Ning Fan Fairy... Who Are You!

Chapter 137: Ning Fan: Fairy... Who Are You!?

"The novice stage fills the skin; the advanced stage fills the flesh."

Ning Fan murmured to himself. Before he could fully comprehend the meaning, a segment of memory was imprinted into his mind.

It was the next step of the Spirit Marrow Saint-Piercing Method.

It still involved drawing the spirit marrow from the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth and infusing it into the body. However, this time, the target was not the skin.

It was the muscles.

To be more precise, it was the meridians.

That's right, the meridians.

Under a cultivator's skin, excluding the blood vessels, internal organs, and bones, everything else was broadly referred to as "flesh." Within it lay the muscles, fascia, fat, and most importantly, the meridians. The circulation of a cultivator's spiritual power took place within these very paths.

Without meridians, there was no way to even discuss the utilization of spiritual power.

The cultivation of the Spirit Marrow Saint-Piercing Method at the Profound Extreme Realm involved imprinting Spirit Marks onto each meridian, making them tougher and wider.

In truth, for a cultivator, the toughness and width of their meridians were a fundamental part of their innate talent.

The Spirit Marrow Saint-Piercing Method allowed a cultivator, after reaching the Profound Extreme Realm, to further enhance these qualities by infusing them with spirit marrow.

By practicing this second stage, one could increase the total capacity of their spiritual power, and even the raw power of their martial techniques!

"Hiss-"

After sorting through the information in his mind, Ning Fan couldn't help but inhale sharply. No wonder that phantom just now possessed such terrifying spiritual power quality.

It was entirely due to the Spirit Marrow Saint-Piercing Method.

"Just like the arenas in the Yellow Extreme Realm, the strength of the phantoms here is heavily amplified by the Spirit Marrow Saint-Piercing Method," Ning Fan muttered to himself.

Judging by the previous nine arenas, the phantom he had just faced had only a preliminary grasp of the technique, having imprinted Spirit Marks on fewer than twenty meridians within its body.

Yet, even so, the boost to its spiritual power was staggering.

It was roughly a one-fifth increase!

From the memories in his mind, Ning Fan learned that the standard for the second stage of the Spirit Marrow Saint-Piercing Method still ranged from one to ninety-nine marks.

Infusing all ninety-nine major meridians within the body with spirit marrow would mark the Perfection of the second stage.

With fewer than twenty meridians bearing Spirit Marks, it could already increase total spiritual power by a fifth. Furthermore, the enhancement from Spirit Marks grew exponentially the further one progressed.

If all ninety-nine meridians were fully imprinted...

Wouldn't his spiritual power multiply several times over?

Terrifying!

The Spirit Marrow Saint-Piercing Method truly lived up to its reputation as an ancient cultivation secret. It was indeed boundlessly formidable, and this was only the benchmark for ninety-nine marks.

His skin's Spirit Marks had reached Perfection at ninety-nine, but beyond Perfection lay Grand Perfection, and beyond Grand Perfection lay the Black Tortoise Diagram.

Although Ning Fan did not know the details yet, the second stage of the Spirit Marrow Saint-Piercing Method would definitely not end simply with the Perfection of ninety-nine meridians.

It had to hold deeper, more profound mysteries.

A glint of excitement flashed in Ning Fan's eyes. He could hardly wait to raise his cultivation to the Grand Perfection of the Profound Extreme Realm, as he needed to reach that peak before he could formally begin practicing this stage of the technique.

"I'll have to wait until the Peak Competition," Ning Fan murmured.

A significant breakthrough in his realm would have to wait until the tournament. But before that, he decided to share this news with Ye Honglian.

Ye Honglian was certainly not at the Grand Perfection of the Profound Extreme Realm yet, and her method of cultivating spiritual meridians was incomplete. With a complete cultivation method, the number of spiritual meridians within her body could be greatly increased.

Ning Fan knew that she was about to explore a dangerous secret realm. Increasing her spiritual meridians beforehand would surely provide immense benefit.

Thinking of this, Ning Fan waved at Yun Qingyao.

"Mm."

Yun Qingyao was already accustomed to Ning Fan's disregard for location when it came to dual cultivation. She obediently walked over to him, ready to begin.

...

Meanwhile, in a quiet bamboo grove within the Yin Yang Divine Sect.

Lingxu Fairy eased out of her cultivation state, a sharp gleam flashing in her eyes as a look of joy surfaced on her brow.

"My realm has advanced again."

"There is only one final step left before the breakthrough..." she murmured to herself.

It had been entirely worth it to enter the Evolution Grounds, slay that freak formed from endless vital blood and flesh, and refine the pill within that Flesh Puppet's body.

She flipped her hand, revealing an ancient jade pendant in her palm. She only needed to wait for the ancient jade's summons to come again, and by leveraging the Fated Chance within it, she would undoubtedly complete her breakthrough.

As for when the ancient jade would summon her? Lingxu Fairy could not be certain, but without a doubt, the summons were quite frequent, occurring mostly at night.

If she waited a few days, the call would surely come.

Yet, just before Lingxu Fairy could put the jade away, the pendant in her hand suddenly burst into a bright light. A faint, almost imperceptible pulling force emanated from it.

"It's here!"

Lingxu Fairy was overjoyed.

She had not expected the ancient jade to be so cooperative, or for the summons to arrive so quickly.

She calmed her mind and focused her spirit, responding to the pull of the ancient jade. The next moment, her vision went dark, and the world around her spun violently.

It felt as though she was being dragged into an entirely different space.

Lingxu Fairy's final conscious thought was pure ecstasy, thrilled that this ancient jade could transport her across space. This Fated Chance had to be monumental.

...

At the same time, within the Tianxuan Holy Land.

Ye Honglian held her ancient jade, a trace of helplessness flashing in her eyes. They had only just dual cultivated, yet that little rogue wanted to do it again.

Sigh.

Forget it. In two days, she would be entering a long period where she wouldn't be able to see Ning Fan. She might as well see him a few more times while she could.

Ye Honglian held the jade pendant, waiting for the spatial pull to drag her to Ning Fan's side. However, the summoning force originating from the jade pendant suddenly began to rapidly weaken.

After a brief moment, it dissolved into nothingness.

Ye Honglian held the ancient jade, turning it over and over in her hands before looking around. The scenery remained exactly the same-she was still sitting in her own bedchamber.

"Wh-what's going on?" Ye Honglian tilted her head, completely mystified.

...

At this moment, inside the cave dwelling on Changming Peak.

Ning Fan had long grown accustomed to the dazzling white light of the spatial transition. But just as he was preparing to initiate their usual spiritual connection-akin to a hidden dragon preparing to leap into a deep pool-he suddenly felt that something was distinctly off.

Normally, when connecting with Ye Honglian, her spiritual aura felt like a wide, welcoming gate, smooth and familiar from frequent visits.

But right now, the spiritual barrier he encountered felt entirely different.

To describe it with a classic verse, it felt exactly like a secluded path that had never been swept for a guest, a rustic gate opening for the very first time.

However, Ning Fan did not think too deeply on it.

After all, whenever Ye Honglian was startled or shocked by him, her defensive spiritual state would become several times tighter than this.

"F-Fairy," Ning Fan spoke excitedly. "I have some great news to tell you."

The discovery of the second stage of the Spirit Marrow Saint-Piercing Method would surely thrill her. But as his voice faded, the woman before him remained completely silent.

At the same time, Ning Fan finally noticed her presence properly.

The person in front of him seemed entirely wrong.

"W-wait..."

"You..."

"Who are you?"

Because the person was still fully clothed, Ning Fan could discern the unique, elegant patterns of her robes. As a shocking realization struck his mind, he froze completely on the spot.

"L-Lingxu Fairy!?"

"The Holy Maiden!"

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