Chapter 154: Refining One Hundred and Eight Meridians
Chapter 154: Refining One Hundred and Eight Meridians
“Huh?”
In Jade Mirror Peak of Shoushan Sect, Fang Cun was ready to rest when the Little Fox awkwardly combing his hair suddenly let out a surprised gasp. Pinching a few strands of his hair, she stammered, “Young Master… w-white hair…”
Fang Cun pulled the strands forward to look, then tucked them back into place.
In his heart, he understood: Lin Jiyi had completed the task.
The appearance of these white hairs didn’t surprise him at all; he had been waiting for them all along.
Ever since the Celestial Merit Record gave him the task of “civilizing” Zhou Huai, he had mentally prepared himself.
He also knew that once Zhou Huai left the mountain, he would inevitably suffer a series of crushing blows and shattered hopes.
These conceited youths, with ambitions sky-high, usually viewed the world through rose-tinted glasses. They thought they understood everything, but in reality, they comprehended nothing. They believed everything around them was fake, yet when confronted with the harsh truths of the real world, they often couldn’t handle it. In such circumstances, civilizing them truly could mold them into useful talents easier…
…But why should I bother molding you?
Perhaps by extending a hand now, this despairing individual would rapidly mature, becoming a capable assistant. Maybe he would achieve genuine enlightenment, stand firmly by Fang Cun’s side. Or maybe he’d become even more cunning and gloomy, a time bomb waiting to detonate. After all, such people never lacked a reason to convince themselves to betray anyone.
Therefore, Fang Cun saw no reason to take that risk. While Zhou Huai had the potential to be a good helper, did Fang Cun really lack such a helper?
This world might lack many things, but one thing it never lacked was conceited youths!
Just die!
Right now, what truly required Fang Cun’s careful consideration was something else entirely…
No matter how arrogantly Zhou Huai thought of himself, he was just a small disciple of Shoushan Sect.
He lacked both the courage and the necessity to slander an Immortal Master. Most likely, he had merely heard certain things somewhere, was influenced, and used them as evidence of his “unique insights” to boast about in front of his fellow disciples.
So, where exactly did he hear those things?
Who was it that was saying those things?
Fang Cun pondered slowly, his expression as indifferent and calm as an ancient well.
The answer to that would likely come when Lin Jiyi returned.
A person who suddenly falls into disgrace usually seeks out the one they trust most first. And those who influence people the most profoundly are also often the ones they trust most. Therefore, simply finding out whom Senior Brother Zhou Huai contacted first after leaving the mountain would give Fang Cun a pretty good clue about the source of those nonsensical words. Then, he could conduct a precise, thorough investigation.
For Second Young Master Fang, recently arrived at Shoushan Sect, there were many things demanding his attention.
Yet, his primary focus currently rested on such a minor matter!
…
Having reached a decision in his mind, Fang Cun waited patiently.
To a certain extent, he really did have plenty of free time at the moment.
The situation was excellent!
Previously, Fang Cun had been deducing the Shoushan Sect’s Divine Nether Treasured Body Art. During his continuous experimentation with various combinations of thirty-six meridians, it had consumed nearly thirteen thousand units of Merit. It was close to exhausting the reserve Merit Fang Cun kept for emergencies!
But now, the return on investment was stunningly high!
After the Shoushan Sect disciples desperately rushed down the mountain to compete for Merit, Fang Cun was almost receiving several thousand units of shared Merit every day. Sometimes, big windfalls would suddenly arrive – close to ten thousand, or even over ten thousand. Clearly, these Shoushan Sect disciples, driven by the desire to obtain the Divine Nether Treasured Body Art method, had truly thrown themselves into it. Many weren’t just relying on personal efforts to accumulate Merit through good deeds anymore; they had outright taken out parts of their family fortunes to forcefully perform charity and forcibly earn Merit…
Fang Cun didn’t mind this at all. Earning Merit was good, right?
As for the turmoil after? Who cared as long as the Merit is earned?
…Okay, that bit was said in annoyance, but securing the Merit first was the actual priority!
Amidst this fervent atmosphere, Fang Cun had obtained tens of thousands of units of Merit within a single month. Now, through sharing from the sect disciples and the constant trickle from that small branch faction he established earlier, the Celestial Merit Record already held a staggering eighty-six thousand units of Merit. Every day, a steady one or two thousand units still flowed in…
Of course, occasionally, one or two white hairs would appear…
…Fang Cun had checked – it seemed related to a few forcibly married women calling their husbands to take medicine in the middle of the night?
Chaos! Absolute chaos!
This Merit Tome really made no sense! Them calling their husbands for medicine in the dead of night – what did it have to do with him?
Fang Cun felt quite wronged.
But, well, at least the white hairs were few. He could reluctantly accept it.
What needed consideration now was how to earn even more Merit.
Following the common classification of cultivation rank tiers for Qi Refiners, Fang Cun was currently at the Treasured Body Realm. The realms above were the Condensed Radiance Realm and then the Golden Core Realm. The Condensed Radiance Realm referred to a Treasured Body Realm cultivator, through comprehending techniques, cultivation, and repeatedly refining their treasured body, gaining insight into the subtle principles of Heaven and Earth from their practice of arts, martial skills, and various Dao paths. This insight opens the possibility of breaking through the limits of the Treasure Realm…
That spark of insight represents the Condensed Radiance in cultivation realms.
Many cultivators in the world can steadily cultivate to Foundation Establishment and reach the upper grade of the Treasure Realm through a step-by-step approach.
Even stacking resources can push one to this stage.
However, breaking through the Treasure Realm is not so easy. The Condensed Radiance stage genuinely requires immense effort.
And as rumors in the world say, the Condensed Radiance stage is also the most dependent on innate talent.
It’s like sculpting, calligraphy, painting, sword training, or martial arts. Anyone can practice, and with a lifetime of work, you can look somewhat skilled. But to become a true master requires innate talent. Only masters can create sculptures that seem alive, conveying a certain essence; write calligraphy with such force it pierces the paper and transmits through the ages; paint works that touch the soul…
What’s missing for those who aren’t masters is that very spark of insight, that spirit.
Meaning, those who cannot become masters are forever destined to remain at the upper grade of the Treasure Realm, unable to break through.
Naturally, that insight was something to consider later.
It was like learning to draw an egg before thinking about painting a masterpiece that lasts a thousand years…
…Right now, he wasn’t even sure how to cultivate his one hundred and eight meridians!
Cultivating through the Treasured Body Realm involved refining and enhancing one’s major meridians through the practice and comprehension of arts, even divine abilities. One could say that cultivating and comprehending new arts not only enhanced one’s battle prowess but was also another form of advancing one’s cultivation. The higher one’s grade in the Treasured Body Realm, the more meridians one needed to refine. For Fang Cun now, the number was one hundred and eight.
The Divine Nether Scriptures of Shoushan Sect only allowed him to refine thirty-six meridians.
Moreover, many of the arts recorded only refined as few as three, five, or seven or eight meridians.
The lower the grade of the art, the fewer meridians it refined.
Within the entire Divine Nether Scriptures, what most interested Fang Cun were the divine abilities recorded on the final few pages. Even before opening those pages, stern, ancient-looking characters had written the word “Forbidden” and explicitly noted: “Damage the source, ruin the foundation, violate Heaven and Earth, harm celestial harmony. Do NOT teach disciples. Unless facing fatal threat or the extinction of the Dao lineage, NEVER use!”
Fang Cun looked at these words and couldn’t help murmuring to himself with a low chuckle, “Sounds a bit like ‘To master this art, one must first abandon one’s manhood!'”
Forbidden Arts were given that designation for good reason.
Ordinary arts, once comprehended, could be freely used. Not only would they not harm the practitioner, but they would also help stabilize one’s foundation and make Magical Power flow more smoothly. Higher-grade divine abilities, even after use, would expend all one’s Magical Power, but it could be easily replenished. However, Forbidden Arts were fundamentally different. Every technique labeled “Forbidden” shared one identical characteristic: they consumed Innate Qi!
A person’s Innate Qi is finite. If slightly depleted, it might be restored. If excessively depleted, it is lost forever.
Therefore, most divine abilities and secret arts only consumed Internal Breath and Magical Power. But some sought unparalleled might by involving Innate Qi – burning it within one’s dantian to unleash power far surpassing the norm.
Such divine arts, the moment they were unleashed, risked permanently depleting one’s Innate Qi.
This was damaging the source!
And after multiple uses, one might simply lose their life outright.
“This really seems tailor-made for me…”
Fang Cun almost laughed out loud looking at the description. Moreover, he was certain he had already used a Forbidden Art before.
Back at home, pursuing greater power for the Life-Death Sigil, he had used his Innate Qi to nourish the Gu Insect. That arguably already counted as a Forbidden Art.
The specific Shoushan Sect’s Forbidden Art was named “Divine Nether Hundred Arms!”
To unleash it required mobilizing all the force contained within the Divine Nether Treasured Body – meaning every use strained all thirty-six meridians simultaneously. On top of that, it consumed vast amounts of Innate Qi. An ordinary Qi Refiner would likely be finished after one or two uses. Forget replenishing the Innate Qi; survival itself would be uncertain.
For Fang Cun, conversely, it truly was an excellent method for refining his major meridians…
The only pity was, even this Forbidden Art only helped cultivate thirty-six meridians…
What about the remaining seventy-two?
“Different sects have different body-refining methods; their Forbidden Arts mobilize different meridians…”
“If I could get my hands on other sects’ arts and divine abilities, even their Forbidden Arts… that would be fantastic!”
“But how exactly could I obtain them?”
Fang Cun felt troubled, pondering incessantly. Go buy a few more sects?
Highly unlikely! Too high-profile!
Moreover, not every sect leader was as useless as his own, reduced to selling ancestral assets…
Then, perhaps gather a band of powerhouses to raid various sects? Seize their secret manuals, and nab a few fairy maidens while at it?
It wasn’t entirely unthinkable…
But exterminating sects to steal their manuals sounds exhausting. It’d be much better if they just handed them over voluntarily…
Fang Cun let out a soft sigh, shaking his head.
With the Celestial Merit Record, why was cultivation still this troublesome?…
…
Just as Second Young Master Fang was leisurely lamenting his lack of a scripture-filled courtyard to casually pick and choose from, Lin Jiyi, sent out on assignment, returned. The report he brought back not only detailed everything Zhou Huai had experienced, seen, and said before his death but also concluded with a line boldly written in red ink:
Qingjiang Prefecture, Old Master Fan!