Chapter 17: Tenth Layer of the Qingxuan Scripture

In the Grotto Heaven.

Li Yinsheng sat cross-legged on the White Jade Platform, his eyes half-closed as his hands continuously formed complex Seal Techniques. His chest had almost stopped rising and falling. Even the Magical Power that had enveloped his Blood Refining Core and C Fire Blood Refining for who knew how many years had paused. He focused entirely on breaking through to the Tenth Layer. Although his Heart and Spirit wouldn't be depleted, multitasking would inevitably affect the finer details of his breakthrough.

As the Seal Techniques changed in his hands, a faint layer of azure light emerged over Li Yinsheng's body. The light grew denser. Just as it was about to solidify into a tangible form, it suddenly turned clear, resembling a streak of bright moonlight. It wasn't until the afterimage-inducing Seal Techniques in his hands abruptly stopped that the moonlight-like clear glow around him instantly retracted. Li Yinsheng's eyes snapped open. A seemingly tangible azure gleam overflowed from his pupils before instantly dissipating into nothingness.

"Phew..." Li Yinsheng slowly exhaled.

"The Tenth Layer of the Qingxuan Scripture is complete!" Li Yinsheng thought as he sat quietly, performing Introspection. "Ninety-eight years of Cultivation...

"Although according to the Qingxuan Scripture, once I break through to the Tenth Layer and stabilize my Cultivation, I can begin attempting to break through to become a Daoist.

"The so-called hundred years of Cultivation is only a rough measure and not an absolute threshold, but..." Li Yinsheng shook his head.

Breaking through to become a Daoist required reversing one's innate nature. A person's entire Essence, Qi, and Spirit would undergo an earth-shattering sublimation. It was a matter of grave importance, so it was best not to act rashly. Furthermore, the prerequisite to becoming a Daoist was stabilizing his Tenth Layer Cultivation. With his profound Cultivation of nearly a hundred years, just stabilizing his Realm might take him one or two, or even three years.

Li Yinsheng stood up and walked to the edge of the White Jade Platform. He casually swiped a lotus flower aside and looked down at his reflection in the water. His eyes were still as pitch-black as the deep night without any changes, but his gaze faintly revealed a deep azure intent that exuded natural authority.

"According to the Qingxuan Scripture, only when I can conceal my divine radiance and hide this azure intent in my eyes will my Tenth Layer be completely stabilized..." Li Yinsheng thought. He blinked, estimating that it was highly unlikely he wouldn't return to this Grotto Heaven for a year or two. Instead of figuring out how to stabilize his Cultivation on the outside, he might as well think about how to use the Qingxuan Divine Light to help his junior sister with Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins. In a way, her situation was much more urgent than his.

According to the Qingxuan Scripture, using the Qingxuan Divine Light for Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins consumed very little Magical Power per session. However, it required perseverance, so the total consumption would be quite large. Additionally, since it was Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins, the process would inevitably be somewhat painful. Mortals would howl in pain just from a bone-setting massage or soaking in a hot bath. Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins was akin to being reborn; it was impossible for it to be completely painless.

However, Li Yinsheng believed in Junior Sister Mu. She was someone who was greedy on the outside but lazy on the inside... no, soft on the outside but tough on the inside! She would definitely be able to persevere!

Li Yinsheng silently cheered Mu Xiaoyu on in his heart.

When he looked down at himself again, he realized something was wrong.

"Why does my hair... seem different?" he wondered.

He carefully scrutinized his reflection in the water. His hair had always been thick, and after breaking through to the First Layer of the True Blood Secret Scripture, he had grown even more new hair. Now that his True Blood Secret Scripture had reached the Fifth Layer, his hair hadn't grown any thicker, but its color had become even darker. It also had a crystalline luster under the moonlight.

Li Yinsheng pulled out his hairpin. The unbound black hair cascaded down, resembling a quietly flowing waterfall under the chilling moonlight. He grabbed a lock of hair and carefully inspected it, confirming that what he saw in the water wasn't an illusion. Besides looking darker and shinier, it felt much silkier than before, even giving him the illusion that he was caressing silk.

Only then did he remember that the True Blood Secret Scripture was a Cultivation Technique no less formidable than the Qingxuan Scripture. Every three layers, a miraculous trait would be born. The miraculous trait born at the Third Layer of the True Blood Secret Scripture naturally wasn't something as useless as "more hair and better hair quality." Instead, it raised the upper limit of True Blood to over a thousand drops, fully ten times that of an ordinary Body Cultivator. However, the scripture also clearly recorded that along with the birth of the miraculous trait, there would indeed be some obvious changes reflected in one's appearance.

Hair was the extension of blood. The change brought by the Third Layer made a person's hair "as dark as clouds, never thinning or receding, devoid of any mixed colors, smooth as silk, sparkling with a crystalline luster, and free from dirt and grime." Translated into human terms, it meant having thick, black hair that wouldn't fall out or turn gray. It would feel silky and reflective, and it wouldn't produce scalp oil or dandruff.

Once Li Yinsheng figured this out, he lost interest. He didn't have any demands for his hair; not going bald was enough for him. Not producing scalp oil or dandruff was quite practical, though. After all, ordinary Cultivators still needed to bathe. This effect could save him time washing his hair to do more meaningful things. However, he wasn't too far away from becoming a Daoist. A Daoist's entire body would be free from dirt and grime, rendering even bathing unnecessary. Therefore, this effect didn't hold much meaning for him either.

But he immediately realized that he was already at the Fifth Layer of the True Blood Secret Scripture, and the Sixth Layer would bring new changes. Next time, it wouldn't just be his hair. The records for the Sixth Layer stated: "Qi Blood reaches the teeth and lips; teeth like aligned cowries, lips like vibrant cinnabar."

The former was undoubtedly a good thing; having whiter teeth was always nice. But the latter...

Li Yinsheng prayed that this "lips like vibrant cinnabar" wouldn't make him look like he was wearing lipstick. That would be too effeminate. He didn't want to be a liquid foundation General.

However, it was impossible for him to give up on this highly practical Minor Blood Refining Technique just because of a small side effect. At worst, he would just control his Qi Blood himself when the time came. His lip color could completely be adjusted manually; it was a trivial matter.

While Li Yinsheng's mind wandered, the writing on the White Jade Platform changed, reminding him to go back to cultivating.

Li Yinsheng's mouth twitched. Logically speaking, he already had ninety-eight years of Cultivation, so there shouldn't be much time left in the Grotto Heaven. Leaving now wouldn't be considered a loss. But leaving just like that felt a bit wasteful, so he simply sat down cross-legged and continued cultivating. He had to eat the meat, drink the soup, and lick the bottom of the bowl clean!

Sure enough, just as he felt a short moment had passed, a clear and resonant bell toll rang out.

...

Li Yinsheng opened his eyes. In front of him was the main hall of the Xuanzhen Temple, along with the Talismanic Register signed and thumb-printed by Mu Xiaoyu on the table. He immediately closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing a few times, suppressing the azure intent in his gaze. This wasn't because he had stabilized his Realm; he had merely suppressed it temporarily to prevent these outward manifestations of his Cultivation from affecting Mu Xiaoyu.

"Senior Brother, is it done? Can I go back to sleep now?" Holding her Dharma Seal and Daoist Certificate, which she had just dripped blood on, Mu Xiaoyu spoke weakly.

She was very happy to suddenly become a Steward, but she was truly too exhausted to muster any extra strength. Between today's cultivation and her punishment, she had trained until her entire body was sore and her head was spinning. She had already lost count of how many hours she had trained. Anyway, it was definitely the most tiring session she had experienced since joining the temple! Especially since she was carrying an eighty-pound burden on her!

Mu Xiaoyu really wanted to cry—to bawl her eyes out! She wanted to let this bad Senior Brother know that the consequence of bullying her was that his ears would suffer terribly! But she didn't even have the strength to squeeze out tears, let alone wail loudly. One had to know that crying was also a very physically draining activity. Right now, she only wanted to lie on her bed and sleep until dawn.

Mu Xiaoyu originally thought her day couldn't possibly get any worse. That was until she heard the smiling Li Yinsheng speak that sentence in front of her.

"Junior Sister, if you can still hold on, don't rush to sleep just yet. I have a Magic that can help you with Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins. Not only will it allow you to cultivate faster, but it might also invigorate your spirit and relieve your fatigue."

A clear, beautiful light, as radiant as moonlight, emerged in Li Yinsheng's palm. He smiled and said, "Do you want to go straight to sleep, or do you want to try it out first, Junior Sister?"

He wasn't lying to Mu Xiaoyu. With the profundity of the Qingxuan Divine Light, restoring a mortal's body and relieving fatigue was merely a byproduct of a byproduct.

"Really?" Mu Xiaoyu nodded strenuously. "Then... then I'll give it a try."

She looked at the beautiful clear glow in Li Yinsheng's hand, her exhausted body barely managing to spur her thoughts. "What a beautiful Magic," she thought. "I wonder if I can learn it? Speaking of which, having such a beautiful Magic used on my body must be really comfortable, right? Did Senior Brother specifically learn a fatigue-relieving Magic just for me? At his core, Senior Brother is still a good person after all..."

Li Yinsheng stopped the bright moonlight above Mu Xiaoyu's head, letting it sprinkle down like pouring a cup of sweet dew. At the same time, he formed an Artifact Manipulation Skill with his other hand in case Mu Xiaoyu fell over.

...

"WAAAAAHHHHH————"

A shrill scream pierced the night sky, echoing throughout the Xuanzhen Temple and waking the soundly sleeping Junior Martial Uncle Jiang.