Chapter 37: Chapter 37: First Refinement Accomplished
"Competing in the arena" was the City Defense Bureau’s method for settling disputes over certain positions by having the candidates face off. Vice Director Gao had specifically mentioned a veteran sergeant, which implied that although the man’s cultivation realm wasn’t high, his combat experience was bound to be extensive. He would most likely defeat the sergeant backed by the director.
The director was an outsider and had few people he could deploy. Furthermore, resorting to the arena was already a disgrace for him. If he also lost, he would lose all face. Therefore, under normal circumstances, he would certainly try his best to avoid such a thing from happening and wouldn’t contend for this captain’s position.
The four of them chatted in detail for another hour before parting ways. As Yang Wenqing walked home, he held the Storage Bag he had just received. It was something he had always wanted to buy but could never afford.
Thinking back on the Spiritual Qi surge incident now, a wave of lingering fear washed over him. ’If that Fire Cultivator had been bloodthirsty, I might have been killed in the line of duty, and all my efforts up to this point would have been for nothing.’
During the earlier discussion with Vice Director Gao and the other two, he’d noticed how they, who were usually tight-lipped, had become so talkative today. The biggest reason was the lingering fear that had shaken them. For those ten-odd seconds, they had been like fish on a chopping block, their lives hanging on another’s whim.
It was a terrible feeling!
His greatest gain this time, however, was successfully integrating into Vice Director Gao’s circle. The key factor was the cultivation talent he had displayed. This was a good thing for Yang Wenqing, as Vice Director Gao’s circle wasn’t limited to just these few people; it had connections spanning all of Qianjiao County.
’Only by integrating into this circle will I have a chance to be promoted by them once my cultivation realm increases. Then I can slowly enter the higher echelons to obtain more cultivation resources. This cycle will repeat, again and again, until...’
He looked up at the stars. The knowledge he currently possessed contained nothing about the cosmos, but since it was possible to observe the starry sky in this world, then an outer space must exist. Deep down, he was intensely curious about that other world he had suddenly started remembering since he came of age.
Lost in thought on his way, Yang Wenqing was in a bit of a daze by the time he reached the entrance to his community. It wasn’t until he was back home, feeling the quiet atmosphere inside, that a sense of peace settled in his heart.
He stood blankly at the door for over ten seconds before locking it behind him. Walking to the center of the living room, he calmed his mind and sat cross-legged in the core of the Solid Yuan Array. He planned to absorb the medicinal power of the Dragon-Tendril Tiger-Bone Grass tonight.
Having made his decision, he decisively activated his Spirit Gathering Bracelet, and dense Spiritual Qi instantly filled the room.
He then solemnly took out the square wooden box Wang Jianchao had given him. Opening the lid, a peculiar-looking Spirit Grass appeared before him. Its veins were gnarled and winding like dragon tendons, while its rhizome was full and resembled a tiger’s backbone. The entire plant emitted a faint golden glow—it was a twenty-year-old Dragon-Tendril Tiger-Bone Grass.
After confirming there was nothing wrong with the Spirit Grass, he took a deep breath, placed it before him, and submerged his consciousness into his Golden Core World.
Under the control of his consciousness, the power of the Golden Core, drawn from the core of his Qi Sea, released a gentle yet precise suction. It enveloped the Dragon-Tendril Tiger-Bone Grass, and after more than ten seconds, the grass’s medicinal power was stripped away, strand by strand. It was extracted and gathered into a scorching, tyrannical torrent that surged into his Golden Core.
The instant this medicinal power entered his body, it was refined by the Golden Core’s power and mixed with the Spiritual Qi within him. He then patiently guided the Spirit Grass’s medicinal power within the Spiritual Qi, directing it to rush toward the sinews, bones, and muscles of his entire body!
In that instant, Yang Wenqing’s body shook violently!
He could clearly see within the projection in his Golden Core World that the golden medicinal power was like a living creature. One stream, shaped like a dragon, possessed an unparalleled piercing force and bored into the depths of his bones. The other, in the form of a tiger, carried a savage tearing sensation as it merged into every single muscle fiber.
"BUZZ—"
Under the impact of this power, Yang Wenqing’s entire frame of sinews and bones felt as if it were being reforged in a furnace. Impurities were incinerated, and the structures became denser, faintly emitting a crisp sound like the clashing of metal. His tendons were stretched wildly, becoming more flexible and filled with explosive power. From within his body, a deep dragon’s roar and a faint tiger’s howl could be heard!
This draconic roar and tiger’s howl was a phenomenon produced by the medicinal power as it transformed his sinews, bones, and muscles!
Intense pain washed over him like a tide, far more violent than any cultivation session before. But with the help of the Solid Yuan Array, Yang Wenqing held fast to his mental clarity. After more than ten minutes, following the records in the Secret Technique, he stopped deliberately guiding the power. He completely relaxed his body and mind, allowing the tyrannical medicinal power to surge through him.
The Spiritual Qi gathered by the Spirit Gathering Array seemed to be drawn in as well, madly pouring into his body. It was converted by the Golden Core into the purest nutrients, supporting his physical body’s current metamorphosis.
After an unknown amount of time, the dragon’s roar and tiger’s howl gradually subsided, and the ringing of his bones fell silent.
Another fifteen minutes passed. Yang Wenqing slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint of light flashing within them before vanishing. The First Refinement of the Nine Refining Secret Skill, "Resonant Sinews and Bones," was complete!
He rose slowly, carefully sensing the earth-shattering changes in his body.
First was his strength. He gently clenched his fist, and his knuckles let out a crisp crack. A power far exceeding what he had before surged through his muscles. He tried throwing a punch at the air and actually produced a distinct whistling sound. This wasn’t just an increase in strength, but a qualitative transformation in his body’s coordination and explosive power.
Second was his resilience. He pressed down hard on his own arm and could feel the muscle fibers under his skin, twisted together like steel cables, full of elasticity and resistance. His bones had also become much harder, as if forged from refined iron.
If this were a wuxia world, he could now be called a first-rate master, capable of cutting down half the martial arts world with a long saber. But this was a world of cultivation, and this step was merely for laying a foundation.
What surprised him the most was the change in his Spiritual Veins. With the foundation of his physical body now solidified, his Spiritual Veins were now noticeably wider and tougher. This meant that his efficiency in absorbing Spiritual Qi when circulating his Cultivation Technique would be greatly enhanced, and the output of his Spiritual Power when casting Magic would be much smoother.
He once again submerged his consciousness into his Golden Core World.
The once-blurry projection of his physical body had now become crystal clear, like an exquisitely carved glass figurine. The bones, muscles, meridians, and even the flow of blood within were all rendered in minute detail.
He then tried to circulate the method for the Second Refinement of the Nine Refining Secret Skill, "Skin Like a Drum." He guided Spiritual Qi along a specific path to begin tempering the skin and membranes of his entire body. He didn’t use the Stone Marrow Liquid, of course; that was something to be used after he had mastered the Second Refinement for better results.
In the incomparably clear projection, he could see the Spiritual Qi acting like the finest sandpaper, repeatedly brushing over the deeper layers of his skin and membranes. It stimulated the imperceptible fascial tissues, making them tougher. The progress, which would have required careful sensing to perceive before, was now intuitively visible in the projection.
He saw that the area representing the toughness of his skin and membranes was already covered in a luster like a drumhead. He had already begun the Second Refinement, and his progress was not slow!
Yang Wenqing was elated. ’With this near-perfect state of "Introspection,"’ he thought, ’the efficiency of practicing the Second Refinement will far exceed my previous imagination.’
