Chapter 18: One Month Later

Inside the main hall of Xuanzhen Temple.

Mu Xiaoyu hung limply in midair. Had Li Yinsheng not supported her with his Artifact Manipulation Skill, she would have collapsed onto the floor long ago. Suspended by the technique, she raised her head. Her disheveled hair veiled most of her delicate face, making her look like a vengeful ghost as she glared resentfully at him.

"Senior Brother, before you came up the mountain, were you a Prison Guard in the mortal world's Celestial Prison?"

"I entered the mountain to cultivate when I was just a child. Naturally, I was never a Prison Guard in the mortal world," Li Yinsheng said, puzzled. "Why do you ask, Junior Sister?"

"Because I was just subjected to cruel torture!" Mu Xiaoyu cried, tears welling in her eyes.

"After all, I just used the Qingxuan Divine Light. It can perform Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins, so a little pain is inevitable," Li Yinsheng comforted. "Don't worry, Junior Sister. Although the technique hurts a bit while refining the Flesh Body, it only brings benefits and causes absolutely no harm." As he spoke, he summoned a meditation cushion, placed it beneath her, and gently lowered her onto it.

"A little pain?! I felt like I was being tortured to death! It was as if ten thousand needles were piercing through my body!" Sitting on the cushion, Mu Xiaoyu wished she could pounce on him and bite him, though her limp body refused to cooperate.

Faced with the palpable, thick wave of resentment radiating from her, Li Yinsheng remained exceptionally calm. He spoke unhurriedly, "But haven't you noticed that your entire body feels refreshed, Junior Sister? Even your exhaustion from cultivation has largely faded."

Mu Xiaoyu froze. The sheer agony from moments ago had been so intense that she was still palpitating with fear. Prompted by his reminder, she finally realized that she did feel somewhat different. With the pain gone, although she still couldn't muster any strength, she undeniably felt far less exhausted. Moreover, she truly felt a faint sense of the "refreshment" he had mentioned. It wasn't the distinct comfort of basking in the sun or sleeping in; rather, it was a lightness that made her feel as though her entire being had been cleansed and cleared.

"And most importantly, Junior Sister, you lack a Root Device, which makes your cultivation slower than ordinary people. Although Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins cannot grant you a Root Device, it can compensate for some of your disadvantages," Li Yinsheng explained.

"So my cultivation will be faster now?" Mu Xiaoyu rejoiced. She didn't particularly care about speed for its own sake, but cultivating faster meant she would reach the second layer sooner. When that time came, she would finally be able to secretly manipulate the Quenching Essence Lock herself!

"Just this one time is far from enough," Li Yinsheng said. "Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins requires perseverance; it is a gradual accumulation."

"Ah?" Mu Xiaoyu's face instantly paled a few shades. "How many more times do we have to do this?"

"Well... calculating by the number of sessions is a bit troublesome," Li Yinsheng said. "If we do Washing Marrow once a day, I reckon it'll take about half a year."

"Half a year!" Terrified, Mu Xiaoyu stumbled up from the cushion and turned to flee. "Senior Brother, I'm sleepy. I'm going back to sleep!"

"Ah, don't be in such a hurry to leave, Junior Sister. I haven't finished." Pointing a finger, Li Yinsheng immobilized her with the Artifact Manipulation Skill. Mu Xiaoyu was forced to turn around and face him.

"While the pain of Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins is inevitable, it only hurts because the Qingxuan Divine Light is purging the impurities in your body," Li Yinsheng explained. "In other words, the fewer impurities you have, the less it will hurt."

"So... the pain from Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins will become milder and milder?" Mu Xiaoyu asked thoughtfully.

"Exactly," Li Yinsheng nodded. "When you feel no pain at all during the process, it means the Qingxuan Divine Light's Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins is complete." Of course, this merely signified that the Qingxuan Divine Light's cleansing effect had reached its absolute limit. The light's primary functions were purifying the mind, breaking Illusion Skills, and suppressing Demon Fiends and ghosts. Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins was just a secondary benefit. As a cleansing method, its efficacy wasn't bad, but it was nothing extraordinary. If she found a superior method for Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins in the future, it would still hurt just as much.

Facing Mu Xiaoyu, Li Yinsheng continued to patiently guide her, one sentence at a time. "Therefore, Junior Sister, this was the most painful session of Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins you will ever endure.

"From now on, the pain will only lessen, but after each Washing Marrow session, your cultivation speed will only increase.

"You've finally survived the agonizing first time, yet your cultivation speed hasn't improved much. Don't you think it's a huge loss to stop now?"

Mu Xiaoyu blinked, stunned. Although she felt something was slightly off about his logic, she thought it over and had to admit it made a lot of sense. It would indeed be frustrating to endure the worst of the torture only to receive such meager benefits. Especially since her Senior Brother had promised it would become less painful over time...

"Then... Senior Brother, do we still have to do Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins tomorrow?" Mu Xiaoyu asked hesitantly. "But it really, really hurts..." Though slightly swayed, she had yet to fully make up her mind.

"Hmm... Are you truly that resistant, Junior Sister? It seems I was too hasty. Had I known, I would have taken it step by step so you could slowly adapt." Li Yinsheng pondered for a few breaths. Wearing an expression of perfectly measured apology and concern, he spoke softly and with utmost sincerity, "If you want to do Washing Marrow tomorrow, how about we cut the duration in half compared to today so you can get used to it first?"

Hearing the sudden good news that the duration could actually be halved, the wavering Mu Xiaoyu was instantly overjoyed. "In that case, then tomorrow I'll... give it a try?" She was still a bit uneasy. "But what if I still find it too painful?"

"You can always give up then. It won't be too late," Li Yinsheng replied. However, if she gave up then, his argument would become, "You've already endured the most painful and the second most painful sessions. Giving up now means suffering through the two worst tortures for nothing. Are you really willing to accept that?"

***

Early morning, in Li Yinsheng's bedroom.

He sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, enveloped in a hazy, ethereal radiance. A moment later, he slowly opened his eyes as the light retracted into his body.

"Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins with the Qingxuan Divine Light really does hurt quite a bit. No wonder Junior Sister complained so bitterly," Li Yinsheng sighed. Last night, after coaxing and tricking Mu Xiaoyu into agreeing to continue Washing Marrow, he had sent her back to sleep. Afterward, he began Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins on himself in his own room using the Qingxuan Scripture. His experience was much like what Mu Xiaoyu had described. It was a dense, pricking pain, as if countless sharp needles were swimming throughout his body. However, for someone who had been tormented by the Blood Refining Core day in and day out for over a decade, this stinging pain was easy to adapt to. If he had to say, this prickling was much friendlier than the scorching agony of the Blood Refining Core. Though it initially felt slightly stronger than the core's burn, it would gradually fade. The Blood Refining Core was different; its searing pain was unrelenting.

Of course, the benefits brought by the Blood Refining Core were immense. During this cultivation session, not only had his Qingxuan Scripture reached the Tenth Layer, but his True Blood Secret Scripture had also advanced to the Fifth Layer.

Raising his right hand, Li Yinsheng took a cup-sized piece of Iron Wood from his Qiankun Bag. He gripped it tightly in his palm, forcefully squeezing and twisting his five fingers. The hard Iron Wood crumbled into a pile of sawdust in his grasp. He clapped his hands, dusting off the wood shavings. The skin on his palm remained as smooth and white as jade, without a single red mark or scratch. The hardness of Iron Wood was slightly inferior to mortal pig iron, but not by much. He reckoned that with the Physique of the True Blood Secret Scripture's Fifth Layer, crushing iron into mud would be no problem at all.

The miraculous aspect of the True Blood Secret Scripture's Third Layer was its ability to raise the limit of one's True Blood. Furthermore, once raised at the Third Layer, this limit was not permanently fixed; it would continue to increase as the True Blood Secret Scripture advanced. At the Third Layer, the maximum amount of True Blood one could condense was one thousand drops. Now, at the Fifth Layer, Li Yinsheng's limit had been elevated to three thousand drops. Since he had been tirelessly polishing his Cultivation all these years, his True Blood had essentially reached its cap.

Previously, he had planned that if no new Cultivation Aspiration appeared, he would go out and earn some money to claim the next tier of rewards for his "Accumulating talismanic coins" Cultivation Aspiration. But now, his next step was to stabilize his Cultivation and break through to become a Daoist. He did not plan to simply isolate himself in the Grotto Heaven, blindly attempting the breakthrough by solely following the Magic Technique recorded in the Qingxuan Scripture. The Scripture Pavilion of Xuanzhen Temple housed handwritten notes left behind by past generations of Daoists. These notes detailed their personal Cultivation experiences, offering reference and guidance for future generations. Only a Cultivator whose Cultivation was nearing the Daoist realm was permitted to read them. Li Yinsheng had not read them before because he knew his Cultivation was still far from ready; reading them then might have made him aim too high, doing more harm than good. But now that he was only a step away from becoming a Daoist, he definitely needed to carefully study and thoroughly digest these notes first. Moreover, aside from the cold, lifeless notes, the temple also had his Martial Uncle—a former Daoist who could personally impart his experiences. It was just that he hadn't yet figured out how to confess his true Cultivation to his Martial Uncle. He had no intention of hiding his Cultivation forever, but he needed to find an appropriate opportunity to bring it up.

"First, I'll go to the Scripture Pavilion to grab a notebook," Li Yinsheng said, rising from the cushion, "then, I'll go wake Junior Sister up for Cultivation.

"I can watch her cultivate while studying the notes left by the senior Daoists. Neither task will be delayed."

***

Over the following month, Li Yinsheng—who had effectively gained decades of Cultivation in a matter of days—enjoyed a rare period of leisure. Every early morning, he would go chat with his Martial Uncle for a while. Then, he would head to the Scripture Pavilion to retrieve a notebook left by a senior Daoist, before dragging his soundly sleeping Junior Sister out of bed. Next, based on her current Cultivation progress, he would slightly increase the weight of the Quenching Essence Lock. After that, he would spend the entire day watching her cultivate while studying the notebook. Late at night, when she had cultivated enough, he would escort her back to her room and help her with Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins using the Qingxuan Divine Light. Once she was asleep, he would return to his own room. There, he would rest his eyes or take a short nap before using the Qingxuan Divine Light for his own Washing Marrow and Cleansing Veins. This cycle repeated until morning, signaling a new day.

In any case, with his current Cultivation, though sleep couldn't be entirely eliminated, resting for one or two hours a night was more than enough.

Over this month, he had essentially mastered the sections concerning the breakthrough to the Daoist realm within those senior notebooks. The vast majority of those Daoists had cultivated the Town Guardian Technique, the *Profound Truth Treasure Radiance Heart Seal True Explanation*. However, there was one senior Daoist who had cultivated the *Qingxuan Scripture*, and three others who had practiced other Cultivation Techniques no inferior to the *Qingxuan Scripture*. As for those who had achieved the Daoist realm using the *True Blood Secret Scripture*, there wasn't a single one.

The notebook left by the senior Daoist who cultivated the *Qingxuan Scripture* benefited him immensely. The notes of the other senior Daoists also allowed him to draw parallels and gain a wealth of knowledge.