Free Web NovelChapter 726: Flawless Body
The moon shone brightly in the sky.
Inside the Star Picking Courtyard, reserved for hosting Immortals of the Sect, lights blazed brightly.
Within the waterside pavilion, Song Yan sat at a table, holding a cup of Spirit Tea, and took a leisurely sip.
The Spirit Tea was scalding hot, but to a Cultivator, it was nothing.
Placing the teacup on the table, he casually asked, "Where do you plan to go next?"
Ju Luyi sat somewhat nervously in front of Song Yan. She had been lost in thought until now, and only snapped back to reality when Senior Song asked her a question.
"I..."
To be honest, she didn’t know where to go.
In the past, she had gone to great lengths to earn Spirit Stones and gold and silver, all to cure her A Niang (Mother)’s illness.
After her A Niang (Mother) passed away, she was all alone, with no ties.
Where to go?
She didn’t know.
Or rather, let’s rephrase the question: What would she do with her life from now until she grew old and died?
There was no reasonable answer.
If she allowed herself to dream, to daydream, then she wished to establish her Dao Foundation and then fly into the sky.
Unfortunately, that was impossible.
The young girl remained silent. Song Yan looked at her and slowly spoke, "If you have nowhere to go, would you consider becoming a guest Cultivator here in Yunxi City?"
Due to the Tiger Demon Beast, the entire Yunxi City now had three or four fewer guest Cultivators.
Besides Qing Valley and another village’s guest Cultivator who were killed by the Tiger Demon Beast, Profound Origin Sect’s Su Li had already been slain by Xiao He.
Song Yan was now accustomed to killing people from the Profound Origin Sect.
From Wang Xi to Shen Huai in Changping later, he had so many enemies that it didn’t matter. Killing a human traitor like Su Li truly carried no burden.
Song Yan didn’t care how the Profound Origin Sect would handle this matter.
Liu Xincheng, the guest Cultivator from Cave Abyss Sect, had also been dismissed from his position for concealing and delaying relevant information.
Now, the position of guest Cultivator in Yunxi City was vacant. If Ju Luyi was interested, Song Yan would only need to inform his Senior Brother, who would be sent by the Sect to handle the aftermath.
For the Sect, who filled the position of guest Cultivator truly didn’t matter.
Even if Xiao Ju was not a Cave Abyss Sect Disciple before, no one would say a word if a Disciple from Demon Subduing Peak recommended her.
Xiao Ju’s cultivation at Level 3 Qi Refining was just passable.
She couldn’t be a guest Cultivator for the city, but she was more than capable of being a guest Cultivator in surrounding county towns and villages like Qing Valley and Linxi County.
Hearing Song Yan’s inquiry, Xiao Ju slightly raised her head.
Guest Cultivator?
Could someone like her also become a guest Cultivator?
In the past, this was something she couldn’t even imagine.
In the mortal world, the status of a guest Cultivator was extremely high, revered by all. Even officials like City Lord and county magistrates had to show them deference.
After all, this represented not just a Cultivator, but the entire Sect behind him.
Becoming a guest Cultivator also meant that she would no longer be just a Loose Cultivator dependent on the Cave Abyss Sect.
Instead, she would be a Cultivator affiliated with the Cave Abyss Sect.
This was truly a huge surprise for her.
Senior Song’s help to her was something she could never repay in a lifetime.
She wanted to agree and then say more words of gratitude.
However... the words caught in her throat, as if blocked by some thought, and she didn’t speak them.
Being a guest Cultivator was truly good, but was that truly what she wanted to do?
Her thoughts drifted: "What exactly do I want..."
Xiao Ju, oh Xiao Ju, you must be content.
You don’t even know what you want, so are you going to refuse Senior Song and miss such an opportunity for a lifetime of wealth and honor?
That would be too ungrateful!
Speak quickly.
Quickly agree to Senior Song and then express your gratitude properly.
But the more she tried to persuade herself, the more she suppressed the aspirations in her heart, and that thought became like a spark falling into a pile of dry kindling.
"No."
Xiao Ju refused.
She lowered her head slightly, not daring to look into Song Yan’s eyes or at his expression: "Xiao Ju doesn’t want to be a guest Cultivator."
Song Yan was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting such a reply.
He looked thoughtfully at the young girl in front of him, quietly waiting for her to state her reason.
As if she had made some decision in her heart, Xiao Ju suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with determination.
"Senior Song, Xiao Ju wishes to become your Disciple."
She said so.
Since childhood, because of her, her entire family had been criticized, and her father had even left her and her mother because of it.
After going to Immortal Mountain, she was unable to enter the Dao Sect due to her Aptitude, and wanting to find Spirit Medicine to cure her A Niang, her mother’s illness, she could only barely make a living in Lingyuanze Market by relying on her tailoring skills.
When her A Niang passed away, she couldn’t do anything and watched her die helplessly.
Wanting to return to her hometown, she would be treated as a disaster and an ill omen by the villagers, scorned, driven away, and they even wanted to kill her.
Perhaps she would accomplish nothing in this life, living like a joke.
Therefore, she no longer wanted to live such a muddled life.
Looking at Song Yan’s stunned expression, Xiao Ju was not anxious. Her Aptitude was indeed very poor, otherwise, she wouldn’t even be able to enter the outer Sect.
It was perfectly normal for Senior Song to refuse her.
However, that didn’t matter.
Xiao Ju had already decided that after Senior Song left, she would also travel on foot, explore the land, and see the sights of this world.
As expected, Song Yan shook his head.
The young girl’s dim expression only appeared for a moment before being hidden away.
"You overestimate me too much. I am not qualified to take Disciples."
Song Yan chuckled self-deprecatingly: "In the eyes of those true Cultivation World Seniors in this world, you and I are both Qi Refining Cultivators, and there is no difference."
He wasn’t being humble.
Level 8 Qi Refining cultivation, at the end of the day, was still just the Qi Refinement Stage.
How could he be qualified to take Disciples and mislead others?
As for the Legacies of the Sword Sect, he hadn’t even comprehended much of them himself, so he truly didn’t have the audacity to teach them to others.
Xiao Ju was pure-minded and diligent in her work. If his cultivation was sufficient, then taking her as a Disciple would actually be perfectly fine.
"Let’s not mention the matter of taking Disciples again."
"However, this time I’m traveling down the mountain and won’t be returning to the Sect for a while. If you also wish to travel far, then come with me."
Song Yan said gently, "If you have any questions about cultivation... I can’t call it guidance, but we can exchange and discuss, and I will certainly tell you everything I know."
Taking Disciples was truly inappropriate, but during their travels, he could certainly answer some of her questions.
This wouldn’t waste any time, and besides, as the saying goes, reviewing the old to learn the new, he could also benefit from it.
Xiao Ju stood there stunned, looking at Song Yan with some disbelief.
Her little heart pounded in her chest.
"Senior Song means that Xiao Ju can... travel around with you?"
What’s wrong with that?
It’s not like taking her as a Disciple.
Song Yan nodded: "However, I can’t say when I’ll return to the Sect."
"If it’s too long, you can either come with me to Dragon Pool Mountain to observe the Nine Pulses Assembly, or return to the Sect on your own. It’s up to you."
Xiao Ju suppressed her heart, which was almost leaping out of her chest. She sat up straight on her knees.
Her hands were clasped together, resting quietly on her lap.
"Xiao Ju promises not to cause you any trouble."
...If it weren’t for the Qing Valley incident, Song Yan would probably be preparing to leave Yunxi City by now.
The Sect’s handling and deployment of this matter would take a few days.
He could have just left, but he had many other matters to deal with anyway.
So, he simply informed City Lord Zhao that he would stay for a few more days.
City Lord Zhao Huaizhen was naturally delighted that an Immortal would stay for a few more days.
On this day, Song Yan sat upright in the main house, holding a qiankun bag.
This was left by Senior Bai Tao in the ruined house. Inside, besides a few scattered Spirit Stones, there was nothing else, not even Medicinal Pills.
Presumably, before his death and before dismissing his Disciples, he had distributed everything to them.
However, besides that, there was an old map, which, according to the memory of that time, should be the location of Senior Bai Tao’s Sect.
This Sect should be located near the border between Jiang Country and the Central Region.
It was truly too far from Chu Country.
Currently, Song Yan had not yet reached Foundation Establishment, so he couldn’t fly, and there was no reason to go to such a distant place.
Moreover, according to the situation in his memory, this Sect had long since been abandoned.
Perhaps among the few Disciples under Senior Bai Tao, those who were successful would consider returning to their roots and rebuilding the Sect.
These things had nothing to do with Song Yan.
He would go and see another day if he had the chance.
Su Li’s qiankun bag from the Profound Origin Sect had also been brought back by Xiao He. There wasn’t much in it, only some commonly used Formation materials.
This person should have some knowledge of Formations.
After sorting through all his gains one by one and categorizing them, Song Yan took out the Demon Beast Core.
If this Demon Beast Core were to be sold, it would naturally fetch a good price.
Demon Beast Cores are widely used, and the biggest use Song Yan currently knew of was for making Talismans.
In the Cultivation World, when people talk about Spirit Objects, what they can be used for is an eternally unavoidable topic.
Among these, Alchemy, Talismans, Formations, and Spiritual Artifacts were the most widespread.
Demon Beast Cores were rarely used in Alchemy because they were essentially crystallized Yao Power and Yao Race blood essence.
If used as medicine and consumed by Cultivators, it was easy to become contaminated with Demonic Qi and malevolent Qi.
If there were no good secret arts or Spirit Objects to assist in purification, then it would not be a good thing for the Immortal path.
Therefore, only a very small number of Medicinal Pills could be refined with Demon Beast Cores.
Currently, the Demon Beast Core in Song Yan’s hand felt somewhat like "tasteless to eat, yet a pity to discard."
A second-order Demon Beast, which was equivalent to a human Cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm, had an extremely high-value Demon Beast Core, and selling it directly would bring in a large sum of Spirit Stones.
However, this Young Mountain Lord only had a cultivation of Late Stage First Order, so selling it wouldn’t fetch too many Spirit Stones.
Keeping it in hand, he didn’t know what to use it for.
"..."
As he pondered, he saw Xiao He, now in human form, sneakily peeking around from the side.
"Hmm?"
Song Yan’s heart stirred. He dangled the Demon Beast Core in his hand in front of her and asked, "Xiao He wants this?"
"Ang."
Xiao He nodded vigorously.
Song Yan was puzzled.
Xiao He was a Snake Demon Beast, and the Young Mountain Lord was a Tiger Demon Beast. The types of Yao Race were different. Could the Young Mountain Lord’s Demon Beast Core help Xiao He’s Cultivation?
Xiao He’s Yao Power was already at the Middle Stage First Order level, and her Yao Power was full, so she might soon Break through to Late Stage First Order.
If she could use this Demon Beast Core, that would naturally be for the best.
"It’s for you."
With a flick of his finger, the Tiger Demon Beast’s Demon Beast Core arced through the air.
Unexpectedly, Xiao He opened her mouth wide and caught it directly, chewed it for a while with "yam yam" sounds, and then swallowed it.
That works?
Song Yan felt his horizons broaden. Could it be eaten directly?
How convenient.
He didn’t know much about Demon Beasts, but Xiao He would handle it herself anyway.
Xiao He rubbed her little belly, and the Xuan Chi Dragon Transformation Art began to circulate naturally.
At the same time, she felt a warm current slowly emerge from her body and began to feel sleepy.
"Haa..."
She yawned and burrowed into the covers to sleep.
Song Yan simply processed the Young Mountain Lord’s Demon Beast corpse.
He collected the blood essence for later use and also took some of the Tiger Demon Beast’s bones and meat.
Neither he nor Xiao He, nor Xiao Ju who would be traveling with them, could yet abstain from grains.
This counted as excellent spiritual meat ingredients.
The tiger skin was already tattered and worthless.
After tidying up the other items, Song Yan, following the steps of his previous Body Refining with Qilin Blood Essence, took out the bronze Medicine Cauldron from his qiankun bag, preparing to refine his Physical Body again.
Compared to the golden-red Qilin Blood Essence, the Tiger Demon Beast’s blood was much simpler in color, with a deep red hue tinged with dark red.
Although it lacked the fervent aura of Qilin blood, it had a distinct Fishy and evil smell (Evil Qi) that assailed him when it was taken out.
"After all, it’s just the blood essence of a Tiger Demon Beast. The effect is probably less than two or three tenths of Qilin blood."
He pinched a handful of Spirit Medicine powder and sprinkled it into the cauldron, and the Evil Qi of the Demon Beast blood was immediately somewhat dispersed by the Medicinal Pill fragrance.
Not many Spirit Medicines were prepared this time, as tiger blood was far less violent than Qilin blood.
Moreover, Song Yan’s Physique was now many times stronger than when he first underwent Body Refining.
When he stepped naked into the cauldron, his skin felt a needle-like burning pain, but it was much gentler than last time.
The nameless Cultivation Technique circulated, and blood beads seeping from his pores carried a faint golden glow.
Upon introspection, the golden-red brilliance within his Physical Body’s Meridians continuously devoured the Yao Power in the tiger blood.
His flesh and Meridians were now greedily absorbing nutrients.
The liquid in the cauldron visibly became turbid.
Three hours later, the medicinal liquid in the cauldron had completely turned into a pool of waste water.
Song Yan opened his eyes and slowly stood up.
Under his originally smooth skin, a golden-red flow of light faintly appeared, then quickly receded.
"This nameless Cultivation Technique is indeed profound."
After a brief clean-up, he tried to activate his Sword Qi. This Body Refining did not significantly widen his Meridians.
However, the strength of his flesh had improved considerably.
What surprised Song Yan the most was that, upon introspection, the surface of his five internal organs and six viscera was already imbued with that golden-red brilliance, and it had even faintly condensed into a layer of film that was almost substantial.
"Spiritual light illuminating the body, golden jade internal organs..."
This was precisely the "Flawless" Realm that many Body Cultivators in the Qi Refinement Stage dreamed of.
Reaching this Realm meant that even without protective Spiritual Qi, without circulating any Cultivation Technique, and without any defense, ordinary mortal martial arts, internal palm power, and common poisons would no longer be able to fundamentally harm the Cultivator.
It was only at this moment that he truly understood the preciousness of Qilin Blood Essence.
His previous Body Refining had already pushed the strength of his Physical Body in the Qi Refining Stage close to its Bottleneck.
It was precisely because of this that he was only slightly inferior in his decisive battle with Li Yi.
Although the Tiger Demon Beast’s blood essence was not of high grade, it was able to complete the areas of tendons and bones that the Qilin Blood Essence had failed to temper.
Now, his Qi flowed, and there was a faint roar of tigers and leopards with every move he made.
This was precisely the phenomenon of "Qi Refining Perfection, Primordial Flawless" recorded in the nameless Cultivation Technique.
