Chapter 137: Qi Stone

The two trees gradually closed in on Xia Cao, and no matter how fiercely he attacked, the trees instantly regenerated. Even the sword entirely composed of wind was effectively useless, and with each passing moment, the trees grew more resilient. The damage he could inflict became increasingly minimal.

He desperately wanted to escape, but the trees completely blocked his path, and no matter which direction he turned, they slowly caught up to him, intertwining and creating a prison.

"Damn it..." Xia Cao gritted his teeth and said, "Don't push me, you bastard. Do you really think I don't have any trump cards?"

"Show it to me, then," Ancestor Lu suddenly clenched his fist, and the tree cage enclosing Xia Cao closed in on him, attempting to crush him into meat paste.

Xia Cao felt anger and humiliation welling up in him. Ancestor Lu's complete disregard drove him to the brink. Literal veins popped in his head as he roared with anger.

His body radiated with a golden flash, and the entire tree cage was instantly destroyed. However, to Xia Cao's shock, the trees began regrowing at a terrifying rate.

Xia Cao hurriedly swiped his hands, creating a void that almost instantly swallowed him, making him disappear. However, before vanishing completely, he decided to leave Ancestor Lu with one last parting shot.

"You can celebrate as much as you want, Ancestor Lu, but let's see who will get the last laugh," he said in a deep tone, his words appearing to be hidden with meaning.

"A loser's way of running is quite interesting, Xia Cao," Ancestor Lu said in a loud and clear voice that reverberated throughout the surroundings, reaching even the city itself.

Meanwhile, in the depths of the Huang family estate, located at the heart of the state, there was a luxurious mansion that outshone all others, making them appear lacklustre in comparison. Its grandeur was accentuated by a hint of arrogance, yet there was a certain beauty to it.

Within this mansion, a woman with fiery crimson hair sat in a room. The room seemed unusually hot, and she suddenly opened her eyes, emitting a terrifying aura that shook the furniture, causing it to tremble and break.

"It seems he has become a middle-stage first-stage martial artist already," she remarked as she looked in the direction of the voice, her brow furrowing.

"It's the best chance to attack the Xia family. Since you have killed the previous patriarch, they are always running short of sufficient powerhouses to secure their resources safely. You and your son," Ancestor Lu glanced again at the carriage with a happy expression on his face as he continued, "killed another second-stage martial artist. They will have to give up at least 15% of their resources.

With Xia Cao injured, we can definitely win in battle."

"I have to thank you two. After all, if you hadn't lured Xia Cao out of the city, I would never have caught him off-guard," Ancestor Lu added gratefully.

"You can come out now, Lu Zhen."

"Yes, Ancestor." Lu Zhen emerged from the carriage and bowed slightly.

"You've done a great job by helping to kill a second-stage martial artist and have accumulated enough merits to enter the cultivation chamber," Ancestor Lu said in a pleased tone with a satisfied expression.

"You are our trump card in the tournament."

Lu Zhen's eyes lit up when he heard this and he thanked Ancestor Lu earnestly.

A cultivation chamber was a room designed to aid martial artists in their quest for faster progress. It accomplished this by increasing the presence of Qi in the air and purifying it to ensure the cultivator's mind remained fresh.

However, to open such a room for an hour or more, one required a middle-grade Qi stone, a significant resource that could only be obtained after amassing a considerable number of merits.

Qi stones came in four different grades: low, middle, high, and superior. Even high-grade Qi stones, not to mention superior grade stones, were exceptionally rare. Lu Zhen knew from his knowledge that the high-grade Qi stones were so precious that they were stored in the Lu family's treasury.

Thus, for Lu Zhen, middle-grade Qi stones were the most attainable and valuable resource he needed at this moment since he was a third-stage martial artist and needed to condense his Qi.