhouse, your chances of survival on the battlefield will surely greatly increase. However, with Flesh Mountain massively reviving, it is not to be underestimated. It’s still best to make an effort,” said an Array Formation Sect elder with a smile. He spoke neither too warmly nor too harshly as he began to twist the knife.
However, upon hearing these words, the young cultivators’ looks became even stranger.
“Where did you come from, knowing nothing at all?”
“The battlefield in the borderlands stops being lethal already. The Huazi provided by Young Master Li not only enhances one’s comprehension but also grants cultivators immunity to the blood qi of Flesh Mountain that erodes the mind. You’re truly a bunch of bumpkins, coming here to point fingers without knowing anything.”
The young cultivator said coldly, his eyes filled with even greater contempt, clearly not taking these old men seriously at all.
At these words, the group of elders was violently shaken, only now realizing the true value of the mentioned Huazi.
If it were only to enhance comprehension for cultivation, they could have regarded it as a Heaven and Earth Treasure. But the ability to be immune to the offense of Flesh Mountain, this truly could be considered a life-saving Divine Artifact on the battlefield, completely a strategic resource of the highest order.
This single point had their hearts racing, and they had made up their minds to take back the bathhouse and the Huazi to Central Province. If the prodigies of various clans could utilize such resources for cultivation, in less than a decade, they could become Great Crossing Realm Cultivators and dominate a territory.
Then, the Immortal Spirit Continent would reach its zenith, an era of greatness when powerhouses rise! The thought alone set their hearts ablaze with excitement.
It wasn’t until the Huazi in their mouths had burned down to the stub, jolting them with its heat, that they came to their senses. They then took out another Huazi, placed it in their mouths, and resumed enjoying their smoke, puff by puff.
The young cultivators paid no further attention to these elders, with each one beginning to show off their bodies. In the end, they didn’t forget to complement each other.
“Brother, your muscles are so well-developed, as hard as steel. Do you have a secret technique?”
“You’ve asked the right person. Every day, I lift a thousand catties of boulder, horse stance for two hours, ascend and descend a mountain for two hours, hold up weights for two hours, and all without using any cultivation power, relying solely on physical strength. Persist for several months, and you’ll see the effect.”
The consulted cultivator felt his face glowing with pride since in the bathhouse, no matter how high your cultivation level, a poor physique was considered pointless.
Here, an impressive body was the key to attracting the ladies. Indeed, a great physique was the true path to glory.
Seeing this, the group of elders exchanged glances and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Elder brothers, it seems that these youngsters are practicing body refining techniques, sadly they seem to have strayed from the path?”
“Hehe, it’s not that they’ve strayed, it’s that they haven’t even entered the doorway, they’re just playing at farming!”
“How about we show off too and give these youths something to open their eyes?”
“Good idea!”
“These youngsters, unaware of their ignorance, have no idea that they are standing before a mountain so towering.”
“Let’s do this!”
The group of elders conversed with each other and then simultaneously stood up from the water, shocking all the cultivators with their presence; with a shake of their bodies, the cloth on them burst like a balloon, instantly turning into dust that scattered away.
Exposed were blocks of sturdy muscles. These elders had all weathered the trials of the Heavenly Tribulation, their bodies purified of most impurities, their Flesh Mountains clear and flawless, perfect without a single defect. At first glance, one could vaguely see gleaming light and an aura of treasure about them.
Clearly, this was a sign of body refining techniques cultivated to great success, with the Flesh Mountain manifesting the essence of the Dao and engraved with divine patterns, something not just any cultivator could achieve.
The group of youngsters was stunned, having never seen such a flawless physical body before; beneath those wrinkled, aged faces hid such formidable physiques, which truly was inconceivable.
How much pain and tribulation must they have endured to cultivate such bodies?
Even if their City Lord were to come, he might not possess such a formidable physique, right?
“Elders, we were blind and disrespectful before!”
The previous smirking cultivators were now like defeated roosters, each with a face of embarrassment as they greeted the elders.
They still had some discernment; if the body could be cultivated to such an extent, their cultivation level couldn’t be far behind. It turned out that these elder gentlemen were not bumpkins, but genuine powerhouses!
And they had just been mocking these powerhouses!
“Hehe, ignorance is no sin, and we are not the kind of people who nitpick. The fact that the youth of today are looking to strengthen their bodies and practice Body Refining Techniques is commendable!”
“In this era, there are few cultivators willing to slow down and solidify their foundations. Your thinking and awareness are quite admirable; a promising future lies ahead!”
The Qi Sect elder said cheerily, his eyes gleaming like slits.
The youngsters who had been indifferent to them were now fawning over them, not because they felt obligated by the elders’ status or under duress from physical threats, but because they genuinely respected them.
This respect was earned through their own strength and capabilities, and it felt good, very rewarding!
The rest of the elders shared similar sentiments, their faces filled with smiles, their earlier dark moods swept away.
“Elders flatter us. We cultivators simply practice according to the standards. Everything you said earlier makes sense. Living on the frontier, a sense of crisis is essential. Even with Huazi’s assistance, we must not slack off; otherwise, our state of mind will not progress, and we’ll remain stagnant.”
“We have learned much from the wise words of our forebears!”
The youths were quick to respond, their words making the elders burst into hearty laughter.
“It’s nothing.”
The Qi Sect elder casually replied, although the elders were actually baffled. They had only intended to boast a bit, but the youths had somehow come up with a whole theory on their own.
But it didn’t matter. The respect they received now, not based on their status but genuinely earned, was something they found very satisfying, more so than at any other time.