Eternal Life Starts from Tai Chi

Chapter 404: Chapter 404: Bone Marrow Cleansing Technique Comparison, Hope for a Surge in Potential Points

’The youngest Intermediate Pharmacist in the Cyan Yuan Sect. Eighteen years old really isn’t that old!’

’An Elite Disciple at the External Refining Steel Realm... no threat at all.’

The Taiyin Saintess had gathered basic information about Yang Chan over the past few days. In fact, even if she hadn’t asked, the other maids would have told her anyway. The maid in charge of her, in particular, wore an expression of utter adoration, making her own intentions clear.

Under these circumstances, the Taiyin Saintess naturally understood the ambitions of the maids in Yuanqing Courtyard: they wanted to use Yang Chan to improve their own standing.

However, it seemed this Intermediate Pharmacist didn’t care much for these maids. Even when some offered themselves to him, none succeeded.

If one were to say he wasn’t interested in women, then his Pharmacist’s Assistant, Han Bingyu, who remained in Yuanqing Courtyard, was the exception. Anyone serving outside Yang Chan’s courtyard at night could always hear certain sounds.

’It seems it’s not that he’s uninterested in women, but rather that he’s selective.’

This was the conclusion the Taiyin Saintess had reached.

But she kept this conclusion to herself and made no attempt to get closer. The senior maids who supervised them, however, would proactively snatch any assignment that brought them near Yang Chan, leaving the newcomers almost no opportunity. Their eagerness was understandable, especially since Han Bingyu, who was always by Yang Chan’s side, was also extremely wealthy.

’Someone has already risen up, so of course, there’s no chance for anyone else.’

Still, this situation suited the Taiyin Saintess’s needs. After finishing her assigned chores each day, she had time for her Cultivation, allowing her to slowly heal her injuries and restore her Cultivation level sooner.

As for her pursuers, they had vanished without a trace after she arrived at the Cyan Yuan Sect. Seeing this, the Taiyin Saintess knew they probably wouldn’t be able to find her for a short while.

’As long as they still can’t find any trace of me after a little more time, they should give up.’

She refused to believe they would expend so much effort on her.

After all, she wasn’t the one who had taken the high tower’s legacy from Taiyin Heaven. This would be investigated and cleared up sooner or later. When that happened, the pursuers would likely turn their attention to the person who actually took the legacy.

"Shui’Er, the garden next to the corridor has a lot of weeds that need to be cleared. You and Leng’Er go take care of it. Make sure you clear them all out within the next few days!"

"I have to deliver some congee to Pharmacist Yang. I’ll check on your progress when I get back."

He Zilan, who had arrived earlier than the two of them, ordered them around. Each senior maid was assigned two new maids as assistants. This also meant the seniors were responsible for many more tasks, but having people to order around made things much easier.

They would proactively take the tasks that allowed them to get close to Yang Chan each day, leaving the rest for the new maids.

Weeding the garden, for instance, offered little chance of encountering Yang Chan, as he didn’t spend much time admiring flowers. He was mostly busy with his Cultivation and Alchemy. Only tasks like preparing his washbasin, meals, or bath would allow one to get closer to him, which were naturally the assignments the senior maids fought over.

"Alright!"

The Taiyin Saintess nodded, appearing very obedient.

In truth, she could use the Soul Capturing Technique to control He Zilan, but it would inevitably leave some traces. Besides, her current situation was tolerable.

Take He Zilan, for example. Other than fighting for tasks close to Yang Chan, she hadn’t done anything excessive. The assigned tasks were within reasonable limits, and their food, clothing, and daily necessities were the same as everyone else’s. That was good enough.

’When one is laying low, the more you do, the more traces you leave behind, and the easier you are to find. Conversely, doing nothing and simply living as an ordinary person is the best way to hide one’s identity and avoid exposure.’

This was the Taiyin Saintess’s choice. The fewer people she came into contact with, the safer she would be.

Although her progress in cultivating the Taiyin Nine Nether Holy Scripture wasn’t fast, her injuries were slowly healing. Sooner or later, she would return to her peak state.

「...」

’The Peng Demon Bone Marrow Cleansing Scripture follows the same lineage as the Ox Demon’s Mighty Fist, the Tiger Demon Bone-Refining Fist, and the Flood Dragon Demon Breath Method. After reaching Great Success, they can be used in combination. It also allows me to temper my physical body once again, elevating it step by step toward a non-human level.’

’Compared to the Great Zhou Imperial Family’s Emperor’s Shocking Book, this path is more progressive. It doesn’t seem as domineering, but its potential is limitless. If I could obtain the complete Peng Demon Bone Marrow Cleansing Scripture and combine it with the Demon Dragon Blood Exchange Technique from the Merak Sacred Land, its upper limit would probably surpass that of the Great Zhou Imperial Family’s Emperor’s Shocking Book.’

After reading the Peng Demon Bone Marrow Cleansing Scripture, Yang Chan pondered this issue.

The Emperor’s Shocking Book in his possession was a Cultivation Technique that might have hidden dangers—dangers possibly planted intentionally by Yang Yu of the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty. Yang Chan had been aware of this possibility ever since he received it from Princess Lan Yue.

Although the panel could eliminate these hidden dangers, it would also consume more Potential Points. Furthermore, obtaining the subsequent parts of the technique would require dealing with the Great Zhou Imperial Family.

However, there was one thing he wasn’t sure about: whether the Cultivation Technique in the hands of the Great Zhou Imperial Family was even complete. Since this was something even Princess Lan Yue didn’t know, he certainly had no way of knowing either.

As for the Merak Sacred Land, he had already confirmed with Gu An that they possessed the subsequent Cultivation Technique, the Demon Dragon Blood Exchange Technique. Whether they also had a Divine Acupoint Cultivation Method was something Yang Chan could only find out after going to the Merak Sacred Land himself.

With the prospects of two paths laid out before him, Yang Chan naturally had a decision to make in his heart.

Actually, Yang Chan had a third path, but the Black Dragon within the Profound Yin Hanging Bead had shown no activity. For now, he could only ignore this path and consider it again later.

An unconfirmed path was naturally not part of his current considerations.

’This current volume of the Peng Demon Bone Marrow Cleansing Scripture only allows for two rounds of Bone Marrow Cleansing. The method for the third round can only be found in the Merak Sacred Land. This Bone Marrow Cleansing Technique is also vastly different from the Emperor’s Shocking Book—one could even say it’s completely different. This one uses Peng Demon Power in coordination with other types of Power, led by the Peng Demon Power, to complete the entire Marrow Bone Cleansing and Tempering process.’

’On the other hand, the Emperor’s World Book uses the Emperor’s Extreme Force for Purification with the most domineering power, making it extremely dangerous.’

Yang Chan compared the two Bone Marrow Cleansing Techniques in his mind. If he switched to cultivating the Emperor’s Shocking Book, his previously practiced Cultivation Techniques would become useless. This would naturally take more time, which also meant consuming a lot of Potential Points.

’I shouldn’t rush into a decision. I should first focus on breaking through to the Inner Refining Five Viscera Realm!’

’Later, I’ll try to get more of the Emperor’s Shocking Book from Princess Lan Yue and see if it has any other advantages.’

Yang Chan mulled it over but didn’t dwell on the issue for too long. For him, there was no rush.

Once his Martial Arts Cultivation reached the Peak of Internal Refining of the Five Viscera, he could consider practicing a Bone Marrow Cleansing Technique. At that point, he would use his "selection method" to break through.

Reaching that step would still take some time. He had both cultivation manuals in his possession, and their contents were already committed to memory, so he could choose at any time.

’The difficulty of refining the Five Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill is much higher. I tried so many times last time and only managed to refine one passable Elixir. Unfortunately, the quality was poor, and its medicinal effects were far from ideal.’

Yang Chan stopped thinking about Cultivation Techniques and turned his thoughts to the problem of refining the Five Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill. Between the two, the pill was more important because he was about to break through to the Inner Refining Five Viscera Realm.

At that time, he would be able to take the Five Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill.

Taking it now would be a waste. He wouldn’t even be able to gauge its full effects, as he hadn’t yet reached the Inner Refining Five Viscera Realm.

Another point was that, aside from the one barely passable Five Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill he had refined himself, the only other one he had was the one refined by Princess Lan Yue. Neither was a good choice.

To be safe, he didn’t plan to consume the one from Princess Lan Yue. As for the one he refined himself, he would wait until his Martial Arts Cultivation broke through to the Inner Refining Five Viscera Realm before taking it.

’I told the Sect Leader that the refining failed this time. In a while, I’ll apply for another batch of Alchemy Materials. After succeeding once, the next attempt should be much better. Then I can manage to refine one more, give the Sect Leader some confidence, and get him to keep upgrading the quality of the Alchemy Materials!’

With a spatial Treasure like the Profound Yin Hanging Bead in his possession, hiding the Elixirs he refined couldn’t be simpler.

At the same time, he had to give Gu An some hope. Otherwise, it would be bad if he stopped providing him with the materials to refine the Five Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill.

He would report a Pill Formation Success Rate that was roughly what he knew to be normal, maybe a little bit better, but not too outstanding.

He was already the strongest Pharmacist in the Cyan Yuan Sect with the greatest Alchemy Ability; there was no need to appear monstrously talented. Being slightly better than a normal Pharmacist, just a cut above the rest, would be enough.

’After my Cultivation breaks through to the Inner Refining Five Viscera Realm, my Daily Potential Point Collection should break past eight and reach nine.’

Yang Chan estimated in his mind.

He was naturally happy to see his Daily Potential Point Collection increase, as it represented the progress of his Cultivation.

Based on his experience, every time a Cultivation Technique’s Tier increased, the required Potential Points increased drastically. Therefore, if he wanted to break through Realms quickly, he ultimately had to focus on gaining Potential Points, especially a stable Daily Potential Point Collection.

The Five Revolutions Nourishing Organ Pill wasn’t the only thing that could assist with the Inner Refining Five Viscera Realm; there were many other Elixirs. He had found several Pill Formulas left behind in the Cyan Yuan Sect, and he would try to get some new ones from Princess Lan Yue later. At that point, his Daily Potential Point Collection would surely take a qualitative leap. Even if the Inner Refining Five Viscera Realm required more Potential Points, he would be able to provide them.

’Keep working hard. The future is bright!’

Yang Chan secretly encouraged himself. This was what he truly believed.

The path to future advancement was clear, so of course, it was bright.

’I just wonder when the Former Sect Leader Liu Xuan and the others will send a letter back?’

Yang Chan recalled Gu An mentioning that Former Sect Leader Liu Xuan and the others would send back letters every so often, both to report on the situation in the Merak Sacred Land and to request any support they needed Gu An to send over.

According to Liu Xuan, the Cyan Yuan Sect was the solid foundation for those who went to the Merak Sacred Land, an indispensable existence.

Yang Chan didn’t have much of an opinion on this. Instead, he was very interested in the situation within the Merak Sacred Land, as this was a way to learn about it in advance.