Chapter 700 681: A Penny Stumps a Hero

'That doesn't seem right... Even if it were for some benefit, how could a True Essence Beast push itself this far? Looking at that Fifth-Transformation Red Melt Bird, it seems like it could collapse at any moment. This training isn't just a matter of the True Essence Beasts being willing—they're already at their absolute limit!'

Zhan Yingluo gave up on bothering Old Horse, walked to Wang Meng's side, and asked with a look of amazement, "How did you do that?"

"Did I do anything?"

Zhan Yingluo pointed at the five little creatures and said, "All of this."

Wang Meng smiled. "It's actually very simple."

"It's not simple at all."

Wang Meng looked at Zhan Yingluo's curious gaze and, for a moment, didn't know what to say. The reason his relationship with Nine Discount and the others was so good was mainly due to his Godhood. No True Essence Beast could resist the allure of its aura. However, that was only part of it. A bigger reason was the way he treated them—he had never used them as tools or servants.

After a moment of thought, Wang Meng said, "Actually, you could do it too. But you'd have to abandon some of the things you've learned in the past. It would be almost like starting from scratch. Are you willing?"

Zhan Yingluo was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. She exclaimed, "Does that mean you're willing to teach me?"

"I wouldn't call it teaching. More like an equal exchange," Wang Meng said. "Ah, I didn't quite get my fill at breakfast..."

"I'll go make more right away." Zhan Yingluo cheerfully ran into the kitchen...

For the next two days, Wang Meng focused on recuperating and stabilizing Little Flower's condition. Little Flower's injuries had mostly healed, but the new ability it gained from the previous battle remained unstable and beyond its control. Even Old Horse was powerless to help. The growth of Plant-type True Essence Beasts had always been a unique case. A search through the history of Great Zhou's True Essence Beasts revealed that there had never been a Plant Element Divine Beast; Nine-Transformation was their peak.

At the same time, he was also discussing his understanding of True Essence Beasts with Zhan Yingluo. Although the topic was True Essence Beasts, what Wang Meng described was completely different from the current Spirit Control System. Zhan Yingluo initially tried to argue, but as their discussions deepened, the way she looked at Wang Meng slowly began to change...

'Am I going crazy?' Zhan Yingluo wondered. In her eyes, Wang Meng had already reached the same level as Han Chuxue... 'No, perhaps this man is even... further beyond.'

Wang Meng was very optimistic about Zhan Yingluo's aptitude. Under the current Spirit Control System, Zhan Yingluo's evaluation might only be "excellent," not "genius." However, in the other Spirit-controlling Skill system that Wang Meng was devising himself, Zhan Yingluo could be considered the perfect candidate.

Wang Meng didn't overthink it, though. He could feel that Zhan Yingluo's concern for him was genuine; she truly saw him as a friend. And Master Wang had always been one to repay a drop of kindness with a gushing spring.

Of course, for Zhan Yingluo, accepting Master Wang's system was a huge shock. Fortunately, her previous contact with the Spirit-controlling Skill had only been at a fundamental level, so it wasn't too difficult for her to change her perspective now.

While they were enthusiastically learning from each other, outside in Haojing, talk about Wang Meng was spreading like wildfire.

After Wang Meng's "return" to Haojing, although he hadn't been deliberately high-profile, everything he did was extraordinary. Most notably, the "trash" of the past now possessed a cultivation at the Earth Wheel Realm and had even defeated a genius like Wang Hantian in the family tournament.

It was simply unbelievable. Some of the Wang Family's internal disciples, in particular, felt that Wang Meng was like a hidden dragon soaring to the heavens. Those who had offended Wang Rencai in the past were starting to panic. 'What if Wang Meng really rises up within the family? What will we do?' In the past, they had ostracized Wang Meng even more ruthlessly than outsiders, since it was, after all, a matter of internal family competition.

Just then, a piece of news spread: Wang Meng had suffered extremely severe injuries and would likely be crippled for life!

His muscles and bones were completely shattered, and several layers of his flesh had been scraped away, revealing the ghastly white bone beneath... Although a Pill Master could heal superficial wounds, shattered muscles and bones required a Pill Immortal Grandmaster to fix.

Unfortunately, Wang Xueyi had just been taken away by the Pill Immortal Alliance to enter seclusion. Because of this, no Pill Immortal Grandmaster would be willing to help Wang Meng. After all, in the past, Wang Rencai had relied on his Elder aunt to run amok in the Pill Immortal Alliance. Within the Immortal Alliance, Wang Rencai had earned a detestable reputation as the Ghoul's Dread.

If injuries to one's muscles, bones, and meridians weren't treated in time, they would inevitably lead to chronic problems. No matter how well one recovered later, their cultivation would regress, and they would never be able to advance further on the path of cultivation. In short, they would become a cripple.

In a private courtyard at the Celestial Fragrance Tower in Haojing, a group of Wang Family disciples were gathered, chatting and drinking. Beside them, the girls of the Celestial Fragrance Tower sat primly, showing no hint of flirtatiousness, merely serving the guests food and wine.

Of course, this was just for show. After enough wine had been drunk, there would naturally be other forms of entertainment.

Just then, Wang Yiheng, a son from a collateral branch of the Wang Family, downed a cup of wine, slammed it on the table, and said, "I've confirmed the source of the news. It was Alchemist Lou, that big mouth who bandaged Wang Meng's wounds. According to him, his muscles, bones, and meridians suffered catastrophic damage. Even a Grandmaster would have to expend countless efforts to save him. From now on, Wang Meng is a cripple!"

"Heh, I was originally planning to wait and see for a bit before going to make peace with him. Looks like I can save myself the trouble. It was foolish of me, really. After all the things he's done in the past, someone was bound to come after him... I just wonder which good Samaritan did the deed."

"Who cares who it was? They did everyone a favor."

Wang Yiheng added, "Oh, right. Before, a lot of people went to his door to see him, but they were all turned away by his two maid-stewards. They couldn't even get their gifts inside... Hehe, I wonder if those people are thanking those two maids now."

"This is what they call 'what goes around, comes around.' It's not a matter of if, but when. And it looks like his time is up."

In a corner of the banquet, Wang Shifeng was staring blankly into space. He had been the one to bring these disciples to the Celestial Fragrance Tower. Thanks to Wang Meng's sudden rise in the family, Wang Shifeng had been living quite well recently. No one bothered him about his debaucherous lifestyle anymore... But now, he hadn't expected the conversation to turn to Wang Meng...

'Normally, I would have gone with the flow and joined them in badmouthing Wang Meng,' Wang Shifeng thought, his heart bleeding. 'But I placed a huge bet on him! A pair of flawless, beautiful sisters! So beautiful they'd make you drool, and I just gave them away to Wang Meng... And now they're saying he's going to be a cripple?'

'Does this mean... my investment is going to be a total loss?'

"Wang Shifeng... are you really footing the bill today?"

Wang Yiheng glanced at Wang Shifeng and asked casually. He was having a great time, and there was still more entertainment to come. Most importantly, he didn't have to pay.

Wang Shifeng quickly forced a smile and said, "Of course. But, about that auction we discussed earlier..."

"No problem. It's just helping you promote it a bit. Don't worry, True Essence Beasts from Wang City still have a market here in Haojing."

Wang Shifeng nodded. Without power, it really was difficult to get anything done. He hadn't come to the Celestial Fragrance Tower this time for his own lecherous pursuits, but for the auction of a new batch of Third-Transformation True Essence Beasts from Wang City. Although they were only Third Transformation, they were from the Taibai Mountain Range, and each one had high growth potential. With proper care, there was a thirty percent chance of them advancing to the Seventh Transformation.

For someone like him with no hope in cultivation, all he could do was accumulate as much wealth as possible to live comfortably for the rest of his life.

He also had Wang Meng to thank for this. He was handling all of the Bai Family's business in Haojing. At first, Wang Shifeng didn't think much of it, but a recent deal had earned a hefty profit, and Wang Meng hadn't even asked for a cut. This made Wang Shifeng feel a little embarrassed.

Now that the matter was settled, Wang Shifeng stood up and said, "I've already paid the bill. Please, enjoy yourselves, my dear nephews. I still have some business to attend to..."

"Hehe, no problem. Take care."

Wang Shifeng left the private courtyard, told the Steward of the Celestial Fragrance Tower to put all subsequent expenses on his tab, and then departed.

Wang Meng had just finished explaining a deep analysis of his understanding of the Spirit-controlling Skill to Zhan Yingluo. As he was taking a sip of water to soothe his throat, he saw Zuojing and Youjing standing idly to the side, staring into space.

Wang Meng smiled. 'These two sisters have a weaker constitution. They could cultivate, but they'd never reach the Great Dao. Keeping them at home like decorative vases every day isn't a solution either... Perhaps I can find something for them to do.'

He called the two sisters over and explained his idea, but both of them immediately shook their heads. "We were actually quite busy before," they said.

"That's right! A lot of people came to see Master, and they brought gifts."

"We turned them all away... Hmph! It's a good thing we didn't let them in. Now that Master is injured, not a single one of them has come back!"

Zuojing and Youjing felt very wronged. Those people were just too awful.

Other than Zhan Yingluo, not a single person had come to visit. Wang Meng, however, was quite calm about it. Given his situation, no one thought he had a future, so it was normal for them not to come. Anyone who did visit at a time like this would be showing a degree of loyalty. He said, "Isn't it better that no one's coming? I need a quiet environment to recover."

"But... from the Wang Family side, the Steward has cut our allowances again, and..." Youjing said, a little angry.

Zuojing, standing beside her, tugged on Youjing's sleeve. "Master, it's okay. We can be frugal. We'll be fine."

The Wang Family was large and powerful, and resources were supposed to be distributed uniformly. The problem was, people like Wang Ang certainly took more, and of the best quality, while someone like Wang Meng was naturally at the back of the line. His cultivation resources were especially cut back. Wang Meng knew this—even the rewards from the family tournament had been inconsistent—but Master Wang simply couldn't be bothered to argue about it.

In his bones, he wasn't truly one of the Wang Family, and Wang Meng didn't want to take advantage of them anyway. So, it was better to be self-sufficient. (To be continued. If you enjoy this novel, please support it by voting on Qidian with your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)