Free Web NovelChapter 300: Chapter 300: First
The Martial Arts Arena fell into a dead silence.
"The Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm... taking on the Organ Cultivation Realm head-on?"
A disciple from Profound Sky Peak muttered to himself, his longsword CLANGING to the ground.
He had practiced swordsmanship for twenty years and prided himself on his exceptional talent, yet at this moment, even his courage to hold a sword was crushed.
"How is this possible..."
The Daoist Child of Cyan Nether Peak’s pupils contracted sharply, his fingertips digging deep into his palm.
This Grandmaster of the Organ Cultivation Realm had planned to make his move when Xu Yunfan’s strength was spent. But now, his opponent’s Blood Qi was not only not fading, it was actually growing stronger, even showing signs of surging to new heights.
This level of combat prowess, which defied all common sense, sent an unprecedented chill through his heart.
Atop the high platform, Vice Sect Leader Shen Wuya could no longer maintain the faint, almost imperceptible smile on his face. His eyes, filled with profound meaning, remained fixed on Xu Yunfan.
As a Grandmaster of the Nine Realms Qi Cultivation, he naturally discerned the embryonic form of the Ten Thousand Laws Return to the Stream in Xu Yunfan’s mace strike.
He was gathering the ultimate martial arts of various sects into a single form.
’Is he trying to walk the path of the Celestial Sword Dugu Jiu?’
Shen Wuya lowered his gaze, his expression thoughtful.
Back then, the Celestial Sword Dugu Jiu had possessed world-shocking talent. He had used the Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique to reshape his own body, then forcibly plundered the ultimate cultivation techniques from the other Five Great Sects. He mastered the Ten Thousand Laws Return to the Stream and embodied the Celestial Sword itself, becoming an unrivaled force that dominated his era. He once fought the top experts of the Six Great Sects all at once and did not fall behind.
"This boy... did he really come from the Celestial Craft Cave?" The Purple Realm Daoist’s beard and hair trembled slightly, and the duster in his hand moved without a wind.
He had cultivated Liuyun Peak’s Purple Mist Innate Skill for over a hundred years. Although he had yet to grasp its essence and condense his True Qi to enter the Ninth Realm, he trusted his own profound insight. He could see that when Xu Yunfan withdrew the Dragon and Tiger Hibernation Skill, the jumble of cultivation techniques within him miraculously became a harmonious whole, even nourishing his Pure Yang True Qi. It was simply incredible.
The Peak Leader of the Punishment Hall, Cui Yu, was silent for a long time before finally announcing in a hoarse voice, "Xu Yunfan wins."
The three words sent the entire arena into an uproar.
He glanced at Bi Yuan with a complicated expression, only to see the Sect Leader smiling, his eyes holding a spark that seemed ready to set a prairie ablaze.
It was as if he had seen... hope.
’But isn’t the Taoist Sect already powerful enough? Why would the Sect Leader wear such a joyous expression?’
In that moment, all doubts within the Taoist Sect vanished. They looked upon Xu Yunfan as if he were a Celestial Being.
The Thirty-Six Linked Rings had allowed Xu Yunfan to make his name in a single battle, establishing him as the de facto number one of the Taoist Sect’s younger generation.
Suppressing an Organ Cultivation Realm expert while only in the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm to become number one was a truly astounding feat.
The faces of the Peak Masters who had secretly conspired were ashen, while the younger disciples stared intently at Xu Yunfan, their eyes holding both awe and an unquenchable battle lust.
Because this mountain now looming over them was a Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm cultivator who had joined the Sect a little over two months ago!
***
Seven days had passed since Xu Yunfan’s fight on the Thirty-Six Linked Rings. After he defeated Chu Cangming, no one else dared to go onstage and challenge him, so he was naturally declared the winner.
「On this day.」
Xu Yunfan sat cross-legged on the Profound Jade Platform atop Qingwei Mountain, his Blood Qi as thick as mercury, slowly beginning to boil as he circulated the Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill.
His eyes were lightly closed, and from his bones came the faint sound of the Jade Bone Chime. The Powerful Qi flowing through his flesh and blood surged like a great river, scouring every corner of his being.
*You diligently practiced the Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill, aided by the Ginseng King Medicine Power and the Dragon and Tiger Harmonizing Pill. Skill Level +1.*
*You...*
As the Skill Level notifications flickered in his vision, Xu Yunfan’s expression remained unchanged. He focused wholeheartedly on guiding his Blood Qi Strength through the exceedingly complex pathways of the Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill, forming a great, intricate cycle throughout his body.
With each complete revolution, another section of his bone marrow would be slowly assimilated, becoming Golden Marrow.
After the battle in the Thirty-Six Linked Rings, he knew his own strength was still insufficient. He had only been able to fight and defeat Chu Cangming because he possessed two Divine Weapons: the Dragon Scale Armor and the Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace.
If he had taken off his armor and Chu Cangming had set aside his Divine Weapon for a bare-fisted fight, Xu Yunfan would have had to use the Linn Character Technique. By entering the Linn Character State, he would have had to ignore the strain on his body, suppress his own potential, and constantly break his limits just to fight for a slim chance of survival and find an opportunity for victory.
At this moment, he guided the Pure Yang True Qi from his Pure Yang Qi Skill to merge with the Purifying Power of the Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill. The great dragon of his spine trembled, vertebra by vertebra, and a faint, golden film of Powerful Qi actually condensed on his skin.
’Almost there!’
Xu Yunfan glanced at his Attribute Panel. The Skill Level for his Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill in the Skill Bar had reached eight hundred thirty-two. It would take half a month at most to reach the one thousand points needed for Great Success.
Once the Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill reached Great Success, he could begin cultivating the Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique, drive Strength into the Viscera, turn his Powerful Qi into Gang, and step into the realm of an Organ Cultivation Grandmaster.
Even in the Taoist Sect, that would absolutely place him among the upper echelon.
Of the Thirty-Six Peaks in the Taoist Sect, only the Peak Leaders of the top five were Nine Realm Qi Cultivators. The Peak Leaders of the remaining peaks held their positions as Grandmasters of the Organ Cultivation Realm.
With the Taoist Sect providing him with priceless Spiritual Elixir Pills, Xu Yunfan naturally wouldn’t waste the opportunity.
Suppressing these wandering thoughts, Xu Yunfan resumed circulating his Blood Qi and cultivating the Yijing Marrow Cleansing Skill.
Three Hours later, Xu Yunfan’s eyes snapped open. He exhaled a mouthful of Dirt Qi, and his aura suddenly spiked.
As his pores opened, they expelled foul-smelling, black impurities. His skin became as translucent as jade, and from the depths of his marrow, a faint rumbling of thunder could be heard.
At that exact moment, Cyan Pine hurried over carrying a medicine box. Behind him, several Taoist Sect Warriors carried a Bronze Medicine Cauldron, from which the Eight Treasures Celestial Cleansing Soup steamed and swirled with a faint, rosy glow.
The medicine box hadn’t even been opened, yet a unique, refreshing fragrance already filled the air. A single breath of it was enough to make one’s Blood Qi surge and muscles tingle.
"Senior Brother Xu..."
Cyan Pine bowed respectfully, unable to hide the envy in his eyes. "The Sect Leader gave a special order. He’s added an extra elixir for you tonight."
He carefully opened the medicine box, revealing a purple-gold pill the size of a longan fruit. Its surface was covered in dense Thunder Patterns, and faint sparks of electricity seemed to flow across it.
"This is a Purple Gold Bone Forging Pill. It’s refined using the Essence Blood of a Demon Beast born of lightning as a catalyst, supplemented with thirty-six types of Spiritual Medicine. The entire Taoist Sect has only three in its inventory." freēwēbnovel.com
Xu Yunfan’s gaze sharpened; he knew exactly how precious this pill was.
He was about to speak when he heard the sound of light footsteps outside the courtyard, accompanied by the crisp, pleasant ringing of bells.
"Junior Brother, don’t let the Sect Leader’s good intentions go to waste."
Two graceful figures, one in cyan and one in red, drifted in.
Senior Sister Qingluan wore a plain white Daoist robe with a Jade Hairpin in her hair, her temperament as cool and remote as the moon. Senior Sister Chishao, meanwhile, was dressed in fiery red, a string of Silver Bells at her waist, her smile as radiant as the morning sun.
Qingluan lightly raised a delicate hand, her fingertips emitting a soft cyan glow. "This Purple Gold Bone Forging Pill has overwhelmingly potent medicinal properties. It needs to be guided by our Taoist Sect’s secret technique, the Nine Revolutions Palace-Advancing Hand, to channel and harmonize its energy. Otherwise, it will easily injure your Blood Qi."
Her tone was placid, but it left no room for refusal.
Chishao blinked, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "Little Junior Brother, the Sect Leader was afraid that with your youthful vitality, you wouldn’t be able to withstand the pill’s volatile potency. So, he sent the two of us to be your ’Dharma Protectors’."
She deliberately stressed the words "Dharma Protectors," causing Qingluan to cough lightly.
Xu Yunfan, of course, didn’t refuse. He accepted with a smile and a cupped-fist salute. "Thank you, Senior Sisters, for personally making the trip so late at night..."
