Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

Chapter 181.3: Lu Changshengs Mind Space Reaches One-Hundred Li! (III)

At the Boundless Realm Immortal Sect, a communication stone started vibrating inside Yu Feixiao's cave residence.

What now?

Yu Feixiao awoke from his quiet cultivation and slowly opened his eyes. He picked up the communication stone and read the message.

Three Foundation Establishment Pills and a bottle of Clarity Water? The Flying Goose Tower is certainly generous.

This was already the third time the Flying Goose Tower had attempted to contact him. The first time they had reached out, he had ignored them entirely. He was adjusting his condition ahead of establishing his foundation; the last thing he wanted was to fight a martial artist to the death in full public view, all to help some intelligence organization expand its influence.

But the Flying Goose Tower had kept raising its offer, and now Yu Feixiao was forced to admit he was tempted.

The Foundation Establishment Pills alone were already extremely useful to him. If he could obtain the three pills offered by the Flying Goose Tower, then together with the one granted by his sect and the one he already possessed, he would have a total of five pills. That meant even if he failed once or twice while attempting to establish his foundation, he would still have enough pills to try again.

The bottle of Clarity Water was even more precious. It could settle the mind and eliminate any emotional turbulence, allowing the user to maintain a state of perfect clarity and composure. It was an invaluable item for both foundation establishment and enduring the heart tribulations.

The Flying Goose Tower drives a hard bargain. I can no longer turn them down. Besides, I'm curious about this Lu Changsheng. After all, Ling Miao made some bold claims about him...

I shall make one thing clear to all, that the Immortal Dao reigns supreme, and that martial artists can never be compared to mere martial artists. I'll claim the number one spot across both lists and establish my foundation with absolute certainty of success.

Having made up his mind, Yu Feixiao immediately sent a reply to the Flying Goose Tower to confirm his participation.

***

Inside his cave residence, Lu Changsheng finally opened his eyes after more than twenty days of cultivating in seclusion.

I've finally finished consuming all twenty-three Spirit Flowers!

He then quickly pulled up his status panel.

Host: Lu Changsheng

Mind Space: 94 li

Perception: 7760 (Praised by All)

Heart Sword True Mantra: Progress 67% (Jade Heart Sword)

A faint smile appeared on Lu Changsheng's face. Ninety-four li! Now I should truly be worthy of being number one martial artist on the Dao Foundation Candidate List, shouldn't I?

Even though Lu Changsheng had received widespread admiration after being placed first on the Dao Foundation Candidate List, the decision had also drawn heavy criticism. At the time, his Mind Space had not yet reached ninety li, which meant he hadn't even met the baseline requirement for inclusion and had only been granted the position as a special exception. But now, with a Mind Space of ninety-four li, no one could question his qualifications anymore.

Still not a hundred li, though...

Fortunately, expanding his Mind Space further was no longer particularly difficult for him. He simply could spend time in contemplation of his Domain, or he could search for more peculiar items to expand his Mind Space. He preferred the latter, but peculiar items were not easy to come by. A person could spend months, or even years, searching and not finding a single lead. Whether news of them surfaced at all came down entirely to luck.

Suddenly, Lu Changsheng sensed a disturbance in the formation around his cave residence. Huh? A message from Hall Master Zhong Yu? He wants me to go to the Enforcement Hall?

Hall Master Zhong Yu was a powerful Dao Foundation expert, and one of the few people Lu Changsheng respected. So, without wasting more time, Lu Changsheng rose to his feet and left the cave residence for the Enforcement Hall.

The moment Lu Changsheng stepped into the Enforcement Hall, countless gazes turned toward him, carrying surprise, eagerness, doubt, and a dozen other reactions he could not immediately place.

He frowned slightly. Something's up... Did something happen while I was in seclusion? Wait, or maybe it's because everyone has finally heard about what happened at Spirit Gathering Mountain.

He looked around at everyone's faces. Yeah, that must be it... They must've heard about what happened at Spirit Gathering Mountain.

Lu Changsheng knew that the battle at Spirit Gathering Mountain would cause an enormous uproar once word spread. What did surprise him, however, was that the reactions around him seemed even more intense than he had anticipated. Even the elders of the Enforcement Hall were openly discussing him with excitement.

"So this is Lu Changsheng. He's really something else."

"To bring the Immortal Dao to shame while only in the Divine Treasury Realm... That's really something to be proud of!"

"And to top it all off, even Immortal Master Ling Miao praised him so highly. Lu Changsheng is definitely the top martial artist of his generation in the entire Ancient Region!"

"Do you think the rumor is true? That he and Yu Feixiao will actually fight?"

"There's no smoke without fire. If the rumor has spread this far, then it's probably true."

"We missed his performance at Spirit Gathering Mountain, but if this fight happens, we may actually get to watch him take Yu Feixiao down in person and claim the top spot across both rankings."

"If Lu Changsheng becomes number one across both rankings and stands above the finest geniuses the Immortal Dao has to offer, that would be an enormous victory for the Martial Dao."

As Lu Changsheng listened to the surrounding discussions, confusion gradually surfaced in his eyes. He had expected news of Spirit Gathering Mountain to spread during his seclusion, but now it became clear that something else had happened in the meantime. Everyone seemed convinced that he was going to fight Yu Feixiao for the title of true number one across both rankings, yet Lu Changsheng himself had no idea where a rumor like this had come from.

Suddenly, Zhong Yu's voice reached his ears. Lu Changsheng, come to the inner hall.

It startled him slightly, but he obeyed the instructions without delay and headed straight into the inner hall.

The inner hall was quiet, accessible only to Enforcement Hall Elders. When Lu Changsheng stepped inside, he saw Zhong Yu seated cross-legged on a cushion.

"Greetings, Hall Master Zhong," Lu Changsheng said with a bow.

Zhong Yu opened his eyes, and a warm smile spread across his face. "You've finally come out of seclusion. Come, sit. Let's talk."

Lu Changsheng nodded and took a seat.

Zhong Yu seemed to be in an excellent mood. He studied Lu Changsheng up for a moment, then said, "I heard you went to Spirit Gathering Mountain. Tell me everything that happened there."

Lu Changsheng nodded and then recounted the events at Spirit Gathering Mountain in detail.

After listening quietly, Zhong Yu's eyes lit up. "You killed Luo He, defeated Ling Miao, and came back with a large haul of Spirit Flowers. Then, I take it you've been in seclusion these past weeks consuming them? How far has your Mind Space expanded?"

Lu Changsheng hesitated briefly before answering honestly. "Ninety-four li."

Zhong Yu's jaws fell to the floor. "What?! Ninety-four li?"

Through all his years as a martial artist, Zhong Yu had never seen a martial artist advance so quickly before. Lu Changsheng had only broken through to the Divine Treasury Realm a few months back, and his Mind Space had already reached ninety-four li—just six li short of being able to forge his Dao Foundation.

Zhong Yu quickly hid his surprise. As a Dao Foundation expert and the Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall, he had a certain image to uphold. But even though he managed to keep a neutral expression, traces of amazement still lingered in his eyes as he looked at Lu Changsheng.

"Lu Changsheng, with your Mind Space already at ninety-four li, reaching one hundred li should only be a matter of time." Zhong Yu paused briefly before continuing, "Now then, what I'm about to discuss with you concerns the Flying Goose Tower."

Lu Changsheng's eyes narrowed slightly. "The Flying Goose Tower?"

Zhong Yu nodded. "The Flying Goose Tower is responsible for compiling both the Dao Foundation Candidate List and the Foundation Establishment Candidate List. They are neither a sect nor a clan, and they do not belong to either the Martial Dao or the Immortal Dao. You can't really place them in a category, but generally speaking, they are a neutral force within the Ancient Region.

"Anyway, recently they've been thinking about expanding their influence, and the idea they've settled on is merging the two rankings into one. To do that, they need you and Yu Feixiao to meet in a proper fight and settle, once and for all, who deserves the top spot across both lists.

"Now, Yu Feixiao has already agreed to the fight, and they tried to reach out to you for a confirmation, but because you were in seclusion they reached out to me instead.

"For you, they're offering one jin of Spirit Jade Essence, a peculiar item capable of expanding the Mind Space by roughly one li. On top of that, three Spirit Incense Sticks, which can nourish and strengthen spiritual power over time. These items are extremely rare—even the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect does not have them.

"So what do you think? Don't feel pressured. The decision is completely up to you, of course."