Grinding Cultivation Toward Martial Saint

Luoshui Lake.

A human figure, like a swimming dragon, shuttled through the water; the lake parted of its own accord in front of this figure, as if to retreat.

The figure was Jiang Ning.

At this time, his cheeks bulged and fell repeatedly.

"So hard!" After a moment, Jiang Ning muttered to himself under his breath.

Then, another object appeared in his hand, looking like a solid piece of sapphire.

This was a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure he had just found.

It was a special substance that could only form where water currents converged, called the Blue Crystal Stone.

According to the records, it contained a strong essence of water currents and was of little use to Martial Artists.

If it were the Ancient Times, the Blue Crystal Stone would also contain strong natural spirit mechanisms and spiritual materials, making it highly valuable to Cultivators embarking on the path to immortality.

But in this era, these effects were no longer present, or rather, they were extremely faint.

Jiang Ning, however, didn't care much about that.

To him, the more potent the Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure, the more Source Energy Points it could provide him.

So naturally, he would not pass up those pieces of Blue Crystal Stone.

Afterward, he put the Blue Crystal Stone into his mouth.

Bang—

Bang—

Bang—

As he chewed up and down with his teeth, a "bang bang" sound immediately emanated from his mouth.

Suddenly.

His swiftly moving form abruptly stopped from motion to stillness; as he halted, dark currents surged around him.

He involuntarily turned his gaze northwest.

Relying on his perception in water, he saw a pit about three miles northwest of him.

The pit was filled with swirling silver liquid, and within the silver liquid, there were strands of golden silk intermittently appearing and disappearing.

"Is this... Emperor's Liquid!" Jiang Ning's eyes lit up.

He immediately thought of the Taiyin Stone pit he initially found, and the White Dragon Fish with extraordinary strength he encountered there.

"Venturing deep into Luoshui Lake was indeed the right choice!"

A smile suddenly appeared on Jiang Ning's face.

The next moment.

He changed direction and, with a move, headed toward the northwest.

...

On the other side.

An elder turtle, blackened all over as if struck by lightning, crawled into a little mound made of huge rocks.

This pile of rocks, which formed a small mound, was the lair the elder turtle had created over the years.

Within the lair of the mound, there were secrets only it knew.

Being the overlord of these waters, no aquatic creatures exceeding the limits of their species existed within several miles of the elder turtle's lair.

It climbed forward along the cavities beneath the pile of rocks, which gradually narrowed while its body continued to shrink.

After a while.

It arrived at the center of the mound, in front of a pool of silver liquid.

Gazing at the few strands of gold in the silver liquid, a hint of obsession flashed in its eyes.

As a creature that lived more than two hundred years beyond the limits of its species, it naturally understood through genetic memory what these golden strands were—they were the legendary Emperor's Liquid.

Whether it flew in the sky, swam in the water, or ran on the land, Emperor's Liquid was a true treasure before any beast or bird, potent enough to defy the heavens, alter fate, and help one transcend the limits of their species, turning from common creatures into demons.

Being an ordinary freshwater turtle that had lived for over two hundred years, its current state was all thanks to the stroke of luck it found in its early years—the Emperor's Liquid in front of it.

In its early years, it had merely swallowed a single strand of gold and thus awakened its intelligence and underwent a complete transformation, becoming the overlord of this body of water.

Year after year of waiting let the silver liquid gather a second strand, a third, a fourth... threads of golden Emperor's Liquid.

Approximately every certain amount of time, a strand of golden Emperor's Liquid would form within the silver liquid.

At this moment.

There were still two golden strands swirling in the silver liquid in front of the elder turtle.

This was what it had saved up over more than twenty years.

But today, having sustained serious injuries, it had no choice but to consume a strand of Emperor's Liquid for healing.

The next moment.

The elder turtle looked at the two golden strands in the silver liquid and then stretched out its tongue without hesitation, drawing one of them into its body.

As the golden Emperor's Liquid entered its body, its small head visibly expressed delight, and its tattered and torn flesh rapidly healed.

Pieces of blackened flesh peeled away, revealing tender red flesh underneath.

At the same time.

Jiang Ning had already appeared at the top of the small mound.

Through his perception, he also saw everything beneath the mound.

"Gold?"

"Just like the Emperor's Liquid described in the books."

"It seems that there should be a Taiyin Stone underneath this silver liquid as well."

Afterward, Jiang Ning's perception then fell upon the elder turtle inside the mound.

Seeing how the elder turtle swallowed that golden strand of Emperor's Liquid, the injuries on its surface quickly healed and its aura, which had been dismal, gradually became vigorous.

In just a few breaths, the wounds the elder turtle had sustained from the lightning were completely healed and its aura grew stronger.

"Emperor's Liquid, it really is great stuff!"

"This elder turtle turns out to be quite the find, leaving me such a nice pond of treasure!"

Jiang Ning laughed to himself.

In a flash, he arrived at the entrance to the cave in the mound.

He then walked deeper into the cave.

...

Inside the cave.

The elder turtle suddenly opened its eyes, gazing in the direction of the cave's entrance.

The next moment.

It heard the sound of rushing water and the breaking of rocks ahead.

At the same time.

As Jiang Ning moved forward, the rocks in front of him kept crumbling, turning into small stones swept along by the lake water into his wake.

Consequently, the narrow cave expanded, allowing him passage.