Chapter Twenty-Six: The Thousand Severance Meridian Pill

“What? Only one flower left?” The head of the Ning family cried out in alarm. Though he was amazed at Su Ye’s skill, having made withered flowers bloom again, he could not help but feel cheated. A sea of blossoms reduced to a single flower—how could that possibly be a fair exchange? This one flower was just enough to refine a single Azure Thunder Marrow Cleansing Pill!

“Su Ye, you scoundrel! Are you courting death?” Ning Qiu, still pinned to the ground with a foot on his chest, cursed loudly. His meridians had already reached fifty channels—how could Su Ye have knocked him down so easily? Slapping the ground, he sent a shockwave that forced Su Ye’s foot away.

“Ungrateful wretch!” Su Ye, furious, summoned the full power of his Thunder Source and stomped down again.

Boom!

Just as Ning Qiu tried to rise, he was slammed back to the ground. The elder Celestial Master, approaching, was stunned and filled with disbelief: How was this possible? Ning Qiu had charged fifty channels—how could Su Ye keep him pinned?

Ning Shuang called out, “Su Ye, stop!”

The head of the Ning family stepped forward, ready to seize Su Ye. After all, Su Ye had acted violently twice on his property, challenging the authority of the family head.

Su Ye had no intention of fighting the Ning patriarch. He shouted, “Ning family, I’ve done you a great service, made the Azure Thunder Marrow Cleansing Flower bloom anew—are you going back on your word?”

Taking advantage of the moment, Ning Qiu rolled to his feet, covered in dirt. He spat, “You ruined our entire flower field and now use one bloom to fool us? If you’re not up to the task, you shouldn’t have taken it on!”

“Oh? If your vision is so narrow, does the Ning patriarch share your short-sightedness?” Su Ye stretched the flower forward, revealing it in full.

The Ning patriarch halted, his eyes fixed on the blooming flower, his brow furrowing lightly. “This flower…”

“Exactly. This one bloom is enough for you to refine three hundred Azure Thunder Marrow Cleansing Pills. Do you still think it’s not enough?” Without hesitation, Su Ye tossed the flower over.

The Ning patriarch caught it, and his body seemed to shudder as if struck by lightning. Looking more closely, he burst into hearty laughter.

“The bud contains golden seeds—this is the king of flowers! Haha, at least four hundred pills could be refined!”

The Celestial Master elder hurried over, his anger turning to joy, the gloom of recent days vanishing into thin air.

“Excellent, excellent—Su Ye, you truly did not disappoint us. Wonderful!”

Ning Qiu was dumbfounded, rushing forward to ask, “Impossible! What kind of thunder was absorbed to create a flower king? Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

“Hmph! Can’t you see for yourself? With your cultivation, how can you still be so pathetic?” The Ning patriarch, gritting his teeth in anger, shot Ning Qiu a fierce glare.

Ning Qiu’s face burned with embarrassment. He quickly said, “I just used a talisman, so my inner strength was depleted—otherwise, how could he have knocked me down?”

Ning Shuang stepped forward, giving Su Ye a careful look. Seeing that he was unharmed, she relaxed and said solemnly, “Now that everything has gone smoothly, shouldn’t we give him the Thousand Absolute Meridian Charging Pills?”

“Yes! I’ll fetch them at once,” the Celestial Master elder replied, and turned to leave.

Su Ye glanced gratefully at Ning Shuang. At this moment, her support was a rare comfort.

Soon, the elder returned, holding a pill bottle, and presented it to Su Ye with both hands. “There are twenty pills inside. Take good care of them! And let me remind you: Though these pills are rumored to be handed down from the ‘Xiao Qianjue family,’ their effects diminish with repeated use. In cultivation, pills are only an aid—you must not become too reliant.”

“Thank you,” Su Ye replied, accepting the pills. His heart was heavy; he had to make the best use of these scarce resources.

He suddenly asked, “Ning patriarch, may I stay here for one night to test the effects of your pills?”

“Well… all right! You’re a cautious young man, perhaps excessively so. Rest assured, the pills I give you are genuine. I’ll have Shuang arrange your lodging.” The Ning patriarch had not expected this request. Testing the pills in person—if they were fake, Su Ye wouldn’t have left the Ning estate yet.

But having witnessed Su Ye’s abilities, the patriarch was eager to establish good relations with him. He added in a low voice, “Let me say one more thing. This time, Yu Zhisha’s challenge is open to all schools. The other contestants are far from ordinary. They’re all aiming for the first-place reward—you’ll face more than just Yu Zhisha.”

“The first-place reward? Some kind of treasure? Seems you all know more than I do.” Su Ye queried.

Ning Shuang smiled and sighed. “Didn’t I tell you? I keep tabs on everything happening in all the schools of Sheep City. The first-place reward has attracted many gifted students, and even some spirit beasts are vying for it. Otherwise, why would a giant python appear in your school, crashing into your classroom? That snake must have been drawn early by the prize—it caught the scent.”

Su Ye finally understood. No wonder a giant python had appeared out of nowhere, and Yu Zhisha, absent for three years, suddenly returned—it was all connected to the first-place reward.

Still, Su Ye’s focus remained solely on Yu Zhisha; he had no intention of being distracted by others.

That night, Su Ye stayed in a house arranged by the Ning family.

He took out a Thousand Absolute Meridian Charging Pill and immediately smelled a faint, fragrant aroma. This pill had been refined from countless ingredients and had a tremendous effect on opening meridians.

“Let’s begin—” Su Ye swallowed the pill; it melted instantly in his mouth, and within ten seconds he felt a wave of heat suffuse his body.

His first major meridian had been opened while listening to thunder, at the “Qi Sea” point. The second, at the “Chest Center,” had followed the lightning’s path during his immersion in qilin blood. Now, he sensed the third meridian radiating warmth.

“Hm? What’s wrong? One pill doesn’t seem to be enough.”

Su Ye was certain these were genuine Thousand Absolute Meridian Charging Pills, potent enough to open any meridian. Yet his third channel was merely warm, not burst open.

“Take another—another—”

Su Ye swallowed ten in succession, and only then, under the surge of heavenly thunder, did he blast open the third “Heavenly Throat” meridian.

Now, from bottom to top, Qi Sea, Chest Center, and Heavenly Throat formed a straight line.

He immediately felt his whole body brimming with power, like the Yellow River in flood, endless and unceasing.

Such strength was far beyond what an ordinary person with three meridians could possess!

“Though I’ve achieved much, this is only three channels. With ten pills left, I doubt I’ll be able to open the fourth. I won’t even make it past the first thousand in school!” Su Ye clenched his fist in frustration.

“Huh? My meridians now number four, and the heavenly thunder within me has dispersed somewhat. That means—I can listen to thunder again!”

Su Ye was truly exhilarated. Last time, he had only glimpsed the words “Yan Huang” because his body could no longer endure. Now, things were different; when thunder struck, he would be able to withstand it.

Listening to thunder, listening to thunder! All he needed now was another storm.

Originally, Su Ye planned to leave early the next morning, but unexpectedly, the Jiang family arrived just after three in the morning.

Jiang Liuying herself came knocking.

Seeing the young lady dressed in martial attire, it was clear she had come in haste.

“Liuying, Second Steward, what brings you here?” Su Ye looked in surprise at the thirty-odd Jiang family members, all armed.

Jiang Liuying’s exquisitely beautiful face was flushed with anger as she snapped, “Can’t you stay put for once? You’re crippled at level seven and still wandering about! Come home!”

The Second Steward hurried to explain, “Young master, we thought—well, we thought you might have been threatened here at the Ning estate, since you hadn’t come home by midnight. So the young lady led us out here! Also, the patriarch has returned and wants to see you.”

Su Ye was deeply moved. In truth, he had been a useless cripple for three years, yet the Jiang family had never neglected him. Recently, he had caused no small amount of trouble, worrying them further.

Though Jiang Liuying’s words were sharp, she had come for him personally.

She stormed outside and got into the carriage, then shouted at the Jiang family members, “Are you coming or not? Planning to retire here?”

“Let’s go! Home—”

Su Ye rubbed his nose, bade farewell to Ning Shuang and the others, and climbed into the carriage.

“It’s been a long time since I last saw the Jiang patriarch—”